The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 06, 1992, Page 3, Image 3
Viewpoint
Election
Perot not a shot in the dark
in view of the competition
The 1992 presidential campaign has become more confused and
more peculiar by the minute.
The Democratic nomination, at one time almost sewed up by
Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, has been thrown into turmoil by Clinton's
checkered past including adultery, poor managment, smoking
pot and many other human characteristics.
The anti-establishment but flaky message of former California
Gov. Jerry Brown and the suspended campaign of former Massachusetts
Sen. Paul Tsongas are both gaining support in the wake
of Clinton's problems.
On the other side, President Bush is trying to act presidential,
by doing nothing and even going on vacation. Conservative columnist
Pat Buchanan has seemingly dropped off the face of the
Earth, now that the press has found a new outspoken character to
follow around in Brown.
If the election was held today, voter turnout would be disasterously
low for the simple reason that American voters are thoroughly
disgusted with the current president and Congress and all
the people trying to succeed them.
A recent Times Mirror poll showed two-thirds of voters are dissatisfied
with the current presidential candidates.
However, there is one man who in preliminary polling could
keep either party from winning the White House. He is Texas bil
honaire H. Koss Perot.
Perot has been openly considering whether or not he will enter
the race for the past few weeks. He said he will only run if he is
on the ballot in all 50 states.
In most election years the thought of a third party candidate
would be insane.
But a third party candidate like Perot, who will spend $100 million
in a presidential campaign, has a decent chance of winning
the presidency or at least making the lives of the Republican and
Democratic candidates miserable.
Perot is also a character, but one the typical American may like
and actually relate to in a unique sort of way.
For example, Perot could have dozens of chauffeurs to drive
him around, but instead he drives himself to work every day like
any other Dallas commuter.
His money has not made him into an elitist snob who doesn't
understand Average Joe's problems, a common criticism of Bush.
His views are mixed ideologically. He is neither conservative or
liberal.
This is illustrated in a few select views of his. His handling of
foreign policy would be similar to Ronald Reagan's but he is also
pro-choice and pro-gun control.
Party insiders have said a Perot candidacy is a threat to both
Bush and the Democratic nominee.
American voters are being driven by fear and anger, and the
results of those feelings could be anything.
In 1992, Ross Perot is definitely a viable and electable third
party candidate.
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Inivprcitv miKt crime to police. This inclw
~ "" T V assault." These new guideline
minich rQnicfc ate a society-centered" appi
1 a|Jli3lo ard sexual assault, rathe
"survivor-centered" approach
To the editor: tim will not have a cho
Recently I attended a forum "Cam- whether to report the assault
pus Rape: A University Responsibil- lice. If the victim chooses to
ity?" sponsored by Omicron Delta incident to any university of
Kappa National Leadership Honor Soc- that person must report the ci
iety. I was appalled at the lack of em- police,
pathy by USC faculty toward students At the forum, I felt good
who are the victims of rape. seemed to have a positive at
The university is drafting a policy ard change and seemed to
that will deal with sexual assault cases. steps to accomplish these
It will follow the same outline as the However, the university an
procedures used for drug and alcohol dents' ideas about changi
use on USC campuses. According to drastically,
the Campus Securities Act, developed For instance, Dennis Pru
by the federal government, "Any Uni- vice president of student al
versity official must report the reported that with the current policy
Question: Do y<
their
Deanna Lombardo David Yoon
Advertising major Business gradi
"They don't take it seriously "I think they h
enough, and no one thinks it a considerable
iuiII honnan in ikinm " hfl.Q hPAn 2k cli
will Happen (V inciii.
cause their rol
said to practic
attitude abi
changed a lot 1
the '90s."
^Cross
Regulations only hel
Drinking. third-f]
I think it is fair to say most college stu- Woi
dents do it, and they do it a lot. Most col- party
lege students are not 21. Most college stu- campu
dents drink, right? Get the connection? your c
Fraternity parties are a particularly popu- hopele
lar place to drink. The university has laid a the nig
myriad of rules and regulations on fraterni- You
ties and other organizations who want to Oh,
have alcohol parties. hundre
First of all, they have to attend some "al- tered 1
cohol awareness workshop" thing which is one Su
supposed to educate them on the risks of al- a men
cohol parties. Fraternities go through this not the
workshop acting all serious, like it really Mea
means something and walk out laughing, are sti
I've seen it happen. It's a joke. One big which
joke. Hon*
Second, the university says if there is go- to curt
ing to be alcohol at an on-campus party, enforct
those under 21 have to be marked so every- Not.
