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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 13, 1984)
Opinion Smokers' tax break ridiculous At a time when airlines are consid ering a complete ban on the use of to bacco products and just weeks after the surgeon general’s toughest warn ing ever on the dangers of cigarette smoke, the U.S. Congress is wrap ping up yet another gift for the to bacco industry. A House-Senate conference com mittee may decide this week to slash the current tax on each package of cigarettes from 25 to 50 percent next year. That’s right. Congress is giving a tax break to one of the biggest killers in America — the cigarette — all be cause it is too spineless to stand up to the tobacco lobby. What kind of people are writing the laws of the land? Are the votes and campaign contributions of the tobacco industry so important that they merit ignoring the evidence on the dangers of cigarettes? The latest report by the surgeon general says that cigarette smoking endangers smokers and non-smokers alike — causing lung cancer, heart disease and a variety of other ail ments — and calls for strict regula tion of tobacco products. But Congress, bowing to pressure from lobbyists, has responded to the report by continuing the hefty sub sidy tobacco farmers receive for growing their crop. It’s bad enough that Congress sees fit to ignore the dangers of cigarettes, but to subsidize the killer at a time when the budget deficit bulges over $100 billion is absurd. The tax on cigarettes should re main the same or be increased and all government support of the tobacco industry should be cut off. Let the powerful lobbyists for the tobacco industry foot their own bills. — The Battalion Editorial Board Slouch by Jim Earle “I’m sorry I didn’t write T or F for true or false. I wrote H and T for heads and tails. ” The Battalion USPS 045 360 Mcuil>cr of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Relxrea Ziniinermann, Editor Bill Robinson. Editorial Page Editor Shelley 1 lockstra, City Editor Kathleen Hart, News Editor Dave Scott, S|M»rts Editor The Battalion Staff Assistant News Editor Dena Brown Staff Writers Robin Black, Kari Flucgel, Sarah Oates, Travis Tingle Copy Editor Trade Holub Photographers Peter Rocha, Dean Saito Editorial Policy The BuuhIhhi is a non-prt>fit, selt-supfxtrting newsp.iper o/ter- aleil as a community service lo Texas AAAf and Jiryan-Co/Jcge Station. Opinions expressetl in The Bat talion ate those of the F.tlitorial Board or the author, and do nttt nctessarily represent the tipinions of Texas A AM administrators, fac ulty or the Doartlof Regents. The Battalion alstt serves as a labtfratory newspaper for stiulents in reporting, editing and photogra phy classes within the Department td'Cam mt unicat ions. United Press Internatitmal is en- titletl exclusively to the use for re production of all news dispatches creditctl to it. Rights of reprinluc- tion of all other matter hetein re served. Letters Policy Letters to the Editor should not exceed MH) worth in length. The etlitorial staff reserves the right to etlit letters for style and length but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each letter must be signetl and must include the ad dress anti telephone number of the writer. The Battalion is published Mon thly through Friday during Texas A AM regular semesters, except for holiday and examinatitm perioth. Mail subscriptions are $1 u. 75 per semester, $33.25 per sc/joo/ year and $35 per full year. Advertising rales furnishetl on retfuesi. Our address: The Battalion. 210 Reetl McDonald Building. Texas AAM University, College Station, TX 77H43. Second class postage jtaid at Col lege Station, TX 77613. Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, June 13, 1984 Prime time journalists miss mark robin black Picture this: A re porter — minus one conscience and any taste to speak of — scrambles on top of a group of firemen as they attempt to revive a fallen part ner. He shoves a micro phone down into the tangle of fire helmets and oxygen hoses as a minicam hovers nearby. “Is he dead, or what?” the reporter demands. The firemen ignore the parasite and continue working on their buddy. The reporter persists, practially crawling on top of the group. “I said, is he dead, or what?” This rather disgusting character was one of several unlikable individuals — all media per sons, coincidentally —featured in a recent TV movie. The uncomplimentary portrayal of the re porter on the street (or anywhere else for that matter) has, tragically, become a common stereo type in movies and on TV. Other classic examples of shows that have overused the negative stereotype include: soap operas, any TV police series and the movie “Ab sence of Malice,” which was a total farce as far as media depiction is concerned. Too frequently we journalists are portrayed as unscrupulous, uncaring, insensitive and sub-hu man creatures who will stop at nothing to get a