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Wright Problems of Speaker of House damage Democrats, Congress Speaker of the House Jim Wright continues to be a source of heated debate in Congress. In the process, Wright is hindering the important tasks that Congress has before it. He is also hurting the Democratic Party. The Texas Democrat has always been something of a con troversial figure and an object of derision for Republicans. Wright is known for his temper and his partisan politics, and he is not one of the most beloved lawmakers in Washington, D.C. It is possible that he is even less popular than John Tower. When allegation after allegation began to pile up against Wright, he began to lose his power as Speaker of the House. One of the main complaints against Wright is the deal he has with a publishing company for his book, Reflections of a Public Man. Under the arrangement, Wright receives a royalty of 55 percent, which is unusually high. The primary buyers of the slim tome have been powerful lobbyists and leaders of specialinterest groups, leading some to believe that Wright has violated ethics regarding contributions. Wright has been accused of having shady dealings with a Texas developer, and he has also been criticized for divulging classified information about U.S. activities in Central America. He also continued to push for pay raises for members of Congress long after other lawmakers realized that taxpayers would not tolerate such a move. All these events have tainted Wright's image and lessened his stature in Congress. A committee has been looking into these accusations and is expected to release its findings later this month. But the results of that investigation could be meaningless, because Wright's influence in Congress has steadily eroded during the past few months. Republicans continue to criticize him, and his fellow Democrats have appeared to lose faith in him. The Speaker of the House should seriously consider stepping down and allowing a less controversial person to take the position, especially if the committee decides to have Wright indicted on any charge. Wright's continued presence will do nothing but weaken the role of the House of Representatives, just as the con- T tinued presence of former Attorney General Ed Meese hurt the Justice Department during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. jj Wright should not insist on lingering on as Meese did; he should a step down with dignity intact. s< h h "AMP IF IT PUCKS A ?* " J; I ac re The Gamecock ra Best Non-daily Collegiate Newspaper, Southeastern Region pi Society of Professional Journalists, 1987-88 ta Editor in Chief Photography Editor ^ ANDY BECHTEL TEDDY LEPP ,rr Managing Editor Datebook Editor JEFF SHREWSBURY JAN PHILLIPS b> Copy Desk Chief Graphics Editor KATHY BLACKWELL MICHAEL SHARP U' Assistant Copy Desk Chief Comics Editor m CARYN CRABB TRACY MIXSON ^ News Editor Graduate Assistant MARY PEARSON ROBERT STEVENSON Assistant News Editors Adviser in _. _ ^ rpi KELLY L. I HUMAS PAT MCNEELY SLSANNESB'TT Director of Student Media ^nnl'.MPC E? BONZA . . . Advertising Manager ra' Assistant Features Editor ..ADr(DC6T c TOMMY JOYNER D * . ? . Production Manager Sports Editor k'FVIN ADAMS UKA DAY ^ Assistant Production Manager RAYBUROOS ]> Assistant Advertising Manager BARBARA BROWN jj Letters Policy: The Gamecock Hill (rj iii prin| .. 3U0 w?rds Ion*. Oursl editorials should not exceed SM rwf,vrd 1 '<h?,,ld be- al a 250 to possible libel. The Gamecock Hill not Hilhhold nam " W"rds- We rcscrvc ,hr riKhl cdil le,,ers for sUlc <" _ V undlr an> eireumstanee. To " SKYJACKERS ?... NO, At water's a< You either love Lee Atwater or you hate hin here is no middle ground. The 37-year-old Republican strong man has lade a lot of enemies in his political career. H as done a lot of things that people call "dirty nd he calls "tough." He has planned and :hemed and influenced people and events. He as walked the line between legal and acceptafc ardnosed political maneuvering and out-and-c nethical grandstanding. He has been a mover and a shaker. Atwater, the Republican Party chairman sin< anuary, has been accused and blamed for ;veral borderline political decisions. When he as running George Bush's presidential camaign, he was tabbed as the one who brought i nd used the Willie Horton case to crumble M ukakis' stand on crime. His critics, mostly Democrats, said he and h aff used the fact that Horton, a black man, iped a white woman while out on furlough nder a Dukakis program in Massachusetts to le white voters against Dukakis and the democratic ticket. They said he was the drivinj )rce behind many political embarrassments fo le Democrats. They said he played "dirty" alitics. The key to this name calling is perception. The Democrats perceived the things Atwater i r\ nc rlirt\7 Uo fKom oc foi?