Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Wednesday
May 10, 1978
The ugly tradition
It’s about time for another of those Aggie traditions.
It’s the traditional end-of-the-semester-finals-are-over-thank-heavens-
let’s-get-out-of-here mad rush away from Texas A&M. Except that this is a
two-part tradition and the second part is pretty ugly.
Every year, at the end of every semester, some of those Aggies making fast
tracks to whereever Aggies go drive into trees and off roads and over other
people. And wind up smashing and bashing and killing themselves.
That’s why you can count on another Aggie tradition — Silver Taps — at
the beginning of every semester.
So folks, please take it easy heading out of here this week. Drive a little
slower, take a little longer, and get there. Wait until you get there to start
celebrating. And do the same coming back.
Aggies are folks too good to lose. Even one. L.R.L.
Senators dance pork barrel polka
By IRA R. ALLEN
United Press International
WASHINGTON — The dictionary de
fines a pork barrel as “a fund of money
obtained from the federal treasury through
congressional bills for rivers, harbors and
public buildings; regarded as the reward
for political services.”
Last week the definition was shorter:
The Navigation Development Act.”
THE BILL CAME into the Senate from
the House on Tuesday afternoon costing
$1.2 billion. It emerged less than 48 hours
later costing $2.6 billion.
The legislative fight was not over the
money, but over the form of a new system
of making barge owners pay some of the
costs of federal navigation projects that
benefit them.
As it turned out, the Senate by only four
votes defied a presidential veto threat and
adopted a version of the plan weaker than
the administration wants.
The wheeling-and-dealing that occurred
on that provision — pitting freshman Re
publican Pete Domenici of New Mexico,
who had Carter’s backing, against the wily
Russell Long, chairman of the favor-
bestowing Finance Committee, with
obivous results — could fill a small civics
textbook.
The unseen, but highly aromatic
catalyst in that struggle over a taxing for
mula was pure pork.
Last year, Domenici succeeded in get
ting his tax plan attached to the $1.2 bil
lion Water Resources Development Act,
and when the House failed to act on it, the
composit bill had to be worked on again
this year.
SO FOR TWO days Domenici stood
happy as a clam — and just as silently
as senator after senator trooped to the floor
with amendments, which had not been
taken up in committee, to add water
projects in their home states. Although a
fiscal conservative, the New Mexican fig
ured the more each member could bet
into the bill, the easier it would be to pass
the entire thing once he got his pet tax
adopted.
Those porcine ornaments attached
without benefit of hearings included:
• 8.5 million to fix up San Francisco’s
Fisherman’s Wharf.
• A second power house at Washington
state’s McNary Dam, sponsored by ap
propriations chairman Warren Magnuson,
D-Wash. It was the third of three trinkets
he proposed, understating that “this one
requires a little more money than the
other two,” Half a billion more, to be
exact.
• A recreation boat launching facility in
Spencer County, Ind., for Sen. Birch
Bayh.
But a funny thing happened on the way
to passage. Domenici was outmaneuvered
by Long and other venerable committee
chairmen from barge-industry states who
had a personal grip on a number of other
wise disinterested senators.
THE NEXT DAY, there was Domenici
addressing the Senate, complaining about
the “pork barrel aspects of the bill he
helped engineer and asking Carter to veto
it.
The, New York Sen. Daniel Moynihan,
junior member of the Finance Committee
and dependent on Long for the kind of
welfare program that would look good in
New York City, used the navigation act as
a reason to sing the praises of the New
York State Barge Canal System made fa
mous in song as the Erie Canal. He said it
is the only totally state-supported barge
canal in the country.
So "as a matter of equity,” he asked, the
federal government should be allowed to
finance it. Moynihan eventually was asked
and agreed to withdraw that request until
hearings are held.
Later he told a reporter, with all the
subtlety that endeared him to the Third
World when he was U.N. ambassador, his
request was made to let colleagues know,
‘Til vote for your water projects but my
vote is increasingly going to be con
ditioned on some reciprocity.”
Letters to the editor
Apartment complexes want early fall leases
Editor:
We feel it is our duty to bring to the
attention of the University community a
problem involving the leasing of apart
ments in this area.
