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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1980)
Slouch By Jim Earle “Could this be right? Harold Stassen running for class secretary?” Opinion Letter writers miss point Two letters received at The Battalion Tuesday have con firmed what we suspected earlier — a segment of our read ers perceive our coverage of last week’s senate meeting as a Battalion-senate war. Both of the letters attack our news coverage and our editorials on the matter. Our response: the attacks on our news coverage are in error, and we don’t have to defend our opinion. But, both of the letters show us that we have failed to make one point clear — this action by the senate involves every student at the University. This intense coverage is not as a result of a “news-no- matter-the-consequences” policy as the letter printed below states. It’s a “truth-no-matter-what” policy. The writer below supports President Miller’s financial tomfoolery involving the student senate. We don’t. We think the students of Texas A&M have the right to know what they’re being involved in and we want to tell them. That’s our job. The student senate and the adminsistration no doubt believe that what they’re doing is for the ultimate good of the University. Our intent, although it isn’t apparent to some of our readers, is the ultimate good of this University, too. And the revelation of the truth will lead to the ultimate good of the school. the small society by Briclcman The Battalion USPS 045 360 LETTERS POLICY MEMBER le tters to the editor should not exceed 3fX) words and are Texas Press Association subject to being cut to that length or less if longer The Southwest Journalism Congress editorial staff reserves the right to edit such lettirs and dins Editor RoV Bragg not guarantee to publish any letter Each letter must he . ’ ' ' L.* i ..i' ^ % 1 signed, show the address of the urtter and list a telephone Associate Editor Keith Taylor number for terifuatum News Editor Rusty Cawley Address correspondence to U ttirs to the Editor. The Asst. NeWS Editor Karen CornelisOIl Battalion. Room 21fi. Reed MeDr/nald Building, ( tdlcgc CopV Editor Dillard StOllC ,,r "' " ^ Sports Editor Mike Burrichter B.pr,s. nu d nahonaBv b> National Educational Adyr- Focus Editor Rhonda Watters tising Services. Inc.. New York Cit>. Chicago and lais Angeles. City Editor Louie Arthur The Battalion is published Mondac thnn.Kh Fridas fnnn CampilS Editor Diane Blake September through May except during exam and holiday Staff Writers Nancy Andersen,- u-riods and the summer, when it is publishe d on Tuesday Tricia Brunhart, Angelique Copeland, hrough Thursday Edwards Carol Hancock, Kathleen McElroy, Mail subscriptions an- *16.75 per semester, wj 2.5 per Debbie Nelson, Richard Oliver, school year, Vio (10 per fidly ear Advertising rates furnished Tim Sager% Steve Sisney, on r« <jii< st Address. The Battalion. Boom 21fi. Reed Die a 1 xir'li* Becky Swanson, Andy Williams McDonald Building. College Station. Texas » «S43 r dL a. l t United Press International is entitled exclusivelx to the U*niet rilOtOgrapher Lyilll BlanCO use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it Photographers Lee Roy Leschper, Bights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved Steve Clark, Ed CuimillS, SiHTind-fJlass postage pai<l at College Station. TX #.S43. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are Regents. 1 he Battalion is a non-profit. self- those of the editor or of the tvriter of the supporting enterprise operated hy students article and are not necessarily those of the as a university and community newspaper. University administration or the Board of Editorial policy is determined by the edihrr Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University Wednesday April 2, 1980 A loaf of bread, a gallon of Shell Premium Unleaded and thou By DICK WEST United Press International WASHINGTON — The Agriculture De partment reports it has made or guaranteed loans to finance three down-on-the-farm distilleries that produce fuel for tractors. there is fear the spread of white lightning technology could create a lively traffic in bootleg gasohol. But earlier this year the U.S. Park Ser vice denied a group of farmers permission to operate homemade stills on federal prop erty to demonstrate a capacity for turning crops into ethyl alcohol. Officials pointed out the stills were the same kind used in making illegal “moonshine.” The way fuel taxes are rising, that con cern seems well grounded. The next thing we know city dwellers will be making bath tub gasohol and every neighborhood will have a back room service station where motorists knock twice and tell the pump attendant that “Charlie sent me.” This policy divergence — one agency underwriting what another agency forbids — may explain why gasohol production is still in the incipient stage. Apparently, Maybe the gasohol speakeasy isn’t right around the comer, but the pattern was set recently when a Virginia bourbon distillery and a New Jersey brewery began produc ing ethanol. If they can do it, the makers of com and rye