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Viewpoint
The Battalion Wednesday
Texas A&M University March 1, 1978
An additional fee for foreign oil
The Israelis are understandably upset about the Carter Administration’s
plan to sell high performance American jets to Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
In a flying visit to Washington last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe
Dayan protested that the sale of 50 F-5E Tigers to the Egyptians and F-15
Eagles to the Saudis would tip the Mideast arms balance in favor of the
Arabs.
The sale of sophisticated weaponry to the Egyptians is, of course, a signifi
cant change in American policy. It is not, however, the first time we have
supplied both sides in that seemingly intractable dispute. Jordan has been
using American arms for years.
On the surface it would appear that the Administration is using arms sales
as a diplomatic ploy. It seems an unmistakable message to the Israelis that
they will have to make major concessions regarding their settlements in the
Sinai and on the West Bank. Anwar Sadat’s visit here has borne fruit.
But what seems to be overlooked in the debate over the proposed sale of
these jets is whether American policy makers really had that much of a
choice. The real question to ask is how much pressure did the Saudi Arabians
exert on the Administration to sell jets to the Egyptians.
The point is that we now import something like 40 percent of the oil we
use. And what the sale of jets to Egypt indicates is that we are paying more
for that imported oil than just dollars.
The Montgomery Ala. Advertiser
Wards and the student-councilman
By JIM CRAWLEY
April Fool’s Day is ome month away and
so are the College Station city elections.
What a coincidence?
The mayoral and three council seats will
be up for election. So far, only one candi
date has filed for each position. None of
the announced candidates are Texas A&M
students although the two incumbants are
professors.
During the past three years, two stu
dents have campaigned for a position on
the council. Neither were successful. This
was before the ward system was installed.
Last year, in the three ward races, only
three candidates, the incumbants, ran.
This year the ward system will receive
its second test. This exam should be more
telling than the intitial test as two of the
four positions will be without incumbants.
A question circulating among many in
terested students and politicians has been
whether a student will run for a position in
city government.
Several council members are opposed to
an on-campus student on the panel. They
believe that the student would be unre
sponsive to off-campus problems.
Additionally, an on-campus resident
doesn t pay property taxes or receive city
services. The only city department he
could come into contact with on-campus is
the fire department when it responds to an
on-campus fire.
During the past two years, the student
government has appointed a student to sit
Politics
as a non-voting member of the council.
This liaison program was hoped to relieve
some problems of getting students in
volved in the governmental process. This
program can be termed as a failure be
cause of student inattention. Often the
student assigned to cover the council has
been absent or uninformed on the issues.
Another problem has been that the stu
dents that have filled the spot have just
filled the seat. They have not been effec
tive in influencing student-related policy
decisions of the council.
The ward system also has affected the
ability of students to run. With the split
ting of the city into six separate wards,
each electing their own representative,
the student vote is likewise split among
the wards. The campus living areas are
split between three separate wards, two of
which are have council seats open for the
April election.
While students make up a large part of
the population in every ward within the
city limits the real factor that will deter
mine their effect om the election will be
the percentage voting. In the last election
only 7 percent of the eligible students
voted, with the polling place in the MSC.
This year the two wards covering parts of
the campus have polling places off-
campus. And the election is being held on
a Saturday according to a state law. Most
students will be spending Saturday after
noon in their hometowns or out relaxing in
the sun.
Getting your name on the ballot is a
matter of no cost and only an hour or two’s
effort. With no filing fee, the only requi
site for a candidate is to have a petition
containing the names of 25 registered vot
ers within his or her ward. After signing a
few more forms and filling out a campaign
financial disclosure form, the candidate is
on the ballot.
This simplicity of filing makes it easy for
Texas A&M students to become candi
dates .
But, can a student win a ward election.
The answer may be known in April. For
a student to win a place on the council he
or she would have to get the students to go
to the polls and vote as a bloc.
This is not as easy as a student election
where the Corps of Cadets can vote almost
as a group. The student turn-out rate in
elections is constantly low. Not only here
in Texas, but throughout the nation. A
plan of attack would have to be devised
considering several factors.
One consideration would be a high-
profile campaign by the student. The can
didate would have to resort to oldstyle
campaigning. He would have to make his
name known to eveiy student and give
every student a good reason to spend part
of a Saturday at the polls.
This campaigning would be on the emo
tional level. The candidate-student would
have to appeal to some aspect that would
cause students to rally for him.
