Page 2/The Battalion/Friday, June 26, 1987
Opinion
Let the probes begin
The latest sordid revelation of Gov. Bill Clements’ leading
role in the Southern Methodist University football scandal has
jolted two state representatives, Democrats Paul Moreno of El
Paso and A1 Edwards of Houston, into filing a resolution that
urges formation of a committee to conduct an investigation to
determine the merits of impeachment proceedings.
Attorney General Jim Mattox has begun his own investiga
tion into the continued payments to SMU athletic department
fired. t
officials after they were
A report by an investigating committee of Methodist bishops
Elements was involved ir
claims Clements was involved in a cover-up to cloak his knowl
edge of payoffs to student-athletes and payments of more than
$800,000 of SMU money to athletic department employees as an
incentive for them to develop a peculiar form of laryngitis.
Whether politically motiviated or not, the representatives’
and attorney general’s investigations should proceed and be
concluded as soon as possible. Partisan roadblocks should not,
must not be allowed to stall the probes.
State government cannot continue to conduct business un
der the cloud of uncertainty that surrounds Clements’ credibil
ity and integrity. Texas cannot survive another three and a half
years of bickering and turmoil caused by the governor’s “unfor
tunate decision” in the SMU affair.
If the state is to solve its very real financial crisis, the stench
ry
of impropriety must be cleared from the Austin air. And the
only way to do that is to find out what Clements already knows.
Fact is safer than fiction
Newsrooms on
Saturday nights
are funny places. Q T O I V Ffc
Well, newsrooms m *
are funny places Garcia
on any night, for Guesf Co | umn | St
that matter.
It was typical
for a Saturday night. The room was
filled with a comforting noisy chaos.
The guys in sports were shouting scores
to each other and at the impatient fans
on the telephone who couldn’t wait for
the morning’s edition to find out who
won the Canadian hockey match.
The two ever-present, ever-blaring
televisions were doing their things on
opposite stations a little too loudly and
the police scanner was passing along all
the usual weekend DWI arrests.
The city editor was arguing with the
night news editor about how long a
story should be, and I for once was able
to get my stories in on deadline. I
thought to myself how nice it was going
to be able to go home for once without
first having a finger shaken in my face.
The newspaper business hasn’t
changed much since the days of Lois
Lane — the chief is still always
complaining.
People not familiar with newspapers
might wonder how reporters
concentrate with most of the world’s
current events blaring away in the
background. But it’s quite easy.
Journalists learn to think with half of
their brains and listen with the other.
Actually, you block out all the trivial and
listen for the relevant.
Certain words have a way of getting
attention. The usual catchy ones that
may come over the scanner are the ones
like shooting, murder, pursuit, back-up,
bomb ... you get the idea, cop show
stuff.
Well, this Bryan newsroom got a new
one — machine gun.
It became very quiet. It seemed that
even the television broadcasters took a
station break.
The police dispatcher’s usual chatty
voice dropped three notches as she read
the report. Two individuals were seen
entering the back entrance of Post Oak
Mall carrying what appeared to be a
machine gun.
The hiatus lasted probably 30
seconds before it dawned on everyone
that this was it. That means us. It’s time
to move.
The city editor told me to forget what
I was writing and go to the mall. “It’s
probably just a joke, but just stick close
to the police,” he said.
Great. Thanks a lot.
And if I don’t, I asked myself, does
that mean I get 45 holes in me in 3
Carolyn Garcia is a senior journalism
major and assistant city editor o/The
Battalion and a staff writer for the
Bryan Eagle.
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Sondra Pickard, Editor
Jerry Oslin, Opinion Page Editor
Rodney Rather, City Editor
John Jarvis, Robbyn L. Lister, News Editors
Homer Jacobs, Sports Editor
Robert W. Rizzo, Photo Editor
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We have
and they
seen the enemy,
are like ourselves 511
For just a few
hours Wednesday
night, the Iron
Curtain
surrounding the
country
Americans love to
hate was made just
a little less rigid.
Soviet
authorities
apparently
decided to give a
Sondra
Pickard
crew of the best CBS journalists what is
said to be the most comprehensive and
open look at Soviet society to date. For
seven days, CBS took a freedom rarely
given and ran with it. The result was a
fascinating two-hour television program
— “Seven Days in May” — in which bits
and pieces of the everyday lives of
Soviet citizens were professionally
captured.
