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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1982)
opinion — 1 ■- Tune in for tomorrow ‘As the Senate turns’ by Dick West United Press International WASHINGTON — The series of de bates over whether to change Senate rules to permit television cameras in the chamber have been canceled for the rest of the season. Sorry about that, folks. The 60-day interruption means it will be at least midsummer, or probably after the 10-day July 4 recess, before the Sen ate decides whether to pick up the op tion. One argument in favor of televising Senate proceedings concerns the fun and challenge it would provide for puzzle fans. If Rubik’s Cube and the Sunday dou ble-acrostics tax your powers of concen tration, wait until you try untangling some of the parliamentary situations the Senate gets itself enmeshed in. Indeed, these legislative snarls may ex plain why senators need so many reces ses. It could be they get all tuckered out trying to cope with the parliamentary situations. I doubt, however, that the television issue itself will necessitate adding to the three recesses of 10 days or more the Senate already has scheduled between now and the end of August. Strangely, the parliamentary situa tions created by tne television debate have been relatively simply. One was neatly clarified by Sen. James McClure, R-Idaho, shortly before the Senate voted last week to send the issue back to the rules committee for two months. Said McClure: “I am informed that at no time from 1884 to the present has the Senate ever amended its rules by using the technique of adding an amendment changing the rules of the Senate to a resolution pend ing before the Senate which itself did not amend the rules.” See how cut and dried it all was? Cer tainly nothing in that situation would re quire senators to take off for 10 days, or until their heads stopped spinning, whichever came first. Compare, if you will, the beautiful sim plicity of the situation so tidily summed up by McClure with the mindboggling parliamentary situation that arose a cou ple of years ago during the Fair Housing debate. As the Congressional Record so aptly put it: ‘‘The question is on agreeing to the motion to lay on the table the motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion to lay on the table the motion to proceed to the consideration of the Fair Housing Bill was rejected.” Now that is the type of situation that might force a senator to lie down and rest a bit. As it turned out, the vote was 61-31 in favor of this particular question with eight senators, who might have re mained in a quandry, not voting. “So,” the Recora summarized, “the motion to lay on the table the motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion to lay on the table the motion to proceed to the consideration of the Fair Housing Bill (H.R. 5200) was rejected was agreed to.” Too bad there wasn’t any Senate televi sion back then. Slouch By Jim Earle Would you graduating seniors continue your count-down until graduation in minutes instead of in seconds? It would be appreciated by those of us who are not gra duating. The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference Editor. AngeliqueCopeland City Editor Denise Richter Assistant City Editor Diana Sultenfuss Sports Editor Frank L. Christlieb Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff Assistant Focus Editor Nancy Flqeck 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. 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 f>er 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 reproducuon of ail other matter herein reserved. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. w Those quickly forgotten senators of sc by Steve Gerstel WASHINGTON — Nicholas F. Brady of New Jersey is the latest addition to the Senate and the natural impulse is to won der why he would desert the canyons of Wall Street for a summer in the city built atop a swamp. Brady is one of a rare species of poli tical creations which dot the history books — an appointed seat-warming senator who foreswears running for elec tion in his own right. These types are usually friends and cronies, or both, of those in a position to appoint and very often they have labored in the party vineyards long and loyally. Among the most recent that come to mind are Kaneaster Hodges of Arkansas, Benjamin Smith of Massachusetts and Hub Walters of Tennessee. They provide ample proof that these short-term appointed senators have just about no impact on the national scene and are hurriedly forgotten. Their only solace is being addressed as senator for the rest of their lives, usually by people who want something. Although Brady has the right connec tions to get appointed and has been active in Republican politics, he does not seem to fit the mold. As his biography indicates, Brady has been a super success in the world of busi ness and at the professional mid-life of 52, he is at the top. Brady, a millionaire, was, until his appointment, head of Dillon, Read and Co., an investment banking outfit, and chairman of Purolator Inc. He was also a director of NCR Corp. and the Bessemer Securities Corp. At a news conference — the first he has ever held — Brady said he had resigned “every business connection that I know of. “I put it that way because after 28 years in business, you don’t even realize what you have,” Brady said. With those credentials, Brady hardly needs a six-month ego trip. And at 52, he is still too young for the meaningless hon ors reserved for age. Why, then, did Brady decide on the six-month sabbatical from business. Well, Brady told reporters in Washington