The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, July 15, 1987, Page 2, Image 2
/ JjB
Viewpoint J
2 ^ Wednesday, July 15. 1987 Vpg
Aides
North's 'secret government'
violates tenets of democracy
The atrocities that Lt. Col. Oliver North and other
aicies oi tne Keagan aummisuauon aic accu^cu ui jum
don't seem to end.
This oast week, it was reported that North and other
officials ? in addition to giving arms to Iran, a country
the United States is supposedly at odds with, and funding
the Contras in Nicaragua, which Congress has forbidden
and the World Court has declared illegal ? also
perpetuated a "secret government."
North and other administration officials created a
plan in 1984 to run the United States in a time of crisis.
Events that would constitute a crisis to them include
nuclear war, widespread internal dissent or national opposition
to an American military invasion abroad. The
latter two constitute broadly defined conditions.
* ? i .1 i .i i t p
in accordance wiin inc pian, me u.^. v^uiisiuuuuu
would be revoked. The government would be controlled
by the little known Federal Emergency Management
Agency. Military commanders would run state and local
government, and martial law would be imposed.
This plan could be enacted for as simple a reason as
the Mobilization for Justice and Peace march in
Washington, D.C. this past April 25. Bluntly put, if
Americans opposed their country's invasions of other
^ * i 1 j 1. a: ?. i
countries ror any reason, civn rignis cuuiu uc ciauitaicu
nationwide.
In a country as famous for freedom as the United
States, which is celebrating the bicentennial of its Constitution
this year, such a hypocrisy hardly seems fitting.
These aides also reportedly created the 4'October Surprise
Group," whose purpose was to negotiate with Iranians
and ensure that then-President Jimmy Carter did
not arrange the release of the 52 American hostages
before Ronald Reagan took office. This kind of
manipulation of diplomacy could certainly not be called
democratic.
In addition to these plans, the group is accused of
stealing confidential briefing materials from Carter's
campaign headquarters in 1980.
Isn't this what Watergate was about?
By allowing too few people to have too much free
reign, the Reagan administration has proven time and
time again how self-serving and undemocratic it can be.
If Americans truly care for freedom and want to see
justice served, then the time to show it is now ? by viewing
North and other untrustworthy Reagan aides as
egoistic zealots, not heroes.
Silence
U.S. government shouldn't
keep (whist leblo wers' quiet
Silcnccrs don't just apply to handguns any more.
The federal government is now trying to silence
employees who could report governmental mistakes.
Veteran "whistleblower" and Air Force official A.
Ernest Fitzgerald, among others, is faced with signing
the Reagan administration's "Classified Information
Non-disclosure Form No. 189."
Fitzgerald, who called the form a "gag order," has
been warned that if he does not sign within 30 days, he
will no longer be cleared for classified information in
The Pentagon, where he has worked for years.
An infamous $2 billion cost overrun of the C-5A
cargo plane was revealed by Fitzgerald in 1969, and he
has good reason not to sign.
The form allows the federal government to classify
any military material it likes, even after it has been
released to the media and the public. Those who disclose
the information would be prosecuted without appeal.
In an age of bureaucratic double-talk and significant
military spending, The Pentagon and the Reagan administration
are obviously trying to stifle all information
of their mistakes and cost overruns ? errors a concerned
military official or politician such as Fitzgerald might
Irind.
To think the media and public could be kept in the
dark about some of the government's errors is frightening.
One of the American media's roles is to be a watchdog
for the public, reporting governmental triumphs
and errors to maintain a balance of power and
information.
To silence concerned people with important information
for the government's good undermines that
balance, not to mention being unconstitutional.
Let us know what's on your mind. Letters must Names will not I
he typed, double-spaced and no longer than 300 will not he acceptc
words. Guest editorials must he no longer (han 500 editorials per montl
.| words. we reserve trie rij.
SB Include the following information for verifica- for legal ramificatio
tion: name, address and home and work telephone VVe also reserve tin
Hes numbers. Indicate whether you are <i USC student, and editorials on 01
||| staff member or community member in letters and Write to: Viewp
editorials. If you are a student, include your school Drawer A, Russell
ej year and major. C arolina, Columbia
"Birth Dearth'
Attention, baby buyers! Your dreams have f
been realized ? the "Birth Dearth" is here!
Yes, that's right, all you starving people:
you're still not having enough kids.
Oh, what's that? Not them, just
"Westerners?" Oh, OK. As everyone knows,
nobody unwillingly starves in America ? at
least that's what President Reagan says.
According to Ben Wattenberg, a senior
fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
for Public Policy Research and author of The
Birth Dearth, all Western women need
to have 2.1 children to keep the population
stable. The fact that it is supposed to keep the I
population stable with the "Baby Boom," i
one of the greatest population explosions in
,
msiui y, is ic11 um.