Some apartment managers at this time
are requiring their tenants to give definite
commitments for the fall 1978 and spring
1979 semesters (either to sign a new lease
or to indicate the apartment will be va
cated). If neither is done, the manager as
sumes the right to, lease the apartment to
others. This means that even a person with
a lease which expires in August must make
a definite commitment now for the follow
ing year.
To compound the problem, the lease
states that 30 days notice is required be
fore vacating apartments, and this has
caused some misunderstanding. In reality,
the manager may pre-lease an apartment
in which you live for the term after your
lease ends as long as you are told at least
30 days in advance that your lease ends on
the date specified.
As far as we know, this policy is followed
only by the apartments owned by Colum
bia properties (Sausalito, Sundance, Scan-
dia, etc.). The management felt they were
doing the tenants a favor by allowing them
to pre-lease their own apartments well in
adyance.
We understand that Columbia wanted
to be assured that all their apartments
would be rented for next school year —
that’s clever planning. But we feel that it is
unreasonable to place such demands on
students, and downright unfair to those
tenants who aren’t students. We ask that
the managers clearly state their policy
with regard to pre-leasing at the time that
a lease is signed, or better yet, put the
policy into the lease in writing.
Let’s face it, students need apartments
in which to live, but there are enough
apartments now available in this area that
students can afford to be choosy for a
change. Such policies cause poor relations
with students who already pay high rents,
and they may choose to move if they feel
that they are being exploited.
— Mike Aucoin, Julie Peterson,
Ann Woods, Laurie Larson,
R. J. Hiller, Cindy Price,
Carol Carmichael.
possess a great deal of patriotism for the
U.S. who (believe it or not) have never
worn a uniform.
I agree that the invasion of Western
Europe is a very real possibility. But if this
does happen and I am there as a “G. I. Joe”
I hope that my leaders, which you Would
be, have matured past the bias which you
have exhibited.
Finally, let me say I have a great deal of
respect for the Corps and have several
good friends who are members of the
Corps. It is really unfortunate that a hand
ful of biased cadets have to tarnish the
shine of this fine organization.
— Roger G. Reddin, ’80
Fair-to-middlin
metric intensity while keeping its imagery
fascinatingly functional, and Marc Gist’s
“David’s Troubles,” in which, though the
poet tries to hit too many bobbing targets,
a superb irony carries the poem anyway.
Experimental work, the ballast of any
collection of promising writing by stu
dents, is well represented in the
magazine, with Gist’s work and some neal
play with enjambment by Lisa Diann
Shaw among the highlights.
Curtis Blair evocative illustrations for
“Viddeestar” and the art work by Richard
Sardinha deserve special mention in high-
level graphics.
At $1, the magazine is a bargain.
— Richard H. Costa
editor, Quartet
congratulating themselves on their “de
fender of the free status. I lived in Utay
during the fall of 76 semester, the year of
the elections. One morning during break
fast, I overheard one person complaining
that they had wanted to go harass the
people working at the Socialist Worker’s
Party table in the MSC, but when they got
there the C.T.’s had already thrown them
out.
This doesn’t say much for some of the
residents of Utay, but it also shows that
the only “contemptible” opinions the
Corps defends, apparently, are their own.
— Philip Greider
Intramurals count
Editor’s note: The assistant manager of
one of the Columbia Properties apart
ment complexes verified that Columbia
has asked tenants to specify whether they
will want their apartment in the fall and
spring. This is being done to give the man
agement an idea of how many apartments
to pre-lease for the fall, she said. Co
lumbia began pre-leasing apartments
April 1. But present tenants always get
first priority to release their apartment
for the fall, she said.
Off the pedestal
Editor:
In reference to the letters written by
Scott Patton and company, and the B-2
Fish, I would like to say that I believe you
should climb down from the pedestal you
have placed yourselves on, and reassess
your judgements.
I am not a member of Utay Hall or the
Corps of Cadets, and have nothing to say
about the actions between these organiza
tions. But I feel the latter portions of your
letters certainly deserve comment.
I resent being told that the only people
who love old glory, and the freedom for
which it stands, wear a uniform. I happen
to hold my country very close to my heart
and would willingly give my life to protect
it. I have never displayed or felt any disre
spect for the flag, and the only uniform I
have ever worn was a high school band
uniform. I realize that this fact probably
dismays you, but let me assure you that
there are a large number of people who
Editor:
Andy Williams’ review of the 1978 A&M
literary magazine “Moebius” (“‘Moebius’
is fair-to-middlin’ Battalion, May 2”) is it
self just that, fair-to-middlin’. It conveys
nothing of the high spiritedness that
characterizes most of the poems and
stores, and it pays no tribute to a small but
hard-working staff, headed by Rhonda Kay
Reger, which kept the 64-page issue prac
tically error-free.
