The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 21, 1985, Page 4, Image 4
Viewpoint f
Gone
Columbia
mi TI i yi i L- i i
me ju>eat, ^oiumoia s oniy
new music club, opened its
doors two years ago to the
welcome relief of all closet hoppers
and new music fanatics.
These people no longer had to
make pilgrimages to Athens or
Atlanta to catch the latest in
new music bands.
Groups such as Other Bright
Colors, Minutemen and Black
Flag rolled into Columbia to appease
USC students and others
who hungered for new music.
judging irom tne packed dance
floor every Friday and Saturday
nights, they didn't go away
unsatisfied.
But those times may be gone.
The Beat was forced to close
Friday night. In its place will be
a theater which will give Columbians
an opportunity to attend
plays which serve as alternatives
to the conventional
theater fare in the Columbia
area. The theater, which is being
founded by Jim Thigpen,
will feature his performing
company, Trustus.
Columbia needs new and
fresh ideas to keep up with the
Letter not
true facts
To the editor:
I don't know what happened
to the formerly responsible
leadership of the USC College
Repulicans, but it is clear that
those who are currently responsible
for the organization's tactics
and positions are arrogantly
miRreprfffiffflt.ir\g J hot.h the
Republic^|jia^a^opposing
political views. Inelatest in
this autumn assault on common
sense comes in the form of a letfor
I A f ho An Hnf 1 ^
VVI tv WIV V/Ull/Wi VII V V/tVWVl XV/
from the organization's
secretary, Janice Kraft.
Ms. Kraft's announcement
that her party has "the true
facts" and will "enlighten"
skeptics on the issues of apartheid
and the Strategic Defense
Initiative should embarrass
fellow Republicans. Her complaint
is that "a few left-wing
activists" on campus are raising
publicly the issues of the
nuclear freeze and economic
sanctions against South Africa.
Why she should find this a
threatening leftist agenda is
unclear, since both positions
L : I L! i.'
nave enjoyeu uiparusan support
in Congress. The "true
fact" is that a good many
Republicans support these positions.
I suggest that Ms. Kraft
look more closely at her party's
positions on these issues before
she claims to represent them.
The very notion that the USC
College Republicans have the
true facts is indicative of the
unwarrented smugness that is
borne of ignorance of complex
issues. What the conservative
movement currently offers us is
ideology, not facts. If facts mattered
at all we would not be
hearing our President proclaim
that segregation has ended in
South Africa, and we would be
paying a lot more attention to
the many technical experts who
are "factually" testifying that
Star Wars will not work.,
Facts don't really matter at
all to the leadership of the USC
College Republicans, however,
for it seems they have found a
convenient way to deal with opponents
who voice views they
don't like, they just brand them
left-wingers or fellow travelers.
The College Republicans have
learned that it is much easier to
You, too, cat
Divestment, President Reagan, I
football, campus parking, meal p
dent Government.
What do you think about?
If you have an opinion about a
would like to share with the Care
send a letter to The Gamecock.
Letters must be typed, double
elude the writer's name and a tc
where the writer can be reached f(
culture neei
ever-changing cultural needs of
the Midlands. Trustus is a
welcome addition to a scene
that The Beat has been an
established part of for two
years.
It is sad that there does not
seem 10 De enougn room in Columbia
for both THe Beat and
the new theater, for destroying
one piece of culture to make
way for another simply defeats
attempts to place Columbia on
par with other cultural centers
such as Boston, Atlanta and
New York.
Students come to USC to
gain an education. Although
academics is a major part of
this education, it should not be
conmsidered the only part.
Students should grow both
academically and culturally
during their years in school.
And The Beat, as well as the
a.1 1? : '??
new meaier, is an intrinsic part
of culture in Columbia.
Judging by WUSC-FM's
listening audience, new music
does thrive in South Carolina's
capital city. The popularity of
The Beat was a good example.
discredit opposing views than it
is to defeat them in open
debate. So it is that Ms. Kraft
facilely refers to USC activists
as "left-wingers;" the College
Republicans display at their
recruitment table a poster
reading "The Soviet Union
needs you - Support a US
Nuclear Freeze;" and flyers
from the College Republicans
appear on the campus bulletin
boards intimating that the
freeze movement is planned
in Moscow. Never mind
that many supporters of a
nuclear freez?J afe" Witiderkte
Democrats and Republicans.
