Page 2/The Battalion/Friday, September 23,1983
‘Scoop’ Jackson: the man
by Steve Gerstel
United Press International
WASHINGTON — For almost four
and a half hours, the Senate last week
paid its final respects to Henry “Scoop”
Jackson.
The memorial was a moving tribute,
heartfelt and genuine, which continued
on and on in the Senate chamber until 38
senators said their goodbyes.
They praised Scoop Jackson for his
achievements, and they were many and
great; they praised his political abilities,
and they were many and great; they
praised his attributes as a man, and they,
too, were many and great.
But, as sometimes nappens when col
leagues try to capsule their thoughts for a
departed friend, the small, personal re
collections are forgotten. Yet often, they
tell much about a man.
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member ot
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Southwest Journalism Conference
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Powe, Ann Ramsbottom,
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Schrimsher, Carol Smith,
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Kathy Wiesepape, Wanda
Winkler
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Photographers Brenda Davidson,
Michael Davis, Guy Hood,
John Makely, Dean Saito
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2611.
Although others touched on these
things, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., made
it the focus of his remarks — and in the
process told much about Jackson, the pri
vate man.
Biden conceded he was not a friend of
Jackson’s. To claim that distinction, he
said, would be “presumptions,” citing the
30 vears in age which separated them.
Nor were they compatible politically.
They agreed on most domestic issues but
disagreed on virtually every aspect of
foreign policy.
Yet, Biden related two stories that per
fectly portray the tremendous impact
Jackson had on him. Certainly, there
must be others in the Senate who could
tell the same.
The first story begins the night before
the 1972 Florida primary. Jackson, strug
gling for the Democratic presidential
nomination, was having dinner at the
home of Sterlin Monroe in suburban
Miami.
Biden, then only 29, was in the area,
trying for “some legitimacy” to prove to
Delaware's voters that he should be their
next senator. He and a more gutsy friend
decided to crash the dinner.
Here was Jackson, beat from cam-
paigning, looking for a little relaxation,
vexed by his inability to catch on, and
contronted by a neophyte he did not
know.
“Come on in. Sit down. What’s the
problem?” Jackson asked and fed Biden
some dessert.
Biden was elected to the Senate that
fall but before he took the oath of office,
his wife was killed in a car accident.
“Who was in my office a week after I
got here?” Biden asked. “Scoop Jackson,
saying ‘Is there anything I can do for
you?’
Jackson was not asking whether he
could help get Biden his committees,
which he had already done, but “he
wanted to know whether or not he could
help me.”
Up for re-election in 1978, Biden was
in trouble but, after fighting with Jackson
over foreign policy issues for six years,
could not bring himself to call for help.
Jackson, however, called. He said,
“What do you want me to do? You have
got those guys from the right coming af
ter you. What do you want me to do?”
Then Jackson, unsolicited, came into
Delaware and raised money among his
friends for Biden.
nearly as strongly” as he does now.
He changed after a “long, long discus
sion” with Jackson, who aLo urged him to
and
visit Israel, Eastern Europe
centration camps
the con-
It was after this that Biden was “able to
understand with any of the sense and
depth of emotion that he, like me, a non-
Jew, felt about what had happened.”
Biden said, “Scoop Jackson changed a
mv ooliti
change
e and
major part of my political life and my
attitude about a whole segment of society
that I did not understand before.”
Super-tech spy game
not for fainthearted
by Maxwell Glen
and Cody Shearer
When ill-fated Korean Air Lines Flight
007 flew into Soviet airspace, it stumbled
into the middle of a high-tech game of
chicken played daily by the superpowers.
The game is called electronic surveill
ance, and isn’t for amateurs.
From Eielson Air Force Base near Fair
banks, Alaska, and Shemya Air Force Base
at the Western tip of the Aleutian Islands,
Air Force and Navy aircraft routinely set
out on reconnaissance missions near or over
the Soviet Union’s Eastern edge.
Data collected on these flights (called
ELI NT for electronic intelligence) accumu
late in supercomputers managed by the Na
tional Security Agency (NSA) at Fort
Meade, Md., among other locations.
In his Sept. 5 address to the nation,
President Reagan admitted that a recon
naissance jdane had trailed KAL 007, but it
had returned to Alaska prior to the Soviet
attack.
Meanwhile, U.S. military aircraft also
traverse Soviet airspace, just as the Rus
sians so ours, to test the range and frequen
cy of radar on the ground.
Although satellites and radar installa
tions in Japan and other countries are
undertaking an increased surveillance bur
den, the U.S. is soon expected to make
additions to its elctronic squadrons.
For example. E-systems, of Dallas, is
developing a pilotless drone that will be
able to accomplish any number of tasks be
fore its likely destruction by anti-aircraft
missiles. Israel demonstrated the drone’s
capabilities during its confrontation with
Syria in Lebanon last year.
America’s investment in electronic sur
veillance technology, for which the Reagan
administration is seeking $4.7 billion in
1984, may seem worth every penny after
last week’s air atrocity.
Yet it might be heading the U.S. and the
Soviets toward more deadly, unnecessary
incidents in the furture.
