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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 1984)
Opinion Page 2rThe Battalion/Tuesday, October 30, 1984 Baby Fae's chance worth baboon's life A baboon has been killed so a child may live. “Instead of one death, now there will definitely be two ... ” said a woman protesting the operation where a baboon heart was transplanted into a 16-day-old girl in California Friday. “In essence they killed a baboon to prolong a child’s suffe ring,” she said. “We feel it’s ghoulish tinkering.” Dr. Leonard L. Bailey who headed the team that performed the operation didn’t see it that way. He said the infant girl would have died if the transplant hadn’t been performed. But because of the operation the doctor said “we have a beautif ul, healthy ba- by.” Beautiful, healthy: those adjectives are surely debatable. But the girl, dubbed Baby Fae, does have two things for the mo ment: life and hope. It’s a bit scary — maybe even ghoulish — that medical sci ence now has the capability to transplant organs between ani mals and humans. So far four ape-to- human heart transplants have been conducted. No human recipient has lived for more than a few days. A dead baboon for a few hours of human life? And for what quality of human life? And for what hope of pro longed survival? Using animal organs in transplants with humans seems to be such a strange concept. But vaccinations seemed strange when they were first administered. The Battalion Editorial Board is not endorsing a wholesale slaughter of animals in the name of medical research. Instead, as human beings, when a choice must be made between human life and animal life, human life must come first. This type of transplant has a place only if all other means of medical technol ogy has been exhausted. As a last resort, the death of a baboon — weighed against the chance of life for a human — must be viewed as insignificant. It’s part of human nature to think we are innately superior to all other beasts. Much medical research depends on that belief . — The Battalion Editorial Board Texas A&M maintains apathetic, hickish air I would like to'*' take this opportu nity to discuss the lack of student ini- Reader’s Forum dative on this cam- ■ Reader’s Forum pus. I wouldn’t Reader’s Forum dare say this atti- ... tude was limited only to A&M, rather it seems to be a national phenom ena among the young. While students here do have strong opinions on certain subjects, (GSS, religion, protection of A&M traditions all come to mind), they seem strangely uninformed on other The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest journalisin Conference In memoriam Bill Robinson, 1962-1984, Editor The Battalion Editorial Board Stephanie Ross, Editor Patrice Koranek, Managing Editor Shelley Hoekstra, City Editor Brigid Brockman, News Editor Bonn 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 Editorial Cartoonist ..Mike Lane Make-up Editor John Hallett Copy Writers...Karen Bloch, Cathy Bennett Copy Editors Kathy Breard, Kaye Pahmeier Cyndy Davis, Patricia Flint Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting 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 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. 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 include the address and telephone number of the writer. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday and examination periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Editorial staff phone number: (409) 845-2630. Ad vertising: (409) 845-2611. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battal ion, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843 seemingly iitlportarfflssues. I have to wonder if this is because these issues truly aren’t being published or even discussed, or if it is that we, as a student body really don’t care about anything but completing our education so that we might go out and make great sums of money. I was amazed at how little the Goodrich incident was dis cussed here on campus; I little realized just how large the issue had become on a state and even national scale, until I went home to Houston and found it plastered all over the papers, as well as being the subject of discussion every evening on the nightly news. Yet upon returning to A&M there was little said about the incident in The Battalion or elsewhere; friends barely discussed it and when they did the conversation al ways ended with, “It doesn’t matter be cause nothing will be done anyway.” I did hear a few people mumble about disbanding the Corps, but it was carried no further than mumbling. This attitude is being taken with so many is sues that I tend to believe that the stu dents are either lazy or they just don’t give a damn about anything but them selves. I wonder about the lack of freedom of speech on this campus — the almost Soviet-like atmosphere, with the threat of swift retaliation by the campus police and even the Corps against any breakers of tradition or school rules as a back drop. Sure, we have a newspaper in which we may air our opinions, but why is it that the staff is appointed instead of al lowing the students to decide among themselves who is best fit to run the pa per? And why is so much labor being ex pended as well as potential energy burned up with our yearly bonfire when there are so many neighbors so close to us, in Bryan and all over Brazos County, who go cold in the winter? And what is this upcoming beauty pageant? It seems to be a perversion of justice to provide a scholarship to some one based strictly upon their beauty, es pecially when there are so many very able students who might not be able to continue here for lack of funds. For a school struggling to attain status as a world-class university, A&M seems to maintain a mighty hickish air. Bill Sparks W/LLIAM F. &UCKLEY, Jr. 7\KJD J~Ob//d KEkJUETH GALBRA/TH 5QUWE OFF OCTO&EF AT TEYA*? FOF AKJ ELECTION COUMTTOWAJ TF3ATF O/U 'Tf-iET SOCIAL T>FSI RA&I L/rf OF TIG CbOVFFNMEU T! No debate: there’ll be no debate Lori durii | denti For voters of Brazos County there will be no debate between 6th District Con- gressional candidates Joe Barton and Dan James Kubiak. Political strategists generally ad- Walker vise frontrunners to stay clear of debates and Kubiak listens to his strategist. Why not? If you’re a politician you’ll play the game typified by a disregard for sincerity, openness and other nonsense. As true sportsmen, candidates running for offices of U.S. President and Senate have been willing to engage in debates, setting a precedent this campaign season. President Reagan, showing as much as a 20 percent lead, accepted Mondale’s of fer to debate not only once but twice. Politically this decision was a bad maneuver. Closer to home, state Senator Lloyd