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Viewpoint * " ^ Monday, March 30, 1987 Nuked Nuclear weapons plant must show more responsibility A potential powder keg lies right down the highway from us, ready to explode. At the Savannah River Nuclear Plant,there are nearly 30 million gallons of high-level radioactive waste that could catastropnicaiiy explode it dangerous levels of hydrogen were allowed to build up. But that's not all of it. There have been several incidents of bad management at the plant in the past year, and Congress is beginning to acknowledge it. At stake is the right of self-regulation, a right SRP managers from the Department of Energy have violated and will hopefully soon be ordered to give up. Congress is asking for outside and independent supervision of the SRP and other plants, which produce enriched plutonium and tritium for nuclear weapons. SRP has come under a fire storm of controversy and negative criticism lately, all of it deserved. The number of problems associated with the plant are well-documented and show a lack of competentcy. First of all, SRP was charged this past year with violating its permit for a wastewater treatment plant. Also, ? r* *1 /">i i?i i - ? n . ... ?? mici mc ^iicniuuyi acciaeni in me soviet union, bKF, as well all DOE facilities, was investigated and assessed on its reactor safety programs. Like Chernobyl, SRP does not have a containment dome to block radioactive gases in the event of a major accident. In June of 1986, DOE paid a $50,000 fine to DHEC because it violated state hazardous waste regulations and caused groundwater contamination. Later that same year, a special investigation was called for after radioactive tritium was released into the Savannah River. SRP hadn't reported it. In August 1986, the General Accounting Office issued a report and charged SRP with "neglect bordering on contempt" and also said levels of radiation and chemical contamination near DOE plants were hundreds of times higher than they should be. The list of foul incompetentcy goes on and on: workers were fired for failing drug tests, more fines were paid for hazardous waste violations, plutonium was left to build up, charges were made concerning SRP's inadequate reac tor core fire protection and poorly trained employees. In December 1986, SRP's program was found to be plagued with a sloppy chain of command as well as "poor staffing and failure to follow up on reported deficiencies." After this report, calls for extra supervision were made. Obviously, the people in charge at SRP need a firm whack on the nose. The safety of all of the people in the area around the plant, possibly us too, is more important than anything else. Their sluggish reluctance to build and maintain a thorough, responsible and credible program is enough evidence to prove that independent supervision is needed badly and quickly. The SRP's attitude in the past signals a warped sensibility of the importance of weapons manufacturing over the safety of the hundreds of thousands of people living within the range of danger. That's not only dumb; that's deadly. Doa?I? ?c-r?r? 1 1-- < ? a ait uccucu ai oivi~ inai iiui uiny Know now 10 manage, but also have the presence of mind to realize the awesome power they control. In the past it has been a "you'll just have to live with it" attitude. The people affected by the plant not only have to live with it, they could very well die for it. rm *? j ? "?y * " QP$ > J ( f | Write us g letter Tell us what's on your mind. Letters must There is a limit of t be typed, double-spaced and no more than the same writer. 250 words. Include name, address and We reserve the righ telephone number for verification. Names on outdated topics t will not be withheld. Guest editorials are topics. limited to 500 words. Indicate whether you Write to: Viev are a student, USC staff member, or com- Gamecock, Drawer / munity member in letters and editorials. Columbia, S.C. 2920 t war-*- Adva j"? rrrssBc I960 11 I VlETNAl End apartheid It's that time of year when the posters start going up again: "Divest NOW! ! !" So I've oeen imnKing about that $500,000 USC has invested in companies doing business in South Africa. Those who oppose total divestment say the money is helping South African blacks in South Africa. Right. Who wants to bet a family of South African blacks has ever seen one dime of that money? One penny? I don't. Since it's just a measly half a million bucks, I just think it is used to keep rich company presidents in the highest tax bracket. But then, I don't think it's been used to keep a single black family down. It's just not enough. To be honest, I don't give a wet slap about the money the USC Educational Foundation has invested in companies doing business in South Africa. Yeah, we've all heard the foundation's line about how they only invest in companies that follow the Sullivan principles, principles the Rev. Leon Sullivan has repeatedly said do not work. We've also heard that they have a "fiduciary" or 'monetarily fiscal' responsiblity to the university, so they will not divest un in buiuvan publicly denounces his principles. I do want to end apartheid. But getting that money out won't do it. Those who want to end apartheid should forget the foundation. When it first decided against total divestiture, the board of directors proved it is a bunch of greedy old men Understandim 4 Blacks and whites have come a long way toward equal opportunity since the dark period in America's history when one race subjected the other to slavery. But we have not come far enough. This column is not intended to open old wounds, but to enlighten some people who think the problems have gone away. 1 don't think white nennle nnHprctanrl fhr> stress blacks experience to get ahead. I am as guilty as anyone else, learning only from the blacks I encounter and then, only for brief periods. Growing up on Long Island, New York, I only knew a few blacks who managed to buy their way into middle-class suburbian neighborhoods. In a high school of about 1,900, there were only a handful of blacks. I only knew one black boy in school, who, despite the small percentage, became very popular. Therefore, it seems