The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, February 23, 1979, Image 2

Texas A&M Newspaper Collection

The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, February 23, 1979, Image 2

Newspaper Page TextViewpoint fion-olioo The Battalion Texas A&M University Friday February 23, 1979 Foreign children nations with guns TKe move i ri-^o oe.w leave help t>uT Sorne. rar^ E^ ef X ^ a y k> uT P'e°s^f Reflections Does being an American make you feel guilty? Are you frustrated that foreign nations mistreat us? Two Texas journalists are. Houston Post columnist Lynn Ashby griped Thursday that America is criticized by foreign governments no matter what it does, even if those governments are doing it, too. Two things seem to be true about world events: they are bad and they are our fault. The reason, Ashby said, is that we like to feel guilty, and the rest of the world obliges us. We re not only guilty, we re frustrated. “Indecision and self-doubt have led to disasterous foreign policies,” Rusty Cawley wrote in Wednesday’s Eagle. “Our ineffectiveness in Vietnam, our empty threats in the face of Rus sian expansionism in Eastern Europe, and our abandonment of strategic allies have cost us our status as the great defender of the free world.” Frustration and guilt: those have been the dominant American feelings about foreign affairs since the Korean War. Unfortunately, as the two columnists demonstrated, our dominant reactions to those feelings have been belligerence and self-righteousness. Yes, Cawley said, America has problems, but look at the good it has done the world. “It was the United States that resurrected England, France, West Germany, and Japan from the ruins of the European and Pacific battlegrounds.” These countries should help America with its present problems be cause they need America more than it needs them, Cawley concluded. “If there were no U.S.,” Ashby agreed, “a goodly chunk of the world would get down on its knees and pray for one.” Ashby decided it was time to stop feeling guilty. He even promised to punch in the nose the next person who tries to blame him for the world’s problems. He’s right. Americans shouldn’t feel guilty. We sometimes do because we’re Utopians. We want a perfect America in a perfect world, and blame ourselves for not achieving what can’t be achieved. What we are achieving, and should be proud of, is our constant striving to improve. In America, a problem perceived is a problem admitted is a problem worked on. Public opinion has weight here. The CIA doesn’t try to assassinate foreign heads of state anymore because the American public won’t stand for it. We no longer tolerate identifiable discrimination. We were even able to cope with the fearfully disillusioning revelations of Watergate. If anything, we should feel smug. But we don’t, simply because we are more concerned about what there is still to be achieved rather than with resting on our laurels. We don’t need to remind our allies that we saved their economies after World War II, as Cawley suggested. We know and they know that we did. Reminding them would only make them begrudge the fact. Nor should we go around punching our critics in the nose. Foreign nations are like children with guns. They are dangerous, irra tional and hard to deal with. Belligerence and self-righteousness will get us into situations'lea'difrg to more guilt and frustration af be$t, annihilation at worst. That doesn’t mean America has to feed a bunch of hand biters. We should reward cooperation and punish mischievousness decisively and consistently. That’s what an adult would expect. Why raise children to expect something else? po\s VTA £ i tam Critics hit Carter for foreign policy By HELEN THOMAS UPI White House Reporter WASHINGTON — President Carter won his most applause at Georgia Tech in Atlanta this week when he spoke of the United States as a peacemaker. The occasion was the major foreign pol icy address in which Carter explained what he believes is the necessary United States ambivalence in dealing with the Soviets. But the applause was untypical of the response Carter has been getting from political columnists and other pundits around the country who believe the presi dent has led the United States down the path to becoming a second-rate power. His critics want him to “do something, if only to give the appearance of a super- power acting when challenged. In Washington’s Georgetown circles where diplomats, politicians and socialites gather, and Henry Kissinger is lionized, there is a growing frustration at what is Letters to the Editor Change in library move unfair, ‘mess’ Editor: All of us who have a research paper to do this semester were told to get all of our library work finished before March 12 be cause the library was going to start its big move. I felt it was going to be an inconve nience, but one that I could work around since I had been warned early in the seme- ter. Later the library announced that it would not be moving until May 14 because of a delayed shelving delivery. I felt re lieved and revised my library work schedule. My professor also changed my schedule and delayed the due date for the different parts of our project. Now