Opinion
Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, May 2, 1984
Campaign
freedom
contested
Rep. Phil Gramm wants to run his own
campaign for U. S. Senate.
To make sure he’s the one at the
wheel, he’s turning down $50,000.
What’s more, he’s asking the courts to
stop the group that collected it.
Gramm says he did not authorize
Americans for Phil Gramm, headed by
Ralph Galliano, to raise money for his
campaign.
Galliano says his objective is to keep
the Senate seat formerly held by John
Tower in conservative hands. He will
campaign for Gramm whether Gramm
likes it or not.
Galliano’s contributions don’t include
just money. Gramm claims the group’s
dollars will be exchange for a commit
ment to do things Galliano’s way.
Does Gramm have the right to run his
campaign without interference? Does
Galliano have the right to support, and
to campaign for, anyone he wishes?
It’s up to the courts to balance the
rights of both parties and decide which
should take pr ecedence.
But The Battalion Editorial Board ap
plauds Gramm for taking a stand on an
issue that most politicians would not even
consider an issue.
After all, who wants to turn down
money, especially in a campaign as hotly
contested as this Senate race? Eleven re
publican candidates are on the ballot for
the May 5 primary. That $50,000 could
go a long way.
To Gramm, however, the freedom to
run his own campaign — addressing the
issues he wants to address, supporting
the causes he wants to support— is more
important than the money.
Could it be we’ve finally found an hon
est politician?
— The Battalion Editorial Board
Famous student tells grad
howto spend his million
Slouch
by Jim Earle
Good God! I’m a “former stu
dent.”
The thought dawned on me the
other day when I was fooling
around the MSG reading all those
swell plaques dedicated to Texas
A&M’s famous grads.
I figured the Association of Fa
mous Students would be sending
me stuff soon, asking me to join.
And give.
So I decided that, instead, I
would take the initiative and give
them a ring, check out the oppor
tunities (beyond sporting a rear-
window decal) of my becoming a
Famous Student, too.
I called “the man” himself, Mr.
O. W. “Slim” Gordo — Glass of ’50,
President of the Association of Fa
mous Students.
We spoke on the phone and I
admitted that I was really no one
special, just an average Texas
A&M grad, but that I wanted to
know what I might be able to do
for my alma mater if some day I
should earn, inherit, or stumble
upon, say, a cool one million dol
lars.
Seemingly enchanted by the
very utterance of that figure, Mr.
Gordo asked me to meet him for
lunch that day at the top-floor res
taurant of Rudder Tower.
Mr. Gordo was a bit late, but I
enjoyed the wait, looking fondly
from my eleventh-floor vantage
point at the lovely campus grounds
sprawled out before me. Lawns
were so green, trees teemed with
blackbirds, and eager young stu
dents read in the shade. It was a
fine perspective.
Mr. Gordo Finally showed up,
muttering — though not apologeti
cally — something about a meeting
that had run overtime. He was
well-dressed, plump, and wore
three gold rings.
“A million dollars?” he asked.
“Well, of course I don’t have it
now, sir. But if I ever do...”
reader s forum
“I made my first million in five
years, son. Good lookin’ fella like
you — why, you’ll have it in three.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Slim, son.”
“Slim, sir.”
“Bricks, son.”
“Bricks, Slim? How exactly do
you mean that?”
“The average brick has a life of
five thousand years. An excellent
investment. Now, you put that mil
lion into bricks, boy, and it don’t
’specially matter how you arrange
them. However, I’m sad to say that
the bell tower idea is already taken
... dammit. You know, there were
five or six of us Famous Students
who had plans for bell towers of
our own on the drawing board, but
that darned Albritton beat us all to
it.
“I’m sorry, Slim.”
“But I’ll tell you what, boy, just
between you and me, I got one up
my sleeve. You know that pretty
little area around the old fishpond
by Sbisa? Well, I’m gonna build me
a big of arch of triumph, just like
they got ’em in Paris! What do you
think?”
“What about the fishpond?”
“That old scum hole? Hell, we’ll
just dig it up and store it some
where. But you know what I’m
Citizens dream of a new Bryan
“1 Lend to dislike graduating seniors this
Lime oCyear, until I realize it’s his sixth year
her e. ”
The Battalion
CJSPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Bill Robinson, editor
Stephanie Ross, managing editor
Kathy Wiesepape, editorial page editor
Shelley Hoekstra, city editor
Brigid Brockman, news editor
. Kelley Smith, news editor
Ed Cassavoy. sports editor
The Battalion Staff Letters Policy
Letters tn the Ldittiv should not exceed
lUM) words in length. The editorial stall re-
Assistant City Editors Melissa Adair. ,hc r, K ht "> C(,it I*"*'* *<>r style and
Michelle Powe length hut mil make cxery ellort to maintain
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Assistant News Editors Bonnie Langford, , . . i i ,i ij , ,,
. . f f , , i must include the address and telephone
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Assistant Sports Editor Travis Tingle Our address: The battalion. 2Hi Reed Me-
At Ease Editor Bill Hughes Donald Building. Texas A AM University. Col-
Assistant At Ease Editor Angel Stokes lege Station. TX 77H-43.
