Page 2/The Battalion/Tuesday, April 29, 1986
Opinion
Allies after all
The U.S. war against terrorism has escalated in recent weeks
with the strike against Libya. The United States has found little
or no support from its European allies for its actions against Li
bya. Yet, regardless of their official stance, nations throughout
the world are combating terrorism, and, in many cases, saving
American lives.
The method is not always fool-proof. A British tourist was
gunned down Sunday outside the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.
However, many countries are effectively employing the best
anti-terrorist measures of all — preventative security. Indone
sian police arrested 11 suspected terrorists Sunday, only days
before President Reagan will be stopping in the country on his
way to the economic summit in Tokyo.
The Indonesians received help from Interpol — the interna
tional police organization — which also has stepped up security
operations.
Other countries also have stopped the carefully laid plans
and planted bombs of terrorists. Police in Mexico City deacti
vated a homemade bomb outside the U.S. Embassy Sunday. On
April 18, Turkish police stopped two Libyans from blowing up
an American officers’ club in Ankara. On April 17, police in
London arrested an Irish woman who tried to board an El A1 jet
with a bomb in her luggage
Britain deported 21 Libyans for what it called “revolutionary
activity,” and West Germany expelled two Libyan diplomats fol
lowing the bombing of a discotheque in Berlin. France also
ejected several Libyans following the LJ.S. raid. Many other
countries have increased security at airports and border check
points.
The motivation for these anti-terrorist efforts is probably
self-centered, but what’s important is that by and large, the ef
forts are working.
The U.S. attack on Libya may not have been a justifiable so
lution, but it has sparked an increased consciousness of terror
ism in their countries. The actions that stem from this awareness
are producing results.
The Battalion Editorial Board
Artistic justice
Former Philippines First Lady Imelda Marcos paid $3.5 mil
lion to an Italian art dealer for a painting she thought was by
Michelangelo. Now art experts say the painting is by a lesser art
ist and worth only “several hundred thousand dollars.”
How
payers of
themselves.
appropriate that after years of hoodwinking the tax-
f the Philippines, the Marcoses finally were duped
The Battalion Editorial Board
Fighting indecision
to send a message
According to
the polls, 75 per
cent of us agreed
with the presi
dent’s decision to
bomb Libya ; 1 4
percent didn’t and
the rest were un
decided.
The administra
tion asked me to
go out and per-
Art Buchwald
as to
right
suade the “undecideds” to cross over to
the “heartily approve” column.
I found my first “undecided ” at a
coffee machine trying to decide whether
he wanted his coffee black, with cream
only, with cream and sugar light or
cream and sugar regular.
“Why are you undecided
whether the president did the
thing in Libya?”
He replied, “I wish he hadn’t done
it.”
“What does that mean?”
“If he hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t have
had to decide if it was a good idea or
not. I do have some questions about it.”
“Shoot,” I said.
“How many terrorists did we kill?”
“Not many, but we sent them a mes
sage they won’t forget.”
“What message?”
“If they continue to export terrorism
around the world they’ll get more of the
same.”
“Do you think they got the message?”
“You bet they did. The terrorists have
run for cover.”
“So did we.”
“What do you mean we ran for cov
er?”
“Every tourist is cancelling his or her
trip to Europe. Why?”
“The tourists don’t feel safe,” I said.
“They felt safe before we bombed Li
bya. Why did so many Americans decide
to cancel after the raid?”
“They figured because of the raid the
Libyans would really increase their ter
rorism.”
“Suppose the terrorism continues?
What do we do to Libya next?”
“That’s a hypothetical question and
no one in Washington is permitted to
answer one.”
“What are you going to do in case we
have to get involved in more military ac
tion?”
“Support my president with my last
breath.”
“How?”
“By sending him a telegram.”
“What does Reagan do if the terror
doesn’t stop?”
“He sends Libya a message via the
Sixth Fleet.”
“Why doesn’t he just terminate Kha-
dafy with extreme prejudice?”
“That would be an assassination and a
superpower doesn’t get involved in out
law behavior.”
“You dumped quite a few tons of
bombs on Khadafy’s quarters. What was
that?”
“That was a surgical strike. Although
we wouldn’t be upset if a bomb fell on
Khadafy’s head, we certainly would
never put his name on it. I think I’ve an
swered all your questions. What have
you got to lose by switching from ‘unde
cided’ to ‘heartily approve’?”
“Why does it make any difference
what I think about Libya?”
“We’re trying to drive the approval
rate up five points because 80 percent
will give the president a mandate to
send another message to Libya.”
“I’m not afraid of changing my vote. I
just wish we had gotten the terrorists the
last time around.”
“We will get them when the White
House authorizes ‘Plan B.’”
- “You mean the president has a Plan
B?”
“That’s a hypothetical question.”
Art Buchwald is a columnist for the
Los Angeles Times Syndicate.
United Future Syndicate
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Fighting for equality easy;
practicing it more difficult
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ttpor
Across the na
tion, college stu
dents are protest
ing the financial
involvement of
their schools with
the apartheid gov
ernment in South
Africa. Anti-apart
heid activisrp has
become the stu
dent cause of the
’80s. Conservatives
Loren Steffy
and liberals have
banded together to speak out against a
form of government they consider back
ward and barbaric.
The sign-waving students are learn
ing about demonstrations, about taking
a stand on an issue and letting their ide
als be known.
At the Medical University of South
ern Africa in Cape Town, a different
lesson can be learned — those ideals of
activism can become active hypocrisy.
