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The Battalion '
Texas A&M University
Monday
February 13, 1978
A long, coal winter in Ohio
The best way to win an argument is to get your opponent in a position
where he can’t say no.
Negotiations over the United Mine Workers coal strike are rapidly
approaching that point. Sunday, the union’s 39-member bargaining council
rejected a tentative agreement to settle the 70-day-old strike. But the people
with their backs against a wall aren’t the coal industry. They are the coal-
dependent utility companies in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennes
see and Indiana.
Federal officials estimate the average coal supply for U.S. electric utilities
have on stock will last another 66 days. Industry supplies are generally
smaller than those held by the electric utilities. But if and when the UMW
bargaining council does approve a contract agreement, rank-and-file ap
proval and returning mines to operation would take at least 25 days. So, if
the bargaining council had approved the proposed agreement, customers
still wouldn’t receive any new coal until mid-March. The council adjourned
Sunday without any decision on when a new contract may be considered.
Utility companies in the east-central states which has been hard-hit by
recent record winter storms have called for voluntary conservation of elec
tricity by all users, while cutting back industrial customers up to 30 percent.
If union officials don’t agree on a contract within the next two weeks, the
utilities’ margin of safety will be getting pretty thin. The strike is already the
longest in UMW history.
So what does all this mean to Texans complaining about 30 degree tem
peratures while “Yankees” are under 30 inches of snow? Simply this: The
affected states are major centers for the steel industry among others, and
steel industry costs affect steel prices which affect the cost of an awful lot of
products Texans like. So an extended strike could increase the cost of steel-
related products well down the line.
Why doesn’t “somebody” do something then? President Carter has ap
proved removal of air pollution limits in Ohio so that state can make use of all
its coal stores. He’s also ordered an emergency plan to find out how to move
coal into most restricted areas. But he refused to use strike-breaking powers
under the Taft-Hartley Act.
“I continue to believe that the solution to the strike must be worked out in
a free collective bargaining,” Carter said.
“WE LL JUST ALL FREEZE TOGETHER!”
That’s the way it should be. But it better be that way soon. The miners
have every right to negotiate for a better contract, so long as the rest of the
country doesn’t suffer in the process.
L.R.L.
Capital punishment effective deterrent
By STEVE TENNYSON
I am writing in response to Reader’s
Forum (Feb 8 ) by Vicki Whorton. I
must disagree with her “bleeding heart
liberal opinion.
Readers' forum
The subject was the death penalty and
Ms. Whorton was vehemently against. So,
on the criminal mind has got to have some
significance, even if it acts as only a deter
rent to illegal activity. To remove this
would be to assure the criminal that no
matter what he does, however cata
strophic its effects may be, he will be able
to sit in his cell and laugh at the odd value
systems these “civilized’ people have. He
will be certain to live through anything he
does. Then, he thinks, since life is the
roughest possible punishment, why not
carry out each every clandestine whim
that comes to mind? “I will be up for
parole in a few years anyhow. That is eas-
ily.enapgfftakpn.carejgL Mr.^jfriminal, we
just deny you parole. And thejiappy world
again exercising democratic principles and
freedom and justice for all.
Whoa! Wait a minute. If we put Mr.
Criminal behind bars for life, that is going
to indirectly cost the taxpayer more
money. Mr. Criminal might have gotten
out in 7 to 10 years. Now what if he lives
50 more years. That is anywhere from 5 to
7 times the cost of letting him out on
parole, and we can’t do that. He is just too
dangerous. Oh my God, there are more
like him, hundreds, thousands. Jesus!
Where is all this money going to come
from to pay for all these people in prison?
And as more go in prison that means there
iire less of us on the outside, so the mone
tary demands go even higher per capita.
Why don t we give them all lobotomies?
No, can’t do that. That would be tinkering
with their minds, besides it can be
dangerous. Can’t have all these zombies
walking around...
Why don’t we just give him the death
penalty? He robbed six stores, took 17
hostages with him, brutally slayed all but
one old lady and she is nothing but a vege
table. Now. No! No! We can’t do that. You
see....
Steve Tennyson is a sophomore civil en
gineering major. Opinions expressed in
this column are the author s only and not
necessarily those of this paper.
Ms. Whorton, I address this irp^oi|s^,_,to
yOH.
