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Abortion Federal judge wrongly criticized for protecting legitimate business Federal District Judge Patrick Kelly last week sentenced an anti-abortion protester to four months in jail for his efforts to interfere with the operation of two abortion clinics in Wichita, Kansas. Judge Kelly should be commended for taking strong action to protect these clinics from the constant harassment they are receiving from the Operation Rescue anti-abortion group. Operation Rescue's efforts to close the two clinics is borderline terrorism. The group has set up a virtual blockade of the clinics, even going so far as to stall cars in front of one clinic. Females who want abortions have to run a gauntlet of screaming religious zealots who insult them and try to physically prevent their entry. Since July 15, little over a month ago, Wichita police have made 2,100 arrests of anti-abortion protesters outside the clinics. Despite Operation Rescue's militancy, Judge Kelly has actually been criticized by members of the U.S. Justice Department for his threats of more jail sentences if the protests continue. Simply put, Kelly is enforcing the law of the land. Abortion is a right, and Operation Rescue is abusing their right to free speech and assembly by preventing women from exercising their right to have an abortion. This is not some ridiculous case nf mastnrhatinn in a mnvip theater, this is a law that can affect the lives of millions of women. As long as abortion is legal, Judge Kelly should bring all his judicial powers to bear to keep those clinics open. Operation Rescue members that have participated in these excessive protests are no martyrs; they should be treated like the common criminals they are. Judge Kelly, those who support justice thank you. Harassment Florida police obviously have spare time for masturbation Sarasota, Florida must be the nicest city in the country. Evidently, there are no murderers, pimps, rapists, drug dealers, burglars or muggers anywhere in town, because all the Sarasota police have to do is arrest people for masturbation. That Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee-Wee Herman) was the person arrested is irrelevant. Sure, we all laughed at the inevitable jokes; the situation is easy to laugh at. But keep in mind that Reubens was not in front of an elementary school; he was in an X-rated theater. There has never been a more victimless crime. In a world of violence and horror, it is amazing that police anywhere would waste the manpower to raid movie theaters for "indecent exposure." It would be interesting to see how many people were killed, robbed or raped in Sarasota that night while the city's finest kept the pom theaters safe from smut. Police in Florida have a terrible image problem that is only get ung wuisc. wiui every person mey arresi ior masiuroaung or selling 2 Live Crew albums, Florida's police make their state seem like the backwater of the country. Florida is not a backwater. It is one of the fastest growing states in America, with modem cities and industry. But Florida does have a massive problem. Florida is infested with violent crime; Miami is one of the murder capitals of the United States. Which such a deluge, one would think the police would have better things to do. The message to Florida's police ? and all police ? is simple: Stop harassing innocent people and fight real crime. That is what they pay you for. Gripe of the Week Greenstreet's, one of the nicest bars in Columbia and one of the city's few genuine nightclubs, is closing soon. Greenstreet's hosted many big names in alternative music, such as Primus and the Meat Puppets. The club also regularly booked blues and jazz talents such as Branford Marsalis and Johnny Winter. It will be missed. iGAMECOCKl 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 Jennifer Jablonski Copy Desk Chief Laura s. Day Ray Burgos Production Manager Assistant Production Manager Renee A. Gibson Carolyn Griffin Advertising Manager Business Manager Erik Collins Faculty Adviser letters Policy: The Gamecock wil try to print al tetters 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 al letters sent. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit tetters for style, possible Sbel or in case of space limitations. The newspaper will not withhold names under any circumstance. JkoSlOSAUfflS/Mk MMmr/cc/s/Mm President lists a After three months of learning more about [~ each of our nine campuses statewide, I have found the University of South Carolina to be a dynamic institution whose academic mission is thriving. This may sound surprising if recent media at- g tention were used as a barometer of the univer- lH sity's direction. Since becoming president of Carolina in March, I have found this a first-class university sei system wun excellence in academics, siuaeni an services, diversity and cultural life. 1,( In my travels throughout the system I have thi met with students, faculty, staff, administrators, die alumni, state leaders, university support groups, I media representatives and civic organizations. I mz have seen every sign that the academic quality ne< and the potential of the university continue to cal improve. It is moving credibly toward increas- US ing national recognition as a system joined by edi remarkable people and programs. For instance: Lai The university's core curriculum is one of in the most comprehensive of its kind in the coun- are; try requiring all undergraduates to take courses a ui from the fine arts to the sciences, including | mathematics, foreign languages, English, his- lin) tory and logic. This curriculum is instilled with anc the university's historic commitment to the lib- acc eral arts as a foundation for full intellectual I development Sta Carolina's 1990-1991 freshmen class had cal 20 percent minority students, while our student put body includes representatives from 113 coun- pee tries and has twice as many minority graduate tha students as Duke University and UNC-Chapel I Hill combined. Our student population reflects leg the cultural diversity of our globally integrated am world and brings together the work force that cla: industry will see as we move toward the 21st sid< century. sup n ihtt J _ on ice iyi i, gruwin in campuses uuisiae um Columbia has nearly doubled. More than 16,000 sch students now attend these campuses. I Our four-year campuses continue to prove last the value of the system concept. USC-Coastal Cre Carolina's enrollment is growing faster than any Phi other public college in the state, USC-Aiken The x Summer in Cc Well it's been