The only problem is where to find such
a candidate? If anyone believes they fit the
bill, they have only a few hours left before
filing closes. Filing ends at 5 p.m. at City
Hall.
Tossing around pigs that fly
By DICK WEST
United Press International
WASHINGTON — The world of paleon
tology, which fairly seethes with fac
tionalism anyway, is now at loggerheads
over dinosaurs.
The loggers came to a head here at the
recent annual meeting of the National As
sociation for the Advancement of Science.
One faction advanced the theory that
some dinosaurs were warmblooded,
turkey-sized creatures that had primative
wings and were the forerunners of today’s
birds.
And while you didn’t exactly find them
flitting about the treetops, it is believed
that these primeval poultry progenitors
were capable of flapping airborne for short
distances somewhat in the manner of the
barnyard fowls we all know and love.
Meanwhile, however, another faction
clings to the conventional concept of
dinosaurs as being overgrown lizard-like
reptiles that couldn’t have gotten off the
The Lighter Side
ground if their tails had been Saturn rock
ets.
I might note in passing that the idea that
birds evoluted from dinosaurs is not the
only theory that has been put forth regard
ing avian ancestry.
A good, and somewhat similar, argument
can be made that birds decended from pigs.
“The debate over whether pigs once
coidd fly has been going on for centuries,
Dr. J. Newton Soarswine, a prominent
bird-watcher, told me in an interview.
“I refer you to the famous verse from
Through the Looking-Glass’ which says
the time has come to talk of such things as
why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs
have wings.
“Lewis Carroll put those words into the
mouth of a walrus, but he was just being
whimsical. We know from other sources
that 19th Century Englishmen did indeed
spend a lot of time discussing these mat
ters. ”
I said, "I thought their main topics of
conversation were shoes and ships and seal
ing wax and cabbages and kings. ’
“Those subjects figured prominently in
everyday discourse,” Soarswine replied.
“But whenever intellectuals fore
gathered they usually turned to scientific
issues such as the cause of oceanic thermal
currents and the origin of birds.”
I said, “Where did the flying pig theory
come from?
“It derived from attempts by paleontol
ogists to explain the pig’s spiraled tail,
Soarswine said.
“By examining fossils of pigs that lived
about 100 million years ago they concluded
that the spiral tails originally performed
some sort of aerodynamic function.
“The consensus is that the coiling and
uncoiling provided thrust that assisted pigs
during takeoffs.
“That’s all very interesting, I said, “but
what happened to the pigs’ wings?”
“They gradually disappeared during the
evolutionary process,” Soarswine replied.
“As best we can date it, it happened con
currently with the disappearance of horse-
feathers.
Letters to the editor
More opinions on the Panamanian canal treaties
Editor:
I have two points regarding the Panama
Canal treaty controversy which seems to
cause paranoid excitement on the A&M
campus.
1. I have large doubts as to whether the
average Aggie either knew where Panama
was or cared about its existence, before Mr.
Ronald Reagan and the other jingoists of
the far-right decided to get their pictures in
the media.
2. I have trouble understanding the
Young Americans for Freedom. I assume
that they are for freedom in all parts of the
world and yet they support the oppression
of the Panamanian people by being against
the treaties. Of course, it is possible that
my assumption is incorrect, in which case, I
suggest they change their name to some
thing like: Young Americans for American
Domination.
— L. Seelig
graduate student, ag. econ.
Keep canal
Editor:
I am writing in response to Mark Hink
le’s letter in the Feb. 8 Battalion. In his
letter, Mr. Hinkle voiced his opposition to
the Panama Canal treaty. He pointed out
that the Marxist Panamanian government
would have control of the canal and that the
United States would be paying large sums
of money for the right to use and defend it.
Mr. Hinkle stated that the present canal
treaty would “be a slap in the face to every
U.S. citizen.
I am in complete agreement with Mr.
Hinkle’s view of the Panama Canal issue. In
a few years, the Panamanians would have
complete control of the canal under the
present treaty. This means that our naval
and commercial shipping through the canal
would be controlled by a Marxist govern
ment. What if they decided to close the
canal to American ships? Would we sent in
troops to try to take it back by force? No,,
because we would then be the “big bully
in the eyes of the rest of the world.
