Page 2/The Battalion/Friday, January 29, 1988
Opinion
'
Rather and Bush were both playing games
It was “great
picture,” the na-
t ion’s vice presi
dent and a net
work anchorman
slugging it out,
live. But the de-
h a t e over w h o
“w o n” Monday
night’s ruckus is a
prime example of
television’s con- 1
stant emphasis on
form over content.
Sue
Krenek
As most people are beginning to real
ize, Rather and Bush both lost when
they let their tempers get out of hand on
live TV. The difference is that Bush is
getting some temporary political mile
age out of his Rather-bashing. Rather is
just getting bashed.
Bush’s campaign manager, Lee Atwa
ter, noted that “Any time any Republi
can gets into a light with Dan Rather
and wins, he’s going to come out very
well with Republican primary voters.”
Apparently Bush came out well with
viewers, too. CBS affiliates — including
Bryan’s KBTX-TV — were flooded
with calls from people who agreed with
Bush’s aides that what they had seen was
“an unfair journalist trying to mug the
president.”
But that’s not what happened.
Rather did lose his cool, something
he’s been known to do: The six-minute
blackout is now part of broadcasting leg
end. And it isn’t the first time he’s tan
gled with a government official. At a
press conference during the Watergate
scandal, Rather’s questions prompted
President Nixon to ask if he were run
ning for anything. Rather shot back:
“No, Mr. President, are you?” To steal a
line from Tom Shales of the Washing
ton Post, it was the journalistic equiva
lent of stunt flying.
So is it wrong for a news anchor to
have a temper? Not necessarily.
Mail Call
Brian makes me cringe
EDITOR:
When I read a column by Brian Frederick, I have to read it twice. The
first time I laugh at the clever sarcasm he uses so astutely, and the second
time I cringe when when I realize that he is being serious and that people ac
tually think the way he thinks. By the way, does Mr. Frederick fund The Bat
talion?
Paul Fritz
grad student
Brian shouldn’t parent children
EDITOR:
Brian Frederick, I truly hope you never decide to parent any children. I
have never seen anyone so narrow-minded as you are about the rights and
responsibilities of young adults.
You believe that “the purpose of the schools is the production of literate
young Americans.” Is that all you want from America’s school system? When
a young adult walks across a stage to receive his diploma, it is my hope that he
is graduating from high school as a literate young American and a unique in
dividual, full of independent thoughts and ideas.
Your disregard for the need of high school students to express their
thoughts disheartens me. You seem to think that students who are attempt
ing to educate themselves and others about the problems surrounding them
are distracted from their education. It seems to me that the students involved
in the Hazelwood decision were focusing a good portion of their time on
their education. They were bold enough to research and write articles that
were pertinent to situations surrounding them, and when their ideas were
censored, they were intelligent enough to speak up for their rights and took
the case to court. I think the students involved were gutsy, smart, freethink-
ing individuals who showed excellent leadership qualities.
I’m sorry that you seem to think of young adults as shrill children who
lack the maturity to handle adult freedoms. I wonder what kind of child you
were when you graduated from high school and before you became a legal
adult.
Julie Holden ’91
No more senseless murders
EDITOR:
By now most of us have heard about the senseless murder of Dallas police
officer John Chase. This has brought national attention to the dangers faced
everyday by “our men and women in blue.” I believe the death of officer
(’base and many other police officers could have been avoided. Where was
his partner when officer Chase died? The sad truth is that Chase was patrol
ling alone. A second police officer on the scene could have prevented this tra
gedy.
Too often our nation’s police departments are forced by tight budgets to
assign only one of ficer to a partol car. Was it worth the loss of life in order to
save taxpayers a few dollars? The police are protecting us with their lives.
Why can’t we protect them with our dollars? As graduates of A&M, many of
us will someday hold influential positions in many communities across the na
tion. Support the police with your voices and votes when they ask for funding
to hire more officers. We will be investing in their lives and in our own.
Jerry L. Gribble ’88
What is the point, Mr. Kaul?
I am writing in response to Donald Kaiil’s article on the firing of Jimmy “the
Greek” Snyder. I would like to agree with Mr. Kaul’s observation that Jimmy
“the Cheek” is a bigot with a capital B. However, as a Greek American, I was
offended by the sensationalist tone he donned by pointing out, rather astu
tely, that Jimmy “the Greek” and A1 Campanis are both Greek and guilty of
bigotry. What was the point, Mr. Kaul?
Pete Koplos ’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, hut 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.
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 newspa
per operated as a community service to Texas A&M and
Bryan-College Station.
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the
editorial board or the author, and do not necessarily rep
resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, fac
ulty or the Board of Regents.
The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper
for students in reporting, editing and photography
classes within the Department 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 request.
Our address: The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald,
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1 111.
Second class postage paid at College Station, TX
77843.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battal
ion. 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, Col
lege Station TX 77843-4 111.
Bui government officials have a nasty
habit of crying harassment when jour
nalists ask them tough questions, even
when the questions are asked politely.
Fed Koppel, master of the eloquent in
terruption, still is accused of badgering
the witness on occasion.
The nasty truth is that journalists of
ten have to ask questions that officials
don’t w'ant to answer. The tension that
goes along with it rarely shows up in
print. Television, however, focuses on
the reporter as much as the reporting
(which some see as a problem in itself).
And the question, as Dan Rather knows,
can become as important as the answer.
Broadcast reporters, good ones,
know their subjects may want to weasel
out of answering a question by accusing
the reporter of unfairness or hostility.
It’s enough of a problem when the re
porter is doing his job well. It’s more of
a problem when the reporter is doing
his job poorly.
