Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 101, No. 83, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 13, 1983 Page: 4 of 52
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Polk County Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Livingston Municipal Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
PACE 4A-1HE FOIE COUNTY ENTERPRISE, THURSDAY OCTOBER IS, IMS
Editorial
Strike a blow
Kiko Bejines’ quest for the bantamweight
championship ended recently in the 12th round,
when only seconds away from victory, a flurry of
punches destroyed the dream - and the man.
His opponent, Albert Davila, a fighter not
known for his heavy hitting, staggered Bejines
with a right to the jaw. Then came two lefts and
another right.
When the 20-year-old Mexican boxer collapsed
unconscious on the canvas, his mother fainted at
ringside. When he died of massive cerebral contu-
sions three days later, his father, who was young
Bejines’ coach, broke down and cried.
Bejines left behind a wife, who was having their
first baby in a Guadalajara hospital as he ap-
proached death in a Los Angeles Hospital.
Compounding the tragedy is that Bejines’ death
was no isolated incident. The boxing world may
act stunned, but ring deaths become a fairly
routine consequence.
Each time a fighter dies, sports writers ask
whether this exercise in pounding someone’s
brains out is a sport or legalized mayhem. All this
agonizing never seems to amount to much.
Three years ago, in another bantamweight
championship bout at Olympic Auditorium, Lupe
Pinto delivered a fatal punch to boxer Johnny
Owen.
Did anything change at the auditorium to keep
history from repeating itself for Bejines? Ob-
viously not.
According to Ring Magazine, 341 boxing deaths
have occurred since 1945. Worldwide, Bejines was
the seventh boxer to die in the ring this year.
With so much money tied up in the boxing
business, with so many hungry young fighters
aspiring to glory and riches and with millions of
fans around the world, boxing is likely to be with
us awhile.
But it is clear something can and should be done
to make it safer. We can’t leave safety in the
hands of boxing officials and promoters anymore.
They’ve failed to take reasonable precautions.
No matter how vigilatiftthe referees, they can-
not always define the difference between a killer
punch and one that just maims.
Since many boxing deaths result from head in-
juries, we urge Congress to pass a law requiring
the use of protective head gear in the ring.
It is hypocritical for this society to outlaw
bullfighting and jail people for fighting dogs yet
not require at least minimal measures to keep
men from beating each othfr to death.
Junkets
It is a rare editorial writer, or citizen, who has
never succumbed to temptation on the subject of
congressional globe trotting. How richly satisfy-
ing, after all, to note Sen. Smith’s weekend in
Paris or Rep. Jones’ three days in Baili and then
give them the back of our hand for wasting the
taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars.
Satisfying, yes. But are the critics always
right? Real junketing, defined by Webster’s as
“an excursion for pleasure paid for by public
funds,” deserves to be condemned of course. But
congressional travel, most especially to certain
ungLamorous parts of the world, needs to be en-
couraged.
Last year, only 13 members of Congress visited
El Salvador. Many of the rest, we presume, were
too busy proclaiming it to be another Vietnam to
actually go there and see for themselves. By con-
trast, 20 members of Congress showed up in sun-
splashed Barbados.
Out of sight of most of the world, the Soviet
Union is fighting a brutal war of conquest in
Afghanistan. How many members of Congress
have bothered to obtain firsthand accounts of this
aggression by visiting Afghan refugees huddled
across the border in Pakistan? Not many, you can
be sure. The whole of Southern Africa is seething
with conflict. No matter. More congressmen go to
Greece.
We don’t mean to suggest that there is anything
wrong with visiting non-hardship spots, or that
members of Congress cannot learn something
useful by visiting established allies in Europe,
Asia, and Latin America. They can, and should.
They should also be spending much less time in
places like Barbados and much more time in
places like El Salvador.
As for the incidence of congressional travel, we
think it should be judged by its quality rather than
quantity. From 1981 to 1983, members of Congress
took 991 trips to 114 countries. If even two-thirds of
these journeys resulted in members of Congress
casting more informed votes on foreign affairs,
the taxpayer would have been well served at twice
the expense.
Jack Anderson
Couple denied retirement home
dtt
.HERE AT
•1983 Coptoy N*»» S«rri<*
WASHINGTON—Carl and Carol
Froese have a weekend home on the
Delaware Water Gap. It’s a small stone
house at Dingman’s Ferry, Pa. Carl, a
World War n and Korean War veteran,
Inherited it from his mother. The
Froeses planned to spend their retire-
ment years there.
But the National Park Service is
determined to euchre the Froeses out of
their retirement dream. The agency
wants to tear the house down so there
will be no permanent habitations on a
planned recreation area.
It’s not the first time the Froeses
have been threatened with eviction.
Ten years ago, their little house and
many others on the scenic area were
bought by the Army Corps of
Engineers. The property was to have
been part of a reservoir created by a
dam tiie engineers were going to build.