As James Bamford, author of “The Puz
zle Palace,” a book about the NSA, said last
week, “The truth is that at any moment this
whole game of electronic surveillance can
blow up. It gets more risky day by day.”
Footnote: On Nov. 8, 1981, a Soviet
Aeroflot jetliner traveled over the Trident
submarine base at Groton, Conn., and
Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, N.H.
Last March 4, a Cubana passenger jet flew
over Griffiss Air Force Base, the home of a
squadron of cruise missile-carrying B-52s in
Rome, N.Y. The State Department de
nounced both intrusions.
***
Remember the rough treatment Vice
President Bush received in West Germany
last June from punks marching under the
West German peace movement’s banner?
As north Rhein-Westphalia state police
have discovered, the rock-throwing youths
in Krefeld weren’t all that they seemed.
Among those rioters subsequently
arrested was an undercover agent working
for West German counterintelligence (Ver-
fassungsehutz), whom state authorities
termed one of the “most active troublemak
ers” during the violent demonstrations
against Bush’s Krefeld visit.
***
America’s leading gun owners’ group
won the championship last year in an
obscure but important political spending
category: election-related communications
by an organization to its members.
According to the Federal Election Com
mission (FEC), the National Rifle Associa
tion spent more than $800,000 of its treas
ury funds on literature, get-out-the-vote
and other efforts made on behalf of or
against federal candidates.
The NRA’s total accounted for 36 per
cent of all spending last year, the FEC re
ported.
Letters
Peace won’t be achieve
through disbanding Isrea
The second story Biden related dealt
with Israel, an issue on which he “felt not
Editor:
As a concerned Jew and American I have
been following the Middle East crisis all of
my life. It is difficult for me to believe that
there will never be peace in my country or
in that region of the world.
It is even more difficult for me to believe
that there are still people in this world who
think that the only way peace can be
achieved is by disbanding the country of
Israel and expelling the Jews from that re
gion.
Peace can only be achieved by having
intelligent, well-educated men and women
sit down to form a compromise that would
benefit all people in that region. Camp.
David is a perfect example of such a peace
move.
However, rattling rockets and shouting
out media-fabricated cliches such as those
displayed by the Palestinian students on
this campus last year is no way for peace to
be achieved.
Nor is reminding students of the so-
called “Israeli massacre” in Lebanon last
year appropriate either. Especially since
Israelis did not massacre anyone in Leba
non, rather the Lebanese Christian Militia
did.
But, of course, this is just a fine point
that can easily be overlooked in lieu of the
fact that Israel is always the aggressor and
Israel is always at fault.
The PLO never once bombed civilian
occupied towns in Israel nor have they
attempted to unite the Arab world and the
world in general to help “push the Jews into
the sea. ” The PLO never killed school chil
dren, never disrupted an Olympic game
killing innocent athletes, and the Arab
world never once attempted an all out
attack on Israel during its Holiest Holidays.
The Arab world did not denounce Egypt
for signing a peace treaty with Israel, and
Syria never backed out of peace talks which
would have required the signing of a peace
treaty.
The PLO and Syrians are not firing at
peace keeping forces in Lebanon and not
one United States marine or any other sol
dier has fallen in recent months at the hands
of the PLO and Syrians.
Of course, the list of things that the PLO
and Arabs have not done to Israel, innocent
Jews, and United Nations peace forces is
endless.
The thing that really bothers me is that
the Arab world sends their children to
school here for an education. Instead of
using that education for the benefit of
achieving peace those children return to
their countries and continue the same old
futile fight — a fight that no side will ever
win and a fight whose only result are the
multiple deaths of innocent civilians, Arabs
and Jews alike.
Stephen Weiss ’84
Decide for yourself
Editor:
I recently read an article in the Fall ’83
edition of Nutshell Magazine entitled
“Hard Sell Religion.” I would advise people
to read this article for the sake of fairness to
the writer Rasa Gustaitis.
What Gustaitis says about the Lexington
Church of Christ in Boston and other chur
ches and organizations may be true. I can
not say otherwise, for I’ve never attended
them. (I wonder if Gustaitis does, or ever
did).
I can say that the article was strongly
biased and quite manipulative in stating its
opinion against religion in general and
Christianity specifically.
Not all churches that claim Christian
doctrine as their base know what true
Christianity involves. If the churches and
other organizations of which Gustaitis
spoke operate as he claims, then I must say
that I agree with him.
Even God allows man freedom of choice.
Many times persuasive tactics are decep
tive, and the Bible, on which true Christ
ianity is based, speaks against such a man
ipulative use of words. (I Corinthians 2:1-
5).
God is (and/or should be) important in
everyone’s life. For every man dies; and if
one believes in life after death, heaven and
hell, then it is only common sense to decide
where one will spend eternity.
However, if one does not believe in life
after death, I urge him to reconsider.
My plea to those who read Gustaitis’
article: please do not completely “tune out”
the Christians or other groups on campus;
hear what they have to say and decide for
yourself.