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Suzv Fisk. Patti Flint, Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those
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Karla Martin. Kimberlee D Norris AX*Vf administrators, faculty or the Board of
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I v.*»i I R W The Battalion also seises as a laboratory
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Copy Editors dvadiv Breard, </.««-.. w«W« ,/.e Dep.tr,-
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J W i. t I o to the use for reprodtu u*,n ol all ru n s dispatches
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Cartoonist Scott McCullar matter herein reserved.
Second class postage paid at (Udlege Station.
TX 77B4X
Through the years, the Gity of
Bryan has faced times of economic
uncertainty, times of boosterism
and times where just plain colorful
events have happened.
The recent struggle to revitalize
downtown Bryan is a humorous
blend of all three.
The Bryan Downtowners Asso
ciation is a group of businessmen
and concerned citizens who want to
turn downtown Bryan into a popu
lar area.
But the big question in my mind
is: why do these people want to re
vive downtown?
Is it to bring back nostalgic re
membrances, to preserve historic
buildings — or is it to boost many
of the downtown merchants’ ailing
commercial fortunes?
My guess is big bucks are the
main reason for all the blood, sweat
and tears. Every person in the asso
ciation has a vital interest invested
in downtown.
breaks which would go along with
the district.
Unfortunately, a historical dis
trict will do little for downtown
Bryan building owners. The tax
break will provide an additional
five percent tax deduction on
buildings '40 years or older — that’s
all.
will flock to the district to spend
their tourist dollars.
Sure, it’ll work in Austin. Austin
has a sub-culture which will sup
port Sixth Street in downtown.
But the mem
bers are so
gung-ho about
the idea of a
thriving down
town Bryan that
they are blind to
any criticism re-
garding the
downtown res
And yeah, it will work in Galves
ton. The beaches in Galveston are a
tourist spot anyway, so the Strand
in downtown Galveston just picks
up some of the extra traffic.
But to expect the same to hap
pen in downtown Bryan may be ex
pecting too much.
I suppose I can’t blame the
downtowners for trying. Everyone
likes to take pride in their city, and
Bryanites are no exception.
To me, that seems to be a con
flict of interest. But all the down
towners can see is a downtown
struggling to survive.
If the association has anything to
do with it, they will make it survive.
Most of the downtowners believe
that a historical district will be a
panacea for their money problems.
As a result, they are overemphasiz
ing to the building owners the tax
urrection.
In ignoring m
constructive . . . ,
criticism, they DTICJICL
are losing their
objeciwity - brockman
what little they
had.
Actually, I’m wondering about
their common sense. Ever since the
revitalization effort began, the as
sociation has thought that declar
ing a part of the downtown area a
municipal historical district will
suddenly result in a hot tourist
spot.
But even if all the buildings are
restored to their original states,
there is no guarantee that tourists
Downtowners are having cele
brations, parties and street sales
right and left in downtown Bryan.
They’re bringing in bands, artists,
choirs and even belly dancers to
lure Bryan-Gollege Station resi
dents downtown.
Whether or not downtown
Bryan indeed gets a revamping re
mains to be seen, but one thing is
certain: the Bryan Downtowners
Association’s fight to preserve
downtown will add another color
ful chapter to the city’s history.
Brigid Brockman is a senior
journalism major and news editor
for The Battalion.
Letters:
Cadets don't ||Vf United F*i
by A&M tradition‘^4=
K trip to <
mfidence
Editor: He imag
I am writing to tell youfeate visit >
rious I am at the reverenH r * can v<
University holds for theO.* 03 ^' .
Cadets. U m en * rc
I’ve always respected ttl^ Rea g a
forts and traditions but wLjUjms objt
nessed today makes me sidBs-oceani<
a history test, and the pgs tlourislu
had handed out three essi ui< ‘! °kj ect
tions two days before, on eJlkoviet Ui
would be on the test. fRea^an h
While the rest of the d yer-sen s i
that chance to use the quesphhonship
study, the two cadets in frap
used it as a chance to cheat, j
One of them hadn’t beerj
recently and was copyings
other one. The biggest insui
when the first cadet switd
blue book with one of thretl
in his notebook and quid
ered the original blue baig^
another book and movediti'
so the other cadet could real
Norm;
gonna call my arch?”
