Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 1982)
opinion Battalion/Page 2 November 16,1 Slouch By Jim Earle HAPPV BIRTHDAY SLOUCH 29 years „ (1953-1982) AMP 5,000 CARTOOM5 i-AT£R ‘To celebrate, I’m taking the day off. : Viguerie: How to organize the angry by Arnold Sawislak United Press International WASHINGTON — Richard Viguerie, who discovered how to make the first class letter a mighty instrument of contemporary politics, thinks he has found another simple but effec tive way to shake up the political landscape. The idea is to organize the angry. Viguerie, who has made a fortune helping conservatives raise funds with direct mail fund appeals, has decided to spearhead what he calls “the New Populist Coalition.” He launched this effort in his magazine, Conservative Digest, with a two-page manifes to calling on conservatives to take up the cause of “millions of Americans who feel that neith er liberals nor conservatives, Democrats or Republicans, really care about their con cerns.” Viguerie declares that “about 90 percent of our problems are caused by 1 percent of our citizens,” and names his targets: big business and television executives, bankers, leaders of the National Council of Churches and the Catholic Conference of Bishops, union offi cials, federal employees, judges, lawyers, psychologists and media people — all of whom he identifies as “elitists” who have been “imposing their values on us.” Viguerie also provides a 10-point program that includes replacing the progressive in come tax with a single rate tax with few or no deductions and exemptions, reconfirming of federaljudges every 10 years, making it easier to fire incompetent or corrupt bureaucrats, stopping illegal immigration, giving tax ere- The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member ot Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference Editor Diana Sultenfuss Managing Editor Phyllis Henderson Associate Editor Denise Richter City Editor Gary Barker Assistant City Editor Hope E. Paasch Sports Editor Frank L. Christlieb Entertainment Editor Nancy Floeck Assistant Entertainment Editor Colette Hutchings News Editors 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 Copyeditors Elaine Engstrom, Jan Swaner, Chris Thayer Cartoonist Scott McCullar Graphic Artist Pam Starasinic Photographers David Fisher, Jorge Casari, Ronald W. Emerson, Octavio Garcia, Irene Mees, John Ryan, Robert Snider 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 and 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 per 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. Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting new's- 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. But... seriously, folks The trouble with humor is that no body takes it seriously. Now I know that statement sounds funny ... no, not “fun ny” ... wait a minute, let me start over. Humor never seems to be taken se riously, or as Rodney Dangerfield might say, “Humor never gets any respect.” Red Skelton commands respect, but only because he also plays tragedy in his work. Steve Martin doesn’t really get any re spect, though. Maybe that’s because it’s hard to jus tify the importance of humor. Oh, we enjoy it — it makes life happier — but we don’t exactly consider it vital. It’s not real ly necessary to life or to the work day. It is a lot of fun though and it does seem to aid us in our relations with other humans. It’s a form of relief, like a break or a small vacation. We’re always making excuses for en joying ourselves because life is work, and work is pretty serious. Mark Twain, in his autobiography, first informed me that laughter is the ultimate form of crying. It is the state of such extreme empathy for someone else’s misery that it causes us to laugh, because tragedy is pushed so far beyond its normal range that laughter is the only emotion left. Slapstick humor is a good example of that. A pie in the face or falling off a ladder is only funny when it happens to the other guy and not us. Maybe the line between the two faces of drama, tragedy and comedy is not so finely drawn as we think. Humor performs some rather in teresting functions though. A lot of con troversial subjects first can be approached only through humor. Humor disarms us, literally. It warms us up to a hot topic, breaks the ice and allows us to start the very necessary process of discussion, which leads to u standing. Humor also attacks. It flattens deflates pomposity, hacks up sj cows. It serves truth by exaggen falsehood to a noticeable level, make obvious to the majority thingi minority might want kept secret even makes fun of subjects notma be made fun of. This can include^ thing from pain and tragedy. Most religious jokes, in fact,seeitii attempts to “laugh off” our fearsai sin, death, God and all our human ings, in the hope that God will notj us too harshly. The subject of rel itself is meant to be taken “deadlf rious, and that’s ironic, because a pletely unapproachable subjects art ones humor is duty bound to con on. As the saying