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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 1986)
Page 2/The Battalion/Tuesday, January 28, 1986 Opinion Not a wasted effort Greek fraternities on campus are moving toward alcohol- free rush parties. Ronald Schultz, president of the Texas A&M Interfraternity Council, says he supports the move, and several fraternities already are holding “dry rushes.” We are glad to see fraternities taking responsibility for their guests. Pledging a fraternity should be more than just adopting drinking buddies, and rush parties should be more than an ex cuse to get free alcohol. Rush parties are intended to get pledges by familiarizing prospective members with the fraternity and its functions. Eric Kaysen, a member of the ATO fraternity, which is hold ing a dry rush this semester, says, “We don’t pledge the ones we pour out the door at midnight anyway.” If alcohol is the only attraction the frat has to offer, then it is not worth pledging. If alcohol is the only thing that attracts pledges then they are not worth having.' Fraternities have an obligation to their guests and members, and it’s good to see them assuming that responsibility. After all, fraternities should be pledged for their fraternal-ness, not for their drunkenness. The Battalion Editorial Board United Feature Syndicate M&RGUUES €>1906 HCVS|WtPP*T Learning to cope with deviant liberal tendenciej “I mu meon fm iioso ring “Pssst! Hey you.” I looked around. A dis- traught face was peering at me from behind a planter in the Blocker Building. “Yeah, you. C’mere.” It was my old buddy Irving Snodgrass. He Loren Steffy looked scared, like he was just caught selling “Bedtime for Bonzo” tickets to Mikhail Gorbachev. “I gotta talk to you — in private. I think I’m losin’ it. I think I may be a . . . a liberal!” “Shhhh! Are you trying to get us both killed?” I quickly ushered Irving into a nearby broom closet. “What do you mean?” “I swear ... I always tried to be a good American. I learned the words to the pledge of allegiance before I was five. I hung John Wayne pictures on my wall and I saw “Rambo” seven times. But lately, I realized I may have . . . you know .. . deviant tendencies.” “Like what?” “Like, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I got to thinking, ‘you know, maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.’” “That’s not so bad. Even President Reagan finally admitted that King was OK.” “It gets worse. These feelings come over me, and I just blurt out things. The other day I noticed the black smoke ris- ing from the Firemen’s Training School. Suddenly, I just shouted, ‘The government isn’t controlling pollution.’ I don’t know how it happened. I barely escaped the lynch mob alive. “Later, I was working on my taxes in my dorm. My mouth got dry and I be gan to sweat. My only relief was saying, ‘The wealthy should pay a greater share of the taxes.Tt was just a murmur, but I $wear my roommate heard me. He moved to the other side of the room. Now every time I come home, he leaves.” “Maybe you’re just not bathing enough.” “No. This is serious. In political sci ence the other day we were discussing Star Wars. I don’t know why, but I said, ‘The government isn’t promoting disar mament.’ The whole class grew silent. Our Accuracy in Academia reporter scribbled my name down.” “Maybe he just wanted to get your class notes,” I suggested. “I don’t think so. I went to the Quack Shack to see if they could help, and while I was having things stuffed in ev ery possible orafice, I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a national health care program?’ I didn’t even realize what I was saying. The nurse, taken by sur prise, dropped a tray-load of instru ments. ” “What did the doctor say?” “Oh, he was real nice. He told me it was just stress from clenching my teeth in my sleep.” “Well, see, nothing to it.” I tried to sound positive. “But my deviations stem from more than involuntary teeth-gnashing. I’ve even considered changing my major. At first I thought maybe sociology or edu cation. But now I’m even considering philosophy or, God help me, journa lism." “You do need help,” I said. I fished through my wallet and pulled out a card with a phone number on it. “Here, call this number.” “The Liberal Hotline?” “There are people there who can help. They understand. Millions of oth- 8 ers also have problems believing crayons can stop nuclear missiles." “Really?” “Sure, you’re not alone. You'rt the only one who thinks you're enough to keep track of yoursungi without having to tie them aroundu neck with an $8 piece of string, guilt that accompanies hidden tendencies can be devastating, lil Hotline helps closet liberals feel be! about themselves.” “Wow, thanks. I feel better alreii^unci Irving said. , Bidat “Don’t mention it. It’s not sobadil^^- aH, is it?” “Maybe not. See ya.” Irving optmj. 1 " the closet door and started to le^^ Suddenly, he stopped and lookedt*p f OI at me. “Peace, brother,” he said. pber Loren Steffy is a junior joumalm jor and the Opinion Page Editor The Battalion. N Military aid to the Contras would end export of terrorism President Reagan SSS has mentioned that Mark he would like to see Ude military aid resumed Quest Columnist to the Contras of Ni- ■■ ■ caragua. Military aid from the United ,States to the Central American rebels was reduced to “humanitarian” aid by an act of Congress last year. Since then, the Contras have been relying upon other governments and organizations to pro vide the arms and means to fight the Sandinista government. A decision by Congress to grant mili tary aid would be a welcome sign. I was worried that the act put on by Nicara guan President Daniel Ortega in New York, (nice clothes, jogging in Central Park, speeches, and so on), would per manently convince Congress that Nica ragua was a misunderstood and peace- loving country. Reinstituting military aid could allow the Contras to cause enough domestic problems to prevent Nicaragua from arming rebels in El Salvador and other The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference 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 Editorial Policy '1'hc Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspa per operated as a community service to Texas A&M and Brvan-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 dftministrators. 