opinion
Battalion/Pa
September!
Slouch By Jim Earle
“Are you familiar with that popular karate stunt where a
guy breaks a board with his hand?"
Victory for PLO
in vanquishment
by Dick West
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Much has been made
in recent days about the Palestine Liberation
Organization’s triumphant defeat in
Lebanon.
We all have seen pictures of the PLO’s
jubilant supporters lauding the retreating
forces with victory signs and machine-gun sa
lutes as they withdrew from Beirut.
Foremost among the honorees was the
PLO leader, Yasser Arafat, who was positively
basking in glory.
Some Americans may have found these
celebrations a bit paradoxical, not to say in
congruous, seeing as how the PLO was beat
ing a forced exit.
If so, they must be too young to remember
Sen. George Aiken of Vermont.
It was Aiken who offered a suggestion of
how the United States could honorably con
clude its adventures in Vietnam. We should,
the senator said, simply declare that we had
won the war and bring our troops home.
I have always admired the ingenuity be
hind that proposal and regret the Aiken solu
tion was never carried out. It therefore was
gratifying to find Arafat acting along similar
lines in Lebanon.
His strategy was impeccable. He merely cal
led the PLO’s Lebanese encounter with Israel
a shining victory — and got the hell out of
there.
This is the type of battle plan I would like to
see enacted elsewhere.
Argentina, for example, could have spared
itself heavy humiliation — and even some
bloodshed — if it had followed the Aiken
formula in the Falklands.
All the Argentineans had to do was call
their invasion an unqualified success, and
then pull out before the British arrived to
drive them out.
Iraq seemingly could apply the Aiken
approach to its territorial clashes with Iran.
When it became apparent to Iraqi leaders
that their troops could not oust the Iranians
from areas they coveted along the Persian
Gulf, they should have dubbed the mission
complete and ordered the armies home.
That would have prevented the necessity of
trying to ward off Iranian counter-attacks
that accompanied the same objective.
Unilateral victory claims, if carried off with
style and elan, are difficult to refute. At the
least, they can sow confusion among neutral
observers who are trying to figure out who
won.
When Arafat, although being pushed into
exile, boarded an evacuation ship with the
mien of an Olympic runner setting out on a
“victory lap” around the track, I couldn’t help
but wonder if he knew something I didn’t.
And when I saw PLO refugees being hailed
in alien ports as if they were conquering
heroes, I got the impression their campaign
was proceeding according to plan.
Too bad Aiken is no longer in government
service. Perhaps he could now come up with a
suggestion for renaming some uninhabited
spot and calling it the Palestine homeland.
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
Editor Diana Sultenfuss
Managing Editor Phyllis Henderson
Associate Editor Denise Richter
City Editor Bernie Fette
Assistant City Editor Gary Barker
Sports Editor Frank L. Christlieb
Entertainment Editor Nancy Floeck
Assistant Entertainment Editor Colette
Hutchings
News Editors Rachel Bostwick, Cathy
Capps, Daniel Puckett, Jan Werner,
Todd Woodard
Staff Writers Jennifer Carr, Susan
Dittman, Beverly Hamilton,
John Lopez, Robert McGlohon
Hope E. Paasch, Bill Robinson,
Dana Smelser, Joe Tindel, John
Wagner, Rebeca Zimmermann
Copy editor Elaine Engstrom
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Graphic Artist Pam Starasinic
Photographers . . . David Fisher, Octavio Garcia,
Jane Hollingsworth, Janet Joyce,
John Ryan, Colin Valentine
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77843.
Consider this an early warnini
by Rebeca Zimmermann
and David Fisher
Battalion Staff
Well, the first two weeks of school are near
ly over and we’ve all gotten into the swing of
things — right? We all like our classes and
have got lots and lots of fun homework to
occupy our time — right?
And if you believe that ...
How many of you have actually read your
first chapter? Or completed your first home
work assignment? Or looked at your course
syllabus for more than the notes of friends’
phone numbers?
We sure haven’t.
We keep meaning to do the assignments.
We really do. But we have this problem.
Not enough time.
We can’t seem to squeeze all our work into
24-hour days. By the time we have a chance to
get our assignments read, the class is two days
further ahead. That does make scholastic life
difficult.
When you carry a 17-hour class load and
work at least 10 hours a day (we’re writing this
at 2 a.m.), when do you find the time to study?
When you’re in the bathtub? Of course, if you
take showers, you might need plastic books.
How about at breakfast? Eitner you don’t
have time for breakfast, or you can’t stomach
BANA with your bacon and eggs — somehow
the two don’t mix.
If you work anywhere, you may be able to
study there. However, it’s difficult to study in
a darkroom or in front of a computer termin
al that flashes funny things in your face while
you try to write columns.
And, on top of everything else, it’s difficult
to concentrate on homework when there are
so many other things happening.
There’s the Hall of Fame on Wednesday
night, Lakeview on Thursday night and Hap-
E y Hours (or Attitude Adjustment Hours) ga-
>re. And don’t forget Beach Night at the
RoxZ and other special events at local bars. If
you time it right, you can go to Happy Hours
from about noon to 10 p.m. every day.
The campus provides plenty of dnt
too. See how many clubs you canjoit(
semester — and still live.
