Viewpoint
The Battalion
Monday
Texas A&M University
February 27, 1978
Step up audits
The Energy Department has uncovered what it believes to be some price
violations by two oil companies. Chevron U.S.A., Inc., and Getty Oil Com-
pany.
The alleged wrongdoings on the part of the two oil companies appear to be
only the latest in a series of get-rich schemes that may be more widespread
than previously believed.
Government auditors also have accused Texaco and Exxon of violations of
the price rules.
The problems created by such dealings, if they prove to be fact, are
obvious. The consumer ultimately foots the bill by paying higher prices for
the oil products he must have. There is also the potential for inflation if such
practices become widespread. Inflation already has been fueled by the
enormous price increases brought about by the OPEC nations.
The only way the government can prevent the cheating that apparently
has been occurring is to continue and even intensify the audits of oil com
panies and those who are in the distribution chain. It seems likely that as oil
prices rise, the temptation for oil companies to make some fast money in the
industry is going to be increasingly hard to resist.
Norwich Conn. Bulletin
By KEITH A. TAYLOR
My cousin from USC, Phineas T. Fern-
wood, visited me last semester and I took
him on a tour of Texas A&M University.
“This is the Memorial Student Center,
the meeting place of all good Ags, I told
him. “How do you like it? ’
“Nice, he said, suspiciously eyeing the
decor in the* main lounge. “Who was the
decorator? Librace?”
"Oh, no. The University hired a famous
interior decorator at $30,000 a month to do
this job.
On our way to Rudder Tower, Finny
accidently stepped on the MSC lawn.
Three uniformed men rushed over and
leaped on him.
When Finny regained consciousness at
the Quack Shack, he asked why the police
had attacked him.
“They re regular students, I said, “Ag
gies don’t like people to step on the MSC
grass."
"Why. he asked puzzled, "are they na
ture lovers?
I guess you could say that, I said.
Three hours later, the nurse made me
take Finny back to the dorm to take a
shower, and another three hours later, the
doctor said that Finny’s nose was all right.
Failing a crash course in tradition
“Fm going to show you the Corps Quad,
where the backbone of A&M lives.
"Who?
“The ROTC cadets. You know, the guys
who keep tradition alive, who present a
good image for A&M, the ones who greet
everyone, makes everyone feel welcome.
Reader s Forum
"Hey, Finny said, “these are the guys
who beat me up.
“Never mind, I said. “These guys are
great. Why they..."
"What are they doing over there?
Finny interrupted.
“That s some guy getting "quadded .
They hold him spread-eagled, and pour
water from a garbage can onto his crotch
from a second story window.
“Why do they do that?
"Depends. Maybe because it s his
birthday, or because they like him a lot, or
because they don’t like him at all, or be
cause he s their commanding officer.
"It seems awful cruel.
"No, it’s fun. And it’s tradition.
“Tradition?"
“You see, life at A&M revolves around
tradition. Those guys did a number on
your nose because it’s tradition not to step
on the MSC grass. We have quite a few
traditions here. There’s the elephant walk
and bonfire...
That night we went to Midnight Yell
Practice early.
“Where is everyone? asked Finny.
“They will be marching in with the
band.
"Are these few people in the Corps?"
"No, most of them are non-regs," I said.
“Is that a fraternity?”
"No dummy. Non-regs are students
who are not in the Corps. We don t like
fraternities here at A&M, because tra
ditionally we already belong to the largest
fraternity in the world, the Aggies.
Suddenly, a drunk non-reg threw up on
Finny.
"I thought you couldn t drink in the
stadium, Finny said, wiping at his sleeve.
“You re not supposed to, but everyone
does, 1 said.
Finny scowled. "How do you know
which rules to obey and which to ignore,
he asked.
The band marched in and we humped it
for the first cheer.
“More tradition, I told Fiiinv.
"Are the guys in overalls making hand
signals for the deaf?”
“They're yell leaders," I cried, “and
those signals tell us what the next yell is
going to be."
