Page 2/The Battalion/Monday, September 12,1983
opinion
Letters
Don’t allow dumping
Editor:
“Fishermen Lose Fight to Discontinue
Dumping;” that was the story in Thurs
day’s Battalion. A U.S. District Judge in
Houston decided against a law suit by
commercial fishermen and the Sportman
Club to stop the U.S. Corp of Engineers
from dumping tons of dredge spoil being
removed from the Intracoastal Water
way into East Matagorda Bay.
The Corps justified its actions by
saying that the Waterway is becoming too
silted for shipping traffic. It is also re
vealed that to stop the operation would
cost the federal government $20,000 a
day, plus $150,000 to break the dredging
contract with the unnamed company. To
counter these excuses, the law suit states
that the dumping is being done in a
prime shrimping and sport fishing area
of the bay. Valuable spots have already
been lost because the waste is covering
ocean floor that once supported shrimp
and numerous other commercial and
sport fish.
The shrimpers stated that the loss of
shrimp from the disputed area costs
them $1,000 a day, small amount com
pared to that of the government. Appa
rently, the question comes down to
whether we want to save the government
money, or if we want to keep our en
vironment from deteriorating beyond its
present level ( we know which the court
wants). What would have happened if the
courts had decided not to stop the use of
the herbicide DDT in the ’70’s? Would we
still have the Bald Eagle or the Brown
Pelican? Possibly not.
The repercussions of losing one
fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico will
admittedly be much less than losing our
national symbol. Probably, the only
noticeable effect will be slightly higher
prices at our favorite roadside seafood
stands, but what will happen when the
same decision allows this to go on again,
and again, ...
Kevin Peter ’86
Critics too serious
Editor:
To all those people who have been so
critical of the Aggie football game last
Saturday: Why is winning a game so ex
traordinarily important to you? Why
does losing bring out such vitriolic and
hateful remarks?
Personally, I like a game because I can
enjoy the competition and excitement
and, whether my team wins or loses, go
home knowing that no impact was made
on any important issue of life on this
planet. It is a diversion for the fan: a way
of getting oneself totally involved for a
few hours in an activity that invigorates
without worry of consequence.
If each team plays in such a manner
that challenges the other to do its’ very
best and is the competition is evenly ba
lanced so that there is excitement until
the end, then I will enjoy the game and it
will have fulfilled its reason for being. I
enjoyed the game last Saturday.
O.C Jenkins
Flags fly message
Editor:
Once more the full color and electric
ity of Texas Aggie football has arrived.
At every game there are fifty-five flags
that represent the Aggies who so valiant
ly gave their lives so that we may enjoy
peace. But, the message of these flags is
much much more.
We must not only view these flags as
symbols of the f ierce loyalty of Aggies to
their country, but as a mandate that each
of us have as a human being, to do all that
is in our power to ensure that the catas
trophe of war does not claim the lives of
our fellow class-mates. These flags must
not be symbols for future generations to
cherish the supreme sacrifice, but as re
minders of the Aggies who left their
loved ones and never returned to the
maturing of their relationships.
On Saturday, when you look up to the
flags don’t look at them as glorious re
minders. Rather, they should be viewed
as reminders of the horrors of Belleau
Wood, Chateau-Thierry, and Ypres. It is
now, during peace, that we must guaran
tee that no more Aggies or Americans
will march off— never to return.
Mark C. Johnson ’84
Why would anyone
want to be president?
by Maxwell Glen
and Cody Shearer
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Presidential
counselor Edwin Meese had assured
White House staff members and repor
ters in California that Thursday, Sept. 1
would be another uneventful day for a
vacationing Ronald Reagan.
Meese announced, as consolation, the
special screening of an unreleased film,
“The Final Option,” at 10 a.m. Thursday.
“This highly-acclaimed film on the sub
ject of terrorism,” Messe wrote in a
memo, “is being made available to all of
the traveling party and their guests with
out charge.”
Unfortunately, real-life terrorism
spoiled the special preview. A downed
Korean jumbo jet and the demand for a
quick response prompted Reagan to end
his summer holiday two days early.
