Opinion
Page 2/The Battalion/Friday, September 21,1984
U.S. government
ignoring acid rain
President Ronald Reagan has the power within his reach to
destroy the earth. The quick way is to start an atomic war.
Acid rain is a much slower process, but already it is altering
the environment. And the situation will only get worse.
Hundreds of lakes in Minnesota have such a high acidic level
that no life can be supported. Southern Canada is monitoring
hundreds of lakes that have died or have critically high acidic
counts. As far away as Maine the same high acidic levels are
showing up.
The beautiful Black Forest in Germany has had up to 30
percent of its trees destroyed by the ravages of acid rain.
Enviromental alarm bells are going off.
A major cause of acid rain is the sulfur emmissions spewed
from the industrial smokestacks of the Ohio Valley.
Canada has agreed to cut their sulfur emmissions by 50 per
cent in the next four years. The United States, led by the Reagan
administration which prefers to ignore the whole question, still is
arguing over where acid rain comes from.
The problem is acid rain damage is mounting. Reagan
doesn’t want to spend the money, estimated in the billions of
dollars, to reduce sulfur emmissions in a number of ways includ
ing the installation of scrubbers on smokestacks.
The monetary damage alone is staggering, and promises to
hurt the entire economy. More importantly, we are killing our
own future.
After Ronald Reagan is just another face staring out of a his
tory book, our generation will have to deal with the horrors he
chose to sweep under the rug.
The Battalion Editorial Board
LETTERS:
Unfairness part
of life, politics
EDITOR:
Fairness. A simple, noble concept, but
one that has somehow become an issue
in this year’s presidential campaign. The
Democratic presidential ticket has con
sistently used the concept of “fairness”
in comparing their economic plans to
present policies. Present policies, they
The Battalion
CISPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
In memoriam
Bill Robinson, 1962-1984, Editor
The Battalion Editorial Board
Stephanie Ross, Acting Editor
Patrice Koranek, Managing Editor
Shelley Hoekstra, City Editor
Brigid Brockman, News Editor
Donn Friedman, Editorial Page Editor
Bonnie Langford, News Editor
Ed Cassavoy, Sports Editor
The Battalion Staff
Assistant City Editors Melissa Adair,
Michelle Powe
Assistant News Editors Rhonda Snider,
Kellie Dworaczyk, Lauri Reese
Assistant Sports Editor Travis Tingle
Entertainment Editor Bill Hughes
Assistant Entertainment Editor .Angel Stokes
Senior Reporter Robin Black
Staff Writers : Tammy Bell,
Shawn Behlen, Cami Brown, Dena Brown,
Dainah Bullard, Leigh-Ellen Clark, Tony
Cornett, Suzy Fisk, Patricia Flint,
Kari Fluegel, Kathy Wiesepape,
Karla Martin, Sarah Oates, Jan Perry,
Lynn Rae Povec, James R. Walker
Editorial Cartoonist Mike Lane
Make-up Editor John Hallett
Copy Writer Karen Bloch
Copy Editors...Kathy Breard, Kaye Pahmeier
Cyndy Davis
Photographers Frank Irwin,
David Leyendecker, Peter Rocha,
Mike Sanchez, Dean Saito
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper op
erated as a community service to Texas A&M and Bryan-
College Station.
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the Edi
torial Board or the author, and do not necessarily represent
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.
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 au
thor's intent. Each letter must be signed and must include
the address and telephone number of the writer.
The Battalion is published Monday through Friday dur
ing Texas A£cM regular semesters, except for holiday and
examination periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per se
mester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Adver
tising rates furnished on request.
Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Build
ing, Texas A&rM University, College Station, TX 77843. Edi
torial staff phone number: (409) 845-2630. Advertising:
(409)845-2611.
Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843.
Scott Hentschel
College Station
GSS should
move to Austin
EDITOR:
I recently attended the A&M Forum de
bating the issue of having a GSSO on
campus and was appalled to hear that
higher authorities are actually consid
ering such an organization taking place
on campus, one that promotes homo
sexuality. At the debate, people kept re-
g eating “let’s forget the moral issue of,”
ut what other issue is there? Texas
A&M is a school with high and re
spected morals and should have no part
in sponsoring a gay organization. The
way I see it, school organizations should
enhance the school. The gays have no
concerning attitude on how to benifit
the school, but are only concerned with
their own needs, unlike the Corn, who
was degraded at the forum, and who,
despite the gay’s opinion, have a very
important and respectable role on cam
pus.
As far as organizing groups accord
ing to sexual preference, why don’t we
form a prostitution group, oring in a
few animals and form a bestiality group,
uhat akf
you TAKING?
\ I
Wny ipo muc-h?
u
\J0KLV HltTotzy, f>lOLo$V,
GFOGgATHY, r^VCHOLOGY,
Hl^fORY OF FILM, AM?
