Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, July 24, 1985
OPINION
Firefighters worth
inconvenience
The fireman attending the training school at Texas A&M
are getting a bum rap. They’ve been the object of columns, let
ters to the editor and countless verbal attacks, mostly centering
around their lack of respect for Aggie traditions.
Most of these fireman are not Aggies. They are here to ben
efit from the training program offered by the University. It’s
unreasonable to expect them to learn a century’s worth of tradi
tion in a week or two. Even if they did, by the time they mem
orized our sacred traditions, it would be time for them to leave.
It is unreasonable to expect them to care about our tradi
tions. These men are not linked to A&M in the same manner as
students.
This does not mean the fireman should be granted a license
to rape, pillage and plunder the students and establishments of
Aggieland, but it does mean that Aggies must learn to be more
tolerant of these visitors. These people normally provide a vital
function to society.
The program lasts a total of three weeks. The education
these fire fighters receive could save many lives. When a house is
burning, 2ny expertise a fireman can bring to his job is needed.
Having your life saved later by a A&M-trained fireman is worth
a few weeks of inconvenience.
Grin and bear it, Ags.
The Battalion Editorial Board
Mail Call
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.
Back off The Baft
EDITOR:
Contrar
y to the view expressed in
Bryan McMurry’s letter of July 12, you
do not owe an apology to your readers
for running the GSS picture on page 1
of your July 2 issue. Q u i te the contrary,
you are to be commended for doing
your job: covering the news.
Mr. McMurry writes that he is “quite
sure there are other ‘news’ pictures”
your readers “would be more interested
in.” Come on Mr. McMurry. The GSS
issue has probably generated more con
troversy at A&M than the decision to al
low women to enroll here did in the
1960s. For at least! the immediate fu
ture, anything the G^S does will be con
troversial and, therefore, newsworthy.
Mr. McMurry argues the banner
shown in the picture (the message on
the banner reads, “The Fighting Texas
Aggie Gay Marching Band, Gay Student
Services”) constitutes “a slap in the face
to the entire CORPS . . .”
But if the picture or story had never
been printed, how could Mr. McMurry
(or anyone else who didn’t attend the re
cent gay parade in Houston) have
learned of this alleged insult to A&M? If
The Batt stopped covering such contro
versial events, wouldn’t unscrupulous
individuals, knowing their activities
would go unreported, thereby enjoy
some degree of freedom in really insult
ing A&M? After all, how can one sue an
individual or organization for libel if
one is completely ignorant of the libel
ous act?
The ideal role of the press in our so
ciety is to act as an impartial medium
where news is collected, organized and
then reported to the people so that the
people can decide for themselves mat
ters of public concern.
By printing the picture in question,
The Battalion performed its ideal role
to the fullest.
(By the way, before anyone decides to
put me on a blacklist or burn a cross in
my front yard, I am not gay!)
Richard Braastad
Class of ‘83
Too bad the action of a few spoil the re
flection of the many.
Richard Lee
Engineering
Whatever happened
to Aggie ethics?
EDITOR.
While hunting for textbooks at the
campus bookstore, I came across an in
teresting issue concerning the ethics of
Texas A&M. For sale on the shelf was a
book (Managing Behavior in Organiza
tions; McGraw-Hill publishers; by
Schlesinger, Ecceles and Gabarro) that
had been stamped with the words NOT
FOR SALE by the publisher. When I
asked one of tne senior personnel at the
bookstore why this book was for sale
when it was oovious that the publisher
intended it not to be, I was told that this
was a common practice and that it also
allows the students to purchase books at
a reduced price. The phrase “filthy lu-
passed through my mind ana be-
associated with what I was hear-
cre
came
at 1 was
' Texas A&M prides itself on its long
history of traditions. It was founded on
principles such as honor and integrity.
We claim to be an institution that is of
the highest caliber. Why do we stoop to
larceny? The textbook I saw for sale is a
clear example of this. Neither the pub
lisher nor tne authors appear to have re
ceived any revenue from the sale of this
book and have clearly stated that the
sale of this particular item was unautho
rized by them.
Has A&M become common, base,
and unethical? Have we sold our honor
and integrity for profit as others have
done for centuries? I would be inter
ested in finding out the official justfica-
tions involved in this questionable act by
questiona
the University and whether this is truly
a common practice.
John Fraedrich
Graduate Assistant
Q. WUEN WILL
STATUE OF
L BERTY
RECONSTRUCTION
BE FINISHER ?
A. IN NINE MONW
MkR&vuK
<£>W85 WWSTOtf POST
United Feature Syndicate
Up in arms over imported
Japanese automobiles
By ART BUCHWALD
Columnist for The Los Angeles Times Syndicate
As part of the celebration of the end
of World War II, Mr. Buchwald has
reached into his memory bag.
It seems like only yesterday that we
signed a peace treaty with the Japanese
aboard the battleship Missouri, and told
them they would never be allowed to
make arms again.
“What should we do instead?” a de
feated Japanese admiral asked.
