\
Viewpoint
The Battalion Wednesday
Texas A&M University November 8, 1978
\rv5VatiOTi program
deserves support
President Jimmy Carter deserves the support and cooperation of his coun-
trymen in his plan to combat inflation on a voluntary basis.
H is talk was greeted with instant analysis, some of it making the point that
it would not work. Politicians, commentators and editorial writers today are
talking about the shortcomings of voluntary controls and how they really
don’t work very well. Some observers are making a case for compulsory
controls, which are the only real alternative. The nation’s experience with
former President Richard Nixon’s 1971 wage-price freeze was very unhappy.
If Carter can bring down the rate of inflation to 6 to 6.5 percent in the year
ahead, it would be 1 and 1.5 to 2 percentage points below the 8 percent
increases in consumer prices expected this year.
Americans got a glimpse of a changed president — more confident now
because of successes in the Camp David talks and in Congress. He was
talking like a president should. He’s going to use the government to set the
example. That is essential.
His plan is worth a serious try. It is a very vital first step. We hope his
Georgia brand of persuasion works.
Sioux Falls (S.D.) ArgusLeader
Time for the Congressional scorecard
By ROBERT SHEPARD
United Press International
WASHINGTON — In the view of the
nation’s civil rights leaders, only 47 of the
535 members of Congress were fully in
step with the civil rights groups on key
issues that came before the last session of
Congress.
And 34 members were so far out of step
with the civil rights groups they did not
vote correctly on any of the important is
sues, says the Leadership Conference on
Civil Rights.
The end of each congressional session
occasions a string of vote analyses from a
wide range of special interest groups —
environmentalists, labor, conservatives,
business, agriculture — each one identify
ing bills that were of importance to their
group and telling whether the individual
senators and representatives voted “right”
or “wrong on each issue.
Obviously, not all these groups agree on
whether a vote is right or wrong on a given
issue.
The latest scorecard deals with a dozen
votes in the Senate and a dozen in the
House. In some cases they cover the same
bills, but in others — such as the House
rejection of a bill to expand the food stamp
program — the issue was fought out in
only one chamber.
Issues such as school desegregation and
affirmative action are obvious candidates
for the civil rights groups’ list of key votes,
but the list covers an even wider range of
issues.
Washington Window
The Leadership Conference on Civil
Rights includes several women’s rights
groups, so the votes on the ERA extension
are included in the scorecard. Labor
unions are also represented in the confer
ence and so the labor law reform bill,
which passed the House but died in the
Senate, is another of the key issues
The leadership conference concludes
that only 16 of the 100 senators and 31 of
the 435 House members voted right each
time and therefore earned scores of 100
percent.
Eleven senators and 23 representatives
How to survive in a
smokeless environment
By DICK WEST
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Nov. 16 has been
designated as “Smokeless Thursday.” To
participate, all you need do is refrain from
lighting up any cigarettes for 24 hours.
I have not yet determined whether the
American Cancer Society, which is spon
soring the smokeout, was required to file
an environmental impact statement calling
attention to any ecological risks involved.
If, as was the case last year, when only
30 percent of the smokers abstained, there
probably won’t be any noticable impact.
There is, however, always a chance all
54 million of the nation’s cigarette users
will abruptly desist. In that event, the im
pact would be traumatic.
For if the normal environment includes
54 million people puffing away, then 54
million people not smoking surely must
produce some change, for good or bad.
Theoretically, the impact could take two
forms, although not simultaneously. The
possibilities are 1) a sudden acute shortage
of fresh air, or 2) an excessive increase in
the fresh air supply. Let’s examine the
former possibility first.
When a person is smoking, probably as
much as 75 percent of what he or she in
hales comes from the cigarette. In other
words, the smoker is creating his or her
own breathing material.
And should there be total compliance
with Smokeless Thursday, there would be
54 million extra pairs of lungs sucking up
the ozone.
That much additional pulmonary ac
tivity obviously would impose a severe
strain on available supplies of fresh air, or
what passes for fresh air in some cities.
Thus, many of us nonsmokers would be
forced to spend Smokeless Thursday
curled up in bed with an oxygen bottle.
The other possible environmental im
pact — an excessive amount of fresh air —
stems from the fact that cigarette smoke is
one of our most reliable pollutants.
Humor
Withdraw from the atmosphere the
smoke from 54 million cigarette smokers
and the air can only become corre
spondingly fresher.
