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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1988)
Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, January 6, 1988 Opinion The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Sue Krenek, Editor Daniel A. LaBry, Managing Editor Mark Nair, Opinion Page Editor Amy Couvillon, City Editor Robbyn L. Lister and Becky Weisenfels, News Editors Loyd Brumfield, Sports Editor Sam B. Myers, 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&rM 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&rM regular semesters, except for holiday and examination periods. Mail subscriptions are $17.44 per semester, $34.62 per school \av< year and $36.44 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on re quest. Our address. The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&rM University, College Station, TX 77843-4 111. Second class postage j!>aid at College Station, TX 77843. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station TX 77843-4111. 100% Cotton They weren’t supposed to be there, but they were. They weren’t supposed to win it, but they did. In convincing fashion too. The Texas A&rM football team proved once again it deserves national respect with a sound 35-10 thrashing of national pow erhouse Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on New Year’s Day. The young Aggies ignored the hype surrounding the Irish and their Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown while managing to put them away with uncanny ease. If last Friday’s win is any indication, A&:M should reach even greater heights next season, and the Aggies’ conquest of the Ir ish should serve warning to the Southwest Conference and the rest of the nation that the best is yet to come. — The Battalion Editorial Board COVGRATS ^ WHoLE TFAM m 1 ASQtES FI/TflUte 1 The Second Coming: Only in Independence Wh^re have all the video games gone? I N D E P E N - DENCE, MO. — Before visiting this town on the out skirts of the me- - tropolis of Kansas - City, all I knew - about it was it’s - give-’em-hell Harry Truman’s home town. The T r u ny a.n home and library Lewis Grizzard and museum all are located here and I wish we had a man of Harry’s strength and character running for president to day. At least we can dream. But I learned something else about Independence that will take a little ex plaining. There are at least two religious sects here (there may be even more; you know how religious groups can bolt and run off on their own) who believe that Independence, Mo., is where the return of Jesus Christ to Earth will take place. Let me repeat that: They think Inde pendence is where Christ is going to land when he descends from the heav- One group is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The Mormons. The other is the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (RLDS), and please don’t ask me to explain that. It’s more confusing than a PTL bankruptcy hearing. A local reporter attempted to explain what the LDS and RLDS think is going to happen one of these days: “Their founder and prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. determined Independence as the City of Zion and this is where Christ is supposed to return according to their beliefs. “I think they even have a garden picked out as the exact location of the Second Coming.” The LDS Center and the RLDS World Headquarters Auditorium are lo cated next door to one another. The LDS building includes a huge mural depicting Christ descending from the clouds. I seem to remember he was wearing wings. The RLDS World Headquarters Au ditorium, which seats 6,000, has a huge, lighted dome on its top so if anybody did want to land in Independence he would have a large target. I’m by no means making fun of these people’s beliefs. I have no idea who’s right, so I try to learn a little about it all. My basic instinct as a newsperson, I suppose, also keyed my interest here. I went over to the RLDS auditorium and a nice lady named Stephanie Kelly showed me around. During my tour, I thought to myself, what if the big event occurs today ? I’ll be on the scene and might even scoop Jimmy Swaggart. A Pulitzer, I am cer tain, would follow. I took some preparatory notes: — There is ample parking across the street from the RLDS auditorium in case a major news story broke nearby. — The auditorium itself would be an ideal spot for the judging. Quick on the left, dead on the right, and fooling around on your spouse does count. — In case Gabriel also plays the or gan, the biggest one I’ve ever seen is in the auditorium. I hung around