one knows they are under 21. That's when The
i i e? u.ik ? kof
niUM ncau iui uic uduiiuuni wiui a uai vji mi pici
soap and a washcloth. mahog
It just doesn't work. secreta
Third, if a fraternity wants to have a keg think tl
party, they have to go off campus, since the doing i
university enforces "no kegs on campus." -J.T. y
Off campus. Like where you have to J.T. W
drive to. Away from the serenity of your tor of'
Alcohol policies
USC's Alcohol Policy as it relates to respor
greeks: No kegs or party balls, quad parties drinki
must be limited to four hours, an alcohol that tl
workshop must be attended beforehand, and done i
food must be served with the alcohol. is agai
Yes, it sounds very restrictive. But con- US(
sider these points voiced in The State news- have t
paper Sunday: done a
The Animal House atmosphere is non- Stu(
existent among greeks now. Yes
Greek organizations are less liable with friend;
the rules. design
b.y.u.b. (Bring Your Uwn Beer) is lot ot
stressed to put the responsibility on the in- out of
dividual and not the group. keys,
Monitors are a necessity, and more re- plan n
sponsibility is taken to insure safety. Eve
I attended one of the workshops last policie
semester, and Jerry Brewer, director of Stu- their h
dent Life, did a lot to help students under- (to in<
stand how to have a good time safely. In will hi
fact, he even suggested many creative ideas means
for successful parties. -Greg
I have heard plenty of students say, "I'm Greg
responsible enough to drink." The G
Well if this is true, then they should be Fraten
^ Make Your Interesl
The Gamecock is llie student newspaper
serve you, the students. If you have any
I topics you think the paper isn't covering
p interests known by sending us a letter 01
want to hear from you. Really.
des sexual sounding guilty of sexual assault might c
is will ere- be required to do community service, s
roach tow- seek counseling, read books about sex- a
;r than a ual assault or write a paper. He made it n
i. The vie- clear that each case is handled on a in- f'
ice as to dividual basis. a
to the po- Writing a paper or even reading d
rpnnrt thp hnnks ?ppmc an annrnnrifltP. nnnichmpnt S
ficial, then for cheating or disorderly conduct, but a
rime to the for RAPE? Rape is a crime, and it is e
punishable by law. Yet, these offenders
that USC remain on campus doing their com- c
titude tow- munity service or writing their papers e
be taking with the potential to rape again and s
changes. again and again. It is an endless cycle. d
d the stu- It was stated several times that USC 11
s differed is a university and not a judicial sys- v
tern. However, USC seems to have a *itt,
USC's judicial system for other crimes such as n
ffairs, said possesion/use of illegal substances and
students even plagarism. For instance, students
)u think college stud*
sexual behavior bece
w
Christian Fr
uate student Psychology
ave, but not to "Yes, they a
s degree. There cautious bi
ght change be- about it s<
le models have wants to die
e safe sex. The
out sex has
rom the 70s to
Fir?
p consciences
loor room in Bates,
lid you rather go to an on-campi
and safely walk home or an of
s party and get behind the wheel i
:ar with five of your buddies ar
ssly drive away into the darkness <
;ht and ...
know how the story goes,
and what about the hundreds up<
ds of bottles and cans which have li
McBryde Quadrangle on more th<
inday morning. You don't have to 1
iber of Greenpeace to know this
; ecological way.
n while, fraternities can't win. Th<
lck with these huge responsibility
take the capital 'P' out of Party,
/ever, all of these rules have help*
) the underage drinking problem ar
s the federal law.
people in administration, while the
:ty with their fancy suits behind the
ony desks with their name plates ar
ries, are kidding themselves if the
his will work. The only thing they']
s making themselves feel better.
Vagenheim
agenheim is the Assistant News Ed
rhe Gamecock.
necessary
isible enough to know what srm
ng entails. They should also kne
ie university knows it can not cc
underage drinking ? something tl
;nst the law.
2 did not write the law, but USC do
0 live by it. And I think the schoo
1 good job of it.
ients need to follow this example.
, the old phrases "Friends don't
5 drive drunk" and "Don't hesitate
ate" can be annoying. But there is
truth in them. Parties too often ?
hand when fraternities don't colle
watch out for excessive drinking
tore creative activities,
ryone benefits from the universi
;s. And until our lawmakers can ?
leads together and lower the age lin
:lude voting 18-year-olds), studer
ive to learn what responsible drinkii
Rickabaugh
Rickabaugh is Carolina! Editor f
ramecock, and is a Delta Tau Del
lity member.
ts Known!!!
