The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 16, 1991, Page 3, Image 3
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