daily
collegian
editorial opinion
Wimpy's support at the polls sends a message
Via The Associated Press
national wire, Penn State's
inimitable gerbil made the
humor pages of newspapers
all over the country this
weekend.
Lots of people read what
was doubtless their first
taste of. Penn State apart
from football, i.e. one-quar
ter of. the student body (that
is, those who voted) voted for
a gerbil to administer 'activ
ities and services and to rep
resent it before University
and government officials.
And lots of people probably
sneered and chortled.
In Harrisburg, legislators
must have said, "Those beer
swilling, pot-smoking, fun
loving students! All we ever
Students must watch to see that promises , are carried out
The new Undergraduate Student Govern
ment team of Bill Cluck and Ken Reeves,
elected last week by a pathetic showing of 22
percent of the student body, now must offer the
initial spark to ignite student government into
a flame of action and accomplishment.
Leadership, direction and a commitment to
accomplish goals were the overriding themes
of the Cluck/Reeves platform in the USG
presidential race. And if the team can solve
some of the more pressing' problems such as
tuition increases and laek of interest in student
government, they are the leaders students
have been waiting for.
USG has a-tough year ahead, no matter how
Cluck and Reeves, approach it. Curing student
apathy is not easy, nor is battling the legis
lature to stop another tuition increase one of
Cluck and Reeves's main proposals.
But apathy and tuition increases go hand in
hand. An effective student lobby against tu
ition must be 'supported by an energetic stu
dent population, and that is what the
University now lacks.
During the campaign, Cluck said countless
students had asked him how to get involved in
student government. He said he would give
those countless numbers something to do. We
must see if USG will improve simply because
TMI rally
When the alatm went off at 7 Saturday morn
ing, I told myself not to go on this ridiculous trip to
Harrisburg to cover the anti-nuclear demonstra
tion. The rally was organized to commemorate
the infamous accident at the Three Mile Island
nuclear plant in Middletown and call for the
plant's shut down.
However, on the bus ride home, I concluded
that my day had not been a total waste I had
met some of the citizens who had faced the TMI
accident, and their day-to-day struggle is far
more honorable than those who battle the abstrac
tions of TMI.
That morning was flawless. The -sky was
unburdened with clouds save for a few vapor
trails that looked like snake skins taped across the
sky. Members from Eco-Action were arriving to
board the yellow school buses and most were
dressed for the event. Blue jeans with sweaters,
red and blue bandanas and T-shirts that read; "I
survived TMI, I think," set the mood.
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I had not expected things to go as smoothly as
they did. The five buses loaded down with student
activists left Penn State almost on time.
We arrived in Harrisburg around noon. We
were expelled onto a busy main street, told to fend
for ourselves and return by 5:30.
Walking with the parade of protestors, I was
greeted by a man who was "Selling the best
Socialist newspaper money can buy!" After the
socialist, I got a free iodine pill made from kelp,
but I refused to eat it because I do not feel it is my
right to upset my iodine balance.
Among other natural sights were a lot of
women wearing the no-bra look and making it
hard not to notice the statements jiggling on their
T-shirts.
Unfortunately, some of the protesters had
brought children. They were running wild on the
opinions
Last laugh
hear from them are com
plaints about rising tuition
and requests to lower the
drinking age and make Hie
ghl drugs legal. So this is how
seriously they take their poli
tics!"
In homes of high school
juniors, the conversation
probably went:
Mother (reading the pa
per): Take a look, Charlie.
Harriet wants to go to Penn
State, but I've got some
doubts about the place. May
be we should think about
shelling out the money for a
more serious school.
Father (stirring the•maca
roni): Aw, she'll have tons of
fun at the football games.
But she does want to go to
Sparking USG
Cluck will try to get more people , involved.
Other campus issues on the Cluck/Reeves
platform are
. improving academic advising,
publicizing available study space and investi
gating available athletic facilities. These is
sues must be faced immediately not pushed
to the back burner.
Strengthening the USG Senate and Exec
utive Council are two of the most challenging
i§sges
,cluckAßtlitqqvps face.,. Coming, into
office,with a realistic viqw 'gel=haems(should
aid them immensely, and but they should also
be willing to work.carefully Rilegtablish - direc=
tion otherwise members will become dis
couraged by the rapid change.
