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Viewpoint The Battalion Thursday Texas A&M University December 8, 1977 The way of things in South African jails The inquest into the death of black African leader Steven Biko is expected to last another week, and the question of just how he died while in police custody may never be answered fully. We suppose it is remotely possible that Biko, the revered leader of South Africa’s black-conciousness movement, died accidentally of head injuries suffered in a struggle with police, as police witnesses have testified at the inquest. It is much more likely that this explanation is a police coverup for murder. For one thing is clear from the testimony so far: Biko was subjected to extreme cruelty during the 26 days he was in police custody before his death Sept. 12. The treatment meted out to Biko is probably little different from that inflicted on other blacks who ran afoul of South Africa’s shameful apartheid laws. Biko was the 20th black to die in police custody in the past 19 months. The 21st was an 18-year-old who died this week in a detention facility near Johannesburg. Police listed his cause of death, like those of some of the other deaths, as “suicide.” Such a reason must be accepted with skepticism in view of the government s now discredited initial explanation that Biko died of a hunger strike that lasted only a week. In assessing the treatment given to Biko, consider, these elements re vealed in police testimony at the inquest: — Biko was kept naked in a cell for 19 days. — He underwent round-the-clock interrogation, at times while in shackles and handcuffs. — After suffering the head injuries in the alleged scuffle with police, he was driven semiconscious 750 miles from Port Elizabeth to the prison hospi tal in Pretoria, where he died. He made the journey naked, covered only Letters to the editor with a blanket, in the back of a Land Rover. He had only water during the 12-hour trip. Such testimony from police officers makes a mockery of a remark by Col. Pieter Gossen, head of police security in Port Elizabeth: “We treat our detainees very well.” Los Angeles Times Football team: coverage needs class Editor: The 1977 SWC football season is over, and hopefully, your harrassment of the Aggie Squad is, too. In the course of the last few months, the football team has taken more than its share of cheap shots from sports writers of the media. Ironicallly, the bulk of these cuts have come from the staff of the Battalion. I be lieve the press should tell it like it is, and I feel that “misinforming on the part of a group who is responsible for keeping the public on its toes is a fallacy, but in the process of “telling it like it is, a little class should be used. The article concerning Mike Mosley’s stepping in for David Walker last Saturday was nothing more than “classless. Mike Mosley did play one hell of a game Satur day and has answered one of several ques tions concerning next years season, but one cannot forget, what David Walker has done for Aggie football during his tenure here over the last five years. Only those who have practiced and played with David can fully appreciate him as a football player. Team harrassment is bad enough, but when individuals are concerned, there’s no excuse. Why a paper on the level of the Battalion resorts to this type of sports cov erage puzzles us. —Eddie Heath, Curtis Jennings, Chuck Carr, Eddie Hardin, Stacy Breihan, Phil Bennett, Thomas Gregory, Doug Teague, Jimmy Hamilton, Douglas Holmes, Frankie Lemmons, Roderick Reed, Gregory Clark, Larry Johnson, Terry Klein, Jimmy Scoggin, Steve Lewis, Eugene Saunders, E.J. Davis, Curtis Dickey, Ed Pustejovsky, Jacob Green, Kyle Colson, Paul Hage rty, Johnnie Svatek, Preston Dickson, Randy Harvey, Gerald Galloway, John Baber, A.B. Nasser, Kenny Kirk, Carl Grulich, David Brothers, Kenneth Taylor, Scott Hayes, Mike Mosley, Arlis James, Elroy Steen, Jay Dale, Herbert Booker, Jen- ning Teel, Bryan Smith, Scooter Kenjura, Steve Schugart, Jeff Booth, Mike Little, Joe Paul Bramhall, Pat Flinn, Gary Tate, Raymond Belcher, Floyd Randle, Wan- dine Miles, Ken Rollins, Johnnie Donahue, Lawton Coreton, Mark Tull- ous, Mark Giamfortone, Dick Frazee, Dee Thorton, David Appleby, John Wel- born, Scott Johnson. Editor’s note: For an explanation from the man himself, see “Walker tells his side of the story,” page 10. A faithful friend Editor: This is a response to all you so-called Ags who have stood by the last five years and done nothing, but criticize David Walker when things did not go right, but praised