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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1979)
Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University , Tuesday April 17, 1979 Reflections U.S. policy gutless It is once again time to pick on South Africa to make political brownie points at home. This past week South Africa understandably expelled three U.S. military attaches for suspected spying. Monday the Carter regime replied by expel ling two South African military attaches, but gave no reason. Eager to punish the South Africans for their apartheid racist policies, Carter showed his teeth. At first. Carter’s action appeared to be a welcome change from his usual gutless foreign policy. But in reality it isn’t. His action smacks of two-faced foreign policy. It seems Carter’s human rights policies extend only to countries small enough for us to push around. Notice it does not extend to our new “friends,” the communist Chinese, whose oppressive regime is responsible for untold deaths. It does not include Russia, the land where concentration camps were invented (Hitler saw a good thing) and where individual freedom is nil. Instead Carter picks on the tough guys, like little Nicaragua, South Africa and Rhodesia. Russia is destabilizing many nations from the Middle East to South America, and President Carter spends his time picking on South Africa. U.S. policy on the whole seems strict with governments it is fashionable to hate, even as it caves in to others. Gen. Omar Torrijos, dictator of Panama, is evidence of that. Though he is a tyrant no better than Somoza of Nicaragua, he has ended up with the Panama Canal. After succeeding in getting Taiwan expelled from the United Nations, and securing recognition from Carter, The People’s Republic of China has learned of the American deference to strong totalitarian regimes. Teng Hsiao Ping was the toast of Washington, even though Chinese soldiers massacred American G.I.s captured during the Korean War. It is a shame people can’t remember that. But Carter insists on attacking South Africa. It and Rhodesia are demo cratic and have elected parliaments. Their crime is that socially, they are where the United States used to be. Except they never sank to the level of enslaving blacks like the United States did. Americans don’t seem to understand that in South Africa the black tribes like our American Indians are separate nations, except the African tribes were not exterminated the way the American ones were. South Africa and Rhodesia’s policies are not right. But the United States should be supportive, not coercive, in seeking change. Instead, we force our U. S. solutions on them. Rhodesia has finally moved toward multi-racial rule (their army, by the way, is mostly black), but Carter still insists on including the murderers of missionaries and civilians in the new govern ment. He won’t be happy, it appears, unless the communist-backed elements are included in Rhodesia’s new government. He has forgotten what has happened to most countries that have had that arrangement. This is not to advocate simplistic solutions to foreign policy. Rather it is to say that even-handedness should be exercised. Carter’s spinelessness in SALT II and world affairs is frightening. If he is willing to sell Taiwan for popularity and foist SALT II on America for political reasons, he will probably cash in South Africa for the minority vote. To juggle the fates of nations and peoples for home politics is disgusting and short-sighted. It isn’t surprising that this kind of game is played by the president — Carter is a proven master of the half-truth (He never was a nuclear engineer, for instance.) and the artificial smile. “Trust me?” Carter has done so many things solely for their political symbolic signifi cance, he has come up way short on substance. And the United States and the world will suffer. Slouch By Jim Earle ‘Oops! Sorry, I forgot about your sunburn. Get politicking back in ’80 presidential debates Letters to the Editor Heroic radio rescuers Editor: Last night I returned from my hometown of Wichita Falls and this is the first chance I ve had to publicly thank a fantastic group of guys, the MSC Radio Committee. Upon hearing about the tornado Tuesday eve ning, I contacted David McCarty, chair man of the committee and he immediately began contacting the rest of his people and finding out as much information about the tornado’s path as possible. They then stayed up all night relaying emergency information in and out of Wichita Falls, Vernon, and Lawton, aiding not only the students affected here, but answering calls from all over the nation as to the general area and streets affected. If anybody has ever doubted the purpose of Texas A&M funding a ham radio station, I hope they now realize that the radio is sometimes a person’s only link to his family or home. My deepest gratitude goes out to the radio committee for their unselfish help to hundreds of people who had family and possessions in Wichita Falls. —Scott Terry, ’80 in order to empathize with what takes place. Go to see “Equus” partially in support of a part of Texas A&M which seems to be coming to its own — theater arts. But go mostly because you will be the one to miss out if you don’t go. —Linda Clark, ’79 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 By DAVID S. BRODER WASHINGTON — I love the League of Women Voters, each and every one of them. And I am indebted to the Twentieth Century Fund for any number of useful studies and reports on public policy issues. But candor compels me to say that I smell a rat in the recent report from a Twentieth Century Fund task force recommending that the League of Women Voters be asked to sponsor televised presidential debate again in 1980, as in 1976. Mind you, I share the view that such debates are a healthy part of the campaign and ought to be