Page 2/The Battalion/Thursday, April 14, 1983
i
opinion
Election problems
an annual headache
At last we know the winner. Joe Jor
dan is the 1983-84 student body presi
dent. But the election that he won — and
all the other races — were plagued by a
number of problems that need to be
solved before next year.
First, three names were left off the
ballot, even though filing for offices
Editorial
closed March 11. Election workers had
more than a week to make sure this ballot
was letter-perfect.
Election officials said that ‘only’ 300
votes had been cast when the first errors
were discovered. No one is sure how
many votes were cast before the second
mistake was found.
Second, only about 17 percent of the
student body voted in this election. This
was blamed on a lack of student workers
to man the polls. But some of the polls
that were open were not clearly labeled,
especially for that all-important first day
of voting.
Third, tabulating results presents a
serious and recurring problem. For the
third consecutive year, computer prob
lems delayed election results. Isn’t it ab
out time the computer program worked?
The runoffs seem to have been spared
these problems. Maybe next year the
main elections will be run as smoothly.
No bargain vacations
for traveling Parisians
by Art Buchwald
“Is Paris Burning?” You bet your
sweet croissant it is.
President Francois Mitterrand, in
order to get his financial house in order,
has just issued the most controversial
edict since he took office. He has told the
French if they want to leave the country-
on vacation they may only take the
equivalent of $427 with them, and they
can’t use their credit cards outside of
France’s borders.
This is the equivalent of pulling an
Iron Curtain down on French tourists
who, contrary to myth, are far more pas
sionate about their vacations than their
love affairs.
I just received a letter from a Parisian
friend.
Cher Ami:
You have probably read by now that
your crazy French President has made it
impossible for us to leave the country for
vacance.
Until his proclamation, our main con
cern was the placement of American mis
siles on the Continent. Now our only wor
ry is how we can get out of France in the
summertime.
Everyone knows the one thing that
makes the Frenchman happy is to travel
abroad to see how primitive other cul
tures are. Once we taste their food and
drink their wine, we come home rein
forced in our belief that France is still the
only civilized nation in the world.
Besides, a trip outside the country is
the only opportunity we have to get away
from foreign tourists who make our lives
so miserable by telling us how happy they
are that the Franch franc is so weak and
that Paris is once again the tourist bar
gain it used to be.
I am not saying the French are not to
blame for this sad state of affairs. We all
voted for Mitterrand because we were
bored with watching Giscard d’Estaing
on television. Mitterrand said he was
going to do a lot of stupid things, such as
nationalizing all the banks and the indus
tries, which sounded like good fun at the
time. But he never said anything about
only letting us take the equivalent of $427
out of the country for our vacations.
Had he mentioned this just once in his
campaign, he wouldn’t have even won
the votes of his own family.
When I told Giselle that we couldn’t go
to England for our holidays she was
grief-stricken. Giselle hates the English
and was looking forward to spending
four weeks there, so she could show the
children how miserably the British live,
how awful the weather is, and how for
tunate they are to be French.
My brother Gerard already had made
his reservations for Portugal this sum
mer, just to let the family see how bad
European plumbing really can be.
Uncle Jacques was prepared to go to
Switzerland, which he despises, but con
siders the perfect vacation spot because it
is the dullest place in Europe. When he
returns to the madness of Paris, he feels
like a new man.
Now our entire family must cancel
their plans and find a place in France for
our holidays, which is impossible, be
cause nobody expected the French to stay
home this summer.
The reason I am writing to you at this
time is that if you had any plans to come
to Paris this year, please let me know. Do
not bring any money with you. I will be
happy to supply you with all the French
francs you need at a very good rate.
If you spend enough money here I
could come to the United States and you
could repay me in dollars without that
idiot Mitterrand being any wiser.
I must be honest with you. America
was not my first choice, particularly since
Giselle is afraid the children will have a
good time and spoil the vacation for all of
us. But we will have to take this chance
just so we can get out of the country for a
few weeks.
If you weren’t planning on coming
here, I urge you to do so. If Mitterrand
does not rescind his order by August 1,
you could be witness to the second
French revolution.
Last week, 10,000 people marched to
the Ministry of Finance gates shouting,
“Vacances, liberte,“ and do you know
what Mitterrand said when he heard the
noise? Fie said: “Let them eat credit
cards.”
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member ot
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
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
Assistant Sports Editor . .I°hn Lopez
Eintertainment Editor ....... Colette Hutchings
Assistant Entertainmept Editor. . . . Diane Yount
News Editors Daran Bishop, Brian Boyer,
Jennifer Carr, Elaine Engstrom,
Shelley Hoekstra, Johna Jo Maurer,
Jan Swaner, Jan Werner, Rebeca
Zimmermann
Staff Writers
Melissa Adair, Maureen Carmody,
Frank Christlieb, Connie Edelmon,
Scott Griffin, Patrice Koranek, Robert
McGlohon, Ann Ramsbottom, Kim
Schmidt, Karen Schrimsher, Patti
Schwierzke, Kelley Smith, Angel
Stokes, Joe Tindel, Tracey Taylor,
Kathy Wiesepape
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Graphic Artists Pam Starasinic
Sergio Galvez Thompson, Fernando
Andrade
Photographers . David Fisher,
Guy Hood, Eric Lee, Irene Mees,
Barry Papke, William Schulz
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The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for
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Columns and guest editorials are also welcome, and
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Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Editor,
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Ancient roots of new nation
Editor’s note: This is the third of a four-
part analysis written by members of the
Israel Club in conjunction with Israel
Awareness Week.
by Y. Weitsman
On Monday, Israel will celebrate its
35th Independence Day. That new na
tion, which was born in the midst of a war
for survival and in the shadow of a terri
ble holocaust, traces its roots back to the
dawn of history. It gave humanity the
concept and belief in one God, the Com
mandments and laws of justice and mer
cy, the inspiration and teachings of the
Prophets and the vision of the Messianic
Era.
