The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 20, 1992, Page 3, Image 3
Viewpoint
I I
Apartheid
America should learn lesson
from historic South African vote
Finally, it's over.
South Africans voted Wednesday to end apartheid, a move
which should have been approved more than 20 years ago.
However, the most impressive thing about the vote shows
everyone that wrongs in our society can be fixed.
The policy, which was as wrong as the Jim Crow laws, was
thrown out because of the convictions of leaders like Nelson Mandela.
America take notice.
With action comes change. A society that is apathetic cannot
change. We would be stuck in the same position, right or wrong,
if there was no action.
This is one of the wonders of our country. Because we are
democratic, we do have the ability to change. If the people of our
nation want to change something, and have the conviction to do
so, then change is possible.
It is sad when our country lakes this basic right for granted.
When we start to take things for granted, we lose full appreciation
for them. We start to not exercise our rights. We start to become
robots.
We should give credit to South Africa for listening to the people.
However, at the same time, we should also learn a lesson. We
should be willing to examine ourselves.
We should start to look around us, at the things that aren't right,
nrut Ivirin ihinlriniy nf hnw u/r? ran Hitinap ihrw<? mnei
start now.
This election year gives us the most opportune time to begin
more involvement. America, as one unit, is apathetic. It is time to
reverse the tide and become more involved.
11" we don't want an indecisive president in office, then we
should tell the candidates that in our votes.
Voting is probably the most wonderful tool in our country. Yet,
at the same lime, it is probably one of the most unused tools, as
well.
Let's not take the right to vote for granted. Let's start to appreciate
our basic rights.
TMp^ 1 C, n
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A/ns fn i "t actually
M IS end bush
ii,j ra near
1 Jr
nWi m-""\zfuiT^ks^ 11
a ? I * ccn'., dependent and defenseless.
Animal aDUSC same thing not true for animals
# # as humans, and the supposed si
hpinoim crimp species, have a responsibility to
and respect all other creatures,
make their lives a living hell.
I o the editor: South Carolina presently h
Last week a 7-year-old labrador re- most |enjent animal cruelly laws
triever puppy was soaked with ker- cnlire Soulheast Abusers are re
osene, set on fire and left to burn to ()njy pa^ fines incurred ?
death while the abuser listened to its habilitaiion fees for their animals
yelps and screams ol agony. gajn ownership of them. Ftirthe
A neighbor happened to hear the the penalties for dumping pels <
noise and threw water on the puppy. highways arc the same as they ;
The veterinarian who was contacted dumping litter. Now, I realize w
naa 10 c..u mc puppy s misery Dy put- a ,ileracy probleni) blU , believe
ling it to sleep. The tragic pari ol this know the difference between a 1
siory is lhai we have no idea how often puppies or kittens and the litter
such heinous, senseless crimes are synonymous with trash. Life
committed against defenseless and trash!
trusting animals. Had the neighbor not
seen and heard the puppy, we would There is a bill that has a
still be clueless to the fact that the inci- passed the South Carolina Ho
dent indeed took place. Representatives and now mu
This news has prayed on my mind through the Senate that would
ever since I heard about it, and I hope increase the penalties for several
it has bothered others, also. Animal cruelty to animals. 1 urge you
abusers, like all other criminals who tiI y your representatives abou
torture beings weaker than themselves, views about animal cruelty, or i
arc sick. We all agree that child abuse u> pay attention to their voles n
is probably the most deplorable crime fleet your attitudes in the next el
there is because children arc so inno- They are there to speak for us, a
Question: Do thi
James Stapel Kacey
Engineering major Nursin
"Yes. I think gambling in "If s
general should be legal. I money
don't think there is anything right tc
morally wrong with it." want
enougl
are ol
money
Nuclear energy
A 1,000-megawatt power plant such as
the one in Jenkinsvillc, S.C provides the
electricity needed lor one million people.
If it burns coal or oil, it requires about
three million tons of fuel per year (three
tons per peson). It produces five million
tons of carbon dioxide, 40,000 tons of sulfer
dioxide and 40,000 tons of nitrous oxide.
This contributes to the greenhouse effect
and acid rain.
Energy produced by fission of uranium
nuclei in the fuel rods of a reactor is used
in a nuclear power station to produce electricity.
It is safer and produces less environmental
impact.
Each year a 1,000-megawatl nuclear
power station uses 36 tons of enriched uranium.
