The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, February 28, 1978, Image 2
Viewpoint The Battalion Tuesday Texas A&M University February 28, 1978 Best charter under circumstances The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, after months of delibera tion, has brought forth a proposed charter for all U.S. intelligence agencies. It is complex, wide-ranging and hard to evaluate. What the charter does demonstrate, if nothing else, is the difficulty of imposing legal safeguards on intelligence operations under a democratic society. The proposed charter has two principal aims: first, to centralize control over all intelligence work in one official, the director of Central Intelligence and to prohibit certain abuses such as assassination, terrorism and torture. It is in the nature of intelligence work that the first goal is more likely to be met than the second. For example, the draft legislation does allow electronic eavesdropping and even break-ins under certain circumstances when the president and the Congress approve. It does not bar CIA involvement in activities aimed at overthrowing nondemocratic governments. And the measure also would au thorize the attorney general, in certain special circumstances, to give intelli gence officials provision to violate federal law — such as when counter espionage tactics were needed. On balance the measure will satisfy neither the CIA’s most devoted ad mirers nor its severest critics. This fact is probably the best sign that the Senate committee has done a responsible job. Providence R.I. Journal You’re as good an Ag as you feel By STEVEN HENRY It s the “Who’s the good-bad Ag game,’ and it’s suddenly become the newest tradi tion here in Aggieland. Seldom a day passes without someone, in all their ipighty wis dom, declaring someone else to be a bad Ag- Yes, at one time I lived in absolute terror of the thought that someone might one day walk up to me, stare me straight in the eyes, and with a multitude of witnesses, accuse' me of being a bad Ag. I became obsessed with the desire to be the “good Ag. More and more, I began to leave my bicycle at the' apartment: basket ball game's we're' given a much higher prior ity than those insignificant final exams. Ye j s, I was truly a good Ag. But, like life*, succe'ss is semietimes ac companied by failure (i.e. chemistry, cal culus, etc...) and 1 knew something must change. I had become so obsessed with conformity, that I was now28,000people' in one body; and bo\, was it crowded. I knew I couldn t go.on like 1 this. Then one day, after an assertiveness group meeting, I was strolling past the Readers' forum MSC whc'ii a ravishingly beautiful, young lady caught my e‘ye\ Blinded hy passion and dc'sire, 1 committed the' unforgie cable sin, I accidentally stepped off the' sidewalk and onto the grass. Panic grippc'd me as I nervoush looked about for witnesses of my crime'. I broke' into a cold swe'at. What if someone had seen me? What would 1 say? What would thc*y say? What would my parents say when they found out? Immediately, I boltc'd across the street and ran, non-stop to my apartment where I locked myself in the' erappe'r and began pacing the tiles. What if someone' reported me? Ileuiel- lines reading, “Henry found guilty — awaits sentencing flashed before my eyes. In desperation, I considered my alterna tive's. .. (1) transfer to t.u., (2) join the corps, in hopes of redee'ming im se-lf, - (3) lead the 1 entire' stuelent boely in a rous ing chorus of "Farmers Fight, or (4) e|uad Paul Arnett. But alas, nothing se'eaneel to ease my stricken mind. Then, after a elay or so, sanitx and calm o\ ercaine me\ I unlockeel the' door, w e nt to the- kitchen (you get aw fulK hungry in a elav or so), anel began to analyze* rational!}, the' good-bael Ag ejue'stion. I askeel all those 1 people 1 inside' me' for he'lp; but, with 28.()()() elillereut pie'ce's of advie't', I found it rather elilfieult to choose between them. So, I saiel to hell with everyone e i lses advice anel starteel listening to myst'lf. If we are* all inelix ieluals, hoxv can xve juelge anothe-r s actions to be right or wrong? If I am differemt, eloe'S that ejualifx me' for the* bad Ag category? Am I justified in eonelemning others be'cause they elo not agree xxith me? No, all I max offe-r in an opinion, not a juelgment. Yes, noxv is the' time' for all gooel ineli- x ielnal to stanel up anel support their right to be* xxhat the*} are', not xx hat some'one e'lse xx ould hax e 1 themi be*. Ex e*r\one is a 'gooel Ag unless the-x, not someone' e-lse', eleclare themselxe's not to be\ Anel no amount of whining and complaining xxill e'xe*r alte-r that. Si even Henri/ is a sophomore hio- cnciroimientdl science major. Opinions ex- pressed in this column are the author s onlij and not neeessarih/ those of this paper. Top of the News 1 Campus Scholarship deadline nears n Application forms for Spring Awards Scholarships may be ob- l|^ r( tained from the Student Financial Aiel Office, Room 310, YMCA Eg .