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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 1988)
Page 2/The Battalion/hriday, September 2, 1988 Opinion Quayle’s silver spoon tarnishing public opinion I didn’t think George Bush could do it, but he picked a running mate who will lure me into pulling the Republican le ver in the voting booth. That’s because Sen. J. Danforth Quayle III, Bush’s surprise choice, is my kind of guy. In m reading his biographical material, I was surprised how much we have in common. To begin, J. Danforth used to be a newspaperman. And he was quite successful at it. When he was only 27 years old, he be came an associate publisher of the Huntington Herald in Indiana. Although it isn’t a major paper, few newspaperman become associate pub lishers of any kind of paper when they’re as young as J. Danforth was. I’m sure his father was proud when J. Danforth came home and said “Dad, I have terrific news. I’ve just been named associate publisher of the Huntington Herald-Press.” On the other hand, J. Danforth prob ably didn’t say that to his dad, since his dad was the publisher of the Hunting- ton Herald-Press when J. Danforth be came associate publisher. But J. Danforth didn’t stay with news- papering. He decided to go into politics. And he managed to get elected into the U.S. House of Representatives before he was 30. And eight years ago, when he was only 33, he became a U.S. senator. It’s not easy to become a U.S. senator when you’re that young. For one thing, you have to go around to newspapers and try to get their endorsements. And some publishers might not have confi dence in someone that young. But it appears that J. Danforth made a good impression on the powerful and enormously wealthy man who owned one of the biggest papers in Indiana, in cluding the Indianapolis Star. I’m not sure how the conversation went, but it might have been something like: “Young fellow, we think you will make a fine senator and our papers will support you.” “Thank you, Uncle.” “You’re welcome, Nephew.” But to get back to the things J. Dan- forth and I have in common. My generation had its war. And al though I wasn’t eager to visit Korea, and did nothing heroic when I got there, I put in my time and dutifully attended all of the chaplain’s VD lectures. And J. Danforth did his duty, too. His generation had their war in Vietnam, and he was in uniform. Between 1969 and 1975, when the fighting was fierce and heavy, he was a proud member of the Indiana National Guard. Now, I don’t want to hear any snick ering from those farmboys and blue-col lar types who were in Vietnam. Had the Viet Cong shown up on the outskirts of Indianapolis, I’m sure J. Danforth would have been there with guns blaz ing. And, after driving them back, he could have returned to his office and written an editorial condemning the threat of communism to all decent Hoo- siers. But let me return to things we have in common. As those who have seen him on TV know, J. Danforth looks remarkably like Robert Redford, except much younger. In fact, when he first ran for the^Sen- ate, Redford sent him a telegram asking him to stop publicizing the fact that they looked alike. I guess Redford, a liberal Democrat, didn’t like the idea of a con servative Republican cashing in on his good looks. And I can understand how Redford felt. Because Redford was older, Redford looked like Redford long before J. Danforth looked like Redford. On the other hand, it wansn’t J. Dan- forth’s fault that he looked like Red ford. For all we know, he might have preferred looking like Paul Newman. J. Danforth responded by informing Redford that he wasn’t bragging about their resemblance or even using it in his campaign material. He said the media kept bringing it up. And to this day, they’re still doing it. Only this week, reporters in New Or leans asked him about the resemblance. According to one report, he sighed, his blue eyes flashed, he brushed back his blond hair, and said: “I’ve had that stigma ever since I first ran for the Sen ate. It’s stuck ever since.” I know how he feels because I, too, have the stigma of looking like a movie star. Not Redford, though, Jimmy Du rante. I’ve had that stigma since a nurse in the maternity room pointed it out to my stunned parents and it’s stuck ever since. But I'll say one thing for Durante — he never complained or asked me to have mv nose removed. All things considered, I think made a brilliant choice. We now have a Republican pr» dential candidate who comes from! wealthy, prominent family — partofthf Eastern elite. for tin dre ag< I And he has a vice-presidential run ning mate who comes from an ever, wealthier, prominent family part of tlx Midwestern elite. ing prc tar we( liar That’s what I call a balanced ticket Copyright 19HH, Tribune- .Sirdiu Services, ix wh lior She likes to roam around, never tie her down — She’s the wanderer When I was a sophomore in high school, I had an ultra-conserva tive religion tea cher who tried her best to instill the fear of God and of the outside world into her students. Tfrere were two things I distinctly remember from Lydia Berzsenyi that religion class: you must spell sopho more with an o between the h and the m (she thought we were all illiterate nin compoops) and you must never wander aimlessly through life. I can handle the spelling lesson. That’s no problem. But the second doc trine never sat quite right with me. I’ll be graduating from A&M this De cember with my bachelor’s degree. I have always planned to attend graduate school after I got out of undergraduate hell, preferably the next semester. I fig ured that way I would have at least two more years to figure out what to do with my life. Heaven knows I wouldn’t want to wander aimlessly for any time at all! But as it always seems to happen, my plans uncontrollably changed due to fi nancial strain and now I’ll have to post pone graduate school by a semester. It’s really no big deal. I’ll still be younger than most when I get my mas ter’s degree, and my chances of finding a job won’t be hurt by the pause in my education. I’ll actually have a break from tests and papers and books and due dates and ... all the hassles of school. And by waiting a semester I’ll be able to make it financially. There’s only one problem. Now I’m left with eight months between finishing one degree and beginning another. What am I supposed to do for eight months? That religion teacher drilled into my mind that I