The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 15, 1990, Page 5, Image 5
VIEWPOINT
>
Monday. January 15. 1990 The Gamecock
Holiday
State, university sh
to honor the great
It is a sad fact that many people
day; as the first day of classes, as
the nation has an opportunity to hoi
and influential men in history ? tl
? but many people won't realize
institutions (USC included) do noi
recognition of this federal holiday,
will hold special programs to celebi
students and faculty will be unabl
and other university-oriented obliga
Unfortunately, celebration of thi
unlike most other federal holidays
While workers at all federal govei
quired to work on Jan. 15, each s
not their public schools and local
recognition of King.
The same thing will happen wii
Abraham Lincoln holidays. While i
not shut down to observe every gi
day, it is necessary to recognize t
impact on our country; George W;
and one of the founding fathers of
the president who educated himsel
country and declare the emancipatii
King Jr. ? the man who promote
oppression and wanted equality for
his particular race or sex.
Take a moment or two today to
Jr. and on the way he promoted pe
nip. and take nart in the Black Facu
ciation's "Help Somebody" campai
and, in the words of the man himsi
risk his position, his prestige and
others."
<SREET
' >*p
Tko Clo
jl 11v vj u
Robert D. Thomas
Editor-in-Chief
jeff wilson, News Editor Ke
scott pruden, Carolina Life Edit
teddy lepp, Photo Editor ro
robb lane, Gra
Lynn Gibson
Assistant News Editor
Elizabeth Lynch
Assistant Carolina Life Editor
Deborah Ryan
Assistant Photo Editor
Kristin Francis
Graduate Assistant
ED Bonza
Director of Student Media
Ray Burgos
Assistant Production Manager
Jeffrey B. Thompson
Assistant Advertsing Manager
Letters Policy: The Gamecock will try t
be, at maximum, 250 to 300 words loi
professional title if a USC employee c
major if a student. An address and phi
sent. The Gamecock reserves the right 1
case of space limitations. The newspa
circumstance.
9
ould take time
men of history
i will see today as just another
a cold and windv dav. Todav.
nor one of the most memorable
ie Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
it, because a large number of
; see fit to cease operations in
Some university organizations
rate the King holiday, but many
e to attend because of classes
lions.
3 Martin Luther King holiday,
, is subject to state discretion,
mment installations are not retate
may determine whether or
offices receive the day off in
th the George Washington and
it is obvious that the nation can
reat man's (or woman's) birth- "J
he people who have had great
ashington ? the first president
the U.S., Abraham Lincoln ? ^
f and then went on to lead his terc
on of slaves, and Martin Luther see
id peace in the face of violent Chc
all people, not just for those of nia
hea
reflect on Martin Luther King I
ace and love. Follow his exam- at f
lty and Professional Staff Asso- 1011
ign. It need only take a minute, P?s
elf, " . . .The true neighbor will 316
even his life for the welfare of
to
dec
IN<SS len
IttfY I if
Pfl
mecock ?
kathy blackwell ?
Managing Editor
illy C. Thomas, Viewpoint Editor 9
or jeff nichols, Sports Editor
'byn thompson, Copy Desk Chief
phicstComics Editor
Lucy Soto |
assistant News tailor
Brant Long t(
Assistant Sports Editor
Sharon Williamson p)
Assistant Copy Desk Chief ac
si
Erik Collins d<
Faculty Adviser re
laura S. day
Production Manager
renee atkinson ff
Advertising Manager ^
Carolyn Griffin
Business Manager ^
_. R(
o print all letters received. Letters should
ng. The writer must included full name,
>r South Carolina resident, or year and 1S
one number are required with all letters
to edit letters for style, possible libel or in
[per will not withhold names under any
J*
990- freedon
rhe 1990s have arrived, and with them an insting
turn of events. Countries that have not
n the light of true freedom in years ? Czeislovakia,
East Germany, Poland and Roma?
are breaking their Communist bonds and
ding for democracy.
7or the first time in decades, they are looking
ree expression, free enterprise, governmental
h and a chance to grow in ways never before
sible. It is all still a long way off ? but they
hopeful.
