The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 30, 1992, Page 3, Image 3
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Questions
Bush, Clinton and Perot
fail to come up with the truth
As we come down to the final stretch of the election campaign,
we are left with a field of candidates of doubtful personal integrity
and qualities of leadership. Two of the candidates are facing questions
of their past, and stumbling all around the truth of their
actions, but never quite making it there. The other candidate...well,
he can't decide whether he's in or out, and the only decision he's
made is he will let his supporters decide.
George Bush, one of these candidates, is facing some questions
he should have answered back in 1988.
On the heels of Reagan's popularity and the apparent success of
a two-term Republican presidency, George Bush was able to sidestep
the question of his involvement in the transfer of arms to Iran
and his choice for vice president.
President Bush claims he was not "in the loop," but recent
admissions by close staffmembers and Secord, have stated otherwise.
People have only now come to the realization that Bush lied.
Once head of the CIA, Bush was known to have connections
with the likes of Manuel Noriega, Saddam Hussein, and Ferninand
Marcos. Would it be reasonable to say, in an operation like IranContra,
that George Bush and his connections would be called
upon or at least act as advisers? If Bush was kept out of the loop,
it was his own doing. And if he did not know the details, he certainly
knew what was going on. He may have simply decided to
remain uninformed in order to avoid complicity.
Bill Clinton, also one of these candidates, is being bombarded
by questions of his apparent avoidance of the draft, the circumstances
of which have changed at every asking. The most recenl
accusation is Clinton's lobbying a senator for possible intervention
before his local draft board. Clinton said at first he couldn't
remember, but then reversed and said it was a possibility.
If a prerequisite for being president is a selective memory
Clinton is the rightful heir to the Reagan legacy and deserves support
from Reagan Democrats who have been led astray. It's possible
to forget some of the events of your life in the turbulent '60s
But is it likely? Only if you inhaled.
H. Ross Perot, the new uncandidate (a title taken away fron
Tsongas), is an even worse example of the modern Hamlet figure
than Mario Cuomo. At least Cuomo was decisive in his indecision
Perot is indecisive about his big decision.
His economic ideas are all borrowed (mainly from Tsongas)
and he has an egoistic, temperamental style incompatible with the
trappings of modern media politics. And yet he says he wants the
people to decide. No one decides what's right for Ross Perot bu
Ross Perot. But he will not confess this character trait to anyone
let alone the American people.
The 1992 field of presidential candidates presents the question
"Is this the best the American system has to offer?" Yes it is. Am
no matter who you vote for, one thing is for certain: Americ;
deserves what it gets.
South CarolinoiFbotball I812-/772
1Mip
YIAKS ^
ai\d
"IBaiftco ck
Editor in Chief Greg Rickabaugh
Managing Editor Patrick Villegas
Copy Desk Chief Jay King
News Editors Chad Bray
J.T. Waaenheim
Viewpoints Editor Jack Dunn
Features Editor Lee Clontz
I Sports Editors Nancy Salomonsky
Tim Thorsen
Photo Editor Stephanie Newlin
Graphics Editor Ryan Sims
Cartoonist Paul Jon
Asst. News Editor Melissa Tennen
Asst. Features Editor Jennifer Fuller
Acst Snorts FHitnr Rob Roduskv
Asst. Viewpoints Editor C.E. Holman
Asst. Photo Editor Lea Clayton
Asst. Graphics Editors Kristin Buehlman
Gregory Perez
Asst. Copy Desk Editor. . Brian Garland
. Production Manager Laura Day
Asst. Production Manager Jim Green
Faculty Advisor Erik Collins
Advertising Manager Renee Gibson
Student Media Coordinator Jim McKellar
rir^ri, Aoot Rrian Mrttnirp
v^/ii uuuaic ncwi ? ? ? ?
Darkroom Technicians Erin Galloway
Rika Hashimoto
The Gamecock will try to print all letters received
Letters should be 200-250 words. Full name an(
professional title, or year and major if a student, mus
be included along with address and phone number
The Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters fo
style, possible libel or space limitations. Tht
Gamecock will not withold names under am
circumstances.
riewpo
IcOMWSl
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Senior citizens o
A mandatory retirement law for firefighters,
I law enforcement officers and tenured professors
is still on the South Carolina law books.
In July 1969, the law went into effect stating
that all public employees will be retired at age
t 70. The employer could grant an extension of
two years, but no public employee could work L
after turning 72.