three long months since ,-fyou've been in this oasis, so I'll try to catch ~ ? ~ C 4k* ? J yuu up uh a icw uiuigs you ve missea: We got a new basketball coach, Steve Newton. Senior safety Leon Harris got kicked off the team for unknown reasons. "Violating athle- g tic policy" was the official word. l4J It rained the entire-month of July. My ark ni was almost complete, but I couldn't find the fe- ci male Bengal Tiger to complete my list. he Yes 97, WYYS, a popular Columbia radio station, has switched its format from pop-40 to ni: all-country. Goodbye Paula, hello Hank. ar J.D. Stickey's, a popular outdoor hang-out 01 in Five Points has closed. No more gagwhichs. fo What a shame. As long as we're talking Five w Points, I might as well mention that no, ABC dc did not just disappear over the summer. About a tei week ago those protectors of justice busted sp fourteen different locations in Five Points, in- so eluding Circle K. They sent a narc into the bars cc to see if he could get served, and if he did, he and his buddies came back later that night to it. settle the score. How does this guy sleep at at ichievements / ; ? JOHN M. PALMS USC President rves 40 percent adult learners who are age 24 d up, and at USC-Spartanburg more than XX) students are pursuing the master's degree ough our renowned Graduate Regional Stu:s program. Our university campuses continue to itch their services to their community's ids. USC-Salkehatchie offers pioneering edu:ional opportunities to rural areas, while !C-Beaufort and USC-Sumter enhance the icational goals of our armed services. USCncaster has a major impact upon health care that region, and USC-Union provides that a with diverse educational offerings that only niversity could provide. I A state-of-the-art computer library system Icing all nine campuses provides our faculty I students ? and any resident of the state ? ?ss to 5.7 million volumes and microfilms. We are the first university in the United tes to ensure that students with severe physiimpairments have access to the same comers and software as their non-handicapped >rs. This is part of the caring environment II have seen at this university. I South Carolina College, our honors cole, enrolls more than 700 students from ong the top one perecent of their graduating sses. Ninety percent of these students are resnts of our state. The honors college offers a erior education to young people who might lerwise attend academically acclaimed ools outside of South Carolina. I USC Physics Professor Yakir Aharonov month was awarded the prestigious Elliott isson Medal from the Franklin Institute in ladelphia for his work in theoretical physics. 5 Cresson Medal is one of the most coveted ilumbia full Aaron sheinin <m3*? ght? He obviously has no desire to have a so al life in Columbia. If word ever got out wh( ; was, well, let's just say I wouldn't feel safe. But isn t great to know that we have an orga zation like ABC to look out for us? Since m e, after all, too young and immature to do i irselves. Let's pause a second to give thank; >r having them, like a security blanket, t( atch over us. No, on second thought let'; rn't. Let's ask if they don't have anything bet r to do. Let's ask if our tax dollars couldn't Ix lent better. Hey maybe we could clean uj >me of those crack houses. Nah, let's go bus liege kids instead. Also, beware, this is probably not the end oi Now they have a head of steam, they prob ly will be back very soon. You also have ; )UD MOM * I of USC system in the scientific world. Past recipients include Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, Orville Wright and Madam Curie. Our College of Business Administration includes the nation's number one international business program. The college's graduate program recently was selected by U.S. News and World Report as one of five "up and comers" in the nation. Its 23,000 graduates reside in all 50 states and more than 60 countries. President Bush recently recognized our Law School's pro bono program as the 44th "point of light." The program serves the state by providing legal services free to economically disadvantaged South Carolinians. Our School of Medicine leads the nation in the percentage of graduates entering primary care medicine. Its graduates also stay in-state to practice at a higher percentage than graduates from any other medical school outside of California and Texas. The university's Southeast Manufacturing Technology Center, which transfers technological advancements to 975 small and mediumsized manufacturers in South Carolina, has been called by U.S. Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher "the best of its kind in the nation." TTCr"o imnort linnn thp ctotp o* Hi WVJV/ J WWUU11UV Illl^uvk *-*v OIUIV VAceeds $1.56 billion annually. Such a closer look at the breadth of excellence in the USC system explains the extent of support for the university I have found statewide. As the state's only comprehensive university system ? with more than 40,000 students and 2,200 faculty members ? we are committed to improving the quality of life for all South Carolinians. We are a system whose campuses are blessed by dedicated faculty known for their good teaching, and by support that has been well earned over a history of accomplishments. The university is alive and well. It continues its leadership across the spectrum of its roles in teaching, research and public service. It is now our challenge to move forward with , a comprehensive sense of our institution's character and capabilities. of surprises fT, new ordinance in Richland County to worry abl out. Dick Harpootlian, Richland County solici' tor, restricted alcohol possession in public places. I'm not real sure what that means, but it ^ can't be good. So if you're walking around Five Points with a cup in your hand, beware. Is all this really necessary? Or does it just make criminals out of innocent people. Do you 5 really believe that this is going to stop anyone from drinking underage? Or is it that you think . it will stop people from drinking and driving? I ? don't see it. Is it going to take drastic measures t to stop it? I wonder what would happen if all 5 the owners got together and told the public who j has paid who for advance warnings of raids. Oh 5 no, this doesn't happen, not in the squeeky. clean Alcoholic Beverage Control. , Everyone just remember what state you're in. j Anything is possible. From mini-bottles to blue t laws to corruption in government, this state is slowly and quietly going right down the road to f - long-term embarrassment. Soon, even Missisi sippi will be laughing at us.