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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1987)
Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, May 6, 1987 Opinion Wishing the Cold War a happy birthda The party was supposed to have started at 8 p.m., but always being trend-conscious, I decided that I woidd arrive fash- i o n a b 1 y late a t 8:15. The sign on the door said “Come in,” so I did. The room was pitch 2# Mark Nair dark, and for a fraction of a second I hoped that I had not committed the world’s worst fax pans of missing the party completely. Suddenly though (and relieving me to no great end, I might add), the lights came on and 1 was fiercely accosted from all sides with shouts of “Surprise!” “Huh?” 1 said. Someone handed me a party hat and one of those obnoxious paper horns. “Oh, forget it,” someone by the light switch said, “it’s not him.” Someone grabbed the hat from my hand, but left me with the horn. Everyone began to mill around like nothing had happened. 1 started my search for the food. “Hey! Hey!” someone shouted slap ping me on the back. “Glad you could make it!” “Sure,” I said, a little confused. “I didn’t know this was a surprise party. I don’t even know who it’s for.” “Oh,” the man said softly. He smiled, showing a solid wall of white teeth. He easily could have passed for Jimmy Car ter’s twin. “Well, we couldn’t put ‘Sur prise Party’ on the invitations or it wouldn’t be a surprise. And it’s the el ement of surprise that makes it so excit ing. I can’t wait to see his face when he walks through the door.” “Who?” I asked. “Who what?” he said. “Who? Who is it? The guest of hon or.” “Oh, the Cold War. It’s his birthday, you know.” “No, I didn’t know,” 1 said. “Oh, yeah. He’s the big four-oh this year. Except we’re only putting twenty candles on the cake. Won’t make him feel quite as old.” He winked. “Ah,” I said. And I didn’t even bring a present. “Well,” he said, patting me on the back again and popping a peanut into his mouth, “have fun. Get a drink, have an hors d’oetivre, mingle. Meet some Reagan should prove his concern about AIDS funds More t h a n 19,000 Americans have died of AIDS since the deadly disease was discov- Kirsten Dietz (liicst Columnist that, at this same time, he has proposed to cut basic biomedical research by more than $000 million. For all practical pur poses, this is the same as cutting AIDS monies. ered about six years ago, and about 1.5 million Americans currently are in fected. No cure has been found for AIDS, but scientists have made remarkable progress in AIDS research. For perhaps the first time in history, an epidemic’s cause has been identified, isolated, cloned and its structure mapped — all in a few short years. Thanks in part to this knowledge, methods of blocking and curing the disease now are being developed and tested. A report last year by the National Academy of Sciences addressed this need for increased funds in both areas. It said, “The funds (for AIDS) must be newly appropriated, not money taken from other research, because the na tion’s general health efforts as well as those directed against HIV (the AIDS virus), need continuing progress in basic biomedical science on a broad front.” These scientific breakthroughs have been made possible by money appropri ated both to AIDS research unci to basic biomedical research, not just to AIDS research. But what this level of funding should be isi both areas is a hot issue on Capitol Hill, one that has. pitted Congress against President Reagan. Since 1984, Congress has generously appropriated much more money to fight AIDS than the president has pro posed. In 1984, the White House asked for less than $40 million, and Congress appropriated $61 million. This year, the president’s budget was set at $213 mil lion. Congress upped AIDS funding to $413 million. For fiscal year 1988, Rea gan has asked for $534 million. Con gress is expected to appropriate about twice that amount — $ 1 billion or more. It.took Reagan until April 1 to make a speech on AIDS, which he called “public health enemy No. 1.” But he has a funny way of demonstrating his com mitment. Next year’s budget request is only $100 million more than was spent this year, despite the growing serious ness of the problem. The fact that Congress feels the pres ident is underfunding a program is not new. What has particularly upset some Congressmen in this case is that the president is deceiving the public about his role in fighting AIDS. In his AIDS speech, the president told his audience that the federal gov ernment is spending $766 million over all to fight the disease this year — quite a difference from the $213 million he really asked for. The remaining $353 million Reagan referred to is really the amount spent for AIDS treatment by entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. The