The effect of possible deatluby tfi^st^e 4&Z
v D.usine«s, once ,'-
betters to the editor
Basketball & bad fall, math fare & pet care
Editor:
Many people are calling for increased
support of the basketball team this semes
ter. I believe that one major reason for such
lack of attendance at the games has to do
with the facility itself. Let’s face it. G. Rol-
lie White Coliseum is just not a very good
place to watch a game. It is virtually half an
arena.
The school has 28,000 students here but
G. Rollie can’t hold even half that number.
Maybe a few students would like to come to
a game such as the one against t.u. but they
know they probably won t get in. This then
carries over to other games.
A&M has excellent facilities in some
areas and I feel that the basketball team
deserves a Madison Square Garden to play
in. I believe not only would more people
come to the games but the school could
draw some of the most talented players in
the nation that otherwise end up at schools
at Arkansas.
—Lee S. Hebbard, ‘79
See my point
Editor:
First off, we would like to explain that
we are not ones to gripe and complain
when things go bad for the Ags. We hang
tough through thick and thin, through hell
and high water. When the Ags lost to
Michigan, we said okay, let’s just forget
that one and move on. And when t.u.
came to Kyle Field, we shook that one off,
too. We even managed to forget about the
“vanishing” two timeouts against you
know who.
But, we feel that our opinions must be
voiced on a certain matter. By no means
are we questioning the ability of Coach
Shelby Metcalf, nor are we trying to
second-guess some of his “tactics.
And we re not ones to put other Ags
down, either. But we believe we are
speaking for a lot of Ags when we say that
the Ags could use a new point guard. Not
that Dave Goff is not capable, for he surely
is. But how can he play forty minutes of
basketball with no rest? We can not see his
playing the whole game while Jarvis
Williams and the likes are “resting” on the
bench.
We have come to the assumption that
Coach Metcalf is saving his better players
for next year just as Coach Bellard is sav
ing those two timeouts for a bigger and
better cause....
— Brett Smith, ’81
Ricky Majeuisk, ’81
Jeff Miller, ’79
Reconsider spirit
Editor:
Spirit. What is it? Can it be defined?
Yelling obscenities at a referee who called
what he saw, but it just happened to go
against your school? Seeing who can
scream loudest and stand the longest? I
think not.
Spirit is cheering your team on, not
against the other. Anyone who appears at a
game has spirit of some nature. It makes it
hard to enjoy a game if you have to dodge
foul language and drunken Aggies. Is al
cohol not prohibited at G. Rollie?
Many people simply enjoy sports and
are not for any particular team. That is
what I consider myself — a spectator.
Spectators have the same rights as viewers
that consider themselves participants. You
are judged to be a two-percenter or not a
“True Aggie. ” If that’s the case. I’m sorry,
but I fail to see the beauty in being a “True
Aggie. If I choose to sit, no one — NO
ONE — has the right to tell me to stand.
Having been knocked down perviously
during a yell, I chose not to rise for it a
second time. I was struck in the head with
a large piece of ice by former yell leader. I
was told that I didn’t belong in that sec
tion. Where do I belong? Does he now
consider himself an Aggie? A gentleman?
Or even a Big Man On Campus?
It is time that people reconsider them
selves and start considering others.
— T. Gordy, ’79
Look before leaping
Editor:
Consider this a warning to anyone in
terested in the recently publicized article
and ad concerning the Brazos Sport
Parachute Club. Before you get it fixed
into your heads you re immortal, or dar
ing, decide just how expendable your
limbs are, or face, or whatever.
Granted, most people who make the
jump with this club have fun. But last
semester I can name several who did not.
One was Louis Martinez, who suffered a
fractured leg after being forced into an un
safe landing because of obstacles. The
other, my brother, is recuperating from
several months of intensive care and
surgery after “kissing” Gatesvilles’ 7200-
volt power lines which snake through the
area.
The jump site used, in my opinion, is
too hazardous for beginners and DOES
NOT conform to regulations set by the
USPA for beginning jumpers. USPA Reg-
ulatioh Drop Zone Requirements state: a)
All areas used for parachutists must be un
obstructed, with the following minimum
radial distances to the nearest hazard: Stu
dent and Novice parachutists: 300 meters.
Hazards are defines as: Trees, ditches,
telephones and power lines, towers, build
ings, highways and automobiles. There are
several hazards much closer than 300
meters at Gatesville. Power lines do sur
round the area. There are also barbed-
wire fences, ditches, trees and a lake.