- Unt f aih IU (AO Ull IJ- . XXV pvi VVi VCU lllVlil ao 1 CXI 1 UUl lUUj The truth depends on whom you ask. Whether Atwater played dirty during the can aign is a moot point now, because his side wc Letters tl *aces need to vork together oppress 3 the editor: general I am writing in response to Stephen ^v. ltes' riffin's letter, "Blacks robbed of 1S ?Pir entities," which ran in the Friday ting sor me of The Gamecock. His attitude cu.tUre, emed to represent the views of rea any people, both black and white, ^ ? n ho are defeating the purpose of ' at hieving better and positive race because lations. not. t0 Parts of his argument I perceive to l^'r : true: Blacks have had to struggle s0'utely id have also been robbed of aspects ^lte s their culture. Unlike Driffin, I Afncan 'lieve that the key to better relations history, for blacks and whites to work student; gether. Awareness and involve- cuhural ent are crucial to strengthening adoPtil cial ties. I know many white peo- reasons ? ?.?if j. j i_ _ j , mocker c, niyscii mciuueu, wno ao unaers- . nd the plight of African- an !r's^ mericans, and I take offense to the heritage iplications of his letter. non-Iris The wearing of African medallions on ' white students I feel is a pro- weddinj essive step toward racial unity. my cu' riffin's perception that it is cultura ockery to African-Americans Americ; sms to be born out of paranoia. ?ame to ie sentence in his letter stands out: e f?1 Ne cannot unite as long as someone evitable filtrates what is ours." To that groups 1 mark, I simply say this: We cannot ? . lit* qc i^r,? or .iioro jc heritage lilv twug ao 11IV1W 10 IIKJ liivuiVf . ~ ^nt and understanding between the s^c ces detract they hoi Tanya D. Burgess . Finall Psychology freshman n?n l^a of whit 4o mockery # #1 , African ii assimilation ;d Americt and wh< the editor: vote or ( 1 am truly dismayed by the attitude grossly i IIFv IT'S JUST FRANK LORENZO, jhicvements de .. ' -- M "-mi fe _ _ v m m Je" " jpl . Shrewsbury ^ ; a, He was the key political strategist who advised jp Bush on how to become president. Whether it ike was done ethically or not, it was done nonetheless. In the Machavellian sense, it doesn't is really matter how he vaulted Bush into the presidency; the fact is that he did. End of discussion. pit You either love him or hate him, but you have to respect him. I Atwater is a strange and wonderous bird. He is r not like any political kingpin that has surfaced in the past. He's funny; he's unusual; he's irreverent; and he's different. When have you ever seen a Republican Party chairman play guitar on David Letterman's show gh or anywhere for that matter? When have you ever seen a political strategist for the president n- trumpet a love for blues and rock 'n' roll? When m ho\/A \7A11 or/ar COO in cnoV* ?-? UirtVi nnrti; li. uuvw ;uu vwi own suui a uigu pai vjinciai 1 ? ? ie editor ed in Stephen Driffin's letter pie of this. I personally i'amecock, Friday). While 1 at this ? I have been ac y agree with his statements civil rights causes and th frican-Americans have been for divestiture. Prej ed, discriminated against and discrimination of any 1 ly treated as inferior to me and most students I I hope that he will reconsider and white. Part of the r lion that white students adop- own and others' activisi ne of the symbols of African preciation for the beaut is "mockery." cultural diversity, ly believe that white students Americans have made a ear the African medallions contribution to America riffin refers to wear them music, dance, literatur they find them beautiful ? Sharing the richness of c rob African-Americans of with others is one way llture. Again, Driffin is ab- misunderstanding. If E right when he says "many others) are concerned a tudents (do not) understand norance of those who -Americans or their true symbols of his culture, " I will go further; most conversation with the c arp unaware of thpir own iron cpp wearino a history. But to assume that medallion. Explain the ig cultural symbols for of it. I am sure this wo other than geneological is the wearer's appreciatio y ? that is simply not so. As this would give you the -American, very proud of my to raise the consciousne :, I do not see the millions of on campus with regard ;h Americans who wear green culture. I hope that Patrick's Day or wear Irish rethink his opinion; man I bands as a slap in the face to his culture beautiful, tural heritage. It is simply mockery in that. 1 assimilation. Africanins, regardless of how they Robin be in this country, have been Graduate student, hundreds of years. It is inthat, as with the other ethnic 17Vlll*'c T"fclV\l that make up America, some jl mAT IS I symbols of their unique # ? ? will be picked up by others. rilSlf*l*HTIiri?I >uld not (nor is it intended to) ?