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Nasty Detective's 'interpretation' of tape questionable at best 2 Live Crew are now being tried on misdemeanor obscenity offences in a Fort Lauderdale court. The charges stem from the band's Fort Lauderdale performance earlier this year, which police claim contained excess amounts of obscenity and sexual innuendos. Whether or not the performance or the band's banned album, As Nasty As They Wanna Be, is too obscene is a question that should be left to the decision of each individual, noli the U.S. court system. People can either buy the record or not. Jit's as simple as that. Unfortunately, some children will hear the m usic despite their parents' attempts to keep them from it. But chil dren hear about these things whether 2 Live Crew sings about them or not. It's a fact of life in today's world. Anyway, the band is on trial, and the latest trial procedure is ethically questionable. A tape of the Crew's Fort Lauderdale show is now being presented as evidence for the prosecution. The tape, however, is terribly distorted. The band's lyrics and betwetin-songs spoken words cannot be heard clearly. Therefore, one of the detectives who aided in the band's arrest is now translating the tape into the foul language he claims it is. The problem is, he is interpreting the words 'from memory.' Now, just how good this man's memory' is of a show that happened in June is about as questionable sis how obscene 2 Live Crew really is. There are very few people who can remember, wora-ior-wora, sometning iney neard tour days ago (let alone tour months ago). And unless this detective wants to claim superhuman ability, he probably falls in with the rest of us forgetful types. In addition, the judge ruled he could not refer to or even look at the police transcript of the show to 'jog his memory.' Members of the band object to much olf the 'interpretation,' saying the words they used and the words uhe detective is using are not the same. The defense attorney called for a mistrial because the testimony at this point is simply the detective's recollection of what he thinks he remembers was said. Not exactly proof positive, is it? Not only is the judge allowing this kind of questionable testimony to take place, but she also denied the defense's call for a mistrial. It all makes you wonder what 'freedom of expression' means and where justice falls in this 'free' country today. "SnWfeE now MANY OF THEM WNT ANSWER* |L ^ : y? I I I " ..... * The Gamecock * News: 777-7726 Advertising: 777-4249 ? T jeff Wilson Sharon Willamson Editor in Chief Managing Editor/Copy Desk Chief Lynn Gibson Elizabeth lynch j News Editor Carolina Life Editor DougAube Renee Meyer ] , Sports Editor Photography Editor 1 kelly c. thomas \ Viewp >oints Editor 5 Elizabeth Fox Sherri Tillman , ! Assistant News Editor Assistant News Editor David Bowden Kathy Heberger \ Assistant Carolina Life Editor Assistant Carolina Life Editor Brant Long julie Bouchillon Assistant Sports Editor Assistant Photography Editor ( Sara Verne Octavia Wright Assistant Copy Desk Chief Assistant to the Editors ( Kristin Francis Erik Collins J Graduate Assistant Faculty Adviser t l.d bonza laura s. day 1 Director of Student Media Production Manager 1 Ray Burgos Renee Gibson Assistant Production Manager Advertising Manager Kyle Berry Carolyn Griffin Assistant Advertising Manager Business Manager ^ i: Latter* Policy: The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be, at maximum, 250 to 300 word# long. The writer must include full name, pro- C fessional title if a USC employe' e or South Carolina resident, or year and major if r a Student. An address and pho no number are required with all letters sent. The c Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible libel or in base of ftpaee limitations. The new spaper will not withhold names under any circumstance. P LATEST TRICK <2/99c*f Oil rlptipridpiirf Peace demonstrators have greeted President . Bush at many of his stops in the American Mid- m west, and the President's speeches to Republi can audiences have been interrupted by hecklers. Their message is that U.S. troops should not be in the Middle East 1 In many cases, I fully support peace groups, but this is a situation I believe many of these L people are being naive