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_ THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, October 8, 2001 THE LEADER New lessons in a new war We are not the same country we were a month ago. With the justified retribution that will continue to be carried out over the coming days, there are several things students and faculty need to understand about these events. Because the action is taking place in an individual country, it should be recognized that these attacks are not against the people of Afghanistan. These people are hungry, poor and as afraid of the coming juggernaut as we are. tsut tney don’t have the security of living in a country like the United States. They have watched their world fall apart under Taliban control and are unfortunate victims of a government that values international terrorism over its own citizens. At the same time America is using attack planes to destroy terrorist training camps, flights are being made to send supplies to the people in Afghanistan who long for their country to return to the peaceful times before bin Laden and the Taliban came into power. The faculty at USC need to realize that, though this is a time for cool heads and continued education, it is also a time for students to share their thoughts and to build an understanding of these unprecedented events. Classrooms will need to adapt as professors use their knowledge of finance, sociology, history, science and all other courses to help students shape an understanding of our changed world. Students need to understand that we are experiencing a new kind of war, one that might not be understood until time lends clarity to the confusion. For college students, this is very much our war, our own Vietnam. And like Vietnam, there will be dissenters to the war. Don’t scorn them. Remember today, and maybe more than ever, that America is a nation of unity within its diversity. As we band together as a nation, the voices we might need to hear the most could be from those who disagree. GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS In the Friday edition of The Gamecock, the name of the program to which the Saudi Arabian students belonged is called the English Program for Internationals. Also, the headline should have reflected that the man who was detained by the FBI for having the same last name as one of the alleged terrorists was a recent USC student, not a current USC student. The Gamecock regrets the errors. If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. Write us at gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. Students need to understand that we are in a new kind of war, one that might not be understood until time lends clarity to the confusion. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK Martha Wright Editor in Chief Mary Hartney University Editor Ginny Thornton Asst. Univ. Editor Victoria Bennett The Mix Editor Justin Bajan Asst. The Mix Editor Chris Foy Sports Editor Preston Baines Asst. Sports Editor Elizabeth Swartz Online Editor Aaron Hark Photo Editor Greg Hambrick City Editor Alicia Baientine Asst. City Editor Brandon Larrabee Viewpoints Editor Page Designers Mackenzie Clements, Crystal Dukes, Katie Smith, David Stagg Copy Editors Crystal Boyles, Jason Harmon, Jill Martin, Carolyn Rowe Political Cartoonist/ Graphic Artist Rene Moffatt CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@hotmail.com University Desk: gamecockudesk@hotmail.com City Desk: gamecockcitydesk@hotmail.com Viewpoints: gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com The Mix: gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726 TO PLACE AN AD The Gamecock 1400 Greene Street Columbia SC 29208 Advertising: 777-3888 Classified: 777-1184 Fax: 777-6482 STUDENT MEDIA Erik Collins, Faculty Adviser Ellen Parsons, Director of Student Media Susan King, Creative Director Carolyn Griffin, Business Manager Sarah Sims, Advertising Manager Sherry F. 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U.S. must attack with caution DARRYL GREEN DRGREEN22@HOTMAIL.COM Sunday’s bombings could lead us into a third World War. Yesterday, our country began the much anticipated and long-awaited bombings of Afghanistan and the ruling Taliban regime. We knew this was coming. What we don’t ' know is what will be the outcome of our attacks. I think, for the sake of the entire world, we should proceed with caution in these attacks. We could be facing a third World War if we are not too careful. Immediately following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, a good friend of mine called me and told me the world was about to end. He told me we only had about a few months to live, and then the world would be vaporized in a global nuclear war. He told me the Islamic nations of the Middle East would all rise against the U.S. and declare holy war against us. He said he wasn’t even worried about school anymore because the world as we knew it would soon be wiped out. Crazy, right? Yeah, that’s