Page 2/The Battalion/Monday, November 23,1987
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, City Editor
Robbyn 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 of Journalism.
The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during
Texas 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, Texas A&M
University, College Station, TX 77843-4111.
Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 216
Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station TX
77843-4111.
Bad medicine
The Texas Medical Association is looking foolish after set
ting contradictory policies on Friday. First, the group decided
that physicians who test positive for AIDS aren’t ethically re
quired to inform their patients of that fact.
The decision, which parallels one by the American Medical
Association, was spurred by the case of Dr. Robert Huse, a Mes
quite pediatrician who reportedly tested positive for the AIDS
virus. When community members found out, he lost most of his
patients and eventually his practice. Both medical associations
say the chance of contracting the AIDS virus from a physician is
so remote as to make disclosure unnecessary.
But the TMA board also decided that doctors who are qual
ified to treat AIDS patients can refuse to do so if they find an
other qualified physician to provide medical care. This decision
stretches the bounds of reason. Does the board believe the risk
of passing the virus is low only if it’s the physician who has the
virus? The AMA’s policy, on the other hand, says doctors qual
ified to treat AIDS patients “may not ethically refuse” to treat
patients with the disease or the virus.
Neither group’s policies are legally binding, but both are
supposed to provide ethical standards for physicians to follow.
Physicians who follow the TMA’s advice now have ethical stan
dards that ignore ethics and promote AIDS paranoia. The
Texas board has the authority to fix its own misdiagnosis: It
must ensure that the medicine prescribed is the same for the
doctor as it is for the patient.
— The Battalion Editorial Board
Mail Call
Call off the cops
EDITOR:
On Nov. 13, the video yearbook sent out a crew to cover Dr. Ruth
Westheimer’s book signing at the MSG bookstore. While the crew was
shooting this event the president of MSC Great Issues and the adviser, Daryle
Richmond, ordered us to pack up and leave. They said that they were
responsible for Dr. Ruth while she was on campus and that they would not
allow us to film her because it was in Dr. Ruth’s contract that she would not be
filmed or recorded.
This book signing was “open to the public,” as stated on the ads for the
event. Because Dr. Ruth is a public figure and she was at a public gathering,
we as members of the press have a right to film this event. This is not the
same as Dr. Ruth’s lecture, for which admission was charged, and which was
not filmed or recorded. We taped the entire exchange between our crew, the
president of Great Issues and Ms. Richmond, and it is interesting to note that
Dr. Ruth is signing books in the background and does not seem to be
bothered by the presence of our crew at any point in the tape.
The video yearbook is not interested in confrontational tabloid
journalism; we wish to capture the events occurring on our campus this
academic year in a new and different form from the usual yearbooks. It is our
opinion that calling the University Police department’s emergency line was
overreacting to the situation. We would like to thank all the organizations
that have helped us record their events, and we hope that in the future, other
groups will use more common sense in dealing with our staff.
Peter Hughes
video yearbook staff
Coll off the cops, port 2
EDITOR:
Last Monday I went to the College Station Public Library to look at a copy
of the San Antonio Light for a project I was working on. As I parked my car,
I saw lights on and people walking around inside the library. I went through
the open door and began walking toward the newspapers. Before I reached
the papers, one of the people in the library came over to me and told me it
was closed.
I thought he must have been joking and was about to ask why, when one
of the librarians rushed over to me and said I would have to leave NOW! I
didn’t know what she was talking about and asked if it would be all right if I
took a few minutes to write down a few facts about the paper’s layout. Then
this crazy woman started getting excited and told me that I was not able to be
in there and if I had read the hours sign on the door I would see they were
closed.
Well, usually when I see lights on inside a building, people walking
around inside and the front door open, I don’t stop and check if the little
“hours sign” says the place is open or not.
But I figured if she said they were closed, they were closed. Since she and
the other people were standing around talking, I asked if I could take a few
minutes to study the paper’s layout. Now she was nearly hysterical, and
started to rush over to the phone and said, “Sir, if you don’t leave NOW, I’m
going to have to call the POLICE!” I didn’t believe what was happening. I
said “WHAT is the MATTER with you!? All I asked was if I could look at the
papers for a few minutes!” But she was adamant, and so I left without looking
at the papers.
I eventually got a copy of the paper elsewhere, but I had to let that
librarian know that she is the rudest person I have met in my four years in
this town. I’ve never seen such an overreaction to a simple misunderstanding
before. So I hope that the next time you have a misunderstanding with
someone, Miss Librarian, that instead of becoming hysterical and threatening
to call the police, you use a little common sense and reason in dealing with the
situation. You’ve tarnished my image of the helpful librarian forever.
Ed Holtgraver ’88
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters
for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each letter must be signed and
must include the classification, address and telephone number of the writer.
