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Monday, March 25,1991
State Local 3
Panel criticizes war coverage
'Nation' writers say media omitted war details
et Harrow
The Battalion
Many details of the Persian
Gulf conflict never appeared in
mainstream media, leaving re
sponsibility for accurate war cov
erage to the alternative press,
said three writers from The Na
tion at Texas A&M Friday.
Alexander Cockburn, a colum
nist for The Nation since 1983
and for the Wall Street Journal
since 1980; Christopher Hit
chens, a columnist for The Na
tion and Washington D.C. editor
for Harper's magazine; and
JoAnn Wypijewski, managing
editor of The Nation since 1987,
served on the panel.
Panelists said more of the Per
sian Gulf story was left out than
was told.
Cockburn questioned if the
war could have been avoided.
He said Saddam Hussein issued
public statements hoping for ne
gotiations and made private ap
peals that largely were ignored
oy the mainstream press.
"All these overtures were sys
tematically refused by the
United States," Cockburn said.
"Some people say (Saddam Hus-
sein) was never serious.
Wouldn't (the overtures) have
been worth exploring? The
United States did not think so."
Hitchens said polls show
Americans are proud of winning
the war, but that he does not be
lieve in opinion polls.
"Not only do I not believe in
the answers or the figures, I do
not believe in the questions,"
Hitchens said. "It is not impor
tant what you think, but now
you think."
Hitchens said the United
States is a large, rich country that
wallows in self-pity. He said it is
sad if winning a war is what it
took to put a spring in the steps
of American citizens.
Wypijewski said she has a
problem with "Support our
troops" slogans because they
were immediately accepted
without discussion or debate.
"For those on the right, (the
slogan) meant unquestioning
backing for the war, unquestion
ing approval in a tirade of yellow
ribbons, acquiesce in the murder
of women and children from the
air and in retreating (Iraqi) sol
diers," she said.
The slogans were a contradic
tion for many people who asked
themselves how they could op
pose the war, but support the
troops, she said.
"If you basically say, 'Support
the troops,' you also are saying
you support their actions and,
therefore, are falling in line,"
Wypijewski said. "The only
valid way to support the troops
is to demand that they come ho-
___ _ //
IT16.
Wypijewski said most of the
soldiers interviewed in the
mainstream press during the
war were from "the elite group"
— pilots or those who load the
bombs. She said "grunts" —
ground soldiers — rarely were
interviewed.
She said the different groups
of soldiers in the Persian Gulf
break down into classes.
"We essentially have a poverty
draft," she said. "Those who join
the armed services have no alter
native or the alternative is bad."
Panelists also attacked Gen.
Norman Schwarzkopf, the allied
commander, for reporting that
100,000 Iraqi soldiers were killed
and 7,000 to 10,000 Iraqi civilians
were killed.
See Nation/Page 10
A&M knew of money woes, Pierre says
PRAIRIE VIEW (AP) — The
Texas A&M University System
holds some of the blame for the
financial controversy swirling at
Prairie View A&M, former Prai
rie View A&M president Percy
Pierre said.
Much of the criticism over un
accounted funds totalling $15.1
million at Prairie View A&M has
been directed at Pierre and two
other top university officials.
But Pierre, who was president
from 1983 to 1989, says Texas
A&M System officials were
aware of Prairie View's financial
problems and should have acted
to correct faulty procedures.
The fiduciary responsibility for
Permanent University Funds
rested with the A&M System in
College Station, Pierre told the
Houston Chronicle.
"None of this would have
happened if College Station
would have reconciled its dis
bursements of PUF funds with
its construction bills," he said.
He said bills were sent from
one office; the money from an
other.
"Had those two offices been
talking to each other, this never
would have happened. Needless
to say, they talk to each other
now," Pierre said.
Investigators said records at
Prairie View A&M were so
poorly kept that no one will ever
know exactly where all that
money went.
Bill Wasson, vice chancellor
and comptroller for the A&M
System, said an outmoded ac
counting system combined with
Pierre's move to establish a cer
tain autonomy for the university
resulted in the loss of accounting
control.
"I'm not sure there's any
blame to be fixed, except to cor
rect the problem and go on from
there," Wasson said. "We were
the firemen sent in to put the fire
out and solve the problem."
Pierre, who left Prairie View in
August to become vice president
of research and graduate studies
at Michigan State University,
says the ongoing inquiry is un
necessary.
"There's really nothing left to
investigate," an angered Pierre
said last week in a telephone in
terview from his office at Michi
gan State. "It's just throwing
mud at me and some others. It's
just outrageous."
41
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KEVIN IVY/The Battalion
Pulling for charity
Gunnery Sergeant Hilliard, military adviser to Company E-2, lends a
hand in E-2’s victory in a tug-of-war at the Brazos River following the
Corps’ March to the Brazos. Hilliard, with other military advisers, also
marched with the cadets to the river. The annual march raises money for
the March of Dimes Foundation.
ility
in
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1
Here's YOUR chance
to be in the
I
Aggieland!
There are a lot of old Ag stories that are entertaining, but we want to
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There's a good reason your
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how students think.
They're students.
When it comes to knowing what it takes to get your work done, Collegiate Reps know where
you're coming from.
They demonstrate how easily you can use an IBM Personal System/2® to write papers and
create graphics and spreadsheets for your classes. They can answer your questions and help
recommend the right match for you from the affordable line of IBM PS/2s®.
Come to G. Rollie White Coliseum during Parent's Weekend (April 4-6) for PS/2®
demonstrations and giveaways.
Starting in the morning, IBM Collegiate Representations will be available to demonstrate and
answer questions you have about the IBM PS/2's®.
M icroComputerCenter
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Located in the Memorial Student Center
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