The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 14, 1990, Page 3, Image 3
Control
Lawmakers are leading the U.S. .
towards a police-state status
Democracy in the United States is being tested and tried all
across the country, and it is losing ground against people who feel
it is their duty to make sure others live good, clean lives.
In the past few years, legislation has been passed in various
parts of the country that bans records, books and magazines; that
limits smoking to certain, sealed-off areas; that inflicts curfews on
young people; and that limits the availability of abortions for
teenagers fand nthersV And thpcp an* inct a fipw pvomni^
w - v / - ? Uivuv U1V JUlJV v? wn V/\U1I
Proposals for each and every one of these restrictions have been
made (and most passed) right here in South Carolina. In addition,
the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission recently decided it
would be a great idea to turn in the names of student offenders to
the university administration.
And speaking of the university administration, several universities
in the United States have begun to control opposite-sex visitation
and on-campus parties, as well as maintaining freshman
curfews.
Some cities have laws (and Columbia is considering a law) that
require all people under the age of 18 to be off the streets and in
their homes by midnight. Not only does this deny the under-18
people their rights, it also takes control out of the hands of parents,
who should be allowed to decide when their children should
be home.
It is all very control-oriented, and that control goes further than
the law should go into people's lives. Legislators (and administrators)
are controlling the private lives of the people ? the private
lives that should be ruled by conscience, morals, respect and courtesy,
but not by the law.
Anyone ever read George Orwell's 1984 or Ayn Rand's Anthem!
If not, check them out ? they could be more than just
paaii
iivwun own.
Yes, if things keep heading in the direction they've been taking,
the United States will eventually evolve into a police state. People
will be born when and where the government wants them to be
bom, their schooling and profession will be pre-chosen for them,
the family as we know it will not exist ? because the government
will want to keep the children as far away from "bad influences"
as possible. People will work for the state and live for the state
and die never knowing any different.
But law and order and good, moral values will prevail ? and,
after all, isn't that what we all want?
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IRAQI DESERT GUIDE
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Hunters aren'
I never knew my father was an ego-manical,
homicidal lunatic bent on the complete destruction
of all wildlife in America. He always
seemed like a pretty decent guy to me.
I was informed of my father's darker nature
by an article on the American hunter in the October
issue ofEsquire. Writer Joy Williams, after
much careful research and participation in
different hunting practices across the nation as
well as interviews with hunters, came to the
conclusion they are all murderers as evil as Ted t\
Bundy and Charles Manson and about as bright rc
as Elmer Fudd. p;
I'd like to make it clear at this point that I do ii
not like to hunt. I was dragged out of bed at 4
a.m. in the middle of winter to chase some oi
beast that I had little or no interest in killing. I
would have preferred to be in bed, and I cer- A
tainly wasn't going to ruin the deer's day just M
because mine was ruined. ai
This of course does not mean I condemn at
hunting or anyone who participates in it as long si
as they obey the rules set up by wildlife organi- he
zations and act responsibly so no one gets hurt. vj
In fact, most hunters do. or
This is not Williams' opinion though. "Hunters
believe that wild animals exist only to satisfy
their wish to kill them," she said. t>u
"But hunters are piggy," she said. "They just m<
can't seem to help it. They're overequipped,
... insatiable, malevolent and vain, qu
They maim, mutilate and despoil. And for the res
most part, they're inept. Grossly inept." cei
If she had presented any other side of the argument
it would have been different, but the tio
whole slant of her article was along the lines of cie
A manifests itself
AIM V-x nurtlllg alleled since Be
Sa Until Mande
Africa litically motiv
not result in th
To the editor: political grou]
The recent wave of violence nance, but inst<
sweeping through the townships Africa apart, th
and homelands of South Africa re- realizing the d
veals just how complex any neeo- Hpm^rQt \n Qrtiii
- w UVlHWlUilW UV/UI
tiated settlement to South Africa's
democratic transition will be. Despite
repeated calls by the de Klerk
government, Chief Buthelezi, and
others to end the senseless vio- Ahoi^l
lence, over 350 people have been -tVUUI U
killed during the past week alone. ty\1
Evidently, power politics remains dlC fflli
the name of the game among
South Africa's black majority. To the editor:
The root of the problem lies I must res
mainly with the African National Brown's Sept. 1
Congress' insistence that it alone tor regarding at
represents black South Africans, ironies in her 1
Mandela's inability, or unwilling- The first paragi
ness, to accept the legitimacy of "democratic so
other black organizations, most no- self-governance
tably the Inkatha Zulus, has split and anti-choice
the black community apart, creat- somehow unafc
ing a political intolerance that own decisions s
U ^
GHTIotr Loms fafr-wrr/rr^K
t all hearties:
Dennis Shealy
icse quotes. Halfway through the article most
waders, whether they agree with her or not,
robably begin to think, "Hey, lighten up a
ttle. Really, they're not that bad."
