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Page t The Red and (Rack. Thursday November 2*. 1973
THE OPINIONS OF THE RED ANO BLACK
Gas and tax
We notice that the government
is diverting gasoline supplies
slated for civilian use to the
military and that the action may
reduce supplies to consumers by
up to 30 per cent.
We can’t argue with the need
to keep the military adequately
supplied with fuel, but that
seems to be a pretty drastic
measure. The military must,
along with the rest of the nation,
search for ways to cut back on
fuel consumption.
It is enraging to think of the
tremendous amount of gasoline
used by bombers over Cambodia
last summer when we knew we
were facing a potential oil shor
tage. It is enraging now to think
of the training flights and globe
covering programs in which the
military is engaged while fuel is
in such short supply.
Fuel must be given the mili
tary where it is needed, but they
should drastically cut back just
like us common folk.
Another discouraging point in
the government’s plans to ease
the energy crisis is the plan to
slap a 30 to 40 cent per gallon tax
on gasoline. It is said that the
tax might (just might) be ap
plied only to purchases of more
than a specified weekly allow
ance of around 15 gallons per
consumer.
We suppose the government
thinks that the tax would simply
discourage people from using
gas, but it seems to us that it
would do more to boost inflation
than curtail fuel use.
If the gasoline supply is that
low. let’s ration supplies to
individual consumers, industries
and businesses. Let’s not use the
energy crisis to raise prices and
stuff the vaults of the Federal
Treasury.
Laughing tapes
The Nixon tapes fiasco has
degenerated well beyond the
point of believability. We are
inclined to have hysterical re
actions to the affair but we can’t
decide whether to laugh or cry.
Judging by an Associated
Press dispatch on the playing of
the tape which has a mysterious
18-minute buzz over a conversa
tion between President Nixon
and aides John Erlichman and
H. R. Haldeman, we should
resign ourselves to laughter.
The playing of the tape in
Judge Sirica’s courtroom, the
report said, only settled that
“there is indeed a humdinger of
a hum.”
Later in the report, it was
stated that “there was some
whistling — tune and whistler
unidentified."
Yes. ladies and gents, that is a
real knee-slapper.
Nixon’s secretary, Rosemary
Woods, said she probably obliter
ated part of the tape, but nothing
close to 18 minutes worth of it.
Ha. Ha we guess they just lost
the rest of it.
That missing section, along
with the two non-existant tapes
which everybody at the White
House had heard to testify that
there was nothing on them, is
almost too much to take.
The White House has been
waging a vigorous public rela
tions campaign in the last couple
of weeks to return the nation's
confidence in Nixon.
We admire their willingness to
fight such incredible odds.
JACK BIRCH
Nixon really a Good Guy'
America is suffering, since the breaking
of the hush-hush Watergate scandal, the
agony of a weakening president. And this
particular observer questions why the
country which was founded on rights and
freedoms and other undeniable magnifi
cent qualities has become, to use a
cliche of our youth, uptight
The President of the United States, who
is under fire, is under fire for completely
false accusations When one looks at his
remarkable record, his utmost integrity,
his unheralded kindness and general good
nature, all hubbub of Watergate and
tapes and such things seem completely
unnecessary
Richard Nixon and his good friend the
former Vice-President Spiro Agnew, who
h-»« succumbed to the rapid bullet fire
expelled from the press and other
suspected Communist organizations (such
as the Justice Department, for example!,
have for the past five years defended the
Silent Majority's rights and needs, whe
ther they truly realize them or not.
Now with his sidekick unmercifully
dethroned from office on charges too
fraudulent to even mention. Nixon must
bear the weight of the country on his own
shoulders (and what a weight. 1 might
add). Nixon didn't request to carry the
wretched rich, but he does.
Nixon didn't demand the weight of the
young rebels who are attending Ameri
ca's once beautiful garden campuses of
learning, but he does Nixon didn't ask
for the weight of the terrible verbose
labor leaders and the soap boxes they
perch from, but he does And he submits
to this load because he cares about
America.
Richard Nixon has no thought of
personal glory or gain by being president
of this fine country All his life and duly
noted, his political life, he has thought
only of his country, only of its problems
and what he, Richard Nixon, can do to
save it.
As the 1960 election neared. Richard
Nixon felt the pulse of the public and
began to realize his hat being tossed in
by the nation of voters. They had
witnessed what he could do as vice-presi
dent. the people were eager for him to
carry on as president for the next four
years. So after careful and in depth
consultation with his dear friend, Billy
Graham, Nixon took it upon himself to
answer the call of the country.
But like a modern day Job (the one in
the Bible), Nixon was confronted with a
candidate he had not imagined. Nixon
thought he had nothing to fear from an
Irish-Catholic with a Massachusetts ac
cent but fate takes some tricky turns.
