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Viewpoint t * Friday, March 27, 1987 * i 1 .G MECOCK ' SIM tests Hollings wrongly assumes ABM limitations no problem U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings needs to go back to school. The junior senator from South Carolina is obviously lacking a firm grasp on recent American history. Last week, Fritz sent a four-page letter to President Reaean savintz. in effect, that the administration hnH thp right to test space-based anti-missile weapons. What? Can that be right, Fritz? Maybe he should think again. You see, that would be a violation of the 1972 antiballistic missile (ABM) treaty. But Fritz swears up and down that it isn't. He's dead wrong. So here is a quick, capsule history for Fritz, hopefully it will help clear things up for his confused mind: the ABM treaty was the culmination of the first phase of the SALT I talks under President Nixon and Henry Kissinger. The treaty states, "Each party undertakes not to deploy ABM systems for a defense of the territory of its country." The space-based, anti-missile weapons Fritz is so insistent on testing are part of the futuristic and questionable defense 1,??, ? tU. pi A rv.r I i in . Miuwn as uic oumcgie jL^cienst: initiative puij, or "iiar Wars." The defenses allowed under the treaty are limited. In Article III it clearly states each side is restricted to two sites each where defensive systems may be deployed. Each site is allowed a maximum of 100 launchers. One site is to be used to protect an offensive missile field, while the other site is to be used to defend the country's capital. The reasoning behind the whole ABM treaty is to prevserve MAD, or "mutually assured destruction," as a deterrant. That is, if the populations of both countries were open to nuclear attack and annihilation, then neither side would dare provoke a nuclear confrontation. And,Fritz, that's a pretty effective deterrent. Yet, in light of this historical enlightenment on American foreign policy, Fritz still says, "It is clear to me that the treaty allows the development of the SDI." He could passionately call for testing without making himself look so ignorant in policy concerning the ABM treaty. But he refuses to. So be it. Kecently, Fritz blasted Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sam Nunn for his 98-page critique that , in turn, blasted the Reagan administration's interpretation of the ABM treaty. But all Sam did was tell it like it is. In other words,he told the truth, which is a rare occurrence these days in Washington. Nunn knows, as everyone should know, that some SDI testing violates the treaty. Fritz, even though he is a Democrat, is seriously bent toward SDI and on getting it to work. But his zeal overshadows the fact that SDI, whether it's tested or not, will not be operational in all its high-tech glory until well into the 21st century. It won't be cheap either. Fritz, who is even more adamant about the federal deficit, should know SDI will probably heap incredible amounts of burden upon future generations of Americans, mainly us and our children. Even with the enormous deficit we have incurred so far, Americans will be paying for a long time to come. More importantly, it is foolish to pursure a "broad" intepretation of the ABM treaty and risk serious setbacks in future arms negotiations in favor of a potential "dud" in SDI. But, give Fritz an "A" for effort ? even though he should get an "F" in history. onitmwtf iw ( v*#r- w* ; cJgsr$i?? I V ,j \ f. \, S?v) Aebi} fr;i WV % Jj] VirniMT. . A*r>Ali rt UifcflWfi Win**>r Kflir.lOJ /V>IUM fAUkOf?- i J?Ra*W?iMr. W*U> ! 