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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 1982)
opinion Battalion/Page 2 August 5,1982 VIEWPOINT Hiding wine from the heathen arped I THiNK iT’S FiNaLLV TuRMiNG OVSR! u R rU RrrR *• A ’8X \ Rockv mtn NEWg) • N£A Reader explains Palestinian group Editor: The Palestine Liberation Organiza tion is a democratically elected, progres sive organization which governs the poli tical, economic and social affairs of the Palestinian people. It is designated by the Reader’s Forum Palestinian people to realize their nation al rights to return to their own country and to exercise their right to self determi nation. The first national Congress, attended by representatives of the Palestinians, met in Jerusalem in May 1964 and elected an executive committee. This committee oversees different depart ments of the PLO that deal with health, welfare, education, arts and culture, di plomacy and other affairs. The 13th Palestine National Congress met in March 1977 in Cairo, Egypt and and re elected chairman Yassir Arafat and an executive committee of 14 members. The Palestinian people send elected representatives to the National Congress from their different organizations. These include professional associations, such as teachers, doctors and lawyers; popular organizations: student unions, women’s unions, writers and journalists unions; trade and labor organizations; students unions; trade and labor organi zations; political parties and movements. The Palestine National Congress in cludes representatives from the occupied territories (West Bank and Gaza). They are members of the Palestinian National Front, the organization that has led the struggle against Israeli occupation. Moreover, a number of Palestinian lead ers whom Israel expelled from the West Bank and Gaza, are representatives in the Congress and Executive Committee. Israeli Arabs also have representatives in the National Congress. The PLO budget comes directly from Palestinians who pay an income tax which goes directly to the PLO national fund. Income from this source represents 80 percent of the PLO budget. The rest comes as aid directly from friendly countries and Arab popu lar contributions. The PLO has a vast program for social, economic, educational and human wel fare for the Palestinians. In the last twelve years, it has built 50 hospitals and 120 medical clinics, which provide free medical treatment. It has built hundreds of schools and established special prog rams for the education of children. It established rehabilitation centers and vocational training centers. The Pales tine Red Crescent (similar to the Red Cross) has been established to oversee the medical programs. The PLO has also established research centers and encour aged the revival of Palestinian arts, film making and literature. The PLO economic institution, SAMED, employs more than 5,000 men and women in factories run by elected workers’ councils. The workers them selves make all major decisions including their rate of pay. The majority of these workers are the families of martyrs. The Palestine Liberation Organization has a progressive ideology. It calls for the establishment of a secular, democratic, progressive state in Palestine where Jews, Christians and Moslems will co-exist with full and equal rights. In his 1974 speech to the United Nations, Yassir Arafat said: “We do distinguish between Judaism and Zionism. While we maintain our opposi tion to the Colonialist Zionist movement, we respect the Jewish faith. We deplore all the real discrimination suffered by them because of their faith.” The PLO has been officially recog nized by over 120 countries as the sole legitimate representative of the Palesti nian people. Wahid Slieman President General Union of Palestinian Students The Battalion Letters Policy 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, Daniel Puckett Diane Yount Staff Writers Cyndy Davis, Susan Dittman, Terry Duran, Colptte Hutchings, Hope E. PaaseifTjoe Tindel Jr., Rebeca Zimmermann Copy Editors Gary Barker, Carol Templin Cartoonist Scott McCullar Photographers .... David Fisher, Octavio Garcia John Ryan, 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. 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. 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 das- ses within the Department of Communications. Questions or comments concerning any editorial mat ter should be directed to the editor. 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. Editor’s note: Art Buchwald is recycling some of his best columns whilst he and his family soak up the sun and enjoy the soft sea breeze of the Falkland Islands, other wise known as “Maggie’s Vineyard.” by Art Buchwald Not all the revelations in the Woodward and Bernstein version of Nixon’s last 100 days are unsympathetic to him. For ex ample, one thing that struck me was an item that the former President was a wine buff and preferred a very expensive Chateau Margaux. When he went cruis ing on his yacht Sequoia, he instructed his stewards to serve the Margaux wrap ped in a towel to obscure the label, while they served his guests on board a cheap vintage Bordeaux. in the cellar, carefully placing each bottle on its side with the labels face up so I could go down