Wattcnbcrg's theory really entails the
demotion of women, again, from the level of
human being to the level of simple
childbearer. This theory ignores that population
growth is a devastating problem all over
WA/T 4Nt> f *
THEY CAN
GFT THOSE
BOOTS TO
r/r &?fore | - & 11 ry
WE )UM P - ' k^i.
/N A NO
r/\ KE TH?
CREt>ir:.. W0mm
/ "/V
Goetz's action
. p* uwvuiwvmvr
was justifiable wack
white men
To the Editor: my dear ?
With reference to Katherine justice in A
Gilbert's July 1 article: who died
and made you a Supreme Court Ai
justice?
It it's so hard tor you to imagine
a "rational excuse" for f**
Bernhard Cioet/'s actions, then v^Ulil
i.i th.? clt....
I 'IV. I U I V. U I I III II1V. >UIIIV. ^ 0
tion: being approached (tor the is ins
sake ot argument) by lour young
white men on a subway in New To the Fidi
York City. It, at that time, you I read
did not possess some kind of Jean's Jul}
weapon or other means of self- Court taki
defense, I would find it \ery hard Jean se<
to believe that your facade of writer, anc
pretentiousness would not crum- the excite
ble around your knocking knees; seen in T
and if a .357 re\olver suddenly however,
appeared in your hands, that you lack of cd
would hand it over to one of your the area h<
potential attackers, saying, The Sup
" Viii-L' ii/>i flint t'iltliv rhino :ih :H' C "r\n c t i 1111 i (
t UV.H, ....... I* . I.J w...
from me." the basis c
It is time for you to come from the Consti
behind the protective wall of Court wer
editorializing and face up to reali- personal \
ty. Tne four "gentlemen" never would the:
denied the charges, and one con- Along \
sistently refused to answer the tragic tha
defense's and prosecution's ques- military's
tions after he confessed to being unable to
on the way to rob video games at Jean is m
the time of the attack. They were Supreme
not innocent pedestrians asking legislative
to borrow money tor a pay Jean a
phone; these were repeat of- that the Si
fenders who have been convicted Catholic i
of charges such as rape and arm- employee?
ed robbery. 1 believe Goet/ is en- Catholicis
titled to a little paranoia since he more or Ic
had been mugged before. But I newspape
believe anyone who would get on chief to
a subway in New York City at Supreme 1
Christmas time on the way to a consistei
holiday celebration is hardly render i
/InrnrtM m /\f /A f '?n A
Ill M I v | | 1}.; VM Itll'V,! VI (411 /\I11V,I1V.4 11M
"overly paranoid vigilante." While
As for your sincere belief that man'sent
this was a case of "double stan- Jean tha
dard racism," please refer to the knowledj
ic withheld, and pseiidonwns
d. A limit of two letters or Kditor in Chid
1 by the same writer exists. Patrick JC(M
;ht to edit letters and editorials
ns, grammar, taste and clarity. FNCWS KLallOr
r right to stop printing letters I Mary Pearson
uu.ucu i?)|)ks. viewpoint r,ui
oint I -Alitor. The tiameunk, KnthorinP Ciilh
House, University ol South K(Itnirini CillL
. SC. 29208.
dangerous plai
rv x rr* %
tv 1 i
:he world, now five billion strong. It also ignores
that, even in America, people starve.
The entire idea brings us back to the
pre-"reproduetive rights" era, where women
were simply the childbearer, stripped of
humanity and dignity. Admittedly, there are
still women who do not desire to do anything
more than raise their children, which is fine,
but, unlike the hints of Wattenberg's theory,
Hl 'NS.VVl fAMERICA!
PUBLIC
m[ }+- tmwmtt
-V ?~ ' * ' I Z~"\ i ALT?p/\T/
ue of Time magazine. Thus, I'm constrai
'ersal of this case was monish him as P
J, and guess what? Timothy in the Bible
man who shot two show yourself appro1
was acquitted! Yes, Until which time .
vis. Gilbert, there is course in civics, I suj.
. nlv Ilk flrfirifrwirt;
.v??. I ?
Suzanne Fernandez Frederic Bastiat's Ti
dministrative assistant U.S. Constitution, ai
USC Writing Center whole of The f'eden
at least "Federalist
t column ;::,r:c8ardiny scr
Unlike the mor
accurate members of The Gun
Jean is capable of go
tor: field. 1 wish him wel
with interest Patrick
; 1 column, "Supreme Former
ng dangerous turn." Colun
:ms to be a talented
1 the column is free of
d bombast generally L.A. llOt
he Gamecock. 1 am,
concerned about his IVIorri i^lckw
ucation or research in 1 ^
: chose for his topic.