Our only clear alternative is to keep the
canal. We would be showing the rest of the
world that the United States does not bow
down to pressure from “tin-horn dictators. ”
— Eric Matheu, ’81
Cheer for ‘Ladies'
Editor:
As the basketball season winds down and
a majority of student supporters appear
bent upon lynching Paul Arnett, I would
like to congratulate Mr. David Boggan for
his article on Von Bunn and the Aggie
Ladies. It was a nice article, and I only wish
that more had been said earlier about a
great group of Aggie athletes.
The Aggie Ladies are to be congratulated
for a fine season. Through hard work, dedi
cation, and self-discipline you have come a
long way, and I thing this is only the begin
ning. You will surely come back much bet
ter next year. And I hope the Batt gives you
the recognition you richly deserve.
Now, a word to the fans — if you have not
seen the Aggie Ladies play, you have
missed half the fun and enjoyment of a
basketball season. What can be better than
watching the Aggies play? Watching the
Aggies play twice! So, next year join the
“hard core” and double your fun. “Hard
core?” That is the few hundred students
and other Aggies that flock to G. Rollie
when the doors open regardless of the
competition, season record or other adver
sities simply because they love Aggie Bas
ketball. Come and bring your lunch!
— N.J. Rowan, 59, ’67
Health center care
Editor:
Considering the size and continuing
growth of A&M, the extent of our health
center seems inadequate. The atmosphere
is one of continual rushing. The purpose of
this letter is not to repine about the long
waiting period, but to complain about the
treatment I received. The examination
should be more precise, and more care
should be taken in prescribing medication.
There had been an annoying pain in my
ear for a few weeks. With this constant
ringing and dull pain in my ear, studying
and sleeping seemed impossible. After
reaching a mental state that I am sure was
close to insanity, I decided to fill my arms
with books, and set out for my tedious visit.
While sitting in the waiting room I
memorized a sign directly in front of me. It
read something like this, “If you are having
to wait, it is because the patients before you
are receiving the same care and considera
tion you are waiting to receive. ” When my
turn came, instead of care and considera
tion, I received a five minute examination,
two prescriptions, and a push out the door.
“Well,” I thought, “at least it is over.” Lit
tle did I know it was only the beginning.
The ache in my ear increased the next day,
compounded with dizziness and nausea. 1
went back to the center and was assured by
a nurse that the medication would soon
overcome my ailments.
Living in a dorm room has certain disad
vantages, which are greatly emphasized
when you’re sick. It is hard to rest with the
noise of neighbors blasting through the
wall, and on the weekend the noise be-
' comes much more prominent. It being
Friday, I decided to go home for a little
peace and quiet. My mother, who trusts no
one but our family physican, dragged me to
the clinic at home. I was astonished when I
was told the contents of the capsules given
to me by the health center. For my inner
ear ache I had been given a decongestant
and a pain killer.
The waiting I can understand, but partial
examinations and prescriptions that don’t
correlate with the illness can not be ne
glected. How can a health center be bene
ficial if prescriptions are scribbled down
just to get through with one patient and get
on to the next? I now have a great lack of
confidence in the health center, and this
incident has led me to believe it can truly
be called the “Quack Shack.
— Jennifer Adair, ’81
Good Ags everywhere
Editor:
We would like to thank the seven guys
who stopped to help us out when we had a
flat tire on our way back from Huntsville
last Thursday night. It’s such a relief to
know that there are good Ags not only on
campus, but wherever we go.
— Judy Valerian, ’79
Donna Wilke, ’79
Top of the News li
Campus
Technical reading class offerei
The College of Liberal Arts is offering a short course in tedinktBit T<
reading. The course combines the analysis of technical writingsht Reseai
with reading techniques to enhance the student’s ability to readati^valie
comprehend technical material. The course will begin Mardibgineei
There will be a $30 registration fee. For more information, callDipve to
Henry Pope at 845-5141. ||eale
oiler-ty
Scholarship applications due
Application forms for Spring Awards Scholarships may be obtais
from the Student Financial Aid Office, Room 310, YMCA Building.!
applications must be filed with the office not later than 5p.m. toi
Late applications will not be accepted.
Nation .
Economic index fell in January
The Index of Leading Economic Indicators dropped 1.9percentnL.
