Friday, Ji
Opinio
Page 2/The Battalion/Friday, July 27, 1984
Barring journalists
will mar Olympics
At last, the eve of the Olympics is
here. After mpnths of controversy —
from security to boycotts to commer
cialism — the Games are actually
going to begin.
Saturday’s opening ceremonies
have been designed to provide a “20
goosebump experience,” according to
film producer David Wolper, who
choreographed the ceremonies. Fire
works, musical tributes, dances and
balloons will provide the pagaentry
traditional to opening ceremonies, in
addition to the march-in of the ath
letes and the lighting of the Olympic
flame.
But all is not well amid the glitter,
glamour and pagaentry of the Games’
opening ceremonies. The absence of
the Soviet-bloc athletes will be conspic
uous in a number of sports.
Recent actions taken by the Interna
tional Olympic Committee are causing
a “20 goosebump experience” — from
apprehension, not awe.
The IOC has denied South African
journalists the credentials necessary to
cover the Olympic Games. South Af
rica has been barred from Olympic
competition since 1968, when more
than three dozen countries threatened
to walk out in protest of South Africa’s
reprehensible apartheid policies.
Apparently, the IOC has decided
that South African journalists
shouldn’t be allowed to cover an inter
national sporting event because their
native country doesn’t participate.
News is news — whether it’s sports
or politics or disasters. What country a
reporter is from shouldn’t affect the
coverage of the Games by foreign
journalists. Reporters from the Soviet
Union and other Eastern-bloc nations
boycotting the Games will be in Los
Angeles to record a sporting event —
which is what the Olympics are sup
posed to be.
This move threatens to further mar
the spirit of the Games — once again
for political reasons.
Excluding one country’s press is
abominable. It is also a violation of a
basic, vital principle in the workings of
the United States’ democracy: free
dom of speech. The USOC and
LAOOC have marred the Games
through their silence as much as the
Soviets have marred the Games
through their absence.
— The Battalion Editorial Board
mer w mom,, m w m Ger tickets m
m miss AMfR/cA pmmz..
Rugl
quar
Seve
Congress lifting debt ceiling tad by tiny tad
By ELAINE S. POVICH
Columnist for
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Raising the
federal debt ceiling, usually a lump
sum affair Congress tries to deal with
infrequently, is being lifted a tad at a
time this year as some members try to
drag deficit reduction along behind it.
The tactic has been only partially
successful.
The federal debt ceiling checks in at
$1,573 trillion, following two small in
creases in May and June. In compari
son, efforts to trim the annual budget
deficits are focused around the $100
billion mark and only about $63 billion
has been approved so far this year.
Despite drop-in-the-bucket charges,
Congress is attempting to do some
thing to reduce the deficit this year so
No-
it can claim success to voters in
vember.
With that goal in mind, Congress
lifted the debt limit on May 24 by $30
billion. At the^ime, the prevailing wis
dom was that the short-term increase
would give House-Senate negotiators
time to agree on $50 billion in taxes
and $13 billion in spending cuts aimed
at the deficit.
That was accomplished in the fol
lowing month, but by then, Congress
was faced with the debt limit issue
again at the end of June since the
small amount of borrowing authority
already was running out.
The second time around, the debt-
linked issue was how much to allow for
defense spending. As the third part of
the deficit trimming effort, Congress
is attempting to curb defense spend
ing. But the House wants to allow a 3.5
percent hike, while the Senate and
President Reagan are holding out for
a 7 percent rise.
The Democratic-led House tried to
force the GOP-controlled Senate into
a compromise by turning down an
other rise in the debt ceiling. The bluff
failed — mostly because Congress was
set to go on vacation — and Congress
on June 29 hiked the limit by another
$53 billion.
That amount will carry the govern
ment through August, which means
Congress will be facing the debt ceiling
hike then for the third time this sum
mer. And the debate over how much
money to give the Pentagon in fiscal
1985 still may be going on.
Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., sug
gested deferring the issue over until
next year by passing a larger hike in
the ceiling. He said that would give the
incoming administration, whoever it
is, a chance to “get its feet on the
ground” before having to deal with
the debt ceiling.
But the twin pressures of the loom
ing recess and a chance to keep the
deficit-reduction issue alive ruled the
day and the short-term hike was ap
proved, albeit by only a few votes.
As Rep. James Jones, D-Okla., put
it: “Earlier this year we promised the
American people we would enact a
deficit reduction package. We have to
use whatever leverage we can to finish
the deficit reduction package.”
Because the debt ceiling is some-
Unii
thing that must be lifted eventuil
keep the government in business,i[
always ripe for linkage tootheriss
It also has been a political hot poll
with more and more politicians rei |
ing to go on record for the hike.
But telling the voters that Coif I WASH
let the government go into defaif F erraro s:
not a pleasant scenario either.
“What else can we do but
the debt limit increase that is belli
us.” said Rep. George Gekis, R-Pa,
i her perse
|join Waltt
I ition tax
send the
® schools.
“Fritz P
a , . , »■, the issue
As several congressmen pointed(I| raro
during the most recent debate, 3} I will sup
debt ceiling rise is not the place takes out
draw the line on federal spendl judgment
since the programs to be financed; t* 011 .1°
the borrowed money already to !
been approved.
American roaches being surveyed to distraction
By DICK WEST
Columnist for
United Press International
WASHINGTON — From the Agriculture De
partment comes word of two new forward steps
in mankind’s long, uphill and, thus far, losing
struggle to cope with insects.
One bright spot is the development of a spray-
on birth control chemical for cockroaches. It’s
called hydroprene and it’s beautiful.
When you spy a cockroach, you don’t resort to
traditional countermeasures, such as screaming
and debugging the premises with a lethal pesti
cide. Oh, no.
