The Battalion
Viewpoint
October 7,
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Two views of G. Gordon Liddy’s politics
G. Gordon Liddy brought his dog and pony show to
Texas A&M Monday night, and the crowd bought it.
Liddy, a convicted felon who spent more than four
years in prison for masterminding the Watergate break-
in, received a standing ovation at the end of his presen
tation. Amazing.
At the height of the Watergate scandal, the public
was screaming for blood from Nixon’s watchdogs H.R.
Haldeman and John Ehrlichman. Liddy might have
been able to raise bus fare by going on a speaking tour
then. Last year he made more than $250,000. He’s got
to pay all those fines and legal fees somehow.
Liddy has become something of a folk hero, as
autograph seekers who mobbed the reception room
following his address will attest. During his speech,
the audience kept breaking into applause.
Angelique
Copeland
But the things he said were hard not to applaud.
There was a “let’s hear it for Mom and apple pie”
quality to most of his statements. For example, he
called for the revival of military supremacy in the Un
ited States. What better place than Texas A&M to voice
that opinion? And how could you not applaud when he
said the United States must fight to be seen once again
as a powerful and respected world power? But folks, do
we want to do it the way Nixon, through Liddy, did it?
Liddy cautioned the audience about living in a world
of illusions where everyone is honorable and there is no
need for the covert services of the FBI and CIA. I agree
they have a legitimate use. But Nixon didn’t order
Liddy to break into the Soviet embassy. Nixon was
wielding his power as president against a “fellow Amer
ican,” for the sole purpose of insuring that he keep and
increase that power. And Liddy went along with it.
For too many members of the audience, Liddy and
the whole Watergate fiasco seem long ago and far away.
But G. Gordon Liddy was convicted for crimes against
the people of the United States under our system of
justice. Now we re paying and applauding him to tell us
how he did it.
I have to admit I went into the G. Gordon Liddy
speech armed with a little bit of curiosity and a lot of
bias. I expected to see a rat-eating, wire-tapping, fire
breathing lunatic. Instead, I saw a rat-eating, wire
tapping, fire-breathing, but definitely sane man.
Liddy is a dynamic, charismatic speaker, as was
obvious by the frequent applause and the standing
ovation he received in Rudder Auditorium.
I even caught myself smiling at some of his wit and
anecdotes. Imagine that. Smiling at a convicted con
spirator!
Liddy, flames shooting from his nostrils, didn’t give
anyone a chance to condemn him for his Watergate
involvement. Not even the person holding up the de
rogatory sign in the back of the auditorium. He owned
up to his crime, gave the obligatory background on it,
answered a few inevitable questions about it, and crack
ed a few jokes about it.
And while it was probably the topic of Watergate that
attracted that crowd, I think they got more than they
expected from that eloquent speech they applauded so
enthusiastically.
I hope I’m not just kidding myself when I say that the
audience was applauding his words and not his deeds.
His intelligent words certainly overshadowed those
previous unscrupulous deeds.
After all, before he was a criminal he was an assistant
Jennifer
Afflerbach
t
district attorney, an Armyofficer, an FBIbureaiii
visor, and a special assistant to the Secretan
Treasury. Not just your average second-story
ing his views on why the country is in such a
Liddy’s complaints about the United Statesdrf
in the ranks of world powers and losing the resf
other countries are not unfounded. His solutio
not farfetched. He is a man of knowledge spea]|
experience.
And I hope his criminal record will not drown
voice. It was certainly heard in Rudder Audit]
Monday night.
i
RV defends integrity of group
Editor:
In last Thursday’s Reader’s Forum, the
integrity of the Ross Volunteer Company
was called into question by an anonymous
writer. His letter charged the seniors of the
Company with conspiring to prevent the
selection of two Corps juniors as Ross
Volunteers solely because of their outfit
affiliation.
and for unlearning every lesson he sought
to teach us. My intent is not to defame any
individual or group, but to reaffirm in the
mind of every Aggie the high ideals and
integrity which permeate the Ross Volun
teer Company.
least 72 applicants who, in our estimation,
were more deserving and better qualified
than they.
As commander of the Ross Volunteer
Company, I had two options. I could re
spond with a letter of rebuttal, or I could
not respond at all and allow the issue to fade
with the passing of time. When I sought
advice from University officials not directly
involved with my Company, they endorsed
the latter because they felt a rebuttal would
only prolong the controversy. That same
Friday morning, I received a phone call
from a gentleman who did not identify him
self. He told me that if I were to submit a
rebuttal to the Battalion, he would follow
with yet another editorial whose purpose, I
believe, would be to further slander the
Ross Volunteers. Given this set of circumst
ances, it would have been easier and poss
ibly more sensible to forgo any response.
The allegation was concerned specifical
ly with the RV election process. The article
stated that the seniors, “simply refused to
review any applicants from that outfit.”
This cannot be true since any senior
wishing to cast a vote either for or against a
junior must first review his application and
then signify that he has done so by initialing
the back of the application. These applica
tions remain on file with the Company as
proof that this occurred and may be made
available to anyone justly contending the
election. The only applications which were
not reviewed were those indicating an over
all GPR below the minimum 2.30 required
for intitial membership. All others were
available for review and were, in fact, re
viewed. I am sure that the two juniors refer
red to did have sufficient qualifications for
membership. However, no more than 72
juniors may be inducted each year and in
the course of our elections, we identified at
In conclusion, I must say that the ideals
and founding principles of the Ross Volun
teer Company have not degenerated.
