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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1982)
1 opinion Wait a million years, the crisis will be over by Dick West United Press International WASHINGTON — Proximity is a key word in the Falklands dispute. Because they are currently located only 450 miles off the Argentine coast, the islands claimed by the British understandably have aroused proprietary instincts in Buenos Aires. I use the adverb “currently” with some degree of confidence that it is exactly the word I was groping for. “Here today, gone tomorrow” is the latest geographic dogma. That philoso phy is manifested in a relatively new theory called “Continental Drift,” which may be the next best thing to “Shuttle Diplomacy.” started out near the Equator, the terri tory now called Antarctica was covered with trees and polar ice covered the Sahara. And the outlook is for the restiveness to continue. Present trends will one day have Los Angeles approaching Alaska and Australia colliding with China. In view of all this stirring around, it may be hypothesized that the Falklands are headed toward Europe and at some ( joint in time will turn up north of Scot- and in the approximate position now occupied by the Orkney Islands. That could cause a marked relaxation of the annexation pressures in Argen tina. Earth’s surface, science is now con vinced, is composed of six major plates and about a dozen smaller ones that move above on a molten sphere. As the plates go, so go the land masses and oceans that rise above them. It is believed the movement has been in progress for at least 250 million years. Before that date, the continents were all joined together and there was only one sea instead of seven to worry about. In consequence, there were compara tively few border disputes and clashes over marine rights were similarly rare. Then what is now South America’s east coast began splitting off from what is now the west coast of Africa, and nothing has been the same since. There is, alas, no guarantee that the future direction of “Continental Drift” will be along the geo-political lines deemed most promising for world peace. We could, instead, see Egypt become part of Scandinavia while Israel drifts down near New Zealand, thus playing hob with the Camp David peace plan for the Middle East. By and large, however, a game of “fruitbasket turn over” in most parts of the globe could only be salubrious. It is true the traffic moves rather slow ly — one to five inches a year — but as Secretary of State Alexander Haig has pointed out, time can be an ally of diplo macy. For instance, Florida was once attached to Africa, pieces of Alaska If both sides in the Falklands crisis will just be patient, geographic conditions during the next few million years may change enough to render the dispute moot. Slouch By Jim Earle “There’s the answer in black and white; but I’ll swear I don’t remember what the question was!” The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference 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, JohnaJo 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 AScM University and Bryan-College Station. Opinions ex pressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M University administrators or faculty mem bers, or of the Board of Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students in reporting, editing and photography clas ses within the Department of Communications. Questions or comments concerning any editorial matter should be directed to the editor. Letters Policy Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in length, and are subject to being cut if they are longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each letter must also be signed, show the address and phone number of the writer. Columns and guest editorials are also welcome, and are not subject to the same length constraints as letters. Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M Uni versity, College Station, TX 77843, or phone (713) 845- 2611. The Battalion is published daily during Texas A&M’s fall and spring semesters, except for holiday and exami nation periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semes ter, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Adver tising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. United Press International is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. Ground is new movemert by Arnold Sawislak United Press International WASHINGTON — Almost 20 years ago, Washington witnessed something it had not seen since the depths of the De pression — thousands of protesting Americans marching for a cause in the capital city of the United States. That, of course, was the 1963 civil rights march climaxed by Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. It was the first of many demonstrations that would come to Washington in the next 10 years: first for racial equality and then against the Vietnam War. When that decade of protest began, most people in Washington believed that mass marches, rallies and picketing would backfire on their sponsors; that lawmakers and policy makers would re fuse even to consider the demands of the protesters while they were in the streets. Among those who misread what was happening then were many in the media. The demonstrations were exciting spec tacles, but most news people doubted they would change much. In fact, until the civil rights and anti-war protests be gan involving thousands of people, some reporters and editors downrated their signflcance and news value. There still are those who maintain the civil rights legislation of the 1960s and the withdrawal from Southeast Asia in the 1970s would have occurred with or without the protest movements. But those who marched and rallied believe they had an impact and the memoirs of many who made national policy in those days confirm that feeling. Now, a new movement is afoot — for a nuclear