Page 64 - TheGoldBug1973-74

PAGE 4 GOLD BUG Thu~ay, ~rch 21, 1974 Brinkley Newsman focuses on administration by Cathy Nelson The dour countenance is lined now, the black hair orders. He was happy to do it. Like so many other political leadership, which was shaky enough a bit grayer. But the clipped, measured delivery politicians he felt that once he managed to get before NIXON took office. He's driven it down to familiar to most television and radio listeners himself into the public trough, on the public payroll, almost an absolute minimum." remains the same-and David Brinkley is still going he was some kind of anointed Savior, and should be strong. treated by the press as if he were the King. He Yet Brinkley is convinced that Nixon should not should get a dose of daily obsequious flattery from. res.ign. "My personal preference is that he stay in Since the retirement of his erstwhile NBC Nightly us-or so he thought. Politicians always do. Agnew office and face the charges leveled against him. News partner Chet Huntley, Brinkley has gone it was a small man from the beginning; when Nixon The country's future is a lot more important than alone. His office, in NBC Washington's Nebraska his. If he resigns now it could be bad for the coun- Avenue building, is lined with shelves containing ~~~; k~: ~~e~i~~'~::~~ ;:;, ~~~\1i:ns~wo~:~ try. He could just leave office and say well, all these something like a law library. Current books by air. He's hated me for it ever since. I regret to say I charges have been made against me, and I'm in- noted figures are casually displayed, as well as was right." nocent. I was a victim of the assault by the eastern network journals. liberal news media' and so on. It wouldn't be true Much talk has been bandied about regarding the b1:lt.he'd say it. And a lot of people would be very Brinkley himself is a candid, sardonic com- mentator on whom the years have not produced any "post-Watergate morality," but Brinkley regards it willing, even eager, to believe it. If the charges and noticeable sort of mellowing effect. From the as temporary. "I think it'll work at least for awhile. the investigation were dropped after he resigned ' hell, we'd never hear the end of it. Ithink it will mean one thing; that whoever runs for somewhat brash young man of the sixties, he has President in '76 will have to have a spotless record. emerged a skeptical, balloon-puncturing sage I don't mean that he should be a saint, but he'd revered by many Americans as the Voice of Truth. "The public has a very short attention span. But his opinions, he is quick to point out, are just better be reasonably clean." On campaign funding Unless some new information or evidence comes up that, opinions. Likewise, he regards the press as a and possible changes; "They may make a few in these hearings, they'll forget all about mere channel of information, not an instigator of modest changes, but nothing radical because the Watergate. Right now they're probably more morality. changes have to be made by the incumbent. And concerned with keeping their gas tanks fulL" they don't want to make it easy for anyone to He dismisses, for example, the role of the press in challenge them. The trouble is that the reformers B~inkley has no immediate plans for retirement, Spiro Agnew's downfall. "First of all, the press is and the reformed are the same people." but If and when he does retire, it will probably be a not in any way responsible for Agnew's downfall. sudden decision, since, as he says, "I live strictly The press didn't cheat on Agnew's income tax; He sees the central tragedy of Watergate as the from one day to the next and I don't even think Agnew did. No one in the press even knew that abuse of trust and power. "The Nixon ad- about long-range plans. In addition to his nightly anyone in Baltimore was even investigating Agnew ministration have been so paranoid that they have broadcast he maintains a heavy speaking schedule, until he made a formal announcement. Agnew's been unwilling to believe that they've been treated giving lectures on the media, current events, or his attacks on the press in the first place began because fairly by anybody, particularly the news media and own unique vantage point. In the turmoil of the Nixon asked him to do it." Brinkley holds no great Congress. And the real tragedy is that they current scene, it is comforting to know that he'll be love for the ex-v.P. "He was doing it on Nixon's have almost destroyed the public confidence in the around for awhile, at least to say goodnight. • A child's-eye view of Mr. Nixon "Daddy, did Mr. Nixon go to schools in the time, production of things are slowed down, anc 'obstructing' something." America?" a lot of people are put out to work." "Daddy, what is a democracy?" "Why, yes Johnny, I'm sure he did. Why do you "Are these things happening now?" "A great man once said it was government of the ask?" "Yes, John, they seem to be. What's that got to de people by the people and for the people." "I've been reading in the paper about him, and he with Mr. Nixon?" "And how does our democracy work in our doesn't seem to speak the same language you and I "I heard him say back in January that there was government?" do." no repression and that he would make sure that "Some wise man divided our government into "But Joh, Mr. Nixon is the President, the leader there wasn't one. Does he know what repression three equal parts, the executive, legislative, and of the country. Of course he speaks the same means Daddy?" the judicial, which boils down to the president, language. What makes you think he doesn't?" "I'm not sure, son." Congress, 'and the Courts. "It's just the way he uses words. The way he uses "Daddy, did you pay a lot of taxes last year?" "But Mr. Nixon seems like he's telling them doesn't seem like the way I do." "T sure did John 1" Congressmen, and an important man like Judge "For instance." "But as long as everybody pays their fair share, Sirica, that only he, Mr. Nixon, knows whets' best "Well, in school we learned about something nobody really gets mad at taxes do they Daddy?" for the people, and he won't listen to what they called international law. One part of it is the status "That's right." say." of a neutral. What does that mean?" "Yes, it does seem so." "A neutral, son, doesn't take part in disputes or "But Mr. Nixon paid only about $500 in taxes, and "Daddy what does 'dictatorship' mean?" "One common meaning is that one man alone conflicts." no state income tax at all. Is that 'fair' Daddy?" rules things, why John?" "And is anyone supposed to hurt the neutral?" "Maybe what's 'fair' to you and me, isn't what's "Maybe I'd better send Mr. Nixon a dictionary." "No." fair to the President of the United States, John." "That might be a good idea, son." "Mr. Nixon is not supposed to violate in- "What does 'obstruction of justice mean?" 8m Corley ternational law, is he?" "It usually means doing things in such a way as to "Of course not, son." keep officials from finding the truth about a matter. "I read that a far away country called Cambodia Why?" . was a neutral but Mr. Nixon said it was OK to bomb it is secret." "1read that Mr. Nixon talked about giving monel' Student Typing done in my home "Yes, the President authorized the secret to certain people so that they wouldn't talk about a bombing of it." place called Watergate, and when a group of people "Is that violating international law. Daddy?" on a hill asked him for tape recordings of what he Have John's Hopkins References "Well, 1never thought about it that way son." said, he at first wouldn't give it to them. When he "Daddy. what does spying mean?" finally did, they found that for some reason some "Well, to put it simply. it means trying to find parts of the tapes weren't there, and when they Call 239-7452, Ginny Porter. information without letting the people with the asked for other tapes to help him find the truth, he information ypu want, know about it." wouldn't give these tapes to them." "That's what 1 thought it meant." "Yes John, somewhere in that mess someone is "Why do you ask, Johnny'?" "Well, I read about this Navy guy from a pen- tagon who was told to find out anything be could about a guy named Dr. Kissinger, but not to get caught at it. Is that spying, Daddy'?" r"~~~~~:," "In a way I guess it is." "But Mr. Nixon said he was sure that no soldiers from a pentagon were trying to spy on Dr. Kissinger. Do you think his idea of spying and our idea of spying are the same?" "I'm not sure, son." "What does 'repression' mean, Daddy?" "It's a hard word to define, John. It usually signifies that prices of things are getting higher all i · .