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TO THE EDITOR With the dismissal of Mark Platte as editor of the Gamecock there now exists the possibility for a credible orirt rolatront 1 M??? ivivtuiiv vunvnai page. However, after reading the recent editorial entitled "Dismissal Fair?" I have come to the conclusion that the same unobjective, selfserving meanderings will be forthcoming. The editorial protested the dismissal of Platte and cited several reasons whv it was unjust. Firstly, the writer of "Dismissal Fair?" stated that Platte did not consider himself a candidate for the Student Government presidency and was only trying to make a point. Sir, I read the column and I certainly got the impression s TO THE EDITOR Since terrorism is some governments, I find it ironic a conference on terrorisr Publications met to decide w think it is clear that the bo; measure designed to quel Government feelings on this < Why were those 1,500 stude not, in actuality voting for ] representing: abolishing Sti not voted, I sincerely doubt i at all. TKic ;o -r iiuo 10 VVI1C1C IIIC CI UA Ul bureaucrats are threatens domain, the school officials have seen as an encroachn Pa TO THE EDITOR I am writing in regard to Chris Acquaviva's letter to the editor in the March 24 iL ? . f mvwt a laaue ui uiu Kjamccocn. wnai are you complaining about? In no way did Mark Platte's running for offices in Student Government affect your election to the office of treasurer of said government. Or were you wary of competition for the office? None of the candidates running for the offices of president or vice-president had a chance of a sure win, so why not invite the occasion for a varied field of IVMftllP tin WJWWVtu.W mwm OFFTfflSW Editorial that he was seriously considering the Student Government office. Did he not ask us to take him seriously, and didn't many other students believe him and indeed write his name in on the ballot? If he was trying to make a point, he u:~ _cc ? a?iv? uid ?u?n were me only ones aware of it. Secondly, the writer noted that Platte did not write the article as the editor-in-chief, but as Mark Platte, private citizen. Did Mr. Platte use the space entitled him as the editor? He did. How can the editor of a paper use privileged space and editorial prerogative, write a column and separate himself from his office? I submit that he cannot. Thirdly, it was stated that Platte was opinionated, m 1 * * tuaents vo times linked with oppressive that Mark Platte was attending n when the USC Board of hat action to take against him. I ard's action was an oppressive 1 an uprising of anti-Student campus. nts voting for Platte? They were Platte, but for the idea he was ident Government. If they had nany of them would have voted the matter lies. Just as petty i by any invasion into their lashed out at what they must lent on the power structure ol per Checks players? I do not necessarily condone Platte's use of the Gamecock to inform the student body of his intentions to run for Student Government nor of his intentions if elected, but I do feel that all the candidates, including Platte, were given just publicity for campaigning in the Gamecock. (At least Platte did not plaster the campus with posters thus littering and causing an eyesore about the university). You may be an accounting/finance major, but exactly what do vou know Debated informed (surely you jest) and, although he was not alwavs in agreement. he always respected your right to voice an opinion. Several of his articles came to mind with respect to this statement. I recall Mr. Platte questioning the right of a certain group to protest and voice their opinions in front of the State capital building earlier this year. I also remember a comment he made in his personal column regarding race relations in Atlanta. He stated that blacks and whites in Atlanta did not interact, that Atlanta had less racial trouble than other cities where there was racial interaction and hp wnnHprpH -?? -"""J if non-interaction between the races was a viable solution to racial problems. ted For Idee USC. If Platte had run as an or to be part of the Student Gover ; serious action would have been i The board obviously ignored now-famous March 3 column: from any affiliation as editor-ii : as MARK PLATTE." They also must have overloc 1 Gamecock coverage and the d 1 the campus was hit with, Plat ' amount of coverage about his c L other candidates. If he had wai editor-in-chief, he surely woul form of campaigning than one c : And Balam about the running of a government such as this university's Student Government? Also, how can you possibly suggest abolishing such an estate as a newspaper, which has served as a tool of checks and balances on the government since the 18th century? It is this medium of mass communications that informs a great majority of our nation's peoples of almost every aspect of day to day life. We should be grateful that America has freedom of speech and a free press. Without this in ;Is this informed and objective? Such musings are appropriate for the editor of the Jefferson Davis Academy Gazette ; not the newspaper of a major university. ! Finally, the Board of ' Publications was accused of being "out to nail" Platte, and not being responsive and objective in considering his dismissal. Well, after reading Platte's drivel and observing his performance as editor I feel that the> were justified in wanting to "nail" him, if indeed they | did. [j Please do not follow in Mr. I Platte's footsteps. Do not let I this opportunity for legitimacy and credibility fall by the wayside. JOHN A. BRASINGTON ! Theatre And Speech