1991
The Battalion
We asked
and you said ...
Students give opinions
on invasion of Iraq
See Page 3
9
Vol. 90 No. 76 USPS 045360 10 Pages
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, J anuary 23, 1991
Iraqi missile claims first Israeli lives
nale
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mself in
shocked
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Bush applauds
Israeli control,
icondemns Iraq
1 WASHINGTON (AP) — The
|White House praised Israel’s re
straint in the uncertain hours after
an Iraqi missile attack on Tel Aviv.
Some members of Congress said
they could sympathize with Israel if
it counterattacked.
President Bush met with his war
ilanners at the White House shortly
after a Scud missile struck a resi
dential section of the Israeli city,
j with a loll of three dead and at least
170 wounded.
I “We condemn this brutal act of
I terror against innocent victims,”
I White House press secretary Marlin
iFitzwater said.
“Israel has shown remarkable re
straint in the face of this aggression.
We continue to consult with the gov
ernment of Israel and will continue
doing so as events unfold,” he said.
“A nation clearly is on the firmest
ground when they are defending
their own people,” said Sen. Phil
Gramm, R-Texas.
"They have an absolute right to
respond,” said Sen. John Kerry, D-
Mass.
At the Israeli Embassy, Ambassa
dor Zalman Shoval declined to rule
out a retaliatory strike but also said a
response from Israel “would not
necessarily have the character of ret
ribution.” He said “it’s not necessar
ily eye for and eye” but how best to
protect the Israeli people.
Bush reviewed the status of the
war with Vice President Dan Quayle,
Secretary of State James A. Baker
III, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney
and his top national security advis
ers.
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• The Iraqis set the oil-producing heart of Kuwait ablaze.
• Iraqi tanks maneuver, reposition and dig in just across the Kuwait border, ready for a fight.
• Tel Aviv is hit with Iraqi Scud missiles, and deaths are reported.
• U.S. Patriot missiles take out some incoming Scuds, but can’t stop the entire Iraqi attack on
Tel Aviv.
• The threat of terrorist attacks in Texas has federal and local authorities constantly working
to prevent potential strikes against U.S. citizens as well as discrimination against
Arab-Americans.
• Oil prices jumped nearly $3 per barrel Tuesday as traders were rattled by Iraqi attacks.
Patriot fails, Scud hits
Israeli residential area
DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia (AP)
— A cornered Iraq lashed out at ene
mies south and west Tuesday with
terror from the sky, firing missiles at
both Saudi Arabia and Israel. One
Scud slammed into homes in Tel
Aviv and pushed Israel closer to
joining the Persian Gulf war.
At least three people died and 70
were wounded in Tel Aviv, Israeli
military officials said. The new U.S.-
supplied Patriot defense system
failed to stop the incoming Iraqi mis
siles, they said.
But the Patriot interceptor mis
siles did their job against Scuds fall
ing on Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
The oil-pumping heart of Kuwait
burned through the day Tuesday,
spreading black smoke screens
across the sky.
On the northern Saudi Arabian
front lines, Iraqi tanks have been
shuttling from one hardened posi
tion to another, and Iraqi gunners
have fired sporadically on U.S. lines,
officers reported.
“He still has a lot of firepower,”
Col. Ron Richard, a Marine intelli
gence officer, said. “This is not an
enemy that is going to go easy.”
The relentless allied air war
passed a new mark of 10,000 aircraft
sorties.
Iraq asserted the U.S.-led coali
tion’s warplanes struck residential
areas of Baghdad and other cities in
20 attacks late Monday and early
Tuesday.
Iraqi radio also claimed the Desert
Storm bombers attacked two major
Islamic religious sites and vowed
that “holy anger” would translate
into “suicide operations that will
seek retribution.”
The U.S. military maintains it is
Leaders aim
for peaceful
resolution
of crackdown
RIGA, U.S.S.R. (AP) — The Lat-
vian leadership on Tuesday said So
viet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev
has agreed not to impose direct
Kretnlm rule in the secessionist re
public.
