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Friday, September 27, 1991 Proliferation < T T 1 T f 11 -1 T u.i\. snouia recognize tnat Iraq not only country developing nukes ' Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is obviously feeling the pressure. t The United Nations, and particularly the United States, are t threatening grave consequences if his country does not abandon its nuclear weapons program. War is not desirable, but the thought of s a cruel dictator with a nuclear arsenal is even less appetizing. I Thus, the present confrontation. 1 However, Iraq is unfortunately not alone in its efforts to deve- ? lop nuclear weapons. The unstable regime in Pakistan has finished its nuclear research, and is believed to have woricing A-bombs. !! Brazil, Argentina, Taiwan, South Korea and Iraq's arch-enemy u Iran are all believed to have nuclear research programs underway. The threat to the world is immediately dangerous and getting worse. Nuclear proliferation is a huge problem looming on the horizon. Only concerted effort by the United States and its allies c will prevent the problem from spreading. There are things that can be done: r France and Red China, two nations with little scruples about c selling nuclear materials to the highest bidder, should be a threatened with sanctions if they continue their reckless j< profiteering. n Even more importantly, Israel should be willing to reduce (if d not eliminate) its nuclear stockpiles. Israel is believed to have more warheads than China! This awesome inventory is an obvious P threat to its Arab neighbors. In turn, these neighbors (like Iraq) have responded by developing their own weapons. The Middle East is the most likely area of the world where a nuclear war is a real possibility. Finally, the nuclear weapons of the old Soviet Union must be p dealt with in a sensible matter. If just one of those weapons falls into the hanrls of international terrorist? the ontenme rnnlH he Hie. aster. The new Soviet government must account for every single nuclear warhead and bomb. Nuclear weapons will never be abolished completely. They are too easy to make in the modem industrial society. It has been said v that the non-nuclear Western powers (such as Germany and Japan) I can develop these weapons in deployable form within a single year, if they so choose. The threat will always be there, but the s danger can lessened with international, coordinated action. * 1 GAMECOCK ''I Tc News: 777-7726 Advertising: 777-4249 toi Chris Silvestri 23 Editor in Chief au David Bowden Brant Long pa Managing Editor/Viewpoint Editor Copy Desk Chief co Tige Watts Octavia Wright News Editor Carolina Life Editor j j Aaron Sheinin Teddy Lepp wi Sport.? F/iitrtr Phntnornnhv Fsiitnr WJ un - -? tic Patrick Villegas Gordon Mantler ln?e Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor sli Tracey Davis rich Taylor m< Asst. Carolina Life Editor Asst. Sports Editor wl SCI Virginia Marshall Greg Rickabaugh Asst. Copy Desk Chief Asst. Photography Editor qu Tc Wayne Williams Eric Glenn wi Comics Editor Darkroom Technician ^ Tc Renee A. Gibson Laura S. Day al( Asst. Media Director/Advertising Manager Production Manager ca Stacie Lewis Ray Burgos ey Asst. Advertising Manager Asst. Production Manager wi Erik Collins Carolyn Griffin ?f, faculty Adviser Business Manager lai Lara Chapman is Asst. Classified Manager all Letters Policy: The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be. at ^ ^ximum, 250 to 300 words long. The writer must include full name, professional title if ell 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. IHl in) /iEW k;am i Columnis The raw casuistry in two letters ecent column on abortion (the scr )f which, I must point out, did n( ny pen) makes it worthwhile for ime to try to properly frame the his clears things up. I begin by yielding to my cri ophism in my previous column: lave deemed "pio-abortion" the hemselves "pro-choice." Such ; eem to impute to them a Hitlerian ife that I of course know they do nore precise rhetorical formulati< pro-legal abortion," and that is tl se. But why not "pro-choice?" ^ 'choice" in this context is an unfe >f the moral higher ground, ibortionists "anti-choice?" Are eproductive freedom?" Of coun rterely hold that a woman's 4 hoose" lies in her decision to eng bstain from, sexual