Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1987)
Tuesday, September 1,1987n~he Battalion/Page 3 State and Local ROTHER’S BOOKSTORES Proudly Serving Texas A&M for the past ten years 340 Jersey (across from Unlv. Police) 901 Harvey (Woodetone Center) —A&M prof offers views on man chosen to be high court justice * Senate to review Bark's nomination by Reagan this month By Doug Driskell Senior Sports Writer I Editor’s note: This month the ft/.S. Senate will review Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme fourt. Bork’s nomination by Presi dent Reagan has created controversy t§/nong many civil rights groups. I Dr. Larry Hickman, a Texas A&M mhilosophy professor who is a mem- Ber of the American Civil Liberties ft'nion, agreed to give his views on ■h/s issue in a Battalion interview. I With a lighted cigar in his mouth, Dr. Larry Hickman leaned back in his chair and waited for the first question. I Q: Who is Robert H. Bork? I A: The first thing that comes to Ihind is he’s the guy who’s responsi ble for the articulation of the Satur- cjay Night Massacre. He’s the guy who fired Archibald Cox. ■ Q: What was the Saturday Night Massacre? I A: Archibald Cox was the special ■rosecutor investigating the Water- gjate affair. What happened was the word went out from Nixon’s office that the attorney general, who was then Elliot Richardson, was to fire the special prosecutor. Richardson refused. It went on down one level to somebody I cannot remember How, who also refused. It got to Bork and Bork did it. ■ It infuriated a lot of people that Hixon would have people working for him who would do this kind of thing. |§ Q: What are Bork’s political be liefs? A: He is a right-wing ideologue, he is not a conservative. Bork is a re actionary. I wouldn’t in any way call him a conservative. Q: Why does Ronald Reagan want Bork in the Supreme Court if Bork is not a conservative? A: Well, because Ronald Reagan is not a conservative. I have been saying this for years. He is not a con servative, he is a reactionary. He is a right-winger, but a conservative is a person who believes that you should have minimum government inter vention into people’s lives. Bork and Reagan are not that mold. You can see, for instance, from the position that Bork has mapped out on the First Amendment, that he is not a conservative. What is that position? Well, as far as we can tell his position is that the First Amendment does not fully apply to artistic or scientific matters and that it only applies to political issues. If he was given free reign he would be for intrusion into artistic and scientific expression. And that is something that we have come way too far in our society to al low. Q: Why should the average per son oppose Bork, in your view? A: I have long since given up on trying to fathom what the average person is up to, especially in the af termath of the Oliver North affair. The question to be asked to the aver age person is whether one is for open access to scientific and artistic expression and whether one feels that there are scientists and artists out there who have something to say that we would like to hear. If you do not think that is very im portant, and if you think the govern ment should have power in those areas to keep us from having access to that information, then I suppose you should be for Bork. But if you believe that the government of this country is not really either tradition ally or correctly charged with inter vention into those affairs, then you should be against him. Q: Who should be the most afraid of Bork? A: Blacks, women, anyone who is not a white Protestant or a Catholic male. Any of those people are going to suffer a retrogression in terms of their liberties. I read a piece in the New York Times in which a group of attorneys had done a study of Bork’s decisions. They found in 90- some-odd percent of the cases in which a decision had to be made ei ther for the corporation or the indi vidual, he decided for the corpora tion. In cases where it is a question of the government vs. the individual, he decided for the government. The guy is for big power groups. He is not for the underdog. He is not for the individual. Conservatives are for the individual. It seems to me that if a person is a true conservative that he would be against Bork. Q: Do you think Bork will be ap proved by the U.S. Senate? A: I think it will be real close. I think there is a real danger here. That is, the people who oppose Bork are afraid to push the issue because they still believe that Reagan is very popular and if they fight him, it will cost them in the November ’88 elec tion. By the way, I do not buy that busi ness that ideology or political views should not enter into the confirma tion process. Q: Who supports the view that these factors should not be weighed? A: The Republican supporters — Alan Simpson, R-Wyo., Robert Dole, R-Kan., Orrin Hatch, R-Utah — the main supporters of Reagan. All of these people are saying this should not be a political issue in the Senate confirmation and I think this is abso lutely false. The guy was chosen on the grounds of his political ideology. For Reagan then to say ‘Well, this has nothing to do with politics’ is just a case of self-deception. Q: What will happen if Bork gets thejob? A: The I think it is a safe guess that Bork does not like Roe vs. Wade; he believes the