Cluck said his first priority is to make
appointments. Department heads must be will
ing to communicate and trust each other,
Cluck said, and they must work together to
make 203 HUB a place where students can get
answers.
The Cluck/Reeves platform is to be stapled
up in the USG office and is going to be worked
on, Cluck said, adding that only when all the
proposals are accomplished will USG move
ahead.
Welcome, Bill Cluck and Ken Reeves. Spark
your proposals and create a fire in USG. We'll
be watching.
fads, abstractions, a need for wisdom
Market Street Bridge and peering perilously over
the edge while their airhead parents were mulling
over whether to buy "The Militant" or not.
A number of freaky people were there, too. A
man wearing a black vest, pants and hat passed
me on the bridge looking like he had just snorted
rubber cement. About half way across the bridge,
he stopped, went to the edge of the bridge and let
out one of the most unearthly screams I've ever
heard sort of like the yell a lion would let out if
he were being castrated with a buzz saw. Some
one walking past who also heard him remarked,
"Just someone freaked out on radiation."
An old man wearing black ear plugs and
standing on orange, plastic roller skates greeted
me as I left the bridge. He was selling something.
It seemed everyone was selling something ; This
rally was more like an open market for the left
wing than a statement on mankind's survival.
Some of the more imaginative protesters cen
tered themselves in the middle of the street and
carried a mushroom cloud cutout. A pair of
seemingly experienced marchers walking along
side me commented on the cutout carriers saying,
"Is this the life of the march?"
I met another experienced marcher, Valerie
Libby, a socialist in her late 30s who was selling
"The Militant." She had been involved with the
big marches of the 1960 s civil rights, Vietnam
and women's rights. A graduate of psycho-linguis
tics from Berkeley, she now works for a United
States Steel plant in Minneapolis. She said stu
dents will get involved with leftist causes because
of Reagan's election to the presidency.
"Students are just as concerned about chang
ing things as they were in the '6os," she said.
Libby is involved with women's rights as well
as socialism.
"The women's movement and socialism are
related —human needs should come first not
whether it makes a buck for Standard Oil."
Valerie finished her rhetoric and invited me to
a meeting of the Socialist Workers Party. I lied
and said I might show up. Instead, I decided to get
some reactions from local citizens.
Richard and Muriel Washington, a married
couple in their 20s, were the first people I spoke
with.
About the day of the accident, Richard said,
"Well, I was scared in a way, yes, and in a way no.
law school, and student gov
ernment experience is im
portant . .
In the Washington, offices
of big-wig education offi
cials, grumblings were prob
ably heard:
"Here we are in a tug-of
war trying to save the stu
dent loan programs from the
axe, and there those students
go again. Hell, this is just the
excuse the White House
needs to make some real
cuts."
Who says students don't
have impact?
The Daily Collegian's editorial
opinion is determined by its Board of
Opinion, with the editor-in-chief
holding final responsibility.
I had a feeling it wouldn't blow but I didn't have
no place to go and I was working with the state."
Muriel had a similar reaction to the accident
and said that even though she is pregnant she does
not worry about the low level radiation that may
still be emanating from TMI.
"No, I'm not worried," she said. "There's no
time to worry. I take it as it goes."
Both said they would have participated in the
rally had they known about it.
"I think they doing a good thing," Richard
said. "They should shut the thing down. If it
happened once, it could happen again."
"Yeah, I would have demonstrated if I didn't
have this in front of me," Muriel said, pointing to
her seventh- or eighth-month pregnancy.
By this time, the parade had passed me and I
was following a V-8 juice -red car carrying Harris
burg's fire and police chiefs."
• Leaning on a parking meter and listening to a
nun spreading the word on the dangers of nuclear
energy was Chester Swaggart, a man in his 60s,
who lives in an apartment overlooking TMI.
"I think it should be shut down," he said.
"They (Metropolitan Edison) have no feeling for
safety, and it's not operated properly. It should be
shut, down completely.
"I think a whole lot more about it now and I
think they're doing things now —trying to clean
up on the sly and it should be stopped," he said.
