The Battalion
OPINION
Thursday, June 8,1989
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AIDS legislation makes its vrscy througli Tfexas Legislature
Mail Call
You were a hit
EDITOR:
I am so proud of you - the Aggie baseball team and
staff. You are true Aggies in every sense of the word. More
than being the best team in college baseball, in your behav
ior, attitude and sportsmanship, you exemplified the best
America has to offer.
Your record of most wins and fewest losses will always
be etched in my memory and in the annals of Aggie lore.
The hitting (for the average and the long ball), the field
ing, the pitching, the base running, the mind —you ex
celled in all the areas that make a baseball team.
You were magnificent in victory and defeat. You are
champions, you are the best, you are winners, you are the
aggies.
Thank you all so much. I would not trade you for any
other.
Frank Cox ’65
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 clas
sification, address and telephone number of the writer.
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words.
Congress should take needed
time-out from ethics battle
The biggest partisan ethics war in
American government since Watergate
has begun in the House of Representa
tives. Charges of ethical misconduct are
flying back and forth in Washington,
each party adamant about scoring re
venge against the other. Call me crazy,
but the whole thing really reminds me
of a professional football game. Demo
crats vs. Republicans.
Damon
Arhos
Columnist
people. It is time for our elected officials
to quit squabbling over ethics violations
and to start working on the American
agenda.
The Republicans won the coin toss
with the election of President George
Bush. But Bush fumbled the ball early
in the first quarter when he nominated
John Tower for defense secretary. This
error resulted in a touchdown for the
Democrats when Tower failed to be
confirmed by the Senate because of
charges of moral impropriety.
Democrats 7, Republicans 0.
Dancing on the field during half-time
and before were the reporters. Like glo
rified Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, the
reporters rallied around the players to
entertain the fans. Because of the me
dia’s affection for scrutinizing the lives
of every prominent public figure,
Americans everywhere anticipated
Tower’s failure and Wright’s resigna
tion. We saw every flag thrown, every
point scored and every player injured
on instant replay.
When Jim Wright resigned last week,
he said, “It is time to bring this mindless
cannibalism to an end.” He stressed the
important fact that the nation has a lot
of very important business and does not
have time to waste on needless “distrac
tions.”
So, the ball goes back to the Republi
cans. House Minority Whip Newt Gin
grich received it on the 15 yard line, and
ran it to the 60 with allegations that
House Speaker Jim Wright had violated
several of the ethics rules governing the
body. Wright was injured in the play but
continued on the field, denying any
wrongdoing.
Late in the second quarter, though,
the Republicans got their big chance.
Gingrich’s initiative proved successful
with the resignation of Wright. Touch
down Republicans. The extra point
came when House Minority Whip Tony
Coelho of California resigned at the
half-time buzzer. This play was per
formed impressively. It was as if the
Democratic players had helped the Re
publicans score by concurring that
Wright should leave at half-time, Demo
crats 7, Republicans 7.
The second half was scoreless despite
several changes on the field. In for the
Democrats were Reps. William Gray III
of Pennsylvania, Roy Dyson of
Maryland and Gus Savage of Illinois.
The Republicans have Reps. Joseph Mc-
Dade of Pennsylvania and Donald Lu-
kens of Ohio. Each player was charged
with House ethics rules violations by the
other team. The ball was run back and
forth, but each side seemed to be play
ing offense and defense at the same
time.
Just as football players work together
as a team, so should our lawmakers, re
gardless of political affiliation. The
House ethics rules are very important.
Any member who does not follow them
should be forced to resign, just as any
football player who does not play by the
rules would be thrown out of a game.
However, it is very important that the
members of the House of Representa
tives recognize genuine ethics rules vio
lations and not scrutinize each other’s fi
nancial disclosures for the sole purpose
of ousting each other from Congress.
As for the players, it is time for them
to hit the showers. And if it were up to
me, I would put both teams on two year
probation with no bowl game for a year.
Damon Arhos is a junior journalism
major and a columnist for The Battal-
No lack of drama
in Texas politics
By Mi
STAFI
While this vast, Brechtian drama
takes place in China — not to mention
(why do we always say that when we’re
about to mention something?) the elec
tions in Poland, the death of the Ayatol
lah, the extraordinary developments in
the USSR and other matters of some
note — we get Texas politics. Lucky us.
Molly
Ivins
Syndicated Columnist
Wh
|heir I
fall ar
I three
?260.
Former Sen. Ralph Yarborough sug
gested two weeks ago that the drama of
students in Beijing struggling to bring
democracy to their country should
inspire us — “Why not bring democracy
to Texas?” he cried, “Why not bring de
mocracy to Texas!”
Local wags maintain that Williams
most likeable fella, will win the Repuli;
can nomination, but that Boone Pide
will steal it away in a hostile takeover.
