Viewpoint
The Battalion Monday
Texas A&M University January 16, 1978
£6
Say, are any of you guys in charge?
It all started innocently enough when
Governor Dolph Briscoe appointed local
district judge Bill Davis to the state’s Court
of Criminal Appeals.
The governor probably had no idea what
impact that appointment would have on
Brazos County politics, particularly in the
county seat of Bryan
But when Bill
Davis resigned his
85th District Court
seat last month,
the usually calm
Brazos County
politics went beserk.
Though I cover College Station, I live in
Bryan. And, like the governor, I had abso
lutely no idea what impact Davis’s resigna
tion would have.
That was until I called City Hall the other
day:
“Good morning, Bryan City Hall. May I
Write
help you?”
“Uh, yeah,” I said. “I’ve got a complaint
and I wanna talk to the mayor.”
“The mayor?” she said. “I’m sorry, but
we have no mayor.”
“You’re telling me?”
“I’m serious. Mr. Joyce quit last month
to run for county judge.”
“Moving up in the world, eh?” I said.
“And what makes him think he can beat Bill
Vance?”
“Well, Mr. Vance has quit, too.”
“What?”
“It’s a long story,” she said.
“Well, I’ve got time. And I’m not using a
pay phone.”
“Well,” she said. “It all started when the
governor put Judge Davis in the higher
court. Judge Vance decided he wanted to
take Judge Davis’s place. So he quit and
announced for it.”
“So Joyce quit to run for Vance’s old
office.”
“Bingo.”
“Now, let me see if I’ve got this straight,”
I said. “Bill Davis quit, so Bill Vance is
running for district judge. And Vance quit
as county judge, so Lloyd Joyce is running
for that.”
“You got it,” she said. “But Judge Vance
isn’t a shoo-in. The district attorney quit
and he’s running too. ”
“Who, Tom McDonald?”
“Right again, Bonzo. Have you consid
ered the $20,000 Pyramid?”
“Don’t get cute,” I said. “I’m a tax
payer.”
“You sound like a college student to me. ”
“Look, if the mayor isn’t there, then let
me talk to someone in charge. How about a
councilman?”
“Name one.”
“Okay,” I said. “How about Richard
Smith?”
“Sorry. He quit to run for mayor.”
“Well then, how about Travis Bryan.”
“Nope,” she said. “He’s quitting to run
for district attorney.”
“Then who in the name of Billie Jean
King is running the city?”
“I am,” she said.
“The city secretary is running the city?”
“No,” she said. “I’m not the city secre
tary. She quit to run for county secretary.”
“Then who are you?”
“My name’s Tess. I was the cleaning
lady, but I’m quitting.”
“And what are you going to do?” I asked.
“Run for city secretary?”
“Are you kidding?” she said. “I’m run
ning for governor. If these clowns can run
for those positions, I’ve got a real future.”
R. C.
it wrong to make it sell
By FRANK K. VASOVSKI
“If words are devalued, so are ideas and
so are human beings.”
—Edwin Newman, NBC commentator, in
“Strictly Speaking.”
Edwin Newman published “Strictly
Speaking” in 1974 to identify the extent of
damage to the English language “through
cruel and unusual punishment inflicted
upon it by politicians, journalists and ad-j
vertisers. ”
Readers Forum
The Newsweek issue of December 8,
1975, further explained the gravity of the
problem and suggested the ways to stop
further abuse.
“Why Johnny Can’t Write,” published in
that issue of the Newsweek, identified two
main reasons for the deterioration of the
English language in the United States.
Ronald Berman, chairman of the Na
tional Endowment for the Humanities, re
gards the decline of written English as only
one among many symptoms “of a massive
regression toward the intellectually inver
tebrate” among American academics.
Jacques Barzun, a historian interviewed
by Newsweek, pinpoints the source of lin
guistic problems in a more precise manner.
Barzun said the U.S. society “has ceased to
think with words,” In doing so, American
are now unable to convey truth in messages
because they have separated it from the
right words.
Kenneth B. Clark, distinguished profes
sor of psychology. The City University of
New York, commenting upon Newman’s
book, appeals to “those who respect and
love the English language and who have
been intimidated into silence, helplessly
watching many forms of linguistic van
dalism becoming the fashion of communi
cation,” to exert all efforts in “preventing
the death of English.”
