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Football Networks should put war first, not coverage of the Super Bowl The National Football League is going ahead with the Twentyfifth Super Bowl, depite the Persian Gulf crisis. This should not be a controversy; the game is a national institution and should not be held hostage to current events. However, just because the game should go on does not mean that the game should be televised without interruptions. Should the citiiofi/"vr* ttiowrtm* A T5f am aLI' ? J 4 1 " onuuuwii waiiaiii, lias ail uuugiUlUIl IU CUl dWdy clTlO ICICVISC breaking events in the Gulf. This may seem like an obvious point, but with commercial time going for $800,000 per 30 seconds, ABC has an interest in playing the game in its entirety. During last week's NFC Championship Game, Dan Rather broke in to report that SCUD missiles had been launched at US forces in Dharhan, Saudi Arabia. A journalist on the scene, in full gas-protection gear, was in near hysterics reporting that the missiles were armed with chemical weapons. Dan Rather then came back on to return viewers to the game. As much as the audience certainly cared about the outcome of the 49ers-Giants game, one would hope most viewers cared more about the outcome of the Iraqi missiles. CBS betrayed its audience by pandering to its sponsors. It doesn't matter if viewers could turn to CNN. It is a matter of principle. Most viewers will not turn back and forth during the game and they need to be informed immediately if the war takes a new turn. Wrmof.ilK/ ARC ? ?t-~ o nu^viuiiji nJJV^ nun t llia&b 11113 lllldld&C UU1111?? lilC OUJJCI Bowl. The Super Bowl may be the most important football game of the year, but it cannot begin to compare in magnitude to a situation of life or death. The United States got used to the Vietnam War because it stopped being a priority news event. Regular television programming started up again, and Vietnam was pushed to the back burner of American conscience. This is already happening in the Persian Gulf war, as housewives complain about missing their soaps, and football fans complain about missing important plays. Americans must have the shortest attention spans of any people in the world. ABC should decide their priorities. If a game takes precedence over American troops dying in conflict, there is something very wrong in America. BLOTTEP The Gamecock News: 777-7726 Advertising: 777-4249 Kathy Blackwell robyn Thompson Editor in Chief Managing Editor Jennifer Jablonski David bowden 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 vlllegas Assistant Carolina Life Editor Assistant Sports Editor Chris Silvestri Julie Bouchillon Assistant Copy Desk Chief Assistant Photography Editor Eric Glenn Darkroom Lab Technician Ed Bonza Erik Collins Director of Student Media Faculty Adviser Laura S. Day ray Burgos Production Manager Assistant Production Manager Renee Gibson Kyle Berry Advertising Manager Assistant Advertising Manager Carolyn Griffin 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. American ju: The American prison system is not doing its job. It is unjust, overcrowded and if anything, makes criminals more dangerous when they get out. Statistics reported in the Jan. 14 Time magazine state that the United States has the highest percentage of its people imprisoned of any country in the world. It is embarrassing that our nation, the most powerful democracy in the world, has a larger part of its citizenry in jail than human-rights offenders such as the Soviet Union, South Africa or Iraq. The same article reports that four times as many black males are in American prisons than in South African ones. Reminds me of the line by Ice Cube, "You want to free Africa, I stare at ya/Cause we don't have it too good in America." This is not meant to kick off another round of angry letters, but I have to think there is something inherently wrong with the penal system. I don't want to use the buzz word "racist," but one wonders how many black guys out there are sitting in maximum-security prisons for stealing cars while Michael Milken and Ivan Boesky get a slap on the wrist for stealing hundreds of millions of dollars. oiausucs snow ume ana ume again tnat Diack men are sentenced to death for the same crimes that white men get life sentences for. There is no easy reform for this inequity, but public , . . ' -i r<\ LETTERS TOT! Soldier states mind on war tack To the editor: This morning the telephone woke me instead of my alarm. It \\J was my mother. My first thought W <11 ? oh, god, someone's died. Nope, _ she just called to say that I had re- |^Q Q( ceived a telegram: I've been called back to active duty in the Army. To the ^ My status was as an inactive re- ^etl servist. This meant that for all chele Ma practical reasons I was out of the America service; my obligation completed er tter' and with the GI Bill taking care of ^ war my education. All set. I figured sketball g that I was safe. Good grades, a ? e a full-time student ? untouchable. won . Wrong I was! It's simply amazing which 1 just how fast your life can be demonstrat. turned inside-out. ^irst ?