about. They say it is our dependence on foreign oil ha that is causing all the problems, and all we need ho to do is develop other energy resources. So the bring the troops back home, they say. What they don't seem to see is that, like it or not, we are more than 50 percent dependent on foreign is I ail. This situation is not going to change over- rea night, and we cannot have a majority of our de: foreign oil in the hands of one enemy. ert; There are, I agree, other forms of energy that Sa< :ould decrease our dependence on foreign oil. tak Solar and wind energy are preferable and, even tha with its downside, nuclear energy is not without ite< merit. The thing is, setting up equipment to en- coi able us to use these resources, especially in the wo /olume required in the United States, is expen- thii live. It can't be done effectively without years ov< af preparation, and we need energy right now. I or i wonder just how many of these demonstrators I Paper rightly hospitals frequei . , -w- m been shot up ant blames Israel Together wan common grounc To the editor: Crisis has sho The Gamecock has rightly criti- hardly a stratcgi cized the Israeli government for its either. Egyptian endless human rights atrocities, swelter side by and the American government for the desert, an its continued military handouts and pledged billions political cover for Israel. of American suj For years, human rights groups eral Schwarzkoj critical of Israel have gone largely many times the unreported in the American media, mand in Arabia Swedish-based Save the Children raeli military of laments in the more than 150 was poignant ? youths 13 years old and under American go gunned down by Israeli soldiers not enough in f ind heavily armed "settlers." Am- should have a c [testy International documents on of regional prob Lite world's most institutionalized solutions. To 01 ind widespread systems of torture helped create 5 is being inherent to the Israeli sec- Iraq. America ht et police. The UN Commission on tain Israeli aggr< fluman Rights condemns as "war billion in hand crimes" Israeli breaches of the alone, as well ; 3eneva Conventions. The Euro- Africa joined uj jean Community has enforced ing more than anctions against Israel for confis- Assembly criti ;ating 89 percent of the water and excesses. 50 percent of the land in the Oc- I must disagi 'upied Territories for exclusive Government Pre ewish use, and for so castrating assertion that thi he Palestinian economy that a per- tivism. The Gat nit is needed to plant vegetables day editorial anc n a home plot ? another permit is on Habitat for H leeded to harvest them (another USC students msavory U.S. "ally," Turkey, is helping the unl ilso under sanctions for their sec- oppressed. Keep >nd attempt this century at geno- Gamecocks, ide, this time against their Kurdsh minority in Eastern Anatolia). Israel is a country without a "XT onstitution giving its citizens INOSC D ights enjoyed by Western demo- * racies. There is no freedom of not iso peeeh, of the press, of travel, of irotection from Unwarranted To the editor! earch and seizure, of association, we think WHITE SUBi. m i won't chanj fotT KELLY C. THOMAS j)' ikh^ 211 ve solar panels installed to help heat their 01 mes in the winter, and how many simply run Si i heater (at any level) from October to March, oi lo They say we can't trade lives for oil, and war cc bad. I think war is bad too. After all, can you illy determine who's right by seeing who can ;troy most of the other's people and prop- hs y? I don't think so. BUT, and it's a sad thing, ta Idam Hussein was fully prepared, after over- in ing Kuwait, to overrun Saudi Arabia, From w t vantage point, he could easily take the Un- he i Arab Emirates, Oman and other oil-rich mtries on the Saudi Arabian border. This wi uld give him control over more than two- ou "ds of the U.S.'s foreign oil needs ? control pu ir prices, amount of export and even whether li\ not to export. heedless to say, the slowing or cutting off of w< Even churches and 0ff course when he broug ited by Arabs have mosexuality into his arg 1 tear gassed. against nose picking. Nose j i this lack of moral is hardly an isolated pr I, the present Gulf within the homosexual comr wn that Israel is if homosexuals only comp* ic ally of America, percent of the population, and