I then spoke with a young mother who had
taken her son to an out-of-the-way playground to
avoid nosy reporters.
"I was very scared, petrified" when TMI
happened, she said. "I was physically ill and I'm
not trying to be funny. I had to leave Harrisburg
and go to Baltimore.
"I found out later that I should have gone north
because the wind was blowing southward," she
said.
Harrisburg politicians and the managers at
TMI have not learned enough from the accident,
she said. The city does not have an evacuation
policy, and TMI has kept its same incompetent
engineers, she said. But she would not leave if
TMI had another accident. •
"I would just as soon as live with my family
rather than leave to go to New York and live
(where her uncle resides). -I would rather stay
here with my family and die.
A student for mayor? Why not?
"What? A student running for mayor? What's his deal?
What's he trying to prove?"
"His name's Tom Ortenberg."
"Never heard of him."
"He's with the Consumer Party."
"Commoner's people, right?"
"Yeah."
"But who cares about the State College mayor? I mean,
come on. I'm only gonna be here for four years. It's a nice
enough place to party, but I can't bother with two-bit stuff."
"It's not two-bit. State College has a hell of an impact on
your life while you're here. An active mayor might be able to
get some stuff done around here."
"Oh yeah? An active mayor? What's wrong with the guy we
have now? What's his name?"
"Arnold Addison. He's a real nice guy, hasn't ripped
anybody off or anything, but it's just that he hasn't done as
much as he could have."
"How's Ortenberg gonna be different?"
"I just talked to him yesterday on Old Main lawn. He thinks
the mayor can influence things three ways. He or she can
propose legislation, focus public awareness, and veto legis
lation."
+.
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"Big deal. So he's active. What's he gonna be active about?"
"You know the Con.sumer Party they're into stuff like
decentralization, energy awareness, alternate transportation."
"Man, don't gimme that idealistic shit. Realism is where
this country is at. The people who voted for President Reagan
won't go for radicals, man."
"Hey, don't get me started on 'realism,' man. You think it's
`realistic' to have College Avenue so clogged with noise and
cars and fumes and trucks that sitting on the Wall is gettting to
be about as much fun as walking on the Schuylkill or through
the Liberty Tubes?"
"Well . . ."
"Come on, now. I'm serious. How 'realistic' is 'College
Avenue? If you can't get off on the fact that emphasizing non-
"I don't think you can get away from it. I'm not
a afraid of living here,"she said.
I left the woman in the playground and decided
to head back to the rally in the parking lot of the
Capitol building.
People were scattered around the parking lot
like coleslaw. Some were high on no-nuke
Speeches, some high on the perfect weather and
some were just high. For many, this rally was a
good reason to get wasted whether or not they
supported (or comprehended) what someone was
yelling into the mike. Abzug, for example, banged
a tambourine and yelled for money at such a
stifling rate that she sounded like a recording of
Tokyo Rose at 98 rpm.
One of the more outspoken speakers, Dr. Helen
Caldicott, an Austrailian expert on the effects of
nuclear radiation, spoke to reporters in . an area
one reporter called "the trenches."
Caldicott, who works at the Children's Hospital
Medical Center in Boston, said the citizens of
Harrisburg, Middletown and the surrounding
areas should leave immediately. When I later
asked her how responsible that stand is, she
attacked me.
"People with children should leave immedi
ately," she said. "I'm a physician, not a poli
tician. Not one child should die because of the
reactor. It's very medically responsible. I don't
ever compromise on the health of my patients. I'd
rather be dead myself than watch a child die of
leukemia."
Caldicott left in a snazzy, rented Cadillac limo,
and I moved on to what had been rumored as a
play about Karen Silkwood.
A group called "Streettalk" performed the
stupid and heartless travesty that attempted to
martyrize Silkwood's tragic story. Children and
protesters with the mentality of a crushed ant
enjoyed it, while most left confused. A reporter
from another paper who had covered other rallies
said,"You have to learn to expect things like this
at rallies."
After listening to more speakers and folk
music groups (who spend their lives singing about
the joys of working in coal mines and steel mills),
my colleagues and I had to head back to the buses.