At first gasp, that might seem like a
boon, but it wouldn’t necessarily work out
that way.
According to a recent report in the
Journal of the American Medical Associa
tion, too much fresh air can produce a va
riety of unpleasant reactions such as dizzi
ness, numbness, irregular pulse, dry
mouth and insomnia.
At present, the problem is pretty much
confined to hyperventilators — people
who for one reason or another breathe in
more air than is required to maintain nor
mal oxygen levels in the blood.
In a smokeless environment would not
the rest of us be inclined to take in more
than our normal quota of air?
If could be that an environmental im
pact statement would show that neither of
these conditions is likely to occur during
the smokeout. If so, many happy returns
of the day.
Talk with Dr. Miller
The Battalion is offering a new reader’s
letter section to give students more access
to the newspaper and to the University.
“Talk with Dr. Miller is a forum for
readers to address questions to the admin
istration about University policies and
procedures.
Questions should be addressed to The
Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, and
should specify that they are to be used for
this column. Names and phone numbers
will be required on all questions and Dr.
Miller has the option to decline to answer
a question or request others on the staff or
faculty to answer it.
Questions and answers will be pub
lished on the editorial page.
consistently voted “wrong,” ending with
zero voting records.
The conference says more than one-
fourth of the members of Congress voted
75 percent or better on civil rights and
social welfare legislation.
The 12 critical votes in the Senate came
on three school desegregation amend
ments (action favored by the civil rights
groups on two amendments to the Labor
HEW appropriations bill and to kill an
amendment to the Elementary and Sec
ondary Education Act); an affirmative ac
tion amendment to the Labor-HEW ap
propriations bill; the proposed constitu
tional amendment giving the District of
Columbia frill voting representation in
Congress; the minimum wage; funds for
low and middle income housing programs;
providing disability benefits to pregnant
women; creation of a national consumer
cooperative bank; allowing legal services
attorneys to help in desegregation cases;
labor law reform; and a proposal to let
states recind their ratification of the ERA.
The House list also includes votes on
the creation of an office of consumer pro
tection; the Humphrey-Hawkins full em
ployment bill; and continuing the Civil
Rights Commission.
Senators with perfect scores were:
Democrats Alan Cranston, Calif.; Spark
Matsunaga, Hawaii; Birch Bayh, Ind.;
Dick Clark, John Culver, Iowa; William
Hathaway, Maine; Edward Kennedy,
Mass.; Muriel Humphrey, Minn.; John
Durkin, N.H.; Harrison Williams, N.J.;
Howard Metzenbaum, Ohio; Claiborne
Pell, R.I.; and Republicans Clifford Case,
N.J.; Jacob Javits, N.Y.; John Heinz, Pa.;
Robert Stafford, Vt.
Representatives with perfect scores
were: Democrats Ron Dellums, James
Gorman, Edward Roybal, Don Edwards,
Phillip Burton, Calif.; Toby Moffett,
Conn.; Dante Fascell, Fla.; Dan Rosten-
kowski, Sidney Yates, Ill.; Parren Mitch
ell, Md.; Robert Drinan, Edward Markey,
Gerry Studds, Mass.; Bob Carr, Dale Kil-
dee, William Broadhead, Mich.; James
Oberstar, Minn.; Frank Thompson, N.J.;
Shirley Chisholm, Elizabeth Holtzman,
Charles Rangel, Ned Pattison, N.Y.;
James Weaver, Ore.; Robert Edgar,
William Moorhead, Penn.; Edward Be
ard, R.I.; Harold Ford, Tenn.; Herb Har
ris, Va.; Alvin Baldus, Henry Reuss, Wis.;
and Republican Newton Steers, Md.
Letters to the Editor
T i “ t
-- "r'i . L ’
People crossings
Editor:
Pedestrians on this campus seem to
have forgotten that cars have rights too.
The student who was hit by a car on
Wellborn received a ticket for failure to
yield right-of-way to a vehicle when a
pedestrian bridge was provided.
Sure, cars are supposed to yield right-
of-way to pedestrians but pedestrians only
have legal right-of-way at crosswalks.
Pedestrians are supposed to cross the
street at designated places — not ran
domly whenever they feel like it.
It has gotten so bad that many pedest
rians don’t even look before they step out
into the street. I’ve seen pedestrians step
into the road from between parked cars,
without looking and then give the driver of
the car who skidded to a stop to avoid an
accident a dirty, insulted look. It’s amaz
ing that there hasn’t been many serious
accidents because of this type of careless
ness.
