THOTZ
By Doug Graham
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Opinion
Fuel program is federal fiasco
Washington bureaucrats excel at overkill. . .The latest
example lies in the issuance of federal fuel assistance
checks.
Most of the poor who receive Supplemental Security
Income payments also are receiving a one-time payment
ranging up to $250 under the new “energy crisis assistance
program.” But in at least one state where figures are avail
able, Michigan, 15 percent of the recipients live in institu
tions where they do not incur separate heating costs.
When questioned . . ., a spokeswoman for the Social Se
curity Administration, which administers the fuel assis
tance program, said it was not a mistake; the checks were
mailed deliberately without regard for the recipients living
arrangements — in the interest of speed of delivery.
The fuel assistance program is expected to cost $1.35
billion. Of that total, $1.2 billion is being distributed by the
Department of Health, Education and Welfare as energy
allowances and $400 million is allocated to recipients to
Supplemental Security Income.
If the number of recipients living in institutions in other
states is anywhere near the number in Michigan — and it
probably is — there is reason to send up a cry of dismay
and anger.
As one local wag put, “With taxes the way they are, the
government might as well take out a second mortgage on
my house — and it won’t pay my heating bills. ”
Durham, N.C., Morning Herald
the small society
by Brickman
The Battalion
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MEMBER
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Editor Roy Bragg
Associate Editor Keith Taylor
News Editor Rusty Cawley
Asst. News Editor Karen Cornelison
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Focus Editor Rhonda Watters
Senior City Reporter Louie Arthur
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General Assignment Reporters .
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Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Friday
January 18, 1980
-
New rules for importing parrots
will drive travelers crackers
By DICK WEST
If you are one of those people who have
a feeling life is growing evennore compli
cated, better leave your birds at home the
next time you travel abroad.
Birds make delightful traveling compan
ions, sure. I know people who wouldn’t go
anywhere without one. But if I were about
to embark on a world tour, I would se
riously consider hiring a bird-sitter.
Here’s the question: Is the pleasure you
might derive from the bird’s company
worth the both of learning the new
regulations just issued by the U.S. De
partment of Agriculture.
In my opinion, no. And if you happen to
own a parrot or a parakeet, it probably will
tell you the same thing.
Nevertheless, there are always some
people who can’t bear the thought of going
off and leaving their birds behind, no mat
ter what. For their benefit, I shall
endeaver to present a coherent summary
of the rules that took effect this week.
To begin on a bright note, “Persons who
take pet birds out of the United States and
return with them witin 60 days will not
have to put them in quarantine. ” I’m quot
ing here from a government press release.
However, such persons “should keep in
mind that they will be able to bring only
two hookbilled birds back into the country
during any one year.
Also remember to obtain veterinary
health certificates before departing and to
have the birds banded or tattoed for iden
tification purposes.
Suppose, for example, you are off for a
month in Spain with an albatross, an os-
pray and a snowy egret. Fine. No prob
lem.
m<
But if you are taking along a falcon,
toucan and flamingo, you’ve got trouble.
The shape of their beaks is such that only
two can come back with you. Which
means you have to find someone willing to
board a strange falcon, toucan or flamingo
for the next 12 months. No easy task. Can
put a heavy strain on friendships.
But not just any port of entiy
quarantine facilities are available mi Ut-ra
New York, Miami, Brownsville, h ere n(
El Paso, Negales, San Ysidro, LosA^
and Honolulu.
All don’t forget that quarantine
must be reserved in advance. Wei
vance,” the Agriculture Departmenti I’Gorn
Plus you will need a $40 deposit In net
quarantine charges, which wil ninf
$80 for a single bird or $100 peroj luioxt
cases of multiple occupancy.
The new regulations further provide
that if you are out of the country more than
two months, or if you acquire, say, a
Spanish pelican while you are gone, then
the birds must be quarantined at a port of
entry for 30 days.
So there you have it, bird lovers
less, of course, you are only
Canada. In which case the rulesareij /orks:
ent.
Hope you have a nice trip anyway
don’t forget to write.
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Soviets should listen to Americans
By JIM ANDERSON
The roof of the Soviety embassy on 16th
Street is a jumbled forest of antennas —
shortwave, microwave and even televi-
with the commuter traffic reports, the fol
lowing riddle:
“What is covered with sand and glows in
the dark?”
However, there does not appear to be a
citizens band receiver in the embassy. If
there were, the Soviets might have a bet
ter understanding of the depth of feeling
in this country about the Iranian crisis
and, therefore, they wouldn’t have been
so surprised at the strong reaction by
American political leaders to the Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan.
if the Iranians hurt our hos-
If the Soviet intelligence analysts had
been listening to CB Channel 4 around 9
a.m. the ( other day instead of trying to
intercept high-level telephone conversa
tions they would have heard, intermingled
“Iran
tages.”
