Page 2/The BattalionATuesday, October 21, 1986
Opinion
SDI convenient high-tech alternative to arms talks^
“Why walk when you can
drive?” has become the battle
cry of 20th century America.
We love our technology, and
we’re willing to give up just
about anything for our ad
diction — including world
peace.
And why not? Technology
has permeated every level of
our society and has made us
dependent on its assistance.
With the pull of a knob or
Loren Steffy
the press of a remote-control button (you don’t
even have to leave your chair), we have instant en
tertainment. Movies are beamed to our homes,
and the human actors in them are being replaced
by robots, mechanical animals and computer-gen
erated images.
If, by some catastrophe, a show is missed, we
have VCRs to catch it and play it back, so we don’t
have to do without our technological pacifiers.
America’s mechanized society is becoming a self-
perpetuating world of high technology. When
technology collapses, man feels helpless. If the ca
ble goes out in the middle of “Hill Street Blues,”
nationwide panic ensues. If the car breaks down,
we miss class or work — walking is out of the ques
tion.
Physical exertion is acceptable only when it
comes in clearly labeled packages called fitness —
aerobics, jogging, racquetball, weight-lifting.
Never could walking merely to get where you’re
going be considered a workout.
Why rely on human abilities when technology
can do it for us? It’s an old theme, but one that
keeps turning up — most recently in Reykjavik,
Iceland.
The recent sort-of summit chats between Presi
dent Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
produced impressive arms reduction proposals by
both superpowers, but Strategic Defense Initiative
proved to be too big a chip for the Soviets to knock
off Reagan’s shoulder.
Like those of us who never consider walking
when we could drive, Reagan has become so accus
tomed to the dream of space-shield technology
that he would never leave the bargaining table
without it.
Analysts and critics are saying the superpower
meeting was unproductive, but it did give perspec
tive to the U.S. position. As long as we have tech
nology to protect us, we’ll bypass negotiating on a
human level.
What’s even more unsettling is that in Star Wars
we have transcended our confidence in existing
technology. Not only are we sure of what we can
build now, we are willing to stake national security
on what we’ll be doing 15 or 20 years from now.
Like the issue of Popular Mechanics from the ’50s
that predicted a Hovercraft in every American ga
rage by 1967, this is little more than scientific spec-
ulaton.
The Reagan administration sees — perhaps
wisely — that SDI is a powerful ace in the hole
when it comes time to put the nuclear cards on the
table. The Soviets, too, have their technological
crutches — including their answer to SDI — which
they don’t want to part with. We need to be careful
not to show our hand before they show theirs.
But we also cannot ignore how the weapons sys
tem debate dissolves the human element in arms
negotiations. No longer do we have to come to
terms with our runaway nuclear stockpiles. Star
Wars is our safety valve for leaving the table with
out a handshake. If the Soviets won’t negotiate on
our terms, we can wait. In a few years we’ll be
safely nestled behind a wall of laser beams, mir-
By She
rored satellites and interceptor missiles— snuga-
a microchip in a high-tech rug.
So what’s the problem? Our technological ad
vancements always have protected us inthepasi
although they break down from time to time,ttiei
do a good job overall. But in nuclear exchange!
one high-tech faux pas is all it takes.
Reagan’s why-talk-when-you-can-build-a-spactL
shield approach to negotiations overlooks a vitp| rn P' n S
point. Like the person who would rather drillr^ s l,(,Lmc '
than walk, it lets the human capabilities becoiftll£ e in ,, cl
n i_l .r r -i i r •. . . Kllen (.,)
flabby. It we tail to reach agreements withthefoLp, S j )0nsc)
viets now, we may not be able to later. ■tcSociet'
If the only language we can speak is laserbeamfAfnost 3()(j
and space shields, we may find ourselves on Afcler the
brink of a nuclear Armageddon, with our mudp te |have the
ballyhooed technology pushing us ever nearer vvaste s
the end. ft" 1 ";
The journey back from destruction can onlyteL., !
made by human means — person to person,iKi|j n(1 t [ ie stal
disc to disc or warhead to warhead. And if tw
spend all our time driving now, we may beinforiB-
very long walk later. H
Loren Steffy is a senior journalism major and ^
Opinion Page editor /or The Battalion.
man
Leading the crusade* 1 ®
v-/ ■ouSTt
for riaht to be clums
Thank goodness
for the President’s
dream... a defense
Shield against
incoming* Democrats!
