Page 2/The Battalion/Tuesday, September 30, 1986
Opinion
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Cathie Anderson, Editor
Kirsten Dietz, Managing Editor
Loren Steffy, Opinion Page Editor
Frank Smith, City Editor
Sue Krenek, News Editor
Ken Sury, Sports Editor
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper oper
ated as a community service to Texas A&M and Bryan-College Sta
tion.
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial
board or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions
of Texas A&M administrators, faculty or the Board of Regents.
The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students
in reporting, editing and photography classes within the Depart
ment of Journalism.
77ie Battalion is published Monday through Friday during
Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday and examination
periods.
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year and $36.44 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on re
quest.
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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 216
Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station TX
77843.
Cost of carelessness
Twenty-nine percent of the applications submitted for voter reg
istration in Brazos County were rejected in 1986 because they were
filled out incorrectly. Since it’s predicted that Texas will have low
voter turnout for the Nov. 4 general election, it’s important that ev
eryone who registers does it correctly.
Brazos County Tax Assessor-Collector Gerald “Buddy” Winn
says many of the rejected applications are from Texas A&M stu
dents. Typical mistakes students make on applications are filling in
their parents’ address instead of their Brazos County residence and
putting the date of application instead of their birth date. Winn says
students probably are used to filling out forms the way they would
for the University.
Voter apathy is an increasing problem in Texas, and the guber
natorial race has done little to encourage a strong showing at the
polls this year. Only 20 to 30 percent of the eligible voters are ex
pected to go to the polls for the upcoming election, and no amount
of prodding will transform voter apathy into activity.
It’s disturbing that 17,782 out of about 60,000 would-be voters
who put forth the effort to register will be denied their voting priv
ilege — many because of sheer carelessness.
Students not only need to register to vote, but also should take
the time to fill out the forms properly.
Voting is far too precious a privilege to forfeit in the name of
careless haste.
Church-state marriage
forges scary offspring
I think Jimmy
Carter should run
for president
again in 1988.
I’m being se
rious here.
Lewis
Grizzard
It was about time somebody told that
toad Falwell to mind his own business.
First of all, he’s had six years to con
template all the things he did wrong
when he was president.
If he got back into office, I am certain
he would have a much better idea of
how to do the job than any of the rook
ies who would be running against him.
Not only that, but I think Jimmy Car
ter, who is a “born-againer” himself,
might be just the person we need to put
a halter on all these right-wing religious
fruitcakes who forget that this country
came to be in the first place because our
ancestors got fed up with the church
controlling their lives.
Imagine if television evangelist Pat
Robertson did get elected president.
He could defend anything he might
do simply by saying,“God told me to do
it.”
Where did Jerry Falwell come from?
Why do otherwise sensible people send
him millions of dollars? Why is it every
time I tune in to “Nightline” this guy is
on there pontificating pompously?
Is the nation losing its collective
mind? Aren’t we intelligent enough to
think for ourselves and mold our own
beliefs without the Robertsons, Falwells,
Swaggarts, et al. taking care of these
functions for us?
I was talking to a North Carolina leg
islator recently. He said, “You wouldn’t
believe how much power the church has
now. The black churches became very
powerful during the Civil Rights
Movement, and now the white churches
are carrying a big stick.
“And there is only one issue on their
minds, and I hear about it all the time:
‘Are you a fundamental, Bible-believing
Christian?’
There are nuthouses full of people
who think they have a hotline to heaven.
“Why did you kill all those people,
Harvey?”
“God told me to do it.”
Nothing Jimmy Carter did when he
was president impressed me more than
what he did recently.
The Ayatollah Falwell, a.k.a., the
Reverend Jerry, questioned Carter’s
Christianity, and Carter told Falwell to
“go to hell.”
Bravo, Jimbo.
“They will accept only two answers.
‘Yes,’ I stay in office. ‘No,’ and I’m out.”
Jimmy Carter would know how to
deal with these people and the threat
they pose to the rest of the population,
which understands the marriage of
church and state inevitably forges dan
gerous offspring.
To be certain, Carter is a church man,
but he is a rational believer, and God
knows we need more of his kind.
To borrow a phrase, “Run, Jimmy,
run.” The wild-eyed Falwellian funda
mentalist fanatics are gaining on us.
Copyright 1986, Cowles Syndicate
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Reagan’s dream weapons
won’t stop terrorist onslaughtsenc
President Rea
gan never has ap-
preciated his
Strategic Defense
Initiative project
being dubbed
“Star Wars,” after
the popular sci
ence fiction movie,
but the analogy is
more accurate
than perhaps even
Reagan realizes.
in hopes of stopping the Palestine Liber
ation Organization. The PLO, despite a
change of venue, still is going strong.
Inaction, of course, is not the answer,
either. It is idleness by the Reagan ad
ministration that led to the current
plight of the “forgotten seven” hostages
in Beirut. Some are now dead, a few
were released at the hostage takers’ —
not America’s — whim.
World, thumbing his nose at ReaptMuSTIN (Af
Loren Steffy
In the film, the evil empire’s Death
Star could destroy an entire planet but
was unable to defend itself against the
gnat-like attack of the rebel fighters.
The space station meant considerable
power for the empire in the future, but
it couldn’t protect itself from the pre
sent.
The U.S. war machine faces a similar
fate. It has the Goliath-like strength to
obliterate entire nations, yet it is unable
to handle the seemingly incessant at
tacks from a hoarde of terroristic Da
vids.
The president’s much-vaunted SDI is
useless against hit-and-run bombers and
hijackers. Reagan’s second most-power
ful weapon, his diplomatic tongue, is
equally ineffective. While the president
is pouring money into futuristic weap
ons systems and slinging rhetoric, the
most dangerous threat to national stabil
ity remains unchecked.