eveiy other football player such as Franklin and Woodard when things did go right. It’s time you know the facts. In the first place, Mr. Mark Patterson better write Mr. Walker an apology before David has to take drastic measures to keep from being misquoted in the future. David Walker and Mike Mosley are good friends. David would not and did not say (and at least I quote the Batt correctly) “...they pulled me for a freshman. He’s got three more years and I don’t. There is one and only one thing David wanted at the beginning of this year — a National Championship. He tried his har dest, in practice and in studying his plays, and played not with bruised ribs but bro ken ribs most of the season. And.on top of all of that, have your own student body delight when you’re jerked out of the game and the coaches don’t even bother to tell you why or say “Good tiy, David”. Have you people forgotten that football players are also people with feelings both physical and mental? Everyone of you out there who whooped so loudly when Mosley took over, take one silent moment to understand what devotion and pain that njan has gone through for five years and by Jim Earle \l \W • ask yourself this question, “Could I do that?” 1 don’t think David even wants to play in the Bowl now, and I don’t blame him. But it’s not because he’s “humiliated, but because he feels that the team arid the crowd want Mike Mosley and therefore, our chances of winning would be greater with him. Well, you can have Mike Mosely. But if we lose against U.S.C., don’t come crying to David Earl Walker, or his few faithful friends. Suzanne Smith Editor’s note: Again, we let Mr. Walker speak for himself, page 10. Carols in gutter Editor: I am writing in reference to the Corps tradition of serenading upperclassmen with Christmas carols the week before fi nals. I was disgusted to hear, the other night, the way in which some of the outfits drag ged our traditional and in many cases sac red Christmas carols through the mud by the substitution of lewd and distasteful lyrics. The Christmas season is a special time of year: let us keep it that way. Can not some facets of life remain free from our everyday gutter-mouth vocabulary? —Lee Ashley Phillips, ‘80 Equal time for rock Editor: This letter is on the topic of concerts held on campus so far this year. There are almost 30,000 students attending the Uni versity, but the concerts have not given a fair variation of the musical tastes 30,000 people can have. I did not attend the Firefall concert be cause I expected easy listening music, as were many others. But, after reading the Battalion’s review, I feel that Firefall proved there is a definite desire and audi ence here for a good rock ‘n roll band. What is needed, though, is for a band that represents hard rock to be presented so the many rock n rollers here at Texas A&M will be given a chance to attend a concert, instead of having to go to Hous ton, Austin, or even San Antonio. I believe that instead of catering just to the country and western and easy listening audiences, the increasingly growing rock n roll crowd should be included in the concert schedules of the future. —David A. Bough ton Dear Santa Santa: Give me at least a 2.0. Thanks. —A freshman \ Prayer anywhere Editor: In response to the letter entitled “The right to pray,” I would like to comment Slouch “WHEN I SUGGESTED THAT WE DECORATE OUR ROOM, I HAD A LITTLE MORE IN MIND THAN THAT!” upon Miss Lahlquist’s discussion of public prayer. Prayer, it is true, is a very personal thing. However, prayer may be conducted by any person at any time. It matters not where you are or what you may be doing; prayer is a very beautiful expression of your love for, and your dependence upon, God. He does not care where you happen to be at the time. He only urges us to pray from our hearts. As for the scripture Miss Fahlquist re ferred to, I cannot personally believe that God demands each of us to go to our closets to pray. In the Bible, people prayed in their homes, it is true. But they also prayed in temples, on hillsides, upon mountaintops, and in prisons (which have no closets). As for me, public prayer is a wonderful and meaningful experience, and perhaps others will experience its beauty if they will only use it sincerely and with good judgment. “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands with out anger or quarreling.” — I Timothy 2:08. —Mark Shomaker Protect grass Editor: Texas A&M University has many tra- ditons that have been upheld by the stu dent body throughout its history. How ever, one among the