■ Buileling. All applications must be fileel with the office not later than | an( | 5:00 p.m., Wednesday. Late applications will not be accepted. l* uc | Volunteers needed for flu study p Hie Texas A&M University College of Medicine is asking for stu- I elent volunteers fe>r an influenza prevention study. About 600 stu 1 dents are needed for the study which will last six to nine xveeks. The Ij use of the drugs Amantadine and Rimantadine xvill he studied. Fur- || ther information can be obtained at meetings on Wednesday from 12 1 to 1 p.m., Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m., and Friday from 10 to 11 a.m | All meetings are in Room 107 of the SLAB. Local Board reopens field house bid In a special meeting called to discuss field house construction, the A&M Consolidated School Board voted Monday to hire an architect or engineer to draw up the necessary specifications for building firms to bid on the construction project. There was $132,000 set aside in the last bond issue to build the field house, but the architect’s esti mate was $210,000. A new estimate x\as lower, but bidding is neces sary to determine the actual cost. Voter number needs check ci b College Station residents need to check their voter registration tickets for precinct number. Residents previously voting at Bee Creek Park, Precinct 31, will now be voting at A&M Consolidated High School. The Brazos County Commissioners met yesterday and voted to change the location because the Bee Creek facilities are too small for an election. In other business. Tax Exemption Status was granted to St. Thomas Episcopal Church, St. Anthony Catholic Church, and The Answer, a Christian Counseling Center. Commis sioner Bill Cooley suggested that an inspection be made of the rail road tracks in Bryan and College Station because of the increase in the number of derailments'in the* past year. State Hill requests court review ■] ei I)! P H Iv T N C Texas Attorney General John Hill said Monday he xvill ask the U. i S. Supreme Court to reconsider or defer its decision ordering reap portionment of legislative districts in Tarrant County before the May 6 primary elections. The court had issued a brief order iiuplementilij' a new districting plan for election of 10 House members from the Fort Worth area. Candidates in each of the races have already filed under the 1976 district boundaries thrown out by the court, and the filing deadline has passed. Hill said he- will advise the the secretaryof state and the Tarrant County Commissioners Court to begin im mediate' preparations to conduct the Max election using the new district boundaries. Civil rights revolution in retrospect By ARNOLD SAWISLAK ' United Press International ^ WASHINGTON — Ten years ago to- morroxv, the Kerner Commission con cluded that the eix il rights “revolution of the 1960s had failed to bring racial integra tion to the United States. “Our nation is moving toward txvo societies, one black, one xvhite — separate but unequal, the commission said. Inherent in the commission’s conclusion xvas deep fear based on the premise that only integration — acceptance of blacks by xx hites as equals — could bring racial peace to the country. The feeling was that as long as blacks were seen as different, they woidd be treated as inferior. And that, it was assumed, would assure the continuation of the violence that had been wracking the country. The riots that followed the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. five weeks after the report was issued seemed to certify that conclusion. But there were then, and remiyin tridax , both black and white Americans xxho re garded the goal of integration as unrealistic in a society steeped in racism. Washington Window They beliexed the best strategy for blacks xvas to unite, rather than try to as similate, and use the xx eight of numbers to extract from the xvhite majority the legal equality, educational opportunities and economic rewards they had been denied for centuries. That was the real essence of Black Power, the phrase that so alarmed xvhite Americans xvhen it xvas chorused by march ing blacks... Some blacks may hax e thought • they xx cte gqjug tq bijjigxx hite soe jety to its knees, but gixen the amount of poxxer in the hands of the majority , that nex er xxas a realistic possibility. Whatexer the 1 reason, xiolent outbreaks began ebbing after 1968, and the thrust of black poxxer xxas applied to “the system. This got some results, notably in politics: the number of black elected officials in creased bx 264 percent betxveen 1969 and 1977. But the intention here 1 is not toargue that the* aehiex emc-nts of