opinion
Slouch By Jim Earle
“I hope it works, but just in case it doesn’t, I would
suggest that you study some, too.”
Honeymoon for
Yuri Andropov
by Art Buchwald
“What do you plan to do about Yuri
Andropov?” 1 asked a Soviet correspon
dent in Washington.
“We always give a new leader of the
Soviet Union a honeymoon for six
months before the press goes after him,”
he said. “The Soviet people don’t want us
to be too cruel at the beginning. After all,
he won an overwhelming mandate and
he should be given a chance,” he said.
“We do the same thing in this coun
try,” I said.
“But if Andropov doesn’t fulfill his
campaign promises, then the power of
the Soviet media will turn against him.”
“I didn’t know you could do that in
your country.”
“We certainly can and we will. Our
readers expect us to keep our Soviet lead
ers honest. The function of our press and
television is to tell the truth about our
politicians no matter what position they
hold in government.”
“Do you think the fact that Andropov
was head of the KGB might hurt his im
age with the people?”
“No. You people elected a former
actor as your President, and it had no
effect on Reagan’s image.”
“But an actor is not the same as a KGB
director.”
“It is in the Soviet Union. Our people
revere the KGB. Anyone who rises to the
top is in touch with ALL the people. He
can identify with the workers, and the
peasants, and the people trying to scratch
out a living in the cold Siberian wastes.
He knows about crime, and he has dealt
with subversive elements in neighboring
states. The KGB is much better training
ground than Warner Brothers.”
“Will the social life in Moscow pick up
with Andropov in the Kremlin?”
“It always does when you get a new
leader. Mrs. Andropov is now working
with her decorator to change the living
quarters, as she’s very unhappy w ith what
Mrs. Brezhnev did. She has ordered new
china for state dinners. She believes the
Kremlin belongs to all the Soviet people
and she wants them to be proud of it.
She’s also ordered new clothes because
she feels that the Russians pay close
attention to what the first lady of the Sec
retary of the Communist Party wears.”
“Style has always meant a lot to the
Soviets,” I said.
“It’s good newspaper copy. But as far
as we newspapermen are concerned it’s
what Andropov does that counts. He in
herited a stagnant economy from Brezh
nev and he was elected because he prom
ised to lower the inflation rate, balance
the ruble. If he can do all this before he
dies he could go down as one of the
greatest Soviet leaders in history. But if
his economic plan doesn’t work we’ll be as
tough on him as we were on Brezhnev.”
“Do you think he can do it?”
“He’s a great communicator, thanks to
his days in the KGB. And he has a lot of
goodwill going for him. The people want
change, but he’s going to have to work
closely with the leaders of the Presidium
to get his programs through.”
“I guess he’ll have to throw a few bones
to the right wing of the Communist Party
since they did so much work in his elec
tion,” I said.
“He will. Andropov feels very strongly
about prayers in school.”
“Who would the schoolchildren pray
to?”
“Marx and Lenin. Who else is there?”
“So we can’t look for anything critical
in the Soviet press about Andropov for at
least six months.”
“That’s just about as long as the honey
moon will last. Then the Kremlin corres
pondents will get bored and we’ll start
telling it as it is.”
“At which point Andropov will say you
people are distorting everything he is
trying to do to.save the country.”
“We’re used to that in the Soviet Un
ion. When the honeymoon is over every
Soviet leader thinks the press is giving
him a raw deal. But all Andropov can do
is send us to a Gulag for 20 years and you
know as well as I do, the Soviet public
would never stand for that.”
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member at
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
Editor Diana Sultenfuss
Managing Editor Gary Barker
Associate Editor Denise Richter
City Editor Hope E. Paasch
Sports Editor John Wagner
Entertainment Editor Colette Hutchings
Assistant Entertainment Editor Diane
Yount
News Edittirs.. . Jennifer Carr, Elaine Engstrom,
Beverly Hamilton, Jan Werner, Rebeca Zimmer-
mann
Staff Writers Maureen Carmody, Frank
Christlieb, Susan Dittman,
Patrice Koranek, John Lopez,
Robert McGlohon, Ann Ramsbottom,
Kim Schmidt, Patti Schwierzke, Angel
Stokes, Tracey Taylor, Jcje Tindel
Copyeditors Jan Swaner, Chris Thayer
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Graphic Artist Pam Starasinic
Photographers David Fisher, Jorge Casari,
Ronald W. Emerson, Octavio
Garcia, Rob Johnston, Irene Mees
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-protil, sell-supporting nens-
pa/K-r 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 photograph v clas
ses within the Department of Communications.
