Slouch
by Jim Earle
AGGIES 13 t.U.' 1
“It may be only 6 wins in 40 years, but it's 3 wins out of the
last 5 years, and next year will make 4 outa 6, and then it’ll
be 5 outa 7, and then
Opinion
Kennedy remarks
could set Iran afire
Edward Kennedy has become the first candidate of either
party to bring the Iranian situation into the partisan political
arena, saying the shah had run ‘ one of the most violent
regimes in the history of mankind” and stolen “umpteen
billions of dollars from his country.”
Kennedy says his pronouncement does not contradict his
earlier pledge to keep Iran out of partisan politics. This
rationalization certainly deserves some added explanation.
Acting Senate Republican leader Ted Stevens of Alaska
believes Kennedy’s statements give comfort to the gangs
ters holding American hostages in Iran. Stevens suggested
that Kennedy’s remarks may encourage the fanatics “to
delay the release of the hostages long enough so that maybe
Senator Kennedy would be president and maybe there
would be a trial of the shah. ”
We hope Stevens is wrong. The real issue is the Amer
icans kidnapped. This issue and the safe release of the
Americans should be the primary concern of all Americans,
including Senator Kennedy.
Kennedy’s political smoke should not encourage other
candidates to set fires which can only be harmful to the
United States.
Las Vegas Sun
the small society
by Brickman
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The Battalion
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J
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Editor Liz Newlin
Managing Editor Andy Williams
Asst. Managing Editor Dillard Stone
News Editors Karen Cornelison
and Michelle Burrowes
Sports Editor Sean Petty
City Editor Roy Bragg
Campus Editor Keith Taylor
Focus Editor Beth Calhoun
Staff Writers Meril Edwards, Nancy
Andersen, Louie Arthur, Richard Oliver,
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Allen, Debbie Nelson, Rhonda Watters
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Photographers Lynn Blanco, Sam
Stroder, Ken Herrera
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Opinions expressed in The Battalion are
those of the editor or of the writer of the
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as a university and community newspaper.
Editorial policy is determined by the editor.
Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Monday
December 10, 1979
Analysis
Decline in population of Germany
may necessitate women in the draft
By HANS-ULRICH SPREE
International Writers Service
BONN — In contrast to the United
States, where the revival of the draft is
being debated, universal military conscrip
tion here in West Germany is an institution
that nearly everyone accepts.
But a question that has come increasing
ly under discussion within the past year is
whether women ought to be compelled to
serve in the army along with their male
counterparts.
Oddly enough, an influential association
of professional soldiers favors national duty
for women — on condition that they be
trained only for logistical, communica
tions, medical, staff and other non-combat
roles.
Until now, West German politicians
have been reluctant to get involved in the
subject. But they are going to face growing
pressure on the issue, if only for numerical
reasons.
Under terms laid down by the Western
powers at a conference in 1954, West Ger
many must make a defense contribution to
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization by
maintaining 12 divisons, a total of 500,000
troops.
That obligation has been met since then
by combining some 270,000 regular and
shorter-term volunteer soldiers with
230,000 draftees, who are called up at the
age of 18 for 15 months of service.
A problem lies ahead, however, and it
might be attributed in part at least to the
birth-control pill, which first came into
popular use here during the mid-1960s.
The West German population has been
declining. And, as a result, there will not
be enough young men available for con
scription by the end of the 1980s. Thus the
need to draft the Johannas and Wilhel-
mines along with the Johanns and the
Wilhelms.
As it now functions, the system of nation
al service runs with relative smoothness.
Among its other features, it permits objec
tors to military duty to perform 18 months
in alternative jobs, such as orderlies in hos
pitals or nursing homes.
To the extent that women are welcome
in the army as volunteers, they primarily
operate as physicians and medics.
In fact, there is a surplus of manpower at
the moment, as that the army lacks the
facilities to accomodate all the 18-year-olds
of draft age. As a consequence, numbers
are deferred to continue working or to
attend universities, and this prompts those
who are called up to complain.
One idea advanced recently has been for
youths deferred from service to pay a spe
cial tax, presumably to compensate for
their good fortune. The idea has gone no
where. In any event, the manpower sur
plus will soon become a deficit, and that is
troubling planners.
A proposal has been made to lengthen
the present 15-month conscription period
to two years. But this has met with resist
ance, for a couple of reasons.
In the first place, it is not politically
popular. More significantly, it encounters
the opposition of employers, who believe
that a combination of longer service and a
shrinking population will make it more and
more difficult for them to find labor.
Another suggestion offered has been to
strengthen the volunteer component in the
army by making enlistment more attrac
tive. The argument against this approach,
however, is that a largely volunteer army
would be composed heavily of men with
the lowest qualifications.
Still another notion put forth has been to
make conscription mandatory for J
foreigners, thousands of whom Ih
here as workers. But such a mow
drive them home. Moreover, llielj
quires that they must be
serve, and West Germany is notj
about handing out citizenship.
By a process of elimination, t
seems that drafting women mayb
answer. This is the position ofthej
tion of professional soldiers knowij
“Deutsche Bundeswehrverbantff
endorses compulsory military s
both sexes.
According to the association’sp
women would have the samei
ties and privileges now accortjfg
men, including the right toedu
ferments and to civilian tasks ifibj
to military duties. The difference,j
is that women would be exenml
fighting.
For the present, however, then
the female conscript is still an;
But as West Germany’s popul
dines, it may look more likear
Spree, a West German tefevisia
mentator, writes on social issuesiij
Germany.
Dick West
Reversing the Q. and A. fan
produces ‘elucidating’ questm\
By DICK WEST
United Press International
WASHINGTON — During the past
month, I have read approximately 708
background articles on Iran.
