Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Friday
Octorer 13, 1978
Cleansing the GSA
Big government has a way of doing things in a big way. And it would
appear that reports of bribery, fraud and theft affecting the General Services
Administration will be no exception.
Government sources close to the investigation say that the GSA scandal is
only the tip of the iceberg, that corruption in procurement could extend to
other federal agencies. Assuming that GSA employees are not the only ones
in government service who have their price, such a prediction should not be
surprising.
Wherever the investigation may lead. President Carter has a duty to make
sure that every appropriate government resource is brought to bear so that
public confidence in the GSA is restored. Putting Robert Griffin, the GSA’s
former No. 2 man on the White House payroll after he was fired last July,
was not a step in that direction.
In cases involving the public trust, prosecution should be swift and force
ful. The fact that offenders may have friends in Congress, and the argument
that they have been in government for many years, serve only to increase,
not mitigate, the severity of the crime.
Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press
Republicans offer skimpy prospects
By DAVID S. BRODER
WASHINGTON — For Republican
partisans, or the handful of people who
care about the health of what used to be
called the two-party system, there is one
particularly worrisome note about the
1978 mid-term elections. It is the inability
of Republicans to find and field nearly
enough young, first-class candidates in the
races where they have a chance to win.
There are three main reasons why Re
publicans have such skimpy prospects for a
major recovery in the November elec
tions. One is the ability of most incum
bents (two-thirds of them Democrats) to
convert the prerequisites of office into
major campaign advantages. The second is
the failure of Republicans, as a party, to
persuade the voters they will do a better
job than the Democrats on the dominant
issues of inflation and taxes.
And the third is the problem Republi
cans have had in finding worthy challen
gers for the contests they very conceivably
could win. It is this third factor that has
most eraced GOP hopes for a healthy re
bound from its 1974 and 1976 defeats.
POLITICAL TECHNICIANS are
aware of a basic change that has taken
place in the dynamics of American elec
tions in the past decade. With improved
communications techniques (television,
direct-mail, mobile offices, etc.) and
ever-expanding opportunities for con
stituent services, incumbent legislators
have enormous built-in advantages for
gaining re-election. They also enjoy an
edge in raising campaign funds from the
interest groups that want access to those
who already have a vote on the issues they
espouse.
for that reason, contests for Congress
increasingly have centered on the “open
seats, those in which retirements, pri
mary election defeats or the pursuit of
other office have taken the incumbents out
of the race.
Politics
Republicans have been targeting such
races — and with good effect. In 1977,
they won four special elections where
Democratic incumbents had stepped
down — in rural Minnesota, in the
Louisiana Delta, in Seattle and in the
heart of Manhattan. In all of them, young,
vigorous candidates were recruited to run.
(All four, incidentally, are favored to hold
their seats this fall.) Given the resources of
money and campaign specialists Republi
cans can throw into such contests, there
seemed every reason to think the pattern
would pay off in significant gains this year.
There are 84 “open” contests in the
November voting for governor, senator
and representative, and two-thirds of
those seats — 57 of the 84 — are now held
by Democrats.
WHERE THE REPUBLICANS have
able, aggressive, young candidates in
these races, they are likely to do well.
Rep. Thad Cochran (R), 40, of Mississippi
has a good chance to replace retiring Sen.
James O. Eastland (D). Rep. Larry
Pressler (R), 36, of South Dakota is almost
certain to take the seat of retiring Sen.
James Abourezk (D). Richard Cheney (R),
38, of Wyoming, who was chief of staff in
the Ford White House, is well in front in
the race to replace Rep. Teno-Roncalio (D)
as congressman-at-large.
The trouble for the GOP is that there
aren’t nearly enough Cheneys, Cochrans
and Presslers to go around in a national
election year. More typically, you find
Republicans running a 59-year-old Jim
Martin, who left congress 16 years ago,
against a 38-year-old state Sen. Donald
Stewart (D), for a vacant Senate seat in
Alabama. Or a 66-year-old Jack Eckerd
against a 41-year-old Robert Graham (D)
for the vacancy in the Florida governor
ship. In Texas, where eight of the 22
Democratic House seats are open, Repub
licans will do well to win one of them.
In New Jersey, where one oafish Demo
cratic congressman is notoriously vulnera
ble, a Republican campaign official says,
“We can win it — if we just can keep our
own candidate locked up. He’s worse.”
WHY THIS PROBLEM for the GOP?
For one thing, the party is weak among
young people. A Washington Post poll
found voters under 30 prefer Democats by
a 3-to-l margin, and that favoritism limits
the ranks from which Republicans can re
cruit candidates.
And, as a Democratic campaign official
noted, with a touch of professional sym
pathy, the Nixon administration, in its six
years, “made no investment in the future
stock of quality candidates. Nixon’s legacy
was the destruction of the whole 27-to-
35-year-old range of aspirants, men and
women who either refused to run for office
in Watergate 1974, or were beaten when
they tried.”