Dressed in a variety of colors and styles,
most of the people, especially the
young, urban-types, could just as easily
have been videoed off the streets of
New York or Los Angeles. There were
few suspicious glances, scowls or “go
home you dirty, imperialist” attitudes.
In fact, those interviewed were quite
charming — genuine laughs and smiles
abounded. The journalists were treated
with respect and hospitality, and their
questions were normally answered with
candor and without hesitation —
something that may have earhed a
Soviet citizen a Siberian vacation not too
long ago. Although it must be
considered, there wasn’t a hint that any
of them were simply putting on a show
while the Americans were in town.
advantages of our capitalisticsy!
and the individualism it breeds
short-lived in the interview. Amer
need a more philosophicaloutlooi
life, he said. They’re caughtupiii
race, and entirely too muchimpo
is placed on being successful and
making lots of money.
Bi
‘The re
; base wi
Hh,” form
|d in a pr
jThe cor
A group of wildly dressed,tee: xhur
rock’n’roll fans — called “Metal®
the Soviet Union — crowdedaros:! Inman,
hangar at I
the foundii
seconds? It wasn’t a comforting
thought.
I jumped up grabbed the necessary
elements — 2 pens and a fresh notepad
— and headed for the mall. I must
confess I went a little more than 40
mph, but I Figured all the police would
be at the mall. And they were.
Squad cars were parked at the side
entrance to the mall.
I met the staff photographer —
loaded down with all kinds of camera
stuff — and he said, “Don’t get excited
Carolyn, I’m sure it’s a joke.”
My response was to proclaim that of
course I wasn’t excited, of course it’s a
joke. What I didn’t say was, “Of course
I’m not excited, I always breathe like my
throat’s in a vise!”
To make matters worse, I called the
newspaper to check if any more news
came over the scanner, and it had.
The Texas Department of Public
Safety in Waco was looking for two
capital-murder suspects, one of whom
seemed to fit the description of our local
machine-gun toters. The suspects were
believed headed toward Houston in a
vehicle similar to one spotted at the
mall.
It took half a dozen College Station
police officers about 10 minutes to
locate the guy they were looking for.
They frisked him.and found the
weapon.
The weapon — naturally on my big
story — turned out to be a toy.
The officers gave the guy a stiff
talking-to about how dangerous it is to
carry guns look real from 10 or 20 feet
away.
So, I watched the chance at an
incredible story dribble from the end of
a water-shooting toy machine gun. It is
especially pleasing to think we would
have scooped the local television station
in a major way, since it was too close to
their air time.
So, I got the information I needed to
write a short, funny story and headed
back to the paper.
I wrote it up, finished the feature
story I left when I saw the images of
Bonnie and Clyde and thought my
career was taking off at such a young
age, and headed home.
Driving slower than before, I had
time to think. I thought about how lucky
the police, the shoppers and I really
were that it was a joke. Our community
is being plagued by big-city crime fast
enough. So, I guess I’ll just stick to
collecting fictional ideas for those books
I’ll write someday.
It probably came as a big surprise to
most how much like ourselves the Soviet
people really are. Granted, the political
and economic system they live under
differs greatly from our own, but
whether it be the way they dress, the
things they do, or their wants, needs
and fears, the similarity is striking. It
seems even more striking now in this
time of “glasnost,” or openness —
Mikhail Gorbachev’s more liberal
attitude toward change in the Soviet
Union.
The ideas and attitudes the Soviet
people expressed about our country
carried a sometimes biting, but
relatively familiar ring. During an
informal interview, a young boy
practicing his snow skiing was asked
what he thought about America. To
him, some places in America would be
nice to visit if weren’t for the rampant
crime and poverty. And “there are big
elections,” he said, “only Blacks cannot
vote in them.” Ask an American child
about Russia and, unfortunately, the
response would probably be just as
negative, if not moreso.
There was no sign of long, brown
coats, black boots or funny fur hats. It
was spring, of course, but regardless of
the season, whenever the word “Soviet”
is mentioned, visions of darkly clad
communists plotting to take over the
world tend to dance through our heads.
