Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Wednesday
February 25, 1981
i
Slouch
By Jim Earle
“This will revolutionize the art of T-shirt design, especially
for examinations, if he doesn’t recognize I’ve got the test
material covered here. ”
Reagan avoiding
White House leaks
By HELEN THOMAS
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Welcome to
Washington, Mr. President.
Only a month in office, and Ronald
Reagan is already somewhat annoyed at the
published “leaks” about his programs.
“We get surprised at some of the things
we read in the newspapers,” he recently
told a coalition of conservative leaders.
“They seem to always be looking for
splits in the ranks,” he said, but added that
he was “happy and enthused” about the
team he has brought together to fulfill the
promises of his presidency.
His complaints against the press come
with the turf, and those before him often
left the White House with bitter scars. Soon
after he took office, John Kennedy said,
“I’m reading more and enjoying it less.”
Lyndon Johnson blamed the press often
when reporters pinpointed his credibility
gap. Richard Nixon’s problems with the
press go back to the first year he ran for
Congress in the ’40s, and they only grew
worse through the years.
Gerald Ford managed to keep a philo
sophical view of the press, although his
aides were mightily upset over stories that
he was accident prone, bumping his head.
Jimmy Carter will tell his side of the
story in his million-dollar memoirs. But
whenever he met with groups of visiting
editors, he complained about the White
House press corps, which he said did not
ask relevant questions. He held his last
news conference in October 1980, some
three months before he left office.
Reagan has held one full-dress news con
ference so far, and another is promised for
next week. But he also has had a couple of
sessions with smaller groups of reporters.
Before departing for California he hosted a
breakfast briefing for 125 out-of-town edi
tors.
Since assuming the presidency, he is
achieving what LBJ longed for: to be on the
front page nearly every day with a photo
graph showing hiim at work or meeting with
important leaders.
Reagan reads the Washington Post and
But he gets by with a lot because of his
geniality. “I’ve shot myself in the foot; I
don’t want to blow my leg off,” he laughing
ly told reporters when they nailed him.
Brady has access to Reagan and there is
no question that the other top aides in the
White House have programmed him on
what he can and cannot say. But in terms of
the climate in the press room, there is none
of the hostility of some past administrations,
and so far everyone seems to be feeling his
way.
The president, meantime, is getting
what is called in the trade “a good press.”
Warped
SO fKtJi WAY, 5H£ sneaks
UP ON HIW WITH A KNIFE
A Te Deum for the Fall of 1972
Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-
part Guest column giving one man’s views
of U.S. strategy and costs during the Viet
nam War.
Guest
Lett
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Christ!
By RICHARD S. LE VIEUX
Two significant military operations took
place in the latter part of ’72. Those two
operations were the mining of North Viet
namese seaports and major waterways, and
the destruction of all military supply depots
and energy producing units in North Viet
nam by U.S. air power (military operations
that had been vigorously recommended by
the Joint Chiefs in 1964 an d then re
emphasized in 1967). The mining of the
North Vietnamese seaports was accom
plished in less than 24 hours, cost less than
$1 million and resulted in no casualties on
either side! And instantaneously, 85 per
cent of the expendable military supplies re
quired for war against South Vietnam were
no longer available to the North Viet
namese. Due to the vast amount of military
supplies in and around the city of Hanoi, as
well as the other 15 percent of military sup
plies still coming down the railroad from
Column
China, the psychological effect of no longer
having enough military supplies was
marked. Only by shock is such an effect
achieved. So the famed Christmas B-52
missions came into being. In less than 11
days, and with a relatively low loss of 15
B-52s, 8 crew members known killed, 25
MIAs, 33 captured and 1,300 North Viet
namese (military and civilians) dead, the
war was over. It was over because a war
cannot be fought without military supplies.
The seaports were useless. The railroads
and highways were subject to constant in
terdiction by U.S. air power, for there was
no air defense left against the B-52s and
other U.S. aircraft which now flew whenev
er and whereever they wanted.
The Vietnam War was over. The Ken
nedy commitment was intact. However,
only the POWs came home with honor.
America’s living Nathan Hales. The rest
the Vietnam veterans did not, despite I
fact that they had kept viable the ’
commitment at a cost of 45,926 killed a] who d<
303,100 wounded (most of which wen ty, bus
proved unnecessary by the Mining open right a
tions and the Christmas bombings). N more c
citizenry has ever been so ungrateful to I
Military force which had set a standard!
performance of duty never before equaled
And without that standard of performaia
of duty, the POWs would still be in Noil!
Vietnam.
their i:
then I
said B:
Abe
expres:
mg th
North Vietnam required two longye*
to rebuild their military supplies whicitii) P ro P or
Soviet Bloc provided in order to honorfe
commitment to a valiant comrade,
resume their goal of conquering S
Asia, North Vietnam did so in January IS”
with the blessing of the Congress of t!
United States through the War Powers!
solution of 1973. Only this act and the*
rate U.S. citizenry should be causesfi
morbidity.