intercourse; th set herself to the risk of becoming tot to. Their central tenet is the pr ividual responsibility, which, far t choice," upholds it, and pays won liment of holding themselves acc le choices they make. Any talk of "choice" beyond th ; defined," and that "personal ch le "only logical conclusion." The first part of her objection snsed with immediately. Life beg Minister I saw a good corned) Monda) yas called "Hell's Bells" and the leelzefoub lives in my roomie's CE The speaker, Ken Dew, said ro< uch an influence over people toda personal friend of mine, uses it t eople to have sex, rebel, take dru tie toilet seat up. What was even more humoroi uy's theme was his delivery. I e leas, good or bad. We need bad i( 'hat good ones are and fortunatel oiler really helped me identify a g But the real question is: Does ang around in "rock" music? Dew said Lucifer influenced sue! neers like Madonna. Genrcrp Mirt ed Zeppelin, The Beastie Boys a ork Choir Boys. Gee, I'm sure Satan hangs wit he last time I read about Madonn svout Catholic that liked to ban] age. And I'm sure after listening to >ng, I want to go right out and f< al, Dew. This is all just an act t ly. People don't listen to Made ght out and imitate her. If they d erman wouldn't be going blind ale . t??m^miiiihiiiihiiiiii Tier promotes acist images ) the editor: After reading the Viewpoint edirial entitled "Racism" on Sept. , I decided to contribute my part this "racial understanding" the t_ _ r inor wants so mucn 01. First, there is a thin line between rody and prejudice. Some in this mmunity believe "Cockwheat" is an attempt to dance across it line without being noticed. As ead this, it became obvious that loever masterminded this piece is not thinking or trying to derstand the issues. The quesins that the audience was asked ponder are the very questions eded to dicredit the author's itement that Cockwheat is jrely parody and USC studetns 10 oppose it are losing their rise of what is important. With this in mind, the first real estion posed is "What is funny?" > some, the infamous commercial th the line "I've fallen and I n't get up" is hysterically funny. > someone who is disabled and me, this is reality. Therefore, hudt and importance fall in the tegory with beauty; it is in the e of the beholder. To someone th characteristics similar to that Cockwheat ? imperfect Engli, kinky hair, thick lips ? the lghter directed at this character also at them. Is this assumption false? This brings us to our next ques>n: is Cockwheat contributing to inic hatred and terror? Before I y yes, I'd like to say that African story in public schools has been inimized to slavery and peaceful tegration. And it is so eas? to id about Cockwheat and sublon POIN1 IXOCK it once agai critical of my r??????????? ewy headline Ddiam II )t come from DHIAN M me one last issue. I hope tics a minor should not ^g stans growjng ? SCi y ,0 .Ca are not widely suppose* i label does seems to me t0 say contempt for whet.her a fetus is a hi not have. A mink, js what Ms Harrj )n would be rather extreme epistem le one will ^e last instance, of coui lutely sure about anythir ''ell, because Is my next door neig lir usurpation over for tea, say) a m . Are anti- amoeba impersonating a they "anti- 11 feet tall when no e not. They But. . . how can you b< 'freedom to sure of his moral status, ;age in, or to him if he plays his ster lat is, to sub- swer is of course "no," pregnant, or have proposed is, strict] inciple of in- realm of possibility, I ha rom denying reason to alter the assunr ten the com- is a man. countable for The burden of proof 1 here failed to live up t is point is a with the pro-legal abort! oice" is thus properly formulated, is i being?" but rather, "if it can be dis- then why not, and what i ins when the This seems to me t( Dew few b ' evening. It ft" speaker said m ^ ) player. %> :k music has ? 