The history of Israel begins some
4,000 years ago with a small monotheistic
clan, maintaining their unique faith
while in a pagan world. It is a story of a
continuous struggle for physical and
spiritual survival of the few against the
many, of exiles to Egypt and — 1,000
years later — to Babylon, to be followed
600 years later by yet another exile to a
wide diaspora. It’s a tale of tribes and
kingdoms united and divided, of success
ful and disastrous revolts, of victories and
more frequent defeats.
Ancient Israel was utterly destroyed
twice and its people went to exile three
times. Exile and destruction were, unfor
tunately, all too common events in hu
man history, but the annals tell us of only
three occasions when a scattered people
managed to re-group and re-establish
themselves in their native land. On all
three occasions, the event took place in
Israel. There is no single parallel case in
the history of any other nation.
The reasons for Israel’s stii
spite of its harsh and cruel histoi
be traced to its special culturall)
All during their long years inesi
under the most severe
wherever Jews lived they heli
their faith in God. That faithgaJ
the strength to endure and,
hope. It was the hopeforbetterl
the vision of the return loJeiW
This then is the redeemingi
and inspiring lesson taught by M
tory. 'This history — so replete®
rors, defeats and sadness —[
with and outstandingexampleolij
victory that really counts. Itisil
of the human spirit.
Yechiel Weitsman is a civil t
professor at fexas A&M. Friday,l
ence of modern Israel.
Tve been keeping track
SINCE REAGAN NNAPE HIS
SPEECH PROPOSING A SPACE
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THIS VERBAL WAR BETWEEN
US ANp THE SOVIETS HAS
ESCALATEP SOMETHING
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, .. ANP X CAN TELL YOU
THE SITUATION POESN'T
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AHEAP OF US IN THE
PEPLOYhAENT OF PISINPOPNATO
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Letters: Memorial sets proper tone
by 1
Editor:
I would like to set the record straight
concerning the memorial to General
James Earl Rudder at Pointe du Hoc,
France. A quote in The Battalion de
scribed the monument as “terribly
understated” and “in the middle of no
where.” These statements are simply not
true.
Like Mr. Martin, I also visited General
Rudder’s monument while studying in
France. However, I was greatly moved by
the simple stone monument which rises
from the cliff which Rudder’s Ranger
scaled. Simplicity is not necessarily
understatement.
Pointe du Hoc remains exactly as the
Rangers left it on the afternoon of June
8, 1944, T he only addition is the monu
ment erected in tribute to the men who
fought and died there. This monument
was a project of a grateful and dedicated
group of Frenchmen. It was through
their efforts and the generosity of the
Government of France that this corner of
French soil was placed in perpetuity
under the care of the American Battle
Monuments Commission, which main
tains American military cemeteries and
memorials on foreign soil.
This monument, which is located be
tween Omaha and Utah beaches, is one
of which all Americans, and Aggies in
particular, can be proud. It was, indeed, a
memorable experience to stand on the
precipice of that cliff and imagine that
day in June 1944. I hope that the Aggies
who go to France this year will remember
the Pointe du Hoc as a place where
Americans fought and died, and not as
“nowhere.”
Jean M. Waskom ’82
Lecture series thanks
Editor:
I would like to thank Texas A&M Uni
versity and the people who worked on
the Endowed Lecture Series for allowing
me to attend such a fine program.
I think the series is an outstanding
program, especially since it is run for the
most part by students. Texas A&M can be
very proud of the terrific job these stu
dents did in running the inaugural
program.
T here are some special people that I
would like to thank for helping our crew
in our coverage of this event: Jeff Alford,
Matthew Kirst, Nancy Cramer, Holly
Musick, John Wright, and Robert Robi
son. These people were a great help to
us; in spite of the fact that we were from
the university in Austin that Aggies call
“t.u.”
Again, I compliment your university
for the successful inauguration of a great
program and thank all the Aggies who
were so kind to us.
Suzanne Standerfer
Reporter, U.T. Newswatch
Campaign mess
Editor:
After having watched the campaign
for offices in student government, I
thought of the following:
Turin
’ea< bin
w
â– tan
tan
â–  We:
lenat
T he voting is done,
T he offices won;
The winners we no longer
Yet hither and yon
It still lingers on —
1 his filthy campaigning mess! pkfr
iav tl
I hope that the candidates that»i» rv;it
as their first official act, see toil ili®^ *
campaign materials (especial)'tt 11 ^
thousands of fliers) are cleanedli u
those who did not win, I hopeilii|
wall follow the samecourseof
It woidd be nice to see what
walls are and to see out of glassdfti
windows again, and maybeotherj |
could use the bulletin boardsagatT
out having their material coveii I
Gome on now, be responsiblefr
stuff — there’s enough litter!9
fo*
Roy G®
Slouch By Jim Earl * 1
“Don’t bother getting up. I’m just looking for mypd
snake that got loose. He’s probably around here somt
where. ”