University of South Carolina Libraries
Viewpoint Liberties Student newspaper respects freedom of speech, expression Freedom of speech. Freedom of expression. Without those two Constitutional rights, this publication would not exist, particularly this page. The Gamecock is a member of that often unpopular body known as "the press." Despite the declining state of the press, we do our best to make this the University of South Carolina's newspaper, not the staff's newspaper. J " | One of the most important ways for us to accomplish that is by printing letters to the editor, which are the words of students and the voire of our rarrmne Thev arp MOT thr onininnc of Thr Gamecock staff. The only opinions of this staff are the ones you are currently reading. The nameless editorial that appears on this page every issue is the opinion of the staff. Under the First Amendment we have the right to use this space to say what we think. Under that same right, students can express their views in letters to the editor and opinions columns. We do not judge those opinions, except to make sure they are not libelous or obscene. We are oblidged to print as many as possible, that's the way the system is set up by law, and we adhere to that system, which gives equal opportunity to everyone. We encourage all students to submitt letters of 200 words or fewer. If they are longer, we can't promise they will appear in their entirety. That is our policy. We have to make room for everyone's opinion. It is quite possible to make your point in 200 words. If letters are longer, they will probably be cut. Letters to the editor may offend you, but the same right that allows you to say what you think allows letter writers to voice their opinions as well. And if we didn't run letters that offend you, we wouldn't have to run letters and columns that are important to you. In fact, we wouldn't be printing anything, because nothing we print will ever please everyone. We may disagree with what you have to say, but we will defend to the death your right to say it. Historv hpinQ had suc^an 'n^uence ?n south J & olina's outcome in the war betwec overlooked Although this is not a national day, Robert E. Lee should be ho To the editor: as an important part of Americai Today as I thumbed through The tory- This is not honoring a racist Gamecock and walkp/1 arrnce r-amrme hrtnnrincT a crmat ficrnrp frnm nnr n I saw time and time again articles and 1 know several responses wi fliers about the birthday of Martin written suggesting that this letter Luther King Jr. This is a national holi- tist. I believe in history and prese day and definitely a day to be history, not in racism, remembered. However, another great American s David Gall was born this past week. That man was Po|itica| Sci(.nce , not recognized in The Gamecock or across campus in any way. The man I T7i 4. am speaking of is, of course, General HidltlllS DFOCG Robert E. Lee. General Lee, like, many . other men of the time was forced into CM^HIPP^ ltltPn choosing sides at the outbreak of the Illicit Civil War. He was not anti-American; he merely chose the path of his state as 10 the editor: many other warriors of the time did. ' 'hat the manner in whic After the war he did everything he letter to the editor in the Jan. 17 could to reunite this nation so it could was edited by your staff grossly n stand tall and proud as it once had. presented my opinion regardin General Lee was a great American, a vamping ol the weight room faci great leader and a great man. Robert E. ^ d'd not say' nor djd 1 mean to i Lee had an enormous impact on this that I wanted a facility that adeqi nations history, just as Martin Luther services the female. The original King Jr. did decades later. It saddens said, simply want a facility me that a school as rich in history as adequately services the large nur USC refuses to mention a man who ?' students, both m^le and feir w Question: Would y< f *?*. <i ,JIM1 H|i Bk Hpr^H Erin Brady Nanc} English major Busin "Yes, I think he has done a "Nc lot of good for us." Reag? ics, w JUG# - across Marijuana may hi Plain and simple: marijuana should be legalized. I know I may sound crazy when I say this, but think about it. Besides consumption, marijuana has alternative uses. We could use the plant to make paper and cloth products. We wouldn't have to eliminate all of our forests for these products. In this time of ecological concern, it would be the right choice for us to deregulate the drug. A field of hemp can provide four limes more fiber than trees for production of paper products. Also, hemp can be planted every year, unlike a forest of trees, which takes 100 years to reach maturity. Marijuana is not a physically addictive