The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 02, 1987, Page 6, Image 6
Viewpoint
6 -* Monday, March 2, 1987
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Incomplete
The report on Iran-Contra affair
has many unanswered questions
The Tower Commission report on the Iran-Contra affair
was released Thursday after weeks of anticipation. It
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the scandal on a dangerously disengaged president and on
White House aides who ran their own covert foreign
policy.
The report was extremely critical of former White House
Chief of Staff Donald Regan and Lt. Col. Oliver North,
who the report says was the man most responsible for the
scandal. But there are some major areas where the Tower
report didn't reach.
First of all, the "big" picture has failed to materialize.
The whole affair is still somewhat of an enigma. The commission
had no authority to subpoena documents, compel
testimony, swear witnesses or grant immunity. Former National
Security Adviser John Poindexter and North pleaded
the Fifth Amendment and refused to appear before the
commission. Until they talk, or until the Tower Commission
is granted the power it needs, the affair will remain
murky.
Secondly, the commission tried only to unravel the scandal;
it did not try to determine whether any laws were
broken. But there were laws broken. The Reagan ad
ministration has violated the Boland Amendment, the
Security and Development Act, the Intelligence Authorization
Act, the Neutrality Act, and the Arms Export Control
Act. Reagan also broke his much heralded 1983 arms embargo.
The administration needs more than the Tower
report's firm slap on the wrist. The administration must
face the illegality of their acts and pay for them.
The role Israel played in the arms-for-hostages scandal is
still unclear because it would not cooperate in the commission's
probe. Until the Israeli involvement is determined,
no clear picture is possible.
The commission also has not been able to conclude
whether Reagan gave advance authorization for the 1985
arms shipments to Iran. He has said three different things.
He first said he did. Then he said he didn't. Now he says he
can't remember.
In addition to the mystery surrounding the actual evolution
of the affair, there is the matter of the missing
millions. "Sizable sums" of money from arms sales to Iran
are unaccounted for. This money is rumored to be in secret
Swiss bank accounts, but it is likely that this money will
never be found.
So far, the Tower Commission has been able to topple
Donald Regan. This is not only good for the Reagan administration,
it's also good for America. Regan is the
epitome of the strong arm hustler and sniveling deceiver
nilt for nnwpr an (\ nrpctiof Mnw that fr>rmor lonalnr
Howard Baker is at the helm, the administration will be
able to construct some semblance of respectability.
The major thing learned from the commission's report is
the duplicity and deception of Oliver North. He "actively
sought to conceal political information" about the programs,
and if anyone should fall, it should be North.
Earlier in the crisis Reagan called North a national hero. If
North is anything, he is a national disgrace.
The Tower Commission accomplished many things. But
something must be done to address the remaining ambiguities.
Clearly, North and Poindexter must be compelled
to talk, but until they do, "Irangate" will simply remain
a troubling and nagging reality.
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Write~us a letter
Tell us what's on your mind. Letters must I here is a limit of tw
be typed, double-spaced and no more than the same writer.
250 words. Include name, address and We reserve the right
telephone number for verification. Names on nuiflattul inni<-?. tn
will no! be withheld. Guest editorials are topics.
limited to 500 words. Indicate whether you Write to: Viewi
are a student, USC stall member, or com- Gamecock, Drawer A,
munity member in letters and editorials. Columbia, S.C. 2920H
?
Another kind of
For no particular reason whatsoever, I
stayed up the whole night last year and watched
the Student Government Elections Commission
count votes. 1 wasn't there to count
votes. I wasn't there to write a story on the
drama of the shifting tide as more and more
results came in. I wasn't there as an official
observer for anyone's campaign. I was just
there.
A friend of mine was giving election night
coverage on WUSC-FM. and he told the nco
pic in the SG office I was a reporter for The
Gamecock, and they should let mc in.
They did.
It is a long and tiresome process. I wasn't
doing it; I was just watching, but I was still
beat at the end of the night, or rather, the
beginning of the morning. I arrived at the office
at 9 p.m.
I left at 7 a.m.
