Viewpoint
The Battalion Tuesday
Texas A&M University December 5, 1978
It depends whose
axe is being ground
By ARNOLD SAWISLAK
WASHINGTON — A couple of weeks
after Republican Roger Jepsen blindsided
Dick Clark and ended the Iowa Demo
crat’s Senate career, Clark sat down with
UPI reporter Cheryl Arvidson to explain
what happened.
First, he says, the one-issue special
interests ganged up on him. In a coalition
of convenience, groups espousing the
right to life, the right to work and the right
to have guns all jumped on the Iowa
senator. There may have been some over
lap in terms of the voters contacted, hut
the effect was similar to that of the ancient
Chinese torture called “the death of a
thousand cuts.”
Second, six out of 10 lowans eligible by
age to vote did not. As is becoming clear to
students of elections, the one issue people
thrive on is low turnouts.
These people, whether left or right lean
ing, have cohesion and organization. The
rest of the electorate, with at the most only
a general interest in good government, is
expected to pump itself up and find its
own way to the polls.
This is especially true in congressional
elections, which seldom get the kind of
media hype characteristic of presidential
campaigns.
Clark summed up the common de
nominator of his opposition as general feel
ing that government cannot solve the
problems it has tried to deal with. He
suggested the result would be the ascen
dancy of politicians who campaign against
government intervention in social prob
lems.
That will be the case, the senator added.
until other groups such as workers, the el
derly and the poor come to realize that the
people making decisions in Washington
and the state capitals aren’t doing anything
for them. Then, he thinks, the pendulum
may swing back.
Now that is a fascinating prospect. Clark
says he was ambushed by a coalition of
one-issue zealots and predicts that the out
look for politicians like himself will be
grim until a different group of special
interests coalesces to support them.
Clark would suggest that the groups he
hopes will come together to support liber
als are on the side of the angels, but he
certainly seems to be talking about the
same kind of political force that was re
sponsible for his defeat.
And in this, Clark may have put his
finger on the political pulse of the United
States in the 1970s: People with
specialized interests they want to protect
or advance appear to be the only ones who
care enough to give their time and money
to politics; if you don’t have an axe to
grind, you probably aren’t even going to
vote.
It may be true that American elections
never have been decided in this country
by large groups of people who are focused
on the broad national interest, but it does
seem that special interests, relatively
small compared to the whole electorate,
have had a disproportionate impact on
elections in recent years.
Clark sees an uprising by his kind of
special interests as the solution. If that
really is the only answer, the United
States may be headed for a turbulent and
rocky third century .
The blurred home movie authority
By DICK WEST
WASHINGTON — Mr. Chairman, I
am honored to appear before this Select
House Committee on Assassinations to
offer my testimony as an expert witness.
To establish my credentials, I have had
more than 20 years of experience in the
branch of amateur photography commonly
known as “home movies.” My particular
speciality is in the field of “blurred
shapes.”
Drawing on this background, I perhaps
can be of some help to this committee in
evaluating the movie film that you have
been examining in connection with your
investigation of President Kennedy’s as
sassination.
As I understand it, Mr. Chairman, the
film was taken by a amateur photographer
during the Kennedy motorcade in Dallas.
More or less by accident, he filmed the
upper floors of the building from which
the fatal shots were fired.
The footage shows some blurred shapes
that appear to change or move from one
Humor
film frame to the next. The question is
whether the film proves that more than
one person was present, or whether there
is some other explanation for the blurred
shapes.
From my own extensive accidents with
home movies, I can attest without equivo
cation that human figures may indeed ap
pear on film as blurred shapes.
I have at home one 50-foot reel com
posed entirely of blurred shapes. From
notes made at the time, however, it can be
established that the film was taken at my
daughter’s sixth birthday party, and that
the blurred shapes are the honoree and
her guests.
How is this possible, you ask? There are
many different causes of blurred shapes,
Mr. Chairman. Among them are failing to
thread the film into the camera properly,
accidentally exposing the film to sunlight,
using outdoor film for interior shots and
leaving the camera out in the rain.
I should caution the committee, how
ever, that blurred shapes are not necessar
ily human figures.
In the summer of 1977, I went on a raft
trip in the Grand Canyon, taking along my
movie camera. Two years later, I repeated
the trip.
Upon returning from the second trip, I
discovered that the film I had used was the
same roll I had used during the first trip.
If the committee would like to see a first
class exhibit of non-human blurred shapes,
I would be glad to offer this film in evi
dence.