that his decision was partly based on loyalty to friends. Two of those friends are Vice Presi dent George Bush, for whom he worked by Randy I Battalion R in the 198U pre-convemionra^ °^’ campaign, and Thomas Kafone ofth^se style New Jersey governor. the Texas A &m “I’ve always felt in life than bine all three, your friends ask,” Brady saiiM The 12-m There are those who woulc.f evolved in 1974 < that kind of philosophy leadssBp'adition Singer the business world. Century Singers Another reason he 5av(|™ us ' c n( J t an an > wanted to “pitch in” seemsiiM 0 -J! h * t ^^ e i iers ble. Many men in the privatesf J, be Sunday at some point an obligation top,® — either doing it themselvesal ~ leering sons and daughters. Yet, neither of these e\*< seem quite adequate. What lirady might bedoi^H ing the interim appointmenti i ' ical c some more political dues inan.i. * of becoming even more actnflr arena. It wouldn’t be surprisingitSf' turns to Washington at sontefl' he leaves the Senate. T he move could come dun second Reagan administration a Bush presidency. - Should it come to that, months of Washington will| better idea of what to expect. Letters: Teachers serve, not Editor: In the Houston Chronicle (4/18/82), Dr. Frank Vandiver made some awesome comments concerning “professor- priests” and Texas A&M’s place in a new world order. The one world government idea is truly nothing new; such is also proported by groups like the Council of Foreign Relations, the Club of Rome, the Dicta torships of Proclaiming Communism, writers of the Humanist Manifestos I and II, and now our own University presi dent. The method is different, the goal unchanged — world power inducing world peace. Briefly, Dr. Vandiver told his menial students a few things and admitted to a shortsightedness in a few areas. Students who say that Texas A&M is becoming a modern, powerful “think tank” or re search institution at the students’ ex pense no longer need clamor in vain: now they can quote their president. Knowledge is not meant for a god, nor are professors priests. Knowledge is a tool for wise men and a weapon for those educated away from their intelligence. Professors and presidents are servants meant to share knowledge and search for wisdom in themselves and in their stu dents. If the lenses get too far away from the eyes, objects are seen upside down, means get mistaken for ends, objects and purposes get worship instead of the true and living God. Then we get such quotes that appear in the Chronicle as “woe to him who speaks ill of Einsteinian physics” instead of “thou shall have no other gods before me.” If Dr. Vandiver is going to invoke God’s name in his interviews, let him remember the first time what the world was to be centered around — knowledge and the outcome at the Tow er of Babel (Genesis 11). An infinitely better solution can be found in other parts of that same book. the outside world by expelling the repre sentatives of foreign media from Iran. It was under certain conditions when re cently a group of American and Euro pean reporters were allowed to visit in side the country. They were permitted to report only on the “victories” of the re gime in its war with Iraq. Even in doing so, their reports were to be passed from under the scrutiny of the regime’s cen sure. This isolation has been used as a mea sure against the wide-spread leakage of the news of the virtual incapability of Khomeini’s regime in dealing with eco nomical and social problems it is facing. In a chain of confused reactions, the Khomeini regime has involved itself in a massive compaign to eliminate its politic al opponents. So far, the official figure of the executions of dissidents is 4,500. A great number of children and six pre gnant women are reported to have been among those executed. Furthermore, the opponents of the regime say that the number of the political prisoners cur rently reaches 40,000. Torture, sum mary trials without any due process have become common place. Social and indi vidual freedoms and rights have been totally abolished. And only those papers eulogizing the regime are permitted to operate. The economic state of the regime is tragic. The oil production, the only signi ficant source of revenue, has reached an all time low of 1 million barrels a day. More than 85 percent of all basic necessi ties are being imported. And while peo ple have been forced to stayi8| lines to obtain their basic I the regime has been desperalt! to generate revenues by attain gold and antiques, inordertol meaningless war with Iraq. It is unlikely that the rft Khomeini which orignally tootf: ■ abusing the religious inclinalk® people, and their lack ofexjxii determining their own destinia many years of dictatorship ut Shah, will be able to cope withitii crisis. Khomeini regime is also[|| increasing pressure of the wifl guerrilla movement by its oppoiil • ited under the Naitonal Count 5 sistance of Iran, which is a coif 5 People’s Mojahedin Organic Iran, former president Democratic Party of KurdM other national and anti-dictator nizations. This well organized coaliti forced the regime to split ilsjj recombat the attacks of the nil its leadership and centers of po 1 Due to the presence of such r circumstances, Khomeini’s should be regarded as one off fragile and unstable regimes of gion which maintains its poor violence and supression. It is very doubtful that once fc’ dies, the regime can hold itt and not crumble under the pr( the discontent majority of the f * Johil P.0. Bor the small society by Bricb David Lowry ’83 Khomeine regime unstable Editor: ! It has been a long time since Khomeine’s regime isolated itself from shop Dillia