Before we left, though, we sang along with a
particularly demagogic song whose main line is,
"They're long overdue for a kick in the rear/S-
automobile transportation decreases the chance of finding
yourself up to your butt in Middle Eastern sand, not to mention
radioactive rubble, spend a few hours breathing College Ave
nue air and then tell me how 'realistic' it is to continue with •
State College's current transportation system."
"Hey, settle down, man. I hope Ortenberg's not as h'ot
headed as you are."
"You're right. Sorry. You know, he's not very hot-headed at
"No?"
"No. I mean he's not some slick student-pol-on-the-way-up,
you know 'l2th-resume building,' or anything like that, but he's
very pleasant personally. He's smart enough to know you dop't
get anywhere beating people over the head."
"Something you oughta learn, man."
"Yeah, but it's so much fun to get all fired up about polities.
Anyhow, I'm not running, it's Ortenberg. He doesn't want too
come in and tell everybody they're wrong and he's right.
What's that Beatles lyric? `lf you're gonna go talking about
Chairman Mao, you're not gonna make it with anyone, any
how,' or something like that. He's learned that lesson a long
time ago."
"That's cool."
"xpall,„po ran, the, Centre , County, m
epaign for
Commoner and poug Mason, and 11.1,,i5t Nevembei, 40 ; Wm
l ad that , big 'hassle with' the' ballot "
status: think that
would make him bitter, if ,Anything would, but, he's .cool.,Vety
mature and together."
"Well, what's he gonna do specifically for State College?"
"He told me he'd give very high priority to CATA. He'd
encourage bike lanes. And he'd try to make it more pleasant to 1
walk downtown wider sidewalks, maybe banning traffic
from Calder Way, except for deliveries the Allen Street pedes
trian mall. Everything possible to cut down on automobile
traffic."
•
"Really down on cars, huh?"
"Yeah. Cars are dead, man. How much oil is left? Twenty,
30 years? Cars are dead, unless we switch to alcohol, and you 1 j
know how much Exxon would dig that. Ortenberg won't let us
get sucked into throwing money away on crap like the bypass - Or
more parking. Those things are the death throes of an auto-
mobile culture going down the tubes."
"There you go again making speeches. I swear you talk like
a newspaper column sometimes." •
"Yeah, well you know how it is."
John Protevi is a 14th-term philosophy major and a co/umnist
for the Daily Collegian.
tand up and tell them we're here." Somehow
kicking Met Ed and GPU officials in the rear does
not seem the answer to this increasingly complex
problem.
As the liberals screamed their abstractions,
and corporate executives of Met Ed made plans
on how to fund the $1 billion debt, TMI stood
silent. The as-yet-unseen reactor core lies be
neath thousands of gallons of radioactive water
and it will be at least five years before the clean
up will reach its last stages.
But what about the people around TMI who'do
not live in high rises and cannot afford to move or
hop to the next rally? •
The government, corporations and faddist
liberals do not exactly tell the truth about TMI
and they are left to sort it out for themselves. I
trust in their wisdom and I am hoping they know
the answer.
Above all, though, I am hoping they will
survive.
Gene Grygo is an Bth-term journalism and
history major and a staff writer for The Daily
Collegian.
4%Collegion . f
Tuesday April 7, 1981—Page 2
Paula Froke
Editor
BOARD OF EDITORS: Ntanaging Editor, Maryann
Hakowski; Editorial Editor, Tom Boyer; Assistant
Editorial Editor, John Allison; News Editors, Cindy
Deskins, Dave Medzerian; Sports Editor, Mike Poor
man; Assistant Sports Editors, Sharon Fink, Ron Gard
ner; Arts Editor, Stuart Austin; Assistant Arts Editor,
Elaine Wetmore; Photo Editor, Stel Varias; Assistant
Photo Editors, Janis Burger, Renee Jacobs; Graphicif
Editor, Lynda Cloud; Copy Editors, Rosa Eberly, Diane
Kuklar, Denise Laffan, Andy Linker, Lisa Morano,
Paddy Patton, Wendy Trilling; Becky Jones; Campus
Editor, Joyce Venezia; Assistant Campus Editor,
Chuck Hall; Town Editor, Phil Gutis; Assistant Town
Editor, Becky Jones; Features Editor, Pamela Mac
leod; Weekly Collegian Editor, Christopher Lee; Assis
tant Weekly Collegian Editor, Neil Axe; Contributing
Editor, Doug Bell. JP.