goes: “Tryingtolij out what makes humor work is lijti secting a frog. You can figure ouu makes it work, but the frogtendstoli the process.” Humor tends to take the seriouii and importance out of things, i itself, and maybe THAT’S importani: riously. dits for private school tuition, compensating crime victims, developing f ederal lands in the West, giving the president “item veto” power, ending unfair foreign competition and en ding special privileges for members of Con gress. In some regards, Viguerie’s platform doesn’t fit his enemies list. There are judges, lawyers and shrinks who espouse crime victim compensation, bankers and businessmen who back the flat tax, federal employes who yearn for civil service reform and, certainly, church men who support tuition tax credits. What that illustrates is that any effort to attach labels, good or bad, on large groups of people, is bound to collide with the fact that in this country, businessmen, bishops, television bigwigs, lawyers and union bosses do not al ways think or act alike. It appears that what Viguerie wants to do is gather everyone’s specific resentments under one tent and start a political party. This is not a new idea (check U.S. history for the “Know Nothing” Party of the mid- 19th century and the Populists of the 1890s), although the scope of Viguerie’s proposal is so broad that his tent might split at the seams trying to shelter all those outraged folks. He might also find that some of the very people he wants to unite in one party will shortly begin to fight among themselves, and maybe not even agree to follow Viguerie. But even if Viguerie doesn’t end up as the Moses of the New Populists, he might have found something else of value: more paying customers for his magazine. Letters: Meaning of bonfire symbols Editor: This is directed to Larry J. Renolds and all those who misinterpret some of the symbols of bonfire or even bonfire itself. To those of you who feel that the wood used for bonfire is wasted, I ask, “Do you know where the wood comes from?” As for the flag, Mr. Renolds, why ha ven’t you taken the time to stop and ask one of the Redpots why it is on the stack? After all, since the centerpole has ar rived, at least one Redpot (or junior Red- pot) has been on Duncan Field at all times. I would like to invite anyone, who has any question about bonfire, to come out to Duncan Field and ask any Redpot or Yellowpot. I am sure that any misinter pretation of any symbol will be cleared up immediately. selfish Texas voters. However, with the White House and Senate still in the hands of the good guys, it appears serious attempts at “altering the course” can be thwarted for at least another couple of years. If it was only left up to the Aggie voters ... Mark Stubbs ’82 Convention thanks Editor: Last weekend, the National Honorary Mechanical Engineering Fraternity, Pi Tau Sigma, held its 62nd National Con vention here on our campus. The event was a tremendous success, with alien ance by 63 chapters and about 130 gates. It was the largest convention least 12 years. Delegates were ho mostly in the MSC Hotel and all meetini and meals were in the Rudder/MSCcot plex. On behalf of the Texas A&M S Delta Chapter, which organized hosted the Convention, I would lil take this opportunity to publicly thanh the campus offices that gave us so assistance in preparing for this evt< Special mention goes to the schedule office and the MSC Main Desk for doing what we wanted done, no matt 1 how short the notice. Saleem Karimjed Convention Direct' Paul Roy OCA Yellowpot Editor’s note: This letter was accompa nied by nine other signatures. The Aggie vote Editor: Once again it is refreshing to see Texas A&M assert itself as the hotbed of western liberalism. Tuesday’s mid-term elections served to remind one and all that Aggies continually put duty and hu manity above all other factors while mak ing election day choices. Evidence of this could be seen in victory after victory for the GOP in Aggie dominated precincts. It was an awfully disappointing day, I suppose, for the College Republicans as they watched Goliath slay David (Gov ernor Bill Clements), the man who some questionable source dubbed “Dollar Bill.” It seems the GOP, synonymous with many egalitarian principles, was dealt a crippling blow by unknowingly Berry’s World by Jim Berry “Ya know, I guess THIS is what I really LOVE about being an auditor!” N n After of fichu operate student better t! Transp Inc. The offers buses a routes, ger, Jo! buses - are on ment a Th< buses - smaller buses routes, noons, buses ii The at 6:45 outer Lake s; tinuou: and i 5,000 time. A c year’s s VI tw Some 28, burg door of tl Wars bui burglars and stole On h into the swagen r College i ting tore night alsi hall agai burn the successfc If yoi Ti Unlit Today the 320th follow. The n The n cury, Sati The e and Mar; Those under th Fame W.C. H; Slues,” vv Actor B w as born On th In 19 the 46th Union. In If establish! with the In 1< Harry J nationwii t° deny attorney appointe to high ' kno , s py. wing A tho I