But in 1975, Congress decided that the
dam was a waste of money and called
the project off. The Army then turned
the land over to the Park Service, which
T-Wheeler
We have always enjoyed those trips
we’ve taken on commercial airlines.
Pure luxury up until about five years
ago when the airline business went into
atailspin.
Particularly those flights to and from
Honolulu in the early 1950’s when Nor-
thwest Airlines was flying an airplane
called the Boeing Stratocrulser. Looked
a little like a whale with wings, but that
pregnant looking underbelly was really
a saloon. Access was by a circular
staircase, much like you’ve seen in a
lighthouse, and the stewardesses
always had a difficult time getting the
300 pound drunks out of the place when
the place touched down. Meals were
served on china and crystal, the best
vintage wines, and a ten hour flight
from the mainland to Honolulu was
usually filled with poker games and tall
tales.
Then came the Jets and all the lux-
urious pleasures of flying died.
Stewardesses were confronted with 200
passengers on a two hour flight, each
passenger wanting two drinks and a
meal. So the stews kind of ended up
glorified waitresses.
Then came deregulation, and new air
carriers arrived, each offering to fly
you from here to there for less money
than their competitors. We ended up on
one of those excursions this past sum-
mer to Seattle. The plane had a picture
of Orville Wright on the bulkhead up
forward. Or it might have been an ad
for Smith Brothers cough drops. The
seats were about as comfortable as sit-
ting on a playground swing for six
hours, and the air conditioning stopped
wafting cool air about 10 rows ahead of
where we were sitting. With an hour
wait on the ground in Dallas that
airplane could have Incubated 10,000
chicks plus the 200 passengers.
In fact, that flight was so low priced
you couldn’t even turn in the tickets as
credit to upgraded service. We found
out it would cost twice as much to get to
Houston from Seattle as the original
round ticket was in the first place.
By the way, we had a delicious meal
of cardboard and cold cuts, and was
served notice on the Froeses and
everyone else that they would have to
get out by the end of 1001. The Park Ser-
vice didn’t want anyone living on the
recreation land.
The Froeses and their friends sought
help from Sen. Bill Bradley, D-NJ.,
and Rep. James Courier, R-N.J. Bills
were introduced in Congress that would
give them permanent rights on the
land. But the proposed legislation didn’t
pass. _
At one point, the Froeses obtained a
promise from the Park Service that
they could get a stay of eviction if their
home passed ah official inspection. But
the Park Service played dirty; It
bought the local water company and cut
off the Froeses’ water supply. Then the
agency ruled they couldn’t pass inspec-
tion without water.
The Froeses refused to give up. They
dug their own well and passed inspec-
tion. One hundred forty other homes
didn’t pass and were destroyed by tiie
Park Service.
Even with their wells, the Froeses
and their neighbors will be kicked off
their property in February. Their only
hope is lot special legislation by Con-
gress allowing them to stay, or for the
Interior Department to grant them
have any definite plans for the property
it is so determined to buDdooe. The
Park Service Insists that a manage-
ment plan is being drawn up. But of-
ficials admitted to my reporter Kevin
Ellis that such plans may take as many
as 20 years to put into operation.
Carl and Carol Froese could probably ,
live out their retirement years before
the bureaucrats in Washington actually
need to tear down their little stone
house. -------------------
SATELLITE KILLER: The United
States will soon be able to blow Soviet
space satellites out of the air - a feat
the Russians have been able to do for
more than 10 years. The new U.S.
weapon - called a “miniature homing
vehicle,” or MHV - will be ready for
use next year, according to PenUgon
sources. It will be given a test flight this
month.
The Soviets’ satelMtfrkiller explodes
like a shrapnel burst The American
version is entirely different. It
resembles a (lying tin can, and it will be
released from an F-16 fighter Jet It’s
two4tage rocket will carry it toward
the target at an amazing 500 miles a
minute.
A built-in computer, infrared
telescopes and 56 small rockets around
the weapons’s waist will carry it to the
target satellite - but it won’t explode.
The impact alone will destroy the
target The MHV. will have to be ac-
curate to within one foot to accomplish
its mission.
DEEPER INVOLVEMENT?: Will
the United States be drawn deeper into
the fighting in Nicaragua? The CIA
seems to be doing its best to arrange It
Here’s the story:
Last month, anti-Sandinista guer-
rillas bombed Managua. They did it at
the CIA’s suggestion. The idea was to
show Congress that the guerillas are a
serious military force that serves con-
tinued UJ5. support.
> Now the Nicaraguan government has
asked for assistance from the Kremlin.
Intelligence sources say that 14 MiG-17»
have been secretly flown to Cuba for
use in Nicaragua.
The Pentagon, according to our
sources, is considering a “surgical’’ air
strike against the MKM7s if they are
delivered to Nicaragua. That probably
means that U J5. planes would be used,
because the guerrillas don’t have any
that could do the job.