Ironically, Richard Nixon himself has
told recent visitors that it would a “terrible
reflection on the GOP if its main conten
ders for President in 1980 were 67-year-
old Gerald Ford and 69-year-old Ronald
Reagan.
But the candidate problem for Republi
cans goes much deeper than the presi
dency. The GOP is just starved for talent
at its roots.
1978, The Washington Post Company
Letters to the Editor
A&M shouldn’t cut controversial program
Editor:
A PBS program interviewing persons
from all walks of life who are homosexual
was to be aired on KAMU-TV on Oct. 10.
It was supposedly a very open and in
formative program allowing one to see a
different side of the issue.
After I called to find out why the pro
gram wasn’t shown, a station employee
told me it was “unofficially” ordered can
celed by President Miller because it con
sisted of controversial material. The pro
gram was aired on the regular PBS chan
nel, which I don’t get, to the rest of the
country.
It seems that the purpose of an institu
tion of high learning such as Texas A&M is
not solely to educate persons in their re
spective fields but to promote awareness
of social and political issues. Furthermore,
it seems the head of such an institution
should encourage knowledge of these mat
ters pertinent to a rounded education, not
ban them.
This issue is particularly relevant today
with the equal rights movement. Those of
us wanting a better understanding of the
issue were denied the right to watch the
scheduled program. At this period in my
life, I find nothing more aggravating than
to be robbed of the opportunity to make
my own judgments.
— K. B. Humphreys, graduate student
Editor’s note: According to a news re
lease issued Thursday by the University,
the program was not shown because the
station received notification in advance
that it contained offensive language, and
was scheduled during a family viewing
time.
Dr. Mel Chastain, director of Educa
tional Broadcast Services at Texas A&M,
was quoted as saying the program con
tained “pretty raw language” and no al
ternate time was available for showing it.
There was no mention in the news release
of Texas A&M President Miller issuing
orders for the program’s cancellation.
The many good attributes of Texas A&M
are easily overshadowed by a few bad inci
dents.
Stealing items from rival school’s fans,
footlockers on Kyle Field, painted ar
madillos, etc., are pretty worthless and
don’t help our reputation a bit. Too often
Texas A&M University, and all its stu
dents, has to answer for the immature acts
of a few.
— Rich Carson, ‘81
Where’s my ride?
Worthless antics
Editor:
I would like to compliment Andy Duffie
on his excellent article in the Reader’s
Forum section of Tuesday’s Battalion (Oct.
10).
For a student visiting a rival university,
it doesn’t take much for them to forge a
bad impression that lasts a long time. Mr.
Duffie’s examples of the Corps stealing
hats and bells from Tech band and
Saddle-Tramps members made me recall
only too clearly the embarrassing antics
during last year’s UT-A&M game.
Editor:
We have heard many complaints about
our University Police and we would like to
add one more.
The police have a policy of transporting
female dorm students back to their dorms
from the parking lots across the tracks.
This can be a very helpful service when
performed properly — or when performed
at all.
On the evening of Oct. 3, 1978, we were
unable to find a parking space near our
dorm. On our way to the lots across the
tracks, we stopped at the University Police
Station and asked to have someone take us
to our dorm.
“Stand under the lights between the lots
and I’ll have a car pick you up,” was the
reply to our request. After parking our car,
we proceeded and followed the instruc
tions given us. For the following 20 min
utes, we watched late-night joggers,
turned down a few obscene offers, and
watched many cars drive by.
Unfortunately, none of the cars we saw
were University police. Finally, we re
turned to our car and drove to a friend’s
apartment nearby, parked our car there,
and our friend gave us a ride home.
If we can t be furnished enough dorm
parking, at least our police can drive
through the lots across the tracks periodi
cally.
As a casual drive through those lots at 10
or 15 minute intervals asking too much?
As the old saying goes: “You can’t ever
find a cop when you need one.”
— Sharon Youngblood, ‘81
Terry Gale, ‘81
Mary Lindsey, ‘81
our heads unshielded from the weather.
After that proposal is firmly established as
yet another tradition, we’ll be able to see
who has enough spirit to remain on their
feet after an afternoon of dehydrating
under the blistering sun.
I ll admit I’m painting this picture a bit
dramatically, but I, for one, care less for
having my nose turn into an oversized red
chili pepper in early fall and into an ice-
block in winter. If a done is build over Kyle
Field and climate control installed. I’ll be
glad to remove my hat.
Don’t get me wrong. The 55 soldiers
who died for our country should be re
vered (paying homage to three dead dogs
is another matter), but not at the expense
of the present students’ health.
It’s great to have respect for the dead,
but couldn’t we have a little respect for the
living?
