Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Letters Welcome. Letters to the editor on topics are welcome but subject to editing and condensation to meet style and space require ments. All letters must be typed and must be signed with the full name, address and phone number of the author. Unsigned letters or those with pseudonyms will not be printed. The letters should be addressed to Letters To the Editor, The Gamecock, Drawer A, USC, Columbia, S.C., 2920g. Students testify On shield laws The National Student Lobby (NSL) has arranged for student journalists to testify before the U. S. Senate on legislation to prevent the government from forcing news persons to reveal confidential infor mation or the sources of such infor mation (shield laws). Various Senators and Cong ressmen have introduced legisla tion following the U. S. Supreme Court's 5 to 4 decision June 29, 1972 that the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of the press, does not entitle newspersons to conceal their sources of informa tion from grand juries. At least four persons who refused to disclose their sources have been jailed as a result of last year's deci sion, and others have been arrested and are awaiting trial. In 1966, the University of Oregon's Daily Emerald Editor Annette Buchanan became the first modern American journalist arrested for not revealing the source of a story. Sen. Alan Cranston (D-CalIf.), Sen. Mark Hatfield (R-Ore.), Cong. Jerome Waldie (D-Calif.) and Cong. Alphonzo Bell (R-Calif.) have introduced broad legislation to pre vent such arrests in the future. The Cranston-Waldie bill was introduced at the request of the American Newspaper Publisher's Association and endorsed by Sigma Delta Chi, professional journalism society. Cranston-Waldie offers unqualified protection from both state and federal governments. Cong. Alphonzo Bell has introduced a similar bill. Cong. Ed Mezvinski (D-Iowa), who defeated an incum bent with student votes last fall, believes unqualified bills such as these, which he supports, can not pass unless students and others put strong pressure on Congress. The Hatfield bill protects news persons in all Federal proceedings except libel cases. Hatfield, Cranston, Waldie and Bell intend for their bills to protect student journalists as well as estab lished professionals. At NSL's sug gestion Sen. Hatfield will make this clear during the arguments for his bill. Letters tc To The Editor: Nauseating habits of addicts should be performed in private. However, one of the most nauseat ing of habits is so often inflicted on those fortunate enough not to have this problem. I refer to cigarette smoking, especially in the clas sroom. I speak for what must be a minor ity of the USC student body. The smell of cigarette smoke constantly fills my classrooms (with one not able exception) and really detracts from anything I try to do in those learning centers. I have no control over whether cigarettes are smoked in my presence. I have had classes, especially where the professor was foolish enough to smoke during meetings, where the smoke was so think there was no way to avoid it even by moving to areas of least density. The-result was that I despised the class and had my day ruined for the next few hours. I have been made sick regularly by this pollution, with headaches and general blahs. I direct this primarily to profes sors. You want to have an effective classroom effort? No matter how good the material or presentation, if you permit smoking, or worse yet, smoke yourself during class, you will definately loose my attention and interest just because of the environment you permit. The key to choking the educa tional effort of many of your stu dents, my instructors, is to allow literal choking on cigarette smoke. Ralph B. Hanahan, Jr. To The Editor: With the end of the longest(and most agonizing) war in our nation's history, students seem to be sliding into a mire of indifference. Yet, some of the most painful dillemas resulting from this era of history will rise to confront America's beleaguered citizens. In effect, Lt. Colonel Anthony Herbert's prophe tic words, "the war is coming home," will begin to haunt our already fractured land. One of the most searing wounds of the past decade may be slow in healing: What to do about the hun dreds of young men who fled to political asylum to escape any per sonal involvement in the war or the military machinery that prosecutes it? Understandably, both sides of this issue are vehemently adamant in their arguments: and more importantly, both sides have legitimate reasons for their respec tive stands. The side leaning towards amnesty claims that these young men were caught up in a personal moral dilemma, and that their decision to skip out of the country were more courageous than accepting the draft. The feeling among those who favor amnesty is that these deser ters and draft evaders were follow ing their own consciences as human beings, decided in favor of their own human laws rather than the laws of the nation. They are also quick to point out that the majority of America's population agreed with the exiles by their outspoken opposition to our nation's war pol icy. On the other hand, this same majority seems to hold a vindictive view of the exile's plight. In the waking relief of "peace," most Americans (supported by President Nixon) seem unwilling to welcome back the expatriots with forgive ness and open arms. They contend that, despite moral feelings, every citizen has a duty to serve his coun try when called upon. Of course, looking at the surface of these arguments should give one a feeling of indecisive despair. But there are, I feel, other reasonable factors that should lend weight to America's consience, and hope fully ease the burden of choice on our minds. Editor First of all, whats about the thousands of draft-dodgers who rushed to the alter, enrolled in schools to obtain a 2s deferment, or who were overcome by great pat riotism and rushed of f to join the National Guard or Reserves? Do their consciences bother them? Does the person who failed his men tal exam at the induction center, or the