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
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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