-opinion
Battalion/Page 2
November 3,1
Slouch
By Jim Earle
“Don’t ever get a haircut from a barber who’s trying to
watch television at the same time. ”
Toxic sludge woes
by Art Buchwald
May I help you?”
“Yes, somebody is pouring toxic
sludge in my back yard.”
“I’ll connect you with Mr. Digging in
our mudslide division.”
“I don’t want to talk about mudslides I
want to talk about toxic substances.”
“We’ve combined toxic wastes, muds
lides and killer ants in one department, as
an economy measure. Mr. Digging is on
the line.”
“Digging, I want you to know that
someone is dumping toxic sludge in my
back yard.”
“So?”
“So what is the Environmental Protec
tion Agency going to do about it?”
“How much waste is being dumped?”
“Three truckloads and the driver says
he’s going back for more. I thought your
job was to see that the citizen was pro
tected against the dumping of toxic sub
stances in residential ar”
“It is. Where do you live?”
“In North Carolina.”
“Did you call the Denver office to
lodge a complaint?”
“Why should I call Denver?”
“It handles all poison waste com
plaints for North Carolina. At least it did
until we shut it down for economy
reasons.”
“Then what good would it have done
me to call Denver?”
“You would have gotten a telephone
recording referring you to one of our
other regional offices.”
“Well, since I’ve got you on the phone
and Denver is closed, where do I call?”
“Let me see. St. Paul, Minnesota, is
closed; Portland, Oregon, is closed;
Albuquerque is closed. Here’s one that is
still open — in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.”
“Give me their number.”
“You’ll waste a call. They only deal in
waivers for dirty coal furnaces.”
“We’re involved in getting the govern
ment off people’s backs. We weigh the
price of environmental protection
against the price to industry and then
decide, cost-wise, whether we should en
force the regulations or not.”
“I thought you were mandated to pro
tect the environmental health of the
by
“The Clean Water Act for one,
lowered the pollution levels permitl
communities who discharge sewagti
lakes and streams by 50 percent.Tliisi
save the taxpayers over $2 billion
hazard to the people.” | Several
“Who says so? Bviolating t
“Our new studies indicate wattiBhaveprorr
absorb a lot more pollutants thanjate rules ;
tists originally believed.” Imitteetor
“What about acid rain?”
“The jury is still out on acidiBTexas A&
There are rumors it stunts trees,andl Greg 11
wildlife, but we only have the wi Student G
people who live in the Midwest, Noi man l *
east and Canada for that. Were;
going to go on a fishing expedition) : (ively de;
because the water in Maine tastesl ! j ents at
shaving lotion.”
country.
“We are, but we have priorities.”
“What kind of priorities?”
“Okay, let’s get back to my
What are you going to do about then ist Univer
waste they’re dumping in my backw dent steal
“Have you thought about selling
house?”
“Yeh, but who is going to buyitt
poison all over it?”
“If you don’t report it to theEPA,
will ever know?”
How great senators
selected from history
by Steve Gerstel
United Press International
WASHINGTON — A quarter of a century
ago this year, a special committee undertook
and completed a herculean and what, at that
time, must have been a most controversial
task.
The committee was ordered to pick five
outstanding members who had served in the
U.S. Senate during the first 168 years of its
history.
The number was dictated by the pre
sence of just five empty spots in the
ornate Senate reception room, vacancies
suitable for the hanging of portraits to
honor the worthies.
The chairman of that committee was
John Kennedy, then a Massachusetts
senator already gearing up to run for the
presidency.
In an article for the New York Times
magazine, Kennedy explained the prob
lems faced by the committee in selecting
just five.
“In truth, the value of a senator is not
so easily determined as the value of a car
or a hog, or even that of a public utility
bond of a ballplayer,” he wrote.
“There are no standards to apply to a
senator, no Dun & Bradstreet rating, no
scouting reports,” Kennedy said. “His ta
lents may vary with his time, his contribu
tion may be limited by his politics.”
Kennedy said, “To judge his true
greatness, particularily in comparison
with his fellow senators long after they
are all dead, is nearly impossible.”
Nevertheless, the committee pro
ceeded. They polled countless historians
and political scientists from every state.
There were strong urgings for many can
didates from other senators, editorial
writers and citizens.
Former President Truman, once a
senator, sent Kennedy a letter with the
names of 39 senators for consideration.
The names presented by the commit
tee to the Senate were Henry Clay of
Kentucky, Daniel Webster of Mas
sachusetts, John Calhoun of South Caro
lina, Robert LaFollette Sr. of Wisconsin
and Robert Taft of Ohio.
All five were on Truman’s list,
although he cautioned that in the case of
LaFollette and Taft, “They are too close
to us for true perspective.”
Only LaFollette and Taft served in the
20th century and Taft had died only a
few years earlier.
Although senators had reservations
about some of the choices, the Senate
agreed on the five recommended with
out any dissent.
But Kennedy did say that he had “the
most difficulty excluding” George Norris
of Nebraska, Thomas Hart Benton of
Missouri and Oliver Ellsworth.
And Sen. Francis Case, RS.D., said he
would not have recommended Calhoun.
“In a 1957 newsletter announcing the
selections, Case said, “His views of slavery
and nullification would have prevented
my voting for him.”
Twenty-five years have passed and
there is no pressing need for a new round
of selections. There still is no space left to
hang portraits and the current fad is to
name buildings and rooms after out
standing senators.
There are the three office buildings
named after Sens. Richard Russell, D-
Ga., Everett Dirksen, R-Ill., and Philip
Hart, D-Mich.
A main meeting room in the Senate
bears the name of Sen. Mike Mansfield,
D-Mont., and the Health and Human
Services Department building is the
Hubert H. Humphrey building.
