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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 9, 1981)
I Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University Thursday April 9, 1981 Slouch By Jim Earle “Let’s not get any more talcum powder in a pressurized can, OK?“ Will El Salvador be By JUAN O. TAMAYO United Press International The U.S. Army colonel was briefing journal ists deep within the bunker-like U.S. Embassy in El Salvador, jabbing a metal pointer at a map of the nation as he explained how Salvadoran troops were defeating leftist guerrillas. In the crowd, a silver-haired news photo grapher who covered the early years of U.S. involvement in Vietnam shook his head incredu lously and stage-whispered, “Saigon, 1967.” It was not the first or last comparison of El Salvador with Vietnam since the United States sent 56 military advisers and $35 million in milit ary aid to help the tiny Central American nation battle Marxist-led rebels. There are similarities between El Salvador and Vietnam, 13,000 miles away, where the Un ited States chose to “draw the line” against com munist infiltration to avert a domino-like fall of neighboring countries. But U.S. diplomats and military officers in San Salvador, who would not comment for the the record, cockily see a U.S. victory in the making in El Salvador. Some of them see it as “a second chance to win Vietnam.” The Salvadoran army, they say, is not as corrupt as the South Vietnamese military, is much better motivated, and is only 1,000 miles from the U.S. mainland, compared with the 11,000 miles between San Francisco and Saigon. But critics say that is the same type of optim ism that prevailed in Washington in the early stages of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, which ultimately claimed the lives of 57,000 U.S. soldiers. El Salvador, they point out, is only one- eighth the size of South Vietnam but has one- fourth its population — 4.8 million people pack ed into 8,260 square miles miles, compared with 19.7 million people spread out over 67,108 square miles. That gives the 3,000 to 5,000 Salvadoran guerrillas little room to move around, especially since their Massachussetts-sized nation is exten sively farmed and doesn’t have the impenetrable jungles of Vietnam, they say. Surrounded by rightist-ruled Guatemala and Honduras, the rebels can’t set up a “Ho Chi Minh Trail” supply line, and are unlikely to be backed up by regular army units, such as the battalions North Vietnam sent into the South. The Salvadoran army plans to establish the “strategic villages” used in Vietnam to protect and control peasants, and has offered rebels an amnesty program similar to the “Chiu Hoi” program for Viet Cong turncoats. Vietnam and El Salvador both tried to under cut peasant support for rebels by launching agra rian reform programs mapped out by the same U.S. land reform expert, Roy Prosterman of the AFL-CIO Free Labor Institute. Backers of U.S. policies in El Salvador argue the comparisons with Vietnam are only coin cidental, and add that Washington learned enough in Southeast Asia to avoid committing the same errors. That was the defense put up by the American colonel briefing the journalists at the U.S. Embassy when he was asked how the United States was going to change its military tactics to avoid another Vietnam in El Salvador. “We’re just going to do it better,” he answered. Warped V/ELL MERRITT, IT'S BEEV GREAT talki/yg WITH you agai/Y, filli/vs you IN ON /MYSELF... everything THAT'S /VEW IN /MT LI FE, ALL THE THI/Yes I'VE BEEN "ANTING TO DISCUSS with you... Intolera nee demeans educatioi By AMY ANDREWS “Go back to your own country!” , “Hit the beach!”, “If you don’t like it, get out!”, and the classic “Highway 6 runs b« ith ways.” These along with the cherish .ed “Aggie horse laughs” filled Rudder Th< eater Tues day night during the heated q'U estion-and- answer session following fona icr hostage Richard Queen’s analysis of th e Iranian cri- They came from the maj ority of the Reader’s Forum By comments may First, the floor audience in response to the questions of some of our foreign students.: “How could the United States support the corrupt gov ernment of the Shah at the e xpense of the human rights of millions; of Iranians? Shouldn’t we draw a line on our manipula tion of foreign cultures for our “national interests?” I was appalled fit the heckling and hissing they received for expressing their views. Granted, some of their have been inappropriate, was open for questions to the speaker, Richard Queen. The purj jose of the prog ram was to hear Queen’s a ccount and analy sis of the situation. It was not an open forum for airing personal opin ions — radical or conservative. Secondly, the charges made had little relevance to Q ueen’s role in Iran. He had been there for four months inter viewing applicants for American visas. It was not his fault that tl ie State Department chose the policies it di id, and he made that very clear. It is a sf iame that, as a free speaker at our univers ity, he was doomed to be the target of such emotional outbursts simply because he was, by the fall of the dice, involved in the crisis. I feel that the audience became far too emotional and lost sight of Mr. Queen’s purpose as a speaker. Much more disturbing, though, were the ridiculing responses of the audience major ity. Could no one sense the value of their statements? I maintain that instead of drowning out these sentiments with chil dish hissing, as a student body we should be much more