opinion
Battalion/P|
December 1
Slouch By Jim Earle
pac. i-B 2^
“You’re thinking about it in a selfish way. This is the
season when you don’t ask what the tree can do for you,
but what you can do for the tree. This is your chance to
share your Christmas spirit with a tree that otherwise
might not have a home; that might be alone in the cold
during this season of good will. I’ll knock two dollars off
the price!”
Phil Gramm: Boll
Weevil in danger
by Don Phillips
United Press International
WASHINGTON—Rep. Phil Gramm, D-
Texas, must feel a little unloved these days.
Gramm is a familial: name to those who
keep up with federal budget matters. He is
half of the “Gramm-Latta” budget reconcilia
tion bill of 191, which gave President Reagan
in one swoop almost everything he asked Con
gress for in federal spending cuts.
Gramm is a “Boll Weevil” — a conservative
Democrat who often talks and acts more con
servatively than many Republicans. He was
one of about 40 Boll Weevils who tipped the
scales in this Congress toward Reagan and
away from the main-line Democrats.
But as the new Congress convenes in Janu
ary, it will become apparent at the House
Democratic caucus that there is a difference
between Boll Weevils.
Some will be welcomed back to the fold,
such as Reps. G. V. Montgomery, D-Miss.,
and Kent Haiice, D-Texas, who worked hard
to pass the Reagan program. Just like Gramm.
Well, not. quite just like Gramm.
Phil Gramm is likely to be swatted down,
just like the ugly little bug that set up house
keeping in cotton bolls and convinced south
ern farmers that maybe they should plant
peanuts. Gramm almost certainly will lose his
seat on the House Budget Committee and
maybe even on the House Energy and Com
merce Committee.
That means he may well become Rep. Phil
Gramm, R-Texas — not D-Texas — within a
relatively short time.
What is the difference between Gramm
and the other Boll Weevils?
It isn’t philosophy. They all generally think
alike.
It isn’t that he was more effective than the
others. Montgomery probably did more dam
age to the Democrats quietly than Gramm did
loudly.
It isn’t that he didn’t hew to the party line.
Congressional Democrats have stretched the
The Battalion
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Member ot
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Southwest Journalism Conference
Editor Diana Sultenfuss
Managing Editor Phyllis Henderson
Associate Editor Denise Richter
City Editor Gary Barker
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Hutchings
News Editors Cathy Capps, Jennifer
Carr, Johna Jo Maurer,
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Wagner, Rebeca Zimmermann
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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
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Lawn art a visual symphony
S;
The paper plate artist has struck
again.
His blue paper plates were left swirl
ing across the lawn in front of the Acade
mic Building like the mark of Zorro — a
swish of paper and off the outlaw went.
The art this time was titled “Rhapsody
in Blue,” a visual symphony arranged in a
gently sloping “S” shape. The plates were
painted with various designs and pat
terns, some with phrases like “Blue plate
special” and others painted with faces.
People passing by stopped to read the
title. Some walked through the arrange
ment, scanning the plates. Most laughed
and asked, “Is this art?”
is it art? Well, if passersby squinted a
little and withheld their skepticism for a
few moments, the arrangement might be
construed to be a visual symphony as the
artist claims. It certainly beats the uneven
grass where frisbee throwers usually dis
play their talents.
But whether it’s art is not the point.
What matters is that someone is mak
ing the effort to break out of ordinary by
getting people to think about something
other than finals, graduation and
whether they’ll have a job when t-hey gra
duate. Few stop to think about what
they’ll do when they get home from their
J ob ’
The paper plate art is art if it makes
people think — even it just makes them
question what art is and whether it has a
place at Texas A&M.
This University has very little art, and
what little we have is imported from out
side. And even the art we get is often met
with close-mindedness and ridici
the complete opposite of whataim
ty environment should breed.
Texas A&M suffers from a
apathy and laziness. Most studet
stuck in a holding pattern of atii
that includes football games,bon
Thursday nights at the Chicken
And of those who havesomea
inkling, many have a fear of doinj
thing out of th ordinary here.11
afraid it might not be accepted,th
might be ridiculed or that it mig
called “bad bull.”
It’s a characteristic that manysiii
learned in high school; it’s called
pressure — the fear of being dift
Now the MSC Arts Gommitu
voted not to display an exhibitwhitl
imply is obscene. It probably is,ft
dents need to be able to decide tori
selves.
It’s about time they werec
with something more controversy
which way the outhouse on bonftt
fall or who the starting quarterW
be.
party tent to hold almost every philosophy,
ranging from the segregationist Democrats of
the 1950s and 1960s to the more recent liber
als who suspect that Jane Fonda is a little
conservative.
It isn’t even that the Democratic leadership
is out to get Gramm. House Speaker Thomas
O’Neill says he’d just as soon not punish any
Democrat for any reason.
The “get Gramm” move is coming from
grass roots House Democrats, particularly
southerners who remained loyal to the leader
ship despite possible political consequences.
And the real reason that Gramm faces dis
cipline is that he publicly enjoyed what he was
doing and cooperated a little too closely and
openly with the White House and other Re
publicans.