Rather, they have grown in stature with the
Class of ’82 and will continue doing so in the
Class of ’83. Lawrence Sullivan Ross en
dures to this day in the lives of those who
proudly bear allegiance to the Ross Volun
teers. But you be the judge — actions speak
louder than any words. Stand with us in
silence tonight as we pay tribute to the lives
of Robert Brennan and Kenneth White in
ceremony of Silver Taps. See if you do not
recognize the proud and dignified spirit of
old Sul Ross himself standing in the midst of
the ghostly men in white.
Robert W. Marshall
Ross Volunteer Captain
Commanding
Editor’s note: This letter was scheduled to
run in Tuesday’s paper. Silver Taps was
held Tuesday night.
Slouch By Jim Earl
5 hide
graph
walks
“It’s nothing serious. I'm just expressing my sympathy to
several of my friends at Tech!''
But if we as Ross Volunteers are reluc
tant to stand firm upon the life principles of
our beloved Ross, we most certainly would
be responsible for staining his good name
It s your turn
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor Angelique Copeland
Managing Editor Marcy Boyce
City Editor JaneG. Brust
Asst. City Editor Kathy O’Connell
Photo Editor Greg Gammon
Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy
Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff
Asst. Focus Editor Debbie Nelson
News Editors J ennifer Afflerbach
Bernie Fette, Belinda McCoy
Diana Sultenfuss
Staff Writers Frank L. Christlieb
Randy Clements, Gaye Denley, Terry Duran
Nancy Floeck, Phyllis Henderson
Colette Hutchings, Denise Richter, Rick Stolle
Nancy Weatherley
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Graphic Artist Richard DeLeon Jr.
Photographers Brian Tate
Becky Swanson, Dave Einsel
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Attitudes, not Greeks hurt Aggie spirit
Editor:
In response to Reader’s Forum and the
editorial of October 1, 1981, I would first of
all like to pose a question to Miss Pender
grass and all others opposed to officially
recognizing the Greeks. Would your Aggie
Spirit deteriorate if the Greeks were offi
cially recognized? Mine wouldn’t, why
should it? And secondly, with or without
University recognition, the Greeks are
here to stay, so why not welcome them with
open arms and work together towards a
mutually beneficial coexistence? It is a bel
ligerent attitude like yours that causes de
terioration of the Aggie Spirit.
would like to take my parents to yell prac
tice before my graduation, but until now I
have always been ashamed to do so. The
purpose of yell practice is to strengthen the
school’s spirit and morale. Texas A&M is
known far and wide for the pride, honesty,
integrity and intelligence of its students.
Are vulgar grode stories a good example of
this?
nated according to class level. This meant
that your freshman and sophomore years,
you had to sit in the end sections of the
stadium, but it also meant that you were
assured of at least decent seats your junior
and senior years.
still aren’t getting good seats. Sowfij Center
there a system change and, except to an list*
control of the length of ticket lines,
we still have set days for each class! a P« r
tickets?
Rick Wyly
Mike Williams
As for you, Mr. Name Withheld, why
did you come to A&M? I came here looking
for diversity, a diversity inherent with any
school as large as ours. Believe it or not, this
diversity can be used to everyone’s advan
tage without bringing any detriment to any
one. We have already found our own little
niche in the Corps. So, who are we to
attempt to deny anyone the right to find
their own little niche, be it in a fraternity or
a sorority?
Football tickets unfair
Editor:
With the new random selection process,
there are persons — of which I am one —
who have, and will, attend Texas A&M for 4
years and never get better than 35-yard-
line seats. My second year here, I once
received 35-yard-line seats, but last year
and so far this year, with junior and senior
tickets, I haven’t done any better than the
16-yard-line.
istener.
Dobn
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process
To the Athletic Department (Ticket
Office):
Please inform me and many severely
irked upperclassmen of the reason for the
change to a random selection of tickets for
football games. My first year at Texas A&M,
sections of Kyle Field’s seats were desig-
I have been told by friends that they
‘think’ the reason for the system change was
that too many upperclassman seats were
being given to underclassmen by means of
the 1-1 option.
Well, the option of using “X” number of
senior ticketbooks and “X” number of non
senior ticketbooks to get “X + X” tickets on
doctor day (Monday) still exists and seniors
Also, please discuss the reasons
accepting this option: Start on M 1 -
mornings with 50-yard-line tickets an
up the sections working outwards to
each end-zone. Because of dates, m:
the 1-1 option. True, this would keepH »
men without senior dates from gettin! *
yard-line seats, but it would assure
better than 25-yard-line seats at least >
years here. It is still a privilege to *
senior, isn’t it? ■
JJ
Please inform me, and the many! >
graduate students and seniors who **
continously walked away from the tit C
window angered, nauseous and I |
of the reason for the Sfi ^
suicidal
change.
Richard Ml
And unless your last name is Webster,
who are you to say that the definition of a
Good Ag is one who “opposes frats and
sororities”? I feel that you, Mr. Name
Withheld owe the Greeks an apology, for
they are just as much a part of Aggieland as
Warped
By Scott McCullat *
Otto F.W. Boneta ‘83
Cleaner ‘grode’ stories
Editor:
I would like to thank the yell leaders for
telling clean “grode” stories at a recent yell
practice. I have been at Texas A&M for
several years and love everything ... except
the vulgarity used in telling grode stories. I
ALRIGHT, C'MO/Y STAFF,
LET’S GET THIS OFFICE.
FURNITURE MOVED...
HEY BUSTER, HOW ABOUT
HELPING OS MOVE THIS
TYPEWR (TER ?
ARE 80U KIDDING?
THAT’S WOMAN'S WORK.
7- "I
HE SEEMS TO HAVE
WORKED OVER »Y A
OF WOMEN?
BEEN
BUNCH