Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Page 2 ? November 30, 1984 Dateline THE GAMEOOCK Innocent convict announces plan for prison inmates Ai*eci?fd Prist DALLAS ? Lenell Getcr, an engineer convicted and sentenced to prison for a crime he did not commit, criticized law enforcement agencies for being too eager to accuse and convict blacks. Geter also announced a plan to establish a non-profit foundation to help prison inmates who may have been wrongly convicted. Speaking at a crime forum that officially kicked off a campaign to reduce the number of black victims of black' criminals, Geter said, "If there is a weakness in the black community it will be used." Geter said the responsibility for cutting the black crime rate rests with the family. "We have to start with parents," he said. Geter said the foundation for wrongly convicted prisoners is still in the talking stage. "There is a need," he said at the Martin Luther King Community Center Tuesday. "I found when I was incarcerated there was no place inmates could turn. I know there are cases similar to mine, and I grieve about that.*' Geter was sentenced to life for the 1982 armed robbery of a chicken restaurant in suburban Balch Springs. Following news reports that raised questions about the evidence against him, Geter was freed pending a new trial. The charges were later dropped after authorities said they had identified another suspect. Geter, who spent about 16 months behind bars, said he envisions the foundation as a national organization to review the cases of convicts whose guilt seems in question and offer investigators and other resources to them. Geter said he will meet with friends and advisers in the next two weeks to explore the steps necessary to create the foundation. Bureaucrats, President flout Freedom of Information Act A ! ? a _ _i n nuwiaiN rrvu ? MIAMI ? Bureaucrats continue to flout the Freedom of Information Act, and the Reagan administration seems sympathetic with their efforts, a panel of journalists and legal experts said Wednesday. President Reagan's attitude toward freedom of information was summed up by his comment a few years ago that "I've had it up to my keester with these leaks," said panelist John Podesta, chief counsel to U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. The five-member panel spoke about the FOIA at the 50th Annual Associated Press Managing Editors convention. The act requires government agencies to release information to private citizens, the press and business. The law "is used 90 percent of the time to withhold in-, formation," said Mary Hargrove, head of the investigative' reporting team at the Tulsa Tribune. She said bureaucrats sometimes send illegible copies, say files are in the warehouse or at the auditor's and use in-, consequential errors in a reporter's request to deny! information. Th#? onv#?rnmnnt "if o ; ? ~C 2 ? C " ? J - ev/.w....ivm 1.1 a guiu mine vi iniuiinaiiuii ptuu ior> by the taxpayers," said Robert Saloschin, a news media at-; torney and former Justice Department official. He said reporters must learn how to use administrative procedures to get around bureaucrats before filing expensive and time-consuming lawsuits. The GAMECOCK is the student ? ?? " newspaper of the University of South ^ Carolina and is published three times 3 a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and I J J semesters and weekly on Wednesdays ' ' MPresen during both summer sessions, with the I IP * exception of university holidays and ex- a I I y a r 1 4-1 amination periods. I Will Opinions expressed in the GAME- w w _ COCK are thoae of the editors and not | LIOT^ those of the University of South Caro- | IXEiL/ JL IV-/ i. V- J The Board of Student Publications I RT OOO OW and Communications is the publisher of S ULiVy v/lv N the GAMECOCK. The Student Media lp /^t/' a oWSSi^r"">r,^"Uo' I ROCKA Change of address forms, subscrip- I rr/^\XTT/^T T^T* f 1 tion request* and other correspondence S X v/iNlvjO II < should be sent to the GAMECOCK, Drawer A, University of South Caro- H r. . , r .1 1 ? una, Columbia. S.C. 29208. H EXtrai E.IUer Hie nOl SakwrigUiBnt?iirt 115.00 (or (1) _ m. r, "pr,n* em*,Ur I Plus:50c BUD draft and $3.00 for both tummer sessions. B TWrd class postage paid at Columbia, | $4 W/COUpOn The GAMECOCK is a licensed stu- I //t, > dent organization of the University of B (S5 1*62.) South Carolina and receives funding I from student activity fees. I WSflSlllilfill^ : ",?^9HHI^^^BHR^^^^H^H^^Hn^R!\IxR5^ MHj ilNmwmWWV" inwy??P^ v^8 |(HM| gsggg^M* ,?? f'?^^^^B^^BBjWM[ 'JMxMk fB S HhF '&' -2 P8 BBrW MfrjBI Weinberger at odds wil Associated Pros WASHINGTON ? Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, in a policy statement that puts him at odds with Secretary of State George Shultz, says U.S. military force should be used only as a last resort and then only "with the clear intention of winning." Weinberger, often described as one of the Reagan administration's most hawkish members because of his support for large Pentagon budget increases, laid out his views weanesaay in a speech to the National Press Club. Weinberger's beliefs on the role of military force closely parallel lessons often cited by U.S. military leaders in the wake of the Vietnam War. THOSE LESSONS include using force only when it is backed by public support, only in instances where the U.S. national interests are clear, and then only to clearly win. Weinberger and Shultz have often differed in the past two years and Weinberger spelled out his beliefs again Wednesday, although he did not name Shultz. "Employing our forces almost indescriminately and as a regular and customary part of our diplomatic efforts would surely plunge us headlong into the sort of domestic turmoil we - I f ts a Dance rartyj UJ i the jj Cj( HLILI PEPPERS I . , j ' THE SADDLE j include: BILLY 88 i . 3 p.m. - 3 a.m. I" Our St pepper eating contest I J GAM CONCFFT HALL i Snrin? ?d 903 Huger St. . MA|l 0R(JER; Add ^ ????????? - IMII IHHIIMIWBMBBB?BBB Carolina Cares is ceiebrati y again with the annual Tree December 2, 1984 at 8:0C There will be hot chocolate b the season of caring with' BA tuba player for the Carolina band warms up before the Clemson game last Saturday. The stadium arid the field are reflected in the horn. Photo by J?nniftr Wootw :h Shultz over military experienced during the Vietnam War, without accomplishing the goal for which we committed our fources," Weinberger said. Shultz, in a speech last April to the Trailater Commission, said "Power and diplomacy are not alternatives. They must go together or we will accomplish very little in the world." THE TWO men differed on the question of sending U.S. Marines to Lebanon. Shultz, who has publicly admitted the split between he and Weinberger, supported the deployment while Weinberger said, "We have learned that there are limits to now much ot our SRirit and blood and treasure we can afford io forfeit in meeting our responsiblity to keep peace and freedom." "So while we may and should offer substantial amounts of economic and military assistance to our allies in their time of need, and help them maintain forces to deter attacks against them, usually we cannot substitute our troops or our will for theirs." "We cannot assume for other sovereign nations the responsibility to defend their territory, without their strong invitation, when our own freedom is not threatened," Weinberger said. ? ORDER WOW ? - \ROLINA BAND'S 1 ght Song Cassette I 5: "2001: A Space Odessey" I d Quantity jr gg I tores Nov. 21 3" . I JEWELRY WAREHOUSE I IECOCK HEADQUARTERS AT USC ? AIN ACROSS FROM HONEYCOMOS I 3102 Broad River Rd. Decker Mall I St. Andrews Columbia pi ! - Jewelry Warehouse, Box4722, W. Columbia 29171 JB iMiWimiiiniMi nr * n w ng their Christmasseasonj Lighting ceremony Sunday, f ) p.m. on the Horseshoe. I 9 and caroling so come share 1 Carolina Cares j I