Her accusations are so one-sided they border
a the pathetic.
Consider that only seven percent of the
merican population hunts. Seven percent. '
lost of the hunters I have come in contact with
e not inept. On* the contrary, they are law- <
>iding citizens who are concerned about the
ate of wildlife areas. In fact, many hunters 1
dp takes censuses, participate in other conser- '<
ition programs and support wildlife '
ganizations. {
f
c
I'm not saying there aren't bad ones in the t
nch. I've met a few of them too, but for the t
3St part hunters are very responsible people.
Take for granted that I'm right and say three r
- i r .i- ** ? -
ariers 01 me seven percent 01 ail hunters are \
sponsible. This would mean less than two per- c
nt of those who hunt are irresponsible.
Less than two percent of the entire popula- ?
n of America is not enough to destroy a spe- t
s as long as certain regulations and organiza- Y
p? p% | fin
EDITOR
in violence unpar- their lives and their familii
;irut. choice groups would rath
la realizes that po- these decisions for them,
ated violence will to believe that women are ]
e coercion of other capable of self-governance
3S to ANC domi- most intimate and pi
sad will tear South choices,
ere is little hope of She then misuses the wc
ream of a unified, ence' and 'medicine' to gi
th Africa. sort of credence to her arj
Leonard Spencer Scientific and medical groi
Columbia, S.C. consistently been pro-choi
ing to the fact that they d
the world of reality where
f|y| pregnancy, rape, mental illi
*-*** physical illness occur.
clAQ/finrv Am?nS these groups
dlCdvllll*^ American Medical Associa
American Association of <
logists and Obstetricia
pona to Lydia American Psychiatric Ass
0 letter to the edi- and the American Psychi
>ortion 'facts.' The Association. Their data h
letter are startling, reviewed by the Public He<
raph discusses our vices under C. Everett Ko
ciety ... based on Center for Disease Corn
i." Yet, to Brown backed up their findings. ]
groups, women are these groups have produ<
>le to make their scientific, biomedical or
ibout their bodies, logical evidence that indict
' ROLLED OUT THE BARREL/'
' ~i >
tf?*r~ '
WfGP^
y
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s, selfish folk
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thing. And for the most part there are many
hunters who make sure dial regulations are followed
because they do like to hunt and they
want to continue being able to do so. They realize
if they don't keep their fellow hunters
straight, then all hunting privledges might be
jeopardized.
Williams also said hunters often try to redirect
people's attention by saying there are more
serious problems facing the environment than a
few hunters. She seems to cynically think hunters
couldn't really care less, they just don't
want people to think of them as killers. A little
hard, don't you think? Most hunters really are
smart enough to realize the importance of maintaining
the environment, even if it is motivated
by the selfish desire to continue hunting.
Williams is misled in believing most hunters
3o not eat what they have killed. Wrong again.
They do. There are a few animals like ducks
Jiat are, to a large extent, trophy animals. And
i few are predators like cougars that endanger
livestock. But for the most part hunters do eat
nings iiKe aeer ana most Hunters do not let hit
mimals go into the woods to dip. They track
hem down, sometimes wasting a whole day
hey could have spent hunting.
Williams and her kind are very closed
ninded. She probably didn't even talk to any
turners to get their point of view. She certainly
lidn't quote any of them if she did.
Hunters, like most kinds of people, aren't all
?Ood or bad. Look at it this way: if they're as
>ad at shooting as my dad, the animals don't
lave too much to worry about.
J
es. Anti- abortion should be stopped in the
er make United States, let alone legislated
I prefer by politicians in the political arena,
perfectly
in these Where did you obtain your
ersonal 'facls>' Ms. Brown? To encourage
accuracy from the media is com>rds
'sci- mendable. Yet you've succeeded
ve some *n doing exactly what you've critimments.
cized, and that is presenting a
Kiocr?H ortnimoni A.11
jpS nave >^1UJVU ui^umviii iuu ui vaiut juug"
ice, ow- ments, failing to produce your
eal with sources, much less the entire truth,
teenage I suggest that you research before
ness and you speak, particularly since you
demand the same from others,
are the For those of you that, in
tion, the Brown's ironic quote, don't want
Gyneco- to "let others choose their beliefs
ns, the for (you)," I suggest that you conociation
tact pro-choice groups for the other
ological side to this argument. We would
as been be more than willing to provide
ilth Ser- you with information on how you
op. The can keep abortion and reliable con;rol
has tfaception safe and legal in this
None of democratic society.
:ed any Heather Buggy
psycho- English/
itcs that women's studies sophomore