I
rhe United States, on the other hand, seems
be turning to ideas of oppression and at
:eption. Sh
lawmakers are voting on issues that chal- or
ge the freedom of the American people. nj
rhe American people are looking at laws that w
trict the rights of women to control their own
lies, that outlaw protests including desecra- fl.
a of the flag, that restrain freedom of ex- w
ssion in the arts, and that control the display ha
religion in our country. ^
fhese issues are not factual issues ? they SI
moral issues, affected by the opinions of th
ividuals. th
Whether or not a woman should have an CI
Television rel
Television.
Its programs reflect the values, interests and
oblems faced by generations gone by.
Its programs are what I normally stereotype
that decade.
One such example is "The Brady Bunch." I
nnot help but think that all families in the late
60s and early 1970s were similar to Marsha,
n, (Jinay, ureg, reier ana tsoooy.
Their problems were ? and still are in my
ind ? typical to the problems that that gener- ion
encountered.
"Leave it to Beaver," "I Love Lucy" and
ather Knows Best" are some of the programs
stereotype to the 1950s.
There must have been a lot of crime in the
70s because I remember the dozens of crime/
tion shows that filled the airwaves then.
But, now we come to the 1980s, my genera?n.
I wonder what television programs will
e on into the 1990s and beyond in reruns and
ndication.
The 1980s were a unique period to me and
obably most USC students because we grew
3 in that decade. After all, I was only in the
fth grade when the decade ushered in, and I i
IT Q
pttfrq
Hi Ebb I I EillWr pflQn
O THE EDITOR cndn
To the editoi
- - - From the
uury miuwcu ? mmaturity
ISr ,
Block Com
3 the editor: flaw in our
I think your lack of judgment in to emerge, i
nblishing Rep. Mike Fair's years of h(
:ademic grades is so immature. It been reachc
iows that students, in many cases, Cold War e
d not know how to handle the wrong d
sponsibility. countries oi
unhindered I
military bu
How many of you, or your ahead of th<
iends, would like your academic dustrializati
ireer discussed in the newspaper? America is c
Why don't some of you who are ment's inter
) irresponsible with a university j^g milil
jwspaper see if you can get a job
ith the National Enquirer? That ?f our cour
more your speed. come. The
been destro
Ann W. Huggins Communist
1040 County Club Road economy, t
Blackville, S. C. with toe Un
118 Brep RabHi 4f|j
" \&k ^
i for some, wh
^ lion
4r lowc
M kelly c.
Thomas j*
- % -*% "" ~?r "
f Y\
j 1?i pare
that
lortion is not the question. The question is v som
ould she have the freedom to choose whether if
not she should. Her freedom and personal g0ir
;hts should not be controlled by a law. Other- in p
ise, where is the freedom? belo
While I do not agree with those who burn gov
igs to protest what they feel are governmental plea
rong-doings, do we, in "the land of the free," is
ive the right to tell them they can't do it? peai
here is the freedom in that? set
lould lawmakers be able to tell people what ver)
ey can and cannot include in their art? Should drift
e ideas of a few people who want to stop som
hristmas caroling, as well as any sort of men- "on<
fleets lifestyles
gr son
?| 1 wei
i m m r
robert hig
j,. Thomas ^
ran
sue
was a junior in college when it faded away into the
historv. der
A lot of things happened during that time. I
We discovered there was a world out there full thii
of hunger, sorrow, poverty, struggles, drugs, al- say
cohol and an enormous array of other problems, bas
Whether you like him or not, when you think dec
of presidents you cannot help but think of Ro- I
nald Reagan. After all, Reagan was president tele
for eight years of this decade, the decade we fle<
become aware of the good and not-so-good a I
president can do. Bn
in
All of the networks' '80s retrospective prog- grc
rams during winter break thought Madonna's len
<shoillH tary build-up. So the two
powers have emerged fr<
g0 Cold War as two hollow i
Both countries appear to be
n because of the strength of t
late 1940's to the early spective military, but the fac
country has focused economies of both countrit
resources on the threat been damaged by this unj
ism. In the face of the tive competition,
ilures of the Eastern _ ,, ., ,
munist countries, the The Problem with the t
foreign policy beeins of military hardware is you
As the pinnacle of our a"y aono1 "f " ~l ">
jpc and strategy has lhat wcre ?h,lflcd and 'hc
A it looks as if our genoeused l0,crea? !hls
fforts were focused in mcnl has ^ 'f- ay'
ircction. Japan and the V"*5? have ** ?unh Iar8f
f the Asian Triangle, ?ry. ln the 1world- and d"
by the West's massive factlons 'n dlat counuT ,dia
ild-ups, have pushed f? unul entire world t
e United States in in- I1 co"lro1- To conquer th<
on and modernizing. in a m,htaO' fash,on takes,
tripplcd by the govern- aI"ou"1 ?f resources, w!