When asked what his country might
learn from the United States, a Soviet
journalist said he wished the Soviet
people would work as hard as
Americans do. He was impressed by
American workers who finished
painting an office in a few hours, while
the same job took days in the Soviet
Union. But his applause for the
the stage on which a band that,(
for the foreign language, sharplj 811 '' ^ orn I
resembled an American heavy 1S
u j T-i .Mrters o
band. I he concert was, suprisinj ■ xas
state-sponsored. A band meml)e:I|>Thu S f
told CBS of an incident in whicli»<fnl in
group of young people from“tklimportant
side of town” had raided oneof tion is aero
concerts. A riot and numerousid |He said
were the result. The gang from
other side of town, dressed abii-Bj-^ c p n(
conservative and acting somewjftate-widi
dignified, was given their chancf lforts are to
camera. The Metalists, theysaid (for all st;
under Western influence, andnii
were doing was morally wrongij
for the Soviet cause. Thewl
sounded a lot like a squabblebj
group of young American preppeL
young American hard rockers. ■
The list goes on, but when the w I
cameras were shut downandalta |
and done, the Iron Curtain rental: I
at least in the minds of most Am ft
But in a much-needed way,CBS | ^
succeeded in showing usthatbehu n j^ u ^
that curtain is a society muchie for, f or f ls
own. For those two hours, thetek | The bu
showed us people we could laugh* ty. is virt
and even sympathize with, notpeoB an * ncre
we should fear Bar’s bud
AS A
SUCCESSFUL
BUSINESSMAN.'
Sondra Pickard is a seniorjounul; In an ov
major and editor of The BattalioiPdg et * Cii
cil membei
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THANKS, B/LL.X
pt fa sure oom
BUSINESS
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Texas’ future is worth the mom
Police
116 nieeti
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There is
nothing more
important to
Texas than
nurturing and
maintaining a 1
first-rate and
Jess Hay
Guest Columnist
comprehensive
educational system. Our economic,
social and cultural future absolutely
depends on it.
A special session of the Texas
Legislature has been called to consider
funding for essential state services,
including our public schools,
community colleges, independent and
public colleges, universities and medical
units. The decisions that our state
senators and representatives make
during this crucial session will
determine the future of generations of
Texans.
Texas is truly at the crossroads — we
can move forward or backward. Our
commitment to excellence in higher
education has lost ground in the last two
years with operating appropriations to
higher education being reduced by
$645 million. This has had several
negative results: it has made
recruitment of top scholars and faculty
members more difficult, it has
undermined the morale of our
educational system, and, most
important, it has sent a message to
business and industry nationwide that
we are no longer willing to make the
commitment needed to remain
competitive and do not care to provide
the resources necessary for a strong,
healthy economy.
The Texas Legislature must renew its
commitment to the future by finding
education at least to the levels of 1985,
or we will face permanent and
irrevocable damage to our economy and
to the cultural, social and political well
being of this state and its people. Both
the Texas Senate and House
unsuccessfully tried to improve funding
for education during the regular
legislative session. The Senate proposed
a $1.4 billion increase, and the House
suggested a $1.2 billion increase in
educational funding. Both proposals
are coming under increasing attack as
the budget deficit continues to escalate.
It is clear that our state must diversify
its economy away from dependence on
the petrochemical industry and towards
expansion of our service industry,
particularly the high technology sector,
in which knowledge commands a
premium. This can only be
accomplished through investment in a
strong educational system, an
investment that will pay huge dividends
in the future.
The Texas Legislature has the
opportunity to offer limitless pm
future generations by strengthen!!
commitment to education. Ifour |
elected officials choose to ignore:
need for a stronger educationstf
through inadequate funding, the j
do so to the clear detriment of tlif|
future prospects for every Texan
gedly m
lyard the v
Hours
and cha
Landon w
leav e fror
8>eton Cit
•ssed fre
T he oi
drop
law define
which
I encourage everyone to joining Some “ s ^ r
economic
battle to make certain that educan
remains a top priority of thelepsl " c hang e f (
Let your state senator and state Sa ‘d b a,
representative know that you wa®
funding for higher education
authorized at not less thanthe^
billion approved by the Houseof
Representatives during theregi^
session, and (2) funding for
school education at a level suffice
maintain the program enhanced
contemplated by the 1984school
reforms. Emphasize to themthai
will support their courageouseff 1
generate the state revenues necei 5
continue our pursuit of educatiof**
excellence for the sake of outfit / e; l r l ln jail
- T he pi
Texas’ future is worth themoi:' ©500 f me
Jess Hay is a member and font 1 '
chairman of the University of W the ca se t(
System Board of Regents and is
founder of Friends for Educ0'
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