“Where are the girl cheerleaders,"
Finny asked, "and why are people beating
that guy to a bloody pulp?"
“Because lie ran onto the field. You
can t walk on Kyle Field before a football
game.
“Why?"
"Tradition. "
At bedtime I told Finm to get plenty of
rest because we had to stand for the entire
game.
"Why? he asked.
“It s tradition I said.
"It figures," Finny replied.
The next morning he was gone. His note
said he was headed back to USC and he
would see me after I graduated. As I read
the note, there was a knock on my door. It
was Finny.
"I thought you left, I said.
“Believe me, I wanted to, but the cam
pus police just towed away my car. Is that
tradition too?
And suddenly, strangely, he began to
weep.
How to know your lawyer
By DICK WEST
United Press International
WASHINGTON Not long ago I had
to go to a suburban courthouse on busi
ness. My appointment was delayed and to
kill time I spent about 30 minutes sitting
in traffic court.
The Lighter Side
The first case involved a young man
charged with driving without lights. The
only witness called was a patrolman who
testified he had seen the unilluminated
auto at 7:30 p.m. on such-and-such street.
So he had the driver pull ov er and gav e
him a ticket.
It seemed like such an air tight case I
wondered why the defendant hadn t sim
ply paid his fine and gone on his way. But
he not only pleaded innocent; he brought
along his lavvy er, who moved for dismissal
on grounds there was not evidence to
show vv hat time the sun had set on the day
in question.
“I don t know what time the sun went
down, he told the judge. “It might have
been 5:30, or 7:30, or 9:30.
I mention this now as a
let Justice Warren Burgers recent as-
tion that many of the nation's trial
vers are incompetent.
II officials of ithe, American Bar Associa
tion were upset by" Burger s criticism, and
they were, you‘effii imagine how people in
need of defense attorneys must have felt.
In the event that you. God forbid,
should ever have to go to court, you want
to be sure your lawyer knows what he is
doing. So I have prepared a little compe
tency test that might help you evalute
your cunsellor.
1. The place where the judge sits is
called a (check one': Stool: Dias; Desk:
High ( hair: Davenport: Bench: Throne:
Pulpit: Pedestal.
2. The' judge should be addressed as:
Your Majesty: Yoilr Highness: Your Grace:
Milord: Your Honor: Your Worship: Your
Obedient Servant: Your Fathers .Mus
tache.
3. The place w here the jury sits is called
the: Grandstand: Mezzanine: Choir Loft:
Orchestra Pit: Control Booth: Jury Box:
Penalty Box: Press Box: Batters Box:
Dngout; Endzone.
If your attorney gets two or more right,
you re in good hands. One out of three
isn't bad. But if he misses them all. better
take tlii' Fifth and throw yourself on the
merev of the court.
Letters to the editor
'Today’s Student’ continues to draw fire
Editor:
Let me express my complete and utter
surprise at the slanderous statements
made in an article published in “Today’s
Student Vol. 1, No. 19. I would just like
to know how that newspaper determined
that those protesting distribution of their
rag were atheists. It seems to me that such
reporting doesn’t belong in any paper dis
tributed on this campus, or for that mat
ter, anywhere. That article reeks of the
type of journalism commonly found in the
yellow press of the 19th century.
May be it’s time for Mr. Blatchley and
his committee to re-evaluate their original
decision to allow distribution of “Today s
Student. While I am not one of those who
attempted originally to prevent distribu
tion of that publication, I now join them in
demanding that distribution be ceased
immediately. If the newspaper must be
distributed let it be done at the city dump.
Incidently, I should hope a retraction
and apology are forthcoming from that
newspaper. Quite frankly, while I am not
an attorney, I would suggest that civil ac
tion be taken against that newspaper.
— David P. Rainville,
graduate student, chemistry
Christianity. The article 1 am concerned
with is the one summarizing the protest
against “Today’s Student.