“I can’t begin to guess.”
“Arch de Gordo! Not bad, huh?
The wife thought of that one.”
“Slim, I was sort of thinking I’d
give my million as some kind of
grant. You know, like for a bio
chemistry project. I hear depart
ments like that are often short on
cash.”
“Son, have you ever tried to put
a bronze plaque on a test tube?
Well, we tried it once — little bitty
engraved things — and they fell
right off. Won’t work.”
“What about funding the plant
ing of some new trees on campus?”
“Trees! What the hell we need
more trees for? All they do is get in
the way of construction.”
“What about support for the fac
ulty senate? I hear that’s a worthy
program.”
“That glorified bunch of uppity
pedants? Listen, boy, I can see the
way you're thinkin’ : Brains over
bricks. But I didn’t become a Fa
mous Student — and you won’t ei
ther — by funding anything that
can’t hold a plaque. Your perspec
tive will change, boy. You’ll see.”
Mr. O.W. “Slim” Gordo — Glass
of ’50, President of the Association
of Famous Students — paid the
check and left.
I sat there a while, dazed and
gazing out of the window at the
campus. Tiny students scurried in
and out of huge, cold buildings. In
deed, my perspective had changed.
A few days later, sure enough,
an invitation to become a Famous
Student arrived in my mail. I threw
the envelope away, unopened.
Dave Spence
Class of ’84
It was my belief that thew p r i ze win
system was a big traditionpmernatioi
University. Such blatant, preHnomy at
tated cheating by someone#f s day thai
supposed to uphold these
tions offends me. ■ or | ai ^ SJ
If a member of the CorpsM[ )0lU 25 p
dels is to be a model studelre effects o
Texas A&M, please makehislfagncultur
live something other thanilibes ofagri
j n ~ lit seems
Kathl OT ll nile 1 d S i ale ’
landard c
Clasi fached befo
1 1 . [Shink. mucl
Ice cream to raiskm being
money for statu«»ho woui.
cologists, bu
cologists — 1
pore than an
1 mixologists c
‘ lestroying wi
UB l h e envi
Joesph’s Hospital is sponson® Howev
ice-cream fund raiser for itjhv technob
storation of the Statue ofliipmers to pr
The mayors from both Bn '‘ L * 10ut * ncre
College Station are assistingiwii .
effort. There will be curbsid® 1 ^ 3 ^^.
ice at the Hospital. omi for the
As a former resident of Copulation.
Station and a graduate ol >am to retur
A&M, Class of ’61,1 encourai f "the good «
eryone to help support thisF
effort to raise funds fortheS
Editor:
On Saturday,
tweeen 10 a.m.
May 5,
and 4
borr
of Liberty. The Statue isasf
of everything good that this
try stands for.
As our fundraising efforts
extended across the United Si
I am particulary pleased to ohf United Pre
the participation of many |/Ban ANT(
associated wih my alma iMnsmen, ini
Texas A&M. This is not surpjf 6 Alamo f
as A&M symbolizes many ol esc * a y w f n
very things the Statue of Lim lng lhe shr
stands for. lecurity ch
I would like personally to line! two ur
St. Joseph’s Hospital for theitilodced Texa
in this natriotic and (ipharles Lee
itansmen in
/ Using to allc
port in
effort.
David LJ
0 . vue tence set
SupennteM themai *
Statue of W bakes, en
Jughters of i
A&M rugby teair“’ l, saidhew
hard work praise
Editor:
I would like to address this
to my teammates of the
A&M Women’s Rugby Team
congratulate them for the f
work put out to get us wher^
stand now.
We have won a number ofil
naments, received second pin
the Texas Women’s Rugby![
ball Union this spring and earr
chance to win the Southwest'4
en’s Rugby Football Union’sT
torial Competition this weekei
Oklahoma.
We are a relatively youngaa
experienced team comparedu
opponents, but we have blotrf
others away. Despite the hard
of injuries, the disappointmei
defeat and various personal
flicts, the team has worked we
gether.
I want to thank my teamff'
for being fine athletes and ind
uals — a factor important to
success. Also, a special thani
our coach who has given 111) ?
cent.
I’m not sure how we’ll do
weekend, but as long as well
with the enthusiasm and skill*!
shown so far, we have reason
confident.
Iris Po |
Texas A&M Won* !
Rugby T ft
Pete