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1 i Freedom? America gears up to celebrate its freedom, but no one else's The United States of America will celebrate the two hundred fifteenth year of its independence tomorrow. Slovenia and Croatia would like to have something to celebrate too, if they receive our support. God only knows if they will get it. One can never say enough about America's selective vision in matters of independence. The Thirteen Colonies seceded from the British Empire. That was fine. The Colonists won. The Confederate States of America formally seceded from the U.S., but they were wrong. They lost. Winners write the history books. More recently, we seem to be saying that Lithuania and other Soviet republics have the right to secede because they did so peacefully and democratically. The Kurds were encouraged to secede from Iraq as long as absolutely no help was given whatsoever. Slovenia and Croatia seceded from Yugoslavia through a democratic process just like the Soviet Baltic states, but wait a minute ... This is not necessarily to say that America should rush to give diplomatic recognition to the breakaway Yugoslavian states. What is needed is consistency. The United States should back all peaceful independence movements that claim a majority of those involved, or none at all. We should condemn oppression everywhere, whether it comes from the Red Army in Lithuania or the Yugoslavian Army in Slovenia OR we should let secessionist mm;Ampntc Ka AnicVioH UlVTVUlVlllO IA/ V1UOHW. Even if the U.S. does end up giving diplomatic support to the Slovenian and Croatian independence movement; that will be cold comfort to the Kurdish and Shi'ite rebels that died after President Bush encouraged their revolt against Iraq. Anyway you look at it, the U.S. had better get its priorities in order. Bush and Secretary Baker seem overwhelmed by the pace of world events, and they need a moral, consistent plan to deal with future revolts and civil wars. America can't roll dice to decide its foreign policy. I . iBf?an A MurviriF News: 777-7726 Advertising: 777-4249 David Bowden Editor in Chief Tige Watts Aaron Sheinin News Editor Carolina Life Editor Rich Taylor Daniel Barabas Sports Editor Graphics Editor Julie Bouchillon Photo Editor Jennifer Jablonski Copy Desk Chief Ed Bonza Erik Collins Director of Student Media Faculty Adviser Laura S. Day Ray Burgos Production Manager Assistant Production Manager Renee Gibson Carolyn Griffin Advertising Manager Business Manager Letter* Policy: The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be, at maximum, 250 to 300 words long. The writer must include ful 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 at letters sent. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible libel or in case of space limitations. The newspaper will nof withhold nomes i inder anv circumstance. View iCAMl American: Has anybody seen the American The United States is one of the bes best) countries in the world, yet Ar from the ideals set by the Founding fact, I wonder how many America lieve in the spirit of individuality ? of belief that this country was found The government (federal, state ar croaches on the rights of individi time, telling them, among other thin to do with their own bodies. Goven ference runs from the relatively m marijuana to important things like on abortions. For example, the Louisiana stafc passed the most restrictive anti-abo the nation last June 18. Once again emment tries to tell its female citiz do with their bodies. Hopefully tl preme Court will deem this bill tional, but since almost all the lib are gone, don't count on it. By the new and improved Louisiana, a gi her father has to report the crime \ Fourth ol This coming July Fourth means 5 I used to think the United State! was the best country in the world. 1 don't feel the same way. On this Independence Day, I ci think about how disappointed our fathers would be if they saw us. These were great men who pre tioned their government, and belie selves. When they broke away, the country veterans of ten later wars v protect. When they set up their govemn tablished a government that prote< the government Well, it's time to wake up and s turds the 1980s released. The biggest turd of all has to tx tive nation. It became uncool to be question the government. It becar fight for privacy. It became uncoo criminal rights. It became uncool ourselves. It's a sad fact, but almost all speech judges we used to have court are gone. Thurgood Marshall leaves only two liberals