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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 1983)
opinion a r t. I 3 r < 2 1 ) c l a if )( it ( n A S 'I V ) >• P H X X X X C C ( ( C I n : Jr I wHeN X FIRST M€T You, You vfeRe stubborn, aRRoQaNT SeiF-Ri6MFeou&, aNP UNYietPING. Mow Yoo’Ra a Li Trie mors fbRewiNG, PaTieNT, snd FiexiBLe — a UTTLS MoRe PRaGHaTic. WHaT HaPPeMeD TbTHaT GuY I u&eD To uove? Shouting questions at the President by Art Buchwald My wife and I were watching the even ing news on television the other night, when she said, “I feel sorry for President Reagan.” “How’s that?” I asked. “Every time he leaves the White House to go somewhere the reporters shout questions at him.” “Well, it’s their job to ferret out news, and they hope he’ll say something earth- shattering as he’s leaving for Camp David.” “All he does is shout back one or two words to their questions. How much news can you ferret out of that?” “It depends on how you phrase the questions. Suppose you shout, ‘Mr. Presi dent, have you made up your mind about Dense Pack?’ and he shouts back, ‘No.’ — then that’s a news story. If he shouts back, ‘Yes,’ that’s also a news story. If he just smiles, shrugs his shoulders, and puts his arms around Nancy, it may not be a news story, but at least it’s something to go with the film.” “Why can’t he go to Camp David on the weekend without us having to watch it on the evening news?” “Because the American people should know where their president is at all times. The White House doesn’t need the media covering his departure when he is going to Camp David because he’s usual ly in a good mood. He’s in an even better mood w hen he comes back. But you can’t expect the press corps to just stand there like dummies when Reagan is getting on and off the helicopter. They owe it to the public to find out what is really on his mind. That’s why they shout those ques tions at him.” “I think it’s a very dangerous way to gather news. Half the time, with the heli copter motors whirring, he can’t even hear the questions,” she said. “I don’t think the president objects. Frankly, I think he prefers that type of questioning to a press conference. I know his staff does.” “But suppose someone yells a question and he says ‘Yes’ instead of‘No.’ Isn’t that scary?” “Not really. Because if he gives the wrong answer, the press secretary can always say he didn’t understand the ques tion. What you have to realize is thai Ronald Reagan, before he went into poli tics, attended an awful lot of movie pre mieres, so he’s used to reporters shouting at him. He’s an old pro when it comes to running a press gauntlet. Look at the way he waves his arm as he approaches the helicopter. He’s a natural when it comes to saying goodbye.” “But the TV networks show the same scene every weekend. They could prob ably use stock footage from their files and save a lot of money.” “You don’t understand how the White House communications people work. This is what is known as a photo oppor tunity. It shows off the president at his best. He’s usually wearing a cowboy outfit and boots and he doesn’t look as if he has a care in the world. That’s the image of Ronald Reagan they want to project. And frankly I believe that’s the image the American people want to see. Would you feel any better if he came out of the White House to board the helicopter scowling and refusing to talk to anyone?” “I guess not,” she admitted. “But I don’t know why the networks can’t just say he went to Camp David and leave it at that.” “That’s okay for the print people. But the electronic media can’t just say it. They have to have the pictures to go along with the story. If they showed Sam Donaldson or Leslie Stahl or Chris Wallace standing in front of a darkened White House saying, ‘The president is not here tonight,’ you’d be worried sick.” “Maybe you’re right. What are they yelling at him now?” “They want to know if he’s going to fire Ann Gorsuch of the EPA.” “Does the press really expect him to answer that when he’s leaving for Camp David?” “Not really. But if you have to stand out in the cold for an hour, it’s worth a try.” USPS 045 360 Member ot Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editor Diana Sultenfuss Managing Editor Gary Barker Associate Editor Denise Richter City Editor Hope E. Paasch Assistant City Editor Beverly Hamilton Sports Editor John Wagner Entertainment Editor Colette Hutchings Assistant Entertainment Editor. . . . Diane Yount News Editors Daran Bishop, Brian Boyer, Jennifer Carr, Elaine Engstrom, Johna Jo Maurer, Jan Werner, Rebeca Zimmermann Staf f Writers Melissa Adair, Maureen Carmody, Frank Christlieb, Connie Edelmon, Patrice Koranek, John Lopez, Robert McGlohon, Ann Ramsbottom, Kim Schmidt, Patti Schwierzke, Kelley Smith, Angel Stokes, Tracey Taylor, Joe Tindel Copy editors .... Shelley Hoekstra, Jan Swaner, Chris Thayer Cartoonist Scott McCullar Graphic Artists Pam Starasinic Sergio Galvez Photographers ' David Fisher, Jorge Casari, Ronald W. Emerson, Rob Johnston, Irene Mees, William Schulz Editorial Policy I hc Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting news paper operated as a eoinmunitv set vice to Texas AK-M University and Bryan-Collegc Station. Opinions ex pressed in The Battalion arc those oT the editor or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M University administrators Or taeuh\ mem- bets, or of the Board of Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper tor students in reporting, editing and photograph\ clas : scs within the Department of Communications. Questions ot comments concerning am 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 l exas 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 pet f ull 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. Result of inappropriate behavit by Maxwell Glen and Cody Shearer One might expect that a discharged government employee, accused of lying to one congressional committee, would at least appear before another. But for Rita M. Lavelle, the matter wasn’t so simple. Risking a contempt-of-Congress charge las^ Thursday, the 35-year-old former chief of hazardous-waste prog rams for the Environmental Protection Agency chose to leave empty the witness chair befor the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) had subpoenaed Lavelle Feb. 15 to hear her explanation for evidence of conflict-of-interest and spying on co-workers in the routine ex ecution of her duties. While her absence clearly raised more questions than answers, Lavelle may have had an easy explanation. At the time of the