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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 1987)
TtieBattalion College Station, Texas Wednesday, January 28, 1987 Rebels, troops clash in Manila near TV station LH’ Hustler Dusty Hamilton relaxes with a game of pool Tuesday night in the Me morial Student Center. Dusty’s mother, Penny Hamilton, is an em- Photo by Doug La Rue ployee at the MSC Bowling and Games area. Dusty says he likes the white ball, or cue ball, because “it always comes back.” MANILA, Philippines — Govern ment troops and supporters of Fer dinand E. Marcos clashed outside a walled television station where muti nous soldiers held out Tuesday after President Corazon Aquino an nounced she crushed their revolt. The coup attempt was the most serious effort by disgruntled soldiers to grab power since Aquino became president in February. More than 160 rebel soldiers, about 50 pro-Marcos civilians and a few police held the complex housing Channel 7 and radio station DZBB. It was taken over in a pre-dawn coup attempt that included attacks on five military garrisons in which one rebel was killed and 16 were wounded. Defense Minister Rafael Ileto said 271 conspirators had been arrested and at least 70 remained at large. Military chief Gen. Fidel V. Ra mos said the mutineers were sup porters of ex-president Marcos and wanted to destabilize the country be fore Monday’s nationwide plebiscite on Aquino’s proposed constitution, which guarantees her a six-year term. About 300 Marcos supporters gathered on EDSA Boulevard late Tuesday near the broadcast center, where they built bonfires, hurled stones at police and shouted, “We want Marcos, we want Marcos.” Brow Reagan says he regrets Iran failure ■ WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- ™ Sent Reagan told the nation Tues- jj^Bay night that he now regrets his * j/k^fciled risk in selling arms to Iran but •' j^Rvill not sit idly by if our interests ^Hml our friends in the Middle East 1 f- ate threatened.” I The president delivered his sixth m JBtate of the Union address as the af l^ enta S on shifted its overseas naval , . ^^■orces in what one source described P as a response to recent hostage-tak- ni ^ ings in Lebanon. H Reagan said little about the situa- ...'tion in Lebanon and used the bulk of s his remarks to lay out the agenda for the last two years of his presidency. I Democratic congressional leaders, ^responding to the president in their ■fcwn televised remarks, said they were willing to cooperate with Rea gan, but that he must first answer questions about the sale of arms to Iran and whether he intended to Swap arms for hostages. 1 “The administration’s recent deal ings with Iran have cast a long shadow over this country,” Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd, of West Virginia, said. “The sale of ^^rms to Iran — in direct contxadic- tion to our stated foreign policy — pfraises real questions about trust. I “The administration has the obli- lORation to tell the American people / exactly what led to the arms-for-hos- 4* I bed roodp -the! team k would oo kies ■ probaEr •eceivintl teir top® ) be se| stuff. i: -| goinU ells said-1; Texas Republicans praise Reagan address WASHINGTON (AP) — Echoing their leader, House Speaker Jim Wright, Texas Democrats in Con gress reacted to President Reagan’s State of the Union message Tuesday night with calls for action on the def icit, trade and an explanation for his dealings with Iran. Republicans in the delegation, however, had high praise for the speech, saying the president had xeaffirmed the goals he wants to achieve in the last two years of his presidency and dispelled fears that his vitality was waning. “He was the picture of a president with a vision for America — facing the Iranian thing head-on, assuming resonsibility for it, but most impor tantly, getting on with the job of run ning the nation,” Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, said. Reagan'reiterated his support for a balanced budget amendment, called for a line-item veto, and said he would continue supporting Nica raguan rebels and a stxengthened U.S. defense. He also said some mis takes had been made in his dealings with Iran, but didn’t mention the arms sales for hostages. Freshman Congressman Lamar Smith said, “The president has seized the reins, he’s in the saddle and he’s ready to ride. He’s set out an agenda which includes a balanced budget, line item veto, welfare re form, and reduction in the cost of catastrophic health costs.” In the Democratic response, Wright emphasized three bills deal ing with clean water, highway con struction and aid for the homeless, already passed by the 100th Con gress, and said they represent a sam ple of legislation that will be pro duced by the new Democratic Congress. Although Wright said the Demo crats want to work with Reagan over the next two years, he and Sen. Rob ert Byrd singled out the sale of weapons to Iran in a deal to free American hostages as a major for eign policy blunder. “For the moment, our allies and our friends are bewildered and ques tion our motives,” said Byrd, D- W.Va., the Senate majority leader. tage deal — and what happened to accountablility in the White House.” Reagan said it was not wrong to try to establish contact with a nation of strategic