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Viewpoint The Battalion Thursday Texas A&M University November 17, 1977 Slouch — then and now The student with the longest tenure at Texas A&M isn’t a red-shirted football player or a multi-degreed graduate student or even an old Ag in his second childhood. A&M’s longest term record holder has been showing up right here, on the second page of The Battalion, for 24 years. He’s Slouch. This die-hard Present Student first appeared on The Battalion editorial page 24 years ago today, in an unnamed cartoon by then-staff cartoonist Jim Earle. Jim named his cartoon character “Cadet Slouch” in a cartoon appear ing three days later and another Aggie tradition was born. Jim graduated the next year, but Cadet Slouch signed on for a long stay in Aggieland. He stayed right here while Jim was getting masters and doctorate degrees, headed for the job he now holds as head of A&M’s department of engineering design graphics. During those years. Cadet Slouch went through a change or two himself. He became simply Slouch to reflect the University’s switch to optional Corps membership. He adjusted to the thousands of changes the University has seen during his tenure. Yet, he has always remained distinctly Jim Earle’s Slouch. He’s commented on virtually every facet of Aggie life, every change, every new controversy. He’s the special blend of tradition and option and humor and A&M that makes him simply Slouch. No more explanation needed. Thanks, Jim Earle. Here’s a toast to the next 24 years of your “child’s life. L.R.L. HAPPY BIRTHDAY 1953-197'7 SLOUCH 1953 AND 4,100 CAFtTOONS LATER British don’t feel like afflicted nation By RUDOLF KLEIN International Writers Service LONDON — Within recent years, Britain has been portrayed in the head lines as a nation afflicted by rampant infla tion, damaging labor disputes and declin ing standards of living. Its image has be come one of a society tottering on the brink of collapse. On the contrary, recent public opinion surveys show that the overwhelming majority of people in Britain are not only content with their lot but pleased with the way the country is being run. The studies also reveal that they are happier than some other West Europeans whose economies are working better than that of Britain. This suggests that national satisfaction may depend on factors other than prosper ity. Or it could mean that the British are so complacent that they refuse to admit that they are threatened by severe political, economic and social pressures. Whatever the reasons, the polls indicate that 80 percent of them have no serious complaints about their conditions. This sentiment is roughly equal to that in West Germany, a far richer country, and con siderably higher than the same feeling in France and Italy. The Danes, Dutch and Belgians register higher levels of satisfac tion. About three-fifths of the British, moreover, believe that democracy in Brit ain is operating effectively. Again, this sentiment is stronger here than in France and Italy, but lower than in West Ger many, where four-fifths of the population applaud their democratic system. One element that comes through sharply in the surveys is that most British think that their society is “fair.” In other words, their lack of bitterness reflects an awareness that, if the overall standard of living has fallen in Britain, everyone is suf fering equally and no particular group is profiting from the recession. This does not signify that the British take the drop in their living standards lightly. Far from it. About 30 percent feel that their incomes are lower than their re quirements. But they do not consider themselves poor — in contrast to the French, a large proportion of whom claim to be impoverished even though their economy is wealthier than that of Britain. Clearly, living standards are not the only yardstick by which people assess their sense of well-being. Nor is job satisfaction dependent on salary scales, according to a survey carried out not long ago by a British consumer magazine. The survey, in which 24,000 employees were questioned, found that nearly 50 percent believed themselves to be under paid. But almost three-quarters said that, despite their wage, they were satisfied with their present job. Strikingly, the most satisfied job cate gory turned out to be clergymen, whose average earnings are lower than those of unskilled office employees. More than 85 percent said that they would choose the same profession if they had to start their career over again. Exactly the same percentage of doctors gave this reply, even though members of the British medical establishment have been among the most vocal critics of the declining standard of living of the middle class. The highest-paid occupational group — stockbrokers — were significantly less content with their work. Only 59 percent said that they would opt for the same career again. What seems to matter to people, then, is not so much the money they earn or the hours that they devote to their jobs as the freedom they have to make their own de cisions and to determine their own work patterns. In this respect, the surveys shows, the most satisfied British are the self-employed and workers in small firms. Therefore, the way in which a society is organized may be at least as important as a measure of its stability as the income of its citizen's. That Britain has been experiencing