___
Opinion
Page 2AThe Battalion/Tuesday, March 20, 1984
Is the future Bright
for Dallas Cowboys?
So now Bum Bright has bought the
Dallas Cowboys. It should come as no
surprise to anyone.
It’s a logical step — from college foot
ball to the pros, from meddling in Texas
A&M football to meddling in the NFL.
Tex Schramm, the Cowboys’ presi
dent and general manager, said the ma
jor consideration in choosing a new
owner was finding someone who would
not upset the club’s hierarchy, its for-
mula for success.
Those of us who have seen Bright in
action at Texas A&M know that
Schramm has the wrong man.
The chairman of the Board of Re
gents was the center of controversy in
1982, when Head Football Coach and
Athletic Director Tom Wilson was fired.
Bright First tried to lure Bo Schem
bechler away from the University of
Michigan. When that failed, Jackie
Sherrill was persuaded to leave the Uni
versity of Pittsburg for a $1.4 million
package.
The entire Fiasco attracted national
publicity — unfavorable publicity for
Texas A&M.
Is that what’s in store for the Dallas
Cowboys?
The question is whether Bright will be
able to keep his Fingers out of Tom
Landry’s pie any better than he was able
to keep them out of Tom Wilson’s.
For the sake of “America’s team,” we
hope so.
— The Battalion Editorial Board
Columnist interviews
God on prayer issue
By ART BUCHWALD
Columnist for The Los Angeles Times Syndicate
I don’t talk to God as often as I
should because I know how busy He is
these days. But every four years, during
the presidential campaign, I do check in
to make sure what the candidates are
saying about Him is true.
The other night, after hearing Presi
dent Reagan say for the umpteenth time
that God had been expelled from Amer
ica’s classrooms, I asked Him, “Are You
banned from America’s schools?”
“Not that I know of,” God replied.
“President Reagan said that kids can’t
pray in school.”
“If they can’t, they’re sure doing it,”
God said. “I hear schoolchildren’s pray
ers all day long. Of course I hear more
from those who haven’t done their
homework. And there is a lot of praying
when report cards come out. I can’t un
derstand why President Reagan said
I’ve been banned from the classroom.”
“I think what he was referring to was
the Supreme Court decision which for
bade organized prayer in public schools
at the beginning of the day. Did that de
cision bother You?”
“On the contrary. I don’t believe in
people praying if they don’t mean it.
Fortunately in America people can pray
anytime, anywhere they want to.”
“Well, why would President Reagan
say You were banned from public
schools, if You weren’t?”
“I have no idea,” God said. “People
are always dropping my name to get
votes during an election year. Frankly I
wish the president would have checked
with Me first.”
“Do you believe it’s a good idea to
have separation of Church and State?”
“I believe it’s an excellent one. Your
country has survived for over 200 years
without getting Me mixed up in your
government, and when you look around
you seem to have more freedom of
worship than any other place on the
face of the globe.”
“How would you feel about forced
voluntary prayer in the schools in the
morning, so if the kids didn’t want to
pray they wouldn’t have to?”
“It would bother me. All My children
are very fragile and it would cause tre
mendous friction between those who
prayed and those who didn’t. I would
prefer that schoolchildren pray when
the spirit moves them, and not when a
teacher tells them to.
“What your president should know is
that God is everywhere, and when he
states I am no longer in the public
schools, he doesn’t know what in the
devil he’s talking about.”
“Then You didn’t tell him You
wanted prayers officially back in the
schools?”
“I certainly did not,” God told me.
“But I did talk to him about the asbestos
problem.”
“The asbestos problem?”
“It’s very serious. A great many
schools have asbestos peeling off the
ceilings and walls and it’s getting into
the schoolchildren’s lungs, and they can
die from it. If I were president of the
United States I’d be much more con
cerned about the health of America’s
children, than what time of day they
could pray.”
“Well, thanks for Your time,” I said.
“I didn’t want to bother you, but I was
afraid if I was against mandatory prayer
in public schools You would think I
didn’t believe in You anymore. Gould I
put this conversation on the record?”
“Be my guest. There is too much talk
by politicians about what I want and
don’t want, and as God, it really ticks me
off.”
The black
scattered th
nants of a p
shelters are
Although
formed abo
clear attack
officials are
College Slat
high risk lai
(ton, official
nuclear atta<
I Jake Can;
tense direct
isn't told ab
|ar the inf<
esaid peo]
i| a war wai
most of the
|iash can.
Instead tl
stribute wl
“This way
le to the
id.
Canglose
ialsconlin
“People w
United P
AUSTIN
Letters
Jourl ca
shunnir
leanor
ices fc
icked h
lord of
Editorial Board
disrespectful
Editor:
While reading your comments in “F-
reedoms include right not to pray,” I
was very disappointed in your journalis
tic abilities as illustrated by the introduc
tory paragraphs.
Sarcasm and glib remarks such as
“Who forced the Almighty to leave?”
have no place in an article representing
The Battalion’s viewpoint.
Individual letters and remarks are
one thing, but I would certainly hope
that the Editorial Board has at least a
few members who are opposed to such
sensationalistic and disrespectful re
marks.
I do not challenge the points you pre
sented on the public prayer issue. I
merely criticize the way in which the
points were made. Gertainly you can
have a little more respect for God than
this shows.
