> < Viewpoint The Battalion Monday Texas A&M. University . April 2, 1979 Top of the News CAMPUS Women: Iran’s new unveiled threat The Iranian revolution is almost “hors de comment” at its present stage. Eventually it will run its chaotic course, of course, and a new order will emerge. The real shaping of the new Iran will begin when the revolution has exhausted itself. Nevertheless, the demonstrations in Tehran of women alarmed by the Ayatollah Khomeini’s comments on the proper dress for revolutionary womanhood are of more than usual interest and, just possibly, significance. One wonders where these women were, or what was their reaction, when the avatollah, remote-controlling the revolution from his French exile, was declaring to Iran and the world his goal of an Islamic republic where the word of the Koran would literally be law. Now that he is back home, there is surprise that he means it to apply to all Iranians. The stirring of opposition manifested by the Tehran demonstration suggests the ayatollah’s Islamic revolution could be entering a very trying period. The shah’s over-equipped army may have caved into it without a real fight, but never underestimate the determination of even the semi- liberated woman aroused on an issue that really matters. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal The Washington Answer Man goes global By ARNOLD SAWISLAK United Press International WASHINGTON — The Washington Answer Man is with us again today after spending some time at the State Depart ment. He says he now is prepared to enlighten us on the intricacies of foreign policy. Question! We’re delighted to have you here, sir. Now, can you answer a question I have had for weeks: just what is hegemony? Answer Man: Of course. Hegemony is a type of Russian fruit preserve or jam, usu ally served with strong tea and unsalted biscuits. Question: But sir, we were told all dur ing the visit of Chinese Vice Premier Deng that hegemony was a code word used by the Soviet Union to mean domi nance over other countries. Answer Man: Yes, the average Chinese cannot remain in a room where hegemony has been consumed within the last hour. The Chinese believe that hegemony is addictive and causes an insatiable urge to build intercontinental.balhstjc missiles. Question: While we are discussing China, what is the State Department’s ex planation of the Chinese decision to with draw from Vietnam? Was it the Soviet warning that halted their advance or Vietnamese resistance? Answer Man: Neither. The credit for the Chinese pullback goes entirely to the United States. Secretary Blumenthal told the vice premier that if the Chinese forces advanced just a few more miles into Vietnam they surely would be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Question: When the vice premier was visiting, he made clear his distaste for the Soviet Union and the proposed SALT treaty. Did that put the State Department in an uncomfortable position? Answer Man: Not at all. But the de partment understands it definitely upset a number of anti-SALT senators to be joined by the leader of the world’s largest com munist nation. Question: If we may turn to another area, can you tell us if it is true that the United States was taken completely un aware by the overthrow of the shah of Iran by the Ayatollah Khomeini? Answer Man: I can state categorically that contrary to what you may have heard, the State Department was never under the impression that the ayatollah was the father of a female Romanian gymnast. You may be interested to know that our intelli gence on Khomeini’s activities in France came from the fabled Inspector Clouseau himself. Question: We have been told that under the new republic, the torture methods used by the shah’s government will be ended. Is that a fact? Answer Man: Yes. From now on anyone Got a school policy beef? Well, your prime choice is The Battalion’s “Talk with Dr. Miller” section. It allow students to get a new slice of information from the “Man” himself. The section is a forum for readers to ad dress questions to the administration about University policies and procedures. Questions should be addressed to The who attempts to use torture in Iran will have his hands chopped off. Question: We also were wondering about U.S. relations with Mexico. Did President Carter’s visit to Mexico assure the United States of a reliable source of reasonably priced oil? Answer Man: Not exactly. But we have been told that as a result of the president’s arrival remarks Mexico will offer to keep the White House well supplied with paregoric. Question: We wondered. . . 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 ques tion or request others on the staff or faculty to answer it. Questions and answers will be published on the editorial page. A slice from the top Positions still open for election Students may still file to run for positions in the student senate and graduate student council. Bill Jentsch, election commissioner, said Sunday night that filing will be extended in those races until 4 p.m. Tuesday in Room 216 LM, Memorial Student Center. No one has filed for some positions in those groups, he said. Campus elections will still be next Monday and Tuesday. STATE Trucks, buses may set own rates The Texas House of Representatives today will consider a bill au thorizing motor carriers and motor bus companies to recommend rates their industries charge to the Railroad Commission. The bill, by Rep. Lynn Nabers, D-Brownwood, won tentative approval last Thursday and is up for a final vote. Two freshmen legislators — Reps. Ted Lyon, D-Mesquite, and Tom DeLay, R-Simonton —argued that the measure would make the rate bureaus of the trucking and bus industries immune from federal antitrust laws. Lyon and DeLay also argued that a similar law passed in Georgia recently had been suc cessfully challenged by tbe U.S. Department of Justice. Lyon said the