As my accompanying commentary
would explain, some of the blurred shapes
are river rapids, some are interesting rock
formations, some are waterfalls, some are
caves in the canyon walls and some are
sunsets.
To sum up, Mr. Chairman, interpreta
tion of blurred shapes is a tricky business.
My expert opinion is that those seen in the
Dallas film were either the assassin’s ac
complice or an unidentified flying object.
Letters to the Editor
Ags outscored, but not beaten
are, you win some and you lose some. But
it’s a certain kind of pride and determina
tion to do your best no matter what that
sets good teams apart from great ones.
I’m confident that I speak not only for
myself, but for Ags everywhere when I say
that when the final score was tabulated we
may have been defeated point-wise, but
we sure as hell weren’t beaten.
Keep fighting Ags, we’re proud of you,
and BEAT THE HELL OUTTA IOWA
STATE!
— Bryan Kuhlmann, ’78
Clean up bonfire
Editor:
I am writing this letter in response to
bonfire this past week. I believe that all
Aggies who worked on it could be proud of
this year’s bonfire. My complaint arises
from the actions of some Aggies during
bonfire. This applies only to the few who
Slouch
REMEMBER YOUR PLAN FOR MAKING GOOD
GRADES THIS SEMESTER: START OUT SLOW, BUILD
YOUR MOMENTUM, AND FINISH STRONG: IT’S
ABOUT TIME TO CUT LOOSE WITH YOUR FINISH!
In my four-plus years here I’ve never
before written a letter to the editor
(though the desire to do so has definitely
come up more than once). But while
watching the A&M-t.u. game Friday
something happened that compelled me to
do so.
Overall, the Ags played a good game.
Oh sure, there were a lot of mental errors
that a team can’t afford to have in a cham
pionship caliber game. The punting never
produced, and our offensive line has yet to
make the transition from the wishbone to
the I.
But I saw something out there on that
field I definitely didn’t see at the begin
ning of the year. Something that made me
proud to be an Aggie.
Our team never gave up. No matter
what the circumstances they never quit
trying; even on fourth and 29 they kept
going for it.
When all is said and done, football is
still just a game. No matter how good you
do not seem to respect tradition or Aggie
spirit.
My first complaint is the number of
people who showed up with alcoholic bev
erages. I am not against drinking by any
means but when the crowd began to dis
perse there were hundreds of bottles and
cans all over Duncan Field.
Not only did this make Duncan Field
look like a mess but it also made it difficult
to maneuver your way back to the streets.
If you carried it to bonfire, why couldn’t
you carry it off Duncan Field?
My second complaint involves the
people who don’t seem to understand how
to sing “The Spirit of Aggieland.” I saw
people talking, laughing, and raising hell
while the rest of us sang “The Spirit of
Aggieland.” If you don’t want to sing, if
you don’t know how to sing, or if you can’t
sing, the least you can do is to stand there
and listen. Some of us respect these A&M
songs and there traditional meanings.
My third complaint has to do with a cer
tain male dorm who did their “hump it.”
This was the first bonfire my parents have
attended and after this dorm “humped it”
I was totally embarrassed. Their “hump it”
is disgusting. Obscenities have their place
but I don’t think it is in public. I am sure
that the thousands of other Aggies and
parent were just as “pleased” with the
hump it as I was. I wonder if they do their
“hump it” in front of their parents.
Even with these gripes, I think we had a
good bonfire this year. Let’s try to correct
some of these problems for next year’s
bonfire.
—Andy Reese, ’80
Flu study useful
Editor:
I am writing this letter in response to
Joe Hickman’s Russian Flu sermon deli
vered in the Thursday, Nov. 30 Battalion.
Being a participant in this influenza study,
I must disagree with Mr. Hickman’s as
sessment of the evils involved. Obviously,
he was not well informed as to the risks.
I was told the risks were relatively
small, consisting of runny noses, muscle
aches, a slight headache, and perhaps a
fever. I cannot comprehend how Mr.
Hickman feels these risks are fatal.
Is taking the consequences of a few
minor discomforts from the vaccine worse
than getting Russian Flu if no vaccine is
ever developed? What is wrong with try
ing to help find a vaccine effective against
Russian Flu? If there were more people in
the world with Mr. Hickman’s sentiments.
perhaps the studies for prevention of
cancer, leukemia, and many other diseases
would be stopped.
Or maybe the vaccines for polio,
smallpox and measles would never have
been developed.
I can only see that the advantages of this
study will far outweigh the disadvantages.
As for the $10, I can always use $10, who
can’t?