The reviewer used a series of one-liners
to dismiss the writings he didn’t care for
and frequently praised one poem or story
at the expense of another. Few readers
needed to know that Williams preferred
one of the poets, none of whose works re
ceived prizes in the recent MSC Arts
Committee awards, over another whose
did. Rhonda Reger’s selecting editors
were not the same people who judged the
literary contests. Why did the reviewer
have to connect the two?
The caliber of the contest was high,
generally. Many of the pieces let the
reader in on a world that opens up other
worlds. From Doug Graham’s effective
sci-fi takeoff on Anthony Burgess’
Clockwork Orange in the long story
“Viddeestar,” to David Flowers’ wry look
at puppet-like complacency in the poem
“Uncle Same, the best of the creative
writings bring one up short at the insight
fulness of an idea, a couplet. Facets of
day-to-day life on this campus, always
viewed askant, come to life in such poems
as Diana Villareal Aldrich’s “Dear
Roomie,” Roger C. Schustereit’s “Picture
Show,’ “Flowers’ “Running,” Karl D.
Klicker’s “Ain’t It So,” which ends with
the priceless quatrain for this time of
semester: “And after it all/don’t you
feel/Like the great dangling modifier/in
the TERM PAPER of LIFE?”
Even the more serious poems and stories
are rarely the sort of deadly solemn mate
rial that impresses without galvanizing. In
this category belong Ricks Frazier’s story
“Reunion,” which sustains a mordant
mood in a tundra-like setting; Bonnie
Campbell’s “Fall of Autumn,” in which the
perspective of an old woman is kept con
sistent and true; Michael Wilk s long poem
“Come Out the Night which maintains
Thoughts on Finals
Editor:
This poem appeared on the kitchen
table a few days ago. It seemed appropri
ate, so I thought I’d pass it on:
On Final Exams
Chemistry can go to hell
And take this headache with it.
Algebra can to there, too,
And integers and digits.
Give me just an hour more,
A book with which to study.
Bring a pen to ivrite it down,
And watch my brain go muddy!
Phys Ed, English, take them all,
And, darling, when you’re through,
Call again some day next week —
I might find time for you.
And to all who might need it, Good
Luck on Exams!
— G. Gould, ’81
Good reading
Editor:
If the Corps has contributed nothing
else to this University, the letters to the
Battalion by its members at least make for
entertaining reading. The two letters Fri
day are exceDent examples.
The first letter, by the Deputy Corps
Commander, has me a bit confused. He
begins by saying that the Corps does not
“condone, promote, or tolerate any actions
such as those committed;” that is certainly
commendable. After that he digresses,
however, and spends the last two-thirds of
the letter discussing how disrespectful
Utay residents are during the raising and
lowering of the flag. How does this pertain
to the tear gas incident? He isn’t suggest
ing the rest of the student body should
support the Corps in these childish battles
because they salute the flag and Utay resi
dents don’t, is he? Would it be acceptable
for Utay residents to throw a tear gas can-
nister in the Corps dorm if they did salute
the flag?
As for the second letter, Messrs. Bani-
gan, et al., had better hold off a bit on
Editor:
We wish to take the time to comment on
the intramurals and the people who take
part in them here at A&M.
One must accredit A&M for its organi
zation and effort in the way of intramurals.
This University has certainly provided a
great variety of sports, allowing everyone
to become a participant if they wish to do
so. Not only can anyone participate, but
there is so much to chose from that it’s
almost idfficult not to find at least one
thing to take an active part in and enjoy.
Everyone is aware of the famed Aggie
reputation “We’re all good Ags” etc. and
Aggies are well noted for their fine
sportsmanship. Furthermore, let every
one be reminded that in referring to
Aggies as good Ags — leaders, sportsmen
and/or whatever else goes along with all
the praise they receive, the comments are
directed to everyone. Therefore, everyone
should make a joint effort to uphold and
promote the Aggie fame.