Let’s set the matter straight. I am one of
those individuals grouped under the loose
term “student atheist”. Myself, and sev
eral others grouped under the same title,
protested “Today’s Student on the
grounds that it was being distributed on
this campus illegally, in violation of certain
regulations. Period. The person who
wrote that article totally misrepresented
our position.
I repeat: Our only complaint was the
fact that certain indiv iduals were passing
this paper out in knowledgeable violation
of regulations dealing with student publi
cations. First, the people concerned were
not supported by a recognized student or
ganization on campus. And second, they
were not granted a permit by the conces
sions committee to distribute the paper on
campus. Our group repeatedly informed
those people passing out “Today’s Stu
dent that they were in violation, but they
seemed unconcerned and continued to do
it the following two weeks. It was not until
Ron Blatchley caught up with them that
they were forced to seek a permit.
scientists, and pseudo-journalists writing
for “Today s Student have the right to ex
press their views on this campus.
— John McCulloch, ’81
No passes
Editor:
To those Aggie men who have misinter
preted my intentions:
When I smile at you and say “hello as
we pass each other on campus, I am not
making a pass at you. This information
should eliminate the only threat to you
that I can think of in this situation. You
should feel free and safe from now on to
return my greetings.
— Jennifer A. Mery, ’81
Slouch
by Jim Earle
Legal question
Editor:
“Today’s Student it strikes me that the
articles are written by people pretending
to be historians, people pretending to be
philosophers, people pretending to be sci
entists and, most notably, people pretend
ing to be reporters. I speak specifically of
last week’s issue in which Texas A&M ap
peared.
True to the style of “Today’s Student”
objective reporting has been abandoned in
the interests of Cod, Jc Cfo ist, and
In the article, the writer (whoever the
person may be) twisted our protests to
sound like they were “expressions against
God. This remark besides being blatantly
misleading, was totally irrelevant to the is-
y mpov. :- as to stifTe’free
dom of speech (e.g. “Today’s Student”)
then we would have had a very weak ar
gument. Any group or individual may pass
out propaganda on this campus provided
the group or individual receives a permit
from the concessions committee. “Today’s
Student was not granted a permit, and
that was the only substance of our protest.
Although certain individuals may think we
think otherwise, even the pseudo-
historians, pseudo-philosophers, pseudo-
Top of the News?
State
Vi
'Governor turns back onfarmen
Aimer
lOther
imetbi
b
Texas farmers have paid as much as half of their net income in
property taxes in recent years and need property tax relief but caM;fc ow<
expect it from Gov. Dolph Briscoe, Attorney General John HillsiiH^ ,
Sunday. Hill, who opposes Briscoe in the May 6 Democraticpnma-| xas
made the remark at a campaign stop at a meeting of the Aik
— . ..top ... iinong
County Taxpayers Association in Seally. “Our governor tuniedl|K col
back on our farmers and ranchers last year when the legislature
considering a plan to tax agricultural land on the basis of producthfjH q
rather than market value. Hill said. “When the plan failedhyjJg’ p
one vote, the governor nade no effort to find that vote, he said."AsiHLr
result, we still have no program to give our farmers the relieffeK lc j
need from our unfair property tax system.
Nation
yo i
Burn victim gives birth
a.7- 76
“NICE OF YOU GUYS TO HELP! GUESS YOU CAN BEGIN BY
SORTING MY RECEIPTS AND STUBS!”
A young woman gave birth to a lx)y in Prospect Park, Pa. Sundaj
while fighting for her life with burns sustained in a fire that killedhei
husband and three other persons. The baby, who developed respira [
tory problems shortly after the birth, was listed in stable conditioo
today at an area hospital. The mother, Patricia Lange, 23, was in
serious condition at a burn center. The boy’s father, Joe Allyn Lange,
23, a U.S. Navy corpsman assigned to the Philadelphia Naval Hospi
tal, was one of four persons killed Saturday in an early morning blaze
in suburban Prospect Park. Mrs. Lange gave birth to the 7-pouni
3-ounce boy at 6:22 a.m. Sunday at the Crozer-Chester Burn Center |
in Chester. “He came out of the birth fine,” hospital spokesman Ken
neth Dale said of the infant. However, the baby’s condition worsened i
when he developed respiratory problems and he was transferred li
the intensive care unit at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia.
