Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 1983)
It state Battalion/Page 9 February 17, 1983 ltms,tl luthtol mra«| have t PUCsi ewasii tnt carat j speed tj he bias ran elec mentofi ise. t ancle ousmisl i no' antes a edbyH ntedbvd ,982, ta rmed btt| 1 Armyi ■d the fi rmation'l Bill would regard juveniles as adult United Press International AUSTIN — Juvenile delin quents designated as three time losers and automatically tried as adults could be rob bed of chances to rehabilitate themselves, defense attorneys told a House committee Tuesday. A bill proposed by Rep. Carlyle Smith, D-Grand Prairie, would require juve niles to be tried as adults if they were convicted of misde meanor or felony offenses on three previous occasions. “This places into juvenile law the concept of the three time loser,” Smith told mem bers of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. “The main thrust is to give the juvenile criminals a little bit more to think about.” The existing law permits juveniles at least 15 years old to be tried as adults only if they are charged with felo nies. Defense attorneys strongly objected to the measure, saying it could result in very young people being sent to the Texas Department of Cor rections, where there are few rehabilitation programs for young criminals. “If a juvenile violated cur few on three different occa sions, he could go to TDC,” John O’Shea of the Texas Cri minal Defense Lawyers Asso ciation said. “This, I think, would be great injustice.” Greg Gladden, also repre senting the criminal defense attorneys, said he often en couraged his young clients to admit their crimes in hope of being rehabilitated through the Texas Youth Council. “I think passage of this legislation would mutate the way I look at representing a juvenile,” Gladden said. “I try to show it’s better for him to ‘less up, but this would make him try to start beating the rap at a really young age.” A Dallas prosecutor also opposed the bill, saying that although a young person was capable of committing heinous crimes, “We shouldn’t rub his nose in the dirt for the rest of his life for one or two things he may have done in his youthful years.” The committee voted to send the proposal to a sub committee for further study. O’Bryan sends hospital kids books from jail -piercM go thw if it's l pistol,! s tl NRA spo )ers of b a policcj ;tproof. isaiil ee agrefl » subconu b United Press International HOUSTON — Ronald Clark O’Bryan, sentenced to death for the 1974 Halloween poisoning of his 8-year-old son, says he has donated 55 children’s books to a I' hospital to show his concern for children. But a volunteer worker who received the books at Texas | Children’s Hospital Tuesday said she was skeptical of O’Bryan’s motivations in send ing the materials. “We don’t mind getting the books. We can always use them. But it’s suspicious. What is he trying to gain — a few brownie points to get another stay of ex ecution?” said Jeannine Be veridge, office supervisor for the women’s auxiliary at Texas Children’s Hospital. “We opened the box, and they’re lovely. I’m sure we’ll get a lot of use out of them,” Be veridge said. O’Bryan, 38, was sentenced to death by injection for the poisoning of his son, Timothy Marc O’Bryan. O’Bryan maintains his inno cence, but prosecutors claim the former Deer Park optician forced his son to eat cyanide- laced “Giant Pixie Stix” candy to collect insurance money. Inves tigators found the poisoned can dy in the trick-or-treat bags of four other children, including •" -i, i, *j Mi ■* *■ t'ivu** .•*..**** Gramm back on Hill, still thinking of budget d United Press International WASHINGTON I Although Bryan-College Sta tion’s congressman Phil Gramm I I has changed his party affiliation I Iwith his return to Congress, the l U federal budget is still very much on his mind. j ^ act ’ Gramm’s agenda on jdmansii 1^ f} rst Tuesday in- paidow J'cluded an afternoon meeting id is nou h e y House Budget Com- gasgoesf niittee members and conversa tions with White House staffers y departs on t he status of President Dfi Reagan’s new budget. alone ncfli ■r a period It was the president’s budget k to aB* “-and Gramm’s support of it 1975» last session — that led to his dative 8 s being thrown off the House ^ndedilfl'Budget Committee by the on of J3J r^ em ocratic leadership and his ubsequent decision to resign from Congress and switch par ties. While Gramm, the former Texas A&M economics profes- aartment ency need! l,willbn( a a year i- sor, returned to the 6th Con gressional District to wage a suc cessful campaign to regain his seat as a Republican, House GOP members kept open a slot on the powerful budget commit tee for him. “I don’t believe there’s any precedent in the history of Con gress where a committee seat has been held open for someone who’s not a member. It was a very generous action on their part,” said Gramm. However, Gramm will be un able to take his seat on the com