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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1979)
Viewpoint The Battalion Thursday Texas A&M University January 18, 1979 Slouch by Jim Earle “FRANKLY, I’D PREFER A LESS PERSONALIZED REGISTRATION PROCESS!’ The victim speaks It was only 2:45 in the afternoon, hardly the time of day you’d expect to be attacked by a “fellow Aggie” while walking from class to your car. But that’s what happened — and I hate to see such accidents go unchecked. That’s why I’m writing this now. I appeal to all of you who read this to help me find my assaulter and turn him in to the authorities. First of all, he has short, short red hair — short enough to be in the Corps. When I saw him, he was wearing a long-sleeved light blue denim shirt over a dark sweater (black or navy), and blue jeans. His shoes were orange-brown suede with laces. His bike was dark green, dirty, and fender less. He was of medium height and build. I told the campus police about the incident, but there’s only so much they can do with 30,000 other students to care for. If you think you know the identity of this — what can I call him? — person, please, for the safety of other girls who often walk to their cars alone, and for my peace of mind, tell the authorities. X7 . .. Editor’s note: The Battalion does not usually run letters to the Editor without a name and in large type. But the letter deserved attention. Some students act as though Texas A&M is safe from crime. It’s not. Crime is ugly, and it’s here. “You just don’t think it could happen to you, not at A&M,” the girl said. She came into the office Wednesday afternoon with her handwritten note and a handkerchief. Upset and angry, she said she wasn’t going to let anyone get away with what had happened to her. The attack came when she was going to her car, parked behind Kyle Field next to Wellborn Road. The man jumped her but her screams drove him away. She re ported the incident to the University Police, but they were unable to find the attacker when they returned to the parking lot. French military policies a mixed story By GEORGE SIBERA PARIS — While tiying with apparent success to improve political and military consultations with Washington and other allied capitals, French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing has launched a deter mined effort to build up France’s military forces. The results have been mixed so far. There has been no change in France’s refusal to give up full control over its na tional nuclear deterrent, with Giscard — like the late President Charles de Gaulle — refusing to allow the United States and Soviet Union to include the French atomic arsenal in any new arms limitation negotia tions. France claims its own protection is entirely dependent oh its own atomic weapons because of the overwhelming superiority of Soviet bloc forces in Europe. The Gaullists, the largest single coalition faction, have served notice they would top ple any cabinet which would allow any limi tation of the French atomic protective shield, or any foreign control over it. Parliament has just approved a $18 bil lion military budget for 1979, up 14 percent from 1978. The Gaullists approved the budget only after Giscard had agreed to build a new — the sixth — nuclear submarine and in creased funds for the nuclear deterrent by 26 percent. France is to start shortly a new series of underground tests in Polynesia to perfect a new family of hydrogen warheads. Missiles in silos in southeastern France, aboard the fleet of 40 Mirage bombers and the five operational nuclear subs are cur rently receiving new warheads. The French ground forces, 16 divisions strong, are being revamped to speed up the callup of reservists and their integration with the standing army. The new system has abolished the past distinction between frontline forces and separate home forces and aims at giving France a number of highly mobile groups ready to go into action immediately. The mobilization system also is being re vamped to insure a speedy response to an outside threat. Still, many French military experts con sider the government’s effort insufficient. Critics claim that while France sells weapons worth $7.5 billion a year to foreign customers, its armed forces would be out gunned and outmaneuvered rapidly in any invasion. Officers who led the recent French parachute drop into Zaire’s Shaba province had to use U.S. transport planes. France has no long-range military planes of its own. Commanders of the French United Na tions battalion in Lebanon complained the French parachutists’ weapons and equip ment were no match for much more modern and efficient weapons carried by Palestinian guerrillas. A special report submitted by the finance committee during the National Assembly military budget debate said production of Mirage 2000 fighters and of a third attack submarine was falling behind schedule and l:hat France had no naval means to protect its territorial waters effectively. Guy Cabanel, a majority deputy, cautioned that in the 1977-79 period, the army ordered only 40 155mm artillery guns, 35 AMX-10 tanks, 13,000 Clairon submachine guns, 16 Mirages, three Transall transport planes, 200 air-to-air missiles and 22 heavy mortars. French soldiers attending last fall’s mili tary maneuvers in central France to test the new mobilization system reported they were issued insufficient amounts of am munition. French criticism of the multiple de ficiencies of the military establishment coincided with an assertion of the U.S. armed forces “Journal International” that France’s military equipment lacks sophisti cation and quality. The U.S. monthly, in its October issue, said the AMX-30 tanks had poor quality engines and bad transmission systems that causes many of them to break down during maneuvers. The magazine also criticized other standard equipment, including the Mirage FI, as being inferior to comparable foreign weapons. Jimmy and Billy: Guilt by consanguinity WASHINGTON — It appears that the country is becoming disenchanted with Billy Carter. This points up