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Slouch by Jim Earle “/guess it's fair to say that Spring has officially arrived. ” Opinion U. S. halting own downfall Sen. Henry Jackson’s Senate subcommittee on gov ernmental affairs opened hearings on ways of keeping vital defense technology out of Soviet hands, with Jackson declar ing: “What we haven’t sold, we have given away in educa tional, governmental and commerical technical exchange programs. What we haven’t sold or given away, they have stolen.’’ American-supplied computers were used to build milit ary trucks. Subsequently some of the trucks were used in the invasion of Afghanistan. || A dismaying tholight, isn’t it — that the United States g could be helping to finance its own demise, and that of the whole free world? We see now, as we should have suspected all along, that the Soviets were buying — or stealing — our technology and laughing up their sleeves at us. The Yankees — always so trusting, so naive! What a joke on them, using trucks to helped build to subjugate a country whose independence they value. Jimmy Carter, finally understanding how far his trust had been betrayed, has tightened controls on technology ex ports to the Soviets. Yet more must be done. Almost certainly some products will slip through — if only because, as the Soviets perpetually remind us, they are not above expropriation (their word for “theft ”). We must do our best to make sure they get nothing from us the easy way. The Dallas Morning News the small society by Brickman The Battalion U S P S 045 360 LETTERS POLICY l^'tttrs to the editor should not exceed 3(X) u ttrds and are subject to heint> cut to that length or less if longer flu editorial staff reserves the right to edit such lettirs and does not guarantee to publish anij letter Each letter must he signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification Address correspondence to Li'tttrs to the Editor. The Battalion. Boom 216. Reed McDonald Building. College Station. Texas 77643 Represented nationally by National Educational Adver tising Services. Inc.. New York City. Chicago and Los Angeles. The Battalion is published Monday throng)) Fridas from September through May except during exam and holiday x*riods and the summer, when it is published on Tuesday hrough Thursday. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester $33.25 per school year. $35.00 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Address: The Battalion. Room 216. Reed McDonald Building. College Station. Texas 77843. United Press International is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. Second-Class postage paid at College Station. TX 77843 MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Roy Bragg Associate Editor Keith Taylor News Editor Rusty Cawley Asst. News Editor Karen Cornelison Copy Editor Dillard Stone Sports Editor Mike Burrichter Focus Editor Rhonda Watters City Editor Louie Arthur Campus Editor Diane Blake Staff Writers Nancy Andersen, Tricia Brunhart, Angelique Copeland, Laura Cortez, Meril Edwards, Carol Hancock, Kathleen McElroy, Debbie Nelson, Richard Oliver, Tim Sager, Steve Sisney, Becky Swanson, Andy Williams Chief Photographer Lynn Blanco Photographers Lee Roy Leschper, Paul Childress, Ed Cunnius, Steve Clark 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. 1 he Battalion is a non-profit, self- supporting enterprise operated by students as a university and community newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the editor. Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University Friday February 29, 1980 < French,West German leaders By disagree with Carter’s method Student: tu dent C oust' tom By ADALBERT DE SEGONZAC The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan has provoked differences between the United States and its two most powerful West European friends, France and West Ger many. But what Americans may misunder stand is that the French and West German leaders disagree with President Carter’s methods rather than with his objectives. In other words, both French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing and West Ger man Chancellor Helmut Schmidt share Carter’s concern for the dangers to peace created by Soviet expansionism. They be lieve, however, that Carter is pursuing the wrong strategy by threatening action that he may not be able to carry out. Moreover, they feel that Carter’s bel ligerent new posture could jeopardize their own interests, which require a continua tion of detente with the Russians. Thus, while they publicly condemn Soviet behavior, Giscard and Schmidt are persuaded that a more effective approach to the crisis is to maintain a dialogue with the Kremlin. At the same time, though, they consider that their lack of enthusiasm for the so- called Carter Doctrine in no way dilutes their alliance with the United States, which is the basis of their foreign policy. This mixture of attitudes is subtle and complicated, and it seems to me that it requires a more careful explanation than that contained in many American press comments. In the first place, the suggestion that France and West Germany do not support the United States is unsubstantiated by the evidence. They have strongly denounced Moscow, and even though France in parti cular opposes an embargo, it has no inten tion of bypassing the Carter administration by selling wheat to the Soviet Union. Moreover, the public in both countries is overwhelmingly sympathetic to the firm new mood in America, representing as it does a welcome change from the years of uncertainty that followed the Vietnam war and the Watergate scandals. Nevertheless, there is a pervasive feel ing in France as well as in West Germany that President Carter, who has long been viewed as inexperienced and indecisive, is displaying more emotion than rationality in the present situation. In part, too, many people here hold the view that Carter’s past wooliness may have indirectly encouraged the Russians to esti mate that they could intervene in Afghanis tan wih impunity. It is no secret, for exam ple, that Schimdt privately expressed dis may at Carter’s naive