If a car is unfortunate enough to be at a
shuttle bus stop when a bus is unloading
passengers, the driver might as well turn
off the car until every person on that bus
has crossed the street. The majority of
these people do not cross the street
quickly or in groups, they just sort of
mosey across the street single file.
If the driver is quick enough he can stick
the front end of his car into a gap and then
if he is not suddenly surrounded by irate
pedestrians, dash across the road. This,
however, will get him a bunch of dirty
looks and possibly obscene gestures.
Bicyclists also need to remember that
they have to obey the same laws as cars.
This means stopping at stop signs and rid
ing on the correct side of the road. It
seems that bicyclists want the best of both
worlds — rights of pedestrians but quick
transportation. I don’t know how many
close calls I’ve seen because a bicycle went
zipping through a 4-way stop intersection
without stopping or really even looking.
Pedestrians, bicycles, and cars all have
certain laws which they must obey. If
everyone would be more considerate and
tolerant of each other, a lot of ugly inci
dents could be avoided. After all, will it
really matter who got the ticket if you end
up in the hospital?
— Becky Schult, ’80
We're all Aggies
Editor:
I would like to take a moment out from
my studies to respond to a letter defending
the band, in Letters to the Editor (Battal
ion, Oct.). To the young ladies who de
fended the band, don’t enter into an inci
dent (protect or defend) an organization
unless you are a part of that particular
group be it the band or the waggies.
If one reads the letter it clearly shows
that an individual band member was only
involved, not the group as a whole, yet by
the way the editor subheaded the letter
“Band Defended” one might think that the
whole group was involved in the incident.
In short young ladies, you have no busi
ness condemning or condoning the actions
of these two fine organizations; their
internal, organizational worries are their
own.
To the male faction fo the Corps of
Cadets (band and C.T.s), when I entered
this reputable university I thought the
greater portion of the Corps’ male mem
bers were gentlemen. A gentleman by cer
tain standards does not render a lady
(waggie or non-reg) to her knees.
This letter I refer to has one saving
grace, “We are all Aggies.” May I point
out that each little sect of the university
claims a different thing.
The C.T.s claim to be the spirit of Ag-
gieland; the B.Q.s claim to be the pulse of
Aggieland; waggies and non-regs what tell
do ya’ll claim?
All Aggies (B.Q.s, C.T.s, waggies, and
non-regs), guess what? We are all part of
Aggieland. We must all unite and support
the claims and convictions of this fine tra
ditional university. Let’s stop all of this
mudslinging, trite, little squabbles. Like
the song says fellow Aggies. “We are the
Aggies, the Aggies are we.”
— Jean M. Sauer, ’82
Editor’s note: this letter was accom
panied by 11 other signatures.
Posted: lonely
Editor:
I respectfully request that you will
please publish, or print, this letter in your
student newspaper, (or post it on you
community bulletin board). I do not have
the funds to pay for an advertisement.
I am a very lonely male, presently in
carcerated in Attica Correctional Facility.
I have four months left of my time and I
am looking for a liberal-minded, under
standing woman who would be willing to
write and become friends.
I am 21 years of age, 6 feet tall with
black hair, brown eyes and considered to
be average looking. My hobbies and spe
cial interests are arts and crafts, bicycling,
music (generally mellow rock), horticul
ture, house plants in particular, horseback
riding, writing poetry, interesting conver
sation and meeting people. I am home-
loving, understanding, loyal to honest
friends and an affectionate person.
I know there must be some nice young
woman out there who has some love in her
heart that she is willing to share with me
and be my friend. I am a for real person
and I would like you to be the same way.
If you feel that you are interested in
writing my, please write and lets get to
know each other. I will answer all sincere
correspondence. Thank you.
— Robert Leo Clement 75-B-67
P.O. Box 149
Attica, New York 14011
Top of the News
CAMPUS
United Fund drive continues
STATE
Relatives file damage suits
New flights to Yucatan Peninsula
Texas International Airline in Houston has received permission to
fly routes from Texas to the resort cities on the Yucatan Peninsula.
The airline indicated it would initiate flights to Cancun, Cozumel and
Merida Dec. 14, with one-way fares to Cancun set at $49. In a sepa
rate announcement, the airline disclosed it had asked for permission
to provide non-stop service from Louisiana, Missouri and Texas to
Toronto and Montreal.