one of the de fects in our political system. Were Billy Carter subject to the whims of the electorate, he most likely would be only a one-term first brother. As it stands, however, there is no way to deny him another four years without also bumping Jimmy Carter. And regardless of how you might feel about the president, you surely will agree there is such a thing as carrying the brother’s-keeper concept too far. If a first lady becomes a political liability, the president can divorce her. Should a president’s children cause him too much embarrassment, he can disinherit them. But brothers basically are stuck with each other. There is no provision in the law of the land for dissolving brotherhood, however much one or both might like to terminate the relatioship. I’m not suggesting that President Carter would do any of these things, even under extreme provocation. The president is a strong family man. Regardless of what his wife, children or siblings did to upset him. he probably would grin and bear it. Carter is by no means the first chief executive to have a brother problem, how ever. Nor, in all probability, will he be the last. It is entirely possible that some further president will be even more sorely tried by a brother than Jimmy has been by Billy. I therefore submit that there ought to be some way of legally disassociating one’s self from one’s brother. After a great deal of thought, I have con cluded that the most practical solution to the problem might be a hyphenated kin ship law. Here’s how it would work: You’re the president and you have a brother who has become enough of a politi cal burden to jeopardize your chances for reelection. The new law permits you to go to court and have him legally changed into your brother-in-law. Brothers-in-law are notoriously erratic and indecorous. Nobody expects them to exercise good judgment or good taste. Con sequently, wben one of them behaves pre dictably — that is, makes a fool of himself — nobody holds it against you. If you bad a brother-in-law who tried to exploit the White House connection with hustling his own beer label or conducting guided tours for visiting Libyans, not even the Republican national chairman would try to tar you with the same brush. If fact, an indiscreet brother-in-law could be a political asset. For he would as sure you of getting the empathy vote. Letters to the Editor Parking — stick to your stickers Editor: This letter is to all the day students, non sticker students and dorm students who insist on using staff parking spaces. I don’t know if you realize this, but staff have to pay for their parking stickers, too; we even pay more than students for the privilege of parking on campus near our offices. There is nothing more maddening than having to get to work at 7:15 or 7:30 just because some inconsiderate, lazy day student didn’t want to park where he was supposed to park. Wednesday, out of 20 cars parked on the street between Rudder and Lot 21, six cars were either non-stickered, or blue stick- ered. That means that one-third of the cars in staff spaces were unauthorized. Em ployees with “random street’’ stickers have as hard a time finding street parking spaces as day students. Our problem need not be compounded by the increased competition. When you bought a sticker, regardless of sex or the class — you agreed to park in the area de signated for that sticker. I, too, was a day student for two years and know what it’s like to have to walk a half a mile to class. If I did it, why can’t you? If you don’t like walking, get a bike and bike rack or ride the shuttle bus. The staff lots and street parking are for staff only. When you purchased your sticker, you got a map parking places for your sticker. USE IT. —^Jennifer Chenault Secretary, Wildlife and Fisheries Science Iran confusing Editor: Now that it is apparent that the shah of Iran is to relinquish his powers, I hope that those guys over there will settle down. But I must admit to a certain amount of confu sion. If those students, and other obnoxious, dissident protestors of the grand and glori ous nation of Iran, have achieved their goal, why do they riot still? Why do they buy out a large portion of Beverly Hills and then stage a battle there in protest? Hey, folks, is this smart or is this smart? Indeed, it would seem, that without the shah, Iranians don’t know what to do with themselves. Evidence of this shows in the absolute anarchy running rampant in Iran today. So much for Muhammad Revere riding his camel through the streets of Tehran shouting, “The Shah is coming! The Shah is coming!” If Iranians in America are so mad at the shah, we ought to give them a rifle and passage to Iran rather than a Ph. D. and U.S. citizenship! But now for something on the “pro” col umn — U.S. and China. Jim-boy Carter really had me scared when, as the first big decision in his presideency, he scrapped the B-l program. But finally, after all this time and through a forest of bunglings, he’s done something right. I’m not dumping on Taiwan but it seems to me that we’d be better off making friends with one-third of the population of the earth than antagonizing them by continu ing to back 16 million followers of a dead general who pocketed most of the aid we sent him. We were wrong to back a regime almost unanimously disliked by the people of China. Korea and Vietnam would never have happened. Now I’m not quite convinced about the Panama Canal but, come on folks, of what real importance is Formosa to the U.S. de sides a flood of “Barbie Dolls” and “Johnny Commander Space Warriors.” Nice job, Jim-boy. I’ll send you a jar of Jifty for your birthday. —Ron Bucchi, ’81 Readers’ Forum Guest viewpoints, in addition to Letters to the Editor, are welcome. All pieces submitted to Readers’ forum should be: • Typed triple space • Limited to 60 characters per line • Limited to 100 lines Top of the News STATE APPLIC. Clements ‘first* talk on Tuesday^ ment throuj I ART EX L acryli< The House and Senate Wednesday invited Gov. Bill Clementsts' g a m addresss a joint session of the Texas legislature next Tuesday.'Riti-ppgjjp speech will be Clements’ first since he took office Tuesday. IU| ‘ , expected to include his demands for a $1 billion tax reduction, ([ $25,000 reduction in the number of state employees, and constiti MANAG tional amendments giving voters the right of initiative and refereur Briarv dum. Clements’ speech is scheduled for 11 a. m. Tuesday in the Hoa'KAMU A Chamber in Austin. H to ser lauctio Shah wont be visiting Lubbod lat 8 p. April RAM 1 Despite rumors to the contrary, indications Wednesday werethtfe KAMI Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran will not visit Lubbock. TkjbLQftK; shah’s son. Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who is in pilot training at Reestl ^ () j ) ^ Air Force Base in Lubbock, said he had no indications that hisfathej: fr oorn would come to Lubbock. Three Iranian students, identified colkc-p-' , s , tively as M. Azad, said Tuesday they felt a moral obligation to protesHg ver vehemently should the Iranian monarch arrive in Lubbock. Iraniar’ student leaders at Texas Tech University in Lubbock announced 1 ^ 1 formal plans for such a protest. B 111 Hexhibi y . Hthe flu Two Clements appointees OKd ||public lEPHEI The Texas Senate in Austin Wednesday gave unanimous approvalloI the first two appointments made by Gov. Bill Clements’ confirmingy nomination of Secretary of State George W. Strake Jr. and Stalel Adjutant General Willie Scott. The Senate also approved former Gov Dolph Briscoe’s appointments of Railroad Commissioner Jim Ni and Texas Employment Commission member Ken Clapp, a formet: member of Briscoe’s stall. careful short ]zech< shown iGIC S Oil refinery worker pacts OKd ^ ^-uDiaCKSI Feb. 7, Contract offers covering half of the 60,000 oil refinery workers have been approved at the national level by the Oil, Chemical, and AtomiBp' r 'day Workers union, and officials in Dallas said local bargaining and ratificAGGIE C tion should be completed next month. Seventeen offers coveringIlnan tr 34,450 workers had been approved by national OCA W representative!Ifcudde Tuesday. p^NIGl Uphristi NATION ||i'antic I Ruddei Flood bribery trial to test his aidi 1ASKETI gp.m. ir The bribery trial of Rep. Daniel Flood, D-Pa., Wednesday sfeem^BlfFTT to be shaping into a credibility test for Stephen Elko, the cos j^ || gressman’s former top aide, who says he funneled payoffs to FloodK worth more than $50,000. Elko, the first witness in the trial in Wash ^ ington, was called to testify again Wednesday. But it already wasl at 8 ani becoming clear that a federal jury will have to decide whether FloodHpNIGl was a willing partner with Elko in a six-year scheme to shake down ■Christ private citizens for bribes, or Elko was working on his own to collect ■HI AP payoffs while wielding the congressman’s power as chairman ofa key 4Luther House appropriations subcommittee. U.S. colonel dies ‘accidentally Col. Arthur W. Fineout, chief of staff of the U.S. military mission it Iran, died “accidentally” at his home Tuesday, a military spokesmanin Tehran said Wednesday. The spokesman said Fineout’s death was “definitely not the result of foul play or terrorist activity,” which had already claimed the lives of two Americans during the violence in Iran Newspapers had reported the colonel hanged himself, but sources said the evidence pointed to accidental death rather then suicide. WORLD 1,000 killed in Iranian quake An earthquake that wiped out three villages in northeastern Iran within minutes of the shah’s forced departure Tuesday killed more than 51,000 persons and injured at least 1,000 others, Iranian new papers said Wednesday. The revised death toll from the quake was not immediately confirmed by Moslem clergymen working in quake area. They had reported earlier that at least 890 persons were killed when the earthquake, measuring 6.8 on the open-ended Richtei Scale, struck Tuesday. Mexican youth hostages freed Leftist youths occupying the Mexican Embassy Wednesday re leased about 90 hostages who were being held at the diplomatic mission in San Salvador. The action was seen as a sign of willingness to negotiate demands for freedom of political prisoners and an end government repression. About 40 members of the leftist United Popu lar Action Front seized the embassy Tuesday morning, taking hostage at least 120 Salvadoreans who were awaiting visas to Mexico. In a coordinated action, a second group of about 30 Front members oc cupied the Organization of American States offices. Authorities be lieved that between 15 and 20 OAS employes were being held captive WEATHER Mostly cloudy, mild temperature, and fog today with a 50 1 chance of rain. High today 70 and a low of 60. Winds af!;i southerly at 10-15 mph. The extended outlook for Brazts County will be partly cloudy, colder, with drizzle throug' Saturday. The Battalion LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification. Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The ' Battalion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Represented nationally by National Educational Adver tising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday from September through May except during exam and holiday periods and the summer, when it is published on Tuesday through Thursday. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; $35.00 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 the use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. Second-Class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Managing Editor Assistant Managing Editor .Andy' Sports Editor Davii City Editor Scott ft Campus Editor News Editors Debbie Beth Calhoun Staff Writers Karen Rogf Patterson, Sean Petty Blake, Dillard StoK Bragg, Lyle Lovett Cartoonist Doug' Photo Editor Lee Roy Les Photographer Ly® Focus section editor Gaiy Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of the . University administration or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is a non-pni supporting enterprise operated k as a university and community ih Editorial policy is determinedhyk PT ove desj N in qi