r dinary candidate who wished nment, I sincerely doubt any taken against him. the last sentence of Platte's "I present this stand apart i-chief of the Gamecock, just >ked the fact that, what with eluge of posters and banners te received only a miniscule andidacy, as compared to the nted to misuse his position as Id have chosen a less subtle olumn in the Gamecock. SUSAN G. HAND Journalism Junior I ces ' stitution the United States could probably be compared to the communistic Soviet Union. ? I will conclude in quoting Thomas Jefferson who wrote "were it left to me to decide whether we should have a' government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter." I, for one, tend to agree with Jefferson. ELIZABETH BRANCH urn 7m Journalism Major SPSS ~ fa Tom Coyne ^ ^ \ News Editor Tonight millions of adoring eyes will watch and cheer as their favorite movie stars vie for the coveted Academy Award. Every year people are disappointed when their favorites fail to receive an Oscar. In honor of tonight's historic occasion I would like to announce my nominations for the first annual Ernie Awards. The Ernie Award is for international, national and local figures who are so often overlooked in their performances. Mail your vote to your congressman and the results will be announced by the Bif Bulkie Accounting firm. Although some may disagree with the nominations they were carefully 1 12 - J 1 ... i cacm cucu aau siuuieo Dy a very reputaoie committee. I Best Film: i The Odd Couple-Remake of the old Walter Matthau-Jackj Lemmon movie with slight changes in script. This version) stars Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill.The two dottering old fools go to Washington D.C. and disagree on every possible! subject. Because of internal bickering, the nation slowly goes) to hell. Better than Simon's original. i ? Spaceshuttle-From the makers of Airplane. Spoof onl NASA's Spaceshuttle program. Jack Lousma and C. Gordon! Fullerton are brilliant in their performances. Story line isj about scientists who spend billions of taxpayer's dollars on the program only to discover they don't have enough money to paint the entire ship. The ship's tiles fall off, drink bottles| spill leaving liquid floating throughout the ship, com-^ . munication system fails and toilet goes haywire. \ Buddy-Buddy-Gov. Dick Riley and USC President James! Holderman spend entire movie arguing about everything . from eliminating the College of General Studies to the! ' amount of funding USC should receive. But throughout, they remain buddy-buddy. Columbia Mayor Kirkman Finlay was scheduled to star with Holderman but contract negotiations ran into difficulty on the Greene Street clause. Apocalypse Now-The United States and Soviet Union play two power hungry nations who vie for all the banana republics in the world without any consideration to its people. The ending to this one has the potential to be devastating, but I couldn't tell you since I left early. Best Actor: Mark Platte-(Absence of Malice) Controversial editor writes column about eliminating Student Government. The infighting that occurs later is unbelievable. The ending has a very ironic twist ? everyone loses. Alexander Haig-(The Man Who Would Be King) This film i is about a man who takes one of the most prestigious jobs in the world but still gets no respect from anybody. When the pressure heats up, he tries to take charge and once again everyone laughs. The director originally tried to get Rodney Dangerfield, but Haig gets less respect than even Danger-, field can imagine. Terry Fox-(Superman) A real tear-jerker about a young man stricken by cancer who attempts to run across Canada despite having one artificial leg. Before he can finish his fundraising run, the cancer spreads to his lungs and he dies a few days later. David Stockman-(Coma) Story about man who goes into the hospital. Instead, the surgeon slips and gives him an accidental charisma bypass. He is appointed to Office of Management and Budget and is in office for four years before a reporter discovers he is in a coma. Best Actress: iNancy neagan-u<irst Family) Tnis flick would also make a good TV sitcom. Her husband is constantly saying things he doesn't mean. Her daughter can not find a job, and her son's only interest is ballet. She wastes thousands of dollars on china and her personal wardrobe. " I Love Lucy " was never this good. Brooke Shields-(Calvin Klein) All of Brooke's commercials are run end to end. Her thought-provoking lines are sure to make a bestseller someday and the positions she is able to twist her body into should someday win her an Olympic gold medal. Pam Parsons-(Bosom Buddies) Women's basketball coach is alleged to have sexual improprieties with her team. Despite this she consistently has winning teams. In the end she is forced to resign and the media coverage makes her a nationally known figure. Rona Barrett-(True Confessions) Opposite her star Tom Selleck.who she nicknames "Beefcake." this movie cxnnsps how old Rona really gets her rumors. She pays for it but it is not with money. This is not one to bring kids to. Best Song: "Only the Good Die Young"-John Belushi 4i Did It My Way"-Eugene Carmichael "Carolina Girls"-Pam Parsons "Take It Easy On Me"-Jim Carlen I'm sure many people will be displeased with some of these choices and wonder why some of their favorites were not nominated. Among those not nominated include Moammar Khadafy, George Bush and many others who could have easily been in the running for an Ernie. It is hoped that someday the much-coveted Ernie will become as great an honor as winning the Oscar and Grammy