importance and “cer tainly it was not wrong to try to se cure freedom for our citizens held in barbaric captivity.” He added, “But we did not achieve what we wished, and serious mistakes were made in trying to do so.” Reagan said his administration had made progress on many fronts but also said, “I have one major re- gret.” “I took a risk with regard to our action in Iran,” Reagan said. “It did not work and for that I assume full responsibility.” While mentioning mistakes, Rea gan did not say he, specifically, was guilty of any. Unlike his earlier statements on the subject, Reagan — in a single sentence — linked the ef fort to open contacts with Iran with trying to win the release of the hos tages. The administration insisted previously that release of hostages was merely a by-product of establish ing a relationship with “moderate” elements in Iran. While pledging to find out the facts and take any necessary action, Reagan said that “in debating the past, we must not deny ourselves successes of the future.” “Let it never be said of this gener ation of Americans,” he said, “that we became so obsessed with failure that we refused to take risks that could further the cause of peace and freedom in the world. “Much is at stake here and the na tion and the world are watching — to see if we go forward together in the national interest, or if we let partisanship weaken us.” He added: “Let there be no mis take about American policy: we will not sit idly by if our interests or our friends in the Middle East are threatened, nor will be yield to ter rorist blackmail.” Pledging anew to provide aid to rebels trying to topple the leftist gov ernment of Nicaragua, Reagan said, “Nicaraguan freedom fighters have never asked us to wage their battle, but I will fight any effort to shut off their lifeblood and consign them to death, defeat or a life without free dom. There must be no Soviet beachhead in Central America.” Troops fired tear gas and smoke bombs at the crowd several times. The crowd fell back, only to regroup and continue taunting police and troops. Reporters saw at least six Marcos loyalists taken into custody. Air Force Col. Oscar Canlas, the leader of rebels in the broadcast cen ter, denied his group had links to Marcos. “We are fighting commu nism,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press. “And we feel that the influence of communism has grown very fast” since Aquino came to power. Aquino’s government has nego tiated a cease-fire with Communist rebels and has held peace talks to end the 18-year-old insurgency. Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Eduardo Ermita negotiated with Canlas, but Aquino said “intensive military operations” might be needed to oust the rebels. The rebels released 37 station em ployees late Tuesday, and one of them said no other employees re mained inside. In a televised news conference, Ramos appealed to Canlas to surren der. Ramos, who appeared wearing a T-shirt with the word “unity,” said 18 roadblocks were set up around Manila to intercept possible rebel re inforcements. Aquino said earlier in a nation wide television address the revolt had been crushed. “Their situation is hopeless,” she said of the rebels at the broadcast center. She said she ordered Ramos to ar rest and court-martial those involved in “this act of rebellion” to the “full est extent of the law.” In the pre-dawn coup attempt, one rebel was killed and 16 were wounded in an attack on Villamor Air Base naer Manila International Airport. Another 52 xebels were captured after a foux-hour gun- battle, Ramos said. He said another force tried to seize weapons and aircraft at Sang- ley Point air station in Cavite City but surrendered. Military officials said rebels also planned to take over three military camps in the Manila area — includ ing Camp Aquinaldo that houses the Defense Ministry headquarters — but were intercepted by pro-govern ment troops before they reached the gates. The mutineers came from sev eral areas of Luzon island and in cluded members of all military branches, officials said. Aquino said she would not show the leniency she displayed against those in an abortive coup at the Ma nila Hotel last July and an alleged plot in November by officers linked to former Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile. Enrile, who was fired, denied any knowledge of a coup plot. Frolicking frogs take state by storm :e By Tom Hamiter Reporter | The dancing frogs atop Harring ton Classroom Building have been a hub of attention since tney were cre ated by Bob Wade of Waco in 1982. The three frogs visiting Texas t&M are owned by Carl Cornelius, 16, of Carl’s Corner, Texas. There are six frogs altogether — the other three adorn the top of Cornelius’ truck stop in Carl’s Corner. The frogs, Cornelius said, were made for Shannon Wynne to exhibit on top of Wynne’s Dallas business, The Tango Club. In 1982, Wynne said he “wanted something to represent the feeling of the new club. We had always been amused by the Mexican stuff, so we hallenger families ask U.S. to carry on space efforts SPACE CENTER, Houston (AP) — Families of the seven people killed when the shuttle Challenger exploded xeleased a letter Tuesday announcing plans to build space learning centers to help children ffi'take tht stars.” xeir own place among