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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 1978)
Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University Monday April 3, 1978 Getting tough f<Wf- In extremely tough talk to the Soviet Union, President Carter has warned, “We will not allow any nation to gain military superiority over us” and will, if necessary, match Moscow’s “massive” buildup in armed might. Reacting immediately and angrily, the Kremlin accused the president of having veered from the policy of detente and resorted to “a course of threats and a buildup of tension.” And so, Soviet-American relations have dropped to the coldest point since Carter’s inauguration. Despite this situation which does neither country any good. Carter is not to blame. His early attempts at accommodation were taken as “weakness” in Moscow, and he had no alternative but to speaking frankly and publicly about the dangers of Russia’s adventurism in Africa. The Soviet leaders think they can compartmentalize relations with the United States. They wish to sign a treaty limiting strategic arms, on their terms if possible, and to import advanced Amercian technology on easy credit. At the same time they intend to keep knocking off targets of opportu nity, as in Angola and Ethiopia, and to frighten our allies in Europe with overwhelming armed forces. Such a schizophrenic policy is possible only in a dictatorship. No one can ask the Politburo, “How can you expect the Americans to believe in a SALT agreement with us when we are trying to undermine their interests all over the world?” Carter, on the other hand, leads a democracy where issues are linked, whether he likes it or not. For example, there isn’t the slightest chance that a SALT treaty, even a fair one, could pass the Senate when Russia and its Cuban mercenaries are running wild in Africa. So Carter wasn’t threatening the Soviets, as they pretend. He was simply stating a fact: the American people will not trust arms control and will not permit economic and scientific cooperation unless the Kremlin restrains its weapons buildup and its trouble-making in the Third World. Moscow can have the kind of relations it wants with this country, mutally beneficial ones or a replay of the cold war. It must understand that Ameri cans are willing to cooperate, but not to roll over and play dead. Scripps-Howard Newspapers ‘Don’t want no poor people’ By WILLIAM RASPBERRY WASHINGTON — Randy Newman in furiated millions of diminutive Americans (and probably stands to make millions of diminished dollars) with his scathing rock putdown of “Short People. ” would be just as happy to have a substan tial part of the town’s dependent popula tion pack up and leave. Don't want no poor people... "They got grubby little fingers and dirty little minds. They gonna get you every titne. Don’t want no short people. Don’t want no short people. Don’t want no short people round here.” Commentary There’s another putdown being played, not on the air but in communities across America. The words aren’t articulated, but the meaning is clear: Don’t want no poor people ’round here. Some local examples: What used to be known as “inner-city rowhouses” in Northwest Washington are being renovated into “restored town- : houses” at a pace to make your head swirn./? ' The most notable effect of the process is tQ.. ‘ convert a major stock of low-income hoi' ing for blacks into residences for affluent or up-and-coming whites. Don’t want no... The city government, though ostensibly concerned for the plight of the displaced poor, appears to be more concerned about the windfall real-estate taxes generated by the changeover. As a result, next to no thing is being done to provide alternative housing opportunities for the displacees. In fact, one senses that the city fathers One of the pioneers in the move to con vert from slums and near-slums into upper-income neighborhoods took the pragmatic view that the area, with its charming Victorian brick and brownstone residences, is “too good” for the people being driven out by the conversion. She doesn’t want to be offensive, but her view is that if people wish to live in slums, they have options all over town. Or as she put it, “They don’t have to live in a historic district.” Don’t want no poor people round here. Across the Potomac River in Alexandria, the ShirleV-Duke apartments, which ac- for nearly 30 percent of Alexajidrifi s t HWOnre4«5ttSing, are-beirrg shut down. Other low- and moderate-income units are either being closed or transformed for the well-to-do. Transformation of Alexandria’s charm ing “Old Town” district from low-income to rich is virtually complete. The low- income families not being forced out di rectly are being squeezed out indirectly through rocketing real estate taxes result ing from trebled and quadrupled property values. Don’t want no poor people round here. Ask city officials what is supposed to happen with the refugees of former slums, and you get either blank looks or pieties. They don’t mean to be cruel, of course, but how can government officials charged with raising revenues for city services ob ject to a rapidly expanding tax base? What they really expect is that the poor people will move to