Page 2AThe Battalion/Wednesday, June 5, 1985
OPINION
wmmmmmmmmm •
•
India's new nukes
versus Star Wars
Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Ghandi is pondering the con
struction of a nuclear weapon because his Cabinet is afraid In
dia’s primary rival, Pakistan, already has nuclear capabilities.
After Ghandi finished telling the newspaper Le Monde
about his nuclear considerations, he criticized President Reagan
for his Star Wars defense program. Ghandi claimed the Strate-
§ ic Defense Initiative which is designed to shoot down incoming
oviet missiles is an obstacle to arms reduction.
“We believe that this military program risks adding a new di
mension to nuclear war and to complicate even more the disar
mament question,” he said Monday.
Ghandi is attacking Reagan for hindering arms reduction on
one hand and proposing to increase weapons construction in his
own country on the other.
Obviously, he doesn’t feel that a nuclear build-up between
India and Pakistan is “adding a new dimension to nuclear war.”
The two countries have fought three times since 1948 and nu
clear capabilities thrust into this situation could prove fatal.
Nuclear conflict between Pakistan and India could spell di
saster for large portions of Asia, including the Soviet Union.
Certainly the USSR will not idly watch mushroom clouds billow
on their horizons, and the United States could not allow the So
viets to enter any such conflict unchecked.
Nuclear war between Pakistan and India could cause chains
of allies on both sides to be drawn into disaster. Star Wars is a
defense system, and while it may anger the Soviets and other na
tions, it isn’t going to start any wars. Ghandi may claim that Star
Wars obstructs arms reductions, but at least it doesn’t obstruct
peace.
The Battalion Editorial Board
Guest Columnist
University Archives
offers information
Charles R.
Schultz
Where and what was
Lake Shinola?
Whose face adorns
the System Building?
What was Prexey’s
Moon?
Who branded Bevo?
What building stands on the former
site of a cemetery?
Who was “Old Beck?”
What is the oldest building on cam
pus? Who built it? How much did it
cost?
The answer to these questions and
many, many more can be found in the
University Archives located at the west
end of the Sterling C. Evans Library
building.
The University Archives was estab
lished in 1949-50 during the prepara
tions for Texas A&M’s 75th anniversary
and was given the task of collecting, pre
serving and making available to inter
ested users the permanently valuable re
cords of Texas A&M.
Since then the Archives has been col
lecting records of all types about Texas
A&M and has been making them avail
able to students, faculty, and staff of the
Texas A&M community.
In recent years, between 5,000 and
6,000 individuals per year have found
answers to all sorts of questions in the
Archives.
Clippings files on individual faculty
members and administration; on de
partments, colleges and other adminis
trative units; and on a wide variety of
subjects ranging from A&M Adjunct to
Zapper are the most frequently used re
cords.
They are used for themes, speeches,
term papers, articles in The Battalion
and the Eagle and for purely personal
interest in such topics as bonfire, mus
ter, football, mascots (especially Reveille,
but also Bevo), and various buildings on
campus. Files on parking, bicycles,
Greek organizations, GSS and crime are
perennially popular. In recent months,
the bell tower file has been used fre
quently.
The Archives also has extensive files
of photographs of people, buildings and
activities at A&M.
Although the^e are some photo
graphs for the entire history of the Uni-
— versity, the most comprehensive cover
age is about 1890 to 1940. The complete
set of Aggielands (called Ohio in 1895,
the first year one was issued, and Long
horn from 1903 to 1948) provide addi
tional pictorial coverage.
Preserving and making available to
researchers those records of Texas
A&M which have permanent adminis
trative, fiscal, legal or historical value is
the primary function of the Archives.
Thus the files of various administrative
units, such as chancellor, president, di
rectors and department heads are
found in the Archives.
Also located in the Archives are cop
ies of most publications issued on cam
pus. These include all books published
by the A&M Press, technical and infor
mation reports based upon faculty re
search and a wide variety of newsletters.
In addition to such official records,
the Archives has records of numerous
organizations, many of which are closely
tied to the University. These include re
cords of several A&M Mothers’ Clubs
and some organizations in the Bryan-
College Station area.