American people have enough to worry about when it comes to AIDS, without having to worry about the presi dent telling the truth about the subject. By the time the Class of ’91 — next fall’s freshman class — graduates, about 179,000 Americans are predicted to have died from AIDS, with about 270,000 full-blown cases expected. The president needs to wake up and listen to the American people and prove that he really does consider AIDS a top priority. To do this, he should put his money where his mouth is and increase funds for both AIDS and basic biomedi cal research, while not cutting other re lated programs such as health profes sions training and health-education assistance loans. Unfortunately, he again has failed to put his money where his mouth is. True, his proposal for next year is an in crease, but many people fail to notice Kirsten Dietz is a senior journalism major and is currently an intern with the Sears Congressional Intern Pro gram in Washington, D.C. The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Sondra Pickard, Editor John Jarvis, Managing Editor Sue Krenek, Opinion Page Editor Rodney Rather, Cat)- Editor Robbyn L. Lister, News Editor Loyd Brumfield, Sports Editor Tracy Staton, Photo 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 ofjournalism. /Vie Battalion is published Monday through Friday during Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday and examination periods. Mail subscriptions are SI7.44 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, Texas A&M University. College Station, TX 77843-4 111. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. POS TMAS TER: Send address changes to l he Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station TX 77843-4 111. people. Make some friends. This ain’t a Cold War party for nothing.” I walked around the place, trying to mingle. But, as my diplomatic skills in such areas were, to say the least, a bit rusty, 1 had little luck finding new ac quaintances. 1 wandered aimlessly and watched the proceedings. It looked like everyone was starting the party sans the guest of honor. A group of turbaned diplomats were whooping it up over a game of “Pin the Tail on the U2.” Over by the window, a small collection of heads of state were playing “Find the Missies” on a large gameboard that was shaped like Cuba. Near the bar, Russian and American leaders were battling it out over a game of “World Trivia”: “And for ten points, who can tell me the name of the country where America fought its most embar rassing war to date? Oh, no. I’m sorry Mr. Rusk, the answer is not Canada. Oh, you’re wrong too, Mr. Gromyko, Wis consin is not a country.” I was going to offer some help but de cided against it. After all, they knew how to play the game better than 1 did. Across from them, a small group of people were playing a variation of horseshoes. In this game, they were throwing size 9 , /2 loafers at a model of the United Nations. Everytime someone would get a ringer, they would all shout, “We will bury you! Your children will live under communism!” Then diev woidd all storm out of the room, only to return a few minutes later in better spir its. Needless to say, I was having the time of my life. I was making my way back over to the punch bowl, deciding between the red punch and the white wine, when the man by the lightswitch hushed us. He was peeking through the curtains. “I think it’s him,” he said excitedly. “It’s him this time!” The lights were turned off, and 1 crouched behind the cheese dip. reads to yell surprise for the birthday! The drama was intense. The door opened, the lightl thrown on, and everyone yel it wasn’t him. It was President Reagan onIj his white horse. “Am I late?” he asked. "I fori time." “It s not him,” someone said.“ Ron." At that, there was a loud mum and grumbling that went aronrj room. “When’s the Cold War gonna? re? someone else asked. “I ve« | home early. 1 hat girl baby-sitil country is gonna charge meanml “Oil, the Cold War,” the said, taking off his twenty gallon ij put that on hold.” “On hold?” everone gaspeds neously. including me. “\ eah," said the president.“0t| Now, where’s the f ood?” In a Dt jim I and li Cla I Perez, jended protes Ions jjI |the Ci) In IClai k‘ [his m< ty go* merit. No, I haven’t told Ronnie yet-.Why 3..” Call Tired of whining EDITOR: Howdy Ags! I am writing in response to Mike Montgomery and all of the other two-percenters at this University who have written to The Battalion complaining about one element of Texas A&M that makes it truly unique and special, our traditions. I am sick of the Pallmeyers and Sullivans of this school who whine and complain because their rights as free-thinking human beings are being suppressed, because they can’t walk on the grass or because they have to insult poor t.u. during the War Hymn. This has all been said before, but why do you bother coming here if you are so dissastified with the life that we love? Why can’t you accept something that may be trivial or childish, yet bonds people in such a way, that the mere utterance of the word “Aggie” provokes emotion and comment? 