Page 2/The Battalion/Thursday, February 7, 1985
OPINION
/
Double standard
exists in U.S. law
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday — basically
along party lines — to approve the nomination of Edwin Meese
as Attorney General.
All 10 of the committee’s Republicans, as well as two of the
eight Democrats, voted to nominate the controversial Meese.
The full Senate is expected to confirm the nomination after the
Feb. 8-19 Congressional recess.
The nomination comes after a six-month inquiry by a court-
appointed independent counsel into allegations of wrongdoing
by Meese. The counsel investigated Meese’s failure to report a
$15,000 interest-free loan to his wife on his financial disclosure
forms, his acceptance of $10,000 from a fund set up to assist
Reagan’s transition to office in 1981, his arrangement qf federal
jobs for friends who had helped him financially and his Army
reserve promotion to colonel through favored treatment. No ba
sis for criminal prosecution was found during the investigation.
Committee chairman Strom Thurmond, R-South Carolina,
said that the investigation “firmly established, and indeed un
derscored, that not only is Mr. Meese qualified to be Attorney
General, but that he is also a man of honesty, dedication and in
tegrity.”
What actually was established — by the committee’s nomi
nation — was that the investigation just didn’t come up with
enough to convict Meese, so it’s okay to appoint a man whose ac
tions nave been legally and ethically questionable as the nation’s
top law enforcement officer.
Criminals — who police know are guilty — go free every day
simply because the police cannot find enough concrete eviaence
to hold up in court. It’s a frustration that law enforcement offi
cers must accept as part of the job. But not sending someone to
prison because of lack of evidence and appointing him to a pow
erful position in the government are two different things.
If the Senate does indeed nominate Meese, it will just be reit
erating that there are two sets of legal and ethical standards in
the United States — one for powerful, influencial people, and
one for everyone else.
Even worse, the American people accept that double stan
dard as not only unavoidable, but acceptable.
The Battalion Editorial Board
LETTERS:
Non-Christians also
participated in vigil
EDITOR:
As one of the participants of the pro-
Sanctuary Movement candlelight vigil
reported in the Batt Feb. 4, I’d like to
clarify a misleading statement in the
otherwise fine article.
The article starts off with “Concerned
local Christians...”, leaving the impres
sion that only Christians participate in
and support the Sanctuary Movement.
Jewish congregations have also shel
tered Central American refugees. And
there were several non-Christians, in
cluding me, at the vigil Sunday night.
T he local Sanctuary Advocates sup
port group welcomes members of every
religion, or no religion. The only re
quirement for membership is a deep
compassion for those people fleeing war
and repression who seek the liberty we
in this country often take for granted.
Kristin Parsons
Peoples’ opinions
part of individuality
EDITOR:
Lately there have been several letters
of criticism directed at the Battalion edi
torial staff concerning the stances they
take in their editorials. Disagreeing with
an editorial is a very normal reaction.
However, suggesting that the editorial
staff alter their opinion on an issue to
match the opinion of the masses is a
dangerous proposition.
The suggestions made are that since
the majority of students are conserva
tive, the editorial staff should assume
the conservative viewpoint. The people
working for the editorial staff all earned
their positions on The Battalion with
their journalistic skills, not because of
their political or moral beliefs. As an ed
itorialist they should print their own
unique and independent thoughts.
They are not absolute liberals or conser
vatives, they are people who are inter
ested in expressing their personal be
liefs for you to explore and question
with your own unique mind.
The most wonderful thing about the
editorial page is the variety of opinions
expressed. Just as I am doing, if some
one feels different about an issue dis
cussed on the editorial page, The Battal
ion will print viewpoints from that
reader so we can ponder differing opin
ions also.
Many letters printed on the editorial
page seem to depict people as either lib
eral or conservative, or good or bad ag.
By labeling people as such, we deny our
own individuality.
We are not simply black or white, we
are an entire spectra of individuals. By
shying away from stereotypes and con
centrating on issues individually we can
be sure that each person’s opinion car
ries with him his carefully conceived set
of ideas and not those given to him by
the label of liberal or conservative.
Griff Bludworth
‘All’ cadets aren’t
perfect gentlemen
EDITOR:
A Monday Jan. 28 article stated that
“all” corps members are “perfect” gen
tlemen. Isn’t that carrying it a little too
far? Granted, many of them are gen
tlemen and represent TAMU well, but
many don’t fit the image.
