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
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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
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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
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Editor
Managing Editor
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Campus Editor
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Patterson, Sean Petty
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Focus section editor Gaiy
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