Much water went over the dam since
Newman’s book and Newsweek’s article
were published but our linguistic problems
still exist. , ©
A stroll through the northwest section of
Bryan provides enough evidence that, as
Barzun explained, we are unable to clearly
convey our messages because we distorted
our vocabulary to such a degree that we
have lost the truth in our communication.
One can hardly blame Johnny for being
unable to decipher the message of a car
wash establishment. The words “U-
WASH-M” may or may not be interpreted
properly by an average grownup but their
meaning could probably have been rather
confusing to little Johnny.
White, and V’Top is identical with vinyl
top.
It would be relatively easy to forget the
error in “Manhattan Cafe” were it not for
the fact that the letters are approximately
two feet tall.
Another sign spells out “Beer & Ice” so
that there is no doubt about type of dring
being available, but reduces the word
“barbecue” to a “bar.B.Q.” cryptrogram.
“U-Lock-It,” used as an adjective de
scribing the type of storage facility, would
also be a mind-boggling problem to illiter
ate Johnny, as would be the cryptic “U
Stow & Go — Store Stuff!” message at
another establishment, which hardly can
be surpassed in brevity and directivity.
Would a woman enter the “nu-Way
Beauty Shop” without knowing first what
the “nu-Way” consists of?
Is it fair to expose little Johnny to a mix
ture of letters and pictures to create a word,
as it was done by the Cycle Center? Would
Johnny be able to associate the picture of a
bike with the character “Y?”
The “Overcolaed? UNdo it!” sign stops
one dead in his tracks. One cannot help but
wonder how little Johnny would interpret
it if he came upon it.
And yet, this sign, in its imperfect glory,
is a creation of highly skilled, English-
speaking marketing specialists, designed to
appeal to English-speaking consumers.
Is it, perhaps, possible that little Johnny
cannot read because his parents have the
same problem compounded further by the
inability to write?
Another large sign nearby had to be ex
plained by the attendant. Through his
mouth one learns that “New Servics!” Frank K. Vasovski is a junior journalism
should read “new Services,” W identifies student.
An unnerving noise of another kind
By DICK WEST
United Press International
WASHINGTON — As if UFOs, Un
identified Flying Objects, weren’t baffling
enough, Americans now are being
nonplused by UBNs, Unidentified Boom
ing Noises.
Mysterious explosive sounds high in the
firmament have been heard along the East
The Tighter side
Coast several times recently. The UBNs
have attracted so much attention even
Congress has become involved.
A report prepared by the research serv
ice of the Library of Congress recommends
creation of a team of experts to look into the
matter and determine what the noise is all
about.
Meanwhile, a private group called Ves
tigia, which does research on atmospheric
phenomena, also has started an investiga
tion.
°One of their spokesmen speculates the
UBNs might be “related to secondary
seismic or geologic activity,” or possibly to
piezoelectricity, which is generated by
pressure in certain minerals.
Thunderclaps, supersonic planes and se
cret weapons testing likewise have been
suggested as possible sources of the booms.
Not surprisingly in the circumstances
there is a growing body of belief that UBNs
have some sort of other-worldly origin.
“We call them Loud Bangs of the First
Kind,” one outer space buff told me. “By
that we mean there is auditory contact, but
you can’t see where the noise is coming
from.
“The next encounter, we believe, will be
Loud Bangs of the Second Kind, which will
leave some evidence as to what caused
them.
“Suppose you heard a big boom in the
sky and later found the blackened, frazzled
ends of a huge firecracker imprinted with
the words ‘Made on Saturn. ’ That would be
a Loud Bang of the Second Kind. ”
I said, “Is there a third kind?”
“Oh, yes, dear boy. That occurs when
you both hear the noise and can see what is
causing it.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s assume for the sake
of argument that UBNs do come from outer
space. What does it mean?”
“The best guess is that UBNs are some
sort of signal or message, such as people
who live in older apartment houses trans
mit by banging on radiator pipes.
“If, for example, a troupe of acrobats was
living in the apartment above you and their
practicing was keeping you awake, you
would register your annoyance by banging
on the radiator pipe.