To burst your bubble further, here’s
an unexaggerated example of one of
these, so called, “perfect gentlemen.” I
attended boot dance with a CT who’s
now a senior red pot. He said when to
be ready and called that afternoon to
postpone an hour. That’s fine, but on
that hour (completely dressed and wait
ing) I received another call to postpone
another hour. Then 15-20 minutes late,
he and another couple finally came. He
offered no explanation. We arrived at
the restaurant late. After dinner, the
CT who rode with us proceeded to yell
at the waiter, “You’re the worst waiter
I’ve ever had,” among other things. It
was very embarassing!
We left the restaurant and my date
had to stop at a U-TOTEM for a can of
snuff. And yes, he dipped! But don’t
worry, he spit it out when we got to the
parking lot. We waited an hour or more
for pictures (which I’ve not seen as of a
year later). After pictures, we got a glass
of punch, one dance, and left. At the
car, he took off his shirt, the belt that
goes with it, took another dip, and took
me home in boots, pants and undershirt
(keep in mind this was a formal dance
and first date). I almost forgot, he did
open my door — isn’t that what makes a
gentlemen according to Monday’s arti
cle?
By the way, I know a non-reg that is
more of a gentlemen than any corps
person I’ve met so far.
Sherry Smith
Not unfit” to di-ive...
j "Not unlit’to
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Not unfit to eat.
Limitation policy should be praised
New Zealand taking first step
When I was
growing up, GI
Joes were all the
rage in my neigh
borhood. Four or
five of us would
combine our par
aphernalia and
wage massive bat
tles against the
forces of evil —
usually other dolls
Loren Steffy
were reserved for the masses of GI Joe-
supporting children. But now New Zea
land is refusing to allow nuclear-pow
ered vessels to enter its ports. The U.S.
government is reacting to the anti-nu
clear policy just as we reacted to the sub
versives who didn’t want to use the
Troubleshooter. Since New Zealand
doesn’t like our battleships, they can’t
play in our war games.
of the non-GI Joe genre. The Joe army,
dubbed the Adventure Team by the
manufacturer, was considered to be the
ultimate force of good on the block, but
sometimes those of us who controlled
the Joes got a little pushy.
The administration said it hopes the
cancellation of the war games will dem
onstrate to New Zealand and other
Western nations the perils of anti-nu
clear policies. But New Zealand Defense
Minister Frank O’Flynn said he expects
the withdrawl of U.S. military cooper
ation and aid in retaliation.
If other kids wanted to try something
different, such as not use Robert’s new
Troubleshooter, or pretend to blow up
my combat jeep with concussion cannon
and real working searchlight, they were
ousted from the Adventure Team.
Dubbed traitors, the poor kids had to
operate Johnny West and the other
criminals the Joes fought. We felt if they
weren’t loyal enough to use the Trou
bleshooter, they weren’t loyal enough to
be in the Adventure Team. Differing
opinions on Team activities would not
be tolerated.
Obviously, New Zealand is going to
stand up for its beliefs, even if it means
being shunned by the United States. In
stead of being so fast to condemn New
Zealand for holding its ground, the U.S.
should offer praise. After all, for more
years than most Americans care to re
member, the U.S. and the Soviet Union
have been trying to find a way to limit
the nuclear arms race before it limits life
on this planet.
from our mistakes and are trying tci
avoid the situation in which wearecurj
rently embroiled with the Soviet Unm
While Reagan sits in the Ova) Oh
proposing billions more dollars be speo!
on the development and deploymento!
nuclear weapons, this tiny nation in tk
Pacific has made the process of limin
tion seem easy. I hope our delegates a
those long tables in Geneva are watch
ing New Zealand.
If other countries adopt similar poh
cies of nuclear abstinence, the
States and the Soviet Union will soon
run out of room to flex their radioactivi
muscles. Planet Earth belongs to even r
country, each one of which should ha«
a say in nuclear limitations. Instead of
demanding their submission into om
nuclear network, the United States
should respect the policies of countriei
wanting no part of the U.S./U.S.S.R.nu
clear cat and
Lang
the stuc
they try
Texasl
“We
is all ab<
Pi
AUS
Wedne
an $80l
gram '
said shi
“It’s
has a li
the sta!
R-Midl
Natura
Cra<
schedu
House
chance
mouse game.
For years I thought these actions
New Zealand is merely adopting their
own arms control policy before they,
too, get into the arms race over their
heads. They apparently have learned
New Zealand was the first countrytc
speak out, but perhaps others will fd
low. If the United States and the Soviet
Union cannot curb their limitlessdesiresf
for a dominant nuclear arsenal, then the I
restriction will have to be imposed br|
other concerned countries.