Latvian President Anatolijs Gor
bunovs met for two-and-a-half hours
Tuesday with Gorbachev in Moscow
to discuss the Soviet military crack
down that has claimed six lives in the
Baltic republic. Fourteen people
were killed Jan. 13 in Lithuania dur
ing a similar Soviet assault.
The Soviet president appeared on
national television Tuesday to say he
remained committed to a peaceful
resolution of tensions in the Baltics,
all of which want independence
from Moscow. But one Latvian law
maker expressed skepticism that
Gorbachev could control the mili
tary.
Gorbunovs traveled to Moscow at
Gorbachev's invitation hoping to dif
fuse tensions with the Kremlin.
But after the meeting, he said the
Soviet leader offered no concrete
proposals on how to solve the con-
tlict between pro-independence and
pro-Kremlin forces in Latvia.
Gorbunovs said Gorbachev ex
pressed regret over the loss of life in
the attack by forces loyal to the Com
munist Party.
The Latvian president said Gor
bachev also had agreed presidential
rule was not necessary now in the re
public. Gorbachev’s powerful office
allows him to impose direct rule in
any of the 15 Soviet republics, mean
ing he could disband local parlia
ments and take other drastic steps.
A Kremlin envoy told reporters
Monday that Gorbachev was consid
ering imposing presidential rule in
Latvia.
“We came to the same conclusion
that there is the possibility in Latvia
for political dialogue and there is no
need for presidential rule,” Gorbu
novs said. “We will continue dia
logue.”
The central issue, however, of
whether Latvian or Soviet laws apply
in the republic remains.
Gorbunovs said Gorbachev told
him the Soviet constitution must be
the basis of all negotiations between
the Soviet Union and Latvia. That
would rule out independence for the
republic.
Latvia maintains that laws passed
by its elected parliament are valid.
Texas A&M students listen to speakers Tuesday afternoon at a
pro-life rally held in the Memorial Student Center Flagroom. Tues-
Localpolitical leaders
speak atpro-life rally
By GREG MT.JOY
Of The Battalion Staff
Texas A&M students read anti-abortion letters from local
congressmen Tuesday during a pro-life rally marking the 18th
anniversary of legalized abortion.
The rally, organized by Aggies For Life and sponsored by
several student and local anti-abortion groups, featured mes
sages from U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, State
Sen. Jim Turner and State Rep. Steve Ogden.
More than 150 people, mostly A&M students, gathered in
the MSC Flagroom to listen to Barton say that the uncertain
future of an unwanted child is better than death by abortion.
Ogden’s message echoed the opinions of Barton, as did
other letters.
Ogden also linked abortion to crimes of violence against
women, drug abuse and racism, saying these problems are
caused bv society’s failure to teach respect for innocent human
life.
John Davis, president of Aggies For Life, said he was
pleased with the turnout.
“I thought it went well,” Davis said. “With classes going on, it
is tough to get that many people here for the entire rally.”
Anti-war demonstrators, however, disrupted the anti-abor
tion rally.
Protesters remained quiet through most of the rally, but one
demonstrator shouted that Gramm might support pro-life is-
See Rally/Page 8
DARRIN HILL/The Battalion
day marked the 18th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme
Court decision, and was observed across the nation.
Protesters urge Bush
to ‘keep issue alive’
WASHINGTON (AP) — About 25,000 right-to-life demon
strators, exhorted by President Bush “to keep this issue alive,”
made their annual march upon the Supreme Court on Tues
day to decry the decision 18 years ago that legalized abortion.
Bush took time out from monitoring developments in the
Persian Gulf war at the White House to speak by telephone
hookup to the gathering, which assembled on the capital’s Mall
in sub-freezing temperatures.
“I’m pleased that my voice is pan of the growing chorus that
simply says: Choose life,” Bush said. Bushhas addressed the
anti-abortion marchers by telephone hookup in each of the
three years of his presidency.