institutionalized. In fact, I would go further than the timorous task force and say they might well be required. But I am not at all persuaded that they ought to be negotiated, arranged and man aged by “a nonprofit, nonpartisan citizen group,” namely the League of Women Voters, as the Twentieth Century Fund says. It strikes me as logical that the sponsor ship of presidential campaign debates is properly the province of the political par ties. They pick the candidates, and logi cally, they ought to have the responsibility for presenting them to the public. The fact that this rather obvious possibil ity is not even hinted at in the Twentieth Century Fund task force report — not even in a footnote or a dissent — may be related to the makeup of the task force. It is full of eminent, high-minded people: two print journalists, two professors; two television executives; a pair of campaign consultants; assorted businessmen, lawyers and civic busybodies. But the only name I can identify with any leadership experience or responsibility in a political party organization is that of Gary, Indiana, Mayor Richard G. Hatcher, a member of the Democratic National Committee. Hatcher I am informed, was in no sense serving as a party representative on the task force. Having that kind of task force decide the question of future sponsorship of presiden tial debates is about as fair as having a joint task force of the Republican and Demo cratic national committees recommend fu ture tax-exemption policies for educational foundations and nonpartisan citizen groups. The deck is equally stacked. Why does it matter who sponsors presi dential debates, as long as we have them? It matters, because the sponsors set the tone of the proceedings. If the sponosr believes that matters of serious policy should be discussed in a detached, academic, nonpar tisan way, then that is the kind of debate you are going to get. As it happens, our presidental campaings are already getting to look too much like nonpartisan popularity contests. They are already seen by too many people as a com petition between individuals operating at a lofty level, far removed from the crass par tisan battles of congress or the state house. That is malarkey, and a dangerous de ception. What we need to do is tie these free-floating presidential characters down to the reality of the party’s history, interests and philosophy, and not let them promise policies that will be quickly repudiated in office. The obvious objection to letting the par ties sponsor the debates is that they will rule out any third-party or independent contenders. But that is a phony argument. The blessed nonpartisan League of Wo men Voters kept Eugene J. McCarthy off its show in 1976. And the Twentieth Cen tury Fund task force, by insisting that par ticipation ought to be optional for anyone, explicitly acknowledges that either major- party nominee can effectively veto sharing the stage with a third or fourth contender. A different task force might have come up with a much more straightforward solu tion to the problem of arranging for presi dential debates. It might have called on Congress to sus pend Section 315 (the “equal time” re quirement ) for the purpose of permitting debates between the major-party presi dential and vice-presidential candidates. I might also have recommended an amend ment to the Campaign Finance Act which made participation in those debates a con dition for the Democratic or Republican nominee obtaining public subsidy of cam paign costs. It does not strike me as unreasonable to insist that a candidate who is enjoying a $14 million taxpayers’ subsidy would be re quired to show up four time in a two-month period for a debate with his opponent. Finally, such a task force might have said to Bill Brock, the Republican chairman, and John White, the Democratic chariman: If you want taxpayer fund, you two fellows get together and jointly select a third per son to join you on the board of directors for the debates, and then hammer out the times, places and formats td be used. Let the debates be as direct, uninhi bited, lusty and — yes. Aunt Agatha — partisan as possible, and let us see if the shock of that kind of candidate confronta tion just might rouse a few people enough to vote. For those who are too elevated in the their nonpartisanship to stand the sight, free eye-shades can be provided. But, for goodness sake, let us get politics back into presidential campaigns before we are all bored to death (c) 1979, The Washington Post Company Experience ‘Equus’ Editor: Thursday night I had the opportunity to see the Aggie Players’ presentation “Equus” and, in my opinion, it was excel lent. I am not a critic of theater arts, and so I probably was unaware of technical prob lems and actors’ blunders — but I know the play made me think about things I had never thought of before. And, I know that it made me feel. Chip Washabaugh was absolutely fantas tic as Alan Strang, the stable boy. With his acting ability. Chip created a character that tore my heart out. And though Sid Catlett, who played the doctor, was slow in getting started — by the end of the second act I could also feel his pain. I was also im pressed with the portrayal of the horse Nugget by Pat Martine. I strongly urge my fellow students and staff to see “Equus. ” But if you do go, see it with a respect for the actors’ abilities and a very open mind — for the subject matter is not typical of A&M. But more important, see it with a willingness to feel — to feel an intensity of emotion you probably have not ever felt before. And remember you do not have to agree with all that is said in the play Top of the New ; s LOCAL Silver Taps for Tidwell tonight Silver Taps memorial services for Lee Matthew Tidwell are to night. Tidwell, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. John J. Tidwell of 826 Sharpshire, Grand Prarie, and