Questions or comments concerning any editorial
matter 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 arc $ 16.75 per semes
ter, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Adver
tising rates furnished on request.
Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald
Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
77843..
United Press International is entitled exclusively to
the use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited
to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein
reserved.
Second class postage paid at College Station. TX
77843.
Battalion/P$!
DecenMl
U.S. meets foreign leaders
1
by Maxwell Glen
and Cody Shearer \
Virtually every tourist will concede
that there’s never enough time to see all
the sights. Nor are the places visited al
ways representative: Houston isn’t
Texas; Dearborn isn’t Detroit.
To a certain extent, President Reagan
will be a victim of this truism on his first
trip to Central America. After a mere 15
hours in Costa Rica and three in Hon
duras, the president, like most tourists,
will return home having experienced
only a dismal cross-section of local color.
Reagan might have benefited from a
more extended schedule in both coun
tries. U.S. interest there is far from pas
sing: Each country is playing a key role in
an American-backed campaign to desta
bilize the Sandinist government in Nicar
agua.
Lately, the Reagan administration has
been pressuring Congress for funds to
improve two Honduran airfields. John
Negroponte, the U.S. ambassador to
Honduras, wants approval to use sup-
posedly-charitable Agency for Interna
tional Development (AID) money for a
new road from central Honduras to the
Nicaraguan border. Both projects would
have military applications.
Meanwhile, Costa Rica has relaxed its
grip on the comings and goings of anti-
Sandinist Nicaraguan exiles. Some say
that change could be the first step in an
effort to make Costa Rica a second stag
ing ground for military operations
against Nicaragua.
If nothing else, the president would
have done well to schedule a meeting or
two with those who are overseeing the
insurgency campaign. Nicaraguan exiles
and mercenaries of various stripes are
feared to be beyond control.
“The administration is blinded by its
objective to squeeze the Nicaraguan gov
ernment dry,” one former U.S. ambassa
dor to Central America told us last Sun
day. “The agency (CIA, which is execut
ing the covert effort) throws down
money so fast that it doesn’t seem in
terested in knowing who these operatives
are.”
Reagan might try to change that and
save U.S. interests from inevitable
embarrassment.
As the political climate in Central
America heats up, even traditionally
neutral nations such as Costa Rica have
begun to arm themselves. Despite awe
some civilian debt, the bankrupt Costa
Rican government recently received a
line of credit from Argentina to purchase
200 patrol vehicles and shotguns for pur
poses of national security.
President George Bush wasn'tlos
opening line. “When I wasattltl
Bush is reported by aides tol
always wanted to meet mycounli
the KGB ...”
Local black leaders may I
the rioting that followed the Noil
Klux Klan demonstradon in V
ton. Reja. Walter Fauntroy,the«
delegate, contends that the I
leadership’s lack of involvemeitl
anti-Klan march may haveencof
Spartacus, an otherwise obscurei
ist group, to foil the peacefulii
of march organizers.
If computers are the futures
lege students don’t want it-a
the University of Iowa. The Bail
reports that approximately31 p
the 400 students originally regisitif th wiUia
an introductory computer comB* in th(
ped out before the mi Q- sem ®Kp«^ nn i e ’
line. 0
When meeting the Soviet Union’s new
leader, former KGB chief Yuri Andro
pov, for the first time last month. Vice
T wentieth Century-Fox, onml
man Marvin Davis, lost $16.9
the fiscal year ending last fj
Nonetheless, according toarepj
with the Securities and Exchanrl
mission, the company paid $50,i
to Fox board members Gerald I
and Henry Kissinger. The reponl
specify the particular expertise!