“I’m encouraged In the progress which has taken place,” he
said. “Attempts bv Congress to expand federal funding for
abortion have been defeated and the Supreme Court has taken
welcome steps toward i e\ ei sing its Roe vs. Wade decision.”
However, despite the successes, “abortion on demand con
tinues unabated in this country,” Bush said. He urged more
work to promote alternatives to abortion, including adoption.
“You, the volunteers ... must make it your goal to keep this
issue alive and predominate in the halls of Congress, the courts
and in the minds of the American people,” Bush said.
The march drew far fewer supporters than last year, and
leaders said it was because of concerns about the war and pos
sible terrorism.
Officer Dan Nichols of the LLS. Capitol Police estimated the
crowd at 25,000. The National Park Service and the city police
department concurred in that figure, compared with an esti
mate of 75,000 at last year’s march.
limiting attacks to strategic targets
and has said specifically it will avoid
Islamic holy places.
Journalists who left Baghdad in
recent days said the population has
either fled to the countryside or set
tled into basement shelters. They
said they saw little serious damage to
civilian areas.
At Dhahran, incoming Scuds were
intercepted and destroyed by Patriot
defense missiles, witnesses said.
An unspecified number of Scuds
rained down on Israel late Tuesday,
and one that penetrated the Patriot
shield landed in a residential area,
hitting densely packed apartments,
flattening one building and badly
damaging two others.
Military officials said three elderly
people suffered cardiac arrest, and
at least 70 people were wounded,
three seriously. Hours later, people
were still trapped in the ruins.
After Tuesday’s missile strike, an
Israeli army spokesman said of the
Patriots: “They were fired; they did
not hit.”
Earlier in the day. Foreign Min
ister David Levy suggested Israel
might have to respond to another at
tack. “Nobody in Israel is interested
in being a sacrificial lamb,” he said.
After the attack, it was announced
the Israeli Cabinet would meet
Wednesday to decide how to re
spond.
Twenty or 30 mobile Scud launch
ers are believed to be on the loose in
southern Iraq, apparently hiding
during the day, emerging to menace
Israel and Saudi Arabia at night.
SBSLC plays
host to annual
conference
By JULIE MYERS
Of The Battalion Staff
About 700 students from states as
far as Illinois will travel to Texas
A&M to attend the third annual
Southwestern Black Student Lead
ership Conference, “One People,
One Aim, One Destiny.”
The purpose of the conference,
beginning Thursday, is to develop
and enrich the academic, political
and cultural awareness of African-
American student leaders, Vivian
Warmly, SBSLC chairperson and
A&M senior management and mar
keting major, said.
“I look at this conference as the
second way to save the planet
Earth,” Warmly said. “This time, we
are recycling knowledge of how to
deal with our fellow man.”
The SBSLC also will address
problems facing African-American
collegians and the African-American
community.
The conference includes ban
quets, workshops and a job fair.
Joshua I. Smith, Dr. Benjamin
Hooks and Tony Brown will deliver
speeches during the banquet.
Smith is the founder and chief ex
ecutive officer of the MAXIMA
Corp., which provides information
for government and commercial cli
ents. It employs more than 1,000
employees in 46 locations across the
United States.
Hooks has been the executive di
rector of National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People
since 1977. He is a licensed minister,
lawyer and banker.
Brown is also a producer, educa
tor, writer and film director. His col
umn is syndicated to more than 100
newspapers.
Brown also was the founding
dean and professor of the School of
Communications at Howard Univer
sity where he initiated the annual
Careers Conference, which helps
qualified African-Americans find
jobs in the communications industry.
Rep. Wilhemina Delco also will
speak Friday. She has been the Tra
vis County state representative since
1974 and is presently House speaker
pro tern and a member of the Sci
ence and Technology Committee.
Warmly said about 7 percent of
students attending the 1990 confer
ence were white, and she expects
See SBSLC/Page 8