The other Boll Weevils let it be known that
they were good Democrats, but could not sup
port their party leadership’s position because
it would violate their principles and the clear
will of their constituents. That always is
reason enough for any party to excuse defec
tions.
But those who watched the 1981-82 budget
battles remember Gramm jumping to his feet,
clapping wildly and cheering when his party
went down in flames.
He also held strategy sessions with the
White House and with House Republicans in
formulating legislation. And although he de
nied it, many Democrats still consider him a
“spy” because he also sat in on various Demo
cratic meetings where strategy was discussed.
Gramm also denies charges that he broke
commitments to the Democratic leadership.
The charge of failing to keep a promise is
regarded as one of the cardinal sins on Capitol
Hill.
But whatever the truth, rankand-file
Democrats now look on Gramm as a man who
shot his own family and then laughed his way
through the funeral. They don’t like it, and
unless someone can convince them dif ferent
ly, they aren’t going to take it.
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PEA7H VALLEY PAYS
Letters: Preaching at halftime
Editor:
I am writing to The Battalion to make
students and administration aware of an
important double standard.
A few weeks ago, the Aggie basketball
team took on a Christian exhibition team
called Athletes in Action. No problem.
They beat us in a very close, tense game
that went to the final buzzer. No
problem.
Halftime. That was the problem.
Somebody in the administration made a
decision to schedule the AIA team, which
used halftime to preach their mish-mosh
‘brand’ of Christianity to a captive basket
ball audience. T his is not the fault of
AIA. But if I wanted to teach my views to
the audience, would I get the mike at the
half? Or would a Jewish student?, or Isla
mic? etc ... You see the point?
Unlike politics, we have no “equal
time” clause which allows rebuttals or
presentations by opposing or divergent
groups.
Somebody needs to take note. In the
future, play Christian groups if it is de
sired, but keep halftime for basketball
activities. T he band and Reville provide
more than adequate entertainment with
out forcing their views on anyone. And it
was forced. When there are 3,500 people
in G. Rollie, there is nowhere to go if you
don’t want to hear the presentation. T he
halls were packed! And it really didn’t
help to leave — it could be heard in the
lobby as well.
Again, this was not the fault of the AIA
basketball team (which is associated with
Campus Crusade for Christ) they only
took advantage of an unfortunate error
by a scheduling administrator.
All this was compounded by the lack of
prior publicity as to exactly what we paid
$>3 to see/hear. Should I feeled compelled
to listen to messages like theirs, there are
dozens of groups on campus and off, as
well as t.u. where this can happen for
free!
It was completely unfair to combine a
state university basketball game with
Christian prostelitizing to unknowing
fans. And nearly every person sitting by
me was unknowing and was annoyed.
At least if they had publicized this com
pletely, and well in advance, we could
have attended the men’s gymnastic meet
and given them some support they would
be happy to have had, and not received a
half-time peptalk from a multi-brand
Christian team.
Let’s get this reconciled. What do you
No joke
Editor:
say:
Jim Molivelli ’81
Imagination
Editor:
The appearance of The Buttalion
generated wide-ranging responses typic
al of perceptive and hard-hitting satire.
Among all of the laughter and
annoyance, delight and disgust evoked
by the publication, the most sobering
comment I heard was the initial specula
tion of some that a group from the Uni
versity of Texas must have been respon
sible: no student from Texas A&M would
have had the courage, the creativity, the
wildly wicked imagination to do such a
thing. I for one am pleased that that spe
culation was proven false.
Paul A. Parrish
Professor of English
The recent spoof called The Bull
was no joke!
The disguise of “Good Humor
enough to mask its blatant a front
honor and intelligence of all studen
Texas A&M.
Its jaded script sought only tode(
and demise every distinctive asptf
this University. At the same timei 1
wardly avoided addressing coiifi
issues or offering alternatives.
Furthermore, if, as its anonymoil
tor implied, the purpose was toopet
minds of students, it evidently ass<
we could not r elate to a message uni
involved homosexuality, bigotry, if
ance or social diseases.
Its “purpose” was inane from tin
ginning. Students of Texas A&)l
here of their own free will. Ifwhai
University stands for seems a littleo 1
the ordinary and not in tune withtl
world, it is because Aggies want to
an effect on their environment
than being subjected to it.
I hope the authors of The 1
realize they too have this opporf
and rise above their tainted rhetotf
Mark A. Stasne)
Bad bull
Editor:
Directed to the editor of the “Butta
lion”
Where were you raised? In a gutter in
Austin? You criticize our “pinheaded stu
dents”, “third-rate faculty” and “egg
sucking mascot” yet you dare not show
your face or name your name? I guess I’d
be embarrassed to admit to it myself,
more embarrassed than if I attended t.u.
Your paper was the epitome of bad bull
— worse than “killing someone for step
ping on the MSG grass.”
Bonfire thanks
Editor:
, I wish to address this letter to thf
that I worked with on bonfire. CaF
the cut logs for bonfire stacking t
something every girl gets an oppoffL
to do. You all accepted me and all 1 * 1
me to pull my own weight. Thanh
letting me participate in this tradit 11 !
enjoyed it!
Beth Bizzell ’86
Chris Rogalsh
Now leasing
J*! fates no
ance to T.A.I