Jerrel Glenn Hyde, 19, died Sunday in Grand Prarie when the dune buggy they were riding went out o( control and turned over on them, investigators said. Tidwell was a sophomore finance major and the 11th student fatality of tie academic year. Hyde was not a student at Texas A&M University, Ao iun ere lire ? t is STATE Former Daily Texan editor Th< ver ere 5th eci ler: obe ti Michael Eakin, 28, a former editor of the University of Texas stu dent newspaper, died Sunday from gunshot wounds suffered Satur day in a Houston nightclub parking lot. Eakin died during surgery to remove a bullet from his chest. Also wounded in the shooting was a woman companion, Dila Davis, 42, of Austin, who was shot in tie jaw. She was in critical condition Sunday at Ben Taub Hospital. Police said they have no motive for the shooting in the parkinglotof I the Texas Opry House in southwest Houston. Eakin was editor of Tlr “ Daily Texan in 1973-74 and later worked for the Austin Sun. am< Co Windshield shatters on airplane jire Bo as ( An outer windshield shattered on a Braniff 727 bound for Dallas- Fort Worth Regional Airport, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing at a smaller airfield. Braniff officials said they do not know why the windshield shattered. “It’s the first time we’ve had one, spokesman Lou Garzia said Sunday. The plane, flying from Houston to D-FW, landed safely at Love Field Sunday afternoon. No injuries were reported and the 39 passengers aboard were transported to D-FW by shuttle bus. iei iurt Bo rise New pipeline to bring Texas gas rso Af Northern Natural Gas Co. Monday announced plans for a $30 mil lion pipeline project to connect new supplies of natural gas from tie Matagorda and Mustang Island areas off the coast of Texas to tie mainland. Northern said if approved by the Federal Energy Regu latory Commission, the 42-mile, 24-inch pipeline would meet Chan nel Industries Gas Co.’s pipeline located onshore in Refugio County and have a capacity of 150 million cubic feet of natural gas daily. If timely federal regulatory approvals are obtained, Northern said it anticipated initial deliveries from the offshore Texas pipeline to begin during the 1980-81 heating season. The Omaha-based gas supplier serves 71 utility customers for distribution in 1,094 communities will a total population of 6 million. NATION Guards shot; $1 million taken Three security company guards Monday were found shot to deatl and at least $1 million stolen from a bullet-riddled brick garage of Percolator Security Inc. in Waterbury, Conn., police said. None of the guards were immediately identified. An FBI spokesman said more than a millon dollars was taken but would not speculate on the amount. He called its a “massive loss.” “They’re still trying to figure out how much was taken. But I think it’s going to be big,” said the spokesman. “It’s a major, major amount.” Customers may share nuke cost Power company officials say they expect their customers, investors and employees to help pay for the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear facility. William G. Kuhns, chairman of General Public Utilities Corp., a holding company that operates Three Mile Island, said Sunday replacing the Three Mile Island power supply will cost $800,000 a day or $24 million a month. “In view of the magnitude and major financial impact of this accident, it is apparent that there will have to be a sharing of this burden among our customers, our inves tors and our employees,” Kuhns said. He did not estimate the cleanup cost of America’s worst nuclear power plant accident. Kuhns indicated he expected the plant to resume operations some day, but did not say when he believed that could be possible. The U.S. Nu clear Regulatory Commission has said it could take several years to make the facility safe to operate. General Public has 1.5 million cus tomers. The Three Mile Island facility, owned jointly by Metropoli tan Edison Co., Pennsylvania Electric Co. and Jersey Central Power & Light Co., cost $780 million to build. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission starts hearings today on whether MetEd and Pennsylvania Electric may pass on the outside power purchase costs to their customers. g lan lys larc ra; Social Security almost bankrupt Unless there are legislated cuts in benefits, the federal government said Monday Social Security taxes should not be reduced through the next decade because of the system’s tottering financial position. As it now stands. Social Security will come perilously close to going into the red in the next two years, so a tax cut or prolonged economic downturn would threaten it with bankruptcy. Such a failure was avoided in 1977 by hefty tax increases. In its annual report, the government’s Board of Trustees for the Social Security system, said the current balance between income and expenditures is “quite fragile. ” If Congress votes a tax cut anyway, the trustees said, it must then follow the administration lead and reduce some of the benefits or devise “alternative financing arrangements.” de ilrr WEATHER Cloudy with 50% chance of rain today, 20% tonight, and30% tomorrow. High in upper 70’s and low in upper 40’s. 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. 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MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Managing Editor ,...Liz^ Assistant Managing Editor .Andy"® Sports Editor David M City Editor Scott Pe»® Campus Editor Sle' f News Editors Debbie Pf 5 Beth Calhoun Staff Writers Karen Rogers ** Patterson, Sean Petty, D 1 Blake, Dillard Stone, Royi Lyle Lovett, Keith Taylor Cartoonist DougCfll Photo Editor Lee Roy Lescli* 1 Photographer Lyi Focus section editor Gar) " 1 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-proj supporting enterprise operated by s as a university and community m. Editorial policy is determined by the