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by Jim Earle I
Viewpoint
is^
“I can't understand it! I’ve been kicked in th’ pants four
times by perfect strangers. ”
Opinion
Moore’s absence puzzling
In the last few weeks, The Battalion has spent a good deal
of space with stories about state senate candidate Kent
Caperton. Little or no mention has been made about his
opponent, incumbant Bill Moore.
This apparent bias — the intense coverage of Caperton
and the lack of coverage of Moore — is ffort because of any
bias on the part of The Battalion.
Moore campaign officials in his College Station office are
reluctant to talk to Battalion reporters about anything. We
think that it is important for Moore to have a chance to
repond to charges made against him by Caperton.
We have called his office on several occcasions to arrange
an interview, but have been unable to speak with him.
Moore is unavailable for comment, his office workers say,
because he is continually on the move and rarely in one
place for long.
Caperton, on the other hand, has talked to dozens of
groups and rallies all over the district, but has plenty of time
to talk to the media.
When Caperton began the campaign, he knew he had an
recognition problem. Moore s name was well known and his
wasn’t. Caperton’s strategy was, obviously, to get his name
in the paper and on the air as much as possible. He had to
achieve the type of saturation that it had taken Moore de
cades to reach.
Since he has announced his candidacy, Caperton’s name
has been on the pages of The Battalion and Eagle nearly
every day for the last week. People are beginning to wonder
where Bill Moore is and why he has disappeared from public
view.
The “invisible man” ploy may have worked for Jimmy
Carter, but it won’t for Moore.
The Battalion
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The- Battalion is published Monday through Friday Imm Cam P US Edit ° r Diane B ' ake
u ptc mU r through May e xce pt during exam and holiday Staff Writers Nancy Andersen,
teriods ami the- summer, when it is published on Tuesday Tricia Brunhart, Atigelique Copeland,
hrough Thursday Laura Cortez, Meril Edwards,
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Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester. $33.25. per Debbie Nelson, Richard Oliver,
school year. $35.(X) per fedl year Advertising rates furnished Tim Sager, Steve Sisney,
on request. Address: The- Battalion. Boon. 216. H.-. d BeC ky Swanson, Andy Williams
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Opinions- expressed in The Battalion are
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University administration or the Board t>f
Regents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-
supporting enterprise operated by students
as a university and community newspaper.
Editorial policy is determined by the editor.
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Tuesday
March 25, 1980
on
B>
Ca
Greenies formation into
worrying other German
party
factions
By WOLFGANG WAGNER
International Writers Service
HANNOVER, WEST GERMANY — The
“Greenies” are not strange creatures from
Mars. They are West Germany’s environ
mental activists, and they could make a
significant impact on the nationwide elec
tions scheduled to take place here in the
fall.
These militants, whose movement is offi
cially called “The Green”, have just formed
a political party that plans to enter candi
dates in the elections. And even though
their chances of scoring heavily are remote,
they could mobilize enough votes to play a
pivotal role in the West German legisla
ture.
But a key question is whether the
movement, which is composed of dispa
rate factions united only by their determi
nation to defend the environment, can
hang together. It would probably collapse,
for example, if it were taken over by the
Communists, who are trying to control it
for their own purposes.
Should they remain cohesive, however,
the “Greenies” could win sufficient seats in
the legislature to exert serious pressure on
whichever political coalition holds power.
Thus they are currently being courted by
traditional politicians who only a few years
ago were treating them as cranks.
Like similar special interest groups in
the United States and elsewhere, the
“Greenies” started out by using the courts
to campaign against nuclear power pro
jects, the construction of new highways,
factories that employ dangerous chemicals
and other such threats to the environ
ment.
several county elections, they soared into
political prominence for the first time by
capturing seats in the Bremen state legisla
ture. That victory prompted them to
launch the party that is now campaigning
for the federal elections.
Actual membership in the movement is
small. But under West Germany’s peculiar
campaign financing system, which pro
vides for subsidies to parties that have won
a proportion of votes in local contests, the
“Greenies” have been able to amass a con
siderable war chest.
If the “Greenies worry the regular par
ties, it is because the political line-up in the
national legislature is so fragile that it could
be upset by the intrusion of a new move
ment.
The ruling coalition, headed by Chancel
lor Helmut Schmidt, is composed by the
Social Democrats and their junior partners,
the Free Democrats. They are opposed by
a coalition comprising the Christian Demo
crats and their sister party the Christian
Socialists.
Under law, a party must win at least 5
percent of the votes cast to be eligible for
seats in the federal legislature.
If the “Greenies crack that threshold, it
would probably be at the expense of
Schmidt’s coalition. In that would have to
Internatior
an Monday
Sty Board c
Clyde H. W
A&M Presid
State Rep. B
monial ribbor
pray of cul
Memorial Sti
1 Miller gav<
and said he I
count on the "Greenies” forsuppo«he greates
giving them unusual influence, ever.” He sai
Sensitive to these possiblities ; !- ^opportunity
and his associated are trying topu fflents to shov\
they are at least as dedicated topp dalent and ei
the environment as are the' GreetiP en t s to be
Clearly responding to “Greenie’J
ure, they recently scrapped a 1
plan to build some 5000 miles of jfJ
ways. The aim of the plan was loif
11igh-speed freeway within no morcli]
miles access to every town and v
West Germany.
Jackgrounds
itudents.
