Page 2/The Battalion/Tuesday, December 17,1985
Opinion
Keeping a secret
Attorney General Edwin Meese claims that declassifying the
number of documents currently on the government’s top secret
list would curb the recent wave of espionage. A wave that has
been wreaking havoc on America’s internal security system. The
proposal contradicts the policy of the Reagan administration,
but it makes sense.
The fewer documents that have to be protected, the easier it
is to guard them. Unfortunately the Reagan administration
seems to think the more classified documents the better.
A 1982 executive order, which remains in force, calls for in
creased classification of government documents. In 1984 the ad
ministration classified nearly 20 million pieces of information, a
9 percent increase over 1983. In addition, the Defense Depart
ment now requires every Pentagon official to withhold technical
data and contract information from the public.
With the increase in protected information, internal security
systems are being spread too thin. We need to guard our na
tional secrets, but not sacrifice our security by using our re
sources to protect information that doesn’t need protection.
If the Reagan administration would stop trying to obstruct
the free flow of information to the people, we might be able to
minimize the damage of the recent spy epidemic.
The Battalion Editorial Board
" SOMEDAY,m. Alim WILL BE PENNZOIL'S
tn tr
in
Give to the needy defense contractor of your choice
Since it is
Christmastime I
am making a fer
vent plea to my
readers for the
Hundred Nee
diest Defense
Contractors.”
Suspended by
the Navy,
shunned by the Art BUChWOld
Air Force and boy- ■ '
cotted by the Army, the hundred nee
diest defense contractors will be wan-
dei ing the streets for the holidays unless
each one of us comes to their aid.
Let me give you a case history of just
one of these unfortunate souls. His
name is Corporal Dynamics. He was for
merly a general and the most successful
defense contractor in America — which
is why he had a private jet, a chauffered
limousine and a hot tub in Georgia.
Dynamics was a founder of the mili
tary industrial complex and a friend to
five presidents. Fifty senators were be
holden to him because he gave them
PAC money. Then one day tragedy
struck.
But let him tell it as he told it to me
from his wooden bench in Lafayette
Park. “I woke up one morning and dis
covered that without my knowledge a
sales clerk had piled on extra costs for
spare parts on our all-weather Army
barracks night-lights. It wasn’t much
money — a million here, 10 million
there, an occasional 50 million when no
one was looking. While each overcharge
was chicken feed compared to what the
night-lights cost, there is always some
wise guy in the Pentagon who tries to
make a big deal of it.
“As soon as I heard what was going
on I became dumbfounded. I called in
the sales clerk and asked him why he
had been overcharging our best clients.
He said they were getting the stuff too
cheaply as it was. Besides, since we were
the only ones making night-lights, how
could they say what they cost? After
some persuasion he agreed to drop the
light overcharge, provided we jacked up
the research and development costs for
a canteen cup we were testing.
“This made perfectly good fiscal
sense, so I told him it was OK with me.
Everyone was happy until some malcon
tent in Army procurement blew the
whistle on us.
“The next thing I knew the FBI de
manded to speak to me. Then I de
manded to speak to my lawyers. They
said they would talk to me in exchange
for my house, my car and my cellular
telephone.
“To save his neck my sales clerk
started talking to the Justice Depart
ment. Everyone was getting surly so I
decided to plead ‘no contest’ to bilking
millions of dollars from the Defense De
partment. I was tossed out of the com
pany.
“You are now looking at a man who
faces the grimmest holiday season of his
life. I have no money, I have no job, and
because of the scandal I can’t play golf
at the Army-Navy Country Club for
three months. But I still have my pride
and I don’t want charity.”
I asked him what he did want.
“I’d like my title of general back. Who
ever heard of the Defense Department
giving a contract to a corporal?”
And so you have heard the story of
just one of the neediest contractors in
America. Can you enjoy your holidays
knowing Corporal Dynamics will be
huddled over a grate this festive season?
His friends have deserted him, the
military no longer talks to him, and his
wife ran away with an inspector general.
Before you go to sleep this evening
think of Corporal Dynamics and put
yourself in his place. Try to imagine
what it is like to be hounded by a power-
mad Justice Department.
And then multiply Dynamics by 99
more who are sharing the same grate-
contractors who have been indicted, are
waiting to be indicted or have offered to
testify against their closest friends. No
matter what the status of his case right
now, a defense contractor still deserves
a decent Christmas.
While all the neediest contractors
march to a different drummer, they
have one thing in common. They all
wanted the biggest buck for the bang.
Art Buchwald is a columnist for the
Los Angeles Time Syndicate.
Mail Call
Editorial too kind
EDITOR:
Since 1977 62 colleges and universities have partially or totally
divested their economic holdings in American corporations and
banks with investments in South Africa. Since 1980 31 cities and 10
states have passed some sort of divestment legislation. They have di
vested for ohe reason — it is the only peaceful way to end apartheid
and bring about equality in racist South Africa.
Last week the issue was presented to the Texas A&M Faculty
Senate. Importantly, the senators did not vote on the crucial issue of
urging the Board of Regents to divest, but only, on a resolution
forming a committee to “study” the issue of divestment.
How did tlie Senate respond? Some senators left early, before
the vote, while others talked about “spending the credibility” of the
Senate on an international issue. One senator argued that they
should be concerned about minorities at A&M, while others stated
that there were human rights violations throughout the world (in
football parlance, these are “end runs”). Not one senator stood up
and spoke in favor of the resolution. The Senate voted 42-13 not to
“study” divestment.
