The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 21, 1982, Image 2
April 21,1| Slouch By Jim Earle “His light hasn’t been on since he decided he was going to graduate/’ Book censorship is frightenint Results of surveys about book censor ing frighten me, and they should fright en you, too. In the past few years, book censoring has grown explosively. Three times as many incidents of school censorship have been documented between 1975 and 1979 as in the preceding ten years — and since the beginning of 1980, the rate has tripled again. In 1980, there were 1,000 reported attempts to ban or restrict books in public schools. t t ying to impose their beliefs-n legal, moral and political-o around them in an effort to 1 ! world.” But today no one m church or belief exists; sinsare mined. No perfect legal syste crimes are still an everydayocoi No absolute set of moral standard^ foul language is still spokenani table are opic by Amy Polk Battalion Reporte n Kepoi he Texas A&M L “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “Crime and Punishment,” “Catch- 22,” “Diary of Anne Franke,” “Grapes of Wrath,” “Of Mice and Men,” “Lord of the Flies,” “Leaves of Grass,” “Farewell to Arms,” “The • Hunchback of Notre Dame” and such magazines as “Life,” “T ime,” “Look” and “Photography” are among the many, many publications that have been banned or censored in public high school libraries across the nation. Business must remain behind Reagan’s plan But that’s not all. Schools have rejected “The Catcher in the Rye” because it contains a few four- letter words, Shaw’s “Androcles and the Lion” because Shaw was an atheist, “Gone With the Wind” because Scarlett O’Hara was immoral, “Fail Safe” because it arouses fear in the adequacy of our defense system, and Today’s Health be cause one of the issues dealt with the birth of a baby. people realize how widespread banning is. They seldom hear about the parent who threatens to burn a book that discus ses sexual intercourse if it isn’t taken of f the library shelf. They seldom hear about the groups who go before members of the school board and threaten campaigns against them in the next election if all books that deal with war aren’t removed from the library. Few people know about the teachers who steal books they charge are immoral to keep them from circulat ing among high school students. When I found out, I became more frightened and more concerned. It’s my business to get scared. When someone thinks he can decide for me or my chil dren — without consulting me — w hat is too explicitly sexual, too violent or im moral, I worry. And I especially worry w hen one individual or one small group is the basis for that decision. rnerg al rii by Beverly Hami Battalion Report* By David S. Broder WASHINGTON — About a year ago, when President Reagan’s budget and tax programs w r ere awaiting congressional action, John F.. Swearingen, chairman of the board of the Standard Oil Company of Indiana, wrote stockholders that man agement “wholeheartedly endorses the President’s program (and) urges our stockholders to express their support for it. “The package President Reagan has proposed,” he said, “must be enacted, in its entirety, in order to ... restore confi dence in our economy and in our country.” Well, a year has passed, and Swearing en— unlike some other business execu tives — is sticking to his bet, at least rhe torically. In his latest message to stockholders, Sw'earingen says that the “tax cuts of 1981 were too little and too late,” but still predicts “beneficial results” when Reagan’s full program for economic re covery is put in place. “Retrenchment and the recession currently under w'ay are very unpalatable to many Amer icans,” he concedes, “but the most effec tive medicine is frequently the bitterest. Even the bitterest aftertaste will fade as economic activity revives, new jobs are created and inflation is reduced.” middle of the business spectrum. He is not as much of a cheerleader as Richard L. Lesher, the president of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States. But neither has Swearingen joined the leaders of the Business Roundtable, or the bankers, the realtors, the homebuil der, the savings and loan executives or even the officials at Mobil Oil, all of whom have called on the President for a “mid-course correction” to boost re venues, slow the defense buildup and re duce the deficit. Swearingen is telling his stockholders to stick with the President, while delaying what a Standard spokesman says would normally have been about a 10 percent increase in capital spending. Is that good enough? The best answer may have come from Secretary of the T reasury Donald T. Re gan in a speech last month called “Re sponsibility and Capitalism.” “The first responsiblility of any capit alist is to himself,” Regan said, “to make a good product and earn a fair profit. “We have given you the tools,” Regan continued. “Now we ask you to put them to work. We did not conf use Oct. 1, 1981, with the millennium ... At a time when inventories were high and plant utiliza tion relatively low, it would have been unrealistic to anticipate an immediate surge of visible investment.” Five dictionaries were banned because they contained “offensive language” and “Robin Hood” was banned because it “condoned stealing.” Many schools have no formal proce dure for reviewing reading matter. In too many cases, an individual has only to voice a complaint in order to have a book censored or banned. And everything is done quietly. Few Havingr the resources to learn about all aspe laving t ?cts or an issue is much more impor tant than having someone decide for me. If someone objects to a certain book, they should have the right not to read it. But just because they have objections to it doesn’t mean they should have the right to say my children or I can’t have access to it. Since history began, people have been ergency Care T< fisor an all-day he; Bum Saturday call . . . ... f .. lirst Hour pre-Hospit; mate babies are still born. No(y Xraum; f llized P .f tie political system exists; wars TAMECT is a nc waged and scandals are still staniHmteer organizatic day is no different from yestersSedchiefly ol'Texas there probably will be no tomorrow. T he censors seem comp] ware of the sophistication ofconii ary youngsters and the realitiesofi al changes in values. The attitude) censors seem to revert bad mythical period when teenagers like Wally Cleaver on “Leave If groups and Ilnur goals and restrict theIbiK buton , boul on that young people are exposed to« se ca n s are f or e m< matter that has no violence, notnays Capt. Dave Giord; prejudices, no indecency, nounBlege Station Fire and no explicit details, when tiltment. get s get out of school, they’regoiiBMaj. Ed Feldman, in for a big surprise. They’re s jhief of the Colleg< find that the real world isn’tiftce Department, ag they read. T hey’re going to" they don’t know how to hat tions that involve the very thingstt want banned from high schoollil And then you tell me what mess our world will be in. You how these youths are goingto adults of tomorrow without draw the honest experiences and without learning lessons generations. And you tell me you! afraid when groups and individi succeeded in banning the high school libraries. Ihildr :t for hildren in the liege Station area w ee to use Texas A ity facilities in a camp this summei lamp Adventure, c the Department c Physical Educatioi r area camps have ontinued this summei izes instruction in adventure experiences |“What we offer is s< Swearingen, like many other defen ders of the Reagan program, argues that it is too soon to judge its effects, since it began only last October. He conveniently overlooks the fact that the accelerated depreciation provisions, which were the biggest of many boons to business, were retroactive to the start of 1981. Nor does he dwell on the fact that his own company is stalling on the capital investment that the Reagan program was designed to stimulate. While Standard of Indiana increased its capital and explora tion expenditures by $ 1 billion or 25 per cent from 1980 to 1981, it is not budget ing a nickel’s increase in the first full year of the Reagan era. Swearingen falls in the But Regan said that “verbal assurances of long-range investment are not enough.” Voters who watched business move with lightning speed to take advan tage of the tax-credit-leasing provisions of the 1981 tax bill will measure that speed, he said, against the caution with which business is making its long-term investment commitments. The fact is that business bought in on the Reagan program in 1981, and busi ness cannot bail out in 1982 without get ting hurt. Either this program works or the Swearingens and Leshers of this world are going to have some difficult letters and speeches to write. Life is a song — off-key and all wet I’ve always wanted my life to be a Hollywood musical, but I’d prefer “Camelot” instead of “Singing in the Rain,” especially when “Singing in the Rain” makes my life nothing but “Hair.” Unlike Gene Kelly, I do more wading than tapdancing down the sidewalks as I drip my way to class. Mildewing in a steamy classroom is not my favorite past time. In fact, going to class is not my favorite pasttime — but that’s another column. Like Gene Kelly, I sometimes feel like bursting into song, but my life doesn’t rate a Hollywood musical. I’d be lucky to get a Prudential commercial. I’d settle fqr a Prudential commercial. Since Barry Manilow hasn’t answered my letter requesting a song about my life story. I’m forced to steal one that’s already been written. Luckily, most of the songwriters today are as miserable as I am, so I had a lot of songs to choose from. I’ve decided Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer must have been thinking of me when they got together to sing “Enough is Enough” because with just a few minor adjustments, it’s the one song that says everything about how I feel. Hum along with me now, as I sing my phyllis henderson life story. (Eat your heart out Barry.) It’s raining, it’s pouring, my school life is boring me to tears — after all these years. (One day of this rain is enough.) No grade points, no night life, no friendships, no second dance. I don’t stand a chance. (I’m always drenched.) I always dreamed I’d find the perfect semester, but it turned out to be like ev ery other one I tried ... I tried! (I failed... I failed!) Raining! Pouring! There’s nothing left for me here, and I won’t waste another tear. (The puddles are deep enough already.) If you’ve had enough, don’t put up with this stuff. Don’t you do it! (Try Ci isis Hotline.) Now if you’ve had your fill, write the check, pay the bill (for those parking tickets). You can do it. (If your parents send the money.) Tell the prof that you’re through, then laugh and turn about, pack your raincoat and walk on out. (Into a down pour without your umbrella, of course.) Just look him in the eye and simply shout: “Enough is enough. I can’t go on. I can’t face it anymore. Enough is enough. I want out. I want out that door right now.” (Or maybe out the window.) If you’ve reached the end, don’t pre tend that it’s right when it’s not. (It’s the drugs.) If the feeling is gone, don’t think twice, just move on. (To the pre registration line.) Get it over. Tell him to let you out. Say it clearly. Spell it out. (Make sure you spell it right — two points off for each misspelled word.) Enough is enough. It’s raining, it’s pouring, there’s no thing left for me here, (except a rain- soaked notebook) and I won’t waste another tear. (The puddles are deeper now.) ENOUGH IS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference I ex ns A&M University administrators or faaiin 11 bcrs, or of the Board of Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laborator) 1 nnf f tor students in reporting, editing and photograph ses within the Department of Communications- Questions or comments concerning any matter should be directed to the editor. Editor Angelique Copeland City Editor Denise Richter Assistant City Editor Diana Sultenfuss Sports Editor Frank L. Christlieb Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff Assistant Focus Editor Nancy Floeck News Editors Gary Barker, Phyllis Henderson, Mary Jo Rummel, Nancy Weatherley Staff Writers Jennifer Carr, Cyndy Davis, Gaye Denley, Sandra Gary, Colette Hutchings, Johna Jo Maurer, Hope E. Paasch Daniel Puckett, Bill Robinson, Denise Sechelski, John Wagner, Laura Williams, Rebeca Zimmermann Cartoonist Scott McCullar Graphic Artist Richard DeLeon Jr. Photographers Sumanesh Agrawal, David Fisher, Eileen Manton, Eric Mitchell, Peter Rocha, John Ryan, Colin Valentine Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting news paper operated as a community service to Texas A&M University and Bryan-College Station. 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