Throughout the night, the counters got
more and more tired, and the votes more and
more tedious.
When someone decided to write in Mickey
Mouse for SG president, one counter laughed
hysterically for 15 minutes. Another screamed
and shouted about how foolish the person
was to actually waste a vote. Another just sal
back and said he was tired and didn't need
this.
I just sat back and watched their tempers
grow more and more frazzled, their eyes get
more and more bloodshot, their hands more
and more tired from constantly writing down
each vote and flipping ballots, and their
Letters to the
A .L I apathy,
Anathi# rnliimn nncdwii,.,
f RMkUj nm V WIC4IIIBI
future p<
was misguided
(full-formu
To the editor:
In your Monday, Feb. 23, column,
you speak of apathy;
apathy of students toward Student
Government and marches .
for full-formula funding. The LfJVIfO
reason for the apathy towards
these things is that they have no IA/AQP
impact on the students. Student
Government officials will represent
only themselves and the To the edit
future political positions they I am resj
hope to have. As for full-formula Traccy Grc
funding, if you were making a 20 issue of
decision on whether or not to give divorced m
a man the same money he has child supp
misused time and time again, sister to gi\
would you? Certainly not. It is ncighborhc
Holderman's job to properly use work a full
the money he has. and a part
These things you see as tion center
representing the worst possible arc limitec
apathy for students do not come general cle
close to the results of apathy on these areas
other subjects, subjects such as skilled ant
inhumanity in South Africa, the you deterr
growing war the United States is been work
building in Central America, and field to be
the possibility of a total nuclear unskilled?
holocaust. Where does such petty beginners ;
apathy as you mention stand over,
against the destruction of fellow I resent
human beings and, possibly, minimum
yourself? I simply ask that the because it
next time you wish to write of whose ho
ZZH [ThTc
hdltor in Chief
'o letters per month by Horn lieu Kayne
Managing Kdllor
to stop printing letters y ?
f ( (ipy l)eik ( hirf
make room lor new Stephen (luil/oyl,e
AntUlanl Copy
^oint Editor, The itok Chief
, Russell House, USC, Andy Hechtel
New* Mil or
/'aula Wethinxlon
J I I
I
all-nighter: coi
Br. JwHk, ^
voices getting hoarse and scratchy from
speaking out the count and rcchccking it.
The observers from the presidential campaigns
were on edge with each other, and it
only got worse as the night progressed. I he
"greek" observer for the "greek" candidate
didn't want to help the other candidate, nor
they him. Phrases like "greek geek," and
"independent jerk" were whispered so low
only the frequent eavesdropper might heai.
I eavesdrop frequently.
I left at 7 a.m. with the remaining counters
and a couple of folks from SO. We were all
bone-tired, beat, bushed, wasted, totally
smeared. And they weren't finished. They
had counted all the votes for the executive officers,
but there was still a lot of work to be
done lor the senate seats.
It was a night full of interesting observations,
funny jokes on occasion, but mostly the
mind-numbing tedium of counting by hand
editor
you consider the dccicase. When that
of tilings outside of might as well go on wc
diticians (Student way I won't have to j
;nt) and marches month in child caie <
t the wrong people can live in a public Ik
la funding). ject near a mall so I w
car. That way I woi
Mli/uheth Johnson $74-a-month used ca
Studio art, junior and $48-a-month car
Also, living in public
. . won't be paying $230
r minimum rent. My sister will hi
m another roommate or i
ffamamnn lowei standard ol hou
udmdgmg won,t be buyiMg Fede
Bonds in order to sen
or: to college. I'll let Mr.
jonding to the letter by other taxpayers pa;
:cn in the Friday, Feb. education. Perhaps Ik
The Gamecock. I am a on welfare for the res
other who receives no and then his children
tort. I live with my All the money I |
/e my daughter a nicer child caic, car loan,
>od in which to live. I and rent help sup
-time job in data entry businesses. Without
-time job as a recrea- me some of these
cashier. My job skills would collapse. Ideas
i (o tncse areas and only increase the eco
rical duties. Which of fercnces between the r
would be considered poor that much more
1 unskilled? How do Mr. Green and peop
nine if someone has who support a lowerci
ing long enough in a wage live as 1 do aw
considered skilled or he'll see how losing th<
There are always job and possibly my fi
and people who start to those who will wc
hurts the economy i
the suggestion that more than helps it.