You simply spray with hydrophrene, which
keeps roaches from reproducing themselves.
The chemical, I gather, is even more effective
than the rhythm system or other modus operandi
of planned parenthood.
As to the moral justification for using this type
of insect control, I refer you to the Agriculture
Research Service. I can only say it’s a pity the
static population crowd hasn’t discovered a simi
According to projections, the world is headed for big trouble because of the rampant
birth rate. Anyone who has tried to find a parking place in this city on a summer Sun
day afternoon can easily believe such predictions.
It was
lidy aired
dale sine
mate at
Conventi
Ferrar
to pay he
:hoo
lie sel
lar spray that would work on human beings.
According to projections, the world is headed
for big trouble because of the rampant birth rate.
Anyone who has tried to find a parking place in
this city on a summer Sunday afternoon can eas
ily believe such predictions.
Nevertheless, people in all sections of the globe
keep on merrily adding to the population.
Entomologists assure us that cockroaches
sprayed with hydroprene “live out their normal
life spans.” The chemical merely “locks roaches
into a state of sexual immaturity.”
How much better off the world would be if
more people were locked into a similar state, at
least during their teens.
The department notes that “many roaches de
velop evolutionary resistance” to conventional in
secticides.
Yes, and not just resistance. I’ve seen roaches
that appeared actually to thrive on insect poison.
Exposing them to systematic surveys is, hot
ever, to my knowledge, a new approach toil
problem, and I commend the research service if
its brilliant innovation.
If the surveys prove effective in reducing
annual boll weevil infestation, perhaps reseai
ers will be inspired to try other types of pa|
work suppressants.
porter of
sal to give
The t
The other rosy outlook referred to above con
cerns boll weevils. A department press release re
ports that eradication efforts begun in 1983 are
right on schedule, thanks to a program of “care
fully timed pesticide applications and systematic
surveys.”
Some public opinion polling companies are,
we know, hard pressed to make ends meet
non-election years. Let’s put them toworkasof
season exterminators, surveying boll weevils.
I can see how systematic polls could be eve
more efficient than birth control chemicals
curtailing insect populations.
Anyone who has even spent any time in them
old cotton fields back home can tell you that boll
weevils have a way of surviving pesticide applica
tions, however well timed.
The latter merely insures that “matings
duce no offspring.” However, a boll weevil
cockroach either, for that matter, which has toe
systematically surveyed, is unlikely to get in|
mood for mating at all.
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Rebeca Zimmermann, Editor
Bill Robinson, Editorial Page Editor
Shelley Hoekstra, City Editor
Brigid Brockman, News Editor
Kathleen Hart, News Editor
Travis Tingle, Sports Editor
The Battalion Staff
Assistant City Editor Robin Black
Assistant News Editors Dena Brown,
Bonnie Langford
Staff Writers Ed Alanis,
Kari Fluegel,Bob McGlohon,
Sarah Oates
Copy Writers Karen Bloch,
Cyndy Davis
Copy Editor .*. Tracie Holub
Photographers Peter Rocha,
Eric Evan Lee
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper
operated as a community sendee to Texas AScM and Bryan-
College Station.
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the
Editorial Board or the author, and do not necessarily rep
resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, faculty
or the Board of Regents.
The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for
students in reporting, editing and photography classes
within the Department of Communications.
United Press International is entitled exclusively to the
use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it.
Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved.
Letters Policy
Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in
length. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters
for style and length but will make every effort to maintain
the author’s intent. Each letter must be signed and must in
clude the address and telephone number of the writer.
The Battalion is published Monday through Friday dur
ing Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday and
examination periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per se
mester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Adver
tising rates furnished on request.
Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Build
ing, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843.
-oik -
Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843.
Letter:
Mondale election would hurt nation's economy
NO
V
STD
Dl
Ci
77
Editor:
(The following is an open letter to
Brazos County Democratic Party
Chairman Ron Gay, in response to a
Democratic fund raising letter.)
Dear Ron:
You make no mention in you letter
how disasterous four years of Fritz
(Mondale) would be, so I have nothing
to compare another four years of Re
publican administration with.
My own suspicions are that if by
some cruel twist of fate Mondale is
elected, business confidence would
plummett and we would shortly be
into a four year climate of “stagfla
tion,” being bullied and victimized
overseas, and having unfair reverse
discrimination programs rammed
down our throats at home.
I would predict at least a doubling
of the “misery index” and a rash of tax
increases to keep up with the un
bridled expenditures that Reagan, try
as he might, has been unable to re
strain due to an irresponsible DEMO-
CRA TIC House of Representatives.
Mondale would eventually be aban
doned (like Carter was) by all the spe
cial-interest groups he currently has in
tow — when they find out he can’t sat
isfy them all and still have a thought
about the interests of the majority of
the Americans, that is, those of us not
in one camp or another.
Since Mondale is no darling of the
media now, within two years he would
have scorn heaped upon him by the
media establishment and the true
leadership of the country would pass
back to the Congress, from whence
Reagan had temporarily wrest it, and
where leadership is frequently bung
ling or wrong-headed.
You claim that young people have
lost guaranteed student loans, which is
a charge my wife — a redpienl
year of a GSL — would refute uneif
vocally. Perhaps the finandal ned
test was strengthened, but this »1
long overdue.
As for the other whining charjf
certainly Medicare, etc., has not
cut enough! And double-digit inter*
rates? Ask the heavily borrowing®
gress about that one! (Perhaps ino»
productive era, the real opportutf
cost of money is reflected by
rates.)
More to the point, I wish tl
Americans could elect the Speaker!
the House, so that we could berid (
the current impediment to real!
government. Please reconsider y<
desire to “Beat Reagan” and coi
your blessings.
Randall Revie*
P
“C
E