The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 22, 1992, Page 3, Image 3
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
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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
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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.