6f?D? HOAWHMS. I W**- II 1 {< oO \ ^ JJ' , WJ ff IX ^ JH3$^ POUTlCW. Foomu Write us a letter Tell us what's on your mind. Letters must There is a limit of v be typed, double-spaced and no more than the same writer. zdu worcis. inciuae name, address and We reserve the righi telephone number for verification. Names on outdated topics t< will not be withheld. Guest editorials arc topics. limited to 500 words. Indicate whether you Write to: View are a student, USC staff member, or com- Gamecock, Drawer A munity member in letters and editorials. Columbia, S.C. 2920 Little birds'll Seems since most of my friends know I am a journalist, they have found it necessary to tell me every little thing going on in their lives. They think their events are just as volatile and newsworthy as a stick of dynamite sitting on a canister of nuclear waste underneath a magnifying glass on a cloudless sunny day. Out of 20 people, 19 turn out to he pretty useless to me or my readers. But then, there's that one in 20. . . . There's a bunch of little birds who flitter around Russell House, picking up the gossip. When 1 was wondering, before writing a previous column, what had kept our SG president-elect from arriving on time to a tuition rally he said he supported, one of those birds told me where he was. And while 1 sat here, pondering my fate if people discovered I talked to birds, another perched on my window. And boy, did he have a sone to sinu. Seems, said the bird, the Student Government Elections Commssion has 200 invitations to Tuesday's inauguration. Seems there are four executive officers and about 35 senators who will be inaugurated at that ceremony. Seems, said the bird, that one person got 120 of those invitations. Seems unfair. Bakker for Pi Only in the heart of Dixie would the resignation of evangelist Jim Bakker as president of the PTI. religious ministry be a topof-the-front-page news story. You could aimosi icci sorry lor inc man; alter all, it takes guts to admit to an adoring public that he fooled around with a secretary in Florida seven years ago, that his wife has a drug dependency problem (among others) and that he wants to leave behind a SI75 million empire he created for his ow. . . er, its ? good. Jim and wife Tammy are currently in seclusion in their California home, while the Bible hits the fan on this coast. After he recovers from these crises, perhaps he should consider a new job with more prestige and money. I am hereby supporting and encouraging Jim Bakker to run for U.S. president in 1988. tir>r, .,11 .1 ia 1111 ig . Ill 31 v > I till, lie > ^,V. M 11HJ JJCI" sonality for the job. His charisma may allow him to overcome this crisis, just as President Reagan's may allow him to survive the IranContra scandal. Sure, he had an extramarital affair in a Clearwater Beach, Fla., motel in 1980. But the poor guy's sincerely sorry, and he says he was blackmailed because of it. Aw. He also blames the scandal on former friends who tried to usurp his power and on a wolfpack press that won't leave him alone. Yeah, that's the ticket. Works for Reagan. Also like Reagan, he knows how to inherit a small, weak budget and spend like crazy to Letters to the Baby M not legal matter "Us a child's fi To the editor: Yes, Wh 1 would like to voice a rebuttal probably < against Sohail Khwaja's uncom- all the co passionate article about "Baby cannot pre M" on Monday, March 23. ing up her "1 I rwni ine_ i ... , . hdllor in Chief *o letters per month by Htim Hea Kuync MmiimkIiik Kdllor t to stop printing letters Amy ,)el,'? d make room for new ^"hTnVmtjoyle A\xlsUn< ( op> point Editor, The i>*?k rhkf i. Russell House, USC, Ajuhnech," ' Ntw? Kdllor 8. Paula Wethington i tell you the w i gave trie h i tnrd a cracker and sent him on his way, but I was doing a lot of heavy thinking ? 29 offices? 200 invitations? one person getting 60percent of the invites? about 88percent of the people getting nadal Seems really unfair. 1 went to Kelvin Stroble's inauguration two years ago. After the ceremonies, naturally everyone wanted to shake his hand. But there was a small group waiting for him, and he was forcing his way through the crowd to get to them. A few friends. His parents. I wns wnilino thprf? nn th#? frino?? r?f that group, waiting for Kelvin with his brother. rez in '88 ? li build it up, even after it's obviously in deep, dangerous debt. Over the years, Bakker built the PTL empire from a single church to an international organization estimated to be worth $175 million. His dream, the Heritage USA theme park ? Walt Disney World meets the New Testament ? became a reality. His organization fell into debt, but he continued to spend like a maniac. Hey, if it's good for America, it's good for Christianity. Now hand him a $2 trillion debt ? have fun, Jim. He also seems to be the most rational celebrity television evangelist. He hasn't said