However, somewhere along the*^
need this minor thing called sleep,
cease to function — eventually, i
Don’t get us wrong. We passourdtj
keep a fairly decent GPR. But thesea
cramming sessions just don’t cutil r
When Wednesday comes and j«
three tests that day, one all-niglu
doesn’t work. You have too manysulu
learn them all in five hours.
Oh well. We knew we’d bedeadbp
of the semester anyway.
But the sad fact of a college studerail
you do have to study. It’s often synoni
with 2.0 and higher GPRs.
Another sad fact: ^oing to classaki
But, after those all-night crammings
it’s hard to keep your head frornhi^
desk with a very loud thud.
So, be prepared before you parol
up, do your homework and passyouni
Letters: Media hype is over now
Editor:
So, the Aggies were “humiliated” last
Saturday Evening. So we’re the laughing
stock of the nation (this week). So, they
say we hired a million dollar coach for a
10-cent team. So what? Are we all that
concerned about what others think?
Let them laugh, let them gloat, let
them say whatever they like. They will
never know what it means to be an Aggie,
and for that I pity them.
If it’s an A&M tradition to exemplify
such passe values as integrity, patriotism
and pride, then it’s traditional for others
to try and debase our institution. Ours is
the Rodney Dangerfield of Universities.
But will we ever get the respect of a world
whose values change daily when ours re
main the same year to year?
Our football team has a great deal of
talent, anyone who has followed them
knows that is true. We have the coaching
staff. We have the fans. We have the
alumni. We have the stadium. And we
definitely have the money. So why didn’t
we win? I think the appropriate phrase is
“The Eye of the Tiger“.
Now that the wind has been blown out
of the bag and the media hype is over, I
am sure Coach Sherrill will turn this loss
into a desire fo never let it happen again.
The boys can now concentrate on win
ning football games the way they are sup
posed to be won, one play at a time.
Coach, if you’re ever short for bucks I
got a couple I can spare ya.
Jeff L. Fitzgerald ’82
Nuclear freeze
Editor:
In reference to a current “popular”
issue of the past few months, I would like
to say a few words about the nuclear
freeze movement.
The first point that I will make is that I
recognize the good intentions of many of
the people advocating a nuclear freeze.
However, their reasoning is tragically
flawed in that arms control is only advan
tageous as long as it locks an aggressor
nation into inferiority.
Unfortunately, this would not be the
case if the United States were to negotiate
a freeze in the development and testing
of nuclear weapons. If a freeze were to be
negotiated, the United States would be
left with two alternatives. The first would
be to implement a “launch on warning”
policy, while the second alternative is to
be prepared to accept the damage that
the Soviets would inflict with their super
ior strategic nuclear forces.
Both of these policies are invitations to
disaster. I urge you to write to your con
gressman and senators asking them not
to accept the weak strategic position that
America would be left in if a nuclear
freeze were enforced.
Murray E. Moore ’84
Thanks for the ride
Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity in
the Battalion to thank some good Ags.
On Friday, Sept. 3, five of my friends
and I were on our way to the Ox Roast
when we hit something in the road which
blew out two of our tires.
The car went off the road and stuck in
the mud.
After trying unsuccessfully to flag
down several cars, two men in a small
truck stopped, but couldn’t help. Finally,
four people in an LTD stopped to give
my friends and I a ride to the Roast.
Since no one was able to help, we had
to get the Max to use their U-Haul to tow
us out, after a Highway Patrolman re
fused to help (he must have been a tea-
sip)!
Having only one spare, we couldn’t
drive the car. Luckily, an old Ag hap
pened to be passing by, and gave us a ride
back to campus, which was opposite from
the direction he was headed.
In all the confusion, my friends and I
never got anyone’s name. So to all that
helped, and you know who youare.i
bless you and thanks.
Ashley E
138 Dunn ft
Silver Taps conflicl
Editor:
I was reading Tuesday’s Bais
when I stumbled upn Pi Kappa Alp
and Kappa Sigma’s advertisements
their respective fall rushes. Much to
dismay, I noted that it coincided wilt
ver Taps. I remembered that twof
ago the same thing happened 1
another fraternity. Several critical^
appeared in the Battalion concert
their lack of respect for Aggies. Thatf
ticular fraternity wrote a letter bad
plaining their mistake and saying ini
eral that the Greek system was very?
Aggie.
Bull.
The Greeks have done it agin.
No frats at Texas A&M.
Bill Mcspadden
James Seiler
Moses l!
Editor’s note: This letter was accofl
nied by 116 other signatures.
Missing bike returns
Editor:
I am writing this letter to thank sol'
one. I want to thank whoever it was'®
read my letter in Monday’s Battalionl
called to tell me where my bikewas.lt 11
right where you said it was, a little^ |
up, but it can be fixed. I wish I couldk 1
been there when you called to thank'
personally, but I guess this letter will! 1 '
to do. Thank you for calling, notevft *
one would have. Hardly anyone woT
call back to make sure I found iteitlf
It’s people like you who re-establish
faith in mankind and give Aggies a
name. Thanks again for calling.
P.S. My dad'thanks you too.
Tracey Ta)'l !