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VIEW! Freedom A /* /% -* X After Zlo years of America still land A man and a womam in Barra, their mud house recently and shot without being married. The village lating their strict Islamic social rules Way down in Central America, p< sonal freedoms because they don't do or say. Radio stations and newsp their operators arrested for chastis speaking their minds. Just across the Atlantic in Engl an to destroy a mud hut she built in he native Cameroon. The local council and the homesick mother tore it dow All across the Middle East, worm long gowns, averting their eyes froi they be branded less than pure. T structure, with freedom taking the ba T~ i ~i + i.? J - ui uacxyaius, cuy paixs auu n Americans of every kind will celeb this weekend. 216 years young the will celebrate with a barbeque, othei with fireworks. Whether you drink glare or protest the shortcomings ol you are free to do either, or nothing Village elders will not come to ) and your companion into the street z of trigger. The government will not mind and no one will ever be able tc freedoms for no reason. Because f< blunders, whether you are an urn mosexual or a homophobic, you stil and the Home of the Brave. Two hu group of men said so. Whether you wrong reasons or not, you still live me. Happy birthday America. , $ kJI W - Court ruling ? positive step To the editor: Monday's Supreme Court rul- ^ ing, which upholds moderate reg- *h< ulations on abortions that an over- w( whelming majority of Americans w' approve, is a cause for hope and w( not alarm. Pe The Pennsylvania law doesn't rel stop a single abortion. It is merely m< about the right to know: it gives a in< mother the right to factual information about the development of cai her baby before she makes an irre- tre vocable decision to undergo abor- "P tion. It gives the parents of a pre- ag gnant minor the right to knowledge tio of. and consent to, her undergoing an a potentially dangerous medical procedure. lhe An overwhelming majority of re( Americans support the regulations mi embodied in the Pennsylvania law. ho Gallup and Wirthlin polls have shown that 85 percent of Americans support informed consent legislation; 75 percent approve a 24-hour waiting period; and 70 OEMT " democracy, of the free Pakistan, were dragged from and killed for living together elders decided the couple viojople are routinely denied peragree with what their leaders apers are routinely shut down, ring the state, or for merely d, a mother of six was forced )r garden to remind her of her called it a dangerous eyesore n. ;n are made to wear veils and n their male countrymen, lest heir world is one of narrow ickseat. ooftops across this country, rate the birth of their country U.S. will be Saturday. Some s at the beach, and others still yourself into the rockets red the nation ? take heart that at all. 'our mud house and drag you ind end your life with the pull arrest you for speaking your i take away your own personal 3r all its mistakes and all its wed mother, a racist, a ho1 live in the Land of the Free indred and sixteen years ago a believe they did it for all the in the land made for you and iliiSBi rcent support parental consent d 80 percent support parental tification. I expect cries of protest from 3se with a financial interest in couraging abortion. But I think s outrageous that anyone ? in i name of "women's rights" ? 3uld oppose these regulations, lich will truly benefit both the jmen and unborn children of nnsylvania. These Pennsylvania *ulations will help protect worn from the aggressive abortion iustry. The reaction by abortion advotes to this decision shos how ex:me it is to be "pro-choice." ro-Choice" means you are ainst any common sense restricns ? including parental consent d informed consent. The Casey decision continues i unravelling of Roe because it :ognizes that the unborn baby ist be considered before an abor- \ n is performed. J f Phyllis Schlafly founder, chairman Republican National Coalition for Life I Question: How do y< "I don't think they should "I'm hut/a nit/Art (ho etatoc that I am much jurisdiction" and choi< Chris Hall but Criminal Justice that; Selei Engli %os After 20 years, a Twenty years have gone by and the abo tion controversy has experienced up downs and plateaus; everything but die oul I don't think it takes a genius to figui out why. The issue is a deep one and a fects the top three professions ? medica legal and political. For many it is only a spiritual issue, f< God is the creator and life begins at tl moment of conception; therefore, the takir of life at any time is murder ? pure ar simple. The pro-life stance is