most respected tra ditions of Texas A&M has recently been a subject of controversy. For years, the glass around the Memo rial Student Center has not been walked on by anybody out of respect to the Aggies who died in the World Wars. The MSC Council, however, recently argues that this is not a written law and they felt too many Aggies were rudely telling visitors to get off the grass. This was formalized into a statement adopted by the councile which stated, “as the MSC grounds are a living part of a living campus and at times are used as a teaching aid, the use of the MSC grounds will not be discouraged.” I fear that the MSC Council’s policy may be taken out of context. Since the tra dition is somewhat abused now, it will surely become abused if it is opened as a teaching aid. On Nov. 2, the Texas A&M University Student Senate passed a bill, number 77- 033-(77), which provides that the MSC grounds be dedicated as a memorial to those A&M graduates who died while serving in the World Wars. This bill, how ever, is meaningless unless it is accepted and approved by the board of regents. I strongly urge all students to write the board of regents urging their acceptance of the memorialization. Should acceptance fail, I fear that trails will soon appear in the grass followed closely by the Univer sity’s famed pebbled sidewalks. —John Schneider ‘81 Video thanks Editor: We would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank the following gentlemen for their aid in preparing a video tape presentation dealing with female agres sion. They are Mike Belsley and Robin Krenek with the MSC Video Tape Com mittee, and George Rowe of the Camera Club. In a recent psychological experiment we elicited their help to do the photographic and technical work on a film series that was to produce aggressive responses from female viewers. Due to the nature of the experiment it was imperative that the se quence be as real and vivid as possible. The end product was a very professional video tape presentation. Gentlemen, thank you for your time and excellence. Also a very special “much obliged” to Stacy Chapman and Steve Andrews, for their roles in making the film a success. —Joe T. Shepperd, ‘77 Laurie N. Griffin, ‘77 Top of the News Campus Graduate College moving hr* The Graduate College of Texas A&M University will close its oper ations Monday through Wednesday, Dec. 12-14, in order to move from its present location in the Coke Building to new quarters in room 125 of Teague Research Center. The doors will reopen Thurs day, Dec. 15, at 8 a.m. The phone number for the college, 845-3633, will remain the same. The move is part of a rearrangement of office spaces in Coke, Teague and Heaton Hall. ;aM B F , e arcbe ch State Bell gets new hearing The 3rd Court of Civil Appeals Wednesday overturned a lower court decision and ordered a new hearing on an attempt by South western Bell Telephone Co. to win approval of a $298,3 million rate increase. The Civil Appeals Court concluded that the Travis County District Court was wrong in refusing to permit Bell to present new evidence at the appeal showing the rates set by the Utility Commis sion was inadequate to provide the telephone company a fair rate ol return. The unanimous decision did not rule on the validity of the rate increase granted by the Utility Commission, or on the increase requested by Southwestern Bell. Neighborhood secession unlikely A federal judge Tuesday indicated Houston school officials may win their fight against secession of a mostly white neighborhood without presenting any evidence to support their position. Attorneys for the Westheimer neighborhood have presented evidence to prove the secession would have no adverse impact on Houston school desegre gation. Judge Cowan has ruled that the burden or proof is on West heimer. Westheimer lawyers have promised they will finish theircase by Friday. Both the Houston Independent School District, (HISD) and the Justice Department contend creation of a separate school district in prosperious, mostly white Westheimer would weaken HSID’s tax base and frustrate the school desegregation. Nation AFL-CIO releases report The average American worker no longer earns enough money to support a model family of four at a “minimum standard of living," according to a report issued by the AFL-CIO Executive Council. The council cited Labor Department figures showing American workers currently average a gross annual wage of $9,843 a year. The Bureau of Labor statistics calculate it costs $10,326 a year to maintain its recalculated each year. The report