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. The Battalion is published Monday through Triday during 'Texas A&M regular semesters, except tor holiday and examination periods. Mail subscriptions are SI6.75 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. Second class postage paid at College Station. TX 77843. countries in Central America. The Sandinistas then would be forced to abandon what has been an exportation of violence and terrorism to stable na tions. Yet there are those who disagree with the Contras. Tip O’Neill has said that he prefers to negotiate with Marxist-led Ni caragua. And that was exactly the posi tion of the Carter administration — they were prepared to write off El Salvador as “lost to communism.” This was due to their estimation of the high infiltration of Marxist rebels, and their wanting to avoid what could be called “another Vietnam.” The Reagan administration, on the other hand, by supporting El Salvador, training its army and supplying the Contras with munitions, had effectively negated the rebel activity in El Salvador. The definition of an ally is where one nation helps out another nation in trou ble and does not abandon its govern ment to its own devices. To think that humanitarian aid is enough to be effective is being naive. The insurgency in El Salvador has in creased and the rebels there have just destroyed the electrical power grid which distributes power throughout the country. With Nicaragua in our own backyard, we cannot ignore the problem and hope that other nations will stop the Sandinis tas on their own. Like it or not, the United States of America is the sole leader in the Western Hemisphere, and we cannot skirt the responsibilities that follow. Using Grenada as an example, neigh boring countries relied on the United States to restore stability and peace to that troubled region. Military aid to the Contras in Nicara gua, if approved by Congress, would give the Sandinistas a taste of their own medicine, a practice which the United States has not pursued for quite some time. Mark Ude is a senior geography major. Soviet troop withdrowl from Afghanistan unlikei) Despite hints : from Mikhail Gorbachev at last November’s su perpower sum mit, there is no Barry Schweid AP News Analysis evidence the Soviet Union intends to withdraw its 118,000 troops from Afghanistan, U.S. officials have concluded. The outlook is for an extended military standoff between the So viet-backed Kabul government and rebel forces. Both sides are stronger. Neither appears able to gain the upper hand. And while the casualties mount — an estimated 10,000 Soviet deaths, another 20,000 wounded or injured — Gorbachev apparently has decided not to withdraw from Afghanistan in order to improve re lations with Washington. This could have an impact be yond South Asia, where the war has raged on the other side of the Soviet border for more than six years. It raises questions about whether Gor bachev’s leadership will produce changes in Soviet actions abroad. Since Gorbachev’s rise to power last March the Reagan administra tion has looked for signs of change in Soviet foreign policy. Gorba chev’s evolving stand on limiting nuclear weapons is the main barom eter U.S. analysts watch. But there are others, including Afghanistan, where Gorbachev’s approach is be ing measured carefully. Speculation that the Soviets might be thinking of a pullout be gan when Gorbachev took a rela tively mild stand in discussing Af ghanistan at the summit with President Reagan. “We noticed, perhaps, an im provement in the tone of the Gor bachev presentation,” said a State Department official. “He didn’t go through the whole litany of the So viet position.” At the same time, said another U.S. official, Kremlin propagan dists and intelligence operatives fu eled the speculation, whispering to reporters the Soviets wereju about fed up with their militaP venture in Afghanistan and wen prepared to draw up a timetablefc withdrawal. The officials spoken! condition they not be identified. Within Afghanistan, a dozet noncommunist figures weri brought into the Soviet-backed b bul government. But American analysts notice! that Gorbachev recited the stands Soviet position when he spoken the Supreme Soviet following til! summit. Reports that Afghan Foreigi Minister Shah MohammedDoS presented a withdrawal plan U.N.-sponsored negotiationsb' month in Geneva proved untrue. “There was a certain amount o : sleight-of-hand,” the official “The bottom line was that there vi no timetable.” Adding noncommunists to Kabul government is considered 1 ' be a cosmetic move, at best. American analysts reached sou 1 basic conclusions about GorbadK 1 soon after he took over. The first was that he would co» centrate on revitalizing the Sovif 1 economy. The second was that I 11 might pursue an arms contn 1 ' agreement or reduce tensions w the United States in other ways permit him to focus on his domesii' priorities. This analysis has not changed. But Afghanistan apparently not where Gorbachev intends make the effort — at least now. The Reagan administration !$ given the Soviet leader “appropt 1 ate assurances” that it would note!! ploit the situation in Afghanistan' 1 Moscow’s detriment, the officii said. In fact, he said, the admini' tration is prepared to offer guaf antees. Hints to the contrary, Gorbachc 1 apparently is not listening. Barry Schweid reports on U.S,-S' viet diplomacy for The Press.