either of two areas: Southeast Washington, which is becoming the catchbasin for the city’s low-income families, or Prince George’s County, virtually the only suburban jurisdiction with any significant low-income housing. Naturally enough, these two areas aren’t exactly hankering to have poor people around. For instance, there was instant dismay last week when HUD announced its inten tion to rehabilitate the boarded-up Baber Village low-income housing development in Prince George’s County. There were no racial implications this time. The yelps came from residents of adjacent Pepper- milrwulage, a middle-clase black de velopment, who had been promised that Baber Village would be razed rather than restored. “We were hoping that County Execu tive Winfield Kelly would keep his prom ise to raze the buildings,” one Peppermill resident said. “The appearance of the place, the littered streets and grounds and the buildings themselves, were bringing down property values. “Many of the apartments had far more children than were supposed to be there, and the result was worn-out lawns, gullies washed in the embankments, over crowded schools. Also, my boys got beat up a couple of times. “(HUD Secretary) Pat Harris says it’s going to be different this time, but it never will work with all low-income people and nobody to supervise. You ask the last 20 families to move out of Peppermill, and they’ll tell you it’s because of Baber Vil lage.” County Executive Kelly was quoted as saying he wants to “close the county’s gates to the poor. “They don’t build neighborhoods, join church congregations, participate in schools. That s a bit of a problem. I want a solid middle-class county with pride, with family ties, with stability.” Baber Village, built by a church-related group less than a decade ago as a promis ing social experiment, was foreclosed by HUD and finally boarded up two years ago. The place had become an eyesore and, worse, a cancer eating away at adja cent property values. They got grubby little habits and dirty little minds. They’ll get your property values every time. Don’t want no poor people round here. (c) 1978, The Washington Post An alternative presidential election United Press International WASHINGTON — Ninety years ago, the American people went to the polls and the man who got the second largest number of votes was elected president. This had happened before, but under circumstances that tended to take the elec toral vote system off the hook. This time the system produced a clear absurdity. In 1824, Andrew Jackson got the largest popular and electoral vote but John Quincy Adams became president — but that was a case when none of the four top candidates had an electoral college major ity and the House of Representatives had to elect the president. In 1876, Samuel Tilden led Rutherford Hayes in the popular vote but lost the presidency in a gigantic battle over the award of electoral votes that included shady dealings on both sides that got down to the last electoral vote. So, although there also was evidence of hanky-panky in 1888, it was the election in which the system itself created a conflict as big as the White House: the loser had a big popular vote plurality but wasn’t even close in the electoral vote contest. Washington Window Republican Benjamin Harrision de feated Democrat Grover Cleveland, 233 to 168 electoral votes, a clear majority and plurality of 65. But the popular vote in the same election was Cleveland, 5,534,488, Harrison 5,443,892, or a 90,596 plurality for Cleveland. Could that happen again? Easy. Had a total of 8,000 votes cast for Jimmy Carter in Ohio and Hawaii gone to Gerald Ford in 1976, Ford would have had an electoral majority and Carter would have been the loser with a popular vote plurality of about two million votes. There are many who think the country would be in real trouble today if it elected a president without a popular vote plural ity. Some question whether a president in that situation would have any leadership influence, either with Congress or the people. So now comes a new proposal to avoid such situations. Developed by a task force supported by the Twentieth Century Fund, the plan simply would award the popular vote winner of presidential elec tions a “bonus” of electoral votes that would almost surely guarantee an electoral majority. The bonus idea came from historian Ar thur Schlesinger Jr., a task force member, who was looking for a compromise be tween those who think presidential elec tions should be decided by the popular vote and nothing else and those who want to retain the present system, which re flects the balance between state sover eignty and the popular will inherent in the makeup of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Under the task force plan, there would be a “pool” of 102 electoral votes — two per state plus the District of Columbia — that would go to the popular vote winner. Had it been in effect in 1876 and 1888, both Tilden and Cleveland would have been elected, but it still would not have given Jackson an electoral majority in 1824. The task force solution for that situation is a runoff election between the two top vote getters within 30 days, thus eliminat ing an election in the House which might