Presidents generally have had little
luck with anti-terrorism policies. Jimmy
Carter’s failure to rescue the Iranian
hostages cost him a second term. Rea
gan, too, has had few successes, but he
hides this well. The hijacking of TWA
Flight 847 was not resolved by a respect
able flexing of American military mus
cle.
Recently, two more Americans were
captured in Lebanon. The administra
tion either can play out its policy and re
fuse to negotiate or bomb known terror
ist hideouts, neither of which will get the
hostages released.
International cooperation has had
the most success in combating terror
ism, but even that has its pitfalls — even
so-called allies have trouble getting
along.
The Italians’ shoddy attempt to pros
ecute the Achille Lauro hijackers
showed that legal retribution against
terrorism was a relative, and not cooper
ative, action. Terrorist ringleader Abul
Abbas, courtesy of the Italian govern
ment, is sheltering safely in the Arab
But terrorism presents a dilemma
that few countries can deal with effecti
vely. Not many terrorists comprehend
diplomacy — they are fluent only in vio
lence.
But retaliating at their level, while
perhaps providing a momentary release
of frustration, is ineffective and demo
ralizing to the nation. The U.S. bomb
ing raid on Libya has not curtailed ter
rorist activities, and the same goes for
Israel’s eye-for-an-eye seige on Tunisia
get tough” policies
Even the president’s quadrupling:
the funding for military special fom
such as the Green Berets and it:
SEALs, and his plan, adopted in 1981
to revamp the Navy by 1991 atacoslii
$1 trillion, hasn’t ebbed the growingtc
roristic tide.
A recent Pentagon study found ill
the United States is ill-eauippediodti
with “low-intensity conflicts” — term
ism and guerrilla warfare,
war, we have no strategy ... toaddrs
the challenges of political violence, lir
study said.
The disunity the Pentagon
within our own military extends to tin
of our allies. The Free World’s
to deal consistently with terrorism et
ables the perpetrators to playonecout
try against another.
France will pay a terrorist’s ransom
and now it is experiencing the tal
blasts of those who want an addition!
piece of the pie. Italy, too, will talkim
terrorist tongue, refusing to cut offif
lomatic ties with Libya.
Americans, because of U.S. ties tot
rael and the overall Goliath-nessofW
military prowess, are juicy targetsfe
terrorists. Until we can estallisi
grounds for consistent anti-terrorist®
operation, we can expect frequent H
tacks from the bomb-laden slings!
these would-be Third World Davids.
Reagan may get his Star Wars, W
like the Death Star, his dream
will provide no protection from theW'
rorist attacks of the present.
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Loren Steffy is a senior journalism m 1 '
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The Battalion.
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WORLD
Mail Call
Missing plates
EDITOR:
Monday afternoon I went to my car in the parking lot behind
Moses, Davis-Gary and Moore halls and discovered that someone
had stolen my license plate. I don’t believe it was stolen to use on
another vehicle — bright green license plates from Vermont are
just too noticeable. I believe my license plate was stolen for use as a
wall ornament. You see, I happen to have (had) plates that say
“GIGEM.”
As fun as personal license plates may be, they are also essential
operating equipment for cars (try driving without them), and
stealing them is not a college prank, it is theft — a crime. Without a
license plate my car is useless.
I am amazed that an Aggie would stoop so low as to steal the
license plate from anyone’s car, let alone another Aggie’s.
I wish I could convince myself that someone else had done this,
but who could want something that said “GIGEM” besides an
Aggie?
While I realize that one bad Ag does not spoil the whole
University, he or she does reflect badly on all of us. I do not want
to be associated with people like this, and I don’t think anyone else
does, either.
If anyone has any information about this, I would appreicate
them contacting the University Police Department. If they don’t
want the police involved, they can contact me directly,
anonymously if they prefer. I just want my license plate back and
my faith in Aggies restored.
Jean Ricciardelllo ’87
Act of compassion
EDITOR:
k
No more maroon and white?
EDITOR:
When did Texas A&M change its mascot and colors?
Apparently, we now represent ourselves with teddy bears, hearts,
Mickey Mouse, rainbows, and of course — the Corona Beach Club.
Our colors now range anywhere from hot pink to baby blue.
What happened to Old Sarge, the A&M seal and Reveille?
What’s wrong with good old maroon and white — do they not
bring out everyone’s best features?
I walk into the bookstores and am surrounded by fluorescent
T-shirts that have one of these new designs on the top and Texas
A&M printed somewhere down at the bottom. One of the saddest
things is to see the cadets — supposedly the backbone of Aggie
tradition — pushing this hype.
I realize that these are the trendy things to wear, that teddy
bears are cute and Coronas are good, but not when they’re used to
represent A&M! It’s up to you and me — the student body —to
keep our traditions alive, but this is definitely not the way to do it!
Diane Alexander ’87
Out of concern for the health of our children, the public
supports medical tests and mandatory vaccinations for such
crippling diseases as tuberculosis, polio and mumps.
Yet when the concern is the use of crippling drugs in our
schools, we hear The Battalion Editorial Board echo the
complaints of the American Civil Liberties Union that mandatory
testing violates constitutionally guaranteed freedoms
(Wednesday’s Battalion).
But the addicted child is not free. Nor do minors have fulllejP
status. Isn’t it in the best interest of a community to look after tl
welfare of its children by exercising its prerogatives?
In the same way we regard testing for various diseases, testing
for drugs in our public schools (followed by counseling when
necessary) is a demonstration not of power, which we might fear,
but of compassion, for which we ought to be thankful.
Paul Koch
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial srf
reserves the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make every effortl®
maintain the author’s intent. Each letter must be signed and must include il (
classification, address and telephone number of the writer. «