The Battalion
Viewpoint
October 1, 1981
Slouch
By Jim Earle
0(5
# •
“Now that you've perfected a flour bomb, would you promise
me that you won't use this room for future tests?”
Moderates beginning
to make their point
WASHINGTON — Of all the animals in
our political zoo, none have been more
scorned than the creatures that call them
selves “moderate Republicans.” In the days
of Democratic dominance, true conserva
tives derided them as “me-tooers.” Since
1964, they have been predictable losers in
Republican conventions. In Detroit last
summer, they were bystanders at the
Reagan coronation, so impotent they were
not even good targets for conservative
jibes.
One highly credentialed moderate, Sen.
Howard H. Baker, Jr., of Tennessee, saw
his presidential bid collapse early in the
year. Another, Rep. John B. Anderson of
Illinois, was routed so thoroughly that he
left the GOP for a foredoomed independent
candidacy.
Having undergone so many humilia
tions, these creatures became masters of
self-deprecation. When they chose a label
for themselves in this Congress, it was
“gypsy moths.” “Us moderates,” said Sen.
John C. Danforth of Missouri, “are such
vanilla characters, we put you to sleep.”
But as they say, what goes around, comes
around. And the moderate Republicans are
sensing accurately these days — and assert
ing plainly — that they have a vital role to
play in the future of the Reagan administra
tion and the Republican Party.
The frantic negotiations that led to for
mulation of the latest round of budget cuts
were different in one respect from those of
last spring. This time, the goal of the White
House operatives — a goal they did not
reach — was to satisfy the gypsy moths, not
the Southern Democratic boll weevils, on
the equity of the President’s proposals.
They understood that Democratic resist
ance to Reagan’s austerity measures was
increasing, and their only hope of success
lay in holding Republican ranks intact —
including the two dozen House members
and the handful of Senators who consider
themselves political moderates.
By coincidence, the week that ended
with Ronald Reagan’s speech to the nation
began with a massively less publicized
“moderate manifesto” by Rep. Jim Leach of
Iowa, a 38-year old third-termer who is
characteristic of the breed in his combina
tion of brains, good manners and in
nocuousness.
The occasion of Leach’s address was his
acceptance of the chairmanship of the
Ripon Society, an academically oriented
group of moderate Republicans formed
back in the Kennedy years and now boast
ing a national membership of 2,500 hardy
souls.
The best recommendations for the mod
erate Republicans have always been the
quality of their ideas and the quality of their
people. Leach embodies that tradition. A
foreign service offiicer who resigned on
principle to protest Richard Nixon’s “Satur
day Night Massacre,” he made his manifes
to an exceptionally clear statement of the
moderates’ principles and policies.
In barest outline, he called on the Reagan
administration to: balance the arms buildup
with an equally serious bid for arms control;
recognize that military intervention cannot
be our basic approach to Third World dis
putes; reassert American concern for hu
man rights; limit further tax benefits to the
energy industry and prevent further cuts in
education and basic research; fight mono
poly distortions of free enterprise with
vigorous anti-trust enforcement; protect
the historic Republican commitment ot en
vironmentalism against the “aberrations” of
James Watt; reassert Republicans’ commit
ment to civil rights and equal justice; and
reject the social-issue conservatism of the
New Right.
If all this sounds to some people like
asking Ronald Reagan to stop being him
self, Leach can not only invoke a pre-
Reagan Republican tradition but explain
why he supports the main goals of the
Reagan administration and hopes for its
success. “We have a major stake,” he said,
“in making the Reagan administration the
best possible administration, because he
has set such a positive direction for conser
vatism that if he can avoid the extremes, he
can establish a generation of Republican
opportunity. ”
Of all the elements of Reagan Republi
canism, moderates probably feel most com
fortable with the emphasis on decentraliza
tion of government. As Leach pointed out,
“The real divisions today in the Republican
Party are not between liberals, moderates
and conservatives; they are between prag
matists and ideologues ... It is local govern
ment where pragmatists have always
dominated. ”
In a quiet way, Leach’s speech was a
timely reminder that the moderates are still
around — not just in Congress but in state
capitols from Iowa to Pennsylvania and Ver
mont, where they will play a major role in
determining the GOP’s fate in the 1982 and
1984 elections.
Leach got invitiations to discuss his views
on CBS, public television and the Cable
News Network — and a request to stop by
the ofifice of Vice President Bush. Just want
to be sure there are open channels of com
munication to the administration. Bush
said. The moderates are making their point.
RV selection disillusions cadet
Last week was a very tense time for
many Juniors in the Corps. It was the time
for the Ross Volunteer applicants to find out
if they were accepted. Now this is some
thing that many of them have looked for
ward to since their fish year. Their first
exposure was the ghostly men in white mar
ching in for Silver Taps. Later you find out
that they are the cadets wearing the white
and yellow cord and you gain a respect for
them. They are the “Cream of the Crop” as
a well-used cliche’ puts it. The Honor
Guard of the Governor of Texas, true
Aggies.
