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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1981)
Viewpoint ?.;■; The Battalion Texas A&M University Thursday Ferruary 26, 1981 Slouch By Jim Earle “Don’t you think it’s about time to get a haircut?’ Uncommon words, uncommon speaker By DAVID S. BRODER SAN FRANCISCO — “I’m recommend ing to black folks in this state, ” the speaker said, “that they abandon the defense of bus ing. That issue destroyed the career of Yvonne Burke (the black former U. S. rep resentative who lost successive races for state attorney general and Los Angeles su pervisor) and Jim Gorman (the veteran white U.S. representative defeated for re- election last fall by ah anti-busing Republi can member of the Los Angeles school board). Four months after the coup, Brown is still struggling to regain the unified support of his own fellow-Democrats and to assert the kind of authority exercised by his powerful predecessors in the job. But he has gained a national audience with his new title, and as he crisscrosses the country, he is freely offering advice, not just on the busing issue, but on a variety of other questions facing blacks and other Democrats across America. ‘Tve recommended to Tom Bradley (the black mayor of Los Angeles) that if he wants to be elected governor next year, he make it clear right now that busing is not his issue. ” The speaker in this case is the Speaker of California Assembly, the second most im portant job in the No. 1 state. The speaker is Willie L. Brown, Jr., the 46-year-old black firebrand whose views are as surprising as the title he now holds. Brown, a San Francisco lawyer with a taste for fast cars and fancy suits, had a reputation in the legislature, where he has served since he was 30, as a political maver ick and battler for liberal causes. He gained a bit of national renown in 1972 as the leader of the challenged California delegation sup porting George McGovern at the Democra tic convention, pleading emotionally and successfully with the delegates not to oust him and his colleagues in favor of the Hubert Humphrey slate. Brown is a one-time McGovern suppor ter who backed Ted Kennedy’s bid to dump Jimmy Carter in 1980. Now he says he finds people like Kennedy and former Vice Presi dent Fritz Mondale almost “irrelevant” to the Democratic Party’s future. “They’re still dealing with the racial minorities, the new rich and the labor leadership as the core of the party, ” he said, “and that com bination has proven to be incapable of generating a majority of voters. As for the “McGovern reforms” that made it possible for mavericks like himself to play dramatic roles in the nominating conventions, Willie Brown now says, “We’ve probably reformed too much .... The process of all these primaries is very destructive. ” But here at home. Brown was always on the fringes of power, at odds with the leadership of his party in the Assembly and thwarted in his own bids to gain a leader ship post. Brown says his advice to the racial minor ities and feminists in the Democratic Party — who have gained seats and influence at the nominating conventions —- is to give back some of those seats to the Democratic officeholders and traditional power brokers who, he says, “can help elect a Democratic President. ” “Winning is absolutely everything in politics,” the speaker says. “You have no impact on policies, you can deliver nothing, unless you can produce a win. ” Until this year. When the Assembly Democratic caucus was bitterly split in 1980 by the effort of Assemblyman Howard Ber man of Los Angeles to replace Speaker Leo McCarthy of San Francisco, Brown orga nized a rump group of Democrats. With the active help of the Assembly’s Republican minority, he put together a coalition victory for the speakership. More than half his votes came from the GOP side, and in turn he guaranteed the Republicans more procedural rights, consultation on committee appointments, more staff and facilities than they had previously enjoyed. That philosophy — or, as his critics would have it, lack of philosophy—brought Willie Brown from the outsider role in the Califor nia Assembly to a position with real power. He is still groping for the levers of leader ship in the job he has won, while assuring those he calls “the idealists” that “you don’t have to sell to gain power. ” What Willie Brown is selling is a down- to-earth and maybe even cynical view of the realities of political influence. The view is not new to our politics. But the speaker, in this case, is not the man from whose lips you would expect to be hearing this. Ineptness behind closed doors “I guess it was just a big mistake .... This is probably going to make the committee look bad. ” — Tracy Cox Glass houses Bingo. It was a mistake too big for the Student Government Finance Committee to be making with student money. With anybody’s money, for that matter. Not only was there a big $500,000 mis understanding, but it occurred in closed session, without benefit of comment by those who might have understood the stu dent service fee allocation process much better than Tracy Cox. If committee members deemed them selves too good for other students to join them in the allocation hearing, they could at least have done their job correctly. Maybe we gave the vice president for finance too much credit in hoping he could cope with seven-digit numbers with just his committee for help. Students didn’t seem overly upset by the closed session. But the result of that closed session and prior ineptness was a recom mended 21 percent increase in next semester’s student service fees. Surprised? So was the finance com mittee. By Venita McCellon and Dillard Stone never explained how to generate needed $500,000 increase from a re® mended fee increase of a little over f ($1 for each student). Yes, even thecomii tee was confused. Who would have known that we a! needed to turn out in mass numberstoU their hands while they punched theircah lator buttons? The two errors said to have caused the misunderstanding are easily forgiveable. Why should the finance committee know that student service fees are assessed by the credit hour? Of course, summer students are also forgettable. They come, they go. No big deal. Now we know the real reason for 4f closed-door hearing. Instead