\(
-TRIVIAL
You C2
weekday •
apron se
drinks on
Ross stree
Sharon
some as t
ployed by
Departme
; snacks to
are on the
“The I
Services I
the best se
James An
dergroum
the studei
to eatduri
Turner
about 8: O'
tries, coH
drinks. T1
50 cents £
cents to 6C
Sandwi
' to t
Galloping groupism an epidemic
Candidates court voters
I read in News
week the other day
that both Democrat
Walter Mondale and
Republican Ronald
Reagan are courting
me; that is, they are
courting the young,
independent voters
with no clear party f|
loyalty.
They are also, it
Robert McGlohon
say are “unfair” to certain members of
society, and they are determined to re
instate policies that will, once again,
bring about “fairness.” They cite one
study showing an increase in the num
ber of households in the poverty level.
Yet another shows the upper tax brack
ets contributing a greater percentage of
the overall tax revenue. Which shows
fairness or unfairness? Can Mr. Mon
dale lay claim to all the wonderous vir
tues of “fairness.” Certainly not.
Fairness is a purely subjective concept,
conditioned upon individual interpreta
tion and dependent on one’s particular
situation. Your interpretation of
fairness, defined within your situation,
is most certainly different from mine.
Your fairness could be my injustice. Is it
fair to pay farmers not to produce when
some people go hungry? Is it fair to take
from those who produce in society’s in
terest and give to those who don’t?
Closer to Mr. Mondale’s heart, are 22
percent interest rates and double-digit
inflation fair?
Mr. Mondale’s message is that, be
cause his policies might benefit a differ
ent sub-set of society than present pol
icy, his policies are “fairer.” But, of
course, they are only fairer to those that
might benefit from them, not fairer in
some enlightened overall sense. The no
tion that a certain political party has a
monopoly on the concept of “fairness” is
as ridiculous as the notion that another
has a monopoly on “patriotism.” As a
catch-all phrase in an election year,
“fairness” has been turned into an effec
tive emotional tool for the Mondale
campaign. But as an issue it is vague, ill-
defineef and ultimately meaningless.
Let’s talk about the real issues.
seems, courting Hispanics, women, mi
norities and left-handed albino frater
nity presidents.
I wish they’d make up their minds.
The problem, for me at least, lies in
assigning everyone and his second-
cousin to a group. This galloping grou-
pism is a national epidemic, one that de
mands a quick and lasting cure.
I don’t know about everyone and his
second-cousin, but I’m me, dammit. I’m
not a student or a Batt columnist or a
Texan or a journalist or a white male.
I’m me.
And if you think about it for a while,
you’re you, too.
I guess you could say this is a hang up
with me, and I guess you’d probably be
right. But it’s a hang up I’m comfortable
with.
I call my condition a profound re
spect for the integrity of the individual.
My folks say I’m hard-headed.
I wasn’t born hard-headed, of course;
I had a soft gooey spot on the top of my
skull like all the other babies on the
block. But 18 years in the military can
change anything. (And if you don’t
think being a military brat qualifies as
time served, think again.)
Anyhow, when I left Germany and
the military for Texas A&M, I was fed
up to here (picture hand held over
head) with groupism, standing in line,
being referred to as “Oh, you’re Col.
McGlohon’s son,” etc. To prove it, I
stayed drunk for a semester. I thought I
had kissed that sort of thing goodbye.
Boy, did I have some learning to do.
One incident in particular comes to
mind.
I was taking my first biology exam,
and they bearded us into this big room
in Heldenfels Hall. “Get in line. Leave
your backpacks on the floor. Don’t sit
there, sit here. Don’t turn youraij
over yet! Hey, dummy!”
Da de dah de dah.
But the worst part came when!
exam was over. After having suffi
indignities by the handful, I wasinsiz
need of a swift shot. I made my wa;
the front of the room to give myeH
to the head Piled-higher-and-Deeper
a lady teasip, no less — and sheasli
for my I.D. I couldn’t believe it.
wanted me to prove I was me.
While I was fumbling for said prw
this biologist — trying, I’m sure,just
be pleasant — took note of my scniii
appearance and said, “Oh, our wep
ing a beard.”
“No,” I replied. “We just don’tlil
shave.”
A few weeks later, after finishingi
second biology exam and now wise
the ways of the world, 1 reached for
I.D. It was the same professor.
“That’s all right,” she said. “I rente!
ber you.”
added I
and sell fo
“We’re
sandwiche
Na
Unii
WASH
tional prt
3.6 percei
past quar
the prevr
the gover
officials b
improve tl
The “fl
ment ecor
effects of
strike aga
could red
if it lasts u
The ur
mained ai
the past fi
as when I
fice.
But Co
economist
pace is stil
unemplov
the month
The de
value of a
Bob McGlohon is a weekly Battik |
columnist. His column will appear! I
Fridays.
Lifesaver needed; apply within
To whom it may
concern:
This is a message
in a bottle launched
from the highest Leigh-Ellen
point in my flooded p, ,
apartment — the CiarK
P
barstool.
Here I sit, snorkle and fins within
reach, waiting. Waiting for the Coast
Guard or the apartment manager or a
watery grave if the others don’t show
up. The way I look at it, I have two
choices — cm
drown.
as not to leak into the tub or the toilet
but right into the floor. Joy.