Byr
ager,
oossit
I’m still rooting for T. Boone to
into this thing — no one else can add
je ne sais quoi that Pickens can toaR;
publican primary.
aitin
addec
reside
I “TAI
Oh, I don’t know. The Soviets have
Gorbachev, the Chinese now have mar
tyrs and all we have is Jim Mattox wan
dering around sticking his pins into his
Ann Richards voodoo doll.
The language from China and the
Soviet Union is riveting, “Will you shoot
at us if they order you to?” asked citi
zens surrounding an army truck Satur
day.
Secretary of State Jack Rains waniej
run real bad — my own impression|
that he bears a strong resemblance!
hyperbolic hamster, but I can neverprtj
diet Republican preferences. Lasttkj
out they picked Bill Clements instead: *
my man Tom Loeffler with his inm. '
tal slogan “Texas Will Always BeTeT
as.” ••
“We have to obey orders because we
are soldiers,” said the driver. “Other
wise, we will be punished. In any case,
there’s no way they will order us to
shoot the people.”
“Why do you have guns?” shouted
one man.
“A man is not a soldier without his
gun, is he?”
“I tell you, there will be no good end
for you if you follow your order loyally,”
screamed an old man. “You have par
ents and you have brothers and sisters.
You should not beat your fellow citizens
under any circumstances.”
“We are shocked,” said a Chinese
journalist. “The troops and the police,
they are suppossed to be our brothers.”
Railroad Commissioner Kent Hantil A 1
would appear the only guy in the pad|B r y an
who has any resemblance to a seriouBT^
politician, but he bombed last timeouMju f ()]
If the Republicans in this state everfud an a p
out he has a sense of humor, the man:! agains
dead meat.
^ But
And on the Democratic side, tk three-j
sheer chutzpah of Jim Mattox continue
to amaze all who know him — eve!
those who know him well. He’s selectti
Jim Carville, the ragin’ Cajun politia
pro, to run his campaign. Carville’sspe!
cialty is “pushing rednecks’ button" J
you can imagine what a delightful tiffij
we’re in here for. Death penalty! Toum
on crime! The lag! Bring back Wi
Horton! All those issues so criticallol
state that stands 49th in general puli!
welfare.
“I saw a young woman tell the sol
diers that they are the people’s army,
and that they musn’t hurt the people,” a
young doctor said Sunday. “The sol
diers hurt her, ran up and bayoneted
her. . . . I couldn’t tell if she lived or
died.” (Quotes from the New York
Times)
For attorney general, it could bent
fun on the Democratic side. Congres
man John Bryant of Dallas will be fat
ing, among others, Rep. Dan Moraleso!
San Antonio. Morales will be runnings
a Hispanic in South Texas and as aeon
servative everywhere else — his big del
is Tough on Crime.
So sad. A faint echo there of the Ohio
National Guard at Kent State.
Another echo of that terrible time
came from the Soviet Union, where Dr.
Andrei Sakharov was attacked last week
by a Soviet war hero for having spoken
out against the war in Afghanistan.
There were vitriolic accusations that he
is unpatriotic, a traitor, because he op
posed the war.
I’ve got nothing against people wk
are tough on crime, but I never kne>
anyone who built a political career o:
that issue who wasn’t a rank deni:
gogue. Ever ask yourself why we keef
needing politicians who are Tough oil
Crime when we never vote for anyonl
who is Weak on Crime?
He responded just as sharply that it
was an unjust and an unwinnable war.
And, there was not a word of that entire
debate in the Supreme Soviet that all of
us who lived through the war in Viet
nam had not already heard. So very
strange to hear it coming from Soviet
lips.
Meanwhile, our own version of
strange is shaping up nicely, what with
Clayton Williams, known to most of you
as the fella in the cowboy hat who speaks
on TV for Claydesta Communications,
poised to take his first gubernatorial
plunge.
But there’s another Hispanic hope
the horizon — Rep. Hugo Berlant
from Corpus would have run for Gar
Mauro’s seat had Mauro not decided!
stay put as land commissioner instead!
going for A.G. So now Berlanga iseyfi
ing the state treasurer’s race and iscoi
fident that he can get the money fori
statewide race. Sure would be nice tof t
nally see someone who isn’t white gc 1
elected to a statewide office, and Bei
langa is smooth and smart and a niff;
guy, even though he dances on Gib iffj
wis’ string in the House. A coupler
women also are looking at that race.asil
Steve Gutow, a Dallas lawyer.
There will be no shortage of electonl
festivities from here on out, but ttf
Mattox-Richards race should be unpa
ralleled for sheer spectacle.
So, the game went into overtime.
With a tie score, the two teams have
vowed to battle it out until one is victo-
Each side does not seem to realize this
is one game neither can win. The only
losers in this big game are the American
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