Granted, we are all guilty of letting
loose and forgetting our responsibilities or
just blowing them off. So we’re human,
what else is new? However, when a per
son (because we dare not think an Aggie
would be guilty of this) decides to take part
in an intramural activity, hopefully he will
join knowing that you can’t win them all,
and it’s all in fun and games. Most impor
tantly — IT’S ONLY A GAME.
Much to our misfortune we came across
a team in co-rec intramural softball plsy-
offs who seemed to have lost sight of this.
First let us recreate the scene and leave
the supposed outcome to the readers
discretion.
The score is tied with two outs and we
are home team with last bat yet to come.
The visitors have the bases loaded with a
female up to bat. No offense, but females
on a co-rec team are generally denoted an
“easy out.” In order to assure themselves
at least a chance the opposers had to get a
run. The ball was hit, picked up and
thrown to homeplate for a third out. The
player waiting for the ball was on the base
ready to tag the runner.
Well, as it happened he was in the
baseline which according to the rules jus
tifies him being run over. Okay, so that’s
cool. Let’s run him over if necessary —
but for Christ’s sake let’s not KILL the
poor guy! The runner, who is also a P.E.
prof, took a flying lead, screamed like all
hell was breaking loose, and literally mul
led over the player.
Good sportsmanship — yeah — we
hear ya! And this team consisted of P.E.
profs who are supposed to be leaders of
this campus in the first place!! So tell us
another good joke!
The player, nonetheless, was injured;
but that’s cool, it’s all in fun and games,
right? The fact that we lost is trivia. We
were happy to get as far as we did; never
theless, quite disappointed to have lost to
a team such as this. Yes, let’s wish them
luck as we did, because WE are good
sportsmen, despite the unnecessary
roughness depicted in this game.
Debbie Caldarola, ’80
Carol Casey, ’81
Top of the News
Campus
Fire in Leggett Hall; no injuries
A fire in Leggett Hall Tuesday night caused an estimated $100 in
damages. There were no injuries. The fire was apparently causedbya
flare that was thrown into some newspapers in the courtyard of the
dorm. The fire was extinguished in 10 minutes. A University spokes
man said a reprimand will be issued if the person or persons respon- >w tl
sible is found.
State
litor'
a sti
rninj
Nuclear waste disposal planned
A Navy electronics engineer has proposed disposing of nuclear
wastes by sending the lethal material to the center of the planet.
Robert A. Krutenat, who works at the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station in
Keyport, Wash., said Monday in Houston that this project could be
done by placing the wastes in deep holes near the intersection of
crustal plates. He said his plan calls for the boring of subsea holes at
least 6,500 feet deep into floating tectonic plates. Once the wastes
have been placed in the holes in the tectonic plates, the holes would
be filled with 300 feet of cement. Conventional nuclear waste will
remain radioactive for 250,000 years. Krutenat’s plan calls for an
estimated investment of $500 million. He has asked the Society of
Exploration Geophysicists to evaluate his proposal.
Man faces murder charges
Assault charges dismissed
Nation
Jet crashes in Escambia Bay
A jetliner carrying 61 persons ditched into foggy Escambia Bay
near Pensacola, Fla., while making a landing approach Monday night
but an off-course tugboat captain and his crewman saved 58 of those
aboard the plane. Three persons apparently drowned when the Na
tional Airlines 727 smacked into the bay. Authorities reported 39
persons were treated at area hospitals, and 15 others were admitted
for additional treatment. Capt. Glenn McDonald, owner of the tug
boat Little Mac, said he had wandered off course in heavy fog while
pulling a barge across Escambia Bay. McDonald said the plane
swooshed low over his tug — “I thought it was going to hit me”—
and “made a perfect landing in the water about 300 yards away.”
McDonald said some survivors received severe back injuries but he
saw little evidence of broken bones or cuts. Jet fuel from the plane
covered the water, barge and clothing of the survivors.
Five killed in Virginia motel fire
At least five people were killed in a fire early Tuesday morning that
swept through a motel in Fairfax County, Va. At least 12 others,
including three firefighters, were reported injured. Motel guests
were awakened and evacuated as the fire spread quickly through the
motel, causing extensive damage, fire officials said. Officials said they
think the fire started in a guest’s room on the first floor, but the cause
is still under investigation. The fire was brought under control about
an hour after it broke out. Fire units remained at the scene looking
for other victims.