on the be 6-2 conservative edge, I'll bet m BmrntMrnmrnammmmmmmmmmmmimmmmmmmmmmmmm LETTERS Drugs aren't U.S. problem There were a couple of things in the April 5 issue of The Gamecock, which caught my eye, not the least being an advertisement by an organization which refers to itself as the Partnership for a Drug r? - A rree America, an uigam-tauuii which appears to have a, well, let us say a "cozy" relationship with Big Business. The first question that enters the mind (of one whose mind is not unaware of the slick nature of Goebbelian propaganda) is just who are the "Partners" in this selfappointed Committee of Salvation and just where do they get the money to purchase the barrage of commercial time on the Letterman show from which they belch forth their party line. Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out (indeed a rocket scientist might not figure it out, rocket scientists being quite concerned with building nuclearpowered rockets at the present) that this Committee of Salvation is quite an efficient little machine, well "oiled" with big bucks from industry and government (quite synonomous terms actually). How else can it afford the incessant barrage of commercial time it purchases on TV? POINT mock s must stop nerica is far DAVIE uals all the days or she cannot have an as what not At the samp, time wnmp nment inter- over their reproductive sys inor ban on are being subject to the wh restrictions protectors, the police. The < given the police frightenir ; legislature and seizure. A cop can rtion bill in search your car for illegal a state gov- rant. Sure the police don't ens what to they do it to teenagers (th< le U.S. Su- the better, but white adoles unconstitu- to police harassment either eral justices not be a model citizen, but way, in the try to the very real problem irl raped by And don't accuse me of vithin seven saying these things. Believi f July a holl jquat to me. s of America # * _ t's a shame I | ; % TIG an't help but m liberal fore- \ (tested, ques ved in them'y set forth a Roe v. Wade will be overt /ould fight to I'll also bet my last c rights established in the c lent, they es- ased by the turn of the < cted us from fair trials. imell the dog What reaUy yanks my don't really care either. T1 ? a conserva- out their own ^ing t0 lo?l a liberal and country &11 to tower level; ne uncool to They don t stop to see ; 110 advocate cans *n White House. to think for i g0t a call the other v call Republicans stupid. of the free base il on with morons 1 on the high nunu- Rea8an, Campbell, s retirement having P?wer at one inch. With a 13118 on them next week>" y last dollar But these morons are c TO THE EDITO ? i... .J i : The Committee has continuously attempted to portray drugs as a j scapegoat in American society and ] this it has done with the zeal of a < Jesuit priest and the shrill voice of i a Bible thumping street preacher (Praise God and pass the snake 1 oil!). "Drugs are ruining this countrv! Drues are a scourge on human i society! It's the Coleridges, the De I Quinceys, the Huxleys and the J Morrisons who are responsible for human decadence!" cries the Com- < mittee for Salvation. I suppose that it is not too surprising that in a society that still believes in possession of the body by an extra-human agency (i.e. the Devil) that the pipers of industry find it is easy to pipe the children of Hamlin into the mountain and pipe the American dream, along with other things, out to sea. The unvarnished truth of the matter is that it is industry and its Big Bucks who are the corrupting influence in our society. It is the Keatings, the Neil Bushes, the good ol' boys, their lobbyists over at the State House and the Jims (both of them) who are the real criminals, but there's a witch hunt on and its the Rodney Kings who are being burned. "Give us Barabas!" cry the apologists for Holderman and Darryl Gates. Well, Caiphas and Barabas come as a matching set and the government we get is the government we deserve. limiting fr< V has the rigl L_ - anything ti ) BOWDEN rights is no original inte ing conservt that want tc do. J The firing abortion. potentially n are losing control and "blackn terns, all Americans Orwell's N ims of our supposed liberals wot :rusade on drugs has think racist ig powers of search equality a h get a "hunch" and Yes, Am drugs with no war- Fourth of Ji do this to rich guys; the United S i poorer and blacker has never a cents aren't immune all America ). Rodney King may it would be he alerted the coun- goals now. of police brutality. leader