hearing, Lavelle hadn’t decided whether to take personal responsibility for EPA miscues or to pass the buck to someone higher in the administration. Lavelle has spent the last two weeks in seclusion sorting out her options. Under further questioning by Congress, she may find it impossible to preserve her reputation and that of the administra tion. “I had a heck of a career ahead of me and now I have nothing,” Lavelle told us by telephone early last week. Her dilemma has only been compli cated by the White House’s recent hands- off treatment. After 14 years of living and breathing like a Reaganite, she had never expected to become persona non grata at the White House. Indeed, Lavelle and presidential coun selor Edwin Meese go way back. Upon graduation from Oakland, California’s, Holy Name College in 1969, Lavelle landed her first job with then-governor Reagan’s research staff (she’d interned there during previous summers). Her boss, Meese, had her j^repare briefing papers for the governor and then recom- merfded her for a position with Califor nia’s Department of Consumer Affairs. “Rita was a real workaholic and a dedi cated Reaganite,” said a f ormer colleague in the governor’s office. Her after-hours routine included regular commutes to Berkeley for graduate chemistry classes at the University of California. Leaving government with the Reagans in 1974, she remained active in Sacramento Re- jxublican circles until entering the private sector in 1976. Work for various chemical companies kept her happy until February of last year, when Reagan nominated her to fill the empty hazardous-waste job at EPA. 1 “Ed Meese didn’t get me that job; le insisted. “I was qualifiedprofessk^ and politically. But obviously lationship with Meese didn’t hurt. “Everyone on the political side a L White House knew of me and of cord in private industry, ” she adi So, when word came first tlta Meese “barely knew her” and, s« that the president had fired her,La said, though she added, “hecalledi wards to say he was sorry...” I As for her EPA performance,b insists that she never was soft ontle mical companies and ever more mently denounces those whoaccm of taking orders from the White'* “Ed Meese had enough to do »t worrying about me,” she said, program, and 1 made the decisioij only sjxike to his office when But what Lavelle may haveconsia appropriate behavior at EPAisi vious liability in the eyes of WhiteH operatives. She could damage fii 11 and former supervisors with hen mony. The alternative, however,! Lavelle to discount her year at E ineffective. “It’s tough to work very hardfon thing all of your life and thenattad being meaningless,” she said. COFFEE, MISS JONES... ) GOOD GOD ERA IE M > 0 P Letters: Parental notification law Editor: I am a concerned freshman who would like to respond to the Feb. 10 arti cle on the parental notification law, and in particular, to the letter written by Dan- nette Heren in the Feb. 22 issue of The Battalion. This young lady has obviously been misinformed about teenage sex. She con tends in her article that “countless minors are sexually active only because birth control devices are so easily and secretly available.” I find this state highly ignor ant for one simple reason. Most teens in high school neglect to use any form of contraception at all because appealing to a parent for it would tend to put them in an embarrassing situation. Toward the end of Danette’s letter she writes, “We need to open our eyes and see that we could actually help many teen-agers of a way out of the peer press ure to have sex.” When reading this par ticular statement, I tend to find her asser tions increasingly more humorous. Her obvious inept, naive attitude towards sex ual relations is evident. Granted, there is a considerable amount of peer pressure among teens “to score”, but if it wasn’t a natural, reward ing experience, I should think it wouldn’t be performed again. Referring back to her statement corrcerning “opening our eyes”, I can only say this: If sex wasn’t a prevalent part of everyday life, there would be no tight designer jeans or soap operas. The most important point of my letter is that if teens know their parents will be notified of their obtaining contraception, they would neglect to use it at all and the teenage pregnancy rate will climb drama tically. This law is not the answer. Perhaps the most humorous comment of all is Dannette’s claim that “sexually ac tive minors are the exception and not the rule.” I’m very sorry Dannette, but you’ve obviously “missed the boat.” On the contrary, the majority are those who are sexually active. And finally she concludes by saying: “Morality has to be enforced for their sakes.” This is one of her misconceptions; morality cannot be enforced by anyone, but moreover, has to be taught starting in the home, and then exercised under the free willl of the individual. Dannette, your argument was obviously hastily written, and therefore lacks logical approach. I agree, teen pregnancy must be curbed, but parental notification will only aggravate, not solve the situation. die q Steve Patti 1501 Hwy. 30 Recipes needed Editor: The writer Calvin Trillin has de scribed a popular affliction called “Hometown Food Nostalgia” which re sults in millions of pounds of sausage, cheese, candy and other goodies criss- crossipg the country every year in search of desperate expatriates. The theory was developed by a friend of Trillin’s as he stood in the post-office line, holding a package of Kansas City’s famed Wolfer- man’s English muffins that he was about to send to his son in Virginia. We are two willing victimsol town Food Nostalgia and confei time allegiances to such spec™ foods as the creamy caramels the nuns of Our Lady of the N Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa; tl to chips fried in j)ure lard fi bach’s in Womelsdorf, Pa. a Common Crackers from Country Store in Rockingham, We think others would like about America’s time-honon made at firms where qualityM wavered, so we are compiling of America’s best-loved foodsfe 1 to be published in 1984 by a lishing house. However, we helj) to make sure your stateisw sented. I f you could let us know ah duct and the address and number of where it’s produced as a few words about why youlli ly of it — we wordd be extremely Please drop a note to eitherof addresses below. We thank you and so do oj readers who long to knowaW like Lasser’s old-fashioned from Chicago, It’s Iticecrea San Francisco and Wahoo Wel^ the OK Market in Wahoo, Ni reanil'i AllisonJ 1 Princes and Margardl 2038 ISthSil Washingt(*|