drug. Alcohol, a close friend of many college students, is an addictive drug. Some people might argue that marijuana can be psychologically addictive. Doctors say that people can feel dependant on everything from Coca-Cola to banana splits. I don't see them putting Sandy's out of business. It just doesn't make sense to keep alcorv 11 urugs are prooi A frightening opinion seems to be steadily rising across the country calling for the legalization of marijuana. While the evidence in its favor may appear convincing, the underlying sentiment is disturbing indeed. Proponents claim that legalization would help the economy. This concept is ludicrous. Are we so pathetically deficient on ideas or ingenuity that the sale of a dangerous drug is the most effective fund raiser we can muster? The facts stand contrary to the allegation that marijuana isn't harmful. In fact, marijuana smoke does at least 14 times as much damage to the lungs as cigarette smoke. America's ch. Jren have been told for years that drugs are dangerous, and correctly so. Legalization of marijuana would only confuse the important anti-drug message. Let's face it. America is, sadly, a culture made up of drug users. Too many people seem to feel that an illusory solution is If you have an I i i/M il^J III / n 4aa/N A/J i A yuu wuuiu nr\e iu btle duuiebbeu in drop it in a Suggestion Box or Call The Car- Nowhere in my letter did I imply th; m the was of the opinion that equipment facilities were not currently suitable holi- females. nored 1 do not appreciate such fallack i his- editing and hope that this letter , it is printed in its entirety. ast- Lynn E. Benn< Graduate Stude Rehabilitation Counselii :rving Grading police oway m * najor not recognizee To the editor: CO z i r\r\^% 1 ~ wii januaiy o, vyyL ur mw siuc returned to classes. Though the f semester had begun, as of that m ing, only 23 out of 88 law school ' ses had reported grades to the regi< The three deans of the law school ' h my not among those turning in grades issue of this moment, more than 35 pei nisre- of the grades are still not availabl 8 re* students. This letter is to inform lities. Palms and the Faculty Senate of imply dissatisfaction and disappointment lately exists with what appears to be the letter school's unfounded exemption fron ' that university's exam and grading re? nbers lions. The regulations require lale." schools and their ^acuity member du re-elect George Bush if the mm f Hothem Bubba Smith ess major Theater/Spee ), I've had enough of N?1 G?or anomics or Bushonom- me ^ ^ hatever you can call it." spent too m sian Gulf Wai for AIDS rese 5 FirS% eal economic woes hoi, which "the body can become dependent nn IpoqI qnH marijuana iIIaoo! Tf morlnio^n w.., c?..v. i.iui.juunu iiiv^ui. xi. maiijuaiia is so bad, then why do doctors prescribe marijuana to cancer patients? Glaucoma patients use marijuana as a cure. Do you actually believe that doctors would prescribe the drug if it was harmful? By legalizing marijuana, we could pull in revenue by taxing it to death. We're in tough economic times today, and we could use as much money as possible. The government could tax this product and gain great amounts of revenue to help aid different programs. We could use the money from taxes to aid such programs as education, the homeless and the drug war. We would not be admitting that we lost the drug war by legalizing marijuana. We would only be practical and using common sense. - Tige Watts Tige Watts is the Managing Editor of The Gamecock. lem, not solution more worthwhile than one that requires a genuine effort. With millions of Americans addicted to alcohol, one would hope that we have learned from our mistakes, and could try to stop marijuana abuse before it becomes worse than it already is. Proponents of legalization claim that it's unfair to let alcohol be legal, while marijuana remains illegal. Drugs don't have feelings, folks. While it is true that alcohol may pack a stronger punch than marijuana, is that really justification to legalize it? Under the supervision of a doctor, marijuana could have positive effects, but that is not the issue. With alcohol abuse running rampant, and counseling groups existing for addiction to everything from cigarettes to fudgesicles, America does not need another quick fix, which is exactly what marijuana legalization would be. - Lee Clontz Lee Clontz is the assistant Carolina! editor of The Gamecock. ssue or question Cross Fire or USC Voices, Please > Gamecock Newsroom at 777-7726. it I report grades within 72 hours from thi or lime an exam is given. See pages 46-4 for of the faculty manual Regulations ani Policies: "No deviation from thi 3us printed schedule is permitted. . . It i js