*' When this The only action left once inac- thousands < tive reservists are called up is the will be de; roinetafAmAnt nf tha U/innirKT? Ti ivnuLULViiivui UJL U1W Uiail. TV 11^/11 aj this happens, it's not just going to ball game 1 be a case of knowing a few people ers? not t0 "over there." It's going to be your spectators, friends, family, the guys sitting ar- still say yoi ound you in class and the guy in is not a gar your seat doing the fighting. Yes, "thi the troops, You've got to realize that this serves and war is more than a media event. Now, howt It's more than something to watch just give u] while vegging in front of the tube, ernment no If things continue as they are now cide to do. everyone will be affected by this allowed to conflict in more ways than I care leaders, to imagine. Americai All I ask is that everyone read- live in a d ing this now put yourselves in my serve the f shoes. In one week, I will again be the govern a soldier defending not my coun- ions. Other try, nor our way of life, but our ers know v government's foreign policy, mistake? Please learn, study and educate Protesting yourselves in regards to what's go- stability," i ing on in our world. Formulate country." It your own opinions and fight for vision, but what you believe in. Find your country is a ground and stand it. strations an Some words of wisdom from process, the my last tour overseas: "You can't cans are pr change the world, but you can the Middle change the facts and when you can tators watcl change the facts, you can change We are citi points of view and when you can ble for our j change points of view, you can Michele change die world." Unknown, the one thing Berlin Wall. tory, but thi i Saddam Ml Seethe Light stice system n< (P!> DAVID BOWDEN awareness is a start. Another flaw in the prison system is the stupidity that allows convicted murderers and rapists to be paroled after precious little time in jail. The case of the man in California that was paroled after seven years in prison comes to mind. His crime? Raping a girl and cutting her hands off. But, hey, you have to realize he was a model prisoner. Closer to home, Charles Williams was up for parole for the fifth time since 1984 in Columbia. Williams was convicted for the murder of three teenage girls in 1976. He did not get paroled, but should this guy even get the chance? He was supposedly sentenced to life in prison. Michael Dukakis got crucified in the press for furloughing convicted rapist Willie Horton, but most don't realize that the federal prison system under Reagan used to do the same thing. The federal and state prisons also parole people regularly that go out and commit more crimes. The only course of action to be taken is to HE EDITOR vq it. Believe in do with basketball game; s. See you when I get unity. The United S rushed into an unneces We do not think it is tl Scott Keyes stan(* unquestioningly 1 USC student government, "no mattei felt before this war starte We support the troo k not snort M^e East s?much ^ r them to come back alive ew^rr|ff?l*|pf1 not be silent while there W IL1ICU alternatives to sacrificinj diers' lives. This is not on ball game; it is war. ;er is in response to Mirple's letter entitled Lila must show support." In International stud Ms. Marple compares Ni( the Middle East to a ba- International stud ame. She states that a basketball game, can be t _ a a ? ; rough "team unity," LcttCF WFI s jeopardized by _ # ions .. ? overly cril ill, wars are not won. * war is over, tens of To the editor: }f Americans and Iraqis Well. After reading N id. Does this constitute cos' shocking letter rebu f you went to a basket- Wright's editorial (Gami where most of the play- 21), I feel that I can i mention some of the wrong in Spiros' than were killed, would you (pardon the familiarity) u won the game? A war certain frustrated disgust ae. words; perhaps that is I e President has sent in of his overstatements, he has called up the re- 1. "She, like many the bombs are flying." Americans, couched her jver, is not the time to a party-line (the NAAC1 p and support our gov- blames ... whites." Wh; matter what it may de- alization. True, generate In Iraq, people are not only unfair when applied demonstrate against its dividual, but this is t Also, I saw no blame in as, on the other hand, against whites, only aga emocracy that exists to of thought >eople. We need to let She does quote, "1 ment know