Nixon had tried and lost, by a margin
questionable enough that to this day
ardent Nixon supporters are finding
uncounted Nixon votes in subterranean
caverns of Chicago, deserted sections of
Nevada, and within unexploded test
explosives in Southeast Asian countries
Tragically defeated but still not down,
Richard Nixon took his plans to California
to try to rescue at least one state from
unavoidable disaster Richard Nixon
didn t fault the California voters for
entering the voting booths and defeating
his aspirations, he knew the press had
undermined his challenge and steered
away the public with potentially slander
ous articles.
The beaten man with a dream took his
bags and went east to make a fresh start
and try to decipher what the events of the
past two years meant Together with
Billy Graham. Nixon decided that 1968
would be a good year because the planets
would be in the right locations and Billy
would have six full years to pray.
We all know what happened in 1968,
possible hope reentered the White House
for the first time in eight years. Now the
only direction was up for America, out of
the violence in Vietnam and up the
modern tower of Babel to economic
opportunity and happy days. With Spiro
Agnew sweeping the country sharing his
inspired ideas of honesty and good faith
to the Great Silent Majority, our land
began to change.
All the while Nixon was trying to
explain to the country what was happen
ing in America, the lowly Democrats and
their co-horts the press took it upon
themselves to destroy the noble Nixon
plan.
First the Democrats moved into an
office building known as Watergate and
locked seven trusted Nixon followers
within and claimed it was a break-in.
Since that incident, according to our
distinguished president, it’s been one
frameup after another
Richard Nixon is under fire simply
because he is trying to do his job The
way things appear. Richard Nixon sounds
more like a modern time Job every
passing day We must stand behind him
for our Job has faith in America as the
original Job did in God.
The agony America is suffering that I
spoke of in the beginning of this article,
is needless and pointless because of the
above reasons We as thoughtful, patriotic
Americans should suppbrt our president
with gusto and not succumb to the
belligerent attacks he has received
recently and in the past The problems
can t last forever lad's let our man do
his job, the way Nixon knows best
U"happens hens,
taq &faD m«0Ll
Benefit action step
in the right direction'
TO TIIE EDITOR:
As Veterans Affairs Coordinator. I
want to express my gratitude to Senator
Herman Talmadge. the Senator's admi
nistrative assistant. Daniel Minchew. The
Red and Black staff and those student
veterans who recently took part in
expediting the issuance of the many long
overdue G I benefit payments
The effects of Senator Talmadge’s
telephone calls to the Veterans Adminis
tration Office in Washington and Atlanta
were apparent within fifteen minutes
after their completion This action will
not eliminate all problems a veteran
encounters when attempting to obtain his
educational benefits, but it is certainly a
step in the right direction
ROBERT V. O’KELLEY
Veterans Affairs Coordinator
Student Senate
morally corrupt'
TO THE EDITOR:
So the Student Senate has given the
United States a pat on the back for giving
money to the drought stricken areas of
Africa? It seems that this proposal is
truly worthy of Michael Simpson and his
ilk
Never mind that many major campus
organizations have demanded a referen
dum on the SGA's membership in a
bankrupt. CIA-infiltrated National Stu
dent Association Never mind that hunger
is here in Athens as well as far away in
Africa. Africa is in this year, it's a
matter of being in fashion Apparently.
Athens is not in fashion, even if the
people are just as hungry
Our so-called Student Senators spout
off very well — whether they are ending
hunger in Africa or impeaching a
president But when it comes to action --
real, honest action, where are our
so-called senators’’ Steve Letzsch is being
busted in Macon. Steve Patrick is trying
to advance his political career either in
court or elections he can never win. and
Mike Simpson is writing his next hatchet
job on some organization that has the
gall to disagree with the word he promul
gates
One could not hope to find a more
morally corrupt organization than our
so-called Student Senate: they are vain,
arrogant, selfish and care nothing for the
people they supposedly represent
The time is now for an uprising
Students from all of campus who oppose
this corrupt and useless body should
arise and demand the immediate disband
ing of the Student Government Associa
tion — for the good of all of us
ARTHUR S. WARD
Stadium not
for concerts
TO Tilt-: EDITOR:
Leaving aside all talk of lighting,
electric power, turf, the Athletic Associa
tion. overpriced rock groups, and rude
UGA concert audiences. I would like to
make a few statements:
Concert halls are for music:
Stadiums are for sports;
It is as ludicrous to hold a concert in a
stadium as it is to play football in a
concert hall
Only a fool would pay to hear a concert
in a stadium, and only a deaf person
could truthfully say that it sounded good
BILL BRYAN
Man not created
exactly like God
TO THE EDITOR:
In your Nov 14 issue there was a letter
from John J Thomas answering mine of
Oct II. which in turn responded to one of
Rev Bill Easterling of some days earlier
His point, that logic does not demand
that matter be created, is valid In other
words, the concept of eternal matter is
not undefined or contradictory (in which
case logic alone could abolish it), but
within the frame of Christian theology,
merely false (in which case evidence
refutes it).