weapons freeze now and a start toward nuclear disarmament soon. There have been big demonstrations in Europe; they haven’t reached that point yet in the United States. The demand seems to many in Washington to be naive andor dangerous in view of the Soviet Union’s aggressive military and foreign policy. The “smart money” in the capital says the president, especially this president, will ignore the ous bu< “Ground Zero” movement and( 10 f ess i c the policy of trying to match or ^ ns, ^ r the Russian^ m wraponn. The smart money may bem;||?j-j ie President Reagan made a p uc )j el f agreeing with those who fearniaerof vo in <>i >11 idio talks and :tualh i the usual practice of avoiding eficit ir meetings until there is something ^a. to agree on, expressed thehopcii talk to Sonic! Ic.kUt 1 .eonidBrc:“8S este the United Nations in luue. PP rma — . . , omnmti Even more dramatic was thetK: by Sen. Barry Gold water, who s had been elected President ini would have flattened North Vktj 1965, and that he would liketos with the Russians and pointoi| there were far more constwf for their economic resources! MSC mg more weapons. None of this means nucleard ment is coming. But it maymeai ican politicians this time can seeii can’t dismiss a potentially massnt demand for change out of hand Letters: Literacy in letters helps Editor: Bert Mcjimsey’s recent response to the handgun control article was very en lightening. I do not refer to the content, it was full of the same old arguments, but rather to the style. Perhaps Mr. Mc jimsey is too emotionaly involved with hand guns to take the time to write a literate letter. It was quite difficult to read some of the misconstructed sentences. Argu ments are much more persuasive if sent iences such as “An excellent point used by many pro-gun control advocates.” are left out. I hope that drawing attention to this poorly written material will encour age people to take the time to write letters which are grammatically and syntactical ly correct. I am better able to decipher the minds of the Aggies if their thoughts are put on paper in a literate form. does. As the old saying goes, when guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns. Personally, the thought of not being able to defend myself against burglars or other criminals scares the hell out of me. So why don’t you and your dog “Spot” (what a joke) go and find some other crusade to cry about. Scott Ashmore ‘82 ‘Good’ frats vs. ‘bad’ frats Editor: Bruce Babcock Department of Agricultural Economics Gun control reaction Editor: In reference to the article by Gary Barker in the April 22 issue of The Batta lion. The second amendment to the Con stitution states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. “ I totally disagree with his bleeding heart liberal utopian ideas. I myself am a gun owner. The guns I own are used strictly for sport and nothing else. The freedoms we have today were not won by using slingshots. True, I believe in the registration only of firearms for private use, but a moratorium on hand gun pro duction? Get real, son, this would be a major constitutional question and be in the courts for years. People are killed every year by drunk drivers. Does that mean that we should ban liquor or automobiles? No, the prob lem is in the judicial system. Many cri minals are given light sentences by the courts. If the maximum sentence possi ble was mandatory for conviction of a crime where a gun was used, maybe then such crimes would decrease. Guns don’t kill people, it’s the person behind it that I am not in a fraternity nor desire to be. I believe there are two types of frater nities. The “good” kind of frat, a brother hood, provides friendship, support, and love for its members. “Bad” fraternities proliferate in number and status breed ing conceit through rejection and scorn for outsiders. A “bad” f rat pervasion can fracture a university’s cohesion, tradi tions, and friendly atmosphere. Texas A&M must not isolate, reject, or suppress its fraternities and sororities; doing so aids the “bad” frat proliferation and is self-disesteeming and hypocritical. Aggies detesting seeing A&M labeled “Frat town of the ‘bad’ order” attempting to isolate frats from the University’s main life and activities will only gratify those wishing to reject A&M’s traditions through self-isolation. Thus, suppres sion provides an additional incentive for some to join Greek societies increasing their proliferation. Those opposing frats reasoning that they ruin the University’s cohesion imp ly: “I don’t believe the bond between Aggies is strong enough; I fear for tradi tions disintegrating and ‘bail flourishing.” This attitude holdJ opinion towards A&M’s prize(l| Still others believing frats areap| ate only at large, impersonalunbf| vehemently reject the idea that.U] sires Greek societies. Perhaps the'! that A&M is a highly esteemediitst but instead see a vast, anonymous! college where the lost meanderfj amongst masses. Rejecting fratss inadequacies within the University defeating. Claim some spirited Aggies:“ft no frats here because our majof Aggie traditionalists already large, unified fraternity.” Is frat a “good” one if it rejects andsiti ses minority factions (frats)? Some Ags spurn frats and “fa contending that proliferatingfraid at A&M eradicate its unique,' and open atmosphere. Are friei and tolerance between Aggies t conditional? Why do some, Aggies to be the nation’s friendliest 1 gians, also insist that any fraternit' composed of fellow Ags, is a “bat The University’s harmonious phere disintegrating will probably! through the “moral” majority’sn of frats, not conversely, solely responsible for the state oftl versity’s harmony is unfair. If A&M’s traditions are stroi thing will af f ect them. The bond Aggies being true, frats cannot them. Those lacking faith inABbj fear frats. A&M must not reject its nities and sororities because di hypocritical and self-defeating. Richard.'! I >000 %