1 love this school more than anything in the world, and it burns me up when people stab at the very heart of this campus. Sure, we’re narrow-minded, and because of it, Aggie Spirit is still going strong and it will be around long after all of you are forgotten. it off. Why? Because 1 tried to tell myself, “Thisisjusi another non-informed and non-experienced, opinion: white boy.” I do not know whether h was my feelings of obligaw to let the public know how misguided you were in your article, or if it was my own frustration and anger that prompted me to write t his letter addressing your unoriginal and unsupported opinion. So 1 sat back, and was just about to let your entire article have it wit h a barrage of “you don’t know what' 1 are talking about” sentences, when all of a sudden an id' struck me. Why not let Brian hear my same opinionfnt someone who was there in the very thick of the Civil Rif movement? I hope, Brian, that you read these nextfe# lines and reassess your blatantly ignorant column. Jon Watts ’89 Equal opportunity for all EDITOR: While desperately searching for financial aid in the Pavilion, I came across two forms for aid posted by the scholarship windows. One was for blacks and the other for women. All I could do was walk away confused. Who are the ones discriminating because of skin color or chest size? White males? A prominent physical therapy school here in Texas that I wanted to go to sent me good news. They were offering grants and scholarships for next fall'. It said special consideration would be given to minorities, handicapped people and women. I was ecstatic with the good news. Both A&M and the other university claim to be equal- opportunity schools. One of us is confused about the term “equal.” Two wrongs don’t make a right. My Constitution reminds me that “all men (meaning people) are created equal.” An idea for starters: Let’s abolish the little boxes on forms that say “sex” or “American Indian” or “black” or “Caucasian.” Let’s also abolish ratios. The best person for the job will benefit all. “We have waited for more than 340 years for our Constitutional anti God-given rights. . . . Perhaps it is easy fa those who have never felt the stinging darts oI segregationt"' “Wait.” But, when you have seen vicious mobs lynch yournrf and father at will and drown your sisters and brothers asa»! when you have seen hate-filled policemen cau se, kick under' kill your black brothers and sisters . . . when you See the vast majority of your 20 million Negro brothers smothering inaii airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an aflluent society when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fat* that you are a Negro . . . and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever l ighting a (legend sense of “nobodiness” — then you will understand why weft difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cupofendun runneth over and men are no longer willing to be plungedii the abyss of despair. 1 hope . . . you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience . . . the Negro’sgreat stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than Injustice;^ constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek,bull cannot agree with your methods of direct action;” who patei nalistically believes he can set the timetable foranothet man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concejn of time and* i constantly advises the Negro to wait lor a “moreconvenient season.” Martin I.utherKii letter from a Binningl® rica qii “Th Keith Irwin ’88 Words to live by Brian, this letter was written a little less than fouif before I was born — I’m only 19. If you actually arenai 1 enough to believe that things have gotten drastically^ for the black man and woman in this country as fat as being hired for our qualifications, and not being tunn .; away because of our color, then you are pathetically wrong.. Without affirmative-action programs, there wot be any blacks on this campus — or has everyone so quill forgotten that less than twenty years ago, blacks, byla* | were not allowed to attend this University. And Itloni give a fat rat which way Highway 6 runs! Wendall Gray ’89 Large EDITOR: In response to Brian Frederick’s column of May 4: You know Brian, when I first read your column, 1 tried to blow I.ptters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editom serves the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make evtr)' maintain the author's intent. Each letter must be signed and must mcluad’M sification, address and telephone number of the writer.