fitting I should spend my last semester at USC the same as my first ? with a black roommate ? because college was my only real contact with another race. In my naivete, I didn't know some black people have to spend so much time getting their hair to look straight, like whites. I didn't know black skin turns white and scaly when it is dry and they have to moisturize it every night. I didn't realize they have to get an education to disprove the stereotypical, underprivileged black criminal image. A black man has to apply for a job with more quaimcauons man a wnite man, and tor black women, their battle is even more strenuous. No, the Civil War didn't end discrimina>r The i ... , . hditor In Chief wo letters per month by Roni Bea Kayne Managing Kdllor it to stop printing letters Am>' DelPo o make room for new si'ph^GuHfoyle Attltlanl Copy vpoint Editor, The ,**k,c*''f. V *???? "o??. use, '8. Paula WethingtvH wammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmfmmmmmmmm InwwiwpMww?w* i m m k nces in Mpd^rn I; don't bug tti whose only motivation is to gain a quick profit. They obviously don't care about the misery of millions of black South Africans. The meager dividends earned from a tiny $500,000 investment are more important than the ideals America was founded upon. They probably don't remember that line "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." They had their chance to prove they were real Americans willing to sacrifice meager profits for the chance to do their part in fighting for the American dream, not just here but all around the world. So, Alliance For Peace, Free South Africa Alliance and other such organizations, I wouldn't bother with them. Instead, place g can improve Roni Bea Kn\)n0 H . P tion; only made it more latent. It still exists, despite affirmative action and equal opportunity efforts. Blacks are still segregated in housing, jobs and buses. They are spit upon and denied admission to prominent clubs. I know it's difficult to believe hostility is prevalent in the '80s, but it's real. Here at USC, we have minority student panels to assess the needs of blacks and.now, even a merged fraternity system where both races can interact. We are recognizing the interracial problems and taking positive steps to improve relations. But the community outside campus closes its doors to outright discrimination. The State Human Affairs Commission yearly reports indicate race is consistently the most common factor in discrimination cases, followed by sex disciinination with half the number of cases. A recent Supreme Court ruling to further boost affirmative action was met with opposition from the Justice Department officials, who believe hiring should not be based on Jamecock AmUIumI N??j Kdllor* Sporli Kdllor Todd Nines Jeff Shrewsbury lirenda lilyth A*jlsi#ni Sport* Kdllor Viewpoint Kdllor Wayne Washington Hal Millard Photography Kdltor Money Editor Thomas Humphrey Candy Barr A*?l*lant ('holography Kdllor Feature* Kdllor W'rt Leoncavallo Tamara Willis Graphic* Kdllor Atsitlanl Feature* Kdllor Rohb Lane L'alriek Jean I t ^H\mSTXN I le foundation your attention on other things and forget the foundation. They simply will not change their minds. There are other groups that can be targeted. I've never heard anything about anyone of these groups pledging to support Sen. Theo Mitchell's efforts to require total divestment for the entire state of South Carolina. He has been fighting a long battle to pass such legislation, and he may need help. One could also write the South African ambassador and ask what kind of inhumanity ex laia in ins pcopic iriai maKcs mem want to deny people basic human rights. Divestment of that $500,000 will not end apartheid or free South Africa. It would be a nice gesture to divest, but it would just be a gesture. Do something special, work to get this nation to fully condemn apartheid. Educate those who think they are Americans, but oppose divestment, that apar- ** theid is a slap in the face to our American way of life. Help get this entire, occasionally backwards state to divest. If South Carolina, a state always believed ? wrongly or not ? to be racist, divested, a mighty blow would be struck. And the foundation would have to follow. And if you've already started some of these things, start publicizing them, so we'll know. But, forget the foundation. ^ For now. 9 race relations race or sex. I agree. Reverse discrimination against whites with more qualifications is often the result of employers trying to meet minority quotas. That's not fair to either race. Success should not be earned by the color of one's skin, but by one's achievements. But blacks can only succeed if given the chance. We have seen the great contributions blacks have made when given the chance. At ^ USC, we are changing with the times. Kelvin Stroble, for example, was elected our second black student body president two years ago. He strengthened black pride on campus and influenced other blaqk leaders to pursue high goals. There are many things blacks can do today they couldn't do 30 years ago. But there arc many more opportunities awaiting them ? if only more people could understand the plight of blacks. Freedom is a relative term. We are all too quick to say all men are treated equally. They are not, and probably never will be, even in our modern world where homosexuals '||< have come "out of the closet" and women are not longer denied management roles. In our newsroom, wc have two black . editors and many black reporters and ] photographers where once there were only a few. I don't know why it took so long for blacks to join our staff. I'm just thankful they did because they represent the views of blacks on campus. If we all could recognize these ; feelings and frustrations of our brother race, ; we can continue to move in a positive direc tion toward true equality instead of ignoring black potential. | ' Daltbook Editor 1)1 red or of Sludcat Media Katherine Gilbert Bill Clements Comic* Editor Production Tracy Mixson Chuck Norrls Wire Editor Sort Ha J Gillian Smith AdvertMug M*na??r Advlwr Margaret Mlchels Bill Rogers A**4?t*nt AdvtrtMng , ( rikduRtt A**Utant Manager Mary Anne Banlch Jon Hodges 1: 9