I am aware that the library has once again changed the date of “the big move” back to March 12. Y feel that the policy makers at the li brary are inconsiderate and quite rude. It appears that they expect the students and faculty at Texas A&M to organize their li brary work around some floating deadline. I would like to know why there is an aire of urgency around this move? Wouldn’t it be easier for everyone concerned to wait until May to move. I feel we can suffer one more semester with our old and tiny li brary better than with a big new disor ganized mess. —Les Schlain, ’80 in history, with regard to the civil rights of its enslaved subjects. And to support this government through trade — even trade on a cash basis, if we can be bold enough to assume our government won and extended credit to them — is to support enslavement of innocent people. That, Mr. Gramm is morally wrong. —Karen Tooley, ’78 506B Dogwood College Station the quad area and hear a bugle being played early in the morning, evening, or late at night to please stop whatever you may be doing and stand quietly until the call is finished. Thank you. — Chuck Schmitt, ’81 Pay due respect Editor: It was a little disturbing Tuesday eve ning to watch a person ride his bicycle down the middle of the Corps quad as re treat was being blown and the entire Corps stood saluting the American flag. This is to ask anyone that might be in 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 viewed as U.S. impotence on the interna tional front. Carter does not see it that way. “The United States cannot control events within other nations,” he said, referring to the Vietnam War which cost so many lives and billions of dollars. “A few years ago we tried and failed. But the president’s laid-back style is neither always understood nor totally ad mired. In the case of Iran, the all-out support of the shah even when the handwriting on the wall was so clear, was not enough for the critics. They still maintain that more should have been done to keep the shah on the throne. As it is, the United States kept up the facade of a pro-shah policy as long as it was possible, even when his days were num bered. The shah himself bitterly feels the United States could have done more to save his regime. On another front, there also is a strong and growing lobby among former govern ment officials and diplomats to block ratifi cation of the strategic arms agreement with the Soviets. Not only are these exoffi cials against a SALT II treaty, they also believe that Russian-backed “adven turism” in other parts of the world should play a part in the acceptance or defeat of an arms pact. Carter would like to keep an arms agreement with the Soviets separate from the adversary relationship between the superpowers in other political arenas. But it remains to be seen whether he will be able to do so. He believes that a parity of nuclear arms with the Soviets and independent verifica tion of cheating will go a long way to re duce the risk of a nuclear war. There have been instances in reverse when the Russians decided that linkage would not be in their best interests. When President Richard Nixon decided to bomb Haiphong harbor where Russian ships were anchored during the Vietnwar, there was an uproar that his action might blow up the SALT I negotiations. But that did not happen. Nixon made his Moscow summit journey and the treaty was signed. So, each nation is acting in its best interests. Carter’s peacemaking pursuits are on two tracks — to achieve a strategic arms accord with the Russians, and to keep them from intervening directly or indirectly in world troublespots. Support immoral Editor: To Congressman Phil Gramm: In a recent letter to my husband you said you are ‘not opposed to the recogni tion of Red China or any other nation with which we might exchange goods on a cash basis.” That sounds favorable eco nomically, but morally it is more than lack ing. The government Carter wants to sup port is not even a legitimate government by any wildest stretch of the imagination. Its power rests entirely on the past murder of some 30-60,000,000 of its fellow coun trymen, largely through the use of 69 dif ferent kinds of horrible tortures, and on the visible readiness of the present regime to repeat that . much as needed during decades ahead. The very nature of the Peiping govern ment is shown by the thousands of its young people who risk their lives every year trying to make the long hard danger ous swim through shark-infested waters to fieedom in Hong Kong. Here is brutal Top of the News A&d CAMPUS lin P Plant team places third at meet Texas A&M University’s Range Plant Identification Team placed third at an annual meeting of the Society of Range Management in Casper, Wyo. Senior Tim Berry placed as third high individual among competition with 107 other contestants. Team members in clude Berry, Robert Ball, Henry Hinesley, Charlie Brown, Karen Kaag, Patricia Dorward, Judy Fairchild and M. Vance Mitchell. The coach is Dr. Marshall Haferkamp, a Texas A&M assistant professor in the Range Science Department. Child program registration set Registration for the Department of Health and Physical Educa tion’s Child