***"? from the special signifigance Id for African-Americans. To the editor: !y, I must address the ques- A wise man, probably ; t Driffin asks about the role once said that you should e people in the enslavement while you drink. I do ression of Africa. Yes, it was follow this golden rule people who enslaved the never mix the two. Howe people (and the American sometimes it's inevitable I s and held Japanese- will be violated now and ins in camps in World War II Friday night was one of t 3 would not allow women to occasions. It all starti 3wn property). However, it is Molsen Golden and th jnfair to accuse all white peo- policy. ^ \ (ter^ \?EW^A/?W5Wr -w AND DONALD TRUMP/" serve respect hang out and discuss most of his ideas in a barbecue joint? Atwater has done well for himself and is doing what he loves best. Who would have ever thought this skinny, high-strung, fast-talking Columbia native would someday be the man who made a president? Atwater always knew he would. Professors who knew Atwater when he was a graduate student at USC say he was a driven man. They talk about how intense he was and how sharp his wit. Atwater is bringing a new image to the Republican Party. In a party of stuffed shirts and backroom cigar smokers. Atwater is leading the charge to bring the once stodgy GOP into the graces of the new generation. His modern antics have captured the imagination of the young voters. He is the new breed of Republican conservative. His most notable image change is one even his critics can't denounce. Atwater is truly concerned with making the GOP a party minorities can side with. He is trying break down the barriers of racial political attitudes against the Republicans, and for this, he should be commended. Atwater does not seek political office. He is not a king. He is and always will be a kingmaker. Whether you agree with his stands and antics or not, you have to smile at his tactics. His critics cry foul whenever he speaks, but the man is a proven winner. take offense So much attention has been focustive in many ed upon the new policy, it's kind of e movement like a little black raincloud hanging udice and over the campus. I don't know about cind sickens you, but something seems fundamenknow, black tally wrong with the whole concept of eason of my a visitation policy. It's one of those n is our ap- intangiDies that is nara to put your y we find in finger on. Then, suddenly, sometime African- after there was no more Molsen and I n invaluable began on Michelob, it hit me. n culture ? Now let's assume that I lived in a e and art. dorm (which I don't) and that I was me's culture gay (which I'm not). As a homosexto diminish ual, my boyfriends could visit my )riffin (and room whenever 1 wanted as often as I bout the ig- wanted. They could stay as long as I display the wanted them to, day or night. The strike up a visitation policy would not affect me next person at all. n African Meanwhile, if you.'re straight, your signifigance girlfriend can only visit your room at uld increase certain times on certain days, n of it, and Hopefully, you don't have anything opportunity more important to do during one of ss of whites those rare moments when you are to African permitted to be host to visitors of the Driffin will opposite sex. If you want some ly of us find privacy and it's not a visitation rhere is no period, you can either break the rule or just take a lot of cold showers. Or perhaps the two of you may opt for E. O'Hearn enjoying a cup of coffee and having Dsvcholoev an intimate conversation at the Russell House with 4,000 of your "fc/^kCCll closest friends. So by the time my Michelob was gone and I was left with only Old lOrV Milwaukee, the problem with the * visitation policy was crystal clear to me ? the visitation policy inherently discriminates against heterosexuals, a bartender, Despite his good intentions, Mike never think Fair's attempts to restrict the visitamy best to tion of heterosexuals is inadvertantly and try to promoting homosexuality in USC :ver, I guess dorm rooms. It sounds a little farthat the rule fetched now, but it made perfect I then. Last sense last Friday. I guess that's what hose special you get for breaking the golden rule, ed with a , e visitation Rodney Pillsbury Graduate student, law