, which means we want lo
suggestions for arliplcs or
, adequately, make your
r coming by our office. We
an be expelled or suspended for ille
ubstance use. It seems only approj
te that expulsion should be the mi
rial punishment for sexual assault
enders at USC. The offenders comi
crime, a violent crime. Moreov
here has <rnt tn he mnrem for nf
tudents on campus if the offender
llowed to continue his or I
ducation.
Being a victim of rape and a c<
erned student, I have firsthand exp<
nee of how USC "handles" sexual
ault cases. It's despicable. The s
ents at USC can fight for change
lis important issue. More importani
/ith the number of students who atte
JSC, the students have the power
lake this change happen.
Megan Berfc
Journalism sen
*nts have changed
luse of AIDS?
^ isBR
\ JH
ancis Michelle Roberts
major Office Information Systems
major
scaus'eTyou Tear "Yes' the* <>?? scared- TheV
ecause you ea rea|jze{j that anyone could
> much. No one get j( ?,s not any race any
gender or any sexual preference,
so they have changed
their sexual habits."
?i n a _
reiuses lives
| nonnegotiable
- Kathy Heberger
Having compassion for the helpless, for the people
who cannot take care of themselves, is what
makes humanity decent.
It's frightening to live in a world in which survival
of the fittest is the standard for good living,
us I'm against abortion because I'm against killing a
f- person who hasn't had a chance to fight for himself,
of When I hear women and men screaming for the
id right to choose abortion, I feel afraid in this society,
of This is an age of selfishness and conceit if we think
we are significant enough to be able to decide to
extinguish potential life.
>n Todav in America, being ore- I
it- gnant can be one of the most
in stressful, scary, saddening states A
>e for a woman, especially if she MStiL
is is poverty-stricken, alone or has
demanding, strict parents. But
iy unlike people suffering from
es Alzheimer's disease or hunger,
they are victims of circumid
stances that were in their ?.
id control.
The potential life inside a pregnant woman deserves
nothing less than to be born and have a
>y chance to live.
ir It's hard to separate appearance from reality at
id times. When Baby Theresa lay all pink and tender in
>y her mother's arms, little palms cushioning her
re father's thumb, it was almost impossible to believe
the doctor's verdict ? that she had nothing upstairs
and would amount to nothing. We had to let her go.
I- Reality plays cruel tricks on our emotions. An
80-year-old man with tears rolling down his face
clutches a teddy bear in a hospital room. But he'll
never remember his name or understand his misfortune
that Alzheimer's disease will eat away his brain
until he dies. We have to let him go.
irt In reality, AIDs patients die every day, and the
)w nurses and caretakers of them become so accusin_
tomed to the transiency of life that they stop feeling
iat the pain and confusion of death. We have to let the
victims go.
ies The baby inside a woman will come out of her
l's body bloodied and screaming, gasping for breath,
ready to eat. The mother has been responsible and
respected this now squirming infant for the past nine
jet months.
Doctors slap the newborn, forcing air into its
a lungs. Nurses wrap the baby in a blanket, keeping its
body heat from escaping. The mother pushes her
>ct nipple into the infant's mouth and pushes her breast
or to the baby until it sucks the milk.
It takes a team of people to get the baby going
and to keep him alive, and it will require many more
people's assistance to survive through the next 18
111 years of his life.
This teamwork is an example of humanity in its
most compassionate state, helping a helpless new
member get going.
or It only takes one person's choice to let this life
Ita slip away. We have to let Baby Theresas, victims of
terrible accidents, AIDs and Alztheimer's disease
slip away. It's the compassionate thing to do.
If we are intelligent, as we are in American society,
we should have the gumption to make abortion
illegal.
?' SOnm pcock
Editor in Chief Eric Ward
Managing Editor Tige Watts
Copy Desk Chief Kathy Heberger
gal Asst. Copy Desk Chief Jennifer Jablonski
3ri- Viewpoint Editor Shelley Magee
ini- News Editors... Patrick Villegas/Gordon Man tier
of- Asst. News Editor J.T. Wagenheim
mit Carolina! Editor Greg Rickabaugh
er, Asst. Carolina! Editor Lee Clontz
hp.r Graohics Editor Rvan Sims
is Cartoonist Paul Jon
ier Photography Editor Virginia Marshall
Asst. Photography Editor Eric Glenn
3n- Sports Editor Chad Bray
jri- Asst. Sports Editor Sean Ryan
as- Faculty Adviser Erik Collins
tu- Asst. Advertising Manager Melissa Owenby
on Asst. Classified Manager Amy Taylor
tly, ???????????
k , The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be
200-250 words. Full name and professional title, or year and major
to if a student, must be included along with address and phone number.
The Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible
libel or space limitations. The Gamecock will not withhold names
under any circumstances.
,ior