completely flout the will of the public. Letters to the editor Abortion ad protest Slouch by Jim Earlei Editor: My roommates and I wish to protest The Battalion’s publishing of the adver tisement for “Pregnancy Terminations.” We never expected to see an ad for child murder in such a fine publication. Abor tion is immoral and should be illegal. But, of course, convenient is the key word nowadays, isn’t it? Feel depressed? Take a pill! Some lousy unborn child threatening your life style? Terminate him! Who cares that he never asked to be created and has certain unalienable rights as guaranteed in our Constitution? What’s next? Senior citizen termination? Mentally retarded children termination? Most people don’t even know the full extent of the abortion laws. Fathers, do you know that if your wife gives birth to a mongoloid child and decides she wants it “terminated” you have no legal say so in the matter-at-all? Open your eyes. — Micfrael Walters, ’80 Doesn’t happen here for pregnancy terminations. I wonder how many Ags seeing this ad will include an abortion on their list of things to do this Saturday — take the car in for alignment early enough and it might be finished in time to drive to Houston for a simple abor tion, you might even get back soon enough to study for that big exam on Monday. The Battalion is read primarily by TAMU students making this ad pointless to say the least — there just couldn’t be a market that big for abortions in a commu nity of intelligent university people. I be lieve that an individual who by chance has become impregnated has the ability to find an abortionist, if she feels it so necessary, without the help of The Battalion. The only effect of such an advertisement is an assault on the senses of persons — such as myself — who feel that abortion is the unjust murder of an unborn human being. Stick to pushing wheel alignments and tuneups — human mechanics aren’t so simple. — Mark Terry, ’79 Editor: This afternoon I was relaxing, reading the March 29 issue of The Battalion and I came upon quite a shocking advertise ment. On page 10, right along with ads for wheel alignments and tuneups, apartment placement, and ceramics, there was an ad Editor’s note: The Battalion isn’t “push ing” any of the advertised goods and serv ices. They are paid advertisements. And I could take issue with your statement that it couldn’t happen here. I believe a little research would prove that it does, even among intelligent university people. “THERE ARE SOME FRESHMEN ITSTMY OUTFIT WHO ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS APRIL FOOL FOOLISHNESS — IF I EVER GET MY CLOTHES BACK!” Top of the News Campus Threat evacuates library A bomb threat caused the complete evacuation of Sterling C. Evans Library Friday night. Campus building and utilities division alerted campus police that they had received a call at about 6.08 p.m. Friday in which a female voice told them a bomb was in the library, Thomas R. Parsons, director of campus security, said. Parsons said the caller did not say where the bomb was located or offer any other information. He directed campus police to evacuate the library. Ap proximately 75 students, employees and cleaning personnel were in the building at the time. Campus police searched the entire building, but did not find any semblance of a bomb. Parsons said. He said he thought the threat was a “kook thing,” but did not want to take any chances. “This sort of occurrence is unusual these days. Five or six years ago, we got bomb threats frequently,” he said. Texas A&M University has a contingency plan which details various procedures to be taken in the event of an impending disaster. The disaster plan for bomb threats was implemented Friday night and campus police sim ply followed a checklist which kept any panic to a minimum, Parsons said. He praised the library occupants for the efficiency of the evacia- tion. “We don’t have any problems with our students; they cooper ate,” Parsons said. “Thank God for Aggies.” Center dedicated today Formal dedication of the new Robert Justus Kleberg, Jr., Animal and Food Sciences Center at Texas A6tM University, is set for 4 p.m. today with Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby, the featured speaker. Hobby will be joined in dedicatory remarks by Clyde H. Wells, chairman of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents; Chancellor Jack K. Williams; President Jarvis E. Miller, who will preside, and Dean of Agriculture H.O. Kunkel, who will formally accept the building for the University. Response will be by Mrs. Helen Kleberg Groves, daughter of the man in whose honor the building is named and a member of the board of directors of King Ranch, Inc. The $9.4 mil lion facility named in honor of the late Robert Justus Kleberg, long time leader of the legendary King Ranch, was opened to faculty, staff and students in January. The dedication was timed to coincide with the Texas Animal Agriculture Conference which is expected to attract to the campus approximately 1,000 cattlemen and persons in related fields. The two-day meeting begins today. Housed in the 165,000 square-foot building are the Animal Science and Poultry Science De partments and temporary headquarters for the Texas