wage be lowered
is the jobs I work Dehoruh
urly pay rates will Computer Servii
iamecock
Assistant Nrws hditori Sports Kdilnr
Sherri Berry Jejf Shrewsbury
Hrcndu lilylh Annlslanl Sports Kdllor
Viewpoint hditor Wayne Washington
Hal Millard Photography Kdllor
Money Kdltor Thomas Humphrey
Candy Ifarr Assistant Photo^r jpltv I Ui
Features Kdllor Jennl/cr S/eib
Tamara Willis
Aftslfttanl Feature* I
Patrick Jean
VIE HAVE HO CHOICE- ill
\i NIELSEN OVERNIGHTS If
ARE W ],|
intina ballots I
I
more than 2,(XX) votes for more than 50 different
offices and senate seats.
This process of written ballots is extremely
wasteful of both time and energy. They do
have machines to count votes nowadays.
These machines, 1 am sure, could be bor- 1
rowed from Richland or Lexington counties. I
When I was in high school, Spartanburg
County was more than happy to lend us ^
voting booths. SG should begin a lobbying ef- p.
fort with Richland for these booths. They
might charge a minimal fee for programming,
but look at the benefits:
? the counting process would be speeded up
immensely, because the only individual writein
votes would have to be taken care of individually.
The machine would take care of
the rest of the votes;
? the Elections Commission would not be
turned into an angry horde of bloodshot,
tired counters;
? the candidates would probably have
enough time to rewrite their acceptance ^
speeches when they find out they lost;
illlU I )c?l lICipUlKMI III I lie ciccnons would
probably increase. Students ignore elections
because voting areas are just tables with boxes
on them. Students always sec and always ignore
tables with boxes on them. The big green
machines arc BIG and green and a huge
advertisement for voting. And everybody
loves to vote in them; they're a toy for adults.
As it stands now, the process is too long,
loo wearisome and just too inefficient.
Getting the machines would change that.
STSJ ZBT not liable
^1" ; for Brother Jim
nising pro
on'i need a
n't have a To the editor:
r payment I would like to clarify my
insurance. fraternity's association with
housing, I "Brother Jim" Gillcs. As was ||k
a month in concctly stated in the Feb. 25 ediavc
to find tion of The Gamecock, Jim was
nove into a preaching on the Russell House
sing. I also patio and was told to leave. The
ral Savings crowd was having a good time, so
d my child 1 decided to intervene and fill out
ureen and me ncccssary paperwork, using
/ tor his niy title, so that the students
: could live could continue to laugh at him.
t of his life My chapter had no idea we
for theirs. were "sponsoring" him. We were
~>ay out in responsible for his presence only
insurance on I ucsday, not for the entire
port these week as was reported in The
people like Stale, which, as usual, had
businesses nothing better to teport. We were
such as this not endorsing the masochistic
nomic dif- prcachcr, nor was he speaking as
ich and the ??representative of the fraternity.
:. 1 suggest Any individuals, organizations,
le like him or religions insulted or slandered
j minimum by this half-witted, quasi-cleric
hile. I hen should be informed that Zeta
it part-time Beta Tau was merely giving him
iill-time job enough rope to hang himself.
?rk for less Besides, there was more student
ind society support for him than for the tuition
increase demonstration.
I,. Hookter Mutt Anderson
es Division President, ZBT
1
1
t.ruphlcs hdllor Director of Student Media
Hob!) l.une Hill Clements
Dalebook Kdltor (?raduate AiftUtunt
Kutherine (iilbert Mary Anne Munich
Comic* hdllor Production
I racy Mixson Chuck N orris
lor Wire hdllor Son Ha I
(iillian Smith Advertising Manager JsL
AdvWer Margaret Michel*
Hill Honors Amintant Advertising Manager
Jan Hodges