“Now suppose the noise level on earth
has risen to the point where it is beginning
to annoy inhabitants of other planets. If you
check back, I think you will find the blasts
were heard on nights when where was an
exceptionally heavy schedule of rock con
certs along the East Coast.
“Since there aren’t any radiator pipes in
outer space, the UBNs may be their way of
telling us to pipe down.”
Letters to the editor
Married students need housing
Mr. Bell:
TAMU Board of Regents
This is a time when the institution of
marriage is under a great amount of pres
sure. It is only fair to admire those young
people today who choose to respect this
institution. And even more, it is important
to respect those who combine marriage
with the desire to further their education.
There was a statement in this Battalion
article quoting you and I repeat it here. “I
don’t think we should take care of people
that went off and got married and then
decided they want to come back to
school. ” I resent that statement. You make
us sound like a burden. And I resent that,
too. You see, my husband is a student
here, and we live in married housing. And
I hardly consider my husband, as a mar
ried student, a burden. In fact, in my own
prejudice way I consider him very much
an asset to this University. I suppose I owe
some amount of thanks to married housing
for that. If it would not have been for the
low cost of married housing we could not
have afforded to five on my salary alone.
As it was, however, my husband was able
to devote his full attention to his studies —
which certainly paid off. You see, Mr.
Bell, my husband graduates in May with a
Bachelor of Science in Mechancial Engi
neering, and at this point he is a member
of three honor fraternities (Pi Tau Sigma
— Mechanical Engineering Honor Soci
ety, Tau Beta Pi — Engineering Honor
Society, Phi Eta Sigma — Freshman
Honor Society), a representative on the
Married Student Council, and holds a 3.94
grade point average. That is pretty com
mendable, isn’t it, Mr. Bell? And he never
would have been able to do so well with
out married housing to lessen the financial
burden placed on married students.
It is true, we did make the choice to get
married. But we also chose to make the
necessary sacrifices so we could do as
much with our life as we felt capable of
doing.
Who are you, Mr. Bell, to criticize mar
ried students? Who are you to criticize
people who not only chose to respect the
institution of marriage, but respect them
selves and their minds?
Open your eyes. Married housing is a
very important asset to married students. I
tend to wonder who’s interest you repre
sent — local apartment owners or the stu
dents. I was under the impression that
TAMU was for students and education. I
did not realize it was here just to promote
business for local merchants. Perhaps this
is not TAMU’s philosophy, but yours.
I do not know what you had in mind
when you made that statement quoted in
The Battalion article. But I sure hope the
married students who go on to become
something in this society did not read it.
Who knows? It might influence the
amount they put down on their annual (or
monthly) contribution check to the Alumni
Association.
Jennifer Seale
Language offensive
Editor:
This 1977 fall football season I attended,
with my family, four home games and one
graduation exercise. It took some solemn
moments at the Dec. 10 graduation to
make me decide to write this letter.
As I sat there and thought of this great
school, its distinguished student body, the
band, the Corps, its fine traditions, and all
the other good things associated with
Texas A&M, I became upset again over
the two items that earlier in the year had
upset me . . . namely, the use of certain
offensive words at midnight yell practice,
and the use of some of those same words as
substitutes in the t.u. fight song. Army, it
just isn’t necessary.
Aggies are associated closely with being
igentlemen, and the use of offensive lan
guage in public does not come within this
break
definition. Yell practice is open to all —
students, friends, guests and families —
and all look forward to this special event.
However, it turns sour when offensive
language is used in the presence of
families.
As for the words I heard to the t.u. fight
song, they, too, were out of place; just not
necessary in the presence of families.
Come on, old Army, let’s show the state
what we are founded for — be positive —
clean up the language, especially in the
presence of others.
Gig Em!
— Clifton J. Bolner ‘49
Aggie Band Member ‘45-‘49
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Varsity soccer player Stephen Lewis of St. Louis has been identified
as the victim of a weekend fraternity house fire at Southern Methodist
University in University Park. Thirty-four other men sleeping in the
Alpha Tau Omega fraternity house credited their escape early Satur
day to a newly installed smoke alarm system. The colonial-style brick
building was gutted by the fire that officals believe began in a dining
area. Fire officials were investigating the cause of the blaze that did an
estimated $400,000 damage. A rush party had been held at the frater
nity house Friday night and the ground floor had been decorated with
straw to resemble a Mexican cantina. “We don’t know exactly what
ignited the fire, but the straw was a contributing factor,” one official
said. Lewis, 19, was a sophomore journalism and public relations
student.