1 iy that Satan, o manipulate igs and leave HEMI it- - ? ? Yviiai aooui reoemor not mistaken, we're a < n 3 U p ail belled from the British ncourage all leas to know a pretty decent goverr v Mr Holy lantly' we set up ^ fir ood idea. The first amendment Satan reallv lets us use lhe press' really kind Qf religiori) criticize the government ti groups and In order for progress lael, AC/DC, change. In order for ch nd The New must be rebellion. Th< phrasing Jefferson, a liti h Madonna. Oh, and for drugs, g a, she was a going to be around for g herself on blame rock 'n' roll for I had a drug problem i a Madonna taught us how to smoke jrnicate. Get Dew also brought up o make mo- playing a song backwa mna and go able. One of the clips si id, Pee Wee way to Heaven," callinj >ne. way when played backv LETTERS TO .. i "H" i n i sciously reason that "Blacks be's Buckwheat," which would be correct if that is all the knowledge you store on African people. This is dangerous in itself, but if you add to this scenario eight too many beers, Williams-Brice could have been another Besonhurst. Lastly: did Cockwheat warrant a hOVrr?tl9 Tft thic T aclr vaii* waiiW j -v/fcv, * V Miiu, M. UvlIV J UU. TTUU1U you give your money to people that support degrading your character and add wind to the flames of racism and systematic genocide on you and people who look like you? The time has come to bust up "white" lies. They are killing us all. And those who are hangin' on to that backwards flier: recycle, it's better for OUR environment Deirdra Reed African-American studies sophomore Any person can be a racist To the editor: Robert Ellington's conclusion that only persons of European descent can be racists here in America is based on the idea that because Caucasians are in control of the power structure of American government, they alone are able to discriminate against minority groups. On the contrary, I am of the opinion that racism, is an evil that can be practiced by any person, regardless of his racial background or position. It must be recognized that many power structures exist in America besides the U.S. government, and individuals of any race may have control of these organizations. Within such structures are included positions of authority such as corporate manager, foreman, coach, r in attacks philosopl IcCARTER *cUeT lowed to be thougl tection u stitution. something dead things l'on can i to do. Beyond this, it choose a' that we can never know never? 311 oman being (for that, I pal conc is meant to say) is itself mo SC? ological skepticism. In Now, l se, one cannot be abso- pute this ig. Heather ;hbor (the one I invited status of an, or is he a paisley woman's man? Or perhaps he is The fa one is looking? (no? an act o ' sure?) And being un- body, bul may I put a bullet into by an aci eo too loudly? The an- body. On because though what I reignty" j [y speaking, within the were not ve given no compelling ing there iption that my neighbor might jus tea and tl ies with me, and I have seems to i o iL Likewise, I think, Darcy onists; for the question, tains that lot "is a fetus a human once and ; is not a human being, frame th< s it?" questions i .. ... ?- 1-. ?L ) oe me ngni way to ??ciciy ui ricks shor Gee thi fact peop riGE WATTS wards an, that will Satan" m; circles an< forehead. i, Dew? Let's see, if I'm ^ peop :ountry of rebels. We re- ^ys in the 1770s and set up 'n8 to ^ iment. But most impor- easily an< st amendment song bacl is pretty cool because it here, assemble, practice our When on our government and CD from t man Sata to occur, there must be few quesl ange to take place, there "Satar jrefore, Dewhead, para- roomie's lie rebellion never hurts, make me rpf IICph tr\ if t^tlirre ora 44 faaw MOVU iv li. JL/I UgJ OIV .IVV/liV a long time. But don't "Gee, 1 he drug problem. We've Dew guy, ever since the Indians ".eno 1 a cigarette. egnahc dl backmasking, the act of Enougl rds and ruining a turnt- you're be lowed Zeppelin's "Stair- Accordinj g for Satan to show the to Satan'; rards. machine j THE EDITOR educator, etc. Any person in authority is capable of discriminating against either those his decisions affect or those he comes in contact with. Moreover, it is my understanding that every individual has intrinsic authority over himself ? his actions, his words, his mindset. This final, personal position of authority over one's own decisions and creeds, whether these are put into action, vocalized or brooded over internally, makes every individual a potential racist, whether the individual in question is the President ot the United States or you, the reader. I do not deny that racism exists here in America, but I do deny anyone the privilege of relieving himself from the responsibility of choosing whether or not he will personally