Considering that in South Africa during the last 15 months,
more than a thousand innocent blacks have been killed while peace
fully demonstrating for rights we take for granted, I think The Bat
talion Editorial Board was too kind labeling the Senate’s vote a “mes
sage of apathy.” It was unconscionable.
Terry Anderson
Associate Professor of History
Something fishy
EDITOR:
EDITOR 'S NOTE: The following is a letter to the editor of the
Dallas Times Herald. The author requested we reprint it here.
Despite the “thorough investigation” your paper has conducted
of Texas A&M’s football program, some puzzling questions still re
main.
1. Haven’t the vast majority of these allegations been examined
before by the NCAA? I recall at least two separate NCAA investiga
tions (1979 and 1981) in w hich most of these allegations were exam
ined and all found to be baseless.
2. Why are almost all the incriminating sources so questionable?
Most of the named sources who accuse A&M of NCAA violations
were either kicked off the team for drugs or disciplinary reasons or
“left the team under clouded conditions.” Are these the only sources
available?
3. Could the Aggies possibly be paying football players that
much money? It is hard to believe that the Aggies would pay
$20,000 to a player who never contributed on the field. Given that
the best players would receive the most money in such a system as
your paper describes, and that 157 players are listed on the A&M
roster, it appears the Aggies’ “payroll” would put the Cowboys’ to
shame. If this is really true, then ...
4. Why haven’t the Aggies been winning more football games? If
the Aggies have been paying these exorbitant sums for years, it
seems reasonable that they should have been the best team in the
conference for years, unless ...
5. Might the other SWC schools just possibly be cheating, too? If
A&M has so massively violated NCAA rules and yet has played only
mediocre football during this timespan, it seems reasonable that the
better schools must have been cheating even more. Therefore ...
6. Why isn’t the Times Herald investigating all SWC schools just
as determinedly as it is A&M? I don’t know, but perhaps it can be
explained by the possible answer I give to the next question.
7. Why is the Times Herald perceived as biased by some readers?
Perhaps a paper is perceived as biased when some sources (who were
not kicked off your paper’s staff for disciplinary reasons) claim that
unethical reporting practices, such as payments to get players to talk
were used.
I seriously doubt your paper will have the guts to print these
questions (let alone the answers) in their entirety. However, rest as
sured that readers of newspapers will read this and be able to exam
ine the merit (or lack thereof) of all positions.
If A&M is guilty of these violations, they should receive an ap
propriate punishment. However, I do not know yet the truth of your
paper’s allegations. I do know that something smells fishy — and the
main source of that stench seems to be in Dallas.
Chris Bowers
A basket case
EDITOR:
Ever since I read Karl Pallmeyer’s columns, I have wondered if
he was demented. After reading about his hatred for Christmas, I
am almost sure that he is a basket case. Christmas is a time that peo
ple worldwide celebrate the spirit of giving and caring. We do this in
rememberance of God’s gift to mankind — his only begotten son, Je
sus Christ. When a person hates something that beautiful, I can only
pity him and pray that one day he will see the light.
Merry Christmas to all!
Eric L. Self’86
Accepting the challenge
EDITOR:
Students Against Apartheid was at the Faculty Senate meeting
which rejected erecting a divestment committee. The Senate did not
see apartheid as a unique situation, or why South Africa should be
singled out for divestment.
Many faculty members felt that injustice exists around the world,
and they gave examples such as the caste system in India, women in
Arabia, rebels in Afghanistan and the government of Ethiopia starv
ing its people.
The Senate speaker, Jaan Laane, felt that the Senate could not
possibly do justice to consider these questions adequately.
In Laane’s letter to The Battalion (Dec. 13.) he stated that he
would endorse a study of “human rights violations throughout the
world by groups with the resources to do so effectively.”
SAA has participants from all these regions, as well as a divest
ment committee, and would like to take up the challenge. Further
more, we urge other campus organizations to do the same.
We will compile reports from various organizations and individ
uals, publicize them during the next free speech day and submit
them to the Faculty Senate.
The reports should describe the location and nature of injustice,
recommended action, preferably a comparison with apartheid, and
if the issue of divestment is relevant. This report should answer the
questions that the faculty committee would have addressed so that
action on human rights can be taken in the spring by those who feel
morally obligated.
Norman Muraya
President, Students Against Apartheid
Of mice and meals
EDITOR:
I’m writing this letter concerning an incident that occurred in
Sbisa Dining Hall during dinner Wednesday.
Some students brought mice into the dining hall. They put the
mice on the floor and kicked them to the other tables where other
students were eating. Some other students were throwing the mice
to other tables.
I believe that incidents like this should be stopped and the stu
dents involved should be punished. I don’t like this kind of behavior
in a dining area and I believe that I am not speaking just for myself.
Sbisa is a dining place, not a playground. Incidents like this
should be left outside,
Sergio Olavarrieta
Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff re
serves the right to edit letters for style and length but will make every effort to main
tain the author's intent. Each letter must be signed and must include the address and
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The Battalion
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The Battalion Editorial Board
Michelle Powe, Editor
Kay Mallett, Managing Editor
Loren Steffy, Opinion Page Editor
Jerry Oslin, City Editor
Cathie Anderson, News Editor
Travis Tingle, Sports Editor
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