whiskey, gin, vodka, rum and applejack surely can, too. And so can foreign produc ers of Canadian, Scotch and Irish whiskies. At least one major oil company has for some time mixed gasoline to order, de pending on the octane rating the motorist desired. Such a pump surely could be adjusted to handle gasohol in a similar manner, varying the ratio of gasoline to alcohol according to individual needs, or whims. The scene is easy to visualize: “What’ll it be, Mac?” “Gimme no-lead and rye. ’ “Gotcha. How would you like it?” “Very dry.” The attendant sets the pump for a 4-to-l mixture — 80 percent gasoline and 20 per cent alcohol. When the nozzle cuts off, the motorist says, “Another gallonofl please.” “I think you’ve about got a “Ah, come on,” the motorist “One more for the road.” After that, it would just be a designing attachments to provid(| blends of whatever brand a mi cied. One car, for example, might peak efficiency on Exxon and Cl Another might run bestonlem gram’s 7. What I dread is the day westaj ethanol from fermented grapes, to gasohol connoisseurs. Then have to learn when to use Mobild what was the best year for Cull J Conti Robert C. Runnel: at Texas A running b Citizen’s d munity. 1 with conti life and so wth to Watson was not as In a cha ioughton Texas A&! Herring. Bought! ITERS Battalion stories on closed session biases Editor: Michael J. Robinson, in his article in The American Political Science Review, June 1976, states, “American journalism apparently oper ates under a principle similar to Gresham s Law— the bad drives out the good, and the negative supersedes the positive. ” This seems to be the case in the Battalion’s recent coverage of the student senate’s closed session Wednesday night. In the five day interim since the inci dent, the Battalion has printed numerous articles and editorials (six occurring in the March 31 edition alone), all of which have been a biased account of the senate’s and, I might add, the administration’s actions in this incident. This bias is in complete contradiction to The Battalion’s own argu ment against the session since it (the Batt) is not fulfilling its own obligation to the student body, namely to report the news in an objective manner, giving equal weight to both sides of the issue. The Batt has failed miserably in this respect, con tinually playing down the reason for the closed session in an attempt to create news and not to report it. This type of “yellow journalism” and flagrant sensationalism we at A&M can do without, a contention which, it seems, is held by more Ag’s than myself (refer to the Battalion, Wed., March 26). Caperton sells out Furthermore, it would seem the staff of the Batt has no sense of moral responsibil ity to the student body. Publication of the material discussed could have detrimental effects for all students, what with discrimi nation litigation pending (i.e., the Zentgraf Case) and the threat of litigation from HEW hanging over our heads. Irres ponsible journalism at this critical period could have ill effects not only for present Ag’s, but also for Aggies for many years to follow. The Batt’s policy of “news-no- matter-the consequences’ is, in true two- percenter fashion, a detriment to this Editor: Three cheers for Frank Mann for having the guts to stand up to a double-talking politico like Kent Caperton. Caperton said in Hempstead near Prairie View A&M that “Texas is shortchanging Prairie View.” Then, he went to Huntsville and for Sam Houston State’s benefit he was quoted as saying, “the Permanent Fund will just have to stand on its own,” without help from the Legislature. (Note that Sam Houston doesn’t participate in the PUF) A&M, Caperton said he’d world® Permanent Fund. Which one Caperton?! This is the kind of talking politician we can all dowil fact remains that Caperton stab in the back. Now he thinks were ant that we’ll forget about it andk TV commericals, probably paidfoi nized unions. Frank Mann isrij ton’s no Aggie and never will be* he’s willing to sell us out for«! where! John Lit great institution and the ideas and tradi tions which it stands for. In conclusion, I whole heartedly support President Miller’s “foolish tomfoolery” since I whole heartedly support this school. and if it means my being involved in a lawsuit in order to get (or keep) A&M out of a judicial jam, then I consider it a privilege to do so. Remember, Highway 6 runs both ways. Stan Otto ’83 s. Writing the editor The Battalion welcomes letters to the editor on any subject. However, to be acceptable for publication these letters must meet certain criteria. They should: V Not exceed 300 words or 1800 characters in length. V Be neatly typed whenever f sible. Hand-written letters arei ceptable. V Include the author’s name, 1 dress and telephone number for® ification. THOTZ By Doug Grah THIS STRIP ABOOT SYLVESTER CHEESEWORTtfS CAtt?f\VGxN FOR STUDENT -fcODY PRESIDENT 1$ BEING, HELD IN CLOSED SESSION IN THE INTEREST OF THE STUDENT BODY. ANYONE WHO WANTS TO F\Mt> OUT WHAT OCCURRED CAN) CML THE CART00MCT-gXCE?T BATT JOOROALVSTS WHO MIGHT RUT \T 10 PRIWT. "•’TJtr /NVOLMED NO TT-?ANJSfiEflS.Grrakai