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Israel Persian Gulf war would involve at least one neutral country By the time this article goes to press, Israel could very well be attacked by Iraqi forces. Israel is quite capable of defending itself, but the possiblitv it will have to is testament to the amoralitv of Saddam Hussein. Hussein is a desperate man and is trying everything he can think of to break the unity of the countries allied against him. He might have hit a new low when he adopted the Palestinian cause as his own. By calling his invasion of Kuwait an attempt to liberate the Palestinian people, he makes a mockery of the infitadeh ? the justified struggle against Israeli oppression. Hussein's appeal to anti-Jewish sentiment in other Arab countries callously twists the Palestinian cause to his advantage. At the same time, his supposed crusade for a free Palestine threatens the lives of the over three million Israeli citizens. Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz promised a reporter Saturday that Israel would be attacked following a U.S. attack on Iraq. Israel, in a rarity, has been neutral during the crisis, to avoid just the sort of situation they now are facing. But with their ally, the United States, guaranteeing an attack of Baghdad, Hussein has seized the opportunity to bring the main Arab nemesis of the Middle East into the equation. Ironically, an attack on Israel would kill many Muslims who happen to be Israeli citizens. Contrary to popular belief, Israel is not 100 percent Jewish. Dragging Israel into the war is just the latest in a long series of Hussein's diplomatic guile. According to his own press, Hussein is the last defender of the Muslim faith and a champion of Arab unity standing against the American-Zionist conspiracy. Unfortunately, Hussein's misrepresentations are believed by poor, disenfranchised Arabs in the Middle East who have no heroes and less hope. The Palestinian cause is a serious issue and deserves attention from the world. Hopefully, the fashionable hatred of Hussein will not spread to a prejudice against the Palestinians through guilt by association. Despite the justness of the infitadeh, Israeli citizens don't deserve to be bombed for the Palestinians' sake. Should Israeli civilians die in a Persian Gulf war, they will be just one more innocent group to suffer from Iraqi aggression and American impatience. And the Palestinians won't be helped one bit. 'THE LETTER FROM THE U.S. PtfES/PFHTWAS HOT POLITE ENOIKH TO SHOW TO MTPRESlPMr The Gamecock News: 777-7726 Advertising: 777-4249 Kathy Blackwell robyn Thompson Editor in Chief Managing Editor IiTMMTFFR lARkONSKT riAVTn RftWDF.N Copy Desk Chief Viewpoint Editor Lucy Soto Kathy Heberger News Editor Carolina Life Editor Steve Johnson renee Meyer Sports Editor Photography Editor Aaron Sheinin Tige Watts Assistant News Editor Assistant News Editor Octavia Wright Patrick Villegas Assistant Carolina Life Editor Assistant Sports Editor Chris Silvestri Julie Bouchillon Assistant Copy Desk Chief Assistant Photography Editor ERIC GLENN Darkroom Lab Technician Kristin Francis Erik Collins Graduate Assistant Faculty Adviser Ed Bonza Laura S. Day Director of Student Media Production Manager ray burgos renee gibson Assistant Production Manager Advertising Manager Kyle berry Carolyn Griffin Assistant Advertising Manager Business Manager Letters Policy: The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be, at maximum, 250 to 300 words long. The writer must include full name, professional title if a USC employee or South Carolina resident, or year and major if a student. An address and phone number are required with all letters sent. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible libel or in case of space limitations. The newspaper will not withhold names under any circumstance. \ HEY! HOW COW \ NEVER GETT( I THE PARA I y~ /V T President Bus! Editor's Note: The following article was sent to college newspapers across the country by the President's staff to explain his position to college-age Americans. If armed men invaded a home in this country, killed those in their way, stole what they wanted and then announced the house was now tneirs ? no one would hesitate about what must be done. And that is why we cannot hesitate about what must be done halfway around the world: in Kuwait. There is much in the modern world that is subject to doubts or questions ? washed in shades of gray. But not the brutal aggression of Saddam Hussein against a peaceful, sovereign nation and its people. It's black and white. The facts are clear. The choice unambiguous. The terror Saddam Hussein has imposed upon Kuwait violates every principle of human decency. Listen to what Amnesty International has documented: "Widespread abuses of human rights have been perpetrated by Iraqi forces .. . widespread torture . . . imposition of the death penalty and the extrajudicial execution of hundreds of unarmed civilians, including children." There's no horror that could make this a more obvious conflict of good vs. evil. The man who used chemical warfare on his own people ? once again including children ? now oversees public hangings of dissenters. And daily his troons r.nmmit atrnr.ifip.s acrainct Kuwaiti citizens. This brutality has reverberated throughout the entire world. If we do not follow the dictates of our inner moral compass and stand up for human life, then his lawlessness will threaten the peace and democracy of the emerging New World Order we now see: this long dreamed-of vision we've all worked toward for so long. A year after the joyous dawn of freedom's j : . p-rrcDC TTY TH L~Kmm I 1 tno 1 u in War is simple, "had0"; was trained game to some structions w 55 Looking _ , Korea, Grer To the editor: ven?t we le. In view of the latest diplomatic efforts toward peace, talks in ^ Geneva, Switzerland should arrive u upon a peaceful solution before the deadline President Bush . established. And speaking of Geneva . there is an animal called ? 