Independence as long as I could in case something might hap pen. Nothing did, so I left to catch a plane to Cleveland. Bad timing has been the story of my life. Copyright 1987, Cowles Syndicate During the Christmas holi days, I took my little sister, Eliza beth, to a movie in Houston. I’m sup posedly going to receive a bache lor’s degree from this institution of higher learning in five months, and I usually consider Amy Couvillon games have changed quite a bit since my hang-out-at-the-mall generation. There were nine video games in the theater lobby and not a Pac-Man among them. Not a Donkey-Kong. Dig-Dug or Centi pede in sight. They were all shoot-’em- up, cut-'em-up, nuke ’em games with names I had never heard before. I never knew video games could be so vio lent. cartoons slightly below me. But after a brain-killing semester of work, studying and research papers, an afternoon of accompanying a 9-year-old to a screen ing of “Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night” sounded pretty entertaining. After shelling out much too much for tickets, buying the obligatory popcorn and red licorice and figuring out which of the 14 theaters our movie was in, we still had time to hang around the lobby and play video games. Yes, video games. I haven’t played a good video game since I was in junior high school and we all used to hang out at shopping malls. I was all excited, re ady to eat ghosts, jump barrels, deflect astroids and pump air into those little “Dig-Dug” monsters. But, as I was soon to find out, video Starting up the lineup was Contra, where the player is a camouflaged sol dier running through the jungle, mow ing down his opponents. Apparently, points are scored when the player shoots and kills each man encounted on the screen. Guerrilla War (also set in a jungle) and Time Soldiers were simi larly replete with guns and blood. In Sky Shark, the player operates a bullet- spewing helicopter that enters a war zone, Rambo-like, to rescue prisoners of war. Double Dragon gamearela::| "Jump" “Punch" and “Kick.” \V¥.| player beats his electronic opp® into submission, the fighter ngia shown carrying off a girl over his-I der like a prize. Real classy, guys. Operation Wolf, one of the popular games, has a toy machine I* mounted on the front of it iha;| player holds instead of a joystick.I parently. the object of this one 1 shoot clown the people on the scl who are aiming guns at you—bef thev shoot y ou down, that is. Is this where game technolofl going these days, where vicariousj| hed are the prefell For those into medieval violence, there were Rastan and Gauntlet, whic h feature bloody arrows, swords and axes. For just a quarter you can slash, chop and mutilate people to your heart’s con tent. lence and blood form of entertainment? It’sHotrol know. It’s supposed to be harmless:, like* paint pellet guns and waterpist Still, something ahont this‘‘kill,if mentality bothers me, especially these kind of games are theflnlyoj available. Personally, I don’t getaii out of pulling a plastic trigger watching a c haracter on a videosa| ant In Double Dragon and fkari War riors, the player is a street fighter in a big-city gang situation. Buttons on the Amy Couvillon is a senior journt major, city editor and column^ The Battalion. A month-by-month view of 1988 Mail Call Street pinball EDITOR: As a bicyclist I have a few things to say to Bob Wiatt and the local motorists. Is there some intrinsic trait in automobile drivers that makes them inconsiderate and homicidal? When I ride my bicycle I obey the traffic laws and am considerate of others, pedestrian or otherwise. Foolishly, I expect the same of others. I’ve lost count of the number of times people have almost hit me at the intersection near the MSC, have entered or exited parking lots by cutting directly in front of me, and have floored their accelerators to beat me to an intersection 50 feet away. Whether these actions are illegal or inconsiderate is not the point. The point is that they are damned dangerous! In any collision with an automobile I’m not going to enjoy the better half of the results. What action is being taken by Sergeant Bob and the University’s finest to keep me from becoming a participant in a street pinball game? Nothing. Twice I’ve nearly been hit by motorists ignoring my right-of-way while police officers were standing less than 30 feet away. What did they do? Nothing. I really hate to inconvenience Bob and the motorists by requesting that they respectively enforce and obey traffic laws when there are so many more important things to do. But survival is a prerequisite