what I told him. I told him he was overreacting, as he has a tendency to do. I told him there was no way the United States would be wiped out in a nuclear catastrophe. I told him Afghanistan was too small and too weak of a country to ever stand against us. And I told him that no country in its right mind would ever get into a nuclear battle with the United States. All of my assertions fell on deaf ears. All of his assertions were heard loud and clear. And you know what? He might be right. I am in no way saying we are not justified in our attacks. I could not wait for the bombings to begin. But even though we might be justified in our response, I think this could easily bring us into World War III if we are not careful. Consider this: ♦ There are one billion Muslims in this world. Some members of that faith believe in the idea of jihad, or holy war. If they are convinced in any way that the U.S. is moving against their religion or harming innocent civilians, then we are at war, not only with Afghanistan, but also with every nation in the region. ♦ We have many enemies in that part of the world who would love nothing more than to see the U.S. on its hands and knees. Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria all have an ax to grind when it comes to the United States. Though there might be expressions of solidarity on their part right now, that could easily change into disdain. ♦ We have not found good ol’ Osama yet. We have been looking for that rat bastard for 10 years now. If it takes longer to find him, it could make the war go on a lot longer. And the longer the war goes on, the greater the likelihood that the coalition could unravel. ♦ In order for us to eliminate terrorism from the world, we are going to have to go into more nations than Afghanistan. Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan and many other nations harbor terrorists. The U.S. will at some point have to deal with those countries as well. ♦ Lastly, many countries in that region have access to nuclear and chemical weapons, including Pakistan, Iraq and India. All it takes is for a country like Iraq to smuggle some of these weapons into the hands of terrorist organizations and, with any bad luck, we could have a much more severe problem on our hands. I hope, for the sake of our service men and women, that this is not the beginning of World War III. For that matter, I hope, for the sake of our country, that this is not the beginning of World War III. But remember: World War I started with a single gunshot. World War II began with the peaceful march of German troops into forbidden territories. The world at that time had no idea that a World War would break out following those events. There is no way for us to know now. Caution, in this case, must not be an afterthought. Caution must be our top priority. IN YOUR OPINION Palestinians are major aggressors Concerning Sara tiadr’s letter to the editor: As Americans, when we view the Palestinians cheering as planes crash into our buildings and thousands die in our country, can you really expect us to believe they are cheering America “being brought to our knees” and not the loss of life? Palestinians are the true aggressors in the fighting that occurs in the Middle East. Israeli occupation of the West Bank would not be an issue if not for the fact that Israel has built that settlement into a desirable piece of real estate. Prior to Israeli occupation, it was an uninhabitable strip of land. Furthermore, when Israelis raid a Palestinian location trying to combat the terrorism they have endured, and innocent civilians die as a result, as happened recently, how does Israel respond? By formally apologizing for the deaths of two innocents and offering the family a large sum of money as compensation. How do Palestinians react when innocent Israelis die as a result of the suicide terrorists who are constantly killing innocents? By cheering in the streets, making martyrs of those who did the killing and encouraging further acts of aggression. Americaik are smart enough and free enough to view whom the real victims are in these attacks. Any evidence to the contrary is viewed for what it is: excuse making. DOUG SKLENKA CLASS OF 1991 MOOHE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Alumnus appalled by Fetish Ball piece As a former graduate of USC, I just wanted to let you know how appalled I was at the article written by Sharon Panelo entitled “The Fetish Ball” (Sept. 17). What happened to The Gamecock newspaper I read and loved in college? As a Catholic, I was not amused at Ms. Panelo’s discriminating remarks about Catholics. How could you let such a disgusting article run in your newspaper? Has The Gamecock turned into the Weekly World News? With so many things happening recently at USC making me proud to be a Gamecock, after reading this article, I am embarrassed to say that I received my undergraduate, as well as my master’s degree, from the university. I hope