also held t many because medical findings show hear beats and brain waves are detectable usi ally by the time a woman realizes that si might be pregnant. I would like for you i think about pro-life from a different ang and instead of thinking in terms of coi troversy, try to look at a few things that r quire logical thinking, something, it seem many try to discourage ? especially coi cerning life issues. Abortion is an industry ? profitable ar lucrative. This industry not only generati money for the clinic itself, but also pr< vides big bucks for lobbying, advertisir and fancy promotional pieces. Average abortion, first trimester, cos approximately $300. Average time to pe form an abortion is 15 minutes. Most abo tion clinics operate seven days a week. Yc figure it up! Pro-Choice is t In the United States, the Constitutic supports the unquestionable separation < church and state. It guarantees us, as citizens, person; freedoms such as who, where and when v, worship. This does not only apply to the clas: room, where children cannot be forced inl religious expression they do not believe ii It also applys to the womb. No matter how we feel as individuals al out the issue of abortion, we cannot forgt that all people's beliefs are equaly valid i the eyes of The Constitution. And The Cor stitution is the law of our country. If w don't like it, we are free to go elsewheri But we are not free to revoke the rights c our fellow citizens simply because w disaprove. Technology cannot prove where life tx gins. We have laws on the books again! murder. Until abortion can be proved to b murder, there is no ground for disallowin it, simply because the only other reason fc eliminating abortion is spiritual. What one American believes to be spii itually and morally correct is usually er tirely different from their neighbor. And is their right to hold those beliefs. Even i they include the contention that abortion i acceptable. Perhaps their God feels diffe rently than yours. That is their right. An adult female has the right to do wht she wishes with her body. And it must al ways remain that way unless it can b proven that a fetus is not simply part of woman's body. If science can prove we are taking th life of a self supporting, living thing with II "THE BUft ou feel about Monday's Supreme alad that it wasn't worsa "You should hau 0 ? -w - --WW. - ? I completely pro-choice Still, some peopl 1 don't think a woman's pressured. Thanl ce should be taken away, they didn't compl it should be something of it. Women ^ you think about." done it themselve na James ? Sherrill Turner ish Media Arts s Fire% ibortion still wrong r- Ask yourself this question: A doctor s, spends 12-plus years of his/her life going through medical school to learn how to prere serve and extend life. What kind of person f- then takes that knowledge and develops a career whose sole purpose is the taking of lives? Are you so naive as to think this "career abortionist" cares about women at all? *e Do you think a person with so little regard >g for the sanctity of life could care less if you 1 died or your reproductive system was da>y maged so you might never have children ? even when your choice is to parent? Is this J" person motivated by concern for you or is le greed the magic button? ' t0 But when you are scared ? when you le realize you are pregnant ? logic seems to disaoDear. Pro-life doen't allow vou to hide your mistake from your daddy. It doesn't s> get your boyfriend off the hook and it probably will keep you from being a part of i your high-profile sorority. 1 But ask yourself one last question. What *s kind of society have we created that honors .] d~ a woman who ends her child's life but l8 judges the woman who chooses life for her child? Please THINK, then do the right ts thing. J rr ? Kathryn O'Connor >u Kathryn O'Connor is director of Daybreak Ministries. < he American way ! ?n out it's consent, the law will change, and 1 3f rightfully so. ( But now, banning abortion takes il away a woman's choice. And in this coun'e try, that is unconstitutional. Pro-choice activists are not out there campaigning to 1 5- promote abortion. They are not spending o their time pandering bad advice to helpless n. women, as many oppositionists would like the country to believe. In fact, many pro> life supporters are personnally or fondant mentally opposed to abortion. 