guy who got drunk and ate a pound of chocolate the night before rate as a morally conscientious per son? Do people remember, or do they try to forget, the fortunate ones born into wealth and influence who could have found dozens of ways to avoid their country's "call to duty?" The tragic truth about Vietnam is that the great majority of young men who went there didn't go with a fire of patriotism, but with a dam pened realization that they had to. And to many of these people, fleeing to exile would be catastrophic to their lives. At the same time, these unfortunates bitterly witnessed the financial finangling and legal tric kery that was so characteristic of our loop-holed draft system. Con sequently, the new soldiers carried with them the resigned fate of an unwanted tour in the 'Nam, while many of their peers shrewdly eluded any service under the per missive amusement of the Ameri can people. Secondly, and perhaps much more importantly, the real dis enchantment arose upon arriving in Vietnam to serve. The young sol diers confronted a disturbing real ism: The military they were a part of was (and still is) careerist, cor rupt, and largely inefficient to cope with a modern insurgency. The theories postulated by military leaders were blatantly fallacious; operations and tactics proved to be catastophic failures; and the most sobering realization was that the professionals were largly unin volved in the fighting, while the draftee was given a gun and pushed into the line companies. As a result of this, and sometimes tyrranical rule of careerist-minded leaders, a new kind of drop-out was born-the soldier without a cause. Many simply copped out and ignored the urgings of their leaders. Disciplinary measures were laughed at, and drugs easily swept in and lulled the American Army into crisis. One guy I know, after hitting up on skag(heroin), boldly requested of his commanding officer that he be busted in a public ceremony, "I figured if they make a big deal about giving all those meaningless medals to lifers, I should be demoted in a ceremony. I'm proud of this accomplishment." He was serious; but, needless to say, his request was refused. In the light of this, man G. I.'s sympathized with deserters and draft-dodgers who "courageously" chose the most difficult alternative. How often have I heard, "I wish I'd gone to Canada, and not got involved in this mess?" And the G.I.'s who made it through the mess(scathed or unscathed) generally returned with a wounded morality and a nagging inability to fit snugly back into society. Yet, one can sense the admiration most of these men have for the deserters who laid every thing on the line by their decision; and the angry condemnation they feel towards the "Jodies" who were getting fat, high and laid in bounti ful America. The American people would do well to rise up and receive the exiles back. PNrhaps some sort of program could be worked out to justly imple ment an amnesty in post-war America. Bit instead of ostracizing the victims of our dubious war pol icy, we should clear-mindedly undertake the task of remending our couintl-y and we should thoroughly assault the frightening conditions in our military-the vital defense of our land. Richard Blany GAME Although The Gamecoc students of the Universi is not an official publicati opinions expressed herei resent those of the univ or all staff members of' Editor ................ Managing Editor ...... Editorial Page Editor . News Editor .......... Copy Desk Chief ..... Sports Editor ......... Asst. Sports Editor ... Advertising Manager Copy Editors .................. Photo Editor .................. Adams mc And so what DID happen at the first Schubert concert Feb. 7? Is the rumor true that John K. Adams had cardiac arrest at the keys with all the kiddies looking on? Or that one psychologist was so struck by Adams's facial ecstasy and contor tions that she swooned dead away? Or the Woman in Black who left at intermission muttering loudly to herself, "I wish I had never come to this concert?" It was not only that I was strangely unmoved by the whole thing or that only once did the tingles of catharsis briefly slither up and down the spine; it was not because allegretto of the 'Fantasy in G Major' almost got away from him or that there was a sort of hazi ness from overexcitement; (Faulkner, eat your heart out) it was something ever so subtly more-the Adams magic was not there. Fatigue? Possibly. Cultural vac umns of Columbia's magnitude are physically and spiritually hard on genuine artists. John Kenneth Adams has a very definite and deep magic at the Help us help you. Send a news tip Drawer A, campue Organization....... Event_____ Time COCK :k is a publication of the ty of South Carolina, it on of the university. The n do not necessarily rep ersity, the student body rhe Gamecock. ...... Jerel) n Eddings ........ Sybil Norwood ..... Linda C. Owens ......... Patrick Tyler ............ Bill Grant ......... Steve Parker ............ Jim Hersh ............. Art Frank ............... Val McDonald Mary Myers Chere Cope .....................Tom Price igic gone? piano. He has played Bach's 'Yesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' in such a manner that I have never forgotten the occasion-more than three years ago with the Concert Choir on Hilton Head Island on a very mediocre upright piano. He has also set a new standard for Debussy at the piano. Of the sonata, 'Fantasy in G Major' it could have been said to be darkly moving with the strangely contemporary blend of humor and horror, of outrage and poignancy. Likewise the molto moderato of the 'Sonata in B Flat Major' was monstr ously good the andante sostuento could've brought one to tears it was done with such depth of heart-in spite of the hideous buzzing in the damper pedal. Old felt was never a pianist's frieend. And the Scherzo and concluding Allegro were-how could we call it?-watchfully happy. And yet this tidal wave of sound left me strangely unmoved. Chief Dan George once remarked about mysticism, "Sometimes the magic works and sometimes it doesn't." Maybe it was the stuffed eggplant I ate...perhaps... ; mail.