Ex-convict dies in police chase
An ex-convict who tried to evade police on a high speed chase
through East Dallas pointed a revolver at a policeman and was shot to
death early Sunday. Police identified the dead man as Timothy Blane
Taylor, 20, of Dallas. A police spokesman said Taylor was spotted
speeding and refused officers’ signals to pull over. According to police
accounts, when Taylor drove into a parking lot, officers warned him to
come out of the car slowly with his hands visible. Officer Lawrence E.
Hall saw Taylor had a gun and yelled for him to “freeze.” A moment
later Taylor pointed the pistol directly at Hall’s partner, Sergeant E. E.
Williams, and Hall fired his .38-caliber revolver, striking Taylor once
in the chest.
Red Adair loses partners
Oil well disaster fighter Red Adair said he was surprised and hurt by
the departure last month of his two chief lieutenants to start their own
business. Asger “Boots Hansen and E.O. “Coots” Matthews an
nounced a few weeks ago they were leaving Red Adair Oil Well Fires &
Blowouts Control Co. to form Boots & Coots Inc. Adair was optimistic
younger hands would fill the shoes of Hansen and M atthews, who were
key men on important operations. In Houston, Adair said, “It’s like
having a ballclub and your halfback quits you. Sometimes you find
out your second-string player is better. I’ve got some young men who
have been with me 12 or 14 years. They’re experienced.” He said he
doubted there were enough runaway oil and gas wells to support
another operation of the same tvjae. “Alot of other people have tried to
go into this business and failed, ’ he said. “I will still be in business
when they, Hansen and Matthews, are out of business. They’re going
to have to root hog and root me out.”
Nation
Corporation chiefs studied
Most chief executive officers of major American corporations are
from the Midwest, earn more than $200,000 a year and are in their late
50s, according to a profile of the “typical executive done by a man
agement consulting firm. The study, by Heidrick & Struggles, said the
typical chief executive is 57 years of age, earns $261,720 in annual
salary, has an undergraduate degree in liberal arts and did graduate
work in business and has spent nearly 23 years with his present
employers. The firm said two-thirds of the chief executive officers
earned more than $200,000 in salary, compared to only one-sixth five
years ago. “The Midwest continues to produce more corporate leaders
than any other region,” the study said. It said among industrial corpo
rations under $500 million in sales nearly 60 percent of the chief
executives were natives of the Midwest.
Wheat growers prepare to meet
International trade issues dominated a meeting of the directors of
the Western Wheat Associates Inc. Sunday in Wichita, Kan. and set
the stage for the National Association of Wheat Growers Convention
meeting through Thursday. Sir Leslie Price, chairman of the Austral
ian Wheat Board, told the directors the United States holds the major
share of exportable wheat supplies available on the world market.
Price questioned, under those conditions, low wheat prices. The
directors said low wheat prices may be caused, in part, by U.S.
producers competing with each other for market shares.
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Weather
Cloudy and mild with rain Monday. Decreasing cloudiness
and colder tonight. Partly cloudy and cold Tuesday. High
today in mid 60s. Low tonight in mid 20s. High Tuesday low
to mid 40s. Westerly winds today, becoming northerly at
15-25 mph tonight.
The Battalion
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Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The
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Editor
Managing Editor Mary Alice
Sports Editor H
News Editors Marie Homeyer, Cara
Assistant Managing Editor Clenna
City Editor M ^
Campus Editor
Reporters Liz Newli*
Boggan, Mark P* ^
Lee Roy Leschper Jr., Gary Welch, Karen
Photographers Susan Webb, David' M
Cartoonist Dw|] ^
Student Publications Board: Bob G. Rogers, Ck
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Robert Harvey; Dr. Charles McCandless; Dr. Cl
'Phillips; Rebel Rice. Director of Student PubM
IDonald C. Johnson.
■