McCarthyist tactics have no
place in a nation which nrides
itself on its democratic system,
and in universities which are
supposed to nuture a free and
unrestricted exchange of ideas.
If the College Republican
leadership is confident that it
has the facts, let the merit of its
arguments convince us, not
cheap and damaging character
assassination. USC's activists,
moderate, liberal, and radical,
welcome open debate on these
issues.
Open debate may be an
unpleasant experience for our
complacent Republican friends;
however, they may find to their
J: ii -i it i
uisrnay mai wnue i-ney nave
busied themselves with
marketing populist slogans
around campus, we have
thoroughly researched and
critiqued our positions. Serious
and thoughtful conservatives
who are fed up with
demagog uery and ideological
rigidity are invited to our series
of lectures this fall on apartheid.
We won't have "The true
facts," only a free and critical
exchange of ideas.
Ken Menkhaus
PTMOi P I x _ ? j 1 ,
viii/N a vjra.uua.ie siuaeni
Opinion
offensive
To the editor:
I was greatly offended by the
direct personal attack made
against me by Leroy Gadsden
in his letter to the editor. It is
obvious to me that Mr. Gadsen
has yet to learn civility when
1^1 _a!
addressing coniiicung opinions.
I criticized the actions of the
Senate, feeling that they were
i write
the World Series, Letters should i
tlans, Sting, Stu- student, staff i
community.
All letters are \
nvthina that vou a
w / / B U lliaAl
>lina community, not be withheld c
cannot be returnc
-spaced, and in:lephonc
number Send your lets
>r verification. Drawer A, Russel
is a Beat
But the 40-Watt Club in
Athens and Club 688 in Atlanta
are too far to make weekly
treks to catch the latest trends
in new music.
L<ynn Mcuain, one of The
Beat's owners, said she will
looking for a new location in
Colujmiba during the next
month. We hope that the desire
to find a new location will not
be dampened as time passes.
In its two years, The Beat
became a Main Street institution
for many USC students
and others. The graffiti scrawled
across the walls to the florescent
lights that lit the dance
floor made The Beat a
recognizable rtlace.
Editor's note: The Gamecock
looks a little different today,
because the staff had to
migrate to the College of Journalism
when the power outage
shut down its system in Russell
House. The staff would like to
thank Professor Bill Rogers
and Columbia Record
photographer Ginger Pinson
for their help.
inappropriate. Mr. Gadsen did
little in his letter to justify his
actions on the Senate floor but
took the opportunity to
criticize, no defame, my
character and reputation. Then
he had the audacity to state
"Personal character attacks,
should be left out of it." A clear
cut case of character assassination
and run. I hope he does not
drive as offensively as he
writes.
An ironic fact is that despite
Mr. Gadsden's insinuation that
I am a "Jesse Helms," I will be:
among the first to dendunce'
apartheid as a form of government.
This was not stated in my
letter, or as Mr nut
it, my "verbal attack," as I
did not wish to engage in normative
arguments. I wrote my
letter to alert the Senate that
they had bypassed legislation,
which I helped write, designed
to keep the student legislature
out of the international arena,
an arena full of ambiguities and
pitfalls. My contention was and
is that their focus needs to be
on issues more applicable for
full consideration by students.
In attacking my character,
not mv nnsitinn Mr rjarlarlori
has, in my opinion, brought
harm and discredit to the concept
of respect between men,
an idea which he is supposed to
champion in the fight against
apartheid. Let us be concise
and courteous, not rude and
852 words.
Ross B. Toyne
MIBS student
Coverage
annailinn
wrrv......9
To the editor:
I was recently appalled by one
of the major television network's
coverage of the fanatical Louis
Farrakhan. On October 8, 1985,
NBC-TV aired their evening
coverage of national news with
Tom Brokaw. That Farrakhan's
presence in New York City made
iivuuiuiw ui uaiiunrti news
leaves me to question the intention
of NBC. Some viewers might
argue it was news and consequently,
it should have been
reported . My dissatisfaction with
NBC is not whether Farrakhan
should be exposed to the
American public; on the contrary,
a man who praises Hitler
also include whether the writer U a
ncmbcr or a member of the
printed and are subject to editing,
mum is suggested, and names will
xcept by special exception. Letters
;d.
ters to: Editor, The Gamecock
II House, Columbia, S.C. 29225.