our opin- never been wise, how will our lead- single .. . commitment /hen they are making a Americans to genuine a African-Americans," but g does not "provoke in- ing is vague. Of course, i ior does it "divide our there hasn't been enough ; is not the cause of di- cists are a stubborn lot. the evidence that our she expect? ilready divided. Demon- 2. True, King plagiari 5 part of the democratic hunks of his dissertat s very thing that Ameri- This does not reflect we oclaiming to defend in as a person, but does it < East We are not spec- subtance of his messi ling a basketball game. Gogh was nuts; does tl zens who are responsi- from his genius? And \ government's actions. not he was a womanizer Marple is right about irrelevant King was a m ? we are making his- to human pressures, is history has nothing to 3. "... the bulk of > ^ "~1 _ ' f ^eds rpfnrm ? ? wmyf * -^srn. vr* AAJL use the prisons not as overstuffed holding pens, but as places of rehabilitation. This is no bleeding-heart suggestion. All prisoners aren't Charles Manson clones; some can definitely be helped. Unfortunately, prison wardens are too busy keeping inmates from sodomizing each other to care about turning them away from a life of crime. Prisons must have the space and resources to start giving psychological help to prisoners. And instead of prison, why not move minor offenders into counseling centers? This is a good way to prevent them from becoming major offenders. Of course, the best way to prevent crime is to change the situations that spawn it: unemployment, poverty and hopelessness. Some would call this suggestion a cliche, but the truth is never cliched. The cost of jobtraining and rehab programs is made up for in the long run by lessened need for more prisons ana law entorcement. I draw the line at paroling murderers and v maniacs that cut off people's hands, but if we as a nation don't think misguided people can mend their ways, why bother running a country? And why let Richard Nixon run around free? . ' 1 MM : ............... ! i i.nn i ,,,, .1II MM 11: ! i i III Iiii m 1111 r Ij iii 11 r ? and team thinking is in biblical paradigms." tates has Spare me, Mr. Papleacos, King ;sary war. was a man of the cloth. How " lie time to would you rather him think? >ehind the 4. 1 agree wholeheartedly with r how we his assessment of one of the moved." ment's top goals. Such restructur- ; ps in the ing of the mind-set of 250 million it we want people is naive, at least for the >. We will next few generations. The time are other when we shift from a "thingl our sol- oriented society to a persona basket- oriented society" is when those "things" are universally accessable at negligible cost. Not soon, in Faulkner other words, as King wished. , lies senior 5. " ... some civilizations have :ole Berry continuous written histories longer lies senior than others. And perhaps those recorded cultures enable immigrants of those cultures to function effecHvl tively in a high capitalist demo1 | cracy." I think it is safe to say that [ICai "African-Americans" (what a clumsy word) have been well acculturated ? they've been here a [r. Paplea- good 200 years or so. Mr. Paplea- ! itting Miss cos' point needs backup. >cock, Jan. ^ Rinnti \i \/fr Ponlp9f*fte swmc - ??? see more jx> say that if a certain segment of Octavia's society is economically oppressed, . I read a jt ls because they are of low intelin Spiros' Ugence and are derived of low- ; the source intelligence breeding. They will, therefore, be burdened by the soAfrican ciai problems of which we are all rhetoric in aware as a matter of course. He . >'s) which cit^ two researchers, and finishes it a gener- by implying that this is the cause nations are 0f the rampant "oppression" and I to the in- not discrimination, oo much. i am not familiar with Murray her words Herstein's research, but I do incfr o wou -? " Know mat ror every study finding those results, there are more who here has fm(j no signiflcant differences in any racial intelligence (once there is of white adjustment for cultural bias), quality for The drive behind Mr. Papleacos' her mean- contentions seems to be a disgust there isn t; 0f ]> King's passionate following. i time! Ra- uttering His Name doesn't stir any What does ?I :? ; _:.i U... ya.1 uCUUtl piUSlUH lit IHC, C1U1W) UUl only one of a special sort of love zed ^'large an(j genius could write, "Free at ion." So? lastj free at last! Thank God alii on King mighty, we are free at last!" :hange the i WOuld rather not involve myage? Van seif in the rhetoric surrounding lat detract these social problems ? but I will vhether or say that to blame it on one or even is, I think, several factors is simplistic. Too an subject bad it's not that easy. Alex Suaudom the man's " *"* "Biology sophomore