Syrian troops true then that by sheer num side Americans in let alone sheer volume d Saudi Arabia "guilt" of nose picking li to cover the costs more on the shoulders of )plics. When Gen- osexuals? Moreover, is Tim )f was asked how to deny that he, as a fellow 1 U.S. military com- picks his nose? How long h; has contacted Is- been denying this "natural ucuus, ins aiuwci we minK 11m snouia come none. the closet and admit that he, od intentions are a nose-picker. oreign policy. We Nicole lear understanding international studies lems and workable David I ir great regret, we international studies >addam Hussein s is also helped sus- ___ -, ission through $40 rgg SCXUall louts this decade <shv?cS^. creates beat 100 U.N. General y0 editor: icisms of Israeli j would like to respond I Mallace's letter against horn ree with (Student aiity and what he descril sident) Benjamin s promiscuous heterosexi s campus lacks ac- Thank you, Tim Mallace, 1 /_>- U7-J J ' ' necuLK s wcuucs- lightening the Carolina pop 1 front page article whh your vision of the perfe umanity show that jety^ whjch js 0ne that sqti are interested in personal expression. In yoi fortunate and the ls n0 homosexua up the good work, promiscuous heterosexuality not take your ideas one John R. Hanson further? Let's all look alike, alike and act alike. Isn't it inkinrr 11131 a sceminS1y educated HftVlIlg chooses to advocate this tj 1 4. _| behavior? l3t6Cl Mallace is concerne< others* personal expression sonal expression is rcsponsil *Mace was way the presence of the arts in i< HOUSE WEATHER fJP <g~lJSTS -^b OPS gFPENlSE FOG ;e overnight '0-thirds of our foreign oil or the outlandish icing that could occur could end up in the loss many more lives than could be lost in a .S.-Iraq confrontation. It could send the Unxl States into a depression much worse than iy the country has encountered. It could make day's Soviet Union look prosperous. On the other hand, if you want to lode at it i the "bright" side - it could force the United tates to find ways to decrease our ever-rising 1 dependence. But that's hardly a bright outok when seen in perspective with what else >uld happen. Peace is one of the best things going, and it IS its Dlace almost evervwherp Rut ir'c hard tn ke a blind, rosy look at the United States, sayg "we're too oil dependent" and "war is rong," when so much is at stake ? the liveli>od of most of the U.S. citizens. We are too oil dependent, and we would be ise to change that fact, but we can't just snap ir fingers and solve all of our oil problems, 11 our troops out of the Middle East and all re happily ever after. Real life, unfortunately, doesn't work that *yht ho- That is, the great works in music, ument drama, creative writing, dance and )icking the visual arts are the products of oblem personal expression. All of the facnunity. tors, such as one's sexuality, that ose 10 make a nersnn nninne rnntrihntp rn isn't it the act of creating those things that ber ? make our world beautiful, and ? the thus, bearable, ies far A world devoid of personal exheter pression, which includes sexual trying freedom, is a world devoid of luman, beauty. To bury one's identity in as Tim the oppressive society advocated urge"? by Mr. Mallace is to extinguish out of one's spirit. One's mode of pertoo, is sonal expression is just that ? personal. Let's keep it that way. Berry Amy C. Chapman senior art education junior senior NeW OfflCCrS tv can be called V To the editor: 4- I would like to correct a mistallj ken impression that Larry Lichtenfeld may have left your readers . witn in nis article Military ai 10 USC is informed." He wrote that osexu- new 1 y commissioned officers j. as "would not be front-line troops." !a lty* In fact, officers commissioned or en" through ROTC (or any other comulation missioning source) could easily be ctin the front lines, depending on lelcnes ^heir branch of service. Leaders at |f V1S" all levels in the military lead by example and are right up there y with their soldiers, sailors and air! ^teP men. A brand-new second lieuten' ss ant in the Army would normally scary be assigned as a platoon leader, person ancj wouid be in the front lines fP? ot wjth hig platoon, if that ia where they are. ^ Patrick J, Kennedy I PerJje for Captain, C,S, Artny oclety. English graduate student