bill would eliminate competition and a create monopolistic sys tem in Texas at the expense of consumers. Austin nuke vote called doomed Pro- and anti-nuclear forces agree the radiation leaks at Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania will significantly diminish the probability that the city will retain its share in the controversial South Texas Nuclear Project. Voters are to decide Saturday whether to retain Austin’s 16 percent share in the South Texas plant. A strong anti-nuclear movement forced the city council to offer voters the option of selling the city’s share of the controversial project well before the radiation leak in Harrisburg, Pa. Now, nuclear supporters concede, the chances of voters deciding at next Saturday’s election to retain Austin’s 16 percent share in the South Texas plant are signifi cantly diminished. “It’ll take a miracle to pull this one out,” one official of the pro-nuclear campaign said. NATION New disaster agency created President Carter has signed an executive order establishing a new agency to deal with nuclear and natural disasters and to help out in case of terrorist attacks, the White House announced Saturday. Gor don Vickery, 58, administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration, was named to be acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the new facility that became effective Sunday. Vickery is a former Seattle fire chief. Functions from other departments covering fire prevention and control, emergency broadcasts and floods were transferred to FEMA. The agency was created to deal with natural and nuclear disasters and to handje certain functions in the event ofa terrorist attack. Let Him be the final judge on gays By J. SCHADT Well folks. I’ve sat here for the past three years and read an awful lot of this student body’s Bible-based opinions con cerning the homosexual issue. Now as graduation nears, I figured I’d better get my enlightened Christian-heterosexual two cents in and be summarily criticized in return by those who put themselves above reproach. Of all the issues covered in the Bible that are relevant today, homosexuality Reader’s Forum seems to be the only issue that gets con demned with chapter and verse quotes from that Holy Book. Why not attack our population of adul terers, who by Playboy’s latest survey (March ’79) constitute a little over half of the (married) men in this country (sorry ladies, no figures for you all) versus 10 percent of American males who are gay. This leaves 40 percent of us “Good Joes” to lead the other 60 percent to salvation. Certainly if the Christians of today had it in their hearts to do the most good in God’s name they should start on the adul terers first. Or reform the thief who helped himself to that poor guy’s expen sive French-made bike last weekend in the northside dorm area — you know, do something constructive. Certainly there are lots of appropriate verses to reference for condemning such a dastardly deed as that in our Bible. My point being made, let me establish that a lot of our “straight” behavior is no better than our gay friends’ actions. The trouble with too many of us is that we re fuse to see that gay persons make substan tial contributions to society just as straights do. Examples of gays who have mad life a bit more enjoyable include (for the women): Sappho, a Greek poet of around 600 B.C.; Kate Millet, a U.S. au thor, and Janis Joplin a singer everybody knows. The men are represented by the likes of Socrates, Aristotle, Julius Caesar, Leonardo da Vinci and from more recent times, playwrite Tennessee Williams, poet Allan Ginsberg and of course, musicians David Bowie and Elton John. By DICK WEST WASHINGTON — The Washington Post added up federal anti-discrimination laws the other day and found that minorities now outnumber the majority. All told, it turned up eight different classifications of minorities variously based on sex, race, ancestry, military service, physical handicaps, age, religion and ethnicity. Lumped together, these categories en compass well more than half the popula tion. Which perhaps explains the rapid growth of the caucus system in Congress. Some congressmen organize themselves along racial or ethnic lines (the Black Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus, the Irish Caucus, etc.). Others are regional clusters, most nota bly the Sunbelt Caucus and the Frost Belt Caucus. Still others are oriented by mutual politi cal philosophy, demographical consid erations and even product affinity. You might think these groupings pretty well cover the spectrum of special interests in America, but that would be a misconcep tion on your part. The diversity of Ameri can society is such that a variety of other caucuses are needed. They include: The Sinistral Caucus — Open to all left- handed lawgivers, its main purpose is to insure equal opportunity for individuals who instinctively operate from the port side. Discrimination against southpaws al ready has dropped markedly. They now have separate but equal golf clubs, scissors, catcher’s mitts and such. Nevertheless, left-handers still are ob liged to use many facilities designed for the convenience of the right-handed majority. The Ringlet Caucus — Formed to look after the interest of the minority of Ameri cans who have naturally curly hair. No other group is more in danger of los ing its identity. With the steady improve ment of permanent wave potions, even people with hair so straight it looks ironed on can be given a natural looking friz. The caucus is expected to press for legis- Granted, none of these folks are scientist-engineering types nor do they qualify as A&M Former Students, but let us recognize that their contributions have been at least as great. Since God put us here to serve His purposes, why don’t we let Him do the judging? We’ll probably all be surprised. /. Schadt is a senior at Texas A