Don’t worry though. Being ever-re-
sourceful I’ve balanced the trash can on
the edge of the toilet tank to catch about
every other drip. It’s teetering there
now and threatening to dump into the
floor. But at this point it would be a spit
in the ocean.
My feet are pruny. And I won’t swear
pruny.
to it, but I think something just slithered
under the stove.
mown my sorrows, or just
I returned home from my practically
permanent address, The Battalion
newsroom, and opened the door into
my dark, lonely apartment. Greeted by
the sound of rushing water, I left the
door wide open and waded through to
find the light switch. It’s been raining,
sure, but I never expected to be greeted
by high tide when I came home.
I’ve found the source — the rain is
pouring through a hole in the roof and
through the fan in the bathroom. Of
course the fan is strategically placed so
Now whomever, don’t think I’m get
ting hysterical but my stuffed monkey,
Joe Rilla is doing the back stroke. He’s
not a very good swimmer and the other
stuffed tnings in my apartment aren’t
faring very well either. Take the giant
stuffed cloth tomato for instance. It’s
big and red and was a gift — lord knows
I wouldn’t buy it for myself. But even
so, I’m kind of attached to it and I
would hate for it to become stewed just
because of a little rain.
I paddled over to the telephone a
while ago to call the “24 Hour Mainte
nance Service” — courtesy of my apart
ment — well, turns out it’s a “24 Hour
Answering Service.” The girl whoaf
swered the phone is very sorry, she)
also very comfortable and dry; there 1 )
nothing really that can be done. I u!|
derstand that, but try telling my water|
logged monkey!!
I’ve got plenty of food rations aboie
sea level in my pantry, if you count (lie
raw popcorn and General Foods Inter
national Coffee. I don’t foresee an;!
problem with being thirsty. Butsleepinj
is going to be tricky. I know, float to re
lax!
Well, Whomever, when you find nr 1
message in the bottle, if you could teat
yourself away from the warmth of yotii|
cozy dry apartment, please come so#
ana bring a water-vac.
Meanwhile, I’ll be alright, I’m bus)
keeping my senses by contemplating the
advantages to such a situation. Catfish;
farm? Rice paddy? Marine world? Tht
options are coming to me in waves. ;
Blub, blub, gurgle, gurlgle, drip,
splash, squish, squash. Please send help
Ove
mat]
Leigh-Ellen Clark is a staff writer lot
At Ease, The Battalion’s entertainml
supplement.
... more letters
and fight to get these “service organiza
tions” funded and recognized by the
school. I don’t want to be surrounded by
a bunch of faggots, whores and other
immoral perverts, so why don’t we, the
majority, stick together to stop these in-
do ‘
People claim that something is wrong
with Texas A&M because this sort of
thing doesn’t happen at other colleges.
The simple fact is A&M is not any other
Things are done a little bit dif-
A
tar
ggie Traditions. Quadding, fish dC’
fls, and motivational exercises are all
'£ : >
decencies. If we don’t, where will it end?
If these liberal, nonmoral homosex
uals want a organization, why don’t they
organize it off campus, or go to Austin.
They have already established a GSSO
at T.U. Heaven forbid if A&M acquire
one, too!
Jamie Menton
Class of ’88
Corps of Cadets
shouldn’t be condemned
EDITOR:
The death of Cadet Bruce Goodrich
is a tragedy to be remembered by all Ag
gies for a long time. However, to con
demn the entire Corps of Cadets and
University in general, is not only wrong,
it is incredibly shortsighted.
college. Things are done a little
ferently here.
We oelieve things are worth a great
deal more when one works and makes
sacrifices for them. That’s why hun
dreds of Ags each year spend countless
hours building Aggie Bonfire. That’s
why students cut trees for Bonfire with
axes rather than chainsaws. That’s why
dorms carry their dorm log to a loading
site, rather than having a tractor pull it.
Bonfire isn’t built this way because it is
easier or because people enjoy the pain
of blisters and sore muscles. Bonfire is
built this way because of the feeling that
sweeps through the heart and soul of
everyone who contributed when that
first torch catches and Bonfire burns. It
is a feeling of pride and accomplish
ment greater than most people wilt ever
know. For those who experience this
feeling it is irreplaceable.
The same principle applies to many
designed to strengthen character
increase the value of one’s experienceal
A&M._
Senior boots do not merely represent
senior academic status. They serve no
tice of the endless hours or work and
sacrifice devoted by each senior. Surel)'
there were times, early in their careen,
when these seniors doubted the valueof
some Aggie Traditons. Just as surel),
these seniors wouldn’t trade their expe
rience in the corps for anything.
Many people take Aggie Traditions
lightly. They say that to become a world
class university, we must bury some of
our traditions. These people are forget
ting that these traditions have made
Texas A&M the truly great school thatil
is.
What happened to Bruce Goodricli
was a tragedy. To destroy a system that
has produced so many fine individuals
for so long would only be worse.
Eric Wittenmyer
Class of’87
f
3
A