I felt sorry for
Nancy Reagan
when I heard she
fell out of her
chair in the East
Room of the Whitt
Lewis
Grizzard
V
House. She was lis
tening to her husband, the president,
say nice things about Vladimir Horo
witz, the piano player, who had just
given a recital.
I bring this up as a part of my contin
uing crusade to help those poor clumsy
individuals — like myself — who fall
down a lot.
These people are terribly misunder
stood and often have to face unwar
ranted humiliation. Although it is 1986,
and we have become much more sensi
tive to people with certain defects, many
of us still harbor prejudices against
those who fall down.
Falling down when you are a child is
OK. We expect children to fall down.
But when you reach the age of upright
ness — that is, w'hen the girls in your
class have started wearing training bras
— falling down becomes something to
avoid at all times.
iOUSK
Hman
Hrv to
Hi ml pep
oflis gidf n
|| ^Slater ch
Falling down is terribly embarrassirJ A jury in
Falling clown — even on a pairofs»H e Ve-Sp
skis While trying to get down a ,»*>» ho
slope without killing yourself - itCj lshmem
cates to bemused onlookers a ccrtaH, )r T U e sc
sign of weakness. It a state
Once, 1 saw a woman fall down uiiPdLy told
department store. It was Christmas a |, e l]P er to ( 1
she was carrying many packages.
Everybody in the store stoppediK^L^;
look at the red-taced woman, vkHp
quickly gathered herself and her pil CoKev tnl
ages and began walking away. n|)n shak
just then, a wiseacre said to liiHiad re])
woman, "I’m sorry, ma’am, but wIM 11 leturn
have to go back to where youfriL" Hhe font
“Why on earth?” she asked.
"Because,” the smart aleck, li
frustrated f
“that’s where vour knee
groun
I fe
Political process doesn’t exclude students
Mike
Sims
Guest Columnist
As citizens of
the United States,
we have the right
to be involved in
the political pro-
cess. We have the right to voice our po
litical opinions, to debate in a public fo
rum, to criticize the opinions of others
regardless of their authority and to sup-
rather sacrifice these in favor of some
other political package. Students that
are concerned about abortion, whether
they be on the “anti-abortion” side or on
the “pro-choice” side should investigate
which political candidate suppports the
view that he or she has taken.
port and vote for the political candidate
of our choice. Yes, America surely is the
“land of the free.”
However, there is a flip side to this
abundance of rights.
Not only do we have
the right to be politi
cally active, but there is
also a sense in which we
are obligated to be ac
tive in some manner or
another. The legislative
process that persists
day by day in the state
and national govern
ment affects our lives in many ways.
The decisions that are made in Con-
BHUUUT
Even such abstract and distant issues
as aid to the Nicaraguan rebels may ulti
mately affect the college student in
terms of perhaps someday being called
upon for a more direct intervention in
that country’s affairs. The student can
not afford to be apa
thetic with regard to
these issues.
Who gets elected to
whatever governing
body to represent us as
citizens of the United
States and as students at
Texas A&M should be
of enough importance
to motivate more of us
gress change the prices of goods, influ
ence the way our education is con
ducted, regulate how fast we may travel
on our highways and determine how
economic policy that will touch the lives
of every businessman will be developed.
to become more actively involved in the
political process.
tion day. Even if our candidate does not
get elected we still should be concerned
about what transpires on Capitol Hill.
Our interest in these affairs can be ex
pressed by writing letters to our con
gressman, encouraging friends to be
come more politically active and
attending functions on campus that
might lead to increasing one’s knowl
edge of the issues. There are so many
ways that one might become involved in
government. Many times all it takes is
just a little bit of imagination and some
self-motivation.
As a matter of fact, an opportunity
exists presently for students to become
involved in supporting a political candi
date. The race for the 6th District con
gressional seat has been labeled a “toss-
up” election. This is the perfect time for
students to learn about the issues facing
them and to act upon their personal po
litical desires.
Being debated in this particular elec
tion are such topics as the importance of
education over a balanced budget, di
vestment, small business versus big busi
ness and nuclear disarmament. These
are issues that will affect us, if not in the
present, then certainly in the near fu
ture.
Since we are the leaders of the next
decade, we must be prepared to face in
telligently and pragmatically these is
sues with solutions. Right now, we can
help by being aware of the issues and
becoming involved in the election pro
cess — either actively campaigning or
simply voting.
A&M students often have been char
acterized as being politically apathetic. I
am not so sure of this. In fact, I have
confidence that we are not mindless au
tomations simply here to get a piece of
paper with the University insignia at the
top. All it takes is some interest in the
world around you and the realization
that you can make a difference.