— Dale B. Crockett, ‘80
Domed insight
Staying alive
Editor:
Hats on to Mr. Saad’s rash suggestion
that everyone should endure any and all
events at Kyle Field bare-headed.
It seems that there must be a conspiracy
afoot to see how much an Aggie will go
through to attend a football game.
Ice chests are no longer allowed in the
stadium. And of course there’s always
been the good old tradition of standing up
the entire game and half of the half time.
Now someone (perhaps a member of a
tightly knit organization) is proposing that
we risk having our frees rot off from skin
cancer thirty years from now by leaving
Editor:
Sean Petty attempted to find out why
UH won’t play A&M at Rice Stadium, in
an article appearing in Wednesday’s Bat
talion (Oct. 11) Although the UH sports
information secretary was rude in her an
swers, her reply to Petty that the As
trodome is UH’s home field should have
been sufficient. The question is ridiculous
in the first place and we’re getting tired of
people around here wondering why Hous
ton won’t play their home games in some
one else’s backyard.
Since 1965, the Astrodome has been
UH s home field. In 1976, Houston was
forced to play all but one home game in
Rice Stadium as part of the Southwest
Conference’s fraternity-like initiation pol
icy (punishment no doubt for UH’s audac
ity of wanting to join the conference). Ac
cording to policy, the visiting SWC team
had its choice of where to play UH the first
two years of UH’s membership. The first
year, every team except TCU chose Rice
Stadium over the Astrodome.
In effect, UH played eight games away
that year. Do you think they want to do
that again?
Granted, the ticket situation is bad, but
it’s really no worse than what the Arkansas
and Texas game will be this year. And the
extra revenue UH would make playing in a
larger facility is not worth forsaking home
field advantage. And the Astrodome is a
home field advantage — UH had to play
their “home” game against Rice in Rice
Stadium in 1976. Would A&M play a
home game in Austin because Memorial
Stadium holds more people? I don’t think
so.
We hope this does a better job of insight
than what Mr. Petty did. But, we really
don’t think it makes any difference to our
football team where we play UH. We’re
going to beat the hell outta Cougar High
anyway.
—Kyle Harper, ‘82
Kevin Hudson, ‘82
Top of the News
CAMPUS
Piano recital planned Monday
Texas A&M University’s Classical Piano Group will present a piano
i • n . . .1 ,1 17 i tv» o P * a m Th ff vr x i »
1 exas ACXIVI UiuvciMiy 3 * ’I cl
recital Monday in Rudder Forum at 8 p.m. The group, open to all
Texas A&M students, faculty and staff will play classical pieces rang-
r 13.,fn r*rmtf*mnnrarv. Since its t
lexas Acxivi siuucma, - i— rang.
ing in style from Baroque to contemporary. Since its inception last
semester, the club has aided members who need rare piano music,
instruction for playing, or a place to discuss topics about the piano.
Lyn Reyna, a Bryan piano instructor, holds a piano workshop with
the group twice a month. The piano recital is the first major event
sponsored by the club. Admission will be $1. Tickets can be bought r*
MSU Box Office and at the door.
Band group donates $5,000
A $5,000 check for a portable reel-to-reel tape recorder, a tutoring
fund and a spring concert was given to the Texas Aggie Band director
Lt. Col. Joe T. Haney by the Texas Aggie Band Association. The
former students’ association presented the check during a mini
reunion before the Texas A&M-Memphis State game. More than 300
former bandsmen and their spouses registered at the reunion. The
group included a representative from the class of 1913 and Col. E.V.
Adams, former director of the Texas Aggie Band. The next regular
TABA reunion is planned for 1979.
LOCAL
Fire destroys plants at hut
Forage samples being used in research projects and a plant dryer
were destroyed in a fire at a Texas A&M University quonset hut at
Highway 60 and FM 2818 at 7:15 a.m Thursday. Professor Joseph
Schuster, head of the range science department, said it would take
about two years to replace some of the samples and equipment. He
said the fire appeared to have started in the dryer. The forage sam
ples were the biggest loss, he said. Schuster said the fire was discov
ered by two professors who were on a field trip. The two tried to call
the College Station Fire Department, but couldn’t find a working
phone. Schuster said the call was made with a CB radio by a
passerby. One end of the building was heavily damaged he said. Lt.
Dwight Rabe of the College Station Fire Department said three
pump trucks were sent to the blaze and about 2,500 gallons of water,
all carried in the pump trucks, were used to to extinguish the fire.
STATE
Hunger-striker force-fed again
Condemned murderer David Lee Powell, whose 13-day hunger
strike at Huntsville prison was broken Monday by prison doctors, was
being force-fed again Wednesday after refusing to take solids, Texas
Department of Corrections officials said. Powell, 27, facing death by
injection for fatally shooting an Austin policeman, had refused all
nourishment in an attempt to commit suicide by starvation until
prison officials ordered him force-fed Monday. He then resumed
eating voluntarily. Officials have used a tube through his esophagus
into his stomach to feed Powell.
