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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 19, 1982)
opinion Battalion/Page 2 May 19,1982 Slouch By Jim Earle CHECKS CASHED “If I was working during the time I wasted standing in line to cash a check, I wouldn*t need to cash a check/* Seats only available in pacifying section by Dick West United Press International WASHINGTON — The Senate cur rently is wrestling with legislation that would make health warnings on cigarette packages sound more ominous. While verbal jolts of this type may give some smokers second thoughts, I doubt they really do much toward helping tobacco addicts break the habit. For further assistance along that line, we may need to look to Europe. Just recently, big headlines were de voted to reports of a new birth control pill developed in France. And now comes word that a team of medical and industrial design specialists in Austria have come up with the first new baby pacifier in 20 years. Called the Mam Orthodontic Pacifier, it was introduced in Europe five years ago but only this month has become avail able in the United States. In lieu of relating the lore and history of pacifiers, which have been around much longer than either cigarettes or birth control pills, permit me to quote one of the Americans involved in the Mam import program. “Personally,” he wrote, “I have found it an effective substitute for a cup of cof fee. And sucking on one in a plane usual ly ensures an empty seat next to me.” Here we have signalled what I believe is the real, but as yet largely untapped, potential for pacifiers. Think for a moment of all the millions of Americans who are trying to quit smoking. Anyone who has ever been If the new design is an effective coffee substitute, why could not pacifier en gineers also design one that would be an effective substitute for cigarettes? That way, when non-smokers raised a hand to their lips, they could insert or remove a pacifier and it would all look perfectly normal. And if, as the Mam man indicates, adult use of the pacifier disturbs one’s seatmates on a plane, perhaps the airlines could divide passenger compartments into three sections — one for smokers, one for non-smokers and a new one for suckers. The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference Editor Diana Sultenfuss City Editor BernieFette Sports Editor Frank L. Christlieb News Editors... Tracey Buchanan, Dan Puckett Nancy Weatherley, Diane Yount Staff Writers Cyndy Davis, Susan Dittman, Terry Duran, Colette Hutchings, Hope E. Paasch, Joe Tindeljr., Rebeca Zimmermann Cartoonist Scott McCullar Photographers David Fisher, Peter Rocha, John Ryan, 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 mat ter 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 three times a week — Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday — during Texas A&M’s summer semesters, except for holiday and ex amination periods, when it is published only on Wednes days. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Advertising 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. A sunrise experience relived Ca Dr. John juston, a He runs, like a child on Easter morn ing going for his basket. Pajamas and slippers are his dress for that new morn ing — a Sunday. “It’s Sunday,” he says to himself in excitement. His old pickup truck starts cold as ever but revs up fast. “I’ve gotta git there fast or I’ll miss it,” he thinks. The cool air presses against his quilted jacket melted in patchy places from many campfires. “It’s gett’n light fast, I can’t miss it!” Streets are bare and haunted it seems — no life as during the lateness of a day. One thing drives his soul and body up the winding walkway of the stadium. The turns of the curved walk are endless, “How many more? Oh, another one? But what if he rises without me? Run, boy, run! It’s early yet, but run faster!” His house slippers rip a thread more as he runs his heart and mind and soul up ward. In desperation, he ignores it and thinks the slippers are made for only these moments — this moment, this red, swirling Sunday — this one of being alive. A flock of pigeons tears out from the sound of running and panting. His heart skips a beat as they steal the energy into their own beating flight. At last, the cement canyon opens to the everlasting sky — a dark blue, “The darkest of the spring!” Dark but light, and he looks east and finds the sun has waited for his arrival. Then he swings west in a fearful glance hoping the near full moon has not yet faded in the morn ing glaze. There is the cratered being facing the sun in her early morning re verence. Will the clouds block his beaming vi sion as he cracks the sky of the horizon? The Boy only waits, “When will he come? Is he coming at all?” As he waits, his eyes wander the scene, of buildings, and lights, and trees. He has not noticed the trees before, or the mas sive greenness of it all until taking this perch atop the stadium. The pool blue in its tired smoothness. The sky shows blue- dark, a bright, pin-tip star light-years away, a long, narrow gray string of clouds ■xas A&M spanning north to south, asmallanuggents, has from where day will begin any mononorary doc Impatience gnaws at him astti(■ee by Fi: turing cows in western fields grandma mater, cuds, with the difference, that,thel|p ) * e 'j ian * ness is building, and it seemslikeafiffl san “ SY 11 ' man’s line taut with the we ‘ghtofaMj. t ^ e ^^ 1 j strous catfish below about tosnapaiH n H ousto to things. Bhe Hume ... , , Life Prograr But then, a red, silent birthnijffi rinano f t ] ment plays its act upon the land,aMandserve in the east, beyond the greens andfard of dire ings, a painted movement, sbBColeman noticeable. It is silent and slow,bui|p as A&M eyes can spot the moments and]P e 1 ' l ‘' ings. Fires loom inside, aglow witfe energy of a newborn star. This staiB , .