NATION
FBI arrests suspected swindler
A computer expert, who allegedly tricked the nationwide bank
transfer system out of more than $10 million which he converted into
19 pounds of Soviet diamonds in Switzerland, returned to California
and was arrested by the FBI. The FBI, calling the case one of the
biggest bank swindles in U.S. history, Monday arrested Stanley M.
Rifkin, 32, of Los Angeles in a friend’s apartment in Carlsbad, Calif.,
31 miles north of San Diego. The arresting agents seized a suitcase
loaded with $12,000 in cash and plastic bags stuffed with more than
19 pounds — in excess of 42,000 carats — of high quality diamonds,
ranging in size up to 2Vi-carat stones worth $30,000 each.
WORLD
Americans detained in Moscow
An American businessman and an Illinois woman are being de
tained in Moscow, but the U.S. Embassy says it does not believe the
Soviet Union is retaliating for the convictions of two Russian spies.
Embassy officials said they are treating as consular matters the deten
tion of Leo Sonner, 32, the Moscow manager of Dow Chemical Co.,
and the unidentified woman who was visiting relatives in Tbilisi,
Soviet Georgia. “We are treating both matters as strictly consular
matters and we see no reason to link these cases,” an embassy official
said.
Elton John hospitalized in London
Rock star Elton John was rushed to a private London clinic Monday
suffering from what his record company described as a “mystery
illness.” A spokeswoman for Rocket Records emphatically denied
newspaper reports the 31-year-old singer had suffered a heart attack.
“That is just not true,” she said. “He has a mystery illness and tests
are being carried out now. He played football on Sunday and as far as
we know he was in good health.”
Arabs protest peace accords
More than 3,000 West Bank Arabs demonstrated Monday against
the Camp David accords in one of the largest protests in years in
Nablus, Israeli-occupied Jordanian territory. “We must say no to all
these things offered by the Americans and Egypt,” said Karim Khalaf,
mayor of the occupied town of Ramallah. “They gave us nothing as
Palestinians.” Speaking to a crowd in the the courtyard of the Najah
Teachers College, Khalaf called on Israel to leave the West Bank and
Gaza Strip. He denounced the offer of autonomy for the local popula
tion as well as the Israeli plan to strengthen its settlements in the
occqpied territories.
Former officials arrested in Iran
Military authorities Monday in Tehran, Iran, announced the arrest
of 11 high officials of former civilian governments and a businessman
in a crackdown and said other suspects would be taken in custody
later. The announcement came after troops of Iran’s new military
government moved in to quell anti-government disturbances by
youths today and sporadic shooting broke out in southern parts of the
capital. The administration announcement said the officials and the
businessman were arrested under martial regulations as suspected
opponents of the constitutional government.
WEATHER
Sunny skies and mild temperatures turning warmer Thurs
day. High today 60, low tonight in the mid 40s with winds
light and variable.
Contributions to the College Station United Fund have surpassed
the halfway mark toward a goal of $50,500, publicity chairman Ann
Bury reported. A total of $25,533 has been donated, she said, which
is 50.5 percent of this year’s goal. The deadline for the drive is Nov.
30.
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An injured longshoreman and relatives of two persons killed in a
Galveston grain elevator explosion last December have filed damage
suits against several companies in Houston. Brian W. Lamb seeks
$400,000 damages for the death of Michael Lamb, 26, an employee of
Farmer’s Export Co. Carol Stokke and son, Eugene, seek unspecified
damages in the death of her husband Eugene Stokke. Harvie Collins,
the injured dockworker, seeks unspecified damages for his injuries.
Defendants named in the state court suits included Cook Terminal
Co. Inc., original owner of the elevator; Relco Equipment Inc., a
locomotive maker; Homan and Lawrence Engineering Co., elevator
designer; and Galveston Wharves.
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The Battalion
LETTERS POLICY
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Editor Kim Tvs® 1
Managing Editor Liz Newj
Assistant Managing Editor .Andy William*
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City Editor Jamie Aitk® 1
Campus Editor Steve Ltf
News Editors Debbie Parsons,
Beth Calhoun
Staff Writers Karen Rogers, Mask
Patterson, Scott Pendleton,
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Jr., Dillard Stone
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Opinions expressed in The Battalion are
those of the editor or of the writer of the
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Editorial policy is determined by the etlitit
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