But those decisions did not entail the
study that went into the selections of
those who are portrayed in the reception
room.
When the Senate’s second office
building was completed, the decision was
made to name one after a Democrat, one
after a Republican — Russell and
Dirksen.
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Editor:
Hart was dying of cancer when the
Senate wanted a permanent expression
of its deep admiration for him. A similiar
wellspring of affection existed for
Hubert Humphrey.
And Mansfield, of course, was one of
the most respected and highly-regarded
of senators.
Are there any in the Senate now who
would pass muster. No, but as Truman
cautioned 25 years ago, “They are too
close for us for true perspective.”
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 Gary Barker
Assistant City Editor HopeE. Paasch
Sports Editor Frank L. Christlieb
Entertainment Editor Nancy Floeck
Assistant Entertainment Editor Colette
Hutchings
News Editors Rachel Bostwick, Cathy
Capps, Johna Jo Maurer, Daniel Puckett,
Jan Werner, Todd Woodard
Staff Writers Jennifer Carr, Susan
Dittman, Beverly Hamilton,
David Johnson, John Lopez,
Robert McGlohon, Carol Smith,
Dana Smelser, Joe Tindel, John
Wagner, Rebeca Zimmermann
Copyeditor Elaine Engstrom,
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Graphic Artist Pam Starasinic
Photographers David Fisher, Jorge Casari,
Ronald W. Emerson, Octavio Garcia,
Michael D. Johnson, Irene Mees,
John Ryan, Robert Snider
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77843.
Mr. Tom Joseph, Head Yell Leader:
Just who do you think you are? Where
do you get off leading a yell like “Beat the
Hell Out of the Faggots"? The votes that
you received for yell leader of Texas
A&M did NOT commission you as a
judge of others. I can hardly think of a
more cruel, inhuman act, not to mention
the lack of character and immaturity dis
played by your actions.
Tom, I realize that you are entitled to
your personal opinions, but that is all
they are — personal opinions. Please do
not use the position of Yell Leader to
publicize your own prejudices and atti
tudes. That is not your privilege. As a
student leader and representative of
Texas A&M, you should learn when to
put yourself second and our school (of
which gays are a part) first.
And as for the rest of the yell leaders,
please consider what I have said if you
agree with Tom’s actions. If you do not
support that type of leadership, tell him.
He is not the only yell leader and he
should not be allowed to act foolishly and
tarnish the reputation of the position of
Yell Leader.
Aggie Spirit at sporting events and yell
practice. It is not, however, in place for
any yell leader to express his opinion on
any controversial issue at yell practice,
and for this, I apologize.
This great university through the
years has supported the Godly principles
and morality upon which this nation was
founded. As a Christian, I subscribe to
these beliefs. Never forget that most
things are lost through small com
promise.
The very freedoms that we enjoy allow
such groups as the communist party and
homosexuals to have accessability to our
campus and all other walks of life. If we
are not careful and are not alert to the
consequences, we will lose the very free
doms that we hold.
Eligiblility for voting implies t..u 5 ™, tna
is capable of making a mature andi p c j ans " ^
sponsible decision concerning the
of our government. If this implication
correct, then we, as students, shoulda! s positions, t
be able to make a mature decisid
garding alcoholic beverages.
Statistics drawn from the Texas 1 bK 1 ?
Therefore, it is due to my strong feel
ing, not only for this university but for
our great country, that I could not resist
the need and urgency to express to you
my concerns with regards to these activi
ties. I hope that as an A&M student and
an American that you feel as I do.
partment of Public Safety state thalD®
arrests for the 22 to 24-year-old I
group are markedly higher than thosf |
the 19 to 21-year-old aroup. It isobvid ['
that raising the drinking age is nob
effective way to decrease the number
DWI arrests. It is, however, a very eft
live way to reduce your partying (*
vileges and cripple the local econo®
Unemployment will be increased due
the fact that students under theageoiL
will no longer be able to serve alcoW
beverages in restaurants and clubs, j
Tom Joseph
Head Yell Leader
If we, as students, wish to maintaiu[|
status quo concerning the legal drink!*
age, we must act now. There is littleti
left to take a stand on this issue, forJa|
ary is just around the corner.
Drink up, Ags!
Brent Taber ’83
Jill Schmahlenbergerl
Donna Cancemi !
Apology
Drinking age
Party thanks
Editor:
Editor:
Editor:
This is a letter of apology to the Stu
dent Body for expressing my opinion in
an inappropriate manner in the MSC
and at yell practice. Thursday, the poli
tical forum invited the GSSO and the
communist party to represent themselves
in the MSC.
These organizations were expressing
opinions and values which contradict my
personal convictions as well as what the
traditions of our university and the MSC
stand for. The MSC is dedicated as a
memorial to the men who gave their lives
in opposition to these beliefs.
As Head Hell Leader, it is my respon
sibility to maintain tradition and create
In January, the Texas Legislature will
have the final say on whether or not we
Aggies under the age of 21 will have the
legal right to drink alcoholic beverages.
If this proposition becomes law, many
students will be prohibited from entering
any of the drinking establishments
throughout the state.
Would you like to have your current
drinking privileges revoked? Now is the
time for all you “Good Ags” to voice your
opinion concerning this issue. If we are
given the right to vote, we should also be
allowed the choice of whether or not to
drink.
by M
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The MSC Hospitality Committeeil
be commended for their efforts intt*
ing a super Halloween party for chip
of faculty, staff and students on Thf
day. Not only did my daughter enjo$
the activities presented to her... shell
all the costumed students. I could tellft
a lot of time and effort was spent 3*
everyone there seemed to have a rel
neat evening. Thanks for helping my?
tie one see that not all Halloween trfc
are bad!
St}
Hi
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Betty B. yif
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