Opinion
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Presidential Campaign ’88:
Debunking electoral myths
By
Ah, there’s
nothing quite like
this time of the
year. The air is
crisp, the wind bit
ing. College foot-
fa a 1 1 games
abound.Turkey
dinner is just
around the cor
ner. Department
stores are waiting
patiently for the
illustrious political system. Welcome,
then, to column number one — The
Presidential Campaign 1988, the Early
Days.
History, Television, and the Colgate
Smile.
Mark
Nair
surge of Christmas shoppers after
Thanksgiving. Term papers are coming
due, and finals are almost upon us.
But we should not fail to overlook the
most important thing of all. The fall of
1987 brings the beginning of the 1988
presidential campaign.
Admittedly, the First wave has hit us
already. Candidates have declared, Bill
Buckley, has supervised quasi-debates
for both the Democrats and Republi
cans, candidates are typesetting bumper
stickers, statisticians in secret crowded
rooms are taking and re-taking straw
polls, volunteers are asking for money,
and the “Duke” has come to Rudder to
teach us about politics. We’ve even had
candidates (no names will be men
tioned) who have already dropped out
of the race before it’s even gotten good.
It’s the start of something great.
America’s proudest tradition. The envy
of countries everywhere.
But what exactly is this thing called
the Presidential Race, anyway? What
makes the American electoral process so
good at selecting the best man for the
job (heck, look at Ronald Reagan)?
What is this thing made up of cam
paigns, caucuses, primaries, and per
sonality, personality, personality?
I suppose that, since this is in my
field, I should know a little about it.
And, trying to portray an image of a re
sponsible journalist, I should share the
knowledge and try to correct misunder
standings many people have about our
BLOOM COUNTY
Rumor: The Kennedy-Nixon de
bates. Many people have the belief that
the first live televised debates were be
tween Kennedy and Nixon. This is
FALSE. The First live televised debates
were actually between George Washing
ton and an obscure conservative from
the Toupee party, Ronald Reagan. It is
a fact that if more people had owned
televisions in the late 1700s, Ronald
Reagan might have won. Fortunately
for the Bill of Rights, television wasn’t
quite invented yet. Issues were still the
first priority.
The Popular Vote and Admissions to
the Electoral College.
Rumor: The Electoral College is one
of the best institutions for politicians,
proteges of politicians, and mistresses of
politicians. This is FALSE. The Found
ing Fathers designed the electoral col
lege system to protect the presidency
from the stupidity of the popular vote.
It is supposed to provide insurance that
we get great leaders as president (heck,
look at Ronald Reagan).
The Running Game: Who’s on First?
Rumor: Iowa is a pokey state in the
middle of nowhere and presidential
campaigners should go for bigger game
early on, like College Station. This is, in
a manner, FALSE. Iowa is a big deal to
these guys since it is one of the first elec
toral testing grounds during the cam
paigning. If you win in Iowa, the inter
est groups see you have potential and
give you money to win in all the other
states. If you lose (by a large margin) it’s
back to watching “Gilligan’s Island” re
runs for another four years.
Rumor: The primaries are where
candidates send their kids. This is
FALSE. Primaries are little state elec
tions that determine who the state se
lects as its top running Republican and
Democrat. Primaries are importani
early in the campaigning stage. Later
on, they mean diddly.
The Conventions, the Nomination,
and Why is There a Lamp Shade on
Vour Head?
Rumor: The Democratic and Repuh
lican conventions are huge parties that
really mean nothing that we don’t al
ready know. This is TRUE. We already
know who’s going to get the nomi
nation. I don’t particularly want to hear
this again (the Texas Delegate is speak
ing): We hail from the great Lone Star
State of Texas, home of rolling prai®
high peaked mountains, valleys and
ranches. We grow the world’s largest
cockroaches, dig the deepest oil wells,
have the worst accents. We own the rag
ing rivers of the Rio Grande, sail the
shark-infested waters of the Gulf of
Mexico, etc. etc. etc.” This goes on for
ten minutes, and then they announce
their candidate whom Dan Rather an
nounced would get the Texas vote just
the night before. These conventions are
embarrassing, boring, and they pre
empt some good TV.
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Off To Work \it
Go.
Rumor: A lot of people don’t vote,
lot of people don’t care. This is FALSE
Many people care. Heck, we got Ronald
Reagan, didn’t we?
So, with the smell of a new crisp pre
election year fall in the air, we should
turn our thoughts to our candidates
Hopefully, these dispelled rumors will
help you all select and vote for the best
person.
As for me? George for King, of
course.
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Primaries, Secondaries, and Tertia-
ries.
Mark Nair is a senior political scienct
major and a columnist for The Ba
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