Yet their actions of last week not only
shook my confidence in the Corps, but des
troyed my whole view of those members of
the Ross Volunteer Company. The words
ring in my ear of the man who is their
namesake, Lawrence Sullivan Ross, “sol
dier, statesman, and knightly gentleman,”
this is what makes up true Aggies. But the
senior members of the Ross Volunteer
Company, through their actions, forgot all
these traits. They have lowered themselves
so low as to be down on a Frat level, if not
lower.
I’m talking about the selection process
they used to “select” the new members. It
wasn’t fair at all, when they are chosen by
friendship alone and not the true ideals be
hind the Ross Volunteer Company. But not
just that, their one main action which
brought this to light was that of refusing two
Readers
Forum
applicants based solely on the outfit they
are in, not on their true qualifications. They
simply refused to review any applicants
from that outfit. The question I ask myself is
how they, and this is directed towards each
and every senior member of the Ross
Volunteer Company, could belittle their
own organization and lower their own stan
dards as to refuse someone based only on
what company they are in and not even look
at their qualifications?
Now I’m not writing this on my own
behalf, but the two individuals that I am
writing this for are both in my outfit and one
is the First Sergeant. Both of them are ideal
cadets and set a high standard for not only
themselves, but those who follow them.
They live the Aggie code in all they do and
in short, are true Aggies.
It hurt when I found out the reason they
were passed over. All because of what outfit
they were in, not anything to do with
qualifications, just their outfit. Thisisn
way Aggies are! They don’t hold gnu
against someone for something others
fore them have done! Do they? I sinctKj’
hope not! Jet
Now I’m not living in a dream land wMw
all Aggies arc* perfect and good. I kn aint<
reality that’s impossible, but I at
hoped I could find some semblei
“Good Ags” here who call themselves^
and Cadets in the Corps, who opposePj
and Sororities because of their seh
processes and such, just lowered
selves even further than that. Gonem
the respect I had for those men who
once rated so high, gone are the ideals
standards they once stood tor. Thei
who have put a stain on the name ofli
ence Sullivan Ross, the Class of ‘82
Volunteers. I wish your "Frat” the bes
upholding A&M traditions, but Silver!
or Aggie muster will not be the same.wi
I know that men of your caliber are | s t a
volved. I only hope those in the class of |Ar
will see the mistakes of those before v
and change. I
ol
in
Name with!*
Editor’s note: This letter was submitted
a junior on the Corps who asked that
name be withheld because of possible
criminations.
CDUJM0U5
p:
i-i
a
i
1!
It’s your turn
Student gives view on Greek issue
Editor:
Please consider this viewpoint concern
ing the infamous “Greek Question.”
Attending Baylor for one year, I saw how
the presence of Greek organizations can
affect a student body: they promote stratifi
cation into status levels and create
stereotypes to immulate for acceptance. To
me, the single most attractive aspect about
Texas A&M four years ago was the general
absence of classification in a diverse student
body and the acceptance of individuals.
Inherent in the Greek system is the
emphasis on the superficial aspects of one’s
character and the principle of exlusion/re-
jection. Was the “Quota Victim’s” quality of
personhood really projected or analyzed at
those few rush parties? Is that what the
judgement was based on? Who was the
judge?
their members
a large campus.
a
credited. They give
“place,” an identity, on
(Note: “their members” ... It seems that
one’s identity should be formed from with
in, rather that externally. Certainly, one’s
“place” should not be acquired at the ex
pense/exclusion of others.)
One should ask what services the Greeks
would perform for the Aggies. It’s true: all
campus-recognized organizations don’t
serve the entire student body, but they do
have open membership (with the exception
of Honor Societies). No one is hurt by these
clubs’ existence, and they don’t impose sta
tus levels. (Exception: The Corps ...
Although the Corps’ status system shoul
not be condoned, it is a “given” at Texi
A&M; it is the basis of our tradition and
not the subject here.)
With the recognition of the Gree
orgainization on campus, the Aggie Spir
would deteriorate. We would be condonin
the principles of their system: elitism an
exclusion, which Texas A&M does
need. We are not the Greeks and
GDI’s, nor Theta’s rather than Chi O’s. W
are the Aggies. All inclusive.
Ellen Pendergrass ’!
700 Domini
As with almost everything, Greek organi
zations have good points. Their community
service projects, if effective, cannot be dis-
Warped
By Scott McCullar
LOOK fAUL,
CONTROLLED
A RAD/0
AIRPLANE.
I DON'T THINK SO..
v
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