story. Fortunately, 99.9 percent of us are nothing at all like that. Unfortunately, the public often does not be lieve this. With great frequency, journalists, reporters in particular, are considered anti- anything Mom, apple pie and America stands for, with anything but puritanistic morals. Much of this got its start in the late ’60s and early ’70s with the Johnson and Nixon adminis trations. Neither president was exactly fond of anyone claiming to represent the media. Johnson was opposed to the treatment the me dia gave the Vietnam War, and on more than one occasion, violent anger notwithstanding, phoned CBS and the other networks and newspapers to object to their method of coverage. Nixon and close aide Haldeman were highly defensive of the way his adminstration was treated by the press, and this showed in the White House’s attitude toward the press, espe cially in news conferences. The Nixon administration even went so far as denouncing the national media in a kind of anti public relations blitz. You may remember some reporters’ remarks, in particular those of CBS’ Dan Rather, thatwerc pooh-poohed by the White House as beinganlaj onistic and smart aleck. Taken out of context, they might appear toll just that, but if the whole scene was examined the remarks were usually pretty harmless. But, because of great efforts by certain pui officials to blame everything on the media-nj to mention countless movie and TV producen and directors’ overuse of stereotypes — the rt porter is too often seen as a hollow-eyed, drool ing monster waving a red flag in one hand wilhi copy of the Communist Manifesto in the other. The media stereotype, like most other stereo types, is overdone and unrealistic. A more accurate portrayal of the membeno! our profession can be found in the Emmy award winning series “Lou Grant” (cancelled, unfom nately, but still syndicated in re-runs). “Lou Grant” reporter Joe Rossi never climbed on paramedics performing mouth-to-mouthrt suscitation and inquired about the biological stall of the victim. Yes, we do take into consideration others’fed ings, especially when treading on questionablf ground. No, we do not shove microphones inn the faces of disaster victims and no, we arenoi trying to move the White House to Moscow. Yes, we have feelings and consciences and ethics and some of us even cry at sad movies. Stopping terrorists not on eas y task By ROBERT SHEPARD Columnist for United Press International WASHINGTON — Most members of Con gress agree international terrorism is, in the words of one congressman, “one of the scourges of our time,” but it is unlikely that Congress will be able to do much to ease the threat. Terrorism reached into the halls of Congress itself last year in the form of a bomb explosion outside the Senate chamber. That led to much tighter security around the Capitol, but those re sponsible for the bombing have not been caught. The Reagan administration responded to the problem of terrorism at home and abroad by proposing a package of new laws intended to thwart terrorist groups and those supporting them. People in Congress and out praise the goals of the administration plan, but fear it could endanger constitutional rights. That concern alone would be enough to doom the legislation, but the package faces the additio nal problem of time. Congress will be in recess much of the time during the next few months for the political conventions and the election cam paign and will have little inclination to resolve the controversy and come up with an acceptable anti terrorist package. One bill in the package would authorize the payment of rewards for information about ter rorists while another would make it a federal crime to provide training or support to any inter national terrorist group or foreign government in support of terrorist activity. The American Civil Liberties Union says the proposals are “clearly unconstitutional” because they would have the effect of a blanket prohibi tion on association with certain groups. At a recent hearing, Rep. Stephen Solarz, D- N.Y., pointed out the difficulties of tailoring a law that can distinguish between terrorists and other groups. Solarz even read from the Declaration of Inde pendence, which endorses the use of force to throw off a repressive government. He ques tioned whether the American revolutionaries and Europeans who backed their efforts would be covered by the proposed anti-terrorist legis lation. Administration officials insisted they would not be covered, but the point remains open to de bate. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mark Rich ard said there was “no question George III had immense problems ... but I do not recall any ac cusations that these groups were engaged in ter rorism. They were in active insurgency, and that distinction is terribly important.” Solarz followed by asking if modern day groups might qualify as terrorists and trigger the ban on aid from U.S. citizens. He cited rebel groups in the former Portu guese colony of Mozambique, Jewish forces that fought British occupation of Palestine, and blati Africans opposed to the white minority govern ment of South Africa, as well as the Palestine Lit eration Organization and the CIA-backed con tras in Nicaragua. “I would have real problems with legislation that made it legal for Americans to provide ad vice and training to the government of South Al rica, but made it impossible for Americans t« provide advice and training for the African Na tional Congress,” Solarz said. Richards said he had “no informtaion thattkf contras are practicing terrorism.” He said theAi rican National Congress is a complex organ© tion with some extreme elements. “The bottom line is that the distinctions involved in this prok lem are very difficult to make,” he acknottl edged. Richards said the legislation does not proposf labeling groups as terrorist or non-terrorist, bm would be triggered by “certain categories of bf havior,” such as kidnapping, bombing, and a« plane hijacking. Solarz, reflecting what many in Congress feel said he would back any effort “to reduce tin threat of terrorism in this country and arotinl the world, so long as the methods which are be ing proposed do not create more problems that they solve.” Fat lady already sings in Mondalecamp By ART BUCHWALD Columnist for The Los Angeles Times Syndicate A summit meeting was held last weekend at a Holiday Inn in the outskirts of Washington be tween the leaders of the Mondale, Hart and Jack- son forces to discuss Democratic Party unity. The conference was called at the behest of Mondale’s campaign managers. The Hart and Jackson people were stone faced. Mondale’s man was the only one smiling. “Now that the battle is over and our man has won, we feel it is time to heal the wounds of the primary race and work for a victory in November.” Hart’s man objected, “The opera isn’t over un til the fat lady sings.” “We thought you’d say that,” Mondale’s man retorted. He pushed a buzzer and a fat lady en tered the room and started to sing “Happy Days Are Here Again.” The Hart man stood up and said, “That’s one more dirty trick. How do you expect us to agree to unity when you pull a stunt like that?” “We were only kidding around, to ease the ten sion,” the Mondale man said. “Let’s be serious. Mondale has the delegates and he’s going to be the candidate. But we need to work together if we’re going to beat Reagan in November.” The Jackson man said, “Mondale stole our del egates. We’re not going to agree to unity until we get them back.” Mondale’s man said, “We played by the rules. You don’t change them after the game is over.” Hart’s man said, “Gary doesn’t consider the game over. He wants to go into overtime.” “How can he go into overtime when the score is 2,000 to 1,200?” “It doesn’t matter what the score is. Hart won California. That proves the voters have rejected Mondale.” Jackson’s man said, “Jesse got cheated out of delegates in California and New Jersey.” Hart’s representative said, “Gary doesn’t want to be a spoiler. He is willing to meet Mondale halfway.” “What does that mean?” “He will get up at the convention and say nu merically Mondale has the delegates, but politi cally it would be a disaster to nominate him.” “What kind of a unity message is that?” Mon dale’s man shouted. “It’s the best Hart can do after the things Mon dale said about him.” Jackson’s man said, “I can’t guarantee Jesse will even come to the convention if the Demo crats don’t change the rules.” Mondale’s man took a sheet of paper out of!® briefcase. “The candidate has given me pernic sion to offer Gary the vice presidency on his tick et.” “Big deal,” Hart’s man said. “How can Garyk* vice president when he can’t stand being inti® same roon with Mondale?” “A vice president never has to be in the san® room with the president,” Mondale’s man said “That’s what makes the American president work. Mondale can always communicate wiik Hart through Lane Kirkland.” Jackson’s man said, “Jesse wants to be secreta® of state.” Mondale’s man said, “We can’t offer Jesse* Cabinet position if we don’t win the election. P in the spirit of unity Fritz would like Jesse® nominate him at the convention.” “Jesse thought you’d come up with a stupid idea like that. He said if you did he would usetl® time to tell the country how he got cheated outof his delegates.” “That’s fine with us,” Mondale’s man said “Then it’s agreed. We will announce to the pres* that the party has been unified.” The fat lady started singing, “San Francisc® open those golden gates,” and Hart’s man said “Oh shut up.” Frc pl< The Oc logy Build the tallest 1 when Free late 1986. “We has be the t; Houston a Williamsor chitects, th Constru tower, whi Banc Savir will begin Capital Co ren Harmc Briarcre developing on Briarci Boulevard The $200 include a connected the tower. The 275 terior buil million. Of ready is 6C said. 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