Ford and Kissinger to the ~
firm.
1
by Patri
Batts
AMOCO ei
|r the wor
fighting
inwork at
ining Fielc
ield coord ina
Bierce is re:
limiting com]
he Texas En
phi Station
compat
Jctice in ret
e field todi
laid, and v
kA'?:*:*??:
A/EXT SEASOU
NEXT SEASON,
j: love y/y,
NEXT SEASON
you 'RE ON LI A
YEAR A-WAMl
ft
WITH MVEj
To THE. CA51 Of
Annie."Agp TO TKt
COACH AND TEAM.
Letters: Parents’ Day preparation
Editor:
This is a letter to all Ags who are
proud of Texas A&M University and
what being a student is all about.
Since 1919, when a mother from the
Dallas Aggie Mothers Club worked with
student government in setting up a prog
ram much like “open house”, Parents’
Weekend has become a tradition here at
A&M. This year, April 15-17 has been set
aside for this special tradition which
allows us to show our parents the campus
and what being an Aggie is all about.
Some of the activities during Parents’
Weekend include the presentation of the
Gathright Academic Awards, the Corps
of Cadets Awards, a traditional yell prac
tice, concerts and a chapel service along
with a reception for the visiting parents.
Each year, Parents of the Year are
chosen and then presented during this
weekend. The selection of these parents
is determined in large part through ap
plications turned in by students who feel
their parents possess the necessary qual
ities which make them deserving of the
Parents of the Year award. Applications
are available in 216 MSC, and must be
picked up before 5 p.m. on Dec. 17.
Also, as a note, it is important that you
make reservations for your parents now,
as space in local hotels is filling up
already.
Matt McKay
Parents’ Weekend Committee
Don’t accuse t.u.
Editor:
This letter is specifically addressed to
Beth Bizzell. We agree that parts of “The
Buttalion” may be a bit distasteful to
some, (us included) but satire is generally
of an extreme nature. You must admit
that writing of this type does cause peo
ple to think about certain aspects of the
University.
Before we draw a flood of angry let
ters, we should make it clear that we en
joy the opportunity to take part in the
University’s traditions and “culture". Un
fortunately the reactionary habit of con
sidering the University of Texas as the
root of all evil is typical of the closed
mindedness that was the target of most of
“The Buttalion’s” sarcasm.
True, a rivalry is good, but many of
our friends attend “that university” and
aren’t exceptionally different from us.
Beth, maybe you have no acquaintances
from the University of Texas, but we’d
like to think that none of our friends
there crawled out of the “gutters of Au
stin.” In, short, one can not go through
life looking out of the maroon glasses
that your parents put on you at birth.
Cyrus Marter
Mclnnis Hall
Editors Note: This letter was accompa
nied by two other signatures.
Lost jacket
Editor:
On Tuesday, Nov. 23, one maroon
football jacket was left in 324 Academic
Building. It was left for no more than one
hour, and in that time it disappeared.
The jacket had a “W” on the chest and
three patches on each sleeve including a
#73. It is of great sentimental value. The
return of the jacket (or any i
about its whereabouts) would be:j!>;.;,v, Vi ...
appreciated, money is no object.
David Mai
Hal 1
Art thanks
Editor:
On behalf of the few remaini«| ’
core Ags, I wanted to expressll* 1
overdue congratulations for# 0
viduals who took it upon the#
rid our campus of the so-cali I
which has been appearing inf# *
Academic Building, rmsuretl# ‘
crew found the display comp® ®
tasteful and certainly not some# "
would wish to view every day. k
Attracting attention to itself
tracting from the natural beauT
campus, this type of liberal poistf
be kept in its place (the backoftl 11
nator’s mind) and not thrust
view under the guise of art. Belt
bastion of conservatism, we niusi
jssrotect the firm foundation ofK 1
and decency from such insidk#
sions of liberality which belongl° ; |
cialists of Berkeley. Once again,
gratulations and thanks to those 1 -
entious individuals.
ESS
Tom B
J
Bravo
Editor:
Bravo to Russell Sanders
‘Greatest Musical Hits.”
i\
John A. Web#