Opinion
U.N. censure
will not stop Soviets
After the U.N. General Assembly voted to deplore the
invasion of Afghanistan and call for the withdrawal of foreign
troops diplomats and pundits described the action as a
“major diplomatic defeat” for the Soviet Union.
Rubbish. A few more defeats like that and Russia will be
the world’s dominant power.
The so-called nonaligned nations which normally vote
with the Kremlin turned against it. But they had no other
choice. The victim was their fellow member of the nona
ligned bloc.
And even in censuring Russia the majority of nations was
cautious. The resolution did not “condemn” but only
“strongly deplored” the brutal invasion and did not mention
the Soviet Union by name.
So. . . the Soviets have a right to feel satisfied. They were
slapped on the wrist at the United Nations but they own
strategic Afghanistan. And if the furor dies down as it did
after Hungary and Czechoslovakia, they will be in place to
dismember their next victim, Iran or Pakistan.
The response of the free world to Moscow’s crime has
been inadequate. President Carter did not go far enough.
And his gallant allies with the exception of Britain are send
ing signals to the Kremlin that they’re not really angry.
West Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands
among others are unwilling to disrupt trade with Russia and
Argentina and Brazil — which make much of their anticom
munism — will not join in any grain embargo. Brazil, in fact,
is planning to take advantage of the American embargo to
boost its soybean sales to Russia.
If that is the best the West can do, Lenin will be proved
right in his remark “When the time comes to hang the last
capitalist, they will compete with each other to sell us the
rope.”
Scripps-Howard Newspapers
the small society
by Brickman
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The Battalion
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Viewpoint
FHE BA1
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The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Monday
January 28, 1980
Washington window
U. S. should avoid ‘crisis’ atmosphe
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By HELEN THOMAS
United Press International
President Carter has thrown down the
gauntlet to the Soviet Union. But a top
administration official says the nation
should avoid “an excessively emotional cri
sis atmosphere.”
Although Carter himself has moved
rapidly to wipe out the vestiges of detente
in retaliation for the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan, including the prized SALT II
treaty, the official told reporters:
“We should avoid generating the im
pression that we are on the brink of some
massive military confrontation” said the
official who asked not to be identified.
It is necessary, he added, to keep “a
balance.”
Furthermore, he said, the United States
should continue seeking “positive aspects
of our relationships” with the Soviets.
“There is a tendency in our public opinion
to shift from one extreme to the other.”
“The fact of the matter is” he said “the
Cold War was never over and detente is not
dead either and we are now in a period of
intensified tensions.”
The official said these intensified ten
sions require “prolonged, sustained — but
measured response — not a wave of hyster
ia and not bugle calls for massive all-out
national mobilization for the creation of a
situation of total confrontation.”
It will be up to Carter to maintain this
balancing act which will be made a lot
tougher in an election year.
With his big increases in the defense
budget and his bid for new American air
and naval facilities in the Persian Gulf Car
ter himself will face hard decisions as the
days go by.
The new dimension of the Soviet inva
sion of Afghanistan has dramatically
changed the attitude of the White House
and the nation and has shocked foreign
policy experts.
But they might find even more hair rais
ing the brutal appraisal of the U.S. posture
by a long-time Soviet diplomat who has
served in his Washington embassy for more
than 20 years.
The unidentified Russian envoy was in
terviewed by Thomas Kielinger, Washing
ton correspondent for the German news
paper Die Welt.
Concerning the invasion of Afghanistan
and the murder of Afghan President Hafi-
zollah Amin, the diplomat said:
“Naturally we were asked for help by the
Amin forces. This is no lie. This is true. But
Amin failed to take into consideration that
we had to eliminate him. He failed to cope
with the rebels.”
On U. S. reaction: “We cannot accept the
American propaganda; its wild tone of out
rage. It has a ‘Foward-based system’ in
Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean
from where we are being watched and mili
tarily threatened. Why the hell do these
Americans get so excited anyway! Uwork
setting up in Afghanistan our o\ that th(
ward-based system’against the V Dr. Gar
On political equality in the
“The years in which the United Stall
the say as to what could be done
world and what could not are past
for all. We can no longer tolerateWi
ton behaving as though it were the
of contemporary history.
On the Middle East — “Thehi
States has no business in the Middle
It has lost out in Iran having put its
on the wrong horse there.”
On Oil — “We do not needitat
now. We are a world and regional
We must have our say with orwil
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Letters Playboy benefits society with photos
Editor:
This issue about Playboy being on cam
pus is making me sick. I have admired
women for a while and I feel that I can make
what I consider to be a justifiable state
ment: Playboy does not exploit women
simply as objects of physical pleasure.
I have had opportunities to compare
Playboy with other forms of “adult enter
tainment” and I believe that no magazine
or film depicts the beauty of women as well
as Playboy. It has been clearly stated by
Playboy and by others that the emphasis is
on the beauty of the whole woman and not
just the physical attributes. This includes
other characteristics such as personality,
intelligence, etc. Why do people con
tinuously insist that this is not so? I think it
is extremely short-sighted to overlook this.
Why not criticize similar art forms, which
have depicted women in the past and have
been around for years? They do not empha
size what else was beautiful about women
except their physical form. If this is consi
dered art, then Playboy is indeed an art
form superior to this.
Webster’s dictionary defines exploita
tion as “improper use of another person for
one’s own profit or advantage”. I am sure
that some people think that the depiction of
nude women is exploitive and sinful. I can
see how it is defined as sinful (it’s too bad
that I might go to hell just for that), but I
feel that the depiction of beautiful women
— if they do not object — should not die
out, regardless of how cheapened other
magazines or lifestyles make them and the
whole sex issue out to be. I do not believe
beauty is improper if viewed as it should be
(and much of the profits of can be verified to
have been put to good use.) I conclude,
therefore, that Playboy is a benefit in a
society of declining morals.
Noe Gutierrez, Jr.
(This letter was accompanied by 42 other
signatures)
25, 1980, Battalion, not all Aggies agree
that registration for the draft is needed,
wanted or morally right. Rather, many
people believe that reinstatement of the
“Selective Slavery” system is nothing more
than an invitation to another Vietnam. To
send our young men and women off to fight
some vague Soviet threat clearly points to
an incumbent president’s desperate
attempt to bolster his lackluster position in
the polls. What some people will do for
power . . .
humans than any other force in the
(with the possible exception of relra
See you in South America for World|
III.
Davis Northcil
Cagers thank fm
Editor:
Further, asking the Commandant of the
Corps for his opinion in this matter is not
unlike asking Exxon if they would like to
see an increase in gas prices. He’s getting
paid to support it.
Hello to WW III
Editor:
Contrary to your article in the January
Some of us still believe that this is a free
country where individuals have the right to
support or not to support military aggres
sion in the world, by the U.S. or anyone
else. Sometimes dissent is more patriotic
than blindly following orders. Sabre rat
tling has never ended war and never will.
And unbridled nationalism has killed more
We, the members of the Texas All
basketball team would like to expresjj]
appreciation to the fans who were p
at the A&M-Arkansas game lastTudi
night. Special thanks also go to thd
band for their contribution in the will
Arkansas. Their rendition of “Sweet C
gia Brown ” and the solo by James Dcesj
especially enjoyed by all of us.
After spending so much time on!
road, it was great to be able to play in J
of such as enthusiastic crowd. You mat
night we won’t soon forget.
The Texas A&M Basketball^
Thotz
By Doug Grak
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