decision of whether abortion should be allowed and to what extent should be left in the hands of the state. This means that if you are a woman, whether or not you ever an- ticiptate having an abortion at all, then your future behavior is going to depend on: one, how close to Mexico you live and how willing you are to undergo uncertain medical prac tices. Two, who got elected governor in that state. In Texas you would not be doing very well right now. And three, how close you are to a state that provides abortions. ROTHER’S BOOKSTORES All A&M texts available at both locations 340 Jersey (across from Unlv. Police) 901 Harvey (Woodstone Center) REORDER WEEK -- No Minimum Order -- THIS WEEK ONLY! Order party pics from: All Greek Parties Dorm Parties Elephant Walk Casino Night, etc... PHOTO SYSTEMS Party Pics 313 Dominik 693-8181 TEXAS AStM UNIVERSITY SYMPHONIC BAND rehearsals twice a week membership by audition activities include concerts instrumentation set for 75-80 renew acquaintances from AU-State, Area, Region and District Bands open to all students fashion thar: :n by one per>; .arefully writir inguage to av td ret used to because her isition as an Pickens leads group offering buyout of mining company for $5.64 billion t ea red the ither andhent DALLAS (AP) — An investor ■ correspondin; 8 lou P l e d by oilman T. Boone Pick- i. [Tit e^s made a $5.64 billion buyout of fer Monday for Newmont Mining Corp., setting up a possible battle ng the opennte against Newmont’s biggest share r’s friends in tilt holder, Consolidated Gold Fields >11 nothingha: |LC. average citizen Newmont stock soared $9.50 to , $02 in New York Stock Exchange i, k\ sa\.i> trading following disclosure of the fc)5 a share offer. Mooquickto The investor group, Ivanhoe ropaganda.Tht Partners, disclosed early in August it i been one of tin held 9.95 percent of Newmont’s 66 Its ever to exist S^hion common shares outstanding . . . . and might seek to acquire the rest. I justified tne unt ii Monday’s offer there under Stalin U was uncertainty over whether the and remainsit group — 45 percent held by Pickens’ rnment still Mesa Limited Partnership — actu- nd psychiatric Vy would make a play for New- I will not toe the niont ’ a Nevv York-based mining and Hhergy company. H A major obstacle is Consolidated Gold Fields, a London-based gold ding with the mining concern that holds a 26.2 ght us not to percent stake in Newmont. Is at face value. Consolidated stated Aug. 19 that , i- s tj-guy. it supported Newmont’s desire to re- , ‘ .main independent and would take )f disinformatii whatever a t ctiori it deemed appropri- ig-range goat a t e to thwart a hostile bid. hould not be so But Consolidated also has said it the leopard hai does not want to take over Newmont ead, let us make or to increase its stake in the com- Dn that they "W^Y- • . , In a letter to Newmont outlining 1 '. e in the buyout offer, Pickens indicated ■i ity oi then Ivanhoe’s offer “represents a signifi- id lasting cant premium to recent market prices and more than 200 percent of the price at which Newmont sold its own shares to the public only two months ago.” The letter also stated Ivanhoe was willing to discuss alternatives to Con solidated’s sale of its Newmont inter est, such as an exchange of its stock interest for direct ownership in one or more Newmont assets or contin ued ownership by Consolidated of a minority interest. Newmont spokesman James Hill was said to be unavailable for com ment and did not return telephone calls. Hill’s secretary, Dari Gates, said there were no immediate plans for a board meeting. Pickens also was not available for comment and did not return tele phone calls. Spokesmen for London-based Consolidated said it was too early to comment on the buyout offer. But a company official in London, who declined to be identified, said Consolidated stood by its Aug. 19 statement. Ronald Shorr, an analyst with Bear Stearns & Co. in New York, said Ivanhoe’s $95 a share offer was close to what Newmont would be worth if sold off in pieces. “I think (Pickens) would do what ever possible to give himself the quickest profit, and that wouldn’t be operating Newmont Mining Co. without some dramatic change in the financial situation,” Shorr said. Shorr also speculated that if Con solidated declined to acquire a larger interest in Newmont, the company might seek aid from other mineral companies. Newmont last week revised sharply higher the estimated geolo gic reserves and gold production of its 90 percent-owned Newmont Gold subsidiary, in a report that raised the company’s potential value. Newmonth also owns 75 percent of Newmont Australia and a stake in Nevada’s Carlin Trend, considered one of the world’s biggest gold de posits. The company had a profit of $315.5 million, or $5.09 per share, in the first half of 1987, including one-time gains of $330, million from public stock offerings. That compared with a profit of $60.3 million, or $ 1.12 per share. The Ivanhoe bid comes after weeks of speculation following Picken disclosures that Mesa held sizable stakes in Boeing Co., Singer Co. and Newmont. Although Amarillo-based Mesa had indicated it might seek up to 15 percent each of Boeing and Singer, there was widespread doubt that Pickens would attempt to mount a takeover for either company. Rather, it was thought Pickens was more interested in making a