God will kill him if he doesn't raise $8 million. He hasn't created a morally- and politically-directed organization that wants to bring America back to its roots (slavery, HVMMVMHHHfMMMMMnOTVMmippMapapaaMMRMiliNPVIPMNIIINWIinniiOTIillillllMPiPNNNil ' editor L'aks about legality and and blood. After carryi but he seems to ignore for nine months, being lat we are not dealing every movement as it iness merger, but with side of you, and knowii iture. responsible for his/hei itehead is an adult and cannot just hand it o' in intelligent one, but doning all maternal unseliiiK in the world because of a contract pare a mother for giv- tion. A mother's bond i child ? her own flesh plainable, overwhelmii Gamecock Astitlanl Nrwo Editor* Sports Editor Todd Hines Jeff Shrewsbury Uremia ttlylh AmUUiii Sport* Editor Viewpoint Kdltor Wayne Washington llal Millard Photography Editor Money Editor Thomas Humphrey Candy Burr Aulstant Photography Editor Eraturt* Editor Nick Leoncavallo Tamara Willis (iraphlcs Editor AntUlani Kcaturri Editor Robb Lane Patrick Jean eirdest things Mclvin told me they were really glad they ^ could get some invites out to some friends as well as his parents. He didn't invite the governor. Nor the lieutenant governor. Nor a trillion state representatives and senators. Nor any editors from any paper. Kelvin invited family and friends. It was a moment of pride shared with family as they rejoiced in the odds he had overcome to reach that position. It was a moment of accomplishment shared with a few of those friends who helped him reach that position. There was also a group waiting for the newly-inaugurated SG vice president. It was I about the same size. I saw a few senators who also had invited guests. That doesn't seem to be happening this year. But maybe if a parent really wants to show up, he can stand on the outside looking in. Maybe they can still feel the true joy of the moment as they strain to hear what is being said inside. It takes genius to plan that kind of ceremony ? one person given the lion's share, the lion's share of the people doing without, and everyone expected to work together like one big happy family. Real " , ; genius. I'm glud I talk to birds. ley, why not? duplicity and uncertainty). He isn't "considering" a run for president if he can get the support (and money) of 3 million people. But remember, God still speaks and acts through Jim in a very special way. Yeah, gotta keep God in the White House. , * And what a first lady Tammy Bakkcr would make! She's already shown her love and strength by forgiving Jim for his fling. Like other celebrity druggies, she can check herself into the Betty Ford Center, walk out reborn (again), write a best-seller, hit the talk show circuit and become a media darling. Her make-up and wardrobe are, well, lavish ? she could show Gorbachev's old lady a thing or two. On every PTL show, she turns on the tears for Jesus. Imagine her doing that for America! "The Contras just have to get $50 million ? sniff, sniff ? God willed it." I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it. Many hope our next president is a lot like ) the current one. Jim Bakker is the perfect rhnifP Hp's alrparlv r>1r?ef? tr> Clnri U? olr?nHn has a china doll for a wife. He already does underhanded things, then blames them on evil ex-friends and colleagues who took advantage of him. He's already familiar with massive deficit spending. All he has to do now is dye his hair brown, make Tammy wear red and practice saying, "Well" and "I can't remember." Think about it, Jim. You've got my vote. I) ing a baby no one can foresee or overlook; it ! aware of is not something you can be congrows in- ditioned to turn off. ng you are He says, "Ignorance of the law life, you is no excuse," but there is no cx/er, aban- cuse for such an ignorant law. feelings ed obligas an unex- Deborah Burkard ng feeling Sophomore, psychology m,M' M';II1UI.WJ:4^ , I 9 , v: m p. i wl v *:>.?; , r . , ,, , Dattbook Editor Director of Student Media Kutherine Gilbert Bill Clements Comic* Editor Production Tracy Mixson Chuck Norris Wire Editor Son Ha Gillian Smith Adverting Manager Advlwr Margaret Michels Bill Rogers Ataktant Advertising Graduate AMlttant Manager Mary Anne Banich Jan Hodges' I D A