sensitive. Our foreign students speak based on an experience and cultural background very different from the upper- middle-class American’s, and whether we like it or not, the majority of this world is different. Their comments, misguided or confused as they may have been, did repre sent the sentiments of millions of people. We can’t just shut our ears and recline into the familiarity of our own culture with the idea that “we’re right — they’re radical.” We need to understand these countries, especially since we are forced to interact with them. Whether we are using these countries as economic resources (i.e., oil. cheap labor, etc.) or as battlefieldsw\ we are going to stand tough to the Sovi we need to remember that humans dol) there, and they don’t necessarily thii Americans. As the future teachers, gineers, businesmen, and military persi !nel of this country, the students ofi campus need to see that a failure to aa foreign values will inherently leadtoai lure of our own interests. It caused n failure in Cuba, Vietnam, and Iran. Will ever learn? Therefore, the foreign studi on our campus offer an invaluable resotr and service that must not be scorned need more understanding and knowldj — not hissing. I realize that Texas A&M CAROL BET Batti Preregistn m ester will the Rue ■in Copies of the will be avail week at the C in Heaton H trar Donald < Preregistn from departr Carter said, check to find ter in their d ‘‘Some de] dents sign u some sign up homogeneous school. Consider, for eia: pie, our standing as the most public institution in the United However, part of our education is toexps the way we view the world, and a “loveii leave it” attitude toward those withcoi ing attitudes can only reduce the qualitvi that education. Some may claim that! Aggie way is the all-American way in eva sense, but based on the reactions oflut day’s audience. I’d have to disagree. H American way is freedom of speech dissent, but a “Good Ag” only thinks il “Good Bull ' to maintain a thoughtless(ta servative) status quo .... Amy Andrews major. freshman accountaf. those card pa The only r The only for prere, vileges at rollmenti Universit minimum ratio stan dent’s lege. m day; some sig of preregistr don’t care, s It’s your turn Barbaric behavior disturbs reader They contend there is a string of similarities between El Salvador and Vietnam that augur ill, beginning with Washington’s arrogant belief that even a light jab from its heavyweight armed forces can knock out an opponent as insignificant as the Salvadoran guerrillas. The body counts reported by the Salvadoran military, they say, are nothing if not Vietnames- que — 2,200 “subversives” and only 147 soldiers killed in nine weeks of fighting beginning Jan. 10. Editor: I’ve just returne :d from Richard Queen’s presentation. I heedless to say, I was amazed at the: b »arbaric behavior display ed by a few c 1 hc >ice members of the audi ence. Mr. Queen wf is holding a question-and- answer sessio n with those who cared to come fortbi and present themselves. Everyone wa is instructed to ask only one question and make it short an<T,to the point. All w as going well until ah indi vidual beg;a’ n blurting out a torrid of ac cusations i' n semi-distinguishable En glish, as if Richard Queen himself was the ex-Shal i. This was out of line with the format, bu it nonetheless, somewhat en tertaining . This was to be but the tip of the prove rbial iceberg. Followed by this were five or so more righteous crusaders. None had the de cency to ask any pertinent questions, or any que: stions at all for that matter. They were or ily concerned with turning the present ation into a political circus. Even after th e ushers were successful in send ing the m back to their seats they insisted on interrupting others by yelling from their seats at the back of the theater. This b ehavior is totally inexcusable. The incide :nt made a mockery of the presen- tatior i and was an embarrassment to A&M. To our Iranian “friends,” who have again fostered ill feelings between us: when will you ever learn that your childish yell ing and screaming will only do you moJre harm than good? Now excuse me for stooping to your level, but if you defeest the United States and Americans so much why don’t you just get the hell ou t — I know I never invited you! Gr eg Cizik ’82 started asking questions. This letter is addressed in general to all Iranian students in this country who like to cause trouble, and in particular to those Iranians who gave Mr. Queen such a hard time the other night. First off, I think it takes a hell of a lot of nerve for you people to come to our country and take advantage of our col leges and universities, and then turn around and criticize America. There aren’t just a whole lot of places in the world where you could get away with that. Secondly, if you are so anti-America, leave! It’s not as if we’re twisting your arm to make you stay here. Unlike some other countries around the world, this one is free; you may come and go as you please. Considering the circumstances, I’d say you people ought to count you blessings and keep your mouths shut. Daniel Boone their turn at the microphone. Tom Weiricli 1 Support for Warped Remember guidelines Go home, Iranians Editor: When former Iranian hostage Richard Queen spoke at Rudder Theater on Tuesday, the behavior of the crowd dur ing the question-and-answer period should be brought to attention. The program director, Bill Livingstone, set the guidelines for the questions. One short question per person was