the last decade mean the nation s racial problems are on the xxax to solution. Nor is it to contend that con tinuing inequity and discrimination, which can be amply demonstrated, means that the situation is getting worse. Instead, a narrower point: the Kerner Commission probably xvas right about the trend toxvard polarization of racial at titudes, but mistaken about its conse quences, at least in the short run. W hat seems to hax e happened is that society , in its untidy and inefficient xxax , has begun to adapt to txxo facts. The first is that xx lutes xx ill not easily gix e up their deep prejudices against blacks. The second is that blacks, accepted as equals or not, will continue* to press their claims. W hat seems to hax o happened is that blacks hax e unwed axvax from bricks and firebombs and toxxard the judicial and legis lative processes to get xxhat they xxant. And xx hites, xx hatex er their perception of blacks, generally hax e accepted the out come of black efforts in those areas. This adaptation obx iously has both flaxx s and limits, especially for those of both races xxho had hoped to see racism rooted out of the national character. But that does seem to he xxhat has happened in a less than perfect xvorld. Betters to the editor Two sides and the end of ‘Todays Student’ flap Editor: Earlier this semester the Batt ran my letter in this column concerning “Today s Student's’ on-campus distribution rights and their hopeful restraint. Since that time the “Student has gone as far as to declare all opposition to these rights as a “loosely organized coalition of student athiests. I am not an athiest; I am a Christian. Since “Today’s Student xvill not acknowl edge this fact I hope the Batt will. I urge all Christians (and Ags) to contact the conces sions committee and let your voice be heard. (Soon). — Glynn Echerd, ’81 ‘Student' replies Editor: As a representative for Today’s Student in the state of Texas, I would like to respond to Thursday s letter, “Student underfire. Although not the writer of the article, 1 xvas present at the meeting in question. First of all, the article did not intend to insinuate the meeting was a special hearing but, as Ron Blatchley indicated, a regular meeting of the Concessions Committee. It was, however, investigative from the standpoint that the students in opposition were told they could come to present their side, and those supporting the paper were instructed they could do the same. The obvious intent was to hear both sides — investigate the pros and cons — before reaching a decision regarding the distribu tion of the paper on campus. The writer of the article, not being an Aggie and unfamil iar with A&M s various committees, unas sumingly called it an investigative hearing because of the nature of the meeting and the procedure followed. Secondly, the committee did not make an official ruling that these grievances were “personal expressions against God, ’ nor were those in opposition put under judg ment for taking such a position. It was obvi ous to me, as xvell as the writer and I be lieve the others in the room, that their opposition to a belief in the living God is xvhat prompted them to be present. This xvas not a judgment, but an observation by the writer, and probably should have been stated in the article as such. Our apologies to Ron Blatehley and the Concessions Com mittee if in any way their credibility and integrity were questioned. “Today s Student, being the largest and most popular national student newspaper in the United States, is very selective as to its journalists and journalism. Even at best, unintentional mistakes are made and unfor tunate misunderstandings d ex 7 el op. YY 7 e trust that our apologies will be accepted and the circulation of the paper xvill con tinue to increase. The intent of “Today’s Student is to present an alternative viewpoint of issues seldom presented in the classrooms, yet having as much, if not more, factual credibility based on scien tific, historic and philosophic evidence. It has been called “the paper for thinking people, ’ and we encourage Aggies who have not yet picked up a copy to do so and judge for themselves. — Ron Tewson “Today’s Student" representative Editor’s note: Ron Blatchley, who heads the concessions committee, said Monday that shortly before the commit tee’s hearing concerning “Today’s Stu dent’’ he was in the process of locating the group responsible for the paper’s distri bution to advise it of the University’s permit regulations. Blatchley said repre sentatives of the paper came to his office asking about reports that they needed a distribution permit, and this led to the committee’s hearings. Blatchley said he did not “catch up” to the paper’s repre sentatives, as a previous letter implied. These viewpoints close this section’s look into the