World
First Lady hopes Vesco returns
First Lady Rosalynn Carter said at a news conference in the Costa
Rican White House Tuesday that she hopes fugitive financier Robert
Vesco will return to the United States to stand trial. Mrs. Carter also
denied reports of a rift between her husband and Assistant Secretary
of State Terence Todman. She joined President Rodrigo Carazo and
his wife in the press conference following an informal breakfast at the
presidential house. At the news conference, Carazo said he did not
want Vesco to return to Costa Rica. Mrs. Carter added: “We want
him to return to the United States to stand trial.” Vesco, who since
1973 has lived in Costa Rica and successfully fought extradition ef
forts, left Costa Rica days ago — presumably for a Caribbean island
nation. Carazo said he had received “a mandate from the Costa Rican
people” to keep the fugitive businessman out of the country.
Weather
Overcast skies with fog this morning. Partly cloudy and warm
today, tonight and Thursday. High today low 80s, low tonight
mid-70. High tomorrow low 80s. 20% chance of rain today,
30% tonight and 40% tomorrow.
Wha
Texas t
about si
"The
Stud
but he
wth or
Rum
A man charged with two Florida murders and another in Texas has
also admitted raping at least 20 women in Houston. Jimmy Lee
Smith, 24, was charged Monday with the murder of Eugenia
Shovenec, 16, of Pasadena, Texas. He was charged earlier with the
slayings of Bonny Ward and her daughter Donna Strickland, 12, both
of Cottondale, Fla. Jackson County Sheriffs Lt. Ron Steverson said
Smith waived his constitutional rights Monday and allowed the
videotaping of his three murder confessions. Steverson said Smith
also admitted “he raped at least 20 women in Houston that he could
recall.” Smith has been charged with three counts of first degree
murder, burglary, grand theft, forgery, reckless driving and attempt
ing to elude a policeman. He was arrested May 2 after a night-long
search for a man who allegedly attempted to cash a check prepared by
a check writing machine stolen from a construction company.
Prosecutors have dismissed aggravated assault charges against
former Bellaire police officer Larry Ward 1 recause the alleged victim
cannot be found. Ned Morris, an assistant district attorney, said Por-
firio Mendoza, 23, returned to Mexico after his recovery and neither
U.S. nor Mexican government authorities can locate him. “I feel like
the grand jury overreacted when they indicted Ward,” said his attor
ney Bob Bennett. “From the feeling in the community they felt they
had to do something with this policeman. He probably shouldn’t have
been indicted in the first place. Ward resigned from the Bellaire
department after the incident. Mendoza was shot Nov. 5 afterWard
stopped his car for driving too slowly on the freeway. There was a
knife in the car and accounts differ on what actually happened.
The Battalion
Opinions exjrressecl in The Battalion are those of the nished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room ^
editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas T0
those of the University administration or the Board of Re- United Press International is entitled exclusively to d*
gents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to' !
enterprise operated by students as a university and com- Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein resent
munity newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the Second-Class postage paid at College Station, TX 778#
editor - MEMBER
LETTERS POUCY Texas Press Association
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are Southwest Journalism Congress
subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The Editor KimT^
editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does Managing Editor Karen Ro^
not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be Sports Editor David Bog*
signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone News Editors Carolyn Blosser, Debbie F®*®
number for verification. City Editor CaryW'* 1
Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The Campus Editor Liz Ne^
Battalion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College Assistant Campus Editor Andy WlG*
Station, Texas 77843. Editorial Director Lee Roy Lesdipfll'
Represented nationally by National Educational Adver- Photo Editor J. Wagner T)# 1
rising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Staff Writers Mark Patterson, Paige Ufas*
Angeles. Andrea Vails, Michelle Scudder, Sean Ft*’
The Battalion is published Monday through Friday from Photographers Susan Webb.BeoF
September through May except during exam and holiday utoonist DougGiu*
periods and the summer, when it is publi hed on c. j . n 11- „ j „ j
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. , PMioations Board. Bob C. Rogers.
’ Joe Arredondo, Dr. Gary Halter, Dr. Charles McCiuiA#
Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per Dr Clinton A. Phillips, Rebel Rice. Director of Stub*
school year; $35.00 per fall year. Advertising rates far- Publications: Donald C. Johnson.