mittee or in the 98th Congress formally until his swearing in, postponed until early next week when Congress is in full session, and official notification has been received of his special election victory last weekend. Gramm, buoyed by his 55.12 percent victory over 10 challen gers, had a full agenda Tuesday. He said one of the first tasks was getting past the news media rep resentatives crowding his office. “Once I got through all that business, I had a staff meeting to ensure we’re all caught up with our casework, things like Aunt Sarah didn’t get her Social Security check,” he said. “We have to recognize the problems people have with the government go on whether I’m here or not and make sure those cases are solved.” Gramm said he did not forsee problems working in Congress despite bitter accusations such as one that he spied for Reagan during budget meetings last ses sion. “I hope I’m big enough to put those things behind me,” he said. “There’s a job to be done up here.” As a Republican, Gramm also will be on four subcommittees and said he “will get the first seat that opens on Energy and Com merce.” id horrot indent' he Soutt /orks re- reative Media ilitate ; Video ind is is Com- ■ Theate ; judder cFeel the luxury . . . Warm water running through your hair. Cleansing. Massaging. Gentle suds rinsed out, leaving a soft, sweet scent. Now, the cut. Crisp. Precise. Fresh. Perfect. Feel the luxury at. . . 707 Texas Avenue 696-6933 Culpepper Plaza 693-0607 Traffic to Mexico declines United Press International U S. Customs agents report traffic between Mexico and Texas has plummeted by 40 per cent — the lowest in recent his tory — at some border points in recent weeks. Officials attribute the sharp decline to a crackdown by Mex ican authorities on goods Amer icans can purchase in border cities. “I’ve been here for 25 years, and this is the worse I can ever recall,” said agent H.M. Rodri guez, a weekend-duty inspector in the city of Eagle Pass, popula tion 19,000. “Back in 1981 I can remember we had hundreds of trucks coming over from Mexico to buy merchandise,” he said. “They were moving tremendous amounts of goods because of the oil money. Now the Mexicans are hurting. There’s hardly any commerce. It’s real bad.” He estimated that traffic has dropped by 30 to 40 percent in recent weeks, mainly because of restrictions on Americans pur chasing Mexican goods. “They don’t let you buy a lot of groceries,” Rodriguez said. “There was a run on Mexican dry goods, but not anymore. They (Mexican customs agents) are giving Americans a lot of trouble if they buy certain com modities, mostly food stables. Mexicans implemented stricter export laws a month or two ago, and traffic has really been hurt.” He said the Mexican govern ment subsidizes the marketplace cost of food and other vital com modities to keep them afford able. “They just can’t let Amer icans take advantage of their na tion’s hardship,” he said. Mannie Vargas, a customs su pervisor in El Paso, estimated "that pedestrian traffic had nose dived by roughly 25 percent compared to last year. “And that’s a conservative fi gure,” he said. “It could be muc greater.” He noted that vehicle traffi also was down but by a smallel amount. “Traffic averaged aboi 40,000 cars a day before tf peso devaluation last year,” f said. “Now traffic is running al out 36,000 cars.” The vehicle flow would be fa leaner if it weren’t for inexpen sive Mexican gas, Vargas said. O’Bryan’s daughter, but none of them ate it. The case is still on appeal. O’Bryan denies suggestions he donated the children’s books to draw sympathy from the public. “That’s not the case. I don’t give a damn what people think. It’s not a ploy. I thought it was a useful thing to do,” O’Bryan said. “It was just a gesture. Kids have always been a favorite of mine. It’s something I enjoy doing.” The death row inmate recent ly said he wanted to send the books as an expression of his concern for children. GRADUATES DIPLOMA FRAMING Starting at $23.81 Your choice of metal or wood frame J-rornwg 923 Texas 775-9292 Lay-a-way now for graduation Limited quantities after April 15th. Serving Luncheon Buffet Sunday through Friday 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.^gj, DelicTous Food Beautiful View ^.Open to the Public | “Quality First” f Don’t Miss One Minute of the FUN at our 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY! Thursday-Saturday 1,3,5 and 7 o’clock — FUBAR D. ROBOT a ritious and ribald robot that knows all. Just ask him! 2,4,6 and 8 o’clock — Mr. Georg The Organ Grinder and his Capuchin Monkey aily — The Worlds Fastest Artist — paints landscapes in less than 10 minutes using a 4" wide housepaint brush. Thursday — 7:00 p.m. - Free Cake — for all our customers. Saturday — 8:00 a.m. - Run for your life — 10 k run for American Heart Assoc. 10:00 a.m. — Fencing tournament 1:00 p.m. — Ugly Legs Contest Texas 6 Bypass at Hwy 30 College Station, Tx r* Open Mon-Sat 10-9