nown
Energy issue heads governors iisl
tograpl
|eop
The nation’s governors in Washington, steering clear of discussios
on the coal strike, Sunday made a report to President Carter on sti
fuel conservation measures and sought an equal voice in natinl
energy planning. The governors also planned to urge Carter toea
his stand on continued oil and natural gas price controls, sayingfe;
decontrol than that now favored by the administration is neededto
boost U.S. energy production. Several governors accused the admin
istration of using apparently phony figures to support production
goals in its energy plan and said federal officials are holding back on
promised impact aid to coal producing states. The conservation re
port to Carter was issued in advance of an afternoon meeting between
the president and governors at the winter session of the National
Governors’ Association, which started Sunday.
Iceir
■he
e i
es.
The
ger
of
I sa
tog
3 *
Park returns to U.S. to testify
Tongsun Park smiled broadly when he got off the airplane in Wash
ington on his long-awaited return from South Korea. “Nice to see
you,” he told reporters smiling. “I’m delighted to he hack. Park
arrived Sunday, and to a casual observer, it might have appeared the
indicted rice dealer was running for office instead of preparing to be
the star witness in what could become the biggest Washington scan
dal since Watergate. Park, who was expected to remain out of sight
today, is scheduled to begin testifying secretly Tuesday morning in
the House ethics committee about his role in Korean influence-
buying efforts in Congress. His arrival at Dulles International Airport
under a cloak of secrecy and amid heavy protection by the FBI and
U.S. Marshals was punctuated by hand-shaking and grins. Turningto
reporters, the 42-year-old millionaire tried to adopt the same effusive
style that made him a popular Washington socialite in earlier years.
Burns begins to answer critics
At a time when the nomination of his successor may be in trouble,
Arthur Burns has begun answering critics of his Federal Reserve
Board leadership, it was learned today. Before President Carter des
ignated businessman G. William Miller for the position, Burns had
said he woidd like to serve another term. But Burns opposition
to economic stimulation through budget deficits and his money sup
ply policy during Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign in 1972
were cited by Democrats as justifying his removal. The criticism was
led by House Banking Committee chairman Henry Reuss, D-Wis.,
Senate Banking chairman William Proxmire, D-Wis., Sen Edward
Kennedy, D-Mass., and Chairman Charles Schultze of the Council of
Economic Advisers. In a personal letter obtained by UPI, Burns
denied pumping up the money supply to enhance Nixon's reflection
bid.
Weather
Mostly cloudy and warm with a slight chance of showers
today. High today low 70s, low tonight near 50. High tomorrow
mid-70s. Winds from the southeast at 10-15 mph. Twenty
percent chance of rain today, tonight and tomorrow.
The Battalion
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editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily
those of the i niversify administration or the Board of Re
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enterprise operated by students as a university and com
munity newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the
editor.
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number for verification.
Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor. The
Battalion, Room 2/6. Reed McDonald Building, College
Station, Texas 77H43.
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Editor
Managing Fditoi Man \luv
S|X>rts Editor P^'
Ncxvs Editors Marie llflinexer. (and
Assistant Managing Editor . . CliW 1
Citx Editor ........ ton'd
Campus Editor
Beporters Li/ \ewliu. D.niJ^
Mark Patterson. Lee Ko> l.eseli|»rrjf
Welch. Seott Perkins. \ii(k^||
Photogi aphei
I’aiO- IU-.i-.ln 1U>9>
S„>;in
i toonist
Poud
Student Tublimlitms Board Belt C lUipr*
Joe Arredondo. Dr Cary I Ini ter. Dr. Jehu "
Robert Harvey. Dr. Charles MeCaiullvxc Dr.
Thillips Rebel Rii i Director of Shnlnil /’nM** 1
Donald ( Johnson
1