Mike Sims is a senior agricultural edu
cation major and student body presi
dent.
■ cominj.
Bih. The
tball referee, replittK jud
touched isH er . p am
in contempt
lown once in a supermaria 1°identify hi
was carrying a jar of mayonnaiseatiilhotos showi
time. A kid said to his mother,“LociP*'
Mom, that man fell down." Then,lii*
kid began laughing.
I would have thrown the jar of nui
onnaise at the little brat, but it had
ken during my fall. I had mayonnaise
my hair. I had mayonnaise in myshoo
“My attorneys will hear about this!
st reamed at the top of my voiceasl
out of the supermarket, which was
only way I figured I could leavewittal
having to pay for the brokenjarofffij
onnaise.
Nancy Reagan isn’t the only fan
person who has fallen. Gerald F
who used to be president, fell ai
time. You can't have a president »!e
falls, and I am certain that's the realrtf
son Ford lost the White House toJi
Carter in 1976
Not only that, but Chevy Chase bull
comedic career pretending he was
aid Ford on television and fallingd
while a nation laughed its fool head
Being prone to falling is a horriblt
fliction and should not be laughed Ji
can happen to anybody.
Besides, Nancy Reagan couldn't
avoided what happened to her.
Not only had she sat through a
mir Horowitz recital, she also hadto
ten to violinist Itzhak Perlman and
list Yo-Yo Ma.
If that isn’t enough to knock you
of your chair, I don’t knowwhatis,
Copyright 1986, Cowles Syndicate
As students attending a state-sup
ported institution, we have an obligation
to keep ourselves informed of the issues
that face the candidates and how they
respond to these issues. For instance,
those students that are in need of finan
cial aid should be interested in finding
out which candidates support Guar
anteed Student Loans or which would
This may mean just knowing the is
sues and voting for the candidate that
best conforms to our ideology. This
would be the simplest fulfillment of our
social obligation.
The more aggressive of us (and those
with a little bit more time) also should
actively campaign for our “chosen” can
didate. Informed political involvement
does make a difference in the long run.
We can determine our own future wel
fare by the vote we cast.
Fortunately, our involvement in the
political process does not end on elec-
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.
The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during
T exas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday and examination
periods.
Mail subscriptions are $17.44 per semester, $34.62 per school
year and $36.44 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on re
quest.
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.
POSTMASTER: Send address cnanges to The Battalion, 216
Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station TX
77843.
Mail Call
Unjustified abuse
EDITOR:
As a Christian, I strongly protest Karl Pallmeyer’s
slur of Pat Robertson and other politically active Christian
leaders (Thursday’s Battalion). I see nothing in either
Robertson or Jerry Falwell that differ with what the Bible
says. Pallmeyer’s abuse is unjustified and erroneous.
For example, he said that God takes no interest in
politics. If that’s so, why did he destroy the people who
opposed Moses and, later on, all of the wicked kings of
Israel and Judah? The Bible also speaks about the need for
righteous leaders in Proverbs. Besides, if the righteous
don’t rule, who will? The unrighteous! I use the Bible’s
definition of righteousness, since it’s the only one that
counts.
I also must differ with Pallmeyer’s inference that
Robertson’s followers have no minds of their own. The
Bible does say to honor authority, but never follow a
leader blindly. We should obey a leader as we would obey
God, so if a leader disobeys Cod, we need not obey him.
Please don’t make Robertson look like Jim Jones. I have a
mind of my own and I choose to follow God and Pat Rob
ertson.
James E. Sexton ’88
Trash on the shelves
EDITOR:
Just recently I was browsing in the current periodicals
section of the Sterling C. Evans Library when I accidently
came across a magazine called The Advocate.
What I found it contained totally shocked me. fttrasa
magazine promoting homosexuality. Much worse,it
contained explicit photos of this type of societal
incompetence. When I inquired at the main desk astotdi!
trash like this was allowed to be put on the shelves, 1 was
told that people complained about having it removed.
I told them it would be best for society’s sake to have
trash like that removed from the shelves. It is immoral
both in the Lord’s eyes and in society’s eyes to have trash
like that even published. If periodicals like that areallowdi
to be displayed in the library, then why aren’t Penthouse
and Playboy?
Robert D. Farrell
EDITOR’S NOTE: Playboy is available in the Currentfrj
riodicals Department, but it is kept behind the counter
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. ThecdW
staf f reserves the right to edit letters for style and length, but willn
every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each letter mustbeiiji
and must include the classification, address and telephonenumberolq
writer.