the I The letter, written in conference j| among all of the family members l|»nd issued on the eve of the first an- niversary of the tragedy, said the ’| W* crew members were “people who f worked hard to extend the reach of the human race no matter what the sacrifice. I “They risked their lives not for the sake of aimless adventure, but for the nation that gave them oppor tunity, and for the space frontier which was an extension of its spirit. They were teachers and scientists guiding us to space.” The letter said if the Challenger crew could speak they would say: “Do not fear risk. All exploration, all growth is a calculated risk. “Without frontiers, civilizations stagnate. Without challenge, people cannot reach their highest selves. Only if we accept our problems as challenges can today’s dreams be come tomorrow’s realities. Only if we’re willing to walk over the edge can we become winners.” The families said they want to cre ate “space learning centers all over the United States called, cumulati vely, the Challenger Center.” The letter called such a Center “a fitting tribute, a celebration of our loved ones’ lives, a triumph over their loss.” came up with the idea for the maria- chi frogs.” The dancing amphibians, how ever, conflicted with a Dallas city or dinance. Under the ordinance, the frogs’ height and size exceeds the limits for commercial signs. Wynne had said people from the Dallas Museum of Art and other critics testified before the Dallas City Council that the frogs were art. The council narrowly voted in favor of the frogs staying at the Tango Club. The frogs didn’t stay at the club, however, because the Tango Club closed — permanently. Cornelius said Wade asked him to buy all six of the frogs so they wouldn’t be separated. And he did. Cornelius paid only $6,000 and considered it a “steal” because they cost $25,000 to make. Other people interested in the frogs would have to make bids for them at an auction, he said, but their price would have gone up substan tially. “If someone wanted to buy them from me it would cost them $50,000,” Cornelius said. The 46-year-old businessman said the frogs currently at A&M are in sured for $25,000. After finishing their tour of Texas, the 10-feet-high, 500-pound, polyurethane lily pad hoppers will return to Carl’s Corner, eight miles north of Hillsboro, Cornelius said. A&M profs: Videotaped courses provide in-depth lectures, time to absorb material By Patricia Lowry Reporter The main objective of teaching two Texas A&M courses on tele- vison is to provide more compre hensive lectures to more students and to allow students more time to absorb complex subject matter, say A&M professors involved in teaching the classes. Management 211 and Educa tional Technology 645 are the two courses being videotaped at KAMU-TV and broadcast over McCaw Cablevision’s educational access channel. Management 211 is the legal environment of business and is taught by three instructors, each specializing in different areas of business law. Dr. A1 Ringleb, an associate management professor, said the main objective in televising the le gal environment of business is to provide more informative lec tures to more students. “We were concerned with what we could bring the students in large mass sections, like Manage ment 211,” Ringleb said. He added that the average enroll ment in the course is 1,000 stu dents per semester. “We are working very hard to make sure that we aren’t provid ing a dull, uninteresting course. We have plans to bring in guest speakers which, before, we simply could not do because we couldn’t get people to sit through six lec tures to give a five-minute talk.” News stories concerning the le gal environment of business, as well as some actual courtroom scenes, also will be used in the class, Ringleb said. Phillip Howard, a sophomore management major from Hous ton, said, “I like the idea of hav ing the same guest speakers for each section; plus, we will be able to have more guest speakers.” Ken Rue, a sophomore finance major from San Antonio, said, “The good thing is the flexibility of times to watch class; the bad thing is you can’t stop and ask questions.” Ringleb expressed concern about student-instructor interac tion, but said more flexible office hours and live review sessions should prevent that problem. Management 211 is shown Mondays, Wednesdays and Fri days at noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. on cable channel 31 ,and videotapes are available in the Academic Computing Center and the Learning Resource Cen ter for individual viewing. Unlike Management 211, Edu cational Technology 645 is a graduate course in microcom puter applications in the class room. Dr. Rodney Zent, station man ager at KAMU television station, said the majority of the students enrolled in this course are teach ers. The broadcast portion of the course is designed to prepare the students for the regular lecture. Zent said that, in a computer literacy course of this nature, it is easy to become overwhelmed in thirty minutes of lecture, and the broadcast portion of the course is an excellent way to prepare for the class because it is taught in a three-hour block. Educational Technology 645 also is shown on cable channel 31 and the students have four op- E ortunities to view it before each :cture.