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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 1983)
Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, June 22, 1983 by MX issue splitting party, causing revolt Frustrated Democrats attack leadership | Gov. Mi Friday wh tute withir tern — an develop nology ai Dr. Ai of the 1 e by Patricia Koza United Press International WASHINGTON — A revolt is brew ing among Capitol Hill Democrats over the MX, and the issue may erupt into open rebellion during the next crucial vote on the giant nuclear weapon. Two recent events indicate the depth of frustration among opponents with the refusal by the party leadership to take a position on the MX. Democrats express ed their concern at a 2 1 /2-hour party caucus June 14, called on a petition signed by 112 members and circulated by a freshman from California. The issue: why the House leadership broke with the majority of Democrats and supported President Reagan in a cri tical MX vote last month. The second event occurred barely an hour later at an anti-MX rally on the Capitol steps, when both Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Gary Hart, D-Colo., chastised those who endorsed MX. “Any Democrat who thinks we can purchase peace by voting for MX ought to be ashamed of himself,” Kennedy de clared. Democrats, who consider themselves the party of arms control, last month forced Reagan to adopt a more flexible “Any Democrat who thinks we can purchase peace by voting for MX ought to be ashamed of himself ” — Sen. Edward Kennedy arms control policy as part of the deal for deploying 100 of the 10-warhead weapons in existing Minuteman missile silos. Les Aspin, D-Wis., Norman Dicks, D- Wash., and Albert Gore Jr., D-Tenn., led a group of moderate Democrats who obtained a written agreement from Reagan to seriously seek arms control. The president wrote a similar letter to several similarly concerned senators. In return, the House and Senate voted to release $625 million in engineering and flight-testing funds that had been “fenced” in the 1983 budget. But now some Democrats are begin ning to feel as if they’ve been flim- flammed — both by the leadership and by the moderates who led the turnar ound from December, when both houses had put the skids on MX. Both Aspin and Dicks have indicated they will reevaluate their positions if Reagan does not moderate his position on arms control beyond the sketchy out lines provided for the new round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks in Geneva. It fell to a freshman, Jim Bates of California, to circulate the petition that convened the caucus. “If we weren’t going to take a position on defense as a party, I wanted to know w ONrnRD. CUR1S1WJ Letters: dual education system an insult to black community Editor: The State of Texas is being deprived of the services and contributions of black faculty, staff, and students in the Texas A&M University System because of an inadequate, uncoordinated recruitment and retention process. This process lacks essential safe guards, including involvement of blacks throughout, and outreach into the black community. As a result, qualified re spected blacks like the Warners, Perrys, Johnsons, Dunsons, etc., are lost and many others never gained. UNIVERSITY should begin so poorly, and continue to languish in enhancing the black presence in the Texas A&M University System as part of its mission to serve the great state of Texas. Consider the fact that as of Nov. 30, 1981, blacks represented less than 1.5 percent of all workers in each of the seven EEO-6 job categories except ser vice and maintenance personnel, where they were almost 40 percent of the work force. It is incredulous that a system of high er education headed by a FLAGSHIP In point of fact, black faculty, adminis trator and professional non-faculty, and students constituted less than 2 percent of the workforce or student body respec tively. Further, black faculty were only 15 of 2,358 faculty members, of whom only six were tenure track, again of whom four are leaving or have left. This vestige of a dual education system must be redressed. It is an insult of the first magnitude to us in the black com munity, the Texas A&M University Sys tem, the Bryan/College Station area, and the state at large. Surely this is a tarnishment in the striv ing toward excellence or preeminence that is both unacceptable and at the same time removable, especially in view of the abundant resources at hand locally and at state and national levels. We in the black community stand ready as always to facilitate this effort. Erma Faye Jefferson College Station The Battalion) for students in reporting, editing and photography clas ses within the Department of Communications. Questions or comments concerning any editorial matter should be directed to the editor. USPS 045 360 Letters Policy Member ot Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference Editor Hope E. Paasch City Editor Kelley Smith Sports Editor John Wagner News Editors Daran Bishop, Brian Boyer, Beverly Hamilton, Tammy Jones Staff Writers Scott Griffin, Robert McGlohon, Angel Stokes, Joe Tindel Copy editors .... Kathleen Hart, Tracey Taylor Cartoonist Scott McCullar