Iftaiiitiif a...
opinion
Battalion/Page 2
February 14,11
Slouch
By Jim Earle
HAPPY
VALENT! ME
White House vs.
the ‘real’ world
by Helen Thomas
United Press International
iZ WASHINGTON — The Reagan
White House wants reporters to focus on
; what is right with the country, not what is
^wrong. . • - -s •
r* The most vocal oh the subject has been
White House spokesn.^yi Larry Speakes,
Jvho says that reporters should be more
“upbeat” and spotlight the “good news”
in the economy.
“My question is, have we now arrived
at the journalistic standard where good
■hews is no news?” he asked in a pep talk to
<he National Association of Government
Communicators.
An administration naturally wants to
' emphasize any gains and trends it sees in
The economy, but resents a reminder of
its failures.
; ’ When the gross national product
showed a slight increase, reporters were
treated to a briefing by Martin Feldstein,
^chairman of the Council of Economic
Advisers. And when the unemployment
►figures dropped a few tenths of 1 per-
-Cent, President Reagan made an un-
- heralded appearance in the press room
• to proclaim a triumph and an America
Ton the mend.”
; And when the figures are bad, repor
ters are given one or two sentences by
Speakes that an improvement is expected
in the coming months or year.
* Speakes has a printed slogan on his
desk: “You don’t tell us how to stage the
news and we don’t tell you how to cover
it.”
That is only half true. There is no
; question that this administration controls
and manages the news to the best of its
; ability. The problem is it also wants to
cover it by denying reporters the respon
sibility of putting things in perspective.
•? “It seems that 10.8 percent unem
ployed is big news, while 89.2 percent of
the Americans who have jobs and enjoy
the highest standard of living in the
world is not news,” Speakes said.
This administration is no exception in
wanting to play down some of its defeats.
It was ever thus. It appears that in all
things economic, the administration still
is prepared to blame President Jimmy
Carter and some of his predecessors.
Not only are reporters expected to re
port only the upbeat news, from Speakes
point of view they are also expected to
ignore presidential remarks or to assume
that he didn’t mean what he was saying.
Such was the case when Reagan said he
knew he was going to “kick myself’ for
saying that the corporate income tax
should be abolished and went ahead and
said it anyway.
-:
■
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
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77843.
Getting nothing for something
The next day, instead of trying to cut
the losses, Speakes accused the press of
“jumping up and down, clapping your
hands and licking your chops over this
statement.”
Reagan himself finally gracefully put
the matter in perspective by admitting he
goofed, telling reporters that he said he
would kick himself “and I did.”
“During the first year we were in the
White House, Reagan victories were
news,” Speakes conceded. “During the
second year, winning was no longer the
stuff that makes headlines,” he added.
Reagan’s second year was not particu
larly marked by great victories, but
rather by retreats. Nor did any of his rosy
predictions about progress in the eco
nomy come to pass.
Speakes remarks are the equivalent of
Reagan’s statement that the television
networks going looking for that one un
employed man in South Succotash.
Only recently there were a spate of
stories that Reagan is “out of touch” with
what is going on in the country. One won
ders if Speakes reports to him only the
good news. .
Nothing is free. Haven’t I heard that
somewhere? Apparently, I misunder
stood. Silly me. Nowadays, everything is
free. Free of what, you ask. Well, listen
up boys and girls, I’m going to tell you a
leetle story of American engine-oo-ity.
Back in the old days, people paid more
to get more. Today we pay more to get
less. It’s not a big-business plot to maxi
mize profits, you understand. We actual
ly want less.
And are we ever getting it. Look at all
the “free” products on the market. Pepsi-
free. Pepper-free. Diet-Goke. Sweet and
Low. Gaffeine-free coffee. Light-beer.
Light-wine. Fat-free milk. Salt-free salt.
Free. Free. Free.
Take non-dairy creamers. What’s
worse than putting cream-free, water-
free cream in your caffeine-free coffee?
How about hop-free beer? Sounds appe
tizing, doesn’t it?
But, there’s a catch to all this free stuff.
You don’t pay less to get less. You’d think
that since they were taking stuff out, it
wouldn’t cost as much. El wrongo. In
reality, you pay more for less.
]
Lest you think all is lost, havecour%
Some stuff does get added. Artificial^
oring, artificial flavoring, presen F r >(
and emulsifiers (whatever they a: IPS’
name a few. How about leaving a! T'!,
out and keeping in the good stuff:[*■•
hear a vote for artificial-free food:
This incredible
off
My political science professor likes to
differentiate between myth and reality.
Well, the myth in this case is that you pay
for what you get. The reality is that you
pay for what you don’t get.