Agricultural Extension Service’s 4-H and other youth programs. Students will conduct guided tours of the five-floor facility following the cere- Poetry, fiction featured Poetry and short fiction will be read on Wednesday, April 5 in Room 226 of the Sterling C. Evans Library beginning at 7:30 p.m. Students and other interested persons are invited to bring their own contributions to read after the scheduled program. A reception will follow the reading, which is in celebration of National Library Week; admission is free. Science, engineering fair set The fourth annual Brazos Valley Science and Engineering Fair will be held Wednesday, April 5 and Thursday, April 6, at Zachry Engi neering Center on the Texas A&M campus. As a regional science fair, this exhibition is open to participants from as far away as Teague and Buffalo and as close to home as Caldwell, Hearne, Navasota, Huntsville, Snook and Calvert. There are thirty school districts, pub lic and private, in the region served by the Fair, including those in Bryan and College Station. The Fair is divided into two divisions, the Junior division for seventh and eighth grade students and the Senior division for students in grades nine through twelve. There are five categories for judging — Botany, Behavioral-Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Applied Sciences. Many special awards will be presented by individuals and groups representing science-oriented clubs, businesses and the armed forces. Nation Fire kills five children Five young children, left alone and asleep while their mother ran errands, died late Saturday in Baton Rouge, La. in a fire at a house that firemen delayed entering because they thought it was empty. “If we had had any idea there were kids inside we would have broken right in,” said one fireman. The five children — ranging in ages from 9 years to 4 months — apparently suffocated in the dense, black smoke created by the small fire. All appeared to have died in their sleep. “They really weren’t burned or charred at all,” said coroner’s office investigator Mike Williams. “You could see in a couple of their mouths the soot where they had inhaled it. Firemen said the cause of the fire might have been a candle the family used for light. The mother, Terry Lynn Green, 28, who said she walked to a small gro cery store and was shopping when the fire started, had had her electricity turned off two weeks ago because of an unpaid bill. Park goes public Tongsun Park, who has testified for weeks behind closed doors about his payments to congressmen, goes public with names and figures for the first time starting today. But Park’s scheduled three days of public testimony before the House Ethics Committee may be anticlimactie, simply putting on the record much of what already has been leaked to the press since the indicted rice dealer began testify ing in January to teams of federal investigators. Weather Mostly cloudy this morning becoming partly cloudy this eve- nhg. Continued warm on Tuesday. Slight chance of showers today, tonight and tomorrow. High today low 80s, low tonight mid-60s. High tomorrow mid-80s. Winds from the south- southeast at 10-15 mph. 20% chance of rain today, tonight and Tuesday. The Battalion s Oc/ .<->< >>o > »zr = 3- . 3 z c >- < & oa Opinions txpressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or of the wrier of the article and are not necessarily those of the University administration or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is i non-profit, self-supporting enterprise oper ated hy students as a university and community newspaper. Editorial polcy is determined by the editor. LETTERS POLICY Letters to tie editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial stafireserves the right to edit such letters and does not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, shouthe address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification. Address arrespondence to Letters to the Editor, The Battalion, Boom 216, Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texts 77843. Represenfed nationally by National Educational Adver tising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Battalon is published Monday through Friday from September hrough May except during exam and holiday periods and he summer, when it is published on Mondays, Wednesday.* and Fridays. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; 135.00 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843. United Press International is entitled exclusively to use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein res Second-Class postage paid at College Station, TX MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Jamii' Aid Managing Editor Mary Alice Woodlu Sports Editor Paul Am News Editors Mario Homeyor, Oiml Mr Assistant Managing Editor Glcnna Whi City Editor Karen Rm Campus Editor KiiuT) Reporters Liz Nowlin. David Ring Mark Patterson, Loo Roy 1 x'sohpor Jr.. ( Welch. Jim Crawley. Andy Willi Paige Beasley. Boh Ashl Photographers Susan W ebb. David k<‘J Cartoonist Dong (id Student Publications Board: Bob G. Rogtrs, Chaim Joe Arredondo, Dr. Gary Halter, Dr. Charles McCantll Dr. Clinton A. Phillips, Rebel Rue. Director of Sfu Publications: Donald C. Johnson.