that no prospective students and their parents read this article. Who in their right mind would let their child go to a school where such actions are accepted and publicized? BILL VERNAU CLASS OF 1990 ^ COLUMBIA. S.C. < Concept of war eludes Prashaw In response to Charles Prashaw’s column: Just reading this has got my heart racing. Do you have any idea of what a war would actually be like? It would mean you and your friends possibly coming home in body bags. We cannot just jump into a war because we are infuriated at the attack on our country. A war of this size takes time to plan. I assume you are not a member of the armed services. If you were, I don’t think you would be so eager to sacrifice your life or the lives of other American troops. The entire country is upset about the attacks, but to jump into a war within two weeks of the attacks would be asking for World War III. Before you go around calling our great nation “a pussy” you need to remember that John Wayne was just an actor and Mike Tyson is just a boxer. JENNIFER SIMON GRADUATE STUDENT COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORK Submission Policy Letters to the editor or guest columns are welcome from the Carolina community. Letters should be 250-300 words. Guest columns should be about 600 words. Both must include name, phone number, professional title or year and major, if a student. Deliver handwritten submissions to Russell House room 333, or send e-mail to gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit for libel, style and space. Anonymous letters will not be published. Photos are required for guest columnists and can be provided by the submitter. Call 777-775^ for more information. Cops doze, beer flows at beach CHARLES PRASHAW CPRASHAW@YAHOO.COM Folly Beach is the party spot no one’s heard of. Yes, I know the United States has bombed Afghanistan, and everybody should be talking about this on Monday. Actually, while I’m writing this column, Tomahawk missiles are raining down on the city of Kabul. But I’m going to hold back any comments I might make on the situation. I’m no Donald Rumsfeld, and the last time I wrote about international politics, I received death threats. Hey, at least Bush agrees with me — we really should bomb the shit out of Afghanistan. Also, somebody wrote me an e-mail last week that said, “Mr. Prashaw, you should be more positive.” So for once, I’m going to make an honest attempt to say something positive about something I like in college. The first thing that came to mind when I thought about my all-time favorite things over the past two years in college was my trips to Folly Beach, S.C. Yes, driving all the way to Charleston to have some kicks sounds lame, but hear me out. Folly Beach is the party spot that no one has ever heard about, but it’s probably the best place in the whole state for partying. There are three reasons why. One: Folly is a magical place where you can buy beer on Sundays. This probably doesn’t impress many people from out of state, but for those of us who have been oppressed by this state’s blue laws for way too long, it’s very cool. Also, the lack of Sunday rules means you can carry your drunken four day haze into a fifth day. Two: There are no cops on Folly Beach. Well, I’m sure they have some somewhere. It’s just that they don’t bother you unless you really bother the locals. Actually, I haven’t seen a cop in Folly since 1997, and even then he was at the only gas station in town buying coffee. Three: No one ever bothers you on Folly Beach. You could set up a bombing range right there on the beach, and I don’t think the locals would even care. I can back up the last reason with a story. It was a hard day last year, and several Gamecock staffers decided it would be real cool to drive to Folly Beach, drink a bunch of beer and come back the next day for class. So we leave with two carloads of people after midnight, get to Folly and start drinking. This is the best part: Right before we’re about to leave, some woman comes out of her house and asks us if we could please pick up the beers cans we had thrown all over the dunes. Just think about that — any other city in this state and the cops would have been called. She could have easily called the cops, and our whole gaggle of drunken idiots would have been sitting in jail, calling our parents long-distance and begging for bail money. The only problem I can see with Folly is that right around this time of year, it starts to get too cold to go there. Nothing will kill your buzz quicker than shivering uncontrollably as cold-ass wind blows in off the Atlantic Ocean. And I’d also just like to say, thank you, “M.” You haven’t lived, brother, until you have smoked a bowl out of the back of a Volvo as you watch the sun rise over the ocean. I’ll wrap it up now; there are so many stories I could tell about good old Folly Beach. Thanks for the drunken memories — 1 just hope a hurricane doesn’t come and sink the whole damn place.