for graduation. Steven K. Baum grad student 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. I am about to tell you what will happen next year. So if you want next year to be a surprise, better stop reading now. Here is the year that will be, by the month: JANUARY — President Reagan delivers his State of vote. Edwin Newman is Donald Kaul of the Union address and makes only one mistake; he calls Nancy “Jane”- . . . Vice President George Bush lays to rest his wimp image by punching out Pierre (Pete) DuPont during a televised debate after a heated exchanged on So cial Security . . . Gary Hart appears at the Democratic debate wearing a paper bag on his head. Analysts agree he is the easy winner, if a little hard to under stand ... The stock market drops 100 points on news that the dollar is fall- 64 percent winner. MARCH — Stock market gains 120 points on news of falling dolla- r . . . On “Super Tuesday” each Dem ocratic candidate, including Mario Cuomo, Sam Nunn and Paul Simon the singer, wins a state . . . President Rea gan holds his first news conference in five months. He is wearing pajamas. APRIL — Iran attacks a Kuwaiti ship flying an American flag. T he United States responds by sinking a Greek ship flying an Iranian flag. Greece protests to the U.N., which condemns Israel- . . . George Steinbrenner fires New York Yankee manager Billy Martin af ter opening-day loss, says he will man age the team itself. MAY — Sen. Robert Dole takes lead in Republican presidential race after George Bush rabbit-punches Pierre (Pete) DuPont during a joint appear ing. FEBRUARY Gary Hart is the sur prise winner of the Iowa caucuses with 11 percent of the vote. All other candi dates get 10 percent, including unan nounced candidates Mario Cuomo, Sam Nunn and Paul Simon the singer. All Democratic candidates show up for the New Hampshire debates wearing bags on their heads, causing moderator Ed- w r in Newman to burst into tea rs... Pierre (Pete) DuPont chal lenges George Bush to duel in New Hampshire debate and is wrestled to ground by Bush’s secret service men- . . . Congress votes $50 million in hu manitarian aid to contras, who immedi ately attack retirement village in Nicaragua. They are beaten back- . . . Gov. Mike Dukakis is surprise loser in New Hampshire primary with ance and draws charges that he is too macho. JUNE — Sandra Day O’Conner an nounces she is “a man trapped in a woman’s body” and will no longer make the coffee at sessions of the Supreme Court . . . The dollar falls on news of a rising stock market . . . Joe Biden becomes the first Biden in a thousand generations to quit politics and take a job in a coal mine. JULY — President Reagan goes to Russia for a summit meeting and trades away Alaska for a bag of brightly col ored beans . . . The Democrats pick a nominee: Paul Simon the singer- . . . Congress votes $100 million in humanitarian aid to contras, who imme diately attack Honduras. They are beaten back. AUGUST —Jessica Hahn reveals she was once lured to a motel roomb' Mormon Tabernacle Choir and for to perform a cappella . . . Minnr Twins win game on the road for time, take over first place in Amen League West . . . Republican tional Convention, deadlocked be' George Bush, Robert Dole, Jack fe and Pat Robertson, chooses a conf mise candidate: Mario Cuomo. SEPTEMBER — President Re* names Robert Bork to the Supn Court. When told he tried thatonct angrily turns over his bowl . . . Sri' ter Stallone announces he will re® “Gone with the Wind,” taking the of Vivian Leigh. He will call theff “Rocky V, World 0.” OCTOBER — The dollar falls news of a falling stock marl . . . George Steinbrenner fires If self and hires Billy Martin on the day of the season . . . The Minne Twins become first team to win bad' back World Series mainly withyellini NOVEMBER — Iran attacks ant ship flying an American flag borrO' from Kuwait. The United States sponds by borrowing an Americans' from Saudi Arabia, hoisting an Ira® flag over it, then sinking it, causing U.N. to sanction Israel . . . Pit' (Pete) DuPont is elected president of United States in a write-in vote, exiles George Bush. DECEMBER — In his final pressf ference, President Reagan blesses White House press corps and makes members cardinals . . . Mario Cuo denies he was ever a candidate for presidency . . . The dollar falls news that the stock market has town . . . 4’he contras attack0 gress. I he are beaten back. Happy New Year. Copyright 1987, Tribune Media Services, In 1 > < writhe and scream in an agoniM death. Especially when I’m abouttcl watch Pinocchio. twi me bei Ac sai he to CUi Ca ■ [