“Why don’t you make automobiles?”
one of General MacArthur’s advisers
suggested.
“Ah so. But Americans make auto
mobiles. How can a poor defeated coun
try like Japan hope to compete with
your wonderful cars?”
“Well, of course you can’t compete in
the United States because Americans
would never buy a Japanese automobile
after what you did to Pearl Harbor. But
perhaps you could make something that
could be sold in Southeast Asia and
other markets where people don’t care
about quality.”
“Ah so. How do you build an auto
mobile?”
“It sounds hard, but I’m sure you
people can get the hang of it. Here’s a
book with the instructions. You see, you
put the engine up here and then seats
here, and wrap a body around it, paint it
a nice color, and you have yourself a
car.”
“Can I keep the book?”
“Why not? Now that you are a poor
defeated country we have no secrets.”
“You are kind, sir.”
A year later, the first Japanese car
came off a jerry-built assembly line. The
Japanese admiral, who was now in
charge of Tojo Motors, showed it to the
American aide.
The ex-admiral bowed. “Forgive us
for this unworthy thing we call an auto
mobile, but we do not have much to
work with.”
The aide slapped the ex-admiral on
the back. “Don’t apologize. You did
right well with what you had available.
I’ll tell you what I’ll do; I’ll bring some
of our boys over from Detroit, and
they’ll give you a list of things you'll
need to build a decent vehicle. We’ll also
send some of your designers and engi
neers over to the United States so they
can get the hang of American know
how.”
“Ah so? You would do that for a poor
little struggling Japanese automobile
company?”
“Why not? It isn’t as if you’re ever
going to be able to sell any of those
rickshaws in the States.”
Several years later, the MacArthur
aide, who was now working for a large
New York bank, bumped into the ex-ad
miral in the Waldorf Astoria. “What
brings you to New York?” he asked jo
vially.
“I am arranging dealerships all over
America for our four-cylinder Kami
kaze 3x2. It gets 24 miles to the gallon
and has front-wheel drive, disc brakes,
and a rear defrosting window. Here is a
photo of it.”
The American looked at it and shook
his head. “You’re wasting your time,
Admiral. Americans will never buy a
small car," particularly one with front-
wheel drive.”
“Ah so, but we only hope to take one
percent of the market among the teen
agers and college students.”
“It won’t work. We have a love affair
in this country with gas guzzlers and big
fenders. As a friend, I’m telling you to
save your money, and try to sell your
product to the Third World. They will
drive anything they can get their hands
on.”
The ex-admiral bowed and sail
“Perhaps you are right. But as long J
am here maybe I will find someone*!
is interested.”
It was 1981, and both the Amend
ex-aide and the Japanese ex-adi®[
had aged considerably. Whenitj
American walked into the luxuriousej
fices of the ex-admiral, the Japanej
stood up slowly and bowed.
“Ah so. And what brings you toft
kyo, my good friend?”
“I’ve been sent by the President of ill
United States,” the American said.“
knows we go way back, and felt Ishoi
bring his message personally.”
“What message?”
“He wants you to stop making
many damn Japanese cars.”
“But if we can’t make cars, whatdi
can we make?”
“He wants you to start making arms
“But we don’t know how to ma!
arms.”
“The President told me to give)®
this.”
“What is it?”
“A book of instructions.”
Keep them away
EDITOR:
Let’s keep the firemen away until
they learn to respect our traditions at
Texas A&M. Over the last four years at
A&M, I have kindly reminded people
wearing hats in the MSG to remove
them. This has never caused a problem
for them; no hairpieces, falling off, no
massive tension headache, etc. Well, I
have be entrying the same kind of ap
proach with firemen, who come to A&M
for their w r eek of partying and seeing
how much they can do (or get away
with) while their wives are not around. I
have found the results are not as suc
cessful.
It is not only tradition breaking in the
MSG, but they also have a tendency to
stand on the memorial grass. This
causes me to wonder if firemen can read
of if they are just thick-headed. In light
of this new view of firemen, if I was in a
burning building and had a choice be
tween getting consumed alive by flames
or help from the firemen, I would be
stumped.
There is a positive side Aggies, there
are some good firemen who observe our
traditions and participate like true Ags.
MARSOUK
©/TBS’MoiK7t#» FWT
United Feature Syndicate
*
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Kellie Dworaczyk, Editor
Kay Mallett.John Hallett, News Editors
Loren Steffy, Editorial Page Editor
ra Ot
Sara Oates, City Editor
Karen Block, Acting City Editor
Travis Tingle, Sports Editor
The Battalion Staff
Assistant City Editor
Katherine Hurt
Assistant News Editors
Cathie Anderson, Trent Leopold
Entertainment Editors
Cathy Riely, Walter Smilli
Staff Writers Karen Block
Ed Cassavoy,Jerry Oslin
Brian Pearson
Copy Editor Trent Leopold
Make-up Editor Ed Cassavoy.
Columnists Cheryl Clark
Karl Pallmeyct
Photo Editor 1
Katherine Halt
Photographers Greg Bailey
Anthony Caspet
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