This replaces 36 tons of spent fuel,
which includes radioactive plutonium and
Nuclear power <
The nuclear power industry is deeply
troubled. It suffers from a poor safety record,
an intractable radioactive waste problem,
escalating costs and lack of public
support.
Every nuclear plant ordered after 1973
has been canceled. Opposition has risen
steadily over the past 17 years and, as ol
December 1990, a record high of 67 percent
of the public opposed the construction
of nuclear power plants.
Since 1961, 13 significant accidents have
occurred at nuclear power plants across the
nation. The latest in 1991 at Nine Mile
Point in New York where there was a loss
of all control power. More than 780 uncorrected
safety problems linger at the 111
licensed U.S. reactors, many of which are
more than 10 years old. These problems
will only lead to more accidents.
Even if these 30-year-old reactors could
be made safe, the radioactive waste generated
would remain. There is no solution to
Make Your In
The Gamecock is the student nev
serve you, the students. If you ha
topics you think the paper isn't c(
interests known by sending us a 1
want to hear from you. Really.
Is the animals need someone to speal
:? We, them.
Liperior
proteet Nancy Richai
not to Psychology &
as the
^ The Gamecocl
It re" leans too far lc
:rmore,
on our To the editor:
are lor The March 4 edition of The G
e have cock is another example of how o
we all touch the editorial staff is with a
itter of portion of the student body. Excus
that is ladies and gentlemen of the staff
is not your left-leaning, liberal, anything
bias is showing!
lready In ihc editorial, the point seems
use of the current form of sex education i
st get only allowable form of education,
greatly the research data please! Sexual
forms sure is an adult pleasure and adv
to no- mg sexual discovery for 13 to 17
l your olds, as your editorial suggest
it least irresponsible,
ind re- Sexually transmitted diseases, c
ection. ren having children and cxposur
nd the HIV are already high among
nk video poker should be l<
Adams Lisa Mash
g major Marine Scie
omeone is using their Yes. I se
, they should have the with it. Lc
) spend it the way they legal, too.
to. If they are old concept."
i to be in college, they
Id enough to spend
the way they want."
5 Fir?
y less damaging
fission products. This can be stored safe
in an underground facility.
In the future, this fuel can be repr
cessed. The unused, enriched uranium ai
plutonium are separated from the radioa
live fission products. This high-level was
may be stored indefinitely in a mixture wi
glass or concrete. One year's operation i
suits in the production of seven tons
high-level chemical waste.
We also should remember the use of n.
clear energy to produce electric power r
duces our dependence on oil from tl
Middle East.
- Oswald Schuette
Oswald Schuette is a professor in the D
partment of Physics and Astronomy.
causes nroblems
the waste problem. Disposal sites will ta
decades to clean up and will never be avt
able for human use. The radioactive t
products of nuclear energy will rem*
toxic for thousands of years, spme for rr
lions! The technology does not exist !
i permanent storage of this waste.
Many people promote nuclear energy,
an option to fossil fuels. Well, it's not. I
like the difference between Pepsi and Col
Research into real alternatives that arc i
harmful to the environment need to be
searched such as solar and wind power.
In addition, Americans need to decre;
their dependence on such harmful enei
sources. Policy makers should focus mi
on how to reduce our use of energy inste
of ways to avoid dealing with the problen
I - Katrina Nyland
Katrina Nyland is a member of Stude
1 Allied for a Greater Earth.
terests Known!!!
/spaper, which means we want t<
ve any suggestions for articles o
wering adequately, make your
etter or coming by our office. W
k for group. Abstinence is a valid alterna
for students, and if they are not loI<
at home, then they should hear i
dson school in conjunction with exis
enior programs.
Eric Ward's sentence fragment (
ribe against all organized authority
ir ligion, and societal structure is a bit
shrill. "A historic systematic wai
k.pi- suppression waged on people by n
'11 ion and political leaders." Be real
Ward! We enjoy the advances of s
ety, technology and medicine at
ame- cost of friction between societal r
ut of and personal freedom,
large Finally, to the Managing Editor
e us, Watts, 1 would remind you of the
hut mtixim "Pmfimitv k simnlv l he \a
goes mind attempting to express itself* lb
fully." While I applaud your Cross
scetion, the remainder of the cditt
10 page no longer leans to the left. It
* L*K" completely fallen over.
Read
plea- Restore journalistic integrity to y
ocat- student paper and attempt to provid
year more balanced and diverse edito
s, is menu.
hild- . Frederick Hell
"C to Assistant Profes
this of Military Scie
sga! in South Carolina?