That was followed by a chorus of “right
on’s” and “That’s a big 10-4. Middle
Americans, at least those who express
themselves in the grass-roots medium of
CB, are angry and frustrated by the twin
crises of Iran and Afghanistan.
Pent-up emotions about the helpless
ness of the United States to rescue the
hostages, held by the Iranians since Nov.
4, merges into the outrage about the mas
sive Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Even if they were not monitoring the
CB channels in Washington, the Soviet
analysts might have picked up some clues
from more sophisticated commentators on
the editorial pages of the New York Times
and the Washington Post which are not
the usual nesting spots for hawks in inter
national relations.
The Washington Post carried a column
by its former Moscow correspondent,
Robert Kaiser, who argued, “For the
Soviet Union, the Olympic Games are a
matter of legitimacy, and that makes them
a matter of grave concern.”
“Participants in the debate... should
realize that no other non-military move
could so directly challenge the Soviet
leadership, or so startle the Soviet public. ”
That column was seen by Vice President
Walter Mondale, who picked up that
theme of “legitimacy” and called it to the
attention of President Carter. Within
hours, administration spokesmen*!
saying that a U.S. lx)ycott of the Moso
games, and sponsorship of altemati
games, “is an open question... d
ing on Soviet behavior.”
Mondale is probably correct in
ing a widespread American publicn
willingness to forego the games. It M.
be a form of sacrifice, a sense
something meaningful in a situationwln
nothing else seems to have much effect
But an Olympics boycott —
single-shot musket that is fired —loses
persuasive effect. Once executed, 11
more ability to affect Soviet behavio
The Soviet Union’s leadership will clear
suffer embarrassment and a loss ol ps
stige; but the Soviet Union wouldsurvi
and so — most likely — would itspresei
leadership.
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Letters Waggies free from most Corps pranks
Editor:
We are writing in reference to the con
tinuing controversy of women joining the
Texas A&M Corps of Cadets and its vary
ing organizations such as the Band, the
Ross Volunteers, etc. We feel very
strongly that the women who are presently
in the Corps should re-examine what they
feel to be “discriminating treatment” —
women are not the only members being
subject to traditional pranks. The male
members of the Corps have been victims
of these pranks for almost a century, long
before women were ever admitted to the
University.
Nevertheless, women were admitted to
the University and later the Corps and are
now shouting for equality. We feel these
women Corps members should have
equality, but this equality includes a
shaved head, and all the century-old
pranks that go along with being a member
of this prestigious organization. Just how
many women cadets do you see with
shaved heads? None! Is this their so-called
equality? It sounds very much like the
very discrimination these women are
against. If they want equality, fine, but
they have to take total equality or quit
complaining about the so called discrimi
nation they feel they are being subject to.
Evelyn VanPelt and
Graceanna Todaro
Iran devoted to Islam?
Editor:
After reading several pieces of prose
pertaining to our present predicament
with Persia, a peculiar problem has pre
vailed as prominent, in my opinion. I’ve
noticed that all of the letters to the editor
I’ve read have been written by American
students at TAMU (yes, real students).
Why don’t the Iranians ever reply? Can it
be that they are afraid. Can it be that,
without a weak and dying scapegoat, their
revolutionary spirit escaped them? Can it
be that they are just a mob of illiterates
(including those here at TAMU) comment
ing on complicated affairs of state by burn
ing flags, throwing rocks and yammering
in some sort of jibberish that chimpanzees
can’t even understand?
Noo-o-o-o-o!
The Iranians are a very brave and intel
ligent people, devoted to the holy laws of
Isalm. Why else would they detain501
lomats? Why else would they threaten
put them on trial — threaten and threat!
and threaten — for 76 days? Gosh, k
could anyone mistake these staunch o
crees as empty and cowardly threats?Hi
could anyone mistake these fine, religc
people as a bunch of cowardly hypoor®
yapping dogs? After all, if their “incarcei
tion” of the 50 Americans is kidnap!
wouldn’t they be subject to the Islainicli
they rave so much about. Let’s si
now . . . .if one steals, he loses his hand
one lies, he loses his tongue. I woiid
what a country would lose for kidi
and violation of international law?
Oh well, that’s for the Russians tod
cide.
Ronnie Bucclii'
ISN'T THIS GREAT HAVING
THE SAflE PSYCHOLOGY
CLASS JOHN.
YEAH, U£ CAN SIT
TOGETHER IN CLASS
EVERY nORNIMG.
... AND SO,UE SEE THAT
EACH HEMISPHERE OF THE
BRAIN CONTROLS THE
OPPOSITE SltSE OF THE
BODY.
DOES THAT TUAN
HAWDEb PEOPLE ARE
PEOPLE IN THEIR
RIGHT AIINDS
THAT LEFT
THE OMLY
HAL, UHY DON'T YOUVTH
SOfTEUHERE ELSE
TOnORROU.