January ending a six month gaining trend, the Commerce Departmei jstall a
reported Tuesday. The decline is the biggest drop since JanuaryIffliKtly
when the index dropped 3 percent. The department bases theindaBest si
on 12 sectors of the economy. Of the 10 available for January, eigllBjnju)
dropped. The shorter working week was the primary reason fortleBall
big drop, the department said. a
Britain blocks Braniff s service
Britain has all but blocked Braniff Airways cut-rate air sent# b ieva
between London and Dallas-Fort Worth, a Carter administratii sventi
official said Tuesday. The dispute arose Monday when the Civil sTexa
Aeronautics Board refused to let the Texas-based airline drop its
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riginal low fares and apply for the higher fares demanded by Britisk erbac
authorities. The board ordered its staff to draw up an order retaliating
against British flights to the United States. Such an order wouldbs
to be approved by President Carter as well as the CAB.
Carter hikes aid to education
President Carter asked Congress for $4 billion in federal aid III
education Tuesday. This is a 24 percent increase over last year.ft[
increase was the largest since the Elementary and Secondary Educ l
tion Act was passed as part of President Lyndon Johnsons GijJ
Society. “Today s proposals , Carter said, “will focus our nitjl
resources on helping our children master the basic skills — readig
writing and arithmetic —r which remain critical to their ability!
function in a complex society. We must do a better job of teadiij
these basic skills to all our children.
Missouri files suit against NO)]
A civil suit filed today in federal district court by Missouri Attoraei
General John Ashcroft against a boycott led by the National Orgaaia
tion for Women was the first such suit filed in the nation. The organ®
tion is encouraging conventions to boycott states, such as Missoni
that have not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. C»
stitution. Fifteen states have not ratified the amendment. Tlf
boycott is designed to inflict severe economic harm to the convent®
industry in Missouri and upon all persons associated with that iiid%lers
try,’ Ashcroft said in a prepared statement. Figures released by NQBaij Gi
he said, show that St. Louis has lost $11 million and Kansas City luoyers
lost $8 million as a result of conventions canceled in response Jo tty next
boycott. “We a
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Troops raid Nicaragua, 22 die
itural
(hov
Troops firing machine guns stormed a university Monday night in
raid that killed three students in the latest outbreak of fighting thatk
left at least 22 people dead in Nicaragua. Dr. Mariano FhallosOvanp-
ren, rector of Ruben Dario University 7 in Managua, denounced the
as "a brutal aggression by the National Guard which violates all ...
principles of university automony and also the principles ofhiimanit)
Soldiers swept throught the main gate of the campus after studeii
threw stones at them over the wall and chanted curses at Preside!,
Anastasio Somoza and the armed forces. Troops also killed six mem
hers of a family in Masaya, 25 miles east of the capital and reM
civilians killed two soldiers in sporadic fighting that raged untileaikl
Tuesday.
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Soviet gas prices escalate
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The Soviet Union will raise retail gasoline prices 100 percent beg!
ning Wednesday, Soviet sources said Tuesday. The sources also®
that the price of auto parts would be increased but they did not too'
how much. Western sources said the Soviets have admitted thattlifi
was a fuel shortage in the Soviet Union. By raising prices pri'
driving would be reduced. Currently , 93 octane gasoline costs62t«t
a gallon, while 95 octane gasoline costs 65 cents a gallon. AsofWd
nesday, the new Soviet retail price will he $1.24 a gallon for93octa«
and $1.30 for 95 octane gasoline. During the past year. Lenity
experienced several gasoline shortages, including three periodsofi*
week when gasoline was only sold to foreign tourists and forei|
residents.
Weather
Mostly cloudy and cooler today with a chance of showers!^
afternoon. Cloudy and mild tonight with a chance of W’
derstorms. High today upper 60s, low tonight low 50s. H(
tomorrow mid-70s. Winds from the northeast at 10-18 if
30% chance of rain today, 50% tonight. Decreasing cloy!
ness and warmer on Thursday.
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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-stipporttng
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
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Right
Second-Class postage paid at College Station.ft'
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor
Managing Editor
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News Editors
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Cits Editor
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Reporters
Mark Put torso
Weld
Man Alia
.Marie I lomejt'r. fW'
Ok-
Kflft!
The Battalion is published Monday through Friday from
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Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per
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Photographoi
Cartoonist . .
Li/ Nrwlin. IXid*
Lee Kin UmV*
Jim Craw In.a''i
Paige Beasln . M
Susan Wdili. Lnl'
IW 4
Student Publications Board: Hah C, fingm (In
Joe Arredondo. Dr. Clary Halter. Dr. C/nnhMi
Dr. Clinton A. Phillips. Rebel Rice. Dinrlori'l'
Publications. Donald (’. Johnson.
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