reme Court, under our To the Editor:
an, may decide only on I was appalled
)f its understanding of narrow-minded edit
tution. If the Supreme June 24 issue of Th\
e allowed to inject its tilled "Harsh". /
/iews into an issue, it Californian, I was
n be a legislative body. the sensationalized
vith Jean, 1 think it's the problem of the
it the victims of the Los Angeles. Ob\
LSD experiments are Gamecock staff has
sue for damages, but Los Angeles. Cor
istaken in blaming the Angeles and its horr
Court tor what is a uermany ana the Je
shortcoming. ridiculous and unsu
Iso expressed concern 1 \ isit l.os AngeW
jpreme Court allowed a and it is almost li
nstitution to require its home to me. The ho
> to be representative of city pose a very seri
m ? something no and they have indee
:ss unfair than a student to the high crime
r requiring its editor in assault, murder ant
be a student. The only some of the pre
Court's ruling is not in- by the homeless. 1 <
r\ t mi i ? V> ( r n /I i ( i a n m I t K f J O 1 1 f \\ A m I C i
Hi vtllll I I aUIUUIlUl (1114 1 UN I I IV I IV/lilVIVJi
n gs of the First in these acts or that
?nt. in L.A. should be
I admire the young the homeless. Howe
husiasm, 1 must caution ty of the homeless
it enthusiasm without volved in some soi
;e breeds fanaticism. offense.
t Features Kditor Graph!
Andy Bechtel Robb
Sports Kditor Comic
Richard Breen Tracy
tor Photography Editor Advise
>er( Nick Leoncavallo Bill Re
n tor women "
it is not right to forcc this decision on all 18
women. H
The idea is a perfect one for all those poor f?r|
childless yuppies v.ho do not wish to deal with
the trouble of childbirth and want someone ' aelse
to do it for them. It re-enforces the pre- i^jH
judice that would revoke reproductive rights B
of women and protect them from then
despicable sexual desires. Of course, as has
been shown time and again, the eradication of
birth control docs not eradicate sex anu, in
turn, causes more babies to be born. This is Byheaven
for the yuppie. '-^3
These children, unwanted or unable to be II
taken care of by their natural parents, can be
sold for extravagant prices ? as the sale of
black market babies proves.
The whole idea of the'?Birth Dearth' is anti- H:
woman and anti-Third World. If more proof ( Kj
of this is needed, check into the history of I
awards to women for childbearing issued by j.
both the modern-day Soviet Union ? and by p
Nazi Germany. m I
HRL ^ /
V ^ I
ned to ad- For example, my friend's cat fl
aul did to was broken into in broad daylight \
:: "Study to by two homeless women in order
ted." to steal his checkbook and lunch, i
lean takes a and I was almost chased by a t
>gest he sup- homeless man who demanded
by reading money from me. Furthermore, i
he Law, the they crowd the sidewalks and
nd if not the constantly harass innocent people f
ilist Papers, passing by.
Paner No. 1 commend Los Angeles of- i
duration of ficials for trying to clean up the
city streets, at least attempting to
c excitable provide the homeless with a safe
iecock staff, environment. I'm glad to see that j
ing far in the they are searched for weapons I
1. and drugs. Claiming that the
Jerry Mills homeless are being blamed for " j
USC student the crimes of the majority and * ,1
nbia resident that they are "rounded up like )
cattle, forced out of their natural
street habitat" only re fleets vour
U 1 _
: iiKe ignorancc. Streets are not a
1,1 natural habitat for the homeless
ITI?i|F!V ? they end up on the streets.
And finally, the homeless problem
has been present in I..A. for
decades and cannot be blamed on
to read the the Reagan, Carter, or any other
orial in the recent administration. It is a city
e Gamecock, problem, and unless The
^s a native Gamecock knows the real story,
offended by it should not be insulting our indepiction
of telligence with biased and un- ji
homeless in founded editorials. /I
/iously, The Michel Frendian - (m
never visited Psychology senior - I
npanng Los 1
leless to Nazi # # I
ws i$ outright initiate duck s;
bstantiated. I
kc,raqs"!mi addition fee'?
tncless in that
ous problem, To the Editor: !
d contributed Re: "New ducks may swim
rate. Rape, soon in library pond," June 24.
1 robbery are As I read The Gamecock on
)blems caused Wednesday, June 24, the thought
im not saying occurred to me that a campaign >
s are involved slogan ? "Bucks for Ducks" or
all the crime "A Buck for a Duck" ? might
attributed to be the solution to getting ducks^. J
VCJ , cl UlclJUl 1- iui lliv ^unu in 11 v;iii vi niv.
have been in- Thomas Cooper Library. .
t of criminal Sarah Hurmun \
Office of Admissions
ics Editor Director of Student Media
Lane Bill Clements
k Editor Production <
Mixson Chuck Norris ^ I
r Son Ha K
)gers Advertising Manager
Margaret Michels j
4