Lisa Rutherford
Class of’86
The domed Academic Building, un
dergoing a facelift to restore its original
dignity and beauty; a flagpole from
which the Stars and Stripes proudly
wave; a beautiful flowerbed soon to be
colored with the flowers of spring; and
in the middle of it all is a dumpster.
Yes, between the Coke Building and
the YMCA Building at the rear of park
ing lot 44 is a dumpster.
For a campus which prides itself
upon natural beauty even to the point of
eliminating telephone poles, how can we
allow this, a dumpster greeting visitors
at A&M?
Soon there will be a carillon at the
west entrance. Will the dumpster still be
there? Surely there is a better place for
this admittedly functional, but not so
aesthetic structure.
How about it, Physical Plant; can we
get that dumpster moved?
Kirby E. Erickson
Class of ’86
Editor’s note: This letter was accompa
nied by 27 signatures.
iy as dis<
Parents shouldf“i
buckle up too
ley, said tv
Hecisions in
wiih the maj
to discrim in;
In the firs
an employei
ing drunk
citated. T
Trash dumpster
an eyesore
Student protests
high parking fee
Editor:
In response to Kathleen Ham | e f°r the
umn on seat belt use for childrt f l()vee , w h°,
agree but would add the following:
• Car seats are less expensive
hospital bills and funerals.
• A DPS officer has been qui
saying, “I’ve never had to unbui
dead person.”
• Parents should buckle thei
up, too. This is one very simple* I United Pi
avoid having your children becom I ^
phans. Lebb, four
• If parents don’t care aboui jering his si
safety of their f amily, I hope thev> sentenced in
forget that of mine. If a driver is no [ay to life in
ing a seat belt and is thrown onto
seat (or the floor or through the* f '"MV 1 !
shield), then that driver cannot it Uge Harn
tain control of the car, thereby en iadnotrece
gering others on the road. I The 22-y
Janet A. NattltPnvicted Ja
College of Medi f 11015 j nc, u
inir oivrl cCi I
Editor:
Stand at the west entrance to Texas
A&M and look toward campus. What do
you see?
1 -^ XNV ^V^XX\XX^XXXV^"NMVXXXXSV
,j/WU&-y
Editor:
It has been decided that the price of
red parking stickers for the fall semester
will be increased from $36 to $78.
Never mind the fact that the only
parking lot built during the last six years
is the motorcycle lot near Heaton Hall,
and during the same time the enroll
ment at Texas A&rM has increased by
nearly 10,000 students. This time the
administrators have really outdone
themselves!
I think it’s time the students here Fi
nally stood up and said something.
I propose that when registration
comes up in a few weeks, as a form of
protest, every student should refuse to
buy a parking sticker. This includes off-
campus students, whose blue stickers
are surely next in line for price increase.
This will hit Texas A&M where it will
feel it the most — in the bank account.
If the administrators want to raise the
price of everything on campus, they had
better provide a service that at least ap-
proches being worth as much as what
they will charge.
Steve Sobolik
Class of ’82
u<
Slouch by Jim Ea
ing and seal
"arcel Wils
being senti
rison, Wei
ntenced to
:ar sentenc
balding his s
Webb ha:
nee Sept,
ivife, June 1
I.S. Army
rs at Fort 1
urdered th
him in the de
The follow
'eported to
ice Deparlm
lay.
M1SDEME
• A stud
aining her d
fveral credii
Jfom her dor
jail.
• A physi
lorth of pos
_ ink deposit
“I think it’s about as hard to think 1 ^dent’s accc
reason why you get back late as it 11 pen from 2
think of an excuse to leave early.”
mm M£ .IT5TWE ONW WAV ID SET THE
OAGKSON me backin adlines „,
WE'RE SETTING VOUR HAIR ON FIRE.
The Battalion
(ISPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
Editor Rebeca Zimmermann
Managing Editor .John Wagner
City Editor Patrice Koranek
Assistant City Editors Kathleen Hart,
Stephanie Ross
News Editor Tracey Taylor
Assistant News Editors Susan Talbot,
Brigid Brockman, Michelle Powe, Kelley Smith
Editorial Page Editor Kathy Wiesepape
Sports Editor Donn Friedman
Assistant Sports Editor Bill Robinson
Entertainment Editor Shelley Hoekstra
Assistant Entertainment Editor Angel Stokes
Photo Editor John Makely
Letters Policy
Letters to the Editor should not exceed
words in length. The editorial staff reseflU
right to edit letters for style and length W
make every effort to maintain the author 1 ! 1
tent. Each letter must be signed and must
elude the address and telephone numberol’
writer.
Reader’s Forum columns and guest edit^
also are welcome. Address all inquiries totlid
itorial Page Editor.
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-support
ing newspaper operated as a community service
to Texas A&M and Bryan-College Station.
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those
of the Editorial Board or the author, and do not
necessarily represent the opinions of Texas
A&M administrators, faculty or the Board of Re
gents.
Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed';
Donald Building, Texas A&M University^
lege Station, TX 77843.
United Press International is entitled
sively to the use for reproduction of all new! 1 '
patches credited to it. Rights of reproduction
all other matter herein reserved.
Second class postage paid at College StA
TX 77843.
^
Orders fo
April 30 <
To qualih
minimum
residence
pension,
any outst
is not reqi
To use
quiremen
1. Corr
21-April 2
number a
to be vei
whether {
not.)
2. Brine
The ful
Prices will
Office f
All ring be
ion. The c
21 until fu
* Only
January o
left betwe
jave any i