In February six white students left
the university, claiming they were har-
rassed by blacks at the the predomi
nantly black school. Two of the six sub
mitted an “urgent application” to the
South African Supreme Court, de
manding readmission. Because the stu
dents left voluntarily, the university
canceled their registration. But the
court ruled that the students should be
readmitted, citing the “mass thuggery”
on the part of the blacks to be unaccep
table “in any civilized society.”
When news of the court ruling
reached the black students, they vowed
to boycott classes until the white stu
dents were permanently removed from
the campus.
The blacks claim that the Supreme
Court ruling failed to take into account
the overall political context of South Af
rica. A spokesman for the students, Billy
Ramokgopa, said the group had noth
ing personal against the whites on cam
pus. “Our whole struggle in education is
directed toward the establishment of a
non-racial, democratic education system
in South Africa,” Ramokgopa said. The
spokesman added that the protest was
intended to demonstrate the “gross dis
crimination” in South Africa’s educatio
nal system.
The blacks are protesting the enroll
ment of the white students because of
the government’s racist policies. But in
an attempt to combat this “gross dis
crimination,” the blacks have created a
form of discrimination equally as gross.
They have become so consumed in their
idealistic quest for equal rights that they
are willing to deny those same rights to
others. Equality, however, shouldn’t
have conditional applications — for
whites or blacks.
■esta
that tv#o/u
apartheid statement of all
though they despise their treatraenti
the hands of the white minority, nhc
they get the chance, they willnottifl
their oppressors in the same mani:
that their oppressors have treatedtk
Human nature may say that turn
bout is fair play, but a goal as admiraM ^
as equal rights can’t be won without
will power to overcome natural retali}
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South African students have justifia
ble reason for protesting government
policies that allow them fewer rights
than most cattle. But within the closed
environment of this university, they
have the power — enough power, at
least, to have driven the six white stu
dents off in the first place.
The black student majority is in a po
sition to make the most powerful anti-
tory instincts.
If, as Ramokgopa says, ihe eniifcrt
struggle of blacks is to establish a not
racial system of education, then thesti ^ys
dents at the Medical Universityoughtl [ ,t .
show that they truly desire such a
tern, instead of a blacks-only system.
The medical students are caught
in the heat of protest. They have (Si
placed their feelings for apartheidoi
the ethnic group responsible for if
policies. Interchanging the policy
the stereotypical group is nothingti
to the protest scene. In the activist
oriented ’60s, the attitude was reflecifli
in such sayings as “Don’t trust anyoM
over 30.” The statement burdened
ery member of the older generaw
with the policy of a few.
The South African medical
must learn, as did the demonstratonii
the ’60s, that the first step towardei
ity — isolating the problem andsp
ing out against it — is easy. Theseconi
step — practicing what you preach
isn t.
Loren Steffy is a junior journalism w
jor and the Opinion Page editor fa
The Battalion.
Mail Call
Of apes and Christians
EDITOR:
As the semester nears an end, I would like to comment on
the competence of the Battalion Editorial Board. I have been
an Aggie for three years, I have noted the journalists’
opinions in The Battalion. Their opinions, along with those
who have written to the editor to complain, usually have been
infantile, ignorant and hostile. It is not a paper one would
write home about. Many great Americans would be horrified
by The Battalion. That is, they would wonder what their
children are learning at this major institution.
This semester has witnessed a noticeable improvement in
authorship. I refer to Karl Pallmeyer, Loren Steffy and
Glenn Murtha. These three have displayed fine qualities for
student journalists. Their writing is clear, readable and
competent. The topics they have chosen are socially
significant. Their opinions are thoughtful and based on fact.
Their conclusions have been accurate if not daring. They
have courage. Harlan Ellison would appreciate them.
Barring nuclear war, their works as yet unwritten will
gather dust with other fine American thought (like our Bill of
Rights). Their fame will spread far and wide (like Kilgore
Trout’s).
These Aggies are good Americans, good apes and better
Christians than most.
Roberts’ article, on the other hand, was very patriotic,
when one considers the source, the flag stops at half-mastaml
one tends to throw up the good of American slice ofapj
pie we just ate. The Declaration of Independence states
our inalienable rights were endowed by our Creator.
we as individuals choose to violate the statutes of that CreaM
we forfeit the rights that continue to change, as you
they should.
God’s standard has always been that homosexuality is
solutely abominable. Therefore, since you blatantlychooseio
violate your Creator’s statutes, you forfeit the rights that If
so mercifully endowed to you.
Mike Foarde
Class of ’86
Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in length,
staff reserves the right to edit letters for style and length but will make
effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each letter must be si)
include the address and telephone number of the writer.
Alan Brooks
Torn between two columns
EDITOR:
I am torn on whether to comment on Glenn Murtha’s ri
diculous comparison between the Bible and pornography or
on “guest immoralist” Marco Roberts’ somewhat twisted ar
gument about changing our values.
Obviously people throughout history have done things in
the name of religion that were wrong. But it is clear that in its
intent that the Bible does not encourage this sort of activity.
Pornography, on the other hand, purposely promotes immo
rality and twisted senses of reality as perfectly normal behav
ior.
Besides, misinterpretation of the Bible does not invalidate
the absolute truth of it.
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Editor Michelle Pow(
Managing Editor Kay Mallei 1
Opinion Page Editor •. Loren Sieff)
City Editor ' Jerry Oslii
News Editor Cathie Anderson
Sports Editor Travis Tingl (
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