Movement Program will be held Monday from 1 to 2 p.m. on the third floor of G. Rollie White Coliseum. Classes begin Wed nesday and will meet on Monday and Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m. for 10 weeks. Classes are open to everyone. For information, contact Dr. Carl Gabbard, Department of Health and Physical Education at 845-6841. LOCAL Fund-raising fashion show set The Brazos Valley unit of the American Diabetes Association will sponsor a fund-raising fashion show Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Ramada Inn ballroom. Professional models and Texas A&M University stu dents will present dance, music, lights and fashions from local mer chants. Tickets cost $4. Refreshments will be served. STATE Clements pushes energy plan Texas Gov. Bill Clements will try to persuade the National Gover nors’ Conference in Washington, D.C. next week to denounce the national energy program and adopt a plan geared toward production, he said. The plan is similar to resolutions passed by the Texas Energy Advisory Council and the Legislature calling for deregulation of oil and gas prices and full scale production of U.S. energy resources. More gang members arrested 3rd appeal filed in Torres case The Justice Department has, for the third time, asked a federal appeals court to overturn light prison sentences given three former Houston police officers convicted in the death of Joe Campos Torres Jr. In a brief filed Wednesday, the government asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a three-member appeals panel which refused to alter the one-year sentences in the controversial case. The officers were convicted of felony civil rights violations carry ing maximum life sentences for depriving Torres of his civil rights. NATION 5 indicted for racketeering Wyoming approves coal pipeline WORLD Iran tries to extradite shah Iran’s deputy premier for revolutionary affairs, Ibrahim Yazdi, said the new Tehran regime will ask any government harboring the shah to return him to Iran. Yazdi also said that revolutionary courts similar to the one in Tehran that has sentenced eight generals to death are to be set up in all Iranian provincial capitals. WEATHER Mostly cloudy with a chance of thundershowers through the weekend. High today 70 and a low of 50. Winds are moving from the Northwest at 5-10 mph. 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 ntimber 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. Texas A&M American coui expands in ne Miller. In remarks 1 Texas A&M ca stressing mute tween land gn “The growt America, finds ! and horizontal! | this, especially Most of the < | abroad is carrii [ experiment sta The role of | and technolog; the U.S. Cong In Title XI I provided fund money aids the | respond to for Title XII alsi I included five a major role. M especially sign | more than one While the r I East Pakistan i | responsibility As the assist; ng its activitit 0 ork By ROBI Battalj Starting this i off campu ntative from nearby answer que Robert K. A tor for the E be in Brya in emplo abor id pt sist Corpus Christi Sheriff Solomon Ortiz confirmed Thursday that three more members of the Bandidos motorcycle club have been arrested in Nueces County. Seven Bandidos have been taken into custody in the past two weeks in an apparent crackdown on the gang. “There’s a rumor they may be trying to set up a headquarters in South Texas, Ortiz said. does nc public ei udes those Universi Before this ] irsons wan tii the Laboi i Houston. ‘Ninety pert area of nor iderson said. Other probl iderson said, at least s be paid fir Five union officials, including four questioned in connection with the disappearance of former Teamsters Union President James R. Hoffa, were indicted on racketeering charges Thursday. The officials were indicted in New Jersey in connection with a scheme to accept funds from trucking firms to ensure labor peace. The Wyoming Legislature has passed a bill authorizing a coal slurry pipeline to Texas. The measure has been sent to Gov. Ed Herschler, who has not said whether he will sign it. The bill would permit Texas Eastern Transmission Corp. to divert 3,500 acre-feet of water peryeai from the Little Big Horn River in northern Wyoming for use in the pipeline. Water would be necessary to push crushed coal through the slurry line to its destination on the Texas Gulf Coast. He i 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 KimTw" Managing Editor Liz Newt Assistant Managing Editor .Andy Wffil® Sports Editor David BogJ- City Editor Scott Pendlelt) Campus Editor SteveLff News Editors Debbie Beth Calhoun Staff Writers Karen Rogers, Mi 1 Patterson, Sean Petty, Dii- Blake, Dillard Stone. Bragg, Lyle Lovett Cartoonist DougCnkr Photo Editor Lee Roy Leschper, Photographer Lynnlfc Focus section editor Gary Wet 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-profit, supporting enterprise operated by sttidr-' as a university and community neuispup' Editorial policy is determined by the edit/

Texas A&M Newspaper Collection

Texas A&M Newspaper Collection

The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, February 23, 1979, Image 2

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