All's fair ir
I'll talk about the pig races in
a moment, but first I must
relieve my groaning conscience
a bit.
When the overloaded
elephant ear in your left hand is
siftinc nowHprpH sutrar Hnwn
your sleeve into your
wristwatch's delicate innards,
when the 8-year-old delinquent
on your right is cursing as
fluently as a Marseilles boatman
and flipping ashes into
your Sprite, when people
strange to you check their
headlong flight into the Louise
Mandrell show long enough to
point out the gobbet of cherry
puree dangling from the end of
your nose, it's tough maintaining
the facade of hard-boiled investigative
journalism.
In fact, it's impossible. And it
was at that moment on Friday
night that I realized the extent
to which I had been suckered by
the South Carolina State Fair.
I had intended to keep my objectivity.
I would lope about the
fairgrounds, eyes squinting,
note pad in hand, pencil dancing,
an impartial observer,
nothing more.
Instead, I wolfed Polish
sausages laden with green peppers
down my gullet, stood
slack-jawed before the
and encouragcs racism and supports
the overthrow of the
American government should be
exposed. Yet in exposing Farrakhan,
the media failed to identify
him properly, an identification
failure all too common,
despite the protests of those hurt
by his false association, namely
the Muslim community the world
over. The media (this time NBC)
persists in labeling this man as a
Muslim.
It is a fact that journalists,
newspapers and the networks
realize Loliis Fdrrdkhan is' ift :
direct disagreement with the
creed of Muslims here in America
and around the world. His
philosophy of racial separation
and hatred plays no part in AlIslam.
Al-Islam is the religion of
universal brotherhood; hence, it
does not support any type of
racial superiority ? neither black
nor white. The only degree of
superiority recognized in AlIslam
is in the individual's sincere
obedience to almighty God.
Why then does the media present
Farrakhan as a Muslim?
Why is there a deliberate
misrepresentation of Al-Islam to
westerners? The casting of I mii?
Farrakhan as a Muslim de facto
in the eyes of America is as equally
unjust as casting Jim Jones or
the Ku Klux Klan as Christians in
the eyes of a predominantly
Muslim country. The media has
an unfortunate habit of
haphazardly conveying the position
of one of the world's great
religions. In contrast, remember
recently when the Rev. Jerry
Falwell was blasted for his insensitive
views on apartheid? The
media reported FalwelPs comments,
and almost in the same
breath, they were careful to point
out he was in direct conflict with
the majority of his fellow clergy.
Now this statement is not to imply
Falwell isn't Christian; it is
simply stated to demonstrate the
media was trying to set the record
straight. In other words, the
media said: Listen America and
the world. Jerry FalwelFs views
are not necessarily the views of all
good Christians. Well, the
Muslim community, numbering
one billion, wants to say: Listen
America and the world We do
not believe as Farrakhan believes.
Yet the voice of Muslim America
is not heard.
For instance, genuine Muslim
III!
i dash for i
Andy
Puncqn
sideshow snake lady, allowed a
thousand wheedling politicos to
stuff my pockets with propaganda
and laid out enough
good green cash to float the
Pentagon for 20 minutes.
Why, had I mode my way to
the livestock exhibit, I probably
would have cooed and burbled
over the duckies and the bunnmn
AM/4 ^ V* /iV?r? rl
uico auu tuc tuiv/ivics, anu uiai
would have injected formaldehyde
into my journalistic
career for sure. You never will
see Edward R. Murrow or H.L.
Mencken cooing and burbling
over duckies and bunnies and
chickies, or at least I hope you
won't, as they both are dead.
But if you want to get really
into the fair this year, you'll
have to check out the pig races.
The "Dash for Mash" is spon
leaders like Imam WarithuDeen
Muhammad are not given equal
time. Is it that the media does not
want America to see a Muslim
leader who encourages Muslims
to contribute to the good institutions
in American society, or one
who encourages economic productivity,
a leader who encourages
the interaction between
all races and religions? Equal
time is not given to this Muslim
leader who has received among
numerous others, the "Four
.Freedoms...Award", for.,Jiis.
humanitarian efforts,' an aWard '
previously given to John F. Kennedy
and Dr. Ralph Bunche.
Where was the press coverage
when this leader was asked to attend
an international Islamic conference
held recently in Geneva,
Switzerland? Equal time should
be given to those who accurately
represent the Islamic faith.
