The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 19, 1990, Page 3, Image 3
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 " ..... *
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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