So when Rather let his temper take
control in the Bush interview, he gave
the vice president ammunition for the
cries of foul play that Bush has been
spouting ever since. Those cries,
though, are completely unjustified.
Bush knew damn well what he was
getting into when he agreed to a live in
terview. As The New York Times
pointed out, CBS spent the weekend
promoting the interview as focusing on
the Iran-Contra scandal. And it was no
media innocent who demanded that
Bush appear live and unedited.
What it comes down to is that both
sides were playing games. CBS hoped to
surprise Bush with information appear
ing in the taped segment that preceded
the interview. Bush hoped to come off
as something more than a wimp. And
according to most people. Bush won big
in the short run.
times gets noticed more than theliell
And the truth is that Dan Rather—anl
all journalists — have been truly,iijK
questionably right in trying to get]
to answer questions about his involil
ment in the Iran-Contra affair.
Bush so f ai has been unwilling toar: whe
suer those questions, somethingwtiidB^u
should make all Americans profounlB’J
uncomfoi table. I bis nation does m
and
OSIl
need anolhei president who suppo!t_ ei]
criminal aiii\ii\ a la Richard N’ixoiB s
Noi does it need another presidentkMT
is mvsierioush unable to recall critiajBte
meetings and basic foreign policydetff oz
sions. Unless he is willing to slandk
dim
hind — and stand up for — his actions
Be <
George Bush does not deserve to beumwu
president.
Unfortunately, Dan Rather’s tempei
In the long run, we all lose. As Rather
said, one of the unfortunate things
about journalism is that the heat some
may keep the country from reali;ii|
that until it’s too late
Sue Krenek is a senior journalism w
for and editor of The Battalion.
S
Life with a Mickey Mouse watch
As a child I was
deprived. I never
had a Mickey
Mouse wristwatch.
It wasn’t that
my parents didn’t
want to buy me
one. But in our
neighborhood no-
body bought
watches from a
store.
Everybody got
their watches from
anymore. Today’s parents, I assumed,
bought their children Swiss jobs that tell
the time, year, date, and jday rock ’n’
roll chimes.
Mike
Royko
Stanley’s tavern.
That’s because when somebody needed
a few dollars or ran up a bar bill he
couldn’t pay, they went to Stanley with a
watch. So Stanley wound up owning a
lot of watches, and when someone
needed one they bought from Stanley.
When I graduated from grammar
school, instead of a Mickey Mouse I got
a big, round railroad watch bearing the
engraved inscription: “To Bruno, with
love, Sarah.”
Fortunately, not having a Mickey
Mouse watch didn’t bother me. The
only time I even though of it was when
someone asked what time it was. Then
I’d throw a tantrum and lie on the floor
crying and kicking my feet. After a
while, none of the other men in the bar
racks would ask me the time.
The old desire for a Mickey Mouse
watch came back last week. While shop
ping for a watch in the budget basement
of a department store, I saw in a corner
of the display case a genuine Mickey
Mouse.
I didn’t even know they made them
When the saleswoman asked, “Can I
help you?” I thought, why not?
“Yes, I’d like that one there.”
“Oh, the Mickey Mouse. Do you want
it gift-wrapped?”
“No. Just wind it and I’ll wear it.”
She froze with her hand in the case.
“You’ll wear it?”
“Yes.”
I could tell she expected an explana
tion, something about a joke. She was
waiting for me to say something so she
could laugh. But I said nothing and
looked dignified. She shrugged, I paid
her, strapped it on, and left.
The strap was the only flaw. It was
wide, red, and plastic. That’s OK for a
kid, but a grown man shouldn’t have
that on his Mickey Mouse watch.
I went to a jewelers and asked the
short, round man if he had cheap
bands.
“Sure. I wear them myself. Give me
your watch and I’ll put it on.”
I slipped the Mickey off the red band
and handed it to him.
He stood for several seconds just star
ing at it in the palm of his hand. Finally
he looked up and said, slowly and
firmly:
“This is a Mickey Mouse watch.”
“Yes, it is.”
“You wear it?”
“Of course.”
He looked stern and suspicious. 1
never seen a man wear a MickevMou*
watch before.”
It appeared he wouldn’t put a band
on or return it unless he got an expla
was a boy.'
in that case,
neer
'fully sold
non, so I said:
“I never had one when
He brightened. “Oh.
your entitled.” And he <
me a black band.
That is the way it has been forseveral
days. Wearing a Mickey Mouse is more
fun for an adult than for a child.
There was the bartender who blinked
and asked the standard question: “Is
that a Mi< key Mouse watch?”
“Of course not. Who ever heardofa
grown man wearing a Mickey Mouse
watch?”
He nodded. Then he looked closer
and said: “What ya givin’ me? IhallSa
Mickey Mouse watch.” He called outto
his wife in back: “Hey c’mere. He’sgoi
on a Mickey Mouse watch.”
She smiled, a bit confused, and
“Well, isn’t that wonderful?”
And the bank cashier who said: “You
really wear that? All the time?”
“Sure. A man’s got a right to wear)
Mickey Mouse on his wrist, hasn’t he?”
“Sure, sure,” he said. As 1 walk)
away, he added: “Atta boy, attaboy."
This proves it is never too late.
Now, if 1 can just find a pair of “big
tops” — those great boots with the little
pocket on the side for a little kn
BOY!
Copyright 1987, Tribune Media Services, Inc.
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Breathf
omy.. You'Re pepxessep
'CAUSE THE STARS RE/EALEP
THE TRUTH LAST Nl&HT AHP
THE TRUTH WAS "BUY AT+T
at ah- \