HEADLINES AND FOOTNOTES:
The new James Bond film, “Never Say
Never Again,” is expected to be a big
hit at the box office, but the Pentagon
isn’t happy about it Last year, the
film’s producers requested approval to
use a U.S. submarine in one sequence,
but permission was denied. The por-
trayal of an officer who was also a
heroin addict was a little too much for
the Pentagon’s image specialists.
-White House sources say that
Secretary of State George Shultz has
fallen behind in his maneuvering to con-
trol America’s foreign policy. National
Security adviser William Clark now has
the inside track. In the past, Shultz has
threatened to resign if he wasn’t in con-
trol, but he has now decided to stay on
at least until next year’s election.
; \ J
Flying in style
By Alan Miller
served to us again when the plane land-
ed in Seattle as the doors to the garbage
bins in the galley flew open and the
residue of that sumptious meal cascad-
ed down the aisles.
As we said the airlines are in a bit of a
problem. Braniff went broke some
months ago, and is trying to tie up with
a hotel chain to get back in the air.
Texas Tree Top Airline that we
remember from 20 years ago is ho#
Continental, and about to stagger
through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, hoping
to salvage part of its schedule if their
people will fly for half as much money
as they were making before. Even
Eastern Airlines says it can’t make it
unless there are some pay cuts in the of-
fing.
Then there’s Regent Air. Now this
harkens back to those days when we
were flying to Honolulu and back an
average of once a month.
This airline is so plush it costs you
$1500 to fly from Los Angeles to New
York.
The airplane is a big Boeing 727, lust
like you probably flew to see Grandma
in Minneapolis. But there the similarity
ends.
This Regent Air plane has seats for
only 36 passengers. Private compart-
ments that can either be offices or out-
fitted with a queen size bed for the
sleepy ones. A hairdresser and barber
are on board. Liveried attendants to
assist in your every need.
Stenographers. Even stock tickers so
you can plot how rich you really are,
and call your broker by radio-telephone
if you like.
And no need to park and ride with
Regent Air. A llmo will meet you at the
house, and if you live too far away for
that, a helicopter will come get you.
And you are whisked to your destina-
tion once you land. You never see the in-
side of an airport terminal No standing
in line dragging your luggage toward
the counter.
So just when we were starting to feel
sorry for the airlines, and wondering
where we would like to go on Continen-
tal that only cost J75, up comes Resent
Air with a “bargain” of $1400 to fly
cross country.
On the same page of the newspaper
where Regent Air was announcing its
new travel bargain, we noticed that
Chrysler, the auto company that almost
went broke two years ago, is now
building limos. Kind of a streteb-type
Le Baron model as we understand it
Apparently this little gem out of the
design department wasn’t one of
Chrysler president Iaccocca’s pet pro-
jects. His people say be likes to ride in
the front seat of an automobile and
would’nt be caught dead in a limousine.
But then again, we would suppose
Iacocca probably won’t fly Regent Air
from coast to coast either. Can you im-
agine what the United Auto Workers
would do if they caught him coming
down the ramp with a champagne glass
in one hand, caviar canape’ in the
other.
So Lee, you stay in the front seat,
we’ll wait for a call from Regent Air to
tell us they are holding a press flight to
Honolulu with our name on it We know
Nan wouldn’t mind. They fly to
Honolulu on Tuesday, and that’s the
day her Tuesday dub usually meets,
and she won’t miss those get togethers
for nuthin’.
ALVIN HOLLEY, PUBLISHER
Entered as Second-Class Matter at the Post Office at Livingston,
Texas 77351 under the Act of Congress of March 1,1M7.
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Barbara White, Editor
Grace Holman, Family Editor
Beatrice Hall, Special Correspondent
Van Thomas, Sports Editor
Greg Peak, Area News Editor
Don Hendrix, Special Sections BA&ir
Linda Farber, Darkroom Technician
Paul Fortney, Reporter
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT
Mike Sfaas, Production Supervisor,
Adrian Dunn, David Holley, Paul Holley,
Beamon Goodwin, Jimmie Morris, Ricky Taylor
Derofty Wilson, Coaaposttisa Supervisor
Hilda Sylestlne, Debbie Gay, (Mile Wyatt, Eve Bowen
CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT
Felicia Fiscal, Detabis Redd.
Elizabeth Villarreal, Emma Robiee
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
Linda Dickerson, Ad Manager
Undo Jacobs, Carrolyn Vaughn,
Kathidrtrdan, Mary Jo Watson, Patty Hanksrd
BOOKKEEPING DEPARTMENT
Diane Holley
Do you have an
The Polk County Enterprise en-
courages readers to submit letters
voicing their views or opinions.
Ike letters will be published ta
the Enterprise’s Letter to the
Editor cohimn |p Thursday’s or
Sunday’s paper.
The letter may be written on any
Tbeletters wfll also be subject to
subject«
Letters
which are
mm VMqMtKAMBftl
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 101, No. 83, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 13, 1983, newspaper, October 13, 1983; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth789370/m1/4/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.