was not supposed to wander aimlessly EVER, even for a few months. If I listen to my teacher, I should get a good job with direction and purpose. I should use those eight months to pre pare myself for the future in my field and make every day count toward a suc cessful professional future. I should keep my goals and dreams firmly in hand, waste no time or effort and settle down to business. But you know, I’ve been going to school for a long time now, and working whenever I’m not in class. I’ve made sure that my life has been full and hectic and by no means calm. And now, w'ith a free eight months stretching before me like a sea with limitless possibilities, I don’t think I want to be sensible. One of my best friends from high school was a National Merit Scholar, made fantastic grades in everything from science to English, was truly inter ested in most of her subjects and caught on quickly and was involved in a host of student organizations. Everyone ex pected her to attend a top-notch univer sity and become a valuable addition to the work force as a scientist or business- discovered that it was not the career for her. She also decided that she was not getting the education she wanted from her art school. She may have wandered aimlessly for a while, but at least she learned something now that may have otherwise taken her years to figure out. 1 don’t know exactly what I want to do with my life. I have a general picture, but there are lots of details that are still blurry at this point. I’m beginning to think (heaven forbid) that wandering aimlessly through part of my life may NOT be the worst thing in the world. Maybe it could even be good for me. When am I ever going to get a chance again to take a few months off just to figure out what I want out of life? Now, I’m not proposing utter chaos, a life as a couch potato or hitchhiking across the country with a guitar slung over my shoulder. I’ve still got to sup port myself, and a few luxuries might not be bad every once in a while. But perhaps this is the time to have some fun, get a no-pressure job, catch up on some reading (and I don’t mean textbooks) and watch a sunset or two. woman. But she surprised everyone when she decided to pursue her lifelong dream in lieu of a formal college education. She had always wanted to be an artist, so she enrolled in a small art school in Georgia, moved, got a job as a graphic artist and lived a very non-academically oriented life. Maybe I can even save enough money to go to Europe for a month. Maybe I can spend some time with my friends and find out who they are instead of which homework problems they’ve done. I don’t intend to wander aimlessly through my whole life, but maybe wan dering aimlessly through a couple of months won’t hurt me. Lydia Berzsenyi is a senior math ma jor and editor of The Battalion. After working in advertising art she Mail Call A tradition Aggies can do without EDITOR: Recently in The Battalion there have been two references to the beginningsof a so-called “New Tradition.” The activity is that of dropping the newly acquired Aggie ring into a pitcher of beer. The owner if the ring must then drink the entire pitcher prior to placing the ring on his finger. The Aggie ring represents many things.No Aggie needs an explanation of the real and time-honored traditions which surround the acquisition and the right to wear an Aggie ring. The idea that in some way those traditions will be enhancedbr an artificial “right of passage” associated with a pitcher of beer comes as a surprise This would be a surprise to me evenif I did not work in alcohol and drugabuse education. Although I would not limit anyone’s legal right to enjoy a cold beer on our usually hot days, I cannot understand how or why drinkingbcer to excess can be connected to an Aggie ring. I understand fairly well the influence of peer pressure. In this activity 1 suspect that the peerpressure is high. I also suspect that many Ags would rather not drop their new symbol of success and affiliation with the great traditions of I exas A&M into a pitcher, or even a mug, of beer. Allow yourself the respect for your own decisions and respect others as well. This is a “New Tradition” that Ags can do without. Dr. Dennis J. Reardon Coordinator, Center for Drug Prevention and Education gar 81, sch poi on< Bentsen’s interests not best for Texans EDITOR: Lloyd Bentsen is running television adsjustifying running for two offices. Although Texas law allows a person to run for the St nate and vice presidency, the . law is not in the best interest of Texans. These men put themselves up as candidates because they wanted to represent Texas’ interest in the Senate. Now, it appears Lloyd Bentsen doesn’t care about representing Texas’ interest in the Senate unless he loses his attempt for the vice presidency. I guess he changed his mind, but this doesn’t surprise me. He has changed his mind on contra aid since becoming the vice presidential nominee, and has made a career of voting on both sides of the issue. . Lloyd Bentsen is neither conservative moderate or liberal. The only interests I he represents are his interests. Lloyd Bentsen is trying to convince us that Texas wins if he wins both elections, but in reality Texas loses again. T he special election which will take place will cost T’exsa taxpayers in excessofH $6 million. Texans should elect Beau Boulter as their next senator. Lloyd Bentsen chose the office he wants to hold. Now it is our turn to tell Mr. Bentsen how we feel about his self-serving decision. F. Lanham Lyne Jr. Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for sl}h and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each letter must be signed and must incluitk classification, address and telephone number of the writer. r The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Lydia Berzsenyi, Editor Becky Weisenfels, Managing Editor Anthony Wilson, Opinion Page Editor Richard Williams, City Editor D AJensen, Denise Thompson, News Editors Hal Hammons, Sports Editor Jay Janner, Art Director Leslie Guy, Entertainment 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 $36.44 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1 111. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battal ion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, Col lege Station TX 77843-41 1 1. BLOOM COUNTY by Berke Breathed CT556Z... 0N£-HfiLF 3(J$HTL CORN.. 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