profit from his stock holdings, in order to help boost Mesa’s sluggish cash flow and its stock price. In the past Mesa has launched hostile takeover bids for such energy giants as Gulf Corp. and Phillips Pe troleum Co. and made millions of dollars in profits when the target company either repurchased its own stock or was acquired by a higher bidder. Based on Monday’s stock prices, Ivanhoe could realize millions of dollars in profits from its Newmont holdings. Ivanhoe acquired the bulk of its stake for prices of $75.92 or less, in cluding 300,000 shares at $45 apiece during a Newmont public offering in June. “I think (Pickens) would do whatever possible to give himself the quickest profit, and that wouldn't be oper ating Newmont Mining Co. without some dramatic change in the financial situation. ” — Ronald Shorr, analyst ■st big step on tl' 1 the Soviet 'y limited a facade e West. Though society in the d not let wishful erceptionof ts bear out the , it remains v the Soviet re free. nior Russian a columnist (o' Texas prisons hit capacity, close doors HUNTSVILLE (AP) — The 27-unit Texas prison system was well above its state-mandated 95- percent population limit Monday, officials said. I “We sent a teletype out today that we will not be open tomor row,” said Charles Brown, spokesman for the Texas Depart ment of Corrections. At a midnight count, the pop ulation of the prison system stood at 39,009, or 96.32 percent of ca- P acit Y> ^35 over the 95 percent PM. cap, Brown said. After the count was taken, 324 prisoners were admitted, while 102 were released, Brown said. The prison system, the third largest in the United States after New York and California, has closed its doors 20 times this year because of excessive numbers of prisoners. When a closure occurs, the prison system does not admit new . inmates until releases bring the total population to at or below the 95 percent limit. /1/tf iy mm c (, m Companies face few problems with new U.S. immigration laws EL PASO, (AP) — A mass of immigration paperwork has forced some El Paso businesses to hire temporary workers to deal with the backlog, officials said Monday. But employers by and large are reporting few prob lems complying with the statute, which calls for compa nies to help enforce U.S. immigration law by verifying whether their employees are legally entitled to work. Kelly Services Inc., the temporary employment com pany, has hired about 600 people since the new immi gration law went into effect last November and most had to be contacted later to verify they could work le gally in the United States, branch manager Rosa Na varro said. Navarro assigned two Kelly employees to contact the employees and complete the paperwork, a project that took about two months. The company is now checking documents as employ ees are hired. Anywhere from six to a dozen other companies have hired Kelly workers to deal with paperwork stemming from the law that requires employers to prove employ ees hired after Nov. 1, 1986, are U.S. citizens or have permission to work. “With the documentation that is required now, there is no doubt that person is a U.S. citizen or has permis sion to work in the United States,” she said. “I think it will reduce the influx of illegal workers into this coun try.” Since the law went into effect, the Immigration and Naturalization Service has been teaching employers how to comply. But the INS planned to start enforcing employer sanctions Tuesday. Employers of undocumented work ers face fines and even prison sentences. Some El Paso businesses said the law has not been a burden. But companies with high turnover, such as Kelly, or with a wide geographical spread, such as El Paso Natu ral Gas Co., have had problems complying. The gas company has had to round up its indepen dent contractors, who work in such places as Bloom field, N.M., and Casa Grande, Ariz., said John McFall, director of public relations. The workers have to take time off at company ex pense to go to a district office and verify their work eli gibility. But McFall said getting documentation for indepen dent contractors has been a minor problem, and the only one. “By and large, it’s going very smoothly,” he said, add ing that the 3,300-employee company has hired few people in the last 10 months. The law has been no problem at Tony Lama boot company, industrial relations manager Wes Schotten said. “Even before the law, we used to check for aliens,” he said of the 800-employee company. “So we have to fill out their (the government’s) forms and not ours. That’s about the only difference.” MEET (TUES) SEPT. 1st 12:30 P.M. E. V. ADAMS BAND BLDG. The Symphonic Band offers students at Texas A&M University the opportunity to play their instruments with others from across Texas and the nation. Rehearsing twice weekly Tuesday and Thursday, from 12:30-1:45 p.m., the band allows students to play in a group while concentrating on their major field of study For additional information call: Bill J. Dean Band Hall Director Symphonic Band (409) 845-3529 E. V. Adams Band Bldg. CAMPUS QUOTES ' ■ t ■ i ■■ ‘Dear Mom and'Dcuf, laot Cost on campus three times this zoee/Q (But I found tiezv friends at Campus Crusade... it zvas the first time T r r. /*•/' »- r * r r r I felt like I zoos zvhere I Belonged. mmmm It s worth checking out... campus Crusade for Christ Fridays, 7 p.m. Harrington 108