The Gatesville Coryell Memorial Hospi
tal nurses have their own opinion of the
club, too. While visiting my brother, I
learned that they treated three serious
parachuting accidents in one eight-day
period last semester.
I must point out that this club was not
affiliated with Texas A&M last semester,
so maybe this new relationship may add to
the safety factor (perhaps the new jump
mentioned). By the way, I don’t want to
hear any flack from the parachute club on
how “biased” my letter is. I just wanted to
let people know both sides.
The Feb. 10 article says, “The Univer
sity waived responsibility for any accidents
associated with the club. ..Jumpers are re
sponsible for their own safety.” But, how
responsible can new jumpers be, having
only several hours ground training?
— Jim Slater, ’79
Math answers
Editor:
Patricia S. Young, ‘81, wrote a letter in
this column on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Part of it
stated that a student’s GPR could suffer
from wrong choice of math section. It
noted that the chemistry department has
been a campus leader in working toward
uniform grading policies.
Let me take a few inches of space to
describe recent work and plans in math.
Some freshman chem class techniques can
be used in math. Chem breaks its lectures
into small labs. Math has followed this lead
and gone into the lab business in a big way
this year. We think it is helping. Chem has
a single superviser for every multisection
course. Math has also adopted this policy,
and its efforts are starting to pay off.
There are other things chem does which
math cannot. There are chem classes
enrolling 300 students. In fact no math
class enrolls as many as 130 students,
whereas ten chem classes enroll more than
180 students. Objective tests make more
sense in chem. In math we need to see
calculations. It is easier to gove several
equivalent versions of an objective test than
of the tests which math administers. There
are many lecture times for the various
math sections of one course. Hence
there must be many versions of exams in
such courses. Grading thus becomes less
standardized.
The Department has been working for
years to get common exam times set aside.
Recently the University has changed the
exam schedule to allow a single final exam
at a common time for all sections of any
multisection course starting no later than
May, 1979. But what about the monthly
hour examinations? Here we need help
from more than the Registrar. We seek an
evening each month in the calendar oi
activities devoted to math testing. On
that night each month common exams
would be given in the large multisection
freshman/sophomore math courses.
This was done for a time before. But
various people didn’t like it, and it was
dropped. We feel it is time to rethink the
matter. We think Patricia Young has
pointed out a real problem. We believe we
can go a long way toward solving it if we
can get this one night a month. We will be
asking various people for their opinions
and their help in the months to come.
— G.R. Blakley, Head
Department of Mathematics
An exotic case
Editor:
I would like to point out that Kathy
Nemec’s article against keeping exotic pets
was fidl of old information and slightly ab
surd statements. I have been a zookeeper
for the past two years and I plan to make a
career in the zoo business.
For one, neutered, de-fanged, de-
elawed and de-scented animals certainly
are fit for a zoo. In fact, many zoos perform
these operations. This is called manage
ment practice, Ms. Necec. Another thing,
if you are worried about private ownership
of ocelots (or most any specie of feline),
owls, many species of primates, or most
any exotic animal, try buying one. Unless
you are federally approved, the Depart
ment of Interior will not let you have one.
This is called the Endangered Species Act,
Ms. Nemec.
The concern about mortality rate in
transportation of exotics was touching, but
the whole story was not told. The reason
for the high death rate is because the large
percentage of shipped exotics are babies,
and any young of a specie is more suscept-
able to death than mature animals. Animal
catchers have the choice to capture either
a litter of babies or their full-grown,
dangerous and, and very-difficult to catch
mother. Which would you choose, Ms.
Nemec?
In closing, I would like to express dis
approval for the keeping of any animal
which you do not have the facilities to care
for it With, be it exotic, a dog, a cat, or a
pet hamster. Wild animals CAN be
domesticated, though it takes much more
attention and love. If you care for animals,
buy one you feel comfortable with and
would take care of properly. If you are
considering an exotic pet, contact a zoo or
the wildlife department for information on
care and pending laws on the animal. This
is common sense, Ms. Nemec.
— Bruce Nixon, ’81
Campus
College sets open house
All prospective and interested students are invited to the Texas
A&M University College of Medicine open House Feb. 21, in room
215 Animal Industries Building, with the program beginning at 7:30
p.m. A tour of the College of Medicine will be given.