U.S. Hispanic leaders in Houston
Crane falls in Dallas Centre
A spectacular accident Wednesday knocked holes in the exterior
walls of three floors of the distinctive diamond-shaped glass, concrete
and alumimun One Dallas Centre, scheduled to open in December,
when a 10-ton crane fell 27 stories, crushing to death Kenneth Carl
Branch, 37, of Tyler. Federal, engineering and insurance company
investigations are under way. The crane, one of two in place for
months atop the structure, was hauling a huge bucket of cement
toward the roof when witnesses said they heard a crack and saw the
crane bend and crash to the ground. A traffic light had stopped a line
of cais about 100 feet away seconds before the accident.
WORLD
IBA bombs train; woman killed
At least four bombs exploded on a crowded Dublin-to-Belfest
passengei train Thursday, killing one person and injuring 32 others,
two seriously. Police blamed the Provisional Irish Republican Army
oi the bombings that rocked the train two miles from Belfast’s busy
Central Station. Police said an anonymous telephone caller warned
them that 10 bombs on the train were timed to go off when the train
pulled into the station at 10:30 a.m. The train was late and the first
bomb exploded two miles from the station. The passengers disem
barked before three more bombs exploded, police said. The injured
weie rus e to ospitals nearby; most were believed suffering from
burns and minor cuts and bruises.
WEATHER
Cloudy with fog turning partly cloudy with a slight chance of
thundershowers and a 20% chance of rain. The high will be in
the low 80s and the low in the low 50s. Winds will be S.E. 5-10
mph increasing to 20 mph.
| Mike I
i He anc
l group
earcher:
More than 1,000 Hispanic leaders from throughout the country
have gathered in Houston for a conference on families and goals for
Spanish speaking peoples during the next tw’o decades. Federal offi
cials and Chip Carter, the president’s son, are expected at the three-
day National Hispanic Conference, which began Thursday. This
conference is occurring when a lot of policies are going to have to be
made in correcting the inequities, deprivation and other societal de
ficiencies for an important part of our population,” conference
spokesman Roy Harris said Wednesday. “The Carter family has
shown special interests in our Hispanic communities and the goals of
the conference, said conference director Rodolfo B. Sanchez. Today
Carter will present the Community Serx ice Youth Awards to a young
Hispanic man and woman.
is to inc
efby usi
Dr. Gar
jfessor al
ednesdax
titled
ectrical S
dernes:
ased an
led on i
|ng elect
Smith sa
im the
mlation
it. "I thii
ictrical st
in any on <
He said
anklin w;
use eleci
s kill tur
I
FI
ton
anc
The Battalion
LETTERS POLICY MF’MRFR
sub?e tt cmJ 0 bl h il ed j!,7t Sh % U !T eed , 300 w ° rd ° «nd are Texas Press Association
edtt^J JPZZL a 'T, if longer T,w Southwest Journalism Congress
tentorial staJJ reserves the right to edit such letters and does
not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be Kim TyS0«
signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone . t NeU
number for verification. Managing Editor LlZ N ew
Batlahnn ^ espo " de " ce to J*"™ to the Editor. The Assistant Managing Editor . . Karen R 0 ^
“"«■ «'*»■ Sports Editor David BoffiJ
Represented n.lienally by Educational Adver- , ( |t> .
Using Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and 1 os Campus Editor Andy WlH
Angeles. News Editors Debbie Parson
Tlie Battalion is published Monday through Friday from Beth Calhoun
September through May except during exam and holiday
through a- rh m-sday m 1116 ' when “ is p,,blished on T ' lesd: »' Editorial Director . . Lee Roy Leschper.Jj
Mail subscriptions are sun 7=; „ Staff Writers Mark Patterson,
iia 1 suoscnptions are S16.75 per semester; $33.25 per „ c , petty
school year; $35.00 per full year. Advertising rates fur- Pendleton, Sean
nished on request. Address; The Battalion, Room 216 Michelle Scitdder,
Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843! Faulkeilberry Diane Blake
United Press International is entitled exclusively to the CW • . n y, ^ rr ,l 0
use lor reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it Cartoonist DoUg Gram
Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved! Photographer . Ed Cunm*
-Class postage paid a, College Station. TX 77843. Focus ^ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ Gary Weld
.nTTiL^t •:/,£ Str z «**«“*■ n ‘ * °
article and are not necessarily those of the S '* pportln & enterprise operated by stu
University administration or the R. / / as a umv er.sity and community ntfuwp P
or.on or the Board of Editorial policy is determined by t
mt<
cm