C) IS9 1 Collegian Inc.
Debby Vinokur
Business Manager A
daily
collegian
Not just hokum
Wendy Miller's ideas about bluegrass music
are not unique. This '!get-down-and-boogie-foot
stompin' " attitude really gets to met. Do you
want to know why? Because I wear red checked
shirts and blue designer jeans, drink Dr. Pepper
and clap my hands in time while watching the
Beverly Hillbillies reruns. (I think Elly Mae is
cuter than Dolly Parton.) An attitude true to the
hills, right?
Wrong. The two bands that played the double
header bluegrass concert the other night are not
typiCal of this kind of hokum. They are unique
and hard-working people.
The life of a bluegrass musician is very hard.
: One achieves fame through developing the re
: spect and admiration of a solid core of devoted
- fans. They pay high gas prices and plan days or
*::months in advance for the chance to hear their
Grad grumbles
They've got hollow, purple eyes. Their hair
is gray by age 25. They're always in motion,
always rushing from class to office to class.
Who are they? The University's graduate
teaching assistants. Doubtless most T.A.s
survive better than that description but the
fact remains that T.A.s are very busy folk.
Are these invaluable people overworked
and underpaid?
Other issues surface when the topic of T.A.s
is brought up, including language barriers
between students and foreign T.A.s, the ad
vantages and disadvantages of being taught
by a T.A. instead of a professor and the
importance of teaching fellowships to the
graduate school.
On Tuesday, April 14, The Daily Collegian's
Op-ed page will take a look at the problems
and prospects of t( .ching assistants. If you
have something to contribute, please bring it
to the editorial editor, 126 Carnegie, by 4 p.m.
on Saturday, April 11. Letters (one page
double-spaced) and forums (2-3 pages) are
welcome.
E----reader opinion/nuclear power
Right context
In re§ponseto the latest outcry over nuclear power,
centering' on TMI, I..wbuld like to pose a'question to those
people who would dOom th 3 world if 'given the chance: But
' first:let's put ourselv'k In'the light context.
It's about 500 years from now, there hasn't been a nuclear
war, everyone hasn't starved, and the world isn't overpop
ulated to the point at which people are falling off the south
pole. So now we're in the year 2481, the last ton of coal has
been mined, the last barrel of oil has been pumped, and our
skies are so polluted from the burning of these fossil fuels
"hat there isn't much plant life left to beautify our lawns and
gardens much less use as fuel to heat our homes.
And now I pose this'question to everyone. What source of
energy are we going to use as a replacement for those which
now depleted? Solar, hydroelectric and nuclear power
c • combined would provide the answer. That is, if there were
• any nuclear power. Remember, this is the year 2481 and there
is no nuclear power. You see, back in the 1980 s, under
tremendous pressure from the public, our government out
lawed research and the building of any such nuclear power
plants. '
4
So here it is people, let's put a limit on our existence, let's
let the short-sighted, narrow-minded anti.:nuclear faction
force their opinions on us and our government. On second
thought, let's not!
Brian Hampton (12th-biology)
:March 31
Nuclear criteria
Several letters recently have suggested that nuclear
power is the scourage of mankind, and anyone who would
support it is inhumane and tainted. By what criteria shall we
evaluate such charges?
Is it by the fact that, worldwide, we have over 500 reactor
years of commercial nuclear power experience without
.anyone injured or killed from a radiation-related accident?
Is it from the fact that the cost of nuclear-generated electrici
,ty is 40 percent less than that of oil-generated electricity? (In
New England over half the electricity comes from oil, most
of the remainder from nuclear.)
IS it from the fact that over a dozen independent studies
al carried out in five different countries that all concluded that,
the
favorite singers or bands at these clubs or
festivals.
Each year, excellent bluegrass gatherings
(some in existence for several years) are being
dissolved because the "get-down-and-boogie
foot-stompin" rowdies have taken over, and the
fans are no longer able to hear. •
I wonder if Wendy Miller has heard of Wendy
Miller? A fine bluegrass singer and musician.