distribution of “Today’s Stu dent.” Slouch by Jim Earle “DON’T BE SURPRISED IF YOU SEE A BUNCH Ojr ‘LETTERS TO THE EDITOR’ IN REGARD TO OUR RELAT IONS WITH TEXAS TECH!” Nation Gas rate hike approved The Supreme Court let stand Monday a multibillion-dollar in crease in natural gas rates— the largest in history—approved in 1976 by 7 the Federal Power C Commission. The court turned down appeals by 7 both public interest groups and producers from the nationwide rate hike. Consumer groups, states and cities, public utility commis sions and farmers told the Supreme Court the rate hike could have a devastating effect on consumers. Producers said the cost of finding and producing natural gas has risen dramatically , and argued it is in the interest of the consumer to provide an incentive for nexv explora tion and reproduction. :rv )£ : 0i Electromagnets heal bones A new type of electromagnetic therapy—applied from outside the body—has healed leg bones that failed to unite after .surgery, aeeonl- ing to a report to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Dr. C. Andrew Bassett of the Columbia University College of Physi cians and Surgeons said the new therapy, xxhieh stimulates hone growth by pulsing electromagnetic fields, averted amputation in leg bones that otherwise failed to heal. “Although the success rate in this study exceeded 70 percent, recent changes in pulse characteristics promise even greater effectiveness in the* future, Bassett said iiu report released Monday. The treatment is conducted at home for three to six months. The patients feel no sensation xx hile plugged in. Bassett said. World § I Prisoner swap negotiated Negotiators in four nations are attempting to arrange a sxvap of political prisoners, including two leading Soviet dissidents, an American who spied for Moscow, an Israeli pilot and a group of Chilean communists. The negotiations have been conducted in Chile, East Germany, Israel and the United States. The prisoner swap negotiations were disclosed by American Jexvish officials ami other sources in West Germany and Israel. The negotiations were indirectly confirmed by Deputy Assistant Seeretarv of State W illiam Luers, who said he was aware of the proposals but stressed the U.S. government was not formally involved. Other sources said the negotiations were being conducted by private individuals. The American prisoner is Robert Glenn Thompson. 43, of Bay Shore. N.Y., who was sentenced in 1965 to 30 years for spy ing for RusSui. Weather Mostly cloudy today with fog, turning partly cloudy and warmer this afternoon. High today mid-70s, low tonight mid-40s. High tomorrow mid-60s. Winds from the southeast at 10-18 mph. Cloudy and cooler on Wednesday. The Rattalion Opinions expressed in The Hatta!ion are those of the editor or of the writer of the article and are not neeessarih/ those of the Vniversitt/ administration or the Hoard of Re gents. The Battalion is a non-profit. self-snpportoig enterprise operated by students as a university and eom- munity newsihiper. Editorial policy is determined hy the editor. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to heinp, 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 he signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification. Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The Battalion, Room 210, Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77H43. Represented nationally In National Educational Adver tising Services, hie.. New York Cit>. Chicago and L»s Angeles. The Battalion is published Momlax through Eridax from September through Max except during exam and holidax periods and the summer, xvhen it is published on Momlax s. Wednesdays and Fridays. Mail subscriptions are $1(S.75 per semester. $33.25 pci school year; $35.00 per full xcar Advertising rates fur nished on re«|iiest. Address: The Battalion. Boom 210. Heed McDonald Building. (.'ollcgc Station. TcU* Initcd Press International is en tit lull (■\i-lii.'iu , l) ^ use for reproduction ol all nexxs disputvlies hviM* 1 Bights ol reproduction of all other matter luTniirv^' Socond-Ulass postage paid at (.’o I lege Slalum. I\ MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journah'sin Uonptw Editor . Janm-3* Managing Kditni . . \larx Al'uvAh**^ Sports Editor I'aulA* Nexxs Editors . Marie llomexrr. (aiol^ Assistant Managing Editui (•fcnitt.U (.'itx Editor kannM ( aimpus Editor . kiiid l< Hcporters biz Nexv lift. Davklfttf Mark Patterson. Lee Box I.rHli|»rrJr u Welch. Scott IVrlxius. \mh ruin.- ivasi.-i. ia v* Photographers Susan NVebli. krn IP* (.'artoonist DniicfirJl Student Tuhlieations Hoard: Hob (l. Ite^nw. ( hii^ Joe Arredondo. Dt Cary Halter. Ih /o/m \l I/*' 1 Hobert Harvey. Dv (Tiavlcs MeCamlless. Ih CliulA Thillips. Hebei Hire. Din thn of Shulrnt I'hIiIh Donah! (' Johnson. 1 ★ ★ ★ ★ $ p R s <