of coverinjif deliberate misconduct, the session w a ploy to hide the committee’s incompt tence and lack of preparation. If you were* inept, wouldn’t you hide behind doors too? Lo< These trivialities sometimes slip away from the busy mind. Nine months of plan ning for this allocation process is not really sufficient time for committee members to collect their thoughts. Yes, the committee does lookki Almost bad enough to warrant a review who is minding the bank. The student body shouldn’t have had to be upset over the closed session. We should be able to assume that Finance Committee members had retained the fundamentals of arithmetic from the third grade. Au contraire. Grade school textbooks Maybe next time students will begr say in the self-righteous process offee4 cation which the committee holds soda If this major embarrassment does notit duce the committee’s ego, its membersi] have it reduced for them. 2-' 4 se By PAJ Batti Texas A& ginning a s every ten ye by the Sout Colleges am The asso diting boarc states and p ica. Accredi students wi nized degre credits wil other collegi Dr. Charles ciate vice pi mic affairs, < A steerinj chosen this s on a massive A&M, McC; The steer direct and gi the study, in ing its own r of the Unive McCandl steering corr 1972 self-stu Dr. R. W the 1972 st (accreditatioi Good Hous Approval on It’s boners like this that provide then convincing reasons to give their jol someone who can do it better. Twelve stan the self-stuc committees standards e: tion of Colit The studi students of r The twelv 1. The St< 2. Comini 3. Committ tion 4. Committ 5. Committ Now back to you, Tass By GW Battalii The hostagt been pushed t( U.S. citizens’ i students are sti month-old nati by the Immign zation Service. Immigratio show that betw< after the take- Embassy in Te 1981, more thi students nation 1 Founding Fathers as terrorists? terviewed to vei status. By DICK WEST United Press International WASHINGTON — Because of the synthetic holiday Feb. 16, there wasn’t much left to celebrate on the real Washing ton’s Birthday Feb. 22. In the absence of another opportunity to hear a ceremonial reading of the “Farewell Address, ” I spent most of the day brooding over a recent commentary by the Soviet news agency Tass. If, said Tass, George Washington and his American Revolution cohorts were judged by the standards U.S. officials now apply to the world’s “freedom fighters, ” they would be called “terrorists.” To this I cry both “pish!” and “tosh!” Nobody pays that much attention to what U.S. officials say about revolutionary groups. Present-day attitudes are to a large extent influenced by what is shown on tele vision. And since there was no television in Washington’s time, the Tass commentary adds up to mere spitballing. Nevertheless, if you close your eyes real tight, you can visualize how such events as the Boston Tea Party might have been re ported on the nightly news with Walter Anchorman. Anchorman: Good evening. A band of Colonial militants believed to be associated with the American independence move ment boarded three British ships in Boston harbor today and dumped overboard 340 chests of tea. Here with an on-the-scene report is Bet sy Roving in Boston. (Camera picks up Roving standing in snow outside Old South Church. Her breath vaporizs as she speaks.) Roving: Yes, Walter. My sources tell me the 40 to 50 demonstrators involved in the raid were disguised as Indians. Anchorman: Why Indians, Betsy? Roving: It’s a matter of economics, Wal ter. It’s cheaper to rent an Indian costume than it is to rent a pirate outfit or a gorilla suit. Anchorman: Do we know who was be hind the raid, Betsy? Roving: According to signal lanterns seen in the church belfry, responsibility was claimed by a revolutionary group headed by Samuel Adams. (Thirty seconds of film showing a crowd Deportation proceeding agai .And 2,887 who ’ * 1 sion have applie lum — postpoi of disgruntled colonists shaking shouting “Fie! Fie!”) Anchorman: Thanks, Besty. The raidt hire, at least almost certain to put more strain on I according to a I tain’s relations with the colonies. Heret g ut j n t }j e r analyze the explosive situation is Mani (students at Tex Mellowtone at the international desk. \ [V. having comp | (views, appear Mellowtone: Walter, the outlook is the British government may now s troops to Boston to keep order. If that W | pens, it appears that armed conflict willk inevitable. (Film clip of British battles being won(J the playing fields of Eton.) Anchorman: Thanks, Marvin. There®!; be an attempt by the colonies to growth own tea, but unless they achieve immedii self-sufficiency, war could break out atai! moment. And that’s the way it was, Dtf 16, 1773. So there you have it, Tass. If this k| terrorism, make the most of it. Warped Scott McCullar The Battalion MEMBER t s p s 045 Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism 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 pee, 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 EDITORIAL POUCY The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper operated as a community, service to Texas A&M University 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. .Hid The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper fe students in reporting, editing and photography within the Department of Communications. Questions or comments concerning any editorial m* 1 should be directed to the editor. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the Editor should not exceed 350 wort length, and are subject to being cut if they are longer ft* editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters forstyM length, but will make every effort to maintain the autk* intent. Each letter must also be signed, show the and phone number of the writer. Columns and guest editorials are also welcome, andn* not subject to the same length constraints as lette# Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, ft*. Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M Univers*! College Station, TX 77843. N The Battalion is published daily during Texas A&M and spring semesters, except for holiday and examinsWJ periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $ ' per school year and $35 per full year. 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