Each time I drink a Dr. Pepper, I think I'll
"Shed Another Tear."
Tad . Marks, State College resident.
March 30
Right to privacy
On March 27, Snyder House held a party in
room 710 Snyder Hall which was busted by the
coordinator on duty who failed to knock before
entering the room.
The coordinator said he found an invitation in
his mailbox, which was not addressed to him
personally. Invitations, printed on computer
cards were given to residents of several female
dorm floors by two house residents. However,
these two residents did not place an invitatin in
the coordinator's mailbox.
Obviously, someone else put an invitation in
hii mailbox. The coordinator had to have real
ized that the invitation found was not placed in
his mailbox by a Snyder House resident with
authority to invite guests to the party. Therefore,
he knew he was uninvited to room 710 Snyder
Hall.
The coordinator said that since he nabbed
someone walking down the hallway with a mug
of beer under 'his sweatshirt before 10 p.m., he
felt the party was "out of control" according to
university policy. After opening the door, he said
more than once that he had the right to enter and
search a room without knocking.
The coordinator had this right even though he
admitted the music was at an acceptable vol
ume, the guests were well behaved, not rowdy,
and house residents were both in the room and
sitting outside the door monitoring the party in
order to assure• it remained peadeful. Yet the
coordinator entered and searched the room
without knocking.
even including the consequences of accidents, nuclear en
ergy is less hazardous in terms of injuries or deaths than
either coal or oil-generated electricty? Or perhaps it's the
radiation we get from nuclear power, which is less than
1/20th what a person would annually gel:by moving from a
wood frame house to n brick house? Or is it the "insolvable"
radioactive waste problem, *hose technical solution has
already been demonstrated in this country and abroad?
And if the criterion for condemnation of nuclear power is
not any of these, then what? Surely it must be that the
accident at TMI demonstrated that nuclear power is too
unsafe to use? This catastrophic accident, in which no one
has been injured or killed, occurred shortly before 242 people
were killed in an airline accident. Have we shut down the
airline industry? No! We made safety improvements and
continued to operate.
Since that terrible accident two years ago, 100,000 peeople
have died on the highways, and thousands have been injured
and killed in bicycle accidents. Why not shut down the auto
industry and the bicycle industry? The reason is, quite
simply, that there are risks and hazards in everything we do,
and we must balance the benefits against the risks. And we
must work to keep the risks as small as possible. When
viewed in this light, I believe nuclear power represents a
great benefit to mankind, and this is why I support it, not
because my job depends on it, which is untrue in any event.
Edward H. Klevans, associate dean for research and profes
sor of nuclear engineering
March 30
With reservations
On the second anniversary of the Three Mile Island
accident, the pro-nuke, no-nuke controversy has once again
been revived. Both sides have valid points, but they, depend
only on these points to support or damn nuclear power. The
entire picture of the nuclear industry must be surveyed
before a person can decide if he wishes to support or damn
the nukes.
Nuclear power is probably the most potentially dangerous
way of making electrical power. Many of the pro-nukes
compare the nuclear industry to other power industries by
their safety records. The nuclear industry safety records are
impressive, but what if the worst possible accident did
occur? There would be much more harm done to people than
if the worst possible coal or oil accident occured. Also, the
damage would remain for thousands of years. The •nuclear
industry will always have that potential danger associated
with it, even though it has an excellent record.
Anti-nukes claim that nuclear power is too dangerous to
allow it to be continued, but they do not propose a viable
alternative. Sure, they will immediately respond with solar
power and conservation, which will work with a little time
and a lot of money, but these things cannot be achieved
overnight.
Shutting down the nuclear power plants tomorrow will do
nothing but leave a lot of people in the dark. Another area of
concern of the anti-nukes (and pro-nukes) is the nuclear
waste hazard. The wastes are harmful and long-lived. So far,
not many effective plans have been utilized, but if the nuclear
plants were stopped tomorrow, the waste problem would not
just suddenly go away or-become any easier to solve. The
problem is here now, and it needs to be solved now. The
amount of wastes accumulated already, mostly from govern
ment rests of more then twenty years ago, will exceed the
amount of waste to be generated by nuclear plants over the
next 50 years.