In fact, any one of several internation
al incidents or developments last week,
all indicative of a tenuous global stability,
could have compelled Reagan’s early re
turn from Rancho del Cielo.
*Natives of Rochester, N.Y., and Win-
son-Salem, N.C., became the first U.S.
Marines to die on international
peacekeeping duty in Lebanon. Their
comrades, of whom 14 suffered injuries,
responded with real bullets against Mos
lem factions that might have been re
sponsible. Now the Pentagon has posi
tioned another 2,000 Marines off the
coast of Beirut to “assure the safety” of
those on shore. Though the U.S. has
been drawn into the fratricidal conflict.
Secretary of State Shultz said that the
Marines’ role is unchanged.
♦Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister
Menachem Begin turned over leadership
of his Herut party to Foreign Minister
Yitzak Shamir, his hawkish equal, assur
ing that Jewish settlements on the West
Bank would continue to increase.
(According to the World Zionist Organi
zation, the number of West Bank Jews is
expected to more than double over the
next two months.
♦Benigno Aquino was finally buried.
10 days after his assassination on the tar
mac at Manila International Airport.
More that 1 million Filipinosjoined in the
funeral procession; undoubtedly many
more mourned in absentia. So far, Philip
pine President Ferdinand Marcos has
tried to disavow any role in the death of
his chief political rival. Yet most of his
country seems unconvinced. Reagan,
who likes Marcos as much as the Penta
gon likes its Philippine military installa
tions, hasn’t changed plans to visit Manila
next November.
♦Widespread and broadly-based de
monstrations against Pakistan’s autocrat,
Mohammed Zia ul-Haq, entered their
third week. Organized by the Movement
to Restore Democracy, the anti
government actions have resulted in
thousands of arrests and injuries.
Though Zia has promised elections in
1985, his opponents have heard such
promises before. Even the powerful Isla
mic party, once a government supporter,
has called for an earlier return to demo
cracy. Zia and Marcos have at least one
prospect in common: numbered days.
♦Perhaps the same could be said for
Sen. Augusto Pinochet, chief of Chile’s
ruling junta. Now the middle class is on
his back, fed up with high prices. Mea
sures to curb anti-government activities
have only fanned the often violent pas
sions of a country restless after 10 years
of military reign. Assassination has
struck both left and right, including San
tiago’s regional military commander,
Gen. Carol Urzua, last week. Though the
opposition Democratic Alliance may yet
call off mass protests scheduled for Sept.
8, national reconciliaton seems a distant
dream until Pinachet goes.
One could go on. South Africa, El
Salvador, Chad and Peru (not to mention
West Germany and Poland) were beck
oning American responses last week, too,
if not as dramatically as some other coun
tries.
So welcome back, Mr. President. With
all the time bombs threatening stability
around the world, one might wonder
why anybody would want to be president
in 1985.
by Lauri
Battalion B
■Assertive pec
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lie’s reaction to
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You are what you read;
magazines ‘go with the flow’
by Dick West
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Although I know
next to nothing about the publishing
business, I must say there may be a bright
future for a couple of relatively obscure
journals I saw advertised the other day.
The trick seems to be to go with the
flow. And if the flow happens to be in the
direction of a divorce court, sobeit.
Thus we now have, ready to take
advantage of current marital trends, a
new publication called “Futile: The
Magazine for Adult Dating.”
There are, the publisher tells us, about
200 million prospective daters in the Un
ited States, many of whom are re
entering the field because of marriage
breakups. So the readership potential de
finitely is there.
“Futile” has articles and features that
almost anyone who goes out in the even
ing would find useful.
There is, for example, a quick IQ test
that answers the question: “How stupid is
your date?”
The current issue tells all about a new
parlor game called “Monotony.” Plus
there are all sorts of hints and tips, in
cluding the advice that “hardly ever is a
good time to play a guitar on a date.”
The other magazine of which I speak is
“The Journal of Irreproducible Results.”