said that most American families no longer depend on one wage earner, and multiple salaries helped raise the median income for a family of four to at least $15,845 in 1975. Strangler suspect arrested The task force hunting the Hillside Strangler, the rape-killer of 10 women, Tuesday trxrk into custody in Hollywood a young man ac cused of driving an auto made to look like a police car. One of the theories detectives have been checking is a suspicion the “strangler" got his victims into a car by impersonating an officer. Police Cmdr. Bill Booth said the detention was routine and the young man, who police did not identify, “is not the primary suspect at thb point. Farmer demonstrations planned Drought may continue World TJ-2 crashes in Cyprus A U.S Air Force U-2 spy plane crashed Wednesday on takeofffrom the.Royal Air Force base on southern Cyprus, plowed through sev eral buildings and killed or injured several people, officials said. A British spokesman said the spy plane took off at Akrontiri on Cyprus but crashed, and added, “I’m afraid it might be bad news.’ The spokesman said there were “a number of casualties” but “at the pres ent moment we are unable to say if these casualties are deaths or injuries. ” Weather Cloudy skies and warm today. Slight chance of showers, turning colder with decreasing cloudiness. High today 80, low tonight 30. Winds southerly at 15-25 mph. 20 percent chance of rain. The Battalion claii United educec imonly seafo itudy of Te iratory are m jhageal nial die nlv sir daily' lo Uni pHU John l las, J- FBI hf fey Os to the loover letter nmissic to pro .ess tha [y was £ 3 — ai d s arre ton offii bably” ' loover dd “in extrem hese di lO.OOO p orts mi er tern- nation / loover’s te the to Os ’s top i l, Hoo' ..We h report beeau ve it, i hu exas A •hour lies hav ion Thu Sleuth,’ ller by iented; dent C< Angry farmers and ranchers who want a break-even price on their crops will converge by tractor and truck on capitals in at least 30 states Saturday to demonstrate their support for a nationwide farm ers’ strike. A spokesman for American Agriculture, a group which began planning the strike in September, expects thousands of people to demonstrate throughout the country to show support for an ag riculture walkout beginning Dec. 14. “We don’t know exactly how many will take part, but there will be a bunch, you can bet on that,” the spokesman said. Tractor and truck caravans were planned in most states, including Colorado, where farmers scheduled stops in Pueblo and Colorado Springs before reaching the rally site in Denver. There is new evidence solar activity affects Earth’s weather, the American Geophysical Union was told Tuesday, and it could mean the current Western drought has at least one year to go. Charles W. Stockton of the University of Arizona reported that major droughts seem to occur every 20 to 22 years near the low point in the double sunspot cycle. This was established from studies of tree rings in the West going back to 1700. Prolonged droughts were found to have occurred two years after the low point, a timing that suggest the current drought will continue another year or two. The finding was bad news for California where much of agriculture and some industry' will have virtually no water at all if the drought continues through the winter rainy season. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those t»/ the editor or of the writer of the article and are not neces sarily those of the University administration or the Board o f Re gents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-suppor.Ung enterprise 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 school year; $35.00 per full year. Advertising rates fur nished on request. Address: The'Battalion, Room Reed McDonald Building, College Station. Texas United Press International is entitled exclusiseKlo^ use for reproduction of all news dispatches creditedk* Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reser-- Second-Class postage paid at College Station, TX MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Jamie tfk Managing Editor Man Alice Wood# Editorial Director Lee Roy Lesdipffl Sports Editor PanlAn^ News Editors Marie Homeyer, Carol W City Editor Rusty (y Campus Editor KjmT] Copy Editor Beth Reporters Glenna Liz Newlin, David Boggun, Mari P Photographer .y.-. Ken Cartoonist Doug Cl Student Publications Board: Boh C. Roficrs. Clui Joe Arredondo: Dr. Gary Halter, Dr. John \\\ Hi* Robert Harvey: Dr. Charles McCamllvss: Dr. Clink**, Phillips: Rebel Rice. Director of Student Pnltlinh* Donald C. Johnson. DI