~ aren sun of man, has watched the Ian® ess01 ,° earth for trillions of similar cycles,®" Y&M* He sees the red chip; a cool In® ferries him aloft to a place high up | heaven; and he thanks the Lori morning and the peace he holdsit Tom Bed u through the ordeal will tell you one of the biggest hurdles is finding something to do with your hands. Through reflex action, the hand con tinues to rise to the lips, which now are empty of cigarettes, pipes or cigars. This gives other folks the impression that the new nonsmoker is blowing kisses at them. And the next thing you know you may be in need of some of the aforemen tioned pills. I personally licked the problem by growing a beard. Whenever my hand would reflexively spring to my mouth, I would simply give my beard a reflective tug and others would assume I was medi tating or pondering. That system, however, does not work very well for women who are giving up cigarettes or for men who for one reason or another find it inconvenient to have hair on their face. Here is where the paci fier comes in. Registrai im prog: yan Rec je Bryan F lartmen continu for the f ujune 7. Registr; ;mmer se , -_jm 5 to 7 umias Po ys at th ,on W< Play catch-up reading the Record aln by Davis S. Broder WASHINGTON — The best way to catch up on what has been happening here in the capital while one is away on a reporting trip is to read The Congres sional Record. Its pages reflect the activi ties and concerns of our lawmakers more sensitively than any other source. And so it was, when I returned from nine days on the West Coast, that I turned eagerly to my favorite journal. It did not fail me. By rough count, there were 33 Repub licans praising the disappearance (however temporary) of any measurable inflation and 61 Democrats weeping tears (some of them crocodile) at the surge in unemployment. There were none who even hinted that the latter calamity might be associated with the former blessing. The man who came closest was Sen. Harry F. Byrd, the Virginia Indepen dent, who is retiring this year. “Washing ton, D.C. — this Congress,” he ex claimed, “is living in a fool’s paradise.” Byrd was speaking of the $1 trillion fed eral deficit, soon to be swelled by at least $100 billion. Congress is concerned about the budget. In the seven Congressional Re cords I read on my return, at least 70 members must have urged that it be cut. They did not, however, do the dirty deed. » My favorite exchange on the subject involved Sens. Donald W. Riegle Jr. (D- Mich.) and Bob Dole (R-Kan.). Riegle be gan in classic fashion, saying “we need to move ahead here in the Senate with the issue of crafting a federal budget.” He ended by accusing the Republicans of “exhuming Jimmy Carter to blame Car ter for today’s recession.” Said Dole: “I listened with interest, thinking I might hear something new, but, as usual, it is the same old speech ... Many in this body seem to be running against Herbert Hoover. Give us a few years to run against Jimmy Carter, and then we can balance things later on.” It would be unfair to leave you with the impression that Congress did nothing during this period. It celebrated or proc laimed Ground Zero Week, National Snowmobiling Month, Missing Children Day, Older Americans Month, National Orchestra Week, National Nurses Recog nition Day, Clean Air Week — and the National Day of Prayer. It commended Egypt and Israel for the turnover of the Sinai and Canada for getting its constitution back from Britain. It commended Britain for standing up to Argentina. It authorized a gold medal for retired Admiral Hyman Rickover, but only after inserting a chintzy proviso that Rickover’s gold would have to be financed from the sale of souvenir bronze reproductions. That kind of symbolic cost- consciousness is very popular in Con gress right now, even when dealing with such emotionally charged topics as crime. Sen. John Heinz (R-Pa.) introduced the Omnibus Victims Protection Act of 1982, which he said “insures that the federal government does all that is possible to assist crime victims, without additional federal expenditures and without in fringing on the constitutional rights of defendants.” Twenty-four other senators found that promise irresistible — half of the co-sponsors men, like Heinz, whose terms expire this year. Congress did not duck the big issues of war and peace. For three straight days, Heinz’s colleague, Sen. Arlen Specter (R- Pa.), tried to amend the defense author ization bill to say that “it is the sense of Congess” that the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union should meet “at the earliest possible date ... to reduce the risk that nuclear war would octt You wouldn’t think that would be troversial, but it seemed so to somef N er the erful Senators. They kept amenc 1 ^ me y Specter’s language and delaying the®^ °P until after I got back. J Q n t ^j s United Today is the 139th < to follow. Those 1 But other major defense quest were settled. After several hours oh American In 19 bate spread over two days, Sen. Quayle (R-Ind.) was able to get Si approval of an amendment that strengthen America’s fighting caf and send a clear signal to the Soviet will prevent the transfer of controloft schools for overseas dependents < dren from the Department of Defen! the Department of Education. The best summary comment on'i had been going on came from Rep.S j O. Conte (R-Mass.). “I do not wanttoj into this guerrilla warfare,” he saiJI ward the end of the week I was away, 1 I will tell you one thing: The public ! there is laughing at this Congress. | Conte was protesting a move by aj pie of fellow Republicans to outflanlj Democrats and grab the credit budget-busting bill to bail out the a’ housing industry. But what he said read like a gi indictment of the members of Conjn| “Everybody wants to have their dawl court. They want their cake, andf| want to eat it, too. Rome is burning, 2 * they are playing their fiddles.” I And proclaiming it National M 1 * Appreciation Week. anes bon In 19 American at least 4C hidden in |j ^Moscow. the small society by B rickmQflj HAVE tA&Ao£.\&6 -