of th< being a "liberal" for tion of nitv ing that an American records. low celebr office, becai E WATTS SoUwfVg? barely 10 pe Well, the away politic using it Where w urned. Such a shame. War. We fc lollar all the criminal regime, whi institution will be er- squeeze a g :entury. So much for fight for in Lithuania, v chain is that people NOTHING, ley're too worried ab- I wish T k around and see their here and si s. the chance i all the stupid Republi- as a Democi Tell the c /eek asking me why I are c^ea^- ^ Well, I have a lot to gJ"eat Prc ike Bush, Quayle, Su- bre ' u hUI , Thurmond and Ford T . . ) or another (more de- P? g v probably th< written. But ontinuously voted into try is nothin p IX To be complicit through silence is to turn the Constitution and the Bill of Rights into meaningless documents. This letter is an attempt to rectify complicity through speech, not to sway heads and hearts, but if it does, then good! The next time you see a message from the Committee of Salvation, ask yourself, "What about the Kurds?" Thomas Williams tra lafn?*n4iaa*A ?ta*0/lllQ#A ouuipmauTv uiti aiui t auuaiv student Campus radio could improve I'm writing to air my irritation with the management of the Grand Marketplace for subjecting students, faculty, staff and visitors to loud commercial radio during their meals.' During the regular academic year, the cafeteria provides not only sustenance but a place for reading, writing papers and studying for tests over meals. As all students know, it is sometimes necessary to eat with one hand while turning pages with the other. This activity is rarely obstructed by the radio, which is played at very low volume if at all. After all, the Grand Marketplace is not a private restaurant; it is presumably a service provided by the I i ?i ?r ???? \ ^ r P C , \ Wednesck s* eedom it to say, think, watch, read or ik lat doesn't interfere with others' radical ideology. By defending the >nt of the U.S. Constitution, I'm beative. it is the radical right and left > edit what Americans can think or e left's crusade to purge English of offensive phrases like "mankind" tail" is amazingly similar to George fewspeak from 1984. The superild have Americans unable to even thoughts. Psychos like that give ad name. ericans should still celebrate the ly. It symbolizes the ideals which States has strived to obtain. The U.S. }me close to individual freedom for ns, but we are closer than ever, and unconscionable to throw away our I want the United States to be a e Free World, not a pathetic collecvits squabbling over 2 Live Crew ation lse people don't care. A good turnational election is only 50 percent xl turnout for USC's elections is rcent -J ? Supreme Cour. might as well take :al speech, because we sure aren't ere the protesters during the Gulf rnght for a country with a ruthless ile folks in Yugoslavia can't even renade out of us as they start their dependence. What did we do for /hen they wanted to be just like us? homas Jefferson could come back ap some peofle around. However, of that happering is about the same rat beating Btfh in '92. hildren Democracy and Santa Claus iey're both convenient lies blown up - T T 7_ - ? ? portions, unfortunately, wnen uiey ts. for the folks reading this. This is e most sorrowful column I've ever what can you say when your coung like the propaganda says it is. iii^1'!!11rt"i1'" ' iii!irifi'i11 it i111iTTi'iif i 1 university to further its educational mission. Since the jummer session began, however, this state of affairs has been disrupted. The radio is now so loud throughout the cafeteria that conversation may be possible, hut focused reading is not One wonders if IPs disruption reflects a change in management policy, or simply the whim of whoever comes in fir^ in the morning. Perhaps tie loud radio-playing is an attemp; to provide ambience for summer school students; it is true that thf cafeteria is nearly empty at tiir?s, and without background must it might be rather depressing, if this is the motivation, however, let us at least hear real music *nd real, intelligent news, without commercials ?that's what ?TV radio is for. The station we are subjected to, WSCQ-FM, with its "lite" music and morning pseudo-interviews, is offensive to a university audience. What is the state's ETV station for if even the state's major university doesn't want tP hear it? If there are others out there who feel as I do about this, why not drop in at the Grand Marketplace and let the onager know, as I have? Alexis Beltrami English graduate student