Christopher King ’85
More ticket earnings
Editor:
The Texas A&M University Police De
partment has really missed the point con
cerning parking regulations. Ticketing for
not having a parking sticker fully affixed to
the vehicle window, is somewhat inade
quate.
There are three new regulations which
would greatly improve this situation:
1. Ticketing for crooked parking stickers.
2. Ticketing for air bubbles between the
sticker and the vehicle window.
3. Ticketing for having a dirty veto
window.
With these new regulations, it would
technically possible to ticket almost eve
vehicle parked on campus. Justthinkofj
increased revenue that these regukiu
would contribute!
Let’s see what this revenue w
amount to for one year. Ten dollarsatii
multiplied times 10, (XX) vehicles multip
times 215 days that the university is in
S'
This total amounts to approximately
billion a year, but $10 for each oft! ^
violations is somewhat inadequate (or 1
crime that is being committed. This
be raised from $10 to $100, which u
greatly increase the revenue to S2;
a year.
Mike
) $220 hi
Prisoner learns love
Editor:
I wrote this letter mainly because! §J ■
that if someone out there who is freecd
see that someone that is in here, incanl
ated, could still retain his lovefom
then anyone can.
I have a degree but I had much tola ^ R onn j e c,
still. I am currently serving a oneyeard ~ '■ ~
on term in the infamous Attica prisoii Fhe College S
by Steve Tl
Battalion Rep
Despite a lack of
lity and polish, C
, guest conductor
rated Chicago
jrchestra, created
bformance in Ri
|rium Thursday r
For an orchestr;
|r, however, the ]
is not up to par.
Plagued with t
ns, imprecise at
ivenly woodwind
chestra conveyed
ork" and dispar
( most of the cor
Don’t misundi
Jint of this review
'dilelfseethed with ft
fn.The string sect
le instrument, m<
and with prec
isters of quick, c
[es and Navarro
expressiveness
namics.
Again and agai
icendo and
i#vements created
calm, pressure
length and sof
irm of thrilling c
pn Richard Str;
a” soon was lullei
flow that captur
audience until
CM
n •
ity 1
ttnin
Battalion Sti
uncil accepted tl
of the city’s cot
DWI. I will be released in April of neit
and return home to Texas. r 't_
Since 1 have been here, I havewitnes n Thursday mg!
abuse and cruelty beyond descnptionJ ^ ^ , e[ ^ ()r
listened while grown men have criedtk unt ^. ypimai she
selves to sleep due to sheer lonelinessi The city’s compre
even saw a young man attempt suicidt guide to admit
cause his girlfriend left him foranotk vise growth and
1, too, have suffered great lonelinessi he city over the n
depression hut have learned someth® Mayor Gai
here that no college textbook or classrti lounce ^ t() t ^ e aH
could have possibly taught me. r r P a ; ts of th P a
I have learned that love is muchstro®^ 1 ? pj^ner '
than hate. With love, one has purpose!, ,[ remained to 1
meaning in life. With hate, one merely ie plan was suppe
ists around the borders of life. Eachdi xipulation studie
look into hundreds of faces thatarefl siayo suggested t
with hate and bitterness and thistmlyi idopted in its ent
dens me. as -
Life lost its meaning to me when! the meeting s
turned home from the Viet Nam w ^deration to ado]
i.i . ... ttthe animal shelte
served there for two years with the 11, ie shelter , s boa
Airborne division. L
I have wasted over 12 years of m)l Halter, a mem
through drinking and escaping my rcs]lrd, said that since
sibilities. I had family and friends theaM—
Now, I’m all alone but havefoundl|
peace and contentment within ray
When I am released and come back b
on April, I will come home muchwisHtj
more important than that, I willcometo |
with the attitude that I owe life a
not vice-versa!
1 have no way of knowing if this lij
will he deemed worthy of printing,
that if just one other person could real
message then it was worth
writing.
rne o i “
. Vi
Alfred John Grenff in
Attica, New I 1
These Texas i
viewed and se
the most se
officers they ft
done for their
Hospitality enjoyed
.
Tom Blac
Tom Carls
Editor:
The University of California
Club of Texas, which coordinated thd
vities for the UC alumni and friends"
attended the Aggie vs. Cal footballyn |
wishes to thank the student body ford'I j <
hospitality and courtesy. IVlSClClC
The Board of Directors of the f '
eeived a number of favorable comm
from individuals who attended
Cal supporters commented on thecouil
extencled to them by the Aggies durinSl
after the game. To all Cal supporters J
an enjoyable day.
Again, thank you for the Aggie W
j«4!arey Cob
Co-ChairpT L , ^
Cal vs Aggie FootbalK| Damian C<
lohn Spell
icott Ellio
lark Graj
Slouch p re § hilsc
by Jim EarllameS Sho
John Greei
Aftergradualion, as a Navy of
Ktendal.
rNavy operates the most ad
the Nuclear Navy get th
luniors and Seniors who q>
To qualify, you must be a U.i
calculus-based physics with a
Contact Lieuten
I nuclear engineei
about all your c
“I’ve found that for some reasi |
it makes studying easier. ”