at night and stare at my treasure. The trouble with having a case of rare wine is that you don’t know anybody worthy of serving it to. Every time someone came to the house for dinner, I would greet him at the door and mentally say to myself: “This bum wouldn’t know a Chateau Mouton Rothschild from a bottle of Man- ischewitz.” Some might think that Mr. Nixon was being petty, but anyone who knows the pleasures of a great wine like Chateau Margaux can appreciate why the former President wouldn’t want to waste it on the people he invited aboard the Sequoia. I have always felt the same way about my good wine. Several years ago, I was given a gift by Baron Philippe Rothschild — a case of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1955. The nectar at that time sold for about $40 a bottle. (The rule of any news paper syndicate is that I cannot accept any gift that I can’t eat or drink in 24 hours. Since I figured I could drink a case in 24 hours if I really tried, I never bothered to return it.) But I didn’t drink it. I stashed it away As the years went by, my wine became more valuable, but harder to open. My biggest fear was that if I served a bottle of it and my guests made no comment, I would go berserk and scream at them: “Do you fools realize you’re drinking an $80 bottle of wine?” My second fear was that there would be some guests who would recognize it for what it was, and become so enthused I’d have to open a second bottle which would deplete my treasure. eel: Once I was working on a television show with an important Hollywood pro ducer and writer in my home. My wife fixed us a sandwich lunch. When we walked into the dining room, I disco vered to my horror that she had opened one of the bottles of Mouton Rothschild. Without thinking, I screamed at her: “How could you open a bottle of Mouton Rothschild for these bums?” The TV show went down the drain. I did open a bottle for my dam 18th birthday, and another »| French friend from Paris visited that left me with nine bottles to before I went to sleep. Then the Vietnam war riots and all discipline broke down house. Our children had turned lious and nobody was talking toanjl Strangers in blue jeans with lx clenched fists kept walking in a our house. I forgot all about cellar. But one day in 1973,1 wentupi attic to find a suitcase. I took a* and as I was shining it aroundjsan of glass in the corner of the attj:.| over to it. There were nine empty with Chateau Mouton Rothschild lying on the floor. Apparently, one of my absences, the flower cl had had a wine party in the attic. I let out a scream and my wife upstairs. She found me on my km bing and pounding on the floor, have I done? What has happened: It’s been years, but I still haven’tji over it. Every once in a while I’ll down and say: “If I had only puttht Nun in the wine rack, I would ben man today.” So when I read about Mr. Nixon to protect his Chateau Margauxfrool heathen guests, my heart wentM|T him. He could have shared itwithtir - ! TYl ] < but as he told John Dean, "It would! p ^ L been wrong.” O \ United Press I ALLAS — i 1 crane pe nd floor of: ction site ph und Wednest least two worl A Baylor ^ kesman idem ims as Rober said he may United Press ] HOUSTON - f housing start (the rise with r '|jw homes und< Stark contrast ures, ofi RWACH) BY AN0TAEA Vd\\J)\R6 MW FACULTY STVTONTSaw STAFf IT'S A TRADITION Letter: End financial aid to Isra Editor: I would like to encourage your read ers to write Senators Lloyd Bentsen and John Tower requesting that they submit legislation that will cut off all military and financial aid to Israel unless they agree to withdraw from Beirut and Lebanon. If Israel attempts the final solution for the PLO and the Palestinians in West Beirut, then U.S. influence in the area will be finished. Sources from Saudi Ara bia have informed us that Egypt and other moderate countries in the region including Saudi Arabia will be forced to break diplomatic relations with the Un ited States or be overthrown if Israel fol lows through with its version of Hitler’s Holocaust in Lebanon. etc., instead or the United States will take military action with the 6th and 7th Fleets and Marines to force Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. Brian ^ College Stall Berry's World These Saudi Arabian sources stated also that if this happens, one way or another there will be a cutoff of oil from the region to the U.S. and possibly to the entire West. This could seriously erode our relations with western Europe as well, who would blame unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel as the cause of the oil blockade. At a time when the greenie environ mentalists have successfully crippled the nuclear energy option, the United States is more vulnerable than ever to an oil embargo. The United States must end aid now, which is a budget cut that is in order. Simultaneously, Israel must be warned that if it takes action that attacks and im perils U.S. strategic interests in the Mid dle East and threatens our oil supplies, the United States will immediately break diplomatic relations and either give aid to its moderate allies Egypt, Saudi Arabia, © 1982 by NEA, Inc. 'Wo, my dear, a ‘cluster bomb' is NOT ‘like when Johnny Carson tells a series of jokes which don't get laughs. shop Dillard's r