eco nomic adversity is undeniable. But the fact that the morale of the British is still high in the face of stress and strain is certainly to their credit. For a country that can absorb the consequences of crisis is, on the whole, rather healthy. (Klein, a senior fellow at London s Center for Studies in Social Policy, writes on so cial issues in Britain.) ©«77WOU»'60ieft»6- \ letters to the editor Coming to the defense of American oil firms Editor: I am writing this letter in response to a letter by Houston Thompson in the Nov. 15 issue of the Battalion. In that letter Thompson attacked the oil companies for blocking the passage of President Carter’s energy policy by appealing to the “selfish interests of the American people,” and their demand for an ever-increasing sup ply of energy. In his energy policy, President Carter offers us higher prices in the form of energy taxes, more government meddling in business, in the form of the Department of Energy, and yet another loss of eco nomic freedom in the form of federal price policies on interstate gas. In return these policies will not produce one extra drop of oil or one cubic foot of gas. These are only a few of the proposals that you would have the American public accept in a spirit of patriotism, sacrifice and intelligence!?!?!? You have the audac ity to attack the American oil industry, which in spite of almost insurmountable technological problems, exasperating gov ernment interference in private business, and a host of hostile politicians continues to supply Americans with the cheapest energy to be found in the world. Although conservation should be stressed within reason, this country did not conserve its way greatness, we pro duced our way to the top and that is exactly what it is going to take to solve this energy crisis. As far as President Carter and his energy policy, I think R.W. Scott pretty well summed it up in this month’s edition of Oil World in which he says, “At this point, it can only be said that the present administration and its rubber stamp stooges in the House are appropriately represented by the symbol of the party that controls them.” —Robert M. Shivers III, ’79 Helmet law unjust Editor: The issue concerning motorcycle hel mets in College Station is beginning to look ridiculous. I am not a motorcyclist and therefore feel that I am in a neutral position to express my opinion on the is sue. The State Legislature has passed a law to permit motorcyclists over 18 to ride without helmets and College Station is try ing to promote the denial of this law within the city. I simply don’t believe that the law, if passed, will work, for several rea sons. A major problem with the law concerns visitors and out-of-towners. Those visiting the city or just passing through will not be aware of this law, but will be expected to uphold this law by the city of College Sta tion. I believe that this is unfair and un just, for a city to try to enforce such a law. College Station in a sense is trying to form a dictatorship by passing laws to under mine state laws. —Kenneth Crowson Helmet law needed Editor: When laws are made, they are made to better society. When the law stating that motorcyclists were not required to wear crash helmets was passed, I could not be lieve it. How could an irresponsible law like that even be considered? Riding a motorcycle can be dangerous. Even with all the proper clothing such as boots, long pants, heavy jackets and crash helmets, people can still be hurt or killed in an accident. Can you imagine those who chose not to wear any such clothing while riding? A bad fall or a slight collision could mean death. People are people. Most will use com mon sense in matters of safety, but those that do not, need a little urging. Let us get another law passed stating that motorcyclists must wear crash helmets when riding. —Karen Boswell Still Resistance Editor: Recently at the Rudder Tower, two movies about French collaboration with the Nazis were shown. “The Sorrow and the Pity” and “Special Section” were only separated by 10 days. The movies present a very biased idea of the truth. I am French and would like to em phasize that there were a lot of people in the French Resistance who were active against the German occupation, even if no Aggie movie shows this. I agree that courage is less frequent than mediocrity and I also know that this is a common feature in all people. In 1941 to 1943, many Frenchmen did not actively resist against the Nazis. Nowadays, many historical movies try to tell the whole truth regardless of their im pact on uninformed people. The need for truth leads me to wish people to be more informed of what the fight of the French Resistance was, at the same time in France. The aid of the Resistance was very im portant during the attack of Allied Forces in June 1944 and after. Moreover, the suc cess of this operation would not have been as quick and total without the help of Re sistance groups that had, throughout France, harrassed the German communi cations and transportation in their with drawal. In conclusion, I hope that the students of A&M will not keep this biased descrip tion of France during World War II as the pure truth and I hope that they will not base their judgement only on these two movies. — Christian Robieux (French student at the Institute of Statistics, Texas A&M) Here I sit Editor: Before I came to Texas A&M I was given much advice