A Te Deum for the Autumn ofl972i
long overdue. It is either that or we s
listen to our Requiem separately.
mr m
1
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the New York Times in the morning. Also
on his desk every morning is a news sum
mary prepared from newspapers and broad
casts the night before.
Photographic opportunities with
Reagan, those two- or three-minute smiling
sessions, abound. The cameramen have
found a president who understands what
they’re about, who knows lighting and who
has patience with them.
But there is little or no give and take with
the press, except on rare occasions. Repor
ters also are being kept farther away from
him, but still within shouting distance. The
president is insulated, so much so that he
asked his friend, Nevada Sen. Paul Laxalt,
what was going on in the world outside the
White House.
Despite occasional leaks, the Reagan
administration is keeping control of the
direction of the news out of the White
House. The press has focused on nothing
but the president’s economic package in the
last four weeks, and in many more weeks if
Reagan has his way.
They have managed to do so by shunting
other foreign policy subjects such as the
Polish crisis, the civil strife in El Salvador,
the Iranian hostage agreement review, out
of White House news briefings.
White House press secretary Jim Brady
is holding his own so far. A couple of times
he has muddled through or come to a dead
standstill when reporters knocked holes
through his information, particularly on
Reagan’s tax proposals.
By CJ
cookin'
Texas,
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taurant
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Carl
Staff notebook
If os tage m o vies: Captive a udien ces
By SCOTT McCULLAR
Battalion Staff
Well, the hostages are free and it may be
all over but the shouting, but the screaming
has hardly begun. The paperback books are
just starting to hit the racks and that can
only lead to the movies.
Movies are going to be made about the
hostages and Hollywood is going to quickly
run out of good usable titles; however, they
will go on and use the unusable titles any
way. So, anticipating this slew of attempts is
the following list of 52 movies (that’s 52) that
you will probably be able to see in ten years
on late night television. (Many people get
the credit for this, but I still get the money.)
1. Ordinary Hostages
2. Raging Hostage
3. Coal Miner’s Hostage
4. When a Hostage Calls
5. What’s Up Hostage?
6. One Flew Over The Hostage Nest
7. My Fair Hostage
8. Mr. Hostage Goes to Washington
9. Hostagemania
14. Hostage on the Roof
15. Return of the Pink Hostage
16. Hostages from the Deep
17. The Jazz Hostage
18. On a Clear Day You Can See a Hostage
19. The Best Little Hostage in Texas
20. The Hostage of Frankenstein
21. The Day the Hostage Stood Still
22. Hostage Gigolo
23. The Good, the Bad and the Hostage
24. Abbott and Costello Meet the Hostage
25. Hostage from the Black Lagoon
26. Son of Hostage
27. Godzilla vs the Hostage
28. Hostage II
29. The Hostage Strikes Back
30. Gone With the Hostage
31. Saturday Night Hostage
32. Urban Hostage
33. Hercules and the Hostages
34. The Sound of Hostage
35. Smokey and the Hostage (I and II)
36. The Incredible Shrinking Hostage
37. H*0*S*T*A*G*E
38. Kentucky Fried Hostage
39. Night of the Living Hostage
40. I was a Teenage Hostage
41. Twenty Thousand Hostages Under th
Sea
42. The Amityville Hostage
43. Bride of Hostage
44. Beach Blanket Hostage
45. Hostage: the Motion Picture
46. Fist Full of Hostages
47. The Hostage and Mr. Chicken
48. Hostage On A Hot Tin Roof
49. Debbie Does Hostage
50. The Man With the Golden Hostage
51. I was a Hostage For the FBI
52. The Maltese Hostage
There are many more than this (unfort®
ately). Please don’t submit them.
10. Deep Hostage
11. How Green Was My Hostage
12. Snow White and the Seven Hostages
13. The Electric Hostage
By Scott McCullar
boy, that nusr HAVE
BEEN SOME STUDENT
SENATE MEETING
LAST NIGHT.
-v
The Battalion
MEMBER
l S P S 045
Texas Press Association
Southwest Jfournalism Congress
Editor Dillard Stone
Managing Editor Angelique Copeland
Asst. Managing Editor Todd Woodard
City Editor Debbie Nelson
Asst. City Editor Marcy Boyce
News Editors Venita McCellon,
Scot K. Meyer
Sports Editor Richard Oliver
Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff
Asst. Focus. Editor Susan Hopkins
Staff Writers Carolyn Barnes,
Jane G. Brust, Terry Duran, Bemie Fette,
Cindy Gee, Jon Heidtke, Glenn Krampota,
Kate McElroy, Belinda McCoy,
Marjorie McLaughlin, Kathy O’Connell,
Ritchie Priddy, Rick Stolle
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Photo Editor Greg Gammon
Photographers Chuck Chapman
Brian Tate
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and Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Bat
talion are those of the editor or the author, and do not
necessarily represent the opinions ofTexas A&M Universi
ty administrators or faculty members, or of the Board of
Regents.
160
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students in reporting, editing and photography
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Questions or comments concerning any editorial
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-/
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Columns and guest editorials are also welcome,
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Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, ^
Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M Univem 5
College Station, TX 77843.
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Carl
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