0O|J the Geneva convention and rules of war. Rules of war: it sounds so over r\mHich fl<! to hf? almr?ot mmiral Tw ~ -v? lo the edito But war is no laughing matter. It s j am wri| not just the invasion of Panama in ^ lQ wha| a military coup d'eat. 6 basketball War, as defined by Webster s, is Rn??H1 Ho a state of open, armed conflict be- i am a n tween nations, states or parties. t ? ctlKie Ross Perot, a highly decorated vet- tee thal eran appearing on the Donahue ,, w h Show" spoke of war being the year" that r "worst possible thing you could , hQv' imagine-" very differe In war, soldiers will see only the y enemy. Be they in the guise of a Spirits w man, woman, child or baby. Sol- well until 51 diers are trained to take orders be handed J even at the risk of their own moral dents woult IE VIE \ / 0\?N> )( DE? I M ^rrrtirT h speaks war ^ * George Bush vs A 'k Guest Columnist iPMk _ light in Eastern Europe, a dark evil has descended in another part of the world. But we have the chance ? and we have the obligation ? to stop ruthless aggression. I have been in war. I have known the terror of combat. And I tell you this with all my heart: I don't want there to be war ever again. I am determined to do absolutely everything possible in the search for a peaceful resolution to this crisis ? but only if the peace is genuine, if il rests on principle, not appeasement. But while we search for that answer, in the Gulf young men and women are putting their own lives on hold in order to stand for peace in our world and for the essential value of human life itself. Many are younger than my own children. Your age, most of them. Doing tough duty for something they believe in. Let me tell you about one of the soldiers over there, Sgt. 1st Class Terry Hatfield, a young man from Georgia. He sent me a Christmas card. And this is what he wrote:. "Mr. President, I just wanted you to know my soldiers and I are rdady to do whatever mission you decide. Freedom as we know and enjoy has been taken away from another country and must be restored. Although we are separated from family, friends, loved ones, we will do what must be done . . . We stand ready and waiting. God bless you and the U.S.A." Terry understands the moral obligation thai has compelled our extraordinary multi-national coalition to make this stand in the Gulf. To look this international terrorist straight in the eye and say: no concessions. To proclaim for now and for the future: no compromises. To bear witness IE EDITOR II 10 7"" I 1"Tf HIT'IT ll'f HI' 5. I was a soldier; I you can't always g' o shoot anyone, but I want, and by the tirr [ to carry out my in- in college they ougi ithout hesitation. that. back on Vietnam, The shirts were to 1 tada, and Panama, ha- at a table, like last ; irned anything? War is first box was stolen fi like football; there are mittee member carryi just losers. he could reach the tal help distribute the Sheldon W. Rice another box, and v Journalism sophomore trampled as soon as . . . . ?penedlc violent 1 tried i? sei up ?f but I could not bee T.cVllf'fc! were standing on nr nicked, and at some \ r: out. T came to and fc ting this letter in reac- trying to tear the T-sh t happened at the Dec. body as I lay on the I pep rally in front of mass 0f people. I wa se. ing the T-shirt so m; iember of George Fel- dents could see what nt Basketball Commit- giving away at the er anized and ran the pep rally, eld a similar rally last an smoothly. Unfortu- P 1^ a y?"ng m rever, this year's was n01 j w (y?u know nt ? thank you) came took him quite some ere high and all went ^e people away, the DO free T-shirts were to me UPout. I realize all stu- By some miracle 1 like a free shirt, but without any broken t to students i hv rvnr nrr?rnrp to the. fart that acrcrrrccinn will ? ? woo*vfc/?? not be rewarded. Terry waits thousands of miles from the White House, yet we share the same thoughts. We desperately want peace. But we know that to reward aggression would be to end the promise of our New World Order. To reward aggression would be to destroy the United Nation's promise as international peacekeeper. To reward aggression would be to condone the acts of those who would desecrate the promise of human life itself. And we will do none of this. There are times in life when we confront values worth fighting for. This is one such time. Each day that passes means another day for 1 Iraq's forces to dig deeper into their stolen land. Another day Saddam Hussein can work toward ; building his nuclear arsenal and perfecting his chemical and biological weapons capability. 1 Another day of atrocities for Amnesty Interna1 tional to document. Another day of international 1 outlaws, instead of international law. L I ask you to think about the economic devastation that Saddam Hussein would continue to wreak on the world's emerging democracies if he were in control of one-fifth of the world's oil reserves. And to reflect on the terrible threat that a Saddam Hussein armed with weapons of mass destruction already poses to human life and to the future of all nations. Together, as an America united against these horrors, we can, with our coalition partners, assure that this aggression is stopped and the principles on which this nation and the rest of the civilized world are founded are preserved. And so let us remember and support Terry Hatfield, all our fine servicemen and women, as they stand ready on the frontier of freedom, willing to do their duty and do it well. They deserve our complete and enthusiastic support , ? and lasting gratitude, J. ,i 111111 in .ui 111 mi MM.i 11 M.i. J. ...... ...u' u M.1.1-1-'.1-1-1 uimmmmm* It et what you two scraped knees, a tear in my le people are pants where I was pushed over a ht to realize low brick wall, a rip in my shirt from people trying to take it off be passed out me, some good bruises, a bent pair /ear, but the of glasses, leaves in my hair that I om the com- picked out for two days and a ng it, before much lower opinion of my fellow )le. I went to students, shirts from /as literally I realize this involved only a the box was small percentage of USC students, but I am outraged nevertheless. f the ground, ause people The fact that these students could i hair. I pa- not follow directions and form a :>oint blacked line, and had a total disregard for >und students other people has me absolutely lirt off of my appalled, bottom of a ! fv!n^ ,W<!fr I cannot believe students would / icllow Stu- .. 11 11 r 11 we would he Orally step all over a fellow stu,7 ^ dent for a cotton T-shirt worth abe out $2.50. I am thrilled students are so excited about Gamecock baan who I did sketball again, but I hope the stuwho you are dents who were standing on me to my aid. It read this and realize how much time to clear damage ? physical and otherwise :n he helped ? they have done. , I escaped Louise Patterson >ones ? just Elementary Education Senior