specified. Several of the persons who came to the microphone not only asked several ques tions but made statements of opinion. The reason that this was undesirable at a presentation of this nature was that there were several people waiting to also have a turn at the microphone. In the future it would be a good idea to remem ber these guidelines so that as many persons as possible will be able to have Editor: This letter is a rebuttal to criticism Warped comic strip. My roommatess I feel that one of the strongest mo statements that can be made today is, the words of Ayn Rand: “I swear by life*and my love of it that I will neverl? for the sake of another man, nor another man to live for mine.” Wei spect the opinions and wishes of otbfl but when some people try to oblitm Warped from existence, they are for others to cover their eyes for the* “to live for another man. ” We do not) that The Battalion must conform l:oS wishes of these few. ShaW we ban! cartoon Tank McNamara became offends some sports fans and pants? The Battalion is put out forfl lege students, who are supposed responsible enough to decide what I like or don’t like, what to read andui not read, and to know the difference! tween making a demand and express an opinion. Great Scott! We don’t always 1)'watch their Warped, but if we stop liking it, we"i* ^ stop reading it, not ask that The lion stop printing it. In fact, in our of registration { enrollment a sity and mee point ratio st; individual cc Carter sail no policy on preregistratii require then least a 2.0 tc To prereg first go to hi: partment am After comple tains and r< course requ ment advise packet in at Hall. Texas Ai Lacey said th run in the or turned in, sc ets are tumi chances are i requested. Students c fee statemer Fre by i By MICH Batti If the gov< tier drinkinj Parriott, alon old college st other means I waited drink,” Parri personal opinion survey, three out oft! ,, four people polled stated they I i awpasses s j Warped. We will not be held liable for any misco struction of this article, nor the use this article, or portions thereof, in* term paper without the written appro' of the authors. Aiterall, our opinion may be warped also. into clubs. The targe Hon is the l dered by th which woulc drinking age a Ijtt jectiveofthe from the h Jay C. Ellis!# Bail 7’? legi Editor: •On the evening of April 7, former hostage Richard Queen came to Rudder Theater to speak about his experiences while he was held hostage in Iran. The question and answer session which followed got a little rowdy when some Iranian students Dane Robin*' Richard Zimmeri" By Scott McCullar GOT WE LL, WE'VE BOTH CLASSES TO GET TO SO X'LL LET YOU GO NOW... THANKS, I APPRECIATE XT, mY AR/VS To GET /YUAB.. The Battalion ISPS MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest journaiism Congress Editor Dillard Stone Managing Editor Angelique Copeland Asst. Managing Editor. Todd Woodard City Editor Debbie Nelson Asst. City Editor Marcy Boyce Photo Editor Greg Gammon Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff Asst. Focus Editor Susan Hopkins News Editors Venita McCellon, Scot K. Meyer StaffWriters Carolyn Barnes, Jane G. Brust, Terry Duran, Bemie Fette, Cindy Gee, Phyllis Henderson, Kathleen McElroy, Belinda McCoy, Kathy O’Connell, Richard Oliver, Denise Richter, Rick Stolle Cartoonist Scott McCullar Photographers Chuck Chapman Brian Tate EDITORIAL POLICY The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper operated as a community service to Texas A&M University and Bryan-CoUege Station. Opinions expressed in The Bat talion are those of the editor or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M Universi ty administrators or faculty members, or of the Board of 045 460 Begents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory nempap#' students in reporting, editing and photography cl& within the Department of Communications. Questions or comments concerning any editorial^ should be directed to the editor. assistant in However will not be tl Many Texa freshmen q and effectiv well as its their own sc "If the g year-olds t electing the they be alio sponsibility Lopes, a fr foajor, askei Freshmar Huff agreec even from tl lot of their Concemi drinking Helen LeN LETTERS POLICY Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 woi-. . , length, and are subject t o being cut if they are longer ' 11 J* view bed editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters forstyi* length, but will make ewery effort to maintain the atit! 1 intent. Each letter mus t also be signed, show and phone number of t he writer. Columns and guest e ditorials are also welcome, ■ .1 not subject to the sa me length constraints as ^ erstood Address all inquiries amd correspondence to: Editor, Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M Univer 5 ’ College Station, TX 77/843. The Battalion is pub lished daily during Texas A&M*! and spring semesters, exc ept for holiday and examin^ periods. Mail subscription s are $16.75 per semester, 1$ per school year and $35 per full year. Advertising i** furnished on request. Our address: The Battf dion, 216 Reed McDonald B- ing, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX77M| United Press Intemat ional is entitled exclusively use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited!* Rights of reproduction ()f all other matter herein resen* Second class postage paid at College Station, TX f ’ M said she Active ini teen drinki "Some elementary adding tbit drink they > Dew law. Agreein j dents who so eithe=