This law was challenged in 1986 on the federal
level, and it was abolished. In 1987, the South
Carolina retirement law was amended to apply
only to law enforcement officers, firefighters
j and tenured professors.
These fields of employment have a fairly low
turnover rate and most often when a person
becomes a police officer, firefighter or professor,
that person remains one throughout his or
| her working life.
These employees are imperative to the com
" munity and state and should not be restricted to
Not enough allc
^ Since I've moved here to the University of r~
1 South Carolina, my parents haven't written.
No cards. No letters. No big packages of
socks to speak of.
I want a divorce.
I can do that, you know. If Gregory K. can
do it, then so can Gregory P.
After the kid from Fruitland Park, Fla., won
the case "divorcing" him from his neglectful
mother, kids across the country are jumping in
line to take their folks to court.
In supermarkets everywhere, scenes like this
are playing out:
Little Michelle L.(age 9): Daddy, will you
buy me some cereal?
Daddy: No.
Michelle L.: Pleeeease?
Daddy: I said no.
Michelle L.(really whiny):Pretty please with
sugar on top?
Daddy (teeth grit so the other mommies and
-I ? wtk
4 Apology' 'whl.tn
k goes too far "ASmfon'
playing Jes
To the editor: reality. An
Regarding the unsigned editorial grow up.
(The Gamecock, Monday Sept. 28) What kim
apologizing for a previously leftist you practice
bias in the Viewpoints section of staffs, some
the Gamecock: on! The p;
Certainly a balance of right and worked with
left is necessary to maintain a sem- opinion.
blence of fairness. However, to atjve moder
purposely moderate a viewpoint for never
the sake of maintaining a status ers coui(j w
quo sounds a lot like censorship. ^
Surely, it is the right of an editor to . co
. . / . ? ? u ate or conse
decide what goes into his paper, p .
but to disavow my recognition of r 0111 ,?
radical positions (left or right) is an yjamecoc
attempt to whitewash reality and to no
squelch any attempt of raising a 'ibeial few>
controversial issue solely on the want t0 ^ 1
grounds of the issues' political paper run o>
implications. And h?v
If that is the desired direction competence
The Gamecock wishes to take, why intelligence
not have just one person write all dare you ins
the editorials to make sure they all For your
fall within the norm as espoused by more profe$
the unsigned editorial? The staff finger than
could then rename the section to picture-load
"Boring Viewpoints: More Dung" USC Voices
which would appeal to all those porate mor
readers who are already impressed year Meam
with the paper's extreme diversity. nated USC
All kidding aside, let the far left Crossfire to
J and the extreme right have their Ho .
say. Who knows, maybe it'll get ali$m whilg
some people thinking about what . .
a people really believe. .Qn ^ {
/ KevenRuby 'eflee, the st
GINT sophomore e ^ac' 1
ints
^1fi?60REQ(M?Pl
m0M
verlooked as \
COLUMNIS1
work by their age. Ideally, education and saf
are society's most valued treasures. But in re;
ty they seem impossible to obtain to our sai
faction. Why would we hinder someone whc
perfectly capable and willing to pass on th
gifts of experience by discriminating agai
their age?
Every person ages at a different pace. WI
all eventually pnysicaiiy age, many eiueny u
their keen insight and clear-headed thinking
the grave. How dare we, the youths of tod
judge men and women who have protected <
>wance? Divor
ladlSaillH
COLUMNIST
daddies won't hear): NO MEANS N
YOUNG LADY. KNOCK IT OFF (
YOU'LL GET A SPANKING WHEN WE G
HOME.
Michelle L.: How does $2,500 a month
child support sound to you 'Dad' ?
Daddy: Cap'n Crunch or Froot Loops?
All this divorce talk ought to give Geo
Bush a big poke in the eye.
The Greaorv K. case is vet another hole in
sinking ship of family values. Right when
president wants a refurbishing of our dome:
infrastructure, along comes this 12-year-old
>r: issues like abortion
id of garbage was the mal rights, etc. M
:ditorial (Sept. 28)? issues to you is if
Mr. Rickabaugh. Stop can coach well or n
us and come back to Come on Greg
d while you're at it, stop writing such cl
1 of professionalism do
when you slam former Spring '92, M
of which you worked of
ast six staffs I have
i have always promoted rp, ,
, whether it be conserv- ?Ol3ciCC(
ate, or liberal.
said only liberal writ- ol Q f
ork for us. In fact, we 1 uai
to write from a moderTn
?l... ,>.1U
-MTES.
hp
>9r,D%^?n000nQO, H' laK/l8MMIM
mm
aluable resource
homes and lives and educated our parents,
D peers and children, by physical appearance
and date of birth.