from both family and friends on what to expect at a major uni versity. In particular I was told to expect several sleepless nights in preparing class assignments and for exams. I can re member laughing as I told them that it would never happen to me. I was deter mined to get my eight hours of sleep each night and to do well in my studies also. Well one morning around 2:30 a.m. as I was recalling that resolution I came up with the following little poem that I hope you will enjoy. Here I Sit Here I sit all by myself. Wondering what 1 should do. With all this homework on the shelf I wonder if I’ll ever get through. The study lamp is still burning. And my eyes are turning red. The Bag Monster is calling and yearning. For me to go to bed. But tonight I guess I’ll keep him away. And refuse his invitation. For as wise men many times will say. On a test, depend not on Inspiration. the nation great” is the kind of Pavlovian phrasology which makes me cringe and avoid political speeches almost entirely. There are several points in his letter which I would like to examine carefully. . . . Exactly whom did he have in mind, when referring to “world governments?” If he meant the United Nations, I think it would surprise that organization greatly to be so feared and hated — the U.N. has great difficulty carrying out any action, or even formulating decisions at all! His statement that “world govemmentalists are actual or de facto disciples of Karl Marx” is . . . interesting, and worth discus sion, but it certainly is not a FACT — it is nothing more than a broadside OPINION on his part. Concerning our involvement in Korea and Vietnam, it’s odd to me to even put those two wars in the same sentence. They are not that much alike. I seriously ques tion the statement that we were forced out of those places — at least not by those mysterious “world govemmentalists” who seem to flit around inside his thinking like omnipotent devils. The way I recollect that particular stretch of American history, at least the Vietnam thing, is that a whole huge portion of our own populace spoke out to question the value of continued in volvement. Mr. Pritchett seems to feel that he is safely in the majority, by his continuous use of the pronoun “we.” There is nothing magically “right” or better about being part of a majority — it usually means you’ve got a lot of company to bolster you up while you bad-mouth anyone who dis agrees with you. Interestingly enough, this country was founded by a small, rest less, vocal and indignant MINORITY! The closing statement, “the time is now or never” is a little presumptuous and hasty. This country will continue and will go whatever route its citizens and world events make available to it. I hope we can have the patience to develop some good, thoughtful approaches to some of our ! really tough problems. — Lisa Thompson — Tim Wessell, ’80 Fact & opinion Editor: I wish to respond to Mr. Ben F. Pirtchett’s letter to the editor, Tuesday Nov. 15 Battalion. Mr. Pritchett’s use of repetition in phrases such as “great nation” and “made Correction The youngster pictured on page one of Tuesday’s Battalion was six- year-old Tiffany Thomas, not Tiffany Jacobson as we incorrectly stated. Jibe Battalion regrets the error. ^ of the NeviisJe Campus Campus areas closed for holiday The shifting of the Texas A&M-Texas football game from Thanksgiving Day to Nov. 26 will alter holiday procedures at Texas A&M University. Most areas of the Memorial Student Center (MSC) and Rudder Center will be closed Nov. 24 and 25. Many will reopen Nov. 26. Accessible throughout the Nov. 24-27 student, faculty and staff holiday will be the MSC main desk and guest rooms, Rudder Tower and MSC entrance to the post office lobby. On Saturday, all areas except the Arts and Crafts Shop, Barber and Beauty Shops, Student Finance and Student Programs Offices will operate. The Visitors Information Center will be open Nov. 27. All University Center areas resume normal operations Monday, Nov. 28. I State Jury to decide on Davis trial Prosecutors in closing arguments Wednesday said that T. Cullen Davis was determine to kill his estranged wife Priscilla, “the source of his troubles, the night she was wounded and her daughter and lover slain at the millionaire’s former home. The 13-week case was ex pected to go to the jury late Wednesday. Prosecutor L. T. Wilson said Mrs. Davis lived through the assaults because “her sense of survival took over.” Davis, 44, is on trial first for the slaying of Mrs. Davis’ daughter, Andrea Wilborn, whose Ixxdy was found in the man sion basement. He is also charged with the death of Stan Farr, Mrs. Davis’ resident boyfriend, and with attempting to kill Mrs. Davis and Gus Gavrel Jr., a family friend who arrived during the assaults. :oi United lOUSTOl ji fast fooi it to ren ie a probl rs and ren 'he busine »sday for 3 [district s cials said : problem lalpi ^0 United USTIN - day on st ring child dical malj tate laws child can Or Nation Parents sue for polio contraction Parents of a 3-year-old boy who contracted polio after taking three doses of the oral anti-polio vaccine have filed an $11 million lawsuit charging federal officials failed to warn of possible adverse effects. The suit, filed Monday, charges fedend officials did not notify doctors that persons suffering from immuno-deficiencies, such as their son, are susceptible to polio if given the oral vaccine. Because