If the crisis lasts much longer, Iranian
background production could easily reach
the level of cottage industry, contributing
almost as much to the Gross National Pro
duct as garage sales.
Most of the background up to now has
been supplied by Arabic language profes
sors. The field is wide open, however. Any
one with a matched set of Iranian insights
can qualify for a backgrounding license.
There are a number of ways of processing
and refining background material. One is
the familiar question-and-answer format.
Q. and A. elucidation owes its popularity
in part to the fact that the elucidator has
control of both the interrogatives and the
replies. ,,
In all the years I have been reading Q.
and A. backgrounders, I have never known
an elucidator to pose a question he couldn’t
answer.
Q. Which came first, the question or the
answer?
A. The answer. Traditionally, the eluci
dator starts out with a body of background
information and then shapes the questions
to fit it.
In the case of Iran, for example, the elu
cidator might be up on the word “chador. ”
So one of the questions inevitably would
be: “What do you call that long, black piece
of cloth worn by Iranian women?”
Believing as I do in intellectual honesty,
I have decided the most scrupulous way of
backgrounding Iran is to reverse the usual
order and elucidate A. and Q.
Following, then, are some of the answers
I had squirreled away in my storehouse of
knowledge. After a great deal of painstak
ing research, I now have the questions to
go with them.
A. Hue.
Q. We hear a lot about an Iranian minor
ity group known as Kurds. Where do Kurds
come from?
A. The name originally was spelled
“Purrsia. It came about because there
were so many cats in the region.
Q. The country now known as Iran pre
viously was called Persia. How did it get
that name?
A. That term is deeply rooted in tradi
tion. It refers to the nomadic custom of
covering tent floors with rugs made from
cat fur.
Q. Why are carpets made in Iran still
called Persian rugs?
A. There was a great deal of prejudice
against his poetry owing to his habit of
composing his verses aboard a boat, which
he had painted dark red. Thet
detested by many Iranians, whod
referred to the boat as the Rubyj
Besides that, anyone named Omar*
tieally had two strikes against 1
Q. Although Omar Khayyam istle
famous Persian poet in the westefl
a number of other Persian poets
highly regarded in Iran itself,
that?
my Bayei
phomore
hristmas
Letters
Freshman senator explains details
of decision to make Taps monthly
Editor:
As a freshman senator and as a cadet in
the Corps (which thrives, in part, on tradi
tions) I feel qualified to offer an explanation
for the senate’s actions Wednesday night in
passing the Silver Taps Resolution which
will make the service monthly.
First of all let me remind you of A&M ’s
history. At one time A&M was a small col
lege with an all male Corps. Through the
years the college has become a large uni
versity and the Corps is no longer manda
tory. Women have been admitted to both
the University and the Corps. Despite
these changes which were, I am sure un
thinkable in its early years, Aggieland still
thrives. I dare say that no Aggie today,
despite these modifications feels less spirit
or pride than did the first graduating class.
A&M has been modified over the years
and so must all that is associated with it,
including cherished customs. The very fact
that we have a memorial to our dead —
Silver Taps — is unique and sets A&M
apart from any other university in the coun
try. Making the service monthly instead of
the Tuesday following the death of a stu
dent will enable the University to reserve
10 to 11 p.m. once a month so that no other
events are scheduled for the intramural
field, MSG, OPAS, athletics, etc. This way
no other campus activities will conflict with
the memorial service.
A myriad of issues were dealt with con
cerning the Silver Taps Resolution. The
first order was to determine who would
benefit from the scheduling modifications
of Silver Taps. Many families of deceased
students said (contrary to popular opinion)
that they perferred a service a few weeks
after the death to reflect upon it at a time of
stronger emotional stability. Furthermore,
with the elimination of conflicting campus
events, more students could arrange their
studies in order to attend the memorial
service. So far this semester, there have
been so many memorial services that some
students have begun to equate Tuesday
with “just another Silver Taps.”
There were many facts and figures pre
sented to the senate, but the most impor
tant were the results of the Student Gov
ernment Survey held in the MSG last
week. Of the 1,193 or so who responded
about 900 were upperclassmen and gradu
ate students. The upperclassmen and gra
duates voted in favor of the bill; the sopho
mores were tied in their opinion; and the
freshmen opposed it.
While the majority of my freshmen con
stituency and those of other freshman sena
tors were against the Silver Taps Resolu
tion, I felt the situation was unique and
deemed it necessary to let the voice of
experience override the popular decision
of a majority. Five of the seven freshman
senators voted “yea. The roll call vote of
all the senators is available in the Student
Government Office.
— Chris May, ’83
Freshman Senator
In memory
of Amer Sheikh
Amer served as secretary (77-78)i
president (78-79) of the Muslim Stui
Association and has always been oneoti
most active members. He was foiP I
member and president (79-) of the Pate |
Club at TAMU. He was a memberoflj
Eta Sigma, Sigma Gamma Tau,
Gamma, Tau Beti Pi and the AIAA
Texas A&
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lave given a
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He was a wonderful person. Amerii<|
on Friday in a car accident on his way)*
from Houston.
Amer Sheikh was to graduate on Dec. 14
with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace en
gineering, magna cum laude.
He had been accepted for the doctor of
engineering program at Texas A&M Uni
versity. His sister Erum Sheikh is an eco
nomics major here; his father and uncle are
both Aggies, class of ’54 and ’48.
We express our deepest com
and heartfelt sympathies to Amersfc
He will remain with us always in
We pay that God bless his soul and gi'y
family the strength and courage to bear
tragic loss.
-The Pakistan
The Muslim Students Assi
Thotz
By Doug Graham
EARbie TUE \aJERE-MACrCrOT
IS PREPARE Or TO UiEEENT)
HIMSELF AGAINST EVICTION
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PQR.CES. U\S HOIAE IS
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