Loren Steffy is a sophomore joum
lism major and a weekly columnist hi
The Battalion.
Watching television
weather can be fun
By ART BUCHWALD
Columnist for The Los Angeles Times Syndicate
crisis when they put bumper stickers on
tnea
Talk about messengers of bad news
— nothing beats the TV weather peo
ple. They chuckle in front of their maps
of the United States, while all of us gaze
at them with fear and loathing.
The trouble with the TV weather re
port is that it brings out the worst in all
of us.
The other evening I was watching my
weatherman on the late-night news and
he said, “A cold arctic blast is coming
down from Canada and will sweep
across the Great Plains carrying freezing
tempertures, snow, ice and wind.”
“What are you smiling at?” my wife
wanted to know.
“Better them than us,” I said.
“But the people in the Great Plains
are Americans, too.”
“They’re used to it,” I replied. “Great
Plains residents all come from hardy
Scandinavian stock, and a minus-42-de-
gree wind chill factor to them is a grand
soft day.”
The weatherman was waving his
hands all over the map.
“A storm now over the Pacific will
produce six inches of rain in Southern
California and Arizona.”
“Serves them right,” I said. “They’re
always bragging how great their
weather is, and it’s time they got a taste
of the elements. If they can’t play tennis
in Southern California they close the
schools.”
“You’re being awfully cruel,” my wife
said.
“When it comes to weather, it’s every
man for himself.”
The weatherman continued. “A Yu
kon express jet stream will bring record
low temperatures to the state of Texas.”
“It’s about time,” I said.
“What have you got against Texas?”
“Remember during the petroleum
their cars telling the Northeast to freeze
to death?”
“They didn’t mean it,” my wife said.
“That’s just the way Texans talk. I feel
for anyone who is cold.”
“Don’t cry for Texas,” I told her. “All
they have to do if they start shivering is
go out in the back yard and fill up a pail
with oil and throw it in their burners.”
The weatherman was now pointing at
New York state.
“The hardest hit part of the country
was Buffalo, which had 30 inches of
snow this morning, and is still digging
out tonight.”
“How do you feel about Buffalo?” my
wife wanted to know.
“Anyone who stays in Buffalo during
the winter knows what they’re in for.
Besides, I can’t remember one weather
report in the last six months that didn’t
show people digging out in Buffalo.
You have to be pretty dumb to live next
to Lake Erie.”
“Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia
can expect freezing rain because of this
high-pressure system coming up from
Mexico,” the weatherman continued.
“So what,” I spoke back to the TV
screen. “We never promised them a rose
garden.”
My wife was becoming annoyed.
“You’re no fun to watch the weather
with.”
“Look, the only reason they tell you
what the weather is like in other parts of
the country is so people who aren’t af
fected by it can enjoy it. Bad news is
good news if it doesn’t happen to you.”
The weatherman continued. “This
freezing rain will be pushed north by
the high, and we can expect two inches
of snow in the Washington area by to
morrow’s rush hour.”
I couldn’t believe what I had just
heard, and looked up to heaven. “Why
us?”
The Battalion
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Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Brigid Brockman, Editor
Shelley Hoekstra, Managing Editor
Ed Cassavoy, City Editor •
Kellie Dworaczyk, News Editor
Michelle Powe, Editorial Page Editor
Travis Tingle, Sports Editor
The Battalion Staff
Assistant City Editors
Kari Fluegel, Rhonda Snider
Assistant News Editors .....
Tammy Bell, Cami Brown, John Hallelt
Assistant Sports Editor
Charean Williams
Entertainment Editors
Shawn Behlen, Leigh-Ellen Clark
Staff Writers Cathie Anderson,
Brandon Berry, Dainah Bullard,
Ann Cervenka, Tony Cornett,
Michael Crawford, Kirsten Dietz.
Patti Flint, Patrice Koranek,
Trent Leopold, Sarah Oates,
Jerry Oslin, Tricia Parker,
Lynn Rae Povec
Copy Editor Kay Mallett
Make-up Editors Karen Bloch,
Karla Martin
Columnists Kevin Inda, Loren Steffy
Editorial Cartoonist Mike Lane
Sports Cartoonist Dale Smith
Copy Writer Cathy Bennett
Photo Editor Katherine Hurt
Photographers Anthony Casper,
Wayne Grabein, Frank Irwin,
John Makely, Peter Rocha, DeanSaito
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Editorial Board or the author, and do not necessarilvrtf-
resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, lacm
or the Board of Regents.
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students in reporting, editing and photograpn) r/assfi
within the Department of Communications.
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