The Archives also has papers of many
individuals, most of whom have direct
ties to the University. These include pa
pers of retired faculty members and of
Aggies who have served in the U.S.
Congress and in the Texas Legislature.
When existing records are not ad
equate, the Oral History Office in the
Archives conducts extensive interviews
with appropriate persons to provide the
needed documentation.
The most extensive project has been
interviews with Aggie generals living in
Texas. In other projects, retired Texas
A&M faculty members and administra
tors as well as former students and
prominent oceanographers throughout
the United States have been inter
viewed.
The Archives is open from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. Monday through Friday.
Materials in the Archives do not cir
culate, but it is possible to make photo
copies of them. Arrangements can also
be made to have copies made of photo
graphs.
Faculty, staff and students, as well as
outsiders, are welcome to use any of the
materials in the Archives.
Charles R. Schultz is the University Ar
chivist for Texas A&M.
tion
risen
the
one
itan
the (
IT
that
Congressmen are in his pocket
Louie the lobbyist ready
to fight for tax loopholes
By ART BUCHWALD
Columnist for The Los Angeles Times Syndicate
Louie, the lobbyist, was dressed in
battle gear. As soon as President Reagan
declared war on the “special interest”
groups, Louie loaded his Xerox ma
chine and marched forth toward Capi
tol Hill to wage combat.
“It must be a bad time for you,” I
said, as he paused on Pennsylvania Ave
nue to drink from his canteen of Pouilly
Fuisse.
“It’s the best of times,” said Louie,
slapping me on the back. “Every lobbyist
dreams of someday going up on the Hill
to fight against tax reform. We were
trained all our lives for this moment.”
“Aren’t you afraid your loopholes will
be killed?”
“My boy, for every loophole that falls,
we’ll find another to take its place.
When push comes to shove we’ll get
what we want out of tax reform, and the
President will get what he wants.”
“Then you’re not going to attack the
Reagan plan head-on?”
“That would be suicidal. He’s raised
the hopes of every taxpayer. Our strat
egy is to publicly support the President
on his reforms and cheer him on, whilst
we quietly infiltrate the offices of con
gressmen and senators whom our peo
ple have been nice to over the years.”
“You mean you’re going to start call
ing in your notes on the money you con
tributed to our legislators’ campaigns?”
“What is so unreasonable about that?
They came to us when they were in
trouble — now we’re coming to them
when we’re in trouble. That’s what
fairness in tax reform is all about.”
“This could be a tough one because
the people have their expectations
raised and it’s quite possible the con
gressmen and senators will have to vote
for the bill, whether they want to or
not.”
“Of course, they’re going to vote for
the bill,” Louie shouted. “We would
never ask them not to vote for it. That’s
like telling them not to vote for mother
or the American flag. All we want them
to do is fine tune the law so that our in
dustry will still be entitled to the tax
breaks that have made it one of the
highest generators of capital in the
country.”
“What you’re asking then is that you
continue to pay no taxes at all?”
Louie was outraged. “There has been
too much made of the fact we don’t pay
any taxes on all our soft drink ma
chines. Just because an industry doesn’t
pay income taxes is no reason for our
companies to be singled out as tax dod
gers.”
“The people may not see it that way,”
I said. “Reagan has thrown down the
gauntlet and the Democrats are scram
bling to pick it up. It looks like tax re
form could be an idea whose time has
come. It sure is a lot easier to deal with
than a $200 million deficit.”
“We’ve been through tax reform bat
tles before,” Louie said. “The trick is
not to fire your ammunition too early.
Wait until everybody is tired and their
nerves are frayed. Then sneak in and
plant your loophole while no one is
watching. That’s the way the smart lob
byists work.”
“You believe you can still pull it off?”
Louie put on his Stetson. “It’s a
trade-off, my boy. The Northeast wants
something from our people, so we’re
ready to deal. We’ll give ’em their loop
hole if they give us ours.”
He opened up his pants pocket.
“Look in here.”
I couldn’t believe it. He had 12 con
gressmen and five senators in his?
pocket.
“Where did you get them?” 1 asked,
him.
“Through my political action coni-l
mittee. Got more in this other pocketi^
I need them.”
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