My point was that, if man was made
exactly like God. man could not have
been made at all
The Scriptures hold that all matter is
created. Hebrews 11:3 states. "We per
ceive that the universe was fashioned by
the word of God. so that the visible came
forth from the invisible " (New English
Bible!
MICHAEL A. COVINGTON
Kent's sign
right about Fonda
TO TIIE EDITOR:
Michael Simpson hit the proverbial nail
on the head in the column regarding Jane
Fonda s visit and the so-called ‘ residual,
puritanical arrogance 1 ' displayed threat
Unfortunately Simpson was not aiming
ifl the right direction She claims to know
everything about the affair in Indochina
and she says she is totally and absolutely
right and anyone who disagrees with her
is wrong She is reminiscent of the
femme de la rue who resorts to hawking
her product in full voice.
Her product is treason and she has
voiced it full Any person who travels to
the enemy capital, makes propaganda
speeches against his country and gives
aid and comfort to the enemy is a traitor,
plain and simple Phil Kent's sign could
be no more accurate And now she has
stepped down from treason to rabble-rou
sing
It is also most strange to note that the
people who decry the Fonda-booing the
loudest are the same people who organize
and coordinate a let's go-boo Nixon
protest" in Macon It seems that booing
is definitely passe with the leftist crowd
nowadays, as long as they agree with the
speaker
GEORGE L. ROC KWELL
Share views
with Congressmen
TO THE EDITOR:
congressmen who need to know that
we’re listening and caring? Maybe those
who are not writers themselves can clip
and mail viewpoints printed here that
reflect their own. if they. too. want their
voices heard.
C HARLOTTE VON GLASERKEKLD
It's very encouraging to read the
strong reactions to political events that
have appeared in The Red and Black. It’s
obvious that we care about what is
happening in Washington, as well as
here, or what has happened
What seems most promising now. and
most significant, is that our voices are
being heard and we make an impact
when we speak in large numbers The
people we elect to office, whom we
rarely, if ever get to see, put more spirit
and dispatch into their efforts when they
get some feedback from us and know
what we're thinking.
None of us lives or operates in a
vacuum I think there is no longer a
sense that we are too far removed from
the final process of legislation to make a
difference Now, more than ever we can
lay aside the view that all politicians
are corrupt; accepting that view, is
collaborating with it.
Can we stretch the reactions and
viewpoints that appear in The Red and
Black to cards and letters to our
Letters Policy
l.ctten to the editor should
• He typed, double spaced, on a
60-space line
• He brief, to the point.
• Include name, address and phone
number of contributor.
• He original, rather than duplicates
of letters to other persons or
publications.
Names will be withheld for piod
reason upon request, but must bear
the above information.
Letters are subject to editing for
style and libel laws as well as for space
limitations
Mail letters to The Red and Black.
I JO Journalism building, University of
Geo>„ia. Athens, (la. 30602, or bring
by 130 Journalism building.
Brown disputes Thomas
TO THE EDITOR:
As long as we're discussing theology
here in the letters section let me try to
shed some light, if I may First of all I
would like to take issue with the recent
letter by John J. Thomas in which he
states: '' there is nothing about the
existing material universe nor about the
concept of materiality as such which
requires us to think that something
material cannot be uncreated "
In this. Thomas is saying that some
thing has come out of nothing Are we to
assume that time, space, matter, con
sciousness. intelligence have come out of
nothing' 1 Is it not a basic tenet of physics
that to every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction' Is Thomas asking us
to assume that there is no first cause, no
primal action which originated this
universe’
If, on the other hand, the material
universe is uncreated, then it must be
eternal, having existed forever and
continuing to exist forever. If this is so
then what about such things as conscious
ness love, being, etc ? By this, these
things are eternal also Is this not a
definition of God?
Consider this; the entire universe,
manifest and unmanifest is part and
parcel of God himself. His consciousness
is the Supreme Consciousness and sus
tains all existence He is GOD, genera
tor, operator, and destroyer of all things
which come and go in time, and no finite
intelligence can approach the infinity of
His mind through logic, speculation, or
thought. Can a machine know its inventor
to the extent that it defines him in its own
terms and assume that this is all there is
to him’ I think not
DAVID BROWN