of his illness, the suit said, the boy’s right leg and arm are almost totally paralyzed and his left foot is partially affected. The parents filed two lawsuits earlier seeking $11 million against the manufacturer of the drug and $12 million against the American Academy of Pediatricians. Brief filed in Bakke case The Justice Department says the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s ban on racial discrimination in federally assisted programs shields only mem bers of minority groups that have been victims of past discrimination. In the brief filed with the Supreme Court Tuesday in the Allen Bakke “reverse-discrimination” suit, the department argued that so- called affirmative action programs favoring minorities over whites do not violate this ban. Bakke, who is white, charged he was twice denied admission to the University of California Medical School at Davis because the school favored less-qualified minority applicants. The medical school ’s program consisted of reserving 16 of 100 student openings for members of minority groups whose qualifications were not weighed against those of regular applicants for the other 84 open ings. Truckers accused of illegal rate The Justice Department charged Wednesday that a truckers’ as sociation has conspired since the early 1940s to illegally fix interstate shipping rates for northeastern and central states, and southern states including Texas. The department, in a civil suit, asked the U.S. District Court in Washington to void existing interstate rates adopted by the Motor Carriers Tariff Bureau Inc. of Cleveland and perma nently enjoin any future illegal rate-fixing. The suit charged the bureau, also called MCTB, set rates at non-competitively high levels without Interstate Commerce Commission approval and deprived shippers and the public of the benefits of free and open competition in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. World Britain overcome by Anne’s baby News of the birth of Princess Anne’s baby — Queen Elizabeth’s first grandson — swept Britain Wednesday and bundles of hand- knitted booties and jackets poured into Buckingham Palace. The first baby born to a member of the immediate royal family in three years, and the first grandchild born a commoner to a reigning sovereign’s family, Anne and Mark Phillips’ newborn son delighted the nation as much as it pleased their families. Queen Elizabeth announced the birth of the 7-pound, 9-ounce boy when she was late to an investiture at Buckingham Palace Tuesday morning. Unitet IEW YO emment vide som be fight a other is of pei dents hi fcher sail 'he pro ami said not inti [ producl n diseasi :ailment [IPs f off &M !l Paso i for the icipated iity’s Ce earch in >r. John he cen cator D sent a o El Paso 1 in-sen ations \ ool, 801 lien anc characti ion of i has lac They ■ hods tl ismit tl ts. he off-c at as pa: lie class iciples c he cen as A&] ng- F ALL Morv Salac pizza Israelis combat Palestinians Israeli tanks have clashed with Palestinian guerrillas and Lebanese leftists near a border village four miles inside Lebanese territory, guerilla and leftist sources said Wednesday. Artillery, heavy machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades were used in the battle, which killed or wounded an estimated 10 persons on both sides, the sources said. Israeli tanks took up positions on strategic Shreiki Hill, one of the main scenes of battle in the heavy border fighting that preceded a U.S.-mediated cease-fire in south Lebanon on Sept. 26. i j Weather Partly cloudy and mild today and tomorrow with northerly winds 8-15 mph. High today near 80. Low tonight near 50. High tomorrow mid-70s. No rain. \ a The Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of the University administration or the Board of Re gents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterjtrise operated by students as a university and com munity newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the editor. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification. Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The Battalion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Represented nationally by National Educational Adver tising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. . The Battalion is published Monday through Friday from September through May except during exam and holiday periods and the summer, when it is published on Mondays, , Wednesdays and Fridays. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per i school year; $35.00 per full year. Advertising rates fur nished on request. Address: The Battalion, Rw- Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas United Press International is entitled exdusi'^ !l use for reproduction of all news dispatches credit' Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein rtf' Second-Class postage paid at College Station, TX ^ MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Jamie Managing Editor Mary Alice Woo4 Editorial Director Lee Roy Usd? Sports Editor Paul News Editors Marie Homeyer, Carols City Editor Rust) ^ Campus Editor . . . -. to®- 1 Copy Editor BetbCd Reporters Glenna W Liz Newlin, David Boggan, Mark Photographer KenH^ Cartoonist DougC 1 Student Publications Board: Boh G. Rogers, Joe Arredondo; Dr. Gary Halter, Dr. John W Robert Harvey; Dr. Charles McCandless; Dr. Cli*'- 1 Phillips; Rebel Rice. Director of Student Pubhv' Donald C. Johnson. i