We recently had a president of this country
that carried out his duties at the ripe old age
of 77. (Oh, by the way, this law, since its
creation, never applied to elected officials.
Lawmakers always protect their own.)
et.y Anybody remember Grandma Moses? Her creativity
and talent didn't fully develop until the
lis" twilight of her life.
Employees should be judged by individual
,eir merit instead of a broad sweep before being
nst forcibly retired. Understandably, some people
shouldn't be put in key responsibility positions,
but I know plenty of college-age people who I
wouldn't want watching over my house or life
10 or teaching my children. Let those who have
aV' something to offer maintain their jobs as long as
0UI they want; we can only benefit.
*ce your parents
rewrite the rules and make splitting up the
family all the more complicated.
They're probably having giggles over there
in the Clinton camp.
I'm itching to hear what Vice Potatoehead
Dan Quayle has to say about this one.
Although I'm sure he's just waiting for the
tplpvicinn minisprips hpfnrp hp ran nnrn his
O' mouth.
^ Now Gregory K. says he wants to be an
ET actor. Over 30 movie deals have come to his
door, with even more piling up everyday.
in If they ever do a movie, Hollywood is sure to
spice it up a little, throw in a teensy bit of farce
roe to "broaden the audience horizon."
"Irreconcilable Differences II: Mommy K.
his Gets the Chair."
our Heck, Ross Perot would probably produce it.
stic (I was only kidding about the divorce, Mom.
to Please send socks. Love ya.)
PVfVMHPtfTPPI
kkAUaSlAJLiMM
, gay rights, ani- ton had in the ninteenth-century. In
eanwhile, social some parts of the southeastern
Sparky Woods United States, for example North
01' Carolina, it is a major part of the
grow up and ec0
lildish attacks. 1e .
If you haven t guessed yet, this
Tige Watts dru? is tobacco- Most people refuse
[anaging Editor ^ ^ a drug, but it is by defi
- 1, nirion a drop It has NO medical
1 lie UillllCtUtIV O- ~
use. The plant has NO useful prop#
erties compared to say, marijuana.
) is Let us please come into light of
the twentieth-century people.
Marijuana is not only less harmful
? and addictive than tobacco; it is
also less of a threat to society than
response to Jon alcohol.
e piece of Sept. Make u le?al to over 18
He is conect aiK* tax beck out Treat
^uments with a like alcoho1 is heated now. (Do it
wn in for ?ood on your ^ree t'me an(i there s n0
s ^ot the dru" penalty. Drive while under the
ideed a dru? so influence, you go to jail. Smoke it
ially deadly "that at work lose y?ur Job )
i Mariiuana is not evil, nor are
i. uiuuiiunaieiy, ' > ? - ?7 ? ?
those who smoke it. It does not
to set a feelin^ cause you to become anything that
hev also smoke y?u ^ not ^ready. and smoking it
1 " It is highly once wil1 not at,dict you for life.
t millions of ^h, ancl ^y way> *n case any?ne
cted to it is wondering, I do not smoke it
)uns people are myself-1 tried it and didn't care for
only to become i1, -'ust * did witl1 l?bacco and
ver their bodies alcohol. Get a grip Mr. Nunnery.
ysical damase.
ile get sick, and Dorene M. Boltz
^use LTA II, Thomas Cooper
), it has reached Library
he one that cot
rvative viewpoint. 1 'l,,t
f order, Greg: The s letter is in
did not clean house. Nunnery's Crossfir
t clean house. We, the 25 of The Gameco<
left because we didn't in his logic and ar
tssociated with a news- little hysteria thro
' y?u! measure, but he'
' dare y?u insult wrong. There is in
professionalism, or harmful
as a lournalist. How , ,, , ,
ult my colleagues. it should be banner
information we have 1118 alrea<iy legal,
isionalism in our little People smoke it
you do in your feature- ?1 euphoria, yes. 1
ed rag. We developed it to appear "coo
and Crossfire to incor- addictive. In fac
e points of view last Americans are addi
wnne, you nave enmi- Thousands of yc
Voices and reduced curious lo try it, <
once a week. slaves to its hold o
; you claim profession- Tf . _ ,
J . It does cause ph
you write an editorial .
)scd to renect the op.n- of peop
staff when it doesn't man>' ^ie f,om lts a
aff s opinion. As a money croI
he guts to tackle social a similar level to t