—Cathy Carden, ’81
Christmas spirits
Editor:
After spending the entire afternoon this
last Sunday walking around this campus
under a trashcan and giant Christmas box
respectively, we have come to the conclu
sion that this campus would be a much
nicer place in which to have to live out the
remainder of the semester if students
would try to entertain fellow students in
stead of constantly finding fault with them.
With thanks to our fans who enjoyed the
antics of Sunday, we remain...
— Cathy “the Trash Can” Veselka
Sylvia “the Christmas Box” Trono
Writing the editor
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Top of the News
CAMPUS
President Miller to meet with Carta
Texas A&M University President Jarvis E. Miller has been invited
to the White House to discuss a new scholarship program. Miller will
meet with President Carter and a select group of other univenity
presidents to discuss the Hubert H. Humphrey North-South Schol
arship Program. The new scholarship program is designed to bring
students from developing nations to the United States. Texas AWI
has major commitments for agricultural and technical assistance in
five foreign countries through contracts with the U.S. Agency for
International Development. Students accepted for the program mujt
be from countries which have diplomatic relations with the United
States.
Retrieval system extends hours
The automated retrieval system in the Sterling C. Evans libran
has extended its operating hours. Charles Gilreath, coordinator of
Automated Information Retrieval Services (AIRS), announced the
extension. Effective immediately, automated services will be made
available on Tuesdays between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. According to
Gilreath, the later evening hours may decrease costs due to faster
computer response time
STATE
State s blue law upheld
The U.S. Supreme Court Monday let stand a lower-court ruling
that a Texas law banning sale of certain merchandise on Sunday is
constitutional. The justices dismissed an appeal by a group of subur
ban discount stores from a Texas Supreme Court ruling that the
state’s blue law, which bans Sunday sales of items ranging from
lawnmowers to jewelry, does not violate the Constitution or federal
antitrust laws. The case arose when the Downtown Development
Association of El Paso sued the Gibson Distributing Co. Inc., which
owns several retail stores in the western part of Texas, including El
Paso, alleging Gibson sold some of the 42 items listed in the Texas
closing law as banned from sale on consecutive Saturdays and Sun
days.
Racial investigation requested
Black students have asked Trinity University officials to investigate
several apparently racial incidents at a dormitory, including the set
ting of a fire and the depositing of a Ku Klux Klan T-shirt. A spokes
man for the school administration said it had been unable to “get to
the bottom of the incidents, apparently directed at one black coed
The Black Efforts of Trinity, an organization of black students, said it
asked the administration a month ago to investigate the incidents and
now is urging university officials to request help from District Attor
ney Bill White.
Hill seeks help to stop rate hike
Attorney General John Hill Monday urged President Carter’s new
inflation adviser, Alfred Kahn, to join a fight against increases in
coalhauling rates railroads charge Texas power plants. Hill and the
city of San Antonio are appealing a decision by the Interstate Com
merce Commission on Oct. 25 allowing railroads to increase coal
hauling rates by 30 percent. “Your new role may allow you to help the
citizens of San Antonio defeat the single most severe inflationary
problem they face: rail rates on the transportation of Western coal
used to generate much of their electricity,” Hill said in a letter to
Kahn.
Natural gas explosion kills 9
Natural gas flowing through a patchwork line into a ghetto home in
Houston was ignited into a raging fire Monday, killing nine members
of a poverty-stricken family of 14. Officials said six of the victims were
children. Gas and electrical service to the home had been terminated
for non-payment of bills, but apparently someone in the family had
rigged a car radiator hose directly to a natural gas pipe — allowing
fuel to flood unchecked into the residence. The fire was apparently
ignited by candles used for lighting.
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NATION
Sub heist defendants prepare for tria
Defense attorneys are expected to argue this week that a plot to
heist a nuclear submarine actually was a scheme to swindle front
money from a businessman. The trial of Edward J. Mendenhall, 24,
of Rochester, N.Y., and James W. Cosgrove, 26, of Geneva, N.Y.,
was scheduled to begin today with selection of a jury in the court of
U.S. District Judge James H. Meredith. Mendenhall and Cosgrove
are charged with conspiracy against the United States by plotting to
steal the USS Trepang from its base in New London, Conn. Convic
tion on the charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison
and a $10,000 fine. Mendenhall, Cosgrove and Kurtis J. Schmidt, 22,
of Kansas City, Kan., were arrested Oct. 4.
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WEATHER
Fair skies with a 20% chance of showers Wednesday andi
warming trend. High today 60 and a low of 40. Winds will be
southerly at 10-15 mph. The outlook for Thursday through
Saturday will be partly cloudy and cool temperatures.
The Battalion
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