Photographers .... Brenda Davidson, Eric Lee, Barry Papke, Peter Rocha Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting news paper 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 a’ pfor, and do ndihecessarily represent the opinions of i exas A&M University administrators or faculty mem- ■ bers, or of the Board of Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper 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 telephone number of the writer. Columns and guest editorials also are 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 (409) 845- 2611. The Battalion is published Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during both Texas A&M regular summer sessions, except for holiday and examination periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Advertising 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. e 1M3 by NEA. Inc “At the office, I'm thought of as a sweet, gentle, sensitive man. At home, I'm considered a cruet, heartless ideologue." why,” he said. “As a freshman. I’m not accustomed to questioning the leadership. But in this .case, we were frustrated and dis appointed, and felt we had to question them. It seemed as though they were out of step with the party on this issue,” Bates said. Several sources said seven or eight Democrats who voted to release MX re search funds last month will switch their ieriment vote would be needed to turnJ r ( had the an yet again. Aspin, formerly an Institute I nent, warned rejection of ik program by Democrats party of an opportnnity touse:: campaign issue next year. ram “If we give him this, then it's jKCpiiity president to get an arms contt r ment and we can hold himaccocBlNVEP Aspin said. ate jobs it Technoloj has been Novembet to the “If we weren’t going to take a posi tion on defense as a party, I wanted to know why. ” — Sen. Jim Bates Among the prominentpartvuL° <lut ' ^ 10 supported the MX last nrE- ff positions on a vote scheduled in mid-July * ' " ‘ for 27 to authorize production funds missiles. At least 25 or 30 of the 91 Democrats who joined 148 Republicans in the May who supporte Democratic leader James Wng Texas, and whip Thomas Foie) “I thought it might havebeena the Democratic leadership partisan stance and had been structing the‘defense of the Wright said. But other Democrats whether the party has notalral_ re in ( , up that spot oy failing to takeam v ^ , particularly when its leadingpraHj ce man contenders oppose MX. C ai on a Unite* IMMI Pet rocks replace by ‘computerockr apparent len shot An ai arillo Vaughn h lided wit! north of midnight showed 1 by Dick West United Press International WASHINGTON — Alas, kind sir, or madam, as the case might be, it is time to put away the “Pet Rock” that some gener ous and understanding benefactor gave you a few years ago and that has since become almost like one of the family. Truly “with it” households — those whose members pride themselves on pil ing up enough faddish sandbags to avoid being inundated by the mainstream — are going to be switching to high technol ogy stones. According to a recent ad in the Wall Street Journal, it already is possible to “plug into the future” with a “personal Computerock” made by a Philadelphia company. For as little as $13.95, plus $2.50 for shipping and handling, the modern man who has everything can add a solid state pebble to his desk top collection. The beauty of a Computerock, apart from the price, is that it doesn’t process words, re trieve data or perform any of those other complicated functions. “So easy to use, you don’t even have to turn it on,” promises the manufacturer. Land, what a warranty! .“If your personal Computerock ever works, we’ll replace it free of charge.” Moreover, the Computerock is guaranteed “modularly upgradable.” This means a proud owner who wishes “to extend its non-functionality” can, for a mere $6.95, purchase “peripheral peb bles” that hook onto the “mainrock” to form a sort of mineralized daisy chain. Although I have only a nodding ac- Hund to quaintance, at best, with theelrhis service age, I can foresee a bright toniDl the breakthrough that has( miniaturization “to its logical sion.” Rock technology, we am “millions of transisitors shrunk! ' they no longer actually exist." About time. A word ofi however. I can foresee trouble al corner-cutter who tries tol investment by wiring up“PetR( double duty. Insist on the real thing. For the conservation-mindi many new uses that today’se turning up for rocks mustbeei heartening. Like the silicon video games and other hi tecl ment, rocks are among the i ance of Earth’s natural resouro have only to plow up asmallgardt in your back yard to uncover rocks to last a lifetime. Despite their availability, 1» rocks have never loomed largf daily life patterns. Until someo# „ vered a few years ago that rod good pets, very few of us for® s. emotional attachments to them ** To the contrary, the wort appeared in terms of denie the expression “You must nave: your head.’ Clearly, the advent of Comp- is a giant step forward. A few mo: ressive developments of " rocks will have equal status wd places. Berry’s World Slouch Byjimi shop “I think you shouldn’t be riding a bicycle with the hail lebars set so low. ”