Board plan installment due
The second installment board payment for the 1978 Spring semes
ter is due on or before Feb. 17. The amount is $143.05 for the 7-day
Board Plan and $128 for the 5-day plan. Pay now either at the Fiscal
Office, Richard Coke Building or the Cashier’s Office in the main
lobby at Rudder Center, to avoid penalty.
Th
No
State
Recordings subpoenaed
In Odessa, Ector County Judge Virgil Lumpee has subpoenaed a
newspaper reporter’s tape recordings of statements made by Ector
County jail inmates regarding the death of a Mexican-American pris
oner. In statements and recordings given to Richard Orr oftheSan
Angelo Standard Times, the inmates say they saw jail personnel hit
and harass Larry Ortega Lozano, 27, several days before his death
Jan. 22 in the jail. Inmates say Lozano was physically abused by the
jailers during a contraband search. Three jail sources also said
Lozano was beaten to death by sheriff’s deputies while his head was
covered with a blanket.
Love Field may have competition
Eight years after the last commercial passenger plane took offfrom
Meacham Field in Fort Worth, Meacham officials are eager to reopen
the airport to'intrastate commuter traffic and compete with Dallas
Love Field for low-cost flights within the state. Rio Airlines and
several other commuter operations already have begun negotiations
with field officials, and Meacham aviation director Barry Hall said it is
only a matter of time before details can be settled with the Texas
Aeronautics Commission to allow flights from Fort Worth to Hous
ton, San Antonio, Austin, Odessa and Midland. "Look out Dive
Field,” said Hall. “I think we ll have commuter flights in and out of
here within six months now that voters have shown us they re in
terested in this service by approving our capital improvements bonds
this week.”
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Planes search for officials
At least 10 Civil Air Patrol planes flew missions Sunday in the t
expanding search for a missing single-engine airplane carrying two 1
Southwest Conference basketball officials. The plane, with Bill Hor- |
len of San Antonio and Jerry Neely of San Marcos aboard, left McAl- I
len Friday night and did not arrive as scheduled in San Marcos. “The
weather is improving and we have 10 planes in air looking over 1
several locations, said Mrs. Peg Jollie of the Civil Air Patrol in San I
Antonio. “We have looked as fyr south as the Mexican border andas l
far north as the Killeen area. “We hope to have more planes in the air I
during the day looking along the McAllen-San Marcos line.”
Nation
Burger refuses to rescind
Chief Justice Warren Burger not only refused to apologize for his
comment that many trial lawyers arc incompetent, but he repeated
the charge Sunday in New Orleans and urged the American Bar
Association to do something about it. The chief justice’s views on the
subject have caused legal tempers to flare. But Burger said his re
marks instead were intended to “stimulate efforts to correct a long
standing deficiency. In a speech prepared for delivery before the
ABA winter meeting, he likened new law school graduates to their
counterparts in medicine. “To treat a bare certificate of admission to
practice law as a passport to try any and every kind of a case in any
court makes no more sense than to say that a medical school degree
qualifies the holder to perform every kind of surgery,” Burger told
the convention. “Our protection is that the hospitals will not let them
do so.”
Another Son of Sam?
\
A psychotic killer, who has labeled himself the “BTK Stranger, in
Wichita, Kan., says he is seeking the same perverse publicity given
the Son of Sam slayer in New York and Los Angeles Hillside Strang
ler. Police say a letter from the “BTK Strangler” describing the mur
der of seven persons in a four-year period is authentic. Investigators
say they are pursuing several leads but have no suspects. Authorities
have in their possission of two letters and a card signed “BTK —
standing for “Bind, Torture and Kill. The latest letter, one of at least
three communications police have in their possession, was received
by Wichita television station KAKE and submitted to police Friday.
In the KAKE letter, the writer claimed he was responsible for the
strangulation murders of four members of the Joseph Otero family in
1974. The letter also mentioned three other victims, one of which was
not identified.
Weather
R
7:
Sunny and mild today, clear and cold tonight, clear and cool
tomorrow. High today upper 60s, low tonight near 30. High
tomorrow mid-50s. Winds from the northeast at 10-15 mph.
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
enterprise operated by students as a university and com
munity newsfHiper. Editorial policy is determined by the
editor.
LETTERS POUCY
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Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The
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MEMBER
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Editor janm 1
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Sports Editor Panl' r
News Editors Marie Homeyer, Can>l^
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