Nuclear power, like almost everything else, is a choice to
be made based on' the risks and benefits. The benefit of
nuclear power is cheap energy that is available now. If you
question the fact that it , is cheap energy, then why are the
customers of Met Ed paying bills that are more than 40
percent higher than what they should pay because some
"idiot" will not restart TMI Unit 1. Met Ed is buying its
power off the national grid at an inflated cost. The waste
problem is here now, and the benefits of the energy outw
eighs the problems of additional wastes.
Presently, I am pro-nuke with reservations. I am pro
nuke for economic reasons; I believe that the benefits
outweigh the risks. The reservations involve my concern for
"human health and survival" and the possiblity of Murphy's
law catching up with the nuclear industry.
reader
opinion
It seems to us that the coordinator's PSU right
conflicts with our U.S. Constitutional rights.
We'd like to think, as citizens of the United
States, that our consititutional rights are not
repealed during the time we agree to live in the
dorms.
Bill Klein, 12th-quantitative business analysis
Jonathon Prather, 3rd-science
March 31
LCB hassles
Well, looks as if the so-called moral majority
has struck again. This time in the name of the
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. It seems.
that they don't want Mr. C's All-Male Revue to
continue.
The reason (or rather, lack thereof), supposed
ly, for their decision is that they consider it "too
lewd" and there exists too much physical contact
between the dancers and members of the audi
ence.
I don't get off on sexploitation, per se (be it
male or female dancers), but I did see their first
revue, mostly out of curiosity, arid found it to be
better than I had expected and in good taste. But
then, I guess my definition of good taste differs
from those gubernatorial-appointed "moralists"
(gods?) who sit around in the state's capitol (and
elsewhere, unfortunately) and make self-righ
teous laws based on their own narrow-minded
value sustems and "reasoning" for owners,
employees and patrons of bars to abide by.
I feel that if you don't like what goes on in
places like Mr. C's on Wednesday nights (this
includes the members of the LCB), then stay the
hell out and mind your own busness!
I'm sick and tired of you people and others like
you trying to tell me and anyone else what is
right or wrong, good or evil.
Let those that enjoy such events enjoy them
without hassles. "Live and let live." No one is
being hurt by them:
Edward 'R' Bobb, 3rd-advertising
April 1
I hope the nuclear safety record will stay as clean as it is
now. I still look to the future when solar power can ease our
need for nuclear power. Unfortunate as it may seem, we need
nuclear power, ancLitls going to be with us for a long time.
Walter Macßae, (12thtenvironmental engineering),
March 28
Absurd
Concerning Rochelle Fracke's letter to the editor in the
March 30 issue of The Daily Collegian, I find it absurd that
she would insinuate that Robert McGrath and Edward
Klevans would push nuclear power just so they will have
jobs.
The facts are that they have enough knowledge and
experience to get other suitable jobs if necessary. They are
involved with nuclear power because they know it is now the
most efficient and environmentally sound means of produc
ing electricity. In other words, they are trying to make life
better for us, not worse.
If Eco-Action members are so paranoid about nuclear
radiation, why don't they speak out against other sources of
radiation, such as coal-fired plants, the granite in Grand
Central Station, and x-rays? All of these produce more
harmful radiation than nuclear power plants. It is interesting
in this light that the United Mine Workers picketed Three
Mile Island last Saturday. Why doesn't Rochelle accuse them
of having a vested interest in their jobs?
Rochelle's criticism of nuclear power and of McGrath is
totally unfounded. I can only assume that she is either
ignorant of the facts or that she is crazy about mine cave-ins,
oil slicks and OPEC. It is a shame that a vocal but ignorant
group such as Eco-Action can deceive so many people.
Dan Perkins, (9th-nuclear engineering)
Joe Casciari,(9th-chemical engineering)
April 1
Why not tax waste?
Social change implies social disequilibrium. Such disequi
librium may last a generation or more. The lives of many are
spent in determined efforts to evoke minute changes in ways
of thinking and acting. Others resist or ignore occurences.