\ Internatior
lion presidenl
led the
Jays. Spectat
aries from A
Whatever their leanings, thefou®P er paraso.
\V cst (.ci in.in parties reallyhopelW^'trimmed
“Greenies” would evaporate as rap j®' wan - A Cl
they have emerged. Whether liij|p e l oc lies fron
pens, however, depends primanli;. 35 onlookers g
environmental movement itself. F. 0I1 § figurir
plants complel
Visitors were i
(Wagner is editor of the Haniw^|. om gj Salvr
Allgemeine Zeitung, the WestCti miis i ca l ham
ingklung,” ai
mboo.
Jn the MSC
then watched
day night’s IS/
Park
(Continue
HVe miles wesl
Br fishing, can
^terskiing is
es of parklai
beque grill;
p and even
icre is a $2 e
iix people.
|Tanglewood
jrkway has a
seat up to
reserved for
here is a flowei
nis courts ai
'ravis Park o
ball comple
ds and a cor
be rented fo
nts on weeke
for use of t
jere is a $100
1 be returned
r use. Direc
d the fee use<
■as increasec
Cubs decide to continue losing ways
Sutter trade puzzles Chicago fans
iople to clean
The other ligl
aswell Park at
reets and Th
irten Road, ca
hour, but W:
oked for leaj
ough Augus
ted teams can i
By DAVID S. BRODER
For some of us, the most important
news story out of Illinois last week had
nothing to do with presidential politics.
Sure, it was shocking to see a Kennedy
drubbed in Chicago and John Anderson
rejected by the Republicans of his native
state.
But the real stunner was the rumor that
the Cubs were thinking of trading Bruce
Sutter to the Cardinals for two guys named
Joe.
Sutter is the superb relief pitcher with
the mysterious split-finger fastball who,
virtually alone and unaided, has kept the
Cubs from losing 100 games per season in
recent years. Sutter is the best in the ma
jors at his special trade of saving close
games in late innings, a fact that was certi
fied when an arbitrator agreed with his con
tention that he is worth $700,000 this year,
not the fraction of that amount the Cubs
were offering him.
The Sutter trade rumor was denied. But
in baseball, as in politics, the relationship
between denial and consummation is often
the same as that between the tick-and-tock
of a grandfather clock.
The Cubs are unaccustomed to talent of
Sutter’s quality, and they are most unwil
ling to pay for such a star when he
blunders into their realm. In such cir
cumstances, it is Cubs’ poliy to trade away
the star (and his paycheck) for as little as
possible in return. The most famous trade
in Cub history was the one that sent
emerging superstar Lou Brock to the same
Cardinals for a pitcher named Ernie
Broglio.
So this deal would be in keeping with the
tradition of self-humiliation which has
made us Cub fans losers for the past 35
While we were in Chicago, recording the
triumphs of Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Car
ter, David Israel of the Chicago Tribune
was in Mesa, Ariz., giving us visiting Cub
fans a report from the training camp.
The Cubs, he said, are already in mid
season form — lethargic, out-of-shape and
grumbling. Home-run hitter Dave King-
man is practicing not talking to reporters,
which is his speciality. Center-fielder Jerry
Martin is inventing new ways of cataloging
the inadequacies of the general manager,
which is why he is so highly regarded.
Other are rehearsing the injuries that will
remove them from the lineup just before
crucial double-headers in July and August.
And the new manager, Preston Gomez, is
practicing patience, which he will need.
All this is grist for the mill for the most
important social event on the Washington
calendar: the March 31 fifth-anniversary
luncheon of the Emil Verban Memorial
Society, an exclusive group of exiled Cub
fans (Emil Verban, who is retired and in
good health, is a symbol to us of all that
has made the Cubs the team they are. A
journeyman second baseman, he came to
Wrigley Field in another of those unfortu
nate Cardinal trades, a generation ago. He
is distinguished by having a lifetime major
league total of one home run, not hit while
in Cubs’ uniform.)
The Emil Verban Memorial Society was
founded in the aftermath of Watergate by a
reformed journalist turned government re
lations consultant named Bruce C. Ladd,
Jr. Its membership includes one Supreme
Court justice, several government officials,
and a platoon of lawyers, journalists and
other low types. As my colleague and fellow
Verbanite, George Will, has explained, the
skepticism one acquires in youth from
being a Cubs’ fan equips one admirably to
cover the White House, run political cam
paigns, argue before the Federal
munications Commission, or even
the mark, pronounce on the permii
constitutional limits of pornography
The great charm of the Society-
from the newsletters Ladd distrikti
of Cubs’ trivia, riddles and nostalgia
been the fact that it has never met
Personally, I have pledged ne«
attend a meeting of the Emil Ve
Memorial Society until the Cubs have
another pennant.
I will use the excuse of the Wise
primary to he out of town when the S®
meets. But on behalf of the Society,1<
to offer Cubs general mamagerBobl
nedy this thought:
If you’re going to trade Sutter l«
Cardinals, Bob, March 31 would be
to do it. Just have someone phone the
to the Emil Verban Memorial Society 1
cheon at the Asian Room of the Intern
al Club, about the time thesecondroi
cocktails is served. It would co«
everyone the old club still cares.lt"'
be, as Jimmy Carter likes to say
appropriate gesture.
5
10
(c) 1980, The Washington PostComp
THOTZ
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