imperative that faculty members re spect the stated deadlines for submit ting grade reports." n Certainly, the students are not askin] that strict adherence to this polic; apply to our school, as we are awar that essay exams require additiona u time to grade properly and fairly. Ii ' talking with the registrar, he indicate< Ithat no other school at the university i even close to the tardiness that thi school has repeatedly demonstrated, lents Law students are required to pay tui new lion fees without knowing how we di( i0rn. the previous semester. First year stu clas. dents are also incapable of giving em ;trar. ployers any grades when they begin t( were interview and apply for a job. The res . As of the students are incapable of giving cent a full and accurate picture of theii le to grades to potential employers. Dr. 1 appreciate you diligently pursuing the this matter and informing me of youi that findings. I will post them in the Lav law School. 1 the rula- Justin S. Kahr all Student Bar Assocition s to Legislative Council Membei ijj 5 election was held today? ^ -r- IP Wei Zhang ch major Math graduate student ge Bush has let ,4X/ . ... . . ,, , . president be- atoll a ^ isn't confronted aD e as a President> issue, and he's uch on the Perr and not enough larch testing." Political parties I are exclusionary - Dennis Shealy David Duke should be allowed to run on the Republican presidential ticket simply because the last time 1 checked, this was still America, land of the free, home of the brave, etc. and because the Republican party is supposedly an organization open to new members. Whp.n T was vnnncrpr T mmpmhpr tv?ino tnlH that * ' ------ - J vyv.^x/a, * WV* U?i*V any red-blooded American boy or girl could grow up to become the president of this country, and as far as the principles on which the United States is founded go, it seems like that could well be true. Principles and reality, however, as most of you know, usually prove to be an uneasy alliance at best and Republicans at worst. Now it's at this point many people would say that Duke certainly has a right to run for president, but that doesn't mean the Republican party has to ac- M qmmm V cept him as a member or allow ti him to run on its ticket. True * ,1 enough, but as one of the two major parties making up the vast majority of the representation of in the United States, it seems as though they would make greater strides to uphold the principles of equality for all. Should it matter whether Duke is a Nazi or a reformed man with nothing but love for his fellow brothers and sisters? It shouldn't as far as I am concerned, and he should still be allowed to run on the Republican (or Democratic, even though they probably wouldn't want him either) ticket if he plans on making a serious bid for president. Independents haven't faired too well in the past you know, so because of the two party system that rules in the United States, David Duke deserves to be allowed to run under a major party's name if he honestly believes he could be elected president. T fhinU fhot mont/ A mari/^onc unl 1 x uwm ?. iiuuiv uiui niuv/iiV/aiio win tuujiuu Duke a serious contender for the presidency because of his past, but the Republican party shouldn't take away his chance to make an honest attempt just because it doesn't want those American's just plain wacky enough to vote for the man to draw votes away from its candidates' winning potential. Why that would be just plain un-American. P.S. Don't let the prejudiced or the self-serving and stupid (read: Bush and Quayle) win in '92. Remember to VOTE!!! LADIES ArtD GENTLEMEA/, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE VOU TO MV A/EbJ n ECONOMIC APV ;jl s s ? ? ri m a nn n Ar 5 Hvjaiucvuviv y e Editor in Chief Eric Ward n Managing Editor Tige Watts Copy Desk Chief Kathy Heberger s Asst. Copy Desk Chief Jennifer Jablonski Viewpoint Editor Shelley Magee News Editors...Patrick Villegas/Gordon Mantler Asst. News Editor Kim Everitt j Carolina! Editor Greg Rickabaugh Asst. Carolina! Editor Lee Clonta Graphics Editor Ryan Sims Photography Editor Virginia Marshall Asst. Photography Editor Eric Glenn Sports Editor Ben Breazeale Asst. Sports Editor Chad Bray Faculty Adviser Erik Collins i Asst. Advertising Manager Melissa Owenby Asst. Classified Manager Amy Taylor ^ -?-I- ...:m nrint oil l^ttorc roraiuoH I Dltorc chni ilrl hA I fftf UcfffJCfOi/un win u y iw yt" u w> ivww.w . vwv,.w. -www 200-250 words. Full name and professional title, or year and major if a student, must be included along with address and phone number. I The Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible libel or space limitations. The Gamecock will not withhold names ? under any circumstances.