Page 14-Saturday, June 3, 1978-The Michigan Daily A tale of atomic terrorism by Rowe (Contnued from Page8) Military and economic aid, he surmises, only secures another colony for our par- ticular ideological virus. THE SANITY or justification of grand scale nuclear proliferation is the central conflict here, but the author chooses not to develop this to any great extent, leaving us only with the assurances of an imminent destruction of U.S.-U.S.S.R. hegemony. No exten- sive objection is made to this on any grounds other than patriotism which is in itself quite shallow unless that patriotiam extenda to the entire human race; the issue is one of global significance. It is in the title that we find a larger consideration. The Judas The characters who comprise the terroristic force are entirely one- dimensional. Profit is their only motivation. They are armed forces veterans mustered out under the post- war policy of eliminating excess of- ficers. Dissatisfaction is an acceptable justification these days, or at least a workable one. Their evolution to a capable assault force and from there to their objective is written in a dispassionate, explicit manner; the development is steadfast and credible. Rowe's motive is clearly informative, and The Judas Squad should be recommended to anyone interested in the fate of American nuclear develop- ment and its entailing bureacuracy, a subject in which the author demon- strates extraordinary expertise. One question remains. Because of the current status of nuclear power, the author seems to edge precipitously close to a literary form which does not as yet have a name. The Judas Squad could quite easily become non-fiction given a continuance of laxity of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. How many pounds of nuclear material was lost last year due to "bad accounting"? Can we safely call Rowe's concept fic- tion? Until the recent fire that almost caused a cataclysm at the Brown's Ferry plant, Nerves was so much baseless fiction. At the moment, as the full disaster of Nerves or The Judas Squad has yet to be realized, both remain in a categorical limbo between fact and fantasy. Perhaps if The Judas Squad is given appropriate con- sideration we may shelve it permanen- tly under fiction, however realistically speculative. The geodesic dome is the only man- made object that becomes structurally stronger as its size increases. Squad, like the Judas goat of Slautherhouse fame, is leading Earth's Journaism ,critiquesbE pslation .(Coninued raom Page9) NOR DOES presidential election White's every idiosnycrasy-and he has is the future, and it works, and that coverage qualify as journalism. In many-and she mocks his writing style Bu Pepandsass megroukhiestofedll." "Porter Goes to the Convention," perfectly, right down to his annoying But if People and its mass marketed probably the most hilarious piece in the habit of repeating phrases and his pen- SUMMER RATES spin-offs don't represent what Ephron collectionEphron details the foibles of chat f "colorful" detais: hit belevs ounais ogh t b, eihe a reporter from the Tulark, Idaho Mor- flicked a cigarette ash.. from his forty- B W LIN G does television news reporting. CBS' ning Herald as he trails the small-town sixth Marlboro of the day and took the payment to H.R. Haldeman of $54,000 to mayor to the Democratic convention last sheet of hudred 50C per gam e appear on" uts an t issue o hoping to uncover a scandal, or at the Strathmore parchment typing paper checkbook journalism in general con- very least some good dirt. from his twenty-two-year-old IBM to 6 pm Daily vinced her the networks oughts to pay The election reporter who is really Executive typewriter. It was the at the everyone for their stories. After all, she the target of Ephron's barbs, however, 19,246,753rd piece of typing paper he says with typically scathing logic, "It is Theodore White, whose Making of the had typed in his sixty years. He was UN ION will serve to remind us that, at this President volumes have set a regret- tired. He was old and tired. He was also point at least, there is no reason to con- table standard in election reporting. short. But mainly he was tired." fuse television news with journalism." Ephron's well-tuned ear catches EPHRON BLASTS White for missing the boat on Watergate and paying inadequate attention to the burgeoning scandal. An interesting sidelight: Ephron now happens to be married to FOLD BACK THIS FLAP & SEAL WITH TAPE Carl Bernstein, who didn't miss the boat on Watergate. AH, NOW newspaper reporting, the FROM hammering typewriters and jingling FOc phones, that seems to qualify in C Ephron's eye as journalism at its c finest-amost. She recounts her own a cdays at the New York Post under queen __ _ _ _ _ _ _bee Dorothy Schiff, whom she likens to Marie Antoinette ("As in let them read schlock"). It was in the Post's squalid city room some 15 years ago that Ephron likely formed some of her early impressions about the media. Those who aren't the targets of Ephron's wrath in Scribble Scribble will no doubt adore her scathing wit. Daily Classifieds Those who are, on the other hand, may Student Publications Building never fully recover. 420 Maynard Street A final note: one media phenomenon Ann Arbor, Mich. 48109 which Ephron fails to explore is the book review. Pity. F+ 4 n FREE TRAVEL NATIONWIDE New! "USA Automobile Driveswy Directosy" Driveaway agencies transport owners' cars nationwide by finding persons to drive them to their destinations, FREE! Booklet gives information, lists 200 agencies in 85 U.S. cities, lets you go and return as you want by driveaway, FREE! Send $3. Guaranteed. E.K. 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