My first disgust with NBC's
presentation was tne tact that it
was an insult to Muslims all over
the world. Yet NBC did not stop
there. At a time when, on the national
and international level,
people are trying to come
together and solve their disputes
diplomatically, NBC presents the
heretical Farrakhan as a potential
leader for African-Americans.
Why is this man, whose eloquent
fiery rhetoric interspersed with
the germs of anarchy, being cast
as a potential leader for AfricanAmericans?
Furthermore, who benefited
from NBC's slanted telecast? Not
the millions of African-American
viewers who may never have
heard of Louis Farrakhan until
Oct. 8, but may now view him as
their only hope ? Allah (God,
the most high) forbid! No. Those
who benefited are the same ones
who benefit from social and
racial unrest in countries like
South Afrirfl nnH mnr*
? miwiv ivwitiijr
Great Britain ? the racists.
I appeal to NBC and other networks
to give equal time to those
leaders who are wielding a
positive influence on AfricanAmerica
and America. There are
African-American leaders, both
Muslim and non-Muslim, more
qualified, more sincere and more
devoted to God and humanity to
be leaders than Minister Louis
Farrakhan.
Etfttr Ni ektof
Ann Farmer
McMfhif Eihcr
Tracy Mlxson
Ccpy D**k Cfeftf
Andy Duncan
AMtetMt C?fy OMh Chief
Linda Taylor
EAtw
Marlsa Porto
AaaktMt Itewi Erftort
Jtri Rowe
Juliet Nader
E??tw
Ron! Bea Kayne
AMfctMt SptlHgM
pd Chambllss
nash
m
sored by barbecue magnate and
tourist attraction Maurice
Bessinger, with all the wit and
glamor that entails. The bacon
moves around a fenced, ovalshaped
track with its east side
bisected by a swine pen with ^
chutes for five occupants.
Those porkers gallop around
that track as if they felt the hot
breath of Maurice himself on
their necks, only to wind up
right behind the pen where they
started, there to fight for position
around a vat of mash with
the same grace displayed by the
ravenous fairgoers at the concession
windows 20 feet away
as they grapple for french-fried
mushrooms, funnel cakes and _
Italian meatball sandwiches. tp
I guess that's the hard-boiled
way of looking at it.
For once, NBC, give the
religion of Al-Islam its just view
and don't give the racists more ,
leverage than they already have. 7^
Mukhtar Muhammad
Business Administration
sophomore j
Get off
bandwagon
iorto;jr>
, s .. ,- ? - '
To the editor:
I have sat back and listened
to this argument and weighed
all the elements carefully and in
my opinion, I felt that the argu
ment concerning the senate not
getting involved in world affairs
was the better of the two.
I was not going to make a statement
because I felt that my two
predecessors had made a good
enough argument.
This has changed since Sen.
Edward Sookikian made his
biting arguments that blasted
my two predecessors in Monday's
issue of The Gamecock
and this has greatly angered
me.
I will say that Sen. Sookikian
is an obviously good person to
strive to help the student body
through his attendance policy
reforms that he mentioned in A
his article last Monday, but I ~
will also say that he is wrong in
his attempt to jump on the
bandwagon by following the examples
of Georgia, Florida,
1 II " ""
x cue ?iiu narvara. wnat tnese
schools did may serve their student's
needs, but this is not so
with USC. I have talked to
several students and they have
all voiced their disapproval at
this incompetent piece of
legislation, and this disapproval
has been on the rise. %
I will end this letter with a
warning to Sen. Sookikian and
other members of the Senate:
You are riding a wave of
discontent and if you continue
An unlitt *
vH juu> (/i cocuk cuurfie you may
have more trouble on your
hands than you can handle. I
aiso want you to know that I indeed
plan to run for a senate
seat and find out for myself if
you are right or wrong.
Darren Mullinax
science freshman ?
VlniMAlftA B/i? ? l|
Rnlvf p
nmy VtifO j
Spwta UHar [
Gregg Lmky
AitictMt Iptrtt EMtw
Jeff Owens
Joseph Garnet! !
Ray Gronberg
Mviotr
Bill Rogers
Okiitw
Bill Clement*
W < ^1... I ^
rrrewTiw
Lewis Covington
Mark Armstrong I