Those who dedicate their lives to a cause become familiar
with its most arcane details. They adamantly espouse
positions on issues without either moderation or restraint. At
the same time, a lack of understanding of the broader context
that defines their issue may become apparent.
Nuclear power is a case in point. Inordinate fear of the
dangers associated with nuclear power often stems from an
association Of nuclear energy with nuclear weaponry. Oppo
nents of nuclear power often view with enmity and repug
nance the utilites, who invest huge sums in constructing
nuclear-fueled power stations.
Outrage and protest often occur at nuclear power plant
sites. Populist support is voiced for jobs programs and wage
increases, while profits and wealth are taboo. Large corpor
tations appear in their ruthless quests for profit to stomp
through peoples's lives the way a cow, walks through an
anthill.
Less attention is given to the reason for plant construc
tion. Nuclear-fueled steam generators have been constructed
as a low per-unit cost means to meet expected future demand
for electrical power. While debate centers on capital costs
and environmental risks, the real issue is the demand itself.
The demand is a function of consumer preference.
People tend to prefer fast, mobile, interdependent exis
tences not subject to disruption. Consequenty, consumers
rent or purchase dishwashers, clothes dryers, microwave
ovens, video recorders and small, light-weight cars. (What
happens to the demand for electricity and nuclear power,
when electic car use becomes widespread?) •
Demand for nuclear power can only be reduced by
reducing the demand for electicity, and through substitution
of other energy sources for uranium and plutonium. Other
sources can only be used if the costs for use are paid. Solar
energy, for example, will not be widely used until consumers
are willing to pay higher capital costs for homes.
How can the demand for electricity be reduced? Should
pickets block entrances to aluminum smelters and dishwash
er manufacturers? Should supporters of solar heating protest
ti ,A-
high interest rates in an effort to lower home building costs to
a point at which people can afford to invest in energy
efficient housing?
How about a stiff tax on electicity consumption above that
amount necessary to run a refrigerator, a washer and a few
lights? After all, before nuclear-powered electrical generat
ing stations ever became an issue, people didn't pay "electic
bills." They paid the "light bill."
Richard Ward, graduate-mineral economics
March 30
Missed the point
In response to Jeff Nagorny's letter which appeared in
the March 27 issue of The Daily Collegian concerning Dr.
McGrath's and Dr. Klevan's forum.
I think Nagorny missed the point. If all you got out of the
forum article was the comparison of the safety of a nuclear
power plant to that of shaving and bicycle riding, I hope to
clear up what was really said.
The forum article's point was to let the public know that
EccrAction's Nuclear Awareness Week would not be an
unbiased presentation of this issue, as John Protevi indi
cated. As for the comparison, McGrath and Klenvans were
only extending Protevi's basic Murphyism premise to all
possible aspects, similar to the way Diane Salvatore did in
her articule concerning the ramifications of the passage of
the Human Life Amendment.
About Nagorny's general assumption "If you are pro
nuke, then you are obviously willing to ignore human health
and survival" I think you stopped a little too soon, since
when someone chooses a particular job, he or she accepts the
associated risks which each type of job may have. Construc
tion workers will accept the associated risks that they may
get hurt on the job for the amount of pay they will receive. We
are well aware about the implications which could result
from the failure to do our jobs correctly. But, this is just as
true in your major, Nagorny.
To shut down Unit 1 at TMI• because Unit 2 had a mishap
makes as much sense as changing all four tires on your car if
you have a flat in one, or if you have two cars, decide to walk
when one breaks down because the second might fail (al
though the second is in working condition). I would like to
remind you that Unit 1 had one of the BEST operating safety
records of all power plants. It is also a totally separate entity
from Unit 2 and designed by a different company.
As for the wastes, they are more of a political problem
than a technological problem. Since I live close to a "hot
spot," I understand the concerns the public faces. That is
why I chose this major, so I may be able to contribute to a
solution.
It is time we get away from the name-calling and
character references. By saying we are only supporting the
industry for a job is totally absurd. Get the facts straight and
stop clouding the issue. Then and only then can we get
together to discuss this issue responsibly.
Jay R. Lesko, (9th-nuclear engineering)
March 31
Tuesday, April 7
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