1 n What they are supporting is a woman's 1 i- right to make her own decision. A decision 'e that will affect her for the rest of her life. A * 5. decision the state should not be allowed to I )f make for her. No one has that right but her. e It is a personal, moral and spiritual deci- c sion about what she believes. One that she ^ 5- will no doubt wrestle over very carefully, 5t and hardly make thoughtlessly or in haste. ^ e Many people are fighting for her to be p 8 able to make that decision. They are not ,r fighting for abortion. They are fighting for America's right to choose, for freedom irom religious constriction as dictated oy the state and for women's rights. ProI choice is not forcing anyone to do anything,. f unlike anti-choice supporters who feel it is s their perogative to make women's decisions for them. It is simply leaving individual decisions up to the individual. II No group has the right to play judge and ~ jury over another woman's womb. Any wo- |_ e man facing an abortion will spend plenty of _ a time doing that for herself. - Shelley Magee e Shelley Magee is the Editor in Chief for i- The Gamecock. NINS BUSH" MB? IT 1 v ^ c I / THINK G to, Ul SMELL cysMoKe^ * ^^ F T7 fiS^?l A ? ]r ?G?e7 r T r HOPE , -r JC^Hdannm'S wot SH^PLAMlNG WITH ?=?('MATCHES AGA1W. Court ruling on abortion? | 7 Br e a choice. "I think that it should be legal e are being and Congress and the Presi< goodness dent should stay out of it beetely get rid cause women are the ones rould have who have to live with it." s." J.C. Pritchard Accounting Problems abound on U.S. birthday - Tige Watts Yippie, skippie. The Fourth of July is here. While every red-, white- and blue-blooded American hangs his/her flag and barbecues chicken, I'll be mourning the death of a nation. Think about it. Is this country really what it's supposed to be? Do we still have the rights we should? Ask Ice-T. He's been under fire by the dingbats in Washington for expressing his disgust and anger with the judicial system. He's been called the reason why family values are so low. And what is he guilty of? Using his First Amendment rights. milium IVJ U111IH dUUUL 11, Vg and the gloom thickens on the ?kSL * horizon. This country is supposed to be strong. And to be strong we _ must have strong leaders. Who do we have? We have an ineffective White House that looks for scapegoats. Scapegoats or* whom to place the blame rather than taking it on themselves. We have a president who claims to have set peace in the Middle East by destroying Iraq and putting Saddam Hussein out of power. Point of order, George. Iraq is not destroyed. SadJam is still in power. And there was no war. It was just a quick invasion and a quick pull-out. What for? Just to raise Bush's popularity. That's not enough to depress you this holiday? Try this, your children, nieces, nephews, etc. What kind of future is left for them. The United States, especially South Carolina, is an environmenal basket-case. And who has to pay for it? Certainly, lot our politicians. And with what money will the future generations lay for it? We owe over $3 trillion as it is. Top that iff with a recession and a savings and loan scandal. Happy Fourth of July. What's left to hope for? This election year doesn't iffer much. The leading candidate is a man who has tot even declared himself a candidate. You know times are rough when a rich, short Texan can come onto the scene and not list any of lis platforms and still get tremendous support. It's a ;ign of weak leaders in the system. Our government has lost its purpose. Either hey're interested in themselves or some special inerest group. They miss the boat altogether. The government was created to protect the people fom the government. They're supposed to serve the leople, not abuse them and take from them. Well, you can go ahead and be proud of our counry. Hang your flag and wear your 'Desert Storm' "-shirt. As for me, I'll read the history books and cry over tie country that could have been. Eklitor's note. . . Is something bothering you, getting under your skin, or just ticking you off? If so, then write about it! Send us a letter telling us your views on whatever's on your mind about USC, the U.S., the world or life in general and we'll do our best to print it. What better forum for your ideas than The Gamecock? Put pen to paper and let your voice be heard ? now. tBaiUcocli ? i^jUSCWK. ditor in Chief Shelley Magee anaging/News Editor Tlge Watts opy Desk Chief Jay King ewpoint Editor Aaron Sheinin arolina Life Editor Octavia Wright raphics Artist Sean McGuinness hotography Editor Jeff Mabon ports Editor j3Ck Dunn reduction Manager Laura Day ' reduction Assistant Ray Burgos acuity Adviser Erik Collins dvertising Manager Renee Gibson sst. Classified Manager Neha Samagond The Gamejj will try to print all letters received. Letters shouid be 200-250 words. Full name and professional title, or year and major 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.