practice racial discrimination. Scott Murray Undeclared sophomore Gun control not solution To the editor: Shelley Magee's editorial (Sept. 11 Gamecock) on firearms is pure opinion, so I wanted to send some fartC Mc MorrOA on/4 monu r\f Kar itaj ma^w aiiu iiitanj vi iivi classmates have only been exposed to the socialist attack on the Bill of Rights from the news media and public schools, so I appreciate her confusion. The fact is that at this point in time, no one has been able to identify the make or model of the "machine gun" used in the robbery of the Charleston Bi-Lo, so it is still conjecture and allegation. True machine guns or fully automatic weapons are rarely seen even in t v 3 abortion lical chimera, because it is irrelevant to profound aspects of the issue. The real not whether a woman should be al"choose," but why a fetus should not fit human, and therefore entitled to nm. nder the 14th amendment of the ConIf a satisfactory answer to this quesbe given, then a woman's right to Portion is incidentally granted, but was id should never have been, the princiern. The right to life, on any sound tie, outweighs the right to choose. hose who wrote letters of criticism disassertion on two different grounds. Lowe, ignoring altogether the moral the fetus, reduces it to a question of "a sovereignty over her own body." llacy here of course is that abortion is f violence not against the mother's t against that of her child, which she, t of her own volition, contains in her ie could understand her bodily "soveincluding the right to abortion if she directly responsible for the fetus' bein the first place. But as it stands, one t as well invite his neighbor over for ien shoot him for trespassing. Or so it mA IIIV* M. Harris, on the other hand, main"there is no way anyone can decide for all when life begins and how life ; issue. I do not contend that these absolutely cannot be answered, but at they have not been. t of load it's nice, but who cares. I know for a le are too lazy to play songs backd when they do they're not puppets follow orders. When I hear "worship i heads not going to violently turn in i the number 666 won't appear on my le are so influenced by what a song wards then they deserve what's comjm. They shouldn't be led astray so d they shouldn't waste time playing a cwards. Let's use some common sense I was taking out the Violent Femmes my roomie's CD player, I saw old in having a party and I asked him a ions: i, is it true you hang out in my CD player and you're just waiting to kill my family?" k era uoy, egiT seY" Lucifer. What do you think about this " I asked. 0 ffo llaf and niatnuoM ot eman sih uohs eh kniht I" 1 said, I think. Just watch out when ipping to class with your headsets on. 5 to Ken Dew, you might be listening s order to kill your classmates with a gun. Los Angeles, and all of those involved in crimes in L.A. since 1978 were homemade (.003 percent of those seized). Most would not function. All automatic firearms are registered with the U.S. Treasury Dept. There has been a background check and waiting period since 1934, when the NRA drafted and pushed the law through Congress. Since 1934, not one of those registered firearms has ever been used in a crime. Concerning Ms. Magee's comment on semi-automatic rifles, they are quite rarely used in crimes. The so-called "assault rifles" banned from export by President Bush are too bulky and expensive for criminals. There are more than Iftfl.ftOO nf these in Ins Anap1*?c From 1978 to 1990, none were used in a crime. The Bill of Rights allows citizens to own the arms necessary to prevent tyranny. That would seem to include at least the same small arms used by the federal army. Both Denmark and Switzerland have higher levels of gun ownership than America, with much lower crime rates. Most homes in Switzerland have a machine gun. Crime has more to do with moral attitude than with opportunity or machinery. Using England as a model of gun control is ironic. The American Revolution began with England's efforts to control firearms. Fighting started when colonists intercepted a British seizure of gun powder. Anyone is entitled to an opinion. What makes an opinion valuable are the facts behind it Readers of a student newspaper are entitled to a modest attempt at journalism, wlich begins with the facts. Lee Muller