tse interest in supply- ^'itVEve'S pla"
ary industrial complex ,r P
v tack is different this time, ai
itry with continued in- target is the world economy
Russian economy has
yed, not only by their The economy of the
ideas about running an States is at a critical stage.
>ut also by competing enter the 1990's, it is of the
ited States in this mili- importance for the governi
at for U.S.?
i
I
i
of any religion in public schools, be alxl
to restrict the freedom of these people to
ship or celebrate their religion as they
se? Is this our idea of freedom?
[any people have already started linking the !
today with 1933 Nazi Germany. Two of [
first things the Nazis did were to outlaw I
tion and flag desecration. Did we call that
iom?
don't think we should go so far as to com1990
U.S. with 1933 Germany, but the fact
some people are making that comparison is ;
ewhat alarming.
we continue to head in the direction we are ;
ig, where will the average U.S. citizen stand
vcnty years? How much of his/her life will ;
ng to him/her, and how much will be under .
crnment control? The thought is not
sant
; this the type of freedom the Eastern Euro- i
i nations are looking for? Are we going to
an example of freedom by restricting that !
r freedom we boast? It seems the U.S. is !
ling downstream in an upstream current, and '
ething must be done if we are to remain ,
5 nation .. .with liberty and justice for all."
t
** * \ i
i
i
i
of the day ]
I
g "Material Girl" exemplified what the '80s ;
e about: a time of people striving and yeamfor
material possessions.
1 * 1 - i : i
rcmeiuocr mosi people ai my junior anu ;
h schools also wanting to have the right;
is (designer, of course), the right shirt (Izod, J
a Polo), the right shoes (docksiders, then
ks) and, of course, the right car to get you to;
;re you were going.
f the networks' observations were correct,,
i the decade's highest-rated television progis
confirmed the materialistic fact Progran^;
h as "Dallas" and "Dynasty" consistently hit,
top of the ratings charts throughout the
ade.
iveryone who claims to see into the future or
lk they have the knowledge to. forecast it,
the 1990s will be a time we get back to
lie issues and get away from the "me"
:ade.
f this turns out to be true, I' wonder what
ivision programs will hit the airwaves to rc:l
these renewed values,
t is odd to note that, later this year, "The
idy Bunch" will come back to the airwaves
new one-hour episodes. The family is all
wn-up, but are now, hopefully, facing probis
typical to the 1990s.
Super- shift* and even cut, spending oh
Dm the non-productive military hardware,
figures JaPan directly spends money on
the development of high technoli,
strong oGy. In the United States, the best
heir re- our highly skilled engineers are
;t is the developing far-fetched ideas such
is have as Wars. It is true that certain
Droduc- amounts of technology trickle
down into our industrial base from
these programs; but compared to
>uilding Japanese methods our successes
gener- are minute.
sources It -s time for America to stop foinle.1_
cusing on its wars; the War on
equip- Communism, War on Poverty and
mill *he ^ar on J^rugs- In die last forty
s years, the government has been foj
?re a, cused in the wrong direction. As
n . the tax base of our country shrinks
, .. and the national debt swells, I;
hruv thf? nffirials in Washington
a --- O ")
lich is sec nec<1 10 shift 0ur economM
World away fr?m research and dcve-{
1 of at loPmcnt militafy hardware. I?
rid their ^cy not' 111011 Japanese will
soon own the United States Army. J
*
> l
United
As we
utmost John Thomas Lites Jr.
nent to History senior