Doggett and Rep resentative Phil Gramm, neither having a significant lead, chose to debate since they would address a rather heteroge nous audience of conservative, mainstream and liberal voters. Now even closer to home — right here in this congressio nal district — it seems that one candidate wants to hide him self and not face a debate. Kubiak, a veteran politician is hid ing himself somewhere between the National Democratic Party Platform and the conservative temperment of area vot ers. . .,, If elected, Kubiak as a Democrat will go to Washington, bend over to the liberal party leadership as personified by Tip O’Neill, and -then come back six y'ears later to defend a liberal voting record. Earlier this year Phil Gramm exempli fied the fact that a Democrat can not represent the interests of 6th District residents in Congress. Gramm resigned his po sition, ran in an election to fill the seat and was reelected to the same position as a Republican. In the race to succeed Gramm’s seat, Kubiak, as a Demo crat, must overcome the stigma of having Doggett and Mon- dale-Ferraro running on the same ticket. Fearing that Barton would have a heyday in a debate, and score votes by associat ing his opponent with the standard bearers of the Democratic Party, Kubiak’s staff has placed the debate idea on thet« I burner. Kubiak’s nonchalant behavior regarding a debateloi | me to conclude that he said no weeks ago. Hehasrefal from admitting it publicly, since it would be political a I wise. The politician’s move would be to conduct negotta I for a debate right up to the day before election andthetq clare that the two sides failed to reach an agreement. [ Well, it is no suprise that negotiations havebeenjfci I along for several weeks and progress is simply an illusiot 1 Kubiak’s extraordinary commitment to a debate is dai I represented by the size of his negotiating team. ItconsisM I local semi-retired businessman who functions as a fa coodinator for the campaign in addition to his role as is man. Negotiator’s for Barton include the campaignn*.;: a salaried staff member of the Reagan-Gramm campaf a non-salaried volunteer. This poses two fundamental questions? Pint, who right mind would seriously negotiate any agreementmi 1:3 disadvantage at the bargamng table? Second,who use, as his sole negotiator, an individual who has no dim J volvement in running the campaign.? A further point of evidence is that the Bartonstaff^ milled a written debate proposal while the Kubiak rq tative has failed to reciprocate with a couterproposal. ficial word from Kubiak headquarters is that no agreci can be signed until Barton writes a letter pledging toahiil the rules of a debate agreement. The fallacy of thistaa that the Barton proposal already contains a clausestatiiifit signers of the agreement would abide by the rulesoflk bate. If elected, Kubiak will represent 6th District interesC' the same deceit and insincerity that he has shownto« these debate negotiations. fumes Walker is a staff writer covering politics fail Battalion. Ye TA at Texas Kelly Jo dent bo' ly’s Syrr rence Si a.m. Othei uled to mbda said Moi The v with a si the othe question Bearc 4r > ' Think before voting straight ticks With 10,000 A&M students regis tered to vote in Brazos County, local politics could be upset. Community res- idents are concerned that the student d h ’ F voters will vote strictly bipartisan while jy^aaer S O ru unfamiliar with local candidates and Reader S rorum community issues. Reader s Forum Community politics are more af- fected by personalities than by party ideas and philosophies. Although many voters vote bipartisan in national politics, differences in party ideas and philosophies are less of an issue on the local level. What really matters to the community voter is which can didate will do the better job, who will get the job done, what does the record show, or if elected, will the candidate sc the community’s needs. What will be decided on Nov. 6 will affect BrazosCoq residents for at least the next four years. Ironically, approximately 100 percent of thestudeDt f ers will have graduated by 1988, leaving behind thul and politics of Brazos County. On Nov. 6, local residenc'l be voting for county commisioner, county sheriff,coitfi district attorney, etc. The Texas A&M student vote could critical upset to the policies of Brazos County inthenexi!* years. Your vote counts, a conscientious vote is an infomI vote. So be a conscientious voter and let the local reside* 3 1 cide the future of Brazos County. Sandy Winter In search affine cuisine Shocked by china and silvei I was on board plan for two full : years and thought Katherine I’d seen it all. But I H rt almost mistook the _______________ Underground Rail road for the likes of The Mansion, To ny’s or The Texan. This familiar eatery, revered for its salad and soup, was disguised, almost beyond recognition, as an elegant res taurant — with candle-lit tables; fine china and an array of silverware at each place setting, chairs bedecked in white seat covers; a wine bucket at each table (for non-alchoholic fare); suave waiters and waitresses in black and white uni form; a post-dinner finger bowl (no Ags, you don’t drink it); and even (alas!) a strolling guitarist. The four-course menu was even more uncharacteristic. It read: A Cup of Bouillon, Spring Salad with a Choice of Fine Dressings, Steamed Lobster Tail with Drawn Butter, Choice Texas Sir loin Steak, Delicately Seasoned Fluffy Rice, Spring Carden Peas with Fresh Mushrooms, Sparkling Catawba, Napo leon. Who would have thought the A&M A Cup of Bouillon Spring Salad with a Choice of Fine Dressings Steamed Lobster Tail with Drawn But ter ... Who would have thought the A&M Food Services Department would be capable of such finery? Food Services Department would be ca pable of such finery? Each Wednesday, the department graces students and faculty members with a sumptuous Candlelight Dinner. Its purpose is two-fold, Col. Fred Dol lar, food services director said: it’s a spe cial treat to show the department’s grat itude for students on the board;] and it’s a welcome opportunity^ service personnel to flex their(F muscles, to prepare something exotic than the standard board fart Dollar knows of only two sc 1 the country that have tried l A&M’s culinary extravaganza, rally, they can’t compete. All this reiterates what we $ know: the A&M staff, with ani* dance of good will, endeavorsendk* to make existence more pleasani' of us — even to the extent of im^ South African lobster for each week. oc 8:( RU Tl< I’m sure if board students had d* sources or the ability to cool 1 would invite the entire food sew partment to dinner in reciprocal? itude. But, a simple “thank yon 1 have to suffice. Til A Katherine Hurt is a staff wiltf' 1'he Battalion.