Personally, the only reason 1 drink col
as and coffee is to get my caffeine. 1 don’t
want it all taken out for my own good. 1
also prefer cream in my cream and sugar
in my sugar. Guess I’m just a little strange
that way.
free” phenoraem j e g e
probably causing foreign socialscienjgi
considerable food for thought. Hit doll
they are thinking, how stupid cantplo
Americans be. They are payingmontjb 11
not get anything for their money. P 11
The future looks grim, boys andJFj
Soon, all food will be “free.” YouwllT
able to go to the store and paylocK^
money to buy food-free food. su .,
A can of sugar-f ree, caffeine-fre WO u
bonation-free, water-free cola fter,
your only beverage. When yougeiiT- 1 :
ty, you can grab a can from thefridsfhai
back in your armchair, popthetopll
listen as the word “Cola” hissesouu evel i
Quenched, you can throw theemraL
(after you’ve crushed it with youri
Hman
hands) in the recycling bag
Now that’s true satisfaction, two
AteirMn^s^dof t(
political inbri£ue,when
a simple westerner
living intite East>, is p
changed into a power
ful and ruthlesswarM
>nui
even
Letters: Gregory called a comediaf
Editor:
‘Songs’ criticized
I can see that Mr. Dick Gregory is a
comedian because some of his comments,
reported in The Battalion (2/10/83),
must have been jokes. Although, I will
admit they’re not very funny.
“There are no good schools in Amer
ica.” That’s the best joke I’ve heard in a
long time. I would like to know where
Mr. Gregory thinks all the good schools
are, or better yet, I’d like to know why he
even bothered to attend Southern Illinois
University if he thinks it’s no good. I won
der if he is willing to argue with me that
Americans are by far the most highly
educated people in the world. He must
not have been tuned in on that fateful
day when Neil Armstrong stepped on the
moon. Where did the people responsible
for that feat acquire their knowledge?
Editor:
It was also reported that Mr. Gregory
said that schools manipulate students
and teach people how to make a living —
not how to live. Perhaps he would like to
have colleges offer courses on how to live.
Now that’s what I call manipulation. I
don’t know about anyone else, but I came
to Texas A&M to learn a profession,
which will ultimately help me to make a
living. I don’t need a school to teach me
how to live, although, my experiences at
school as well as in everyday life have
taught me a lot about how to live.
The biggest joke of all was when he
compared blacks celebrating George
Washington’s birthday to Jews celebrat
ing Hitler’s birthday. First of all, he is
comparing Washington and other
founders of our country, such as Thomas
Jefferson, to a maniacal murderer.
Secondly, Washington was not responsi
ble for founding the insane institution of
slavery, whereas Hitler was responsible
for the murder of millions of Jews.
I’m also disappointed that Mr. Greg
ory considers Martin Luther King Jr. as
only a black hero. As far as I’m con
cerned, he should be emulated by all
races. On a lighter note and in true Aggie
form, I’d like to remind Mr. Gregory that
“the Gulf of Mexico flows both ways.”
I am shocked at the Gorps runs due to
the “songs” they sing along with the runs.
As I was walking past the Corps dorms
this morning, I heard them sing, “issue
me an M-16, turn me into a killing
machine.” I think this is disgusting.
Those guys ought to think about what
they are saying. (When I say think, I
mean by themselves, not by what their
superiors tell them to think.)
Is this what Texas A&M is developing
within the young men in the Gorps? I
realize that these guys are training to be
come soldiers and are learning to be able
to use that training to become soldiers
and are learning to be able to use that
training to defend our country. Howev
er, it sounded to me like they were ready
to pull that trigger and blow someone’s
head off at any given moment.
It is sad to think that these young men
desire to be given the chance to murder
someone. It is sad to think that they be
lieve a conflict can be resolved through
senselessly massacring other human
beings. To me, that kind of thinking is
warped and ruthless. I am ashamed that
an academically superior university like
Texas A&M is permitting this sickening
cultivation of the Corps’ minds.
and we consider it better than mosi
races we have run in in Houston Aienc
stin. 'g th
Second, we would like to
Bryan-College Station Eagle, 'it 35 . 1
whose financial support the race m S m
not have been as competitive
the out of town competitors wlioG CCi
brought in. |u a li
Third, we would like to thanktlild is i
of Bryan and College StationaT Arj
police of both cities who allowedtt|tatec
to be run down Texas and insure * nt >
one’s safety. Btv
We know this race took many"||,j ie
planning and effort and vvewouI% 1
say that it was a class race andwf jg et | 1(
can become an annual race, bam
Bill Pewen
Editor’s note: This letter was Wf
nied by live other signatures.
1:
Books stolen
Editor:
Elizabeth Smith ’84
What happened to the ho» 1 ’ ipQ
Texas A&M? When I came Witally
A&M, everyone convinced nw i then
honest Aggies are. It’s one oftMemp
reasons I like the school so mud Bwa
my opinion of honest Ags wass 1! B at ti
changed this morning, whetherI'F on
Racing thanks
Editor:
Jeff Nuzzaco ’82
We are writing this letter to express
our appreciation for all those who orga
nized and were responsible for the
Straight Shot 10K which took place Feb.
6 on Texas Avenue.
First we would like thank Rusty
Hisham and Kent Buehen, the race dire
ctors who gave many weeks of their time
to organize the race. They both did an
excellent job; the race ran very smoothly
it to be changed or not.
I had a couple of books stolenlf e ”
back pack while I was down in^ e L tt j
snack bar. At first I thoughtson^ 1 In Vt
accidentally picked up the wroi'ljtol a
but when my pack was foundindroere
restroom (where / certainlydidn 1 | As r
with only the books missing,!# vf lr }g
to think otherwise.
All I can say to the dishonest" 1
stole my books is that I hope he ffThe
he deserves when he gets caug
rest of the honest Ags, keep "" an tvv
your things when you’re in" Poli c
snack bar — you may be next, hestig
Patrice f