admission that the Soviet move had taught him a lesson. The French and West Germans were further upset that Carter did not consult them in advance of his decision to adopt a tough line toward the Krelin. Equally con fusing to them is the fact that the President has not been specific about his plans to draw the line against a Soviet thrust into the Persian Gulf area. These doubts are heightened, above all, by an awareness on the part of West Eur- poeans that they would be especially vul nerable in the event that a conflict erupted between the United States and the Soviet Union. The current tensions also worry them because of their economic relations with the Russians and East Europeans. Western Europe’s economic success within recent years has been largely due to the opening of markets for its industrial goods in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Last year, for instance, French exports to the Soviet Union rose 42 per cent, and the prospects for future trade are good. Giscard, who is running for reelection next year, is inspired as well by political motives. His ruling majority depends on the backing of the Gaullists, who as claimants to the legacy of General Charles de Gaulle, insist that French policy be in dependent from that of the United States. The West Germans, who also have lucra tive economic links with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, are even more sensi tive to the risks of confrontations. Among other things, they fear that a return to the spirit of the cold war may trigger another Berlin crisis and wreck their ties with East Germany, which have dramatically im proved lately. Schmidt’s Social Democratic party is currently waging an election campaign against conservative adversaries who con tend that detente has been an “illusion. ” Schmidt realizes, therefore, that renewed tioifid hav ■noteb t the mic: Beginnii friction with the Soviet Union ; sS( ? rs ar ! his domestic foes. P Underlying this outlook, me light — the apprehension shared k>p| hke Schmidt that Europe cannotaffos^ Dr I '< of superpower rivalries, tejr oi civil they object to U.S. decisions It :fcorclian lated without them. They also . ;Sayiaks: they can play individual roles»; allege pi alliance. Btern ar me, he p Giscard, for instance, belit^ n |essee France can curb Soviet infliM;! i n pjttsl and he has demonstrated thatt jgoQ^ Sa' deploying F’rench forces in pb nqdevari and Tunisia. He claims } for Indian Prime Minsiteryir t i e0 pi e w [ recent criticism of the Russians. “i’ ni g 0! In Discard’s opinion, tliel. ren t CO i alliance can best be servedbymiii dialogue with the Kremlin. Fir) West Germany, he holds, canp function — but, he tells visit*| they “keep cool.” The aim of all this is to compels Union to yield, without resortiiijlj So, in a sense, Giscard and! to think thathey candoforPrf what he cannot do for himsett That could be an ambitiousd mirrors their belief that, how guided Carter may be, theyramd United States and so defendAmr Watch: terests along with their own. unday a (Segonzac, former Washinfta Televi pondent for France-Soir, writes lent ral rent affairs in France inity to 'atching Spouse re vent mied a: lhannel jlleen £ teas tha The 12 sting o VO part: «ns dire re vent Part 01 sal visio: f side v Viewe ■■vers; said, pot th The- te ireenin irdUni' ttd Dr. rant fre fevent Althoi ind in T f studei nd rear on in s lorth C Texas ess Pr< aidalth rr a pr iilure tc he vie ‘Ilk maiden ladie’ allowed to speal freely on extra day in February ee an e Huge By DICK WEST United Press International For good or bad, 1980 may be the end of Leap Year as we have known it since the Middle Ages. Think back a moment to 1288. In that auspicious year, according to the National Geographic Society, the Scottish parliament approved legislation worded thusly: “It is statut and ordaint that for ilk yeare known as lepe yeare, ilk maiden ladie, of baith highe and lowe estait, shall hae liber- tie to bespeke ye man she likes. ” The Geographic does not give us what lawmakers call the “legislative history’’ of that particular milestone in civil liberties. It is, however, fairly easy to reconstruct the circumstances in which the Scottish parlia ment acted. It may be assumed that ilk maiden ladie was getting fed up with waiting around for ye man to bespeke himself. And so the women’s liberation movement was born. As we know, progress in civil liberties is not accomplished by taking rights away from Group A and handing them over to Group B. Rather, Group B is accommo dated by expanding the area in which a right may be exercised. Had the parliament moved to deprive ye men of Scotland of some of their bespeking days by assigning them to ilk maiden ladies, chances are the legislation would have died on the vine. But as luck would have it, another ave nue was open. The Leap Year adjustment that Julius Caesar had made in the calendar about 45 B.C. afforded an opportunity to even things up between the sexes. So, by act of parliament, ye men retained the right to bespeke 365 days every year and ilk maiden ladies were given libertie to bespeke every fourth yeare on a day ye men probably weren’t using anyhow. The new system of equality evidentally worked pretty well. It soon spread to France and Italy and by 1600 had been incorporated into English common law. But some ilk maiden ladies are never satis fied. Subsequent unrest possibly could have been avoided by again revising the calen dar so that ilk maiden ladies wotiP bespeking days in September, Ap'P and November as well as Febiill If such a compromise was coisr however, it didn’t get very far.® packing in the Middle AgesmaybB as repugnant as courtpacking pro'® to be. In any event the calendarr4 as is, and the Equal Rights AmfJI subsequently came into being. [ The upshot is that this may be A Feb. 29 with sexist connotations* ERA is ratified by the 1982 dead.:: no longer will be any restriction maiden ladie bespeking. For truly liberated women, even I Leap Year. THOTZ 1 THINK IT'5 TlML TO \ , RETURN TO 1 \ TjCU AXHOOTTOM/ sTHIS \ 0 4kozmik x n\ ( GCA/U^-15IT _A IS ABOUT 3 1DD... I'M <0LAD THLV REFUMDEB IT ALL .. . By Doug Gm