Doug Williams
nee major Political Science major
;e nothing wrong "| think it is okay if they
>ttery should be can control who plays it. If
It's all the same there is a way to make sure
kids don't play it, then it is
fine."
7~ Homophobia keeps
^ feelings repressed
- Tige Watts
Wc are scared of what we don't know.
We are terrified. We shudder. We avoid it. We
make fun of it. We chastise it.
How many of you really know what being a gay,
. r lesbian or bisexual means? How many of you have
taken the lime to learn? How many of you care?
USC is already apathetic. When it comes to gay
o- issues, we don't want to know. We don't care, bend
cause we don't want to.
ic- It's a shame.
5te It's shameful when we don't care about 10 perith
cent of our university. It's shameful when you don't
e- want to learn about your
of friends. It's shameful when you
u_ All of us have friends who
e_ are either homosexual or
ie bisexual. You may not realize ?
it, but they're out there. They're
just like you and me. They
don't have polka dots. They eat
e_ the same food. They breathe the
suinc an.
I wore a t-shirt Tuesday which said, "Love does
not discriminate ... and neither do I."
I felt the looks. 1 felt the thoughts. I felt the hate.
Why is it so wrong to love? Why is it wrong for a
man to love a man? Why is it wrong to let your
feelings and emotions come out?
e It's not wrong to be gay. It's not wrong to share
11" with and care for another human being.
Imagine if the tables were reversed? Imagine if
un society's sexual orientation was geared toward
J.1" members of the same sex: Imagine.
How would you feel if people told yoji that ypu
were*wrong for caring about someone? It wouldn't
as be right. So, no one is right for hating the hot's
mosexual and bisexual community.
B-GLAD week does not try to convert all heter10l
osexuals into bisexuals or homosexuals. It tries to
re_ promote understanding and awareness. For it to
work, there must be an effort from both sides.
The people must be willing to understand. The
ase people must be willing to learn.
"gy There is no success in building concrete walls ar-;
3re ound us.
It's not right to beat someone up because they're!
gay and you're not. It's almost like being another
Adolf Hitler.
If the American society said the Holocaust was
nLS wrong, then why is it conducting one of its own?
Why are gays having AIDS burned into the carpet
in front of their dorm rooms? Why are gays beaten
up and kicked out of bars by bouncers?
These incidents have happened to close friends of
mine. They're not made up. They are done by people
like us to people like us. We try to destroy our
own kind, and it's wrong.
It's not right to say homosexuality or bisexuality
u is wrong, wncn wc siari deciding for people what is
right to feel, learn and love, we ultimately destroy
* ourselves. And that's what we're doing now.
Narrow-mindedness only spells disaster.
j We are a disaster. We close ourselves off from
the gay community because we're afraid they may
attack us. That's stupid.
? How many of you bought the t-shirts the BGLA
were selling? How many of you wanted to but were
afraid you may be deemed gay? How many of you
" are afraid of society?
It doesn't matter if a person is gay, but something
is wrong when we punish them for being the way
they are.
Hive It's dead wrong.
J so
t at
ting
>?<- IGamecock
, reloo
r 0f Editor in Chief Eric Ward
?jig. Managing Editor Tige Watta
jV[r Copy Desk Chief Kathy Heberger
^j. Asst. Copy Desk Chief Jennifer Jablonski
the '-'iewpoint Editor Shelley Magee
ulcs News Editors...Patrick Villegas/Gordon Man tier
Asst. News Editor Kim Everitt
iy|r Carolina! Editor Greg Rickabaugh
, . Arc* rnrnlln.l ? - *
OKI ""i- waiumia: cuiioi LCC UOIllZ
'eak Graphics Editor Ryan Sims
rce_ Cartoonist Paul Jon
Fire Photography Editor Virginia Marshall
)rjaj Asst. Photography Editor Eric Glenn
jlas Sports Editor Chad Bray
Asst. Sports Editor Sean Ryan
Faculty Adviser , Erik Collins
our Asst. Advertising Manager Melissa Owenby
lc a Asst. Classified Manager Amy Taylor
rial
The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be
200-250 words. Full name and professional title, or year and major J
if a student, must be included along with address and phone number, i
vvi? The Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible
sor libel or space limitations. The Gamecock will not withhold names ,
under any circumstances. ,
nee ?