It sets forth such provocative hypotheses
as: “Death is an inherited genetic trait,”
“Rapid proliferation of leftovers is inhi
bited when the refrigerator door is left
open,” and “Copies of the National
Geographic accumulating in the base
ment are causing the continent to sink.”
This magazine, as you can see, pro
vides food for thought during those long
evenings when the telephone doesn’t
ring.
As for books, “America’s hottest new
market,” according to one publisher, is
the computer field.
The demand for computer hardware
and software, to judge from Wall Street
reports, has started to taper off. But
books about computers apparently still
have a rising sales chart.
I just wonder how long it will be before
some enterprising publisher combines
two segments of the best-seller lists and
brings out a computer fitness book.
(Computer dating
already old hat.)
is, of coi
by Elizabi
Battalior
The Texas
counseling Cei
lies this seme:
1’he merging of subject matterbyp lents chose a
lishers is nothing new, as witness
“Monday Night Football Cookbook
You might think, looking over the
of computer manuals already in
• . A.1UUI a ajax-fv-n
bookstalls, that some enterprising [ }on LewiSi sa)
lisher already had tapped the compi measun
fitness market.
Certainly “Micros, Minis and M
frames” sounds like an apt name fa women.
diet and exercise plan.
If I were an author, I would ml
devise a computer fitness book
brings tears to the eyes.
I mean, what is more healthful thi
good cry?
William Frey, a Minnesota biocheii. ofiOstudents
is quoted in TVCable Week to the efl ter scored, a
irove study sk
“The testing
a assist studen
irocessofselec
tenters associ;
ind dislikes an
o those of su<
The test c
who are unsu
who have al:
and are choosi
al job offers, 1
The test, (
Campbell test,
that sobbing may eliminate toxic chet!|by
als that build up in the body.
However, he says his studies showll
emotionally induced tears are farm
therapeutic than those produced by
irritation.
The upshot of all of this seemsdti
Don’t waste time dating anyoneonayi
lie diet
expenen
Lewis says.
by Bon
Information leaks serve purposes
Battal
With the
fighting in
Americans a
by Helen Thomas
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Backstairs at the
White House:
There is some irony when an ultra
secret White House takes the initiative to
declassify information that serves its pur
pose.
On the day it was revealed President
Reagan had signed a memo warning all
2.6 million federal employes not to dis
close any secret government informa
tion, Secretary of State George Shultz,
Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger
and then Reagan himself selectively re
vealed some of the data on the Soviet
downing of a Korean airliner that was
gathered from intelligence agencies.
Since then administration officials are
disclosing information wherever it helps
to make a case that the Soviets knew they
were shooting down an unarmed passen
ger plane.
“The president can declassify on his
own without further steps,” said deputy
press secretary Larry Speakes, adding
that the decisions were made in consulta
tion with Reagan’s foreign policy
advisers.
Nevertheless, it was understood some
aides in the National Security Council
were not happy with the disclosures.
But there is no question that with the
revelations of radio transmissions from
the Soviet pilots, the United States was
able to better back up its charges.
acy program in the East Room, Reay
wound up his remarks by saying“l
now, they’ve told me I got to get bad
the Oval Office.”
the Middle I
sul and two"
sors will
American re
in 302 Rude
Medad A
President Reagan is still telling repor
ters “they won’t let me answer your ques
tions” during photographic sessions.
And when reporters reply “you’re the
president,” he just smiles.
The “they” are obviously his top aides
who decide when he should speak to re-
pbO’her is watching.
When he launched the new adult liter-
Deputy press secretary Larry Speali
who once worked for the Nixon ”
House, made an understandable slip
the tongue during one of his briefings
the plane. He reported Reagan hadpls
ed “18 minutes” of tape conversatii
from the Soviet pilots for congressioi
leaders. He quickly corrected himself
say “eight minutes.”
The spokesman apparently was thi®
ing back to the Watergate scandal when
was revealed someone had erased'
minutes of a crucial taped conversatt
in the Oval Office.
Slouch
by Jim Earle
“I’ve got this buddy who parked
his car out there a week ago. He
hasn ’t found it, yet, but he’s still
looking. ”
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