The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 05, 1993, Page 3, Image 3
Fear
Alabama s student government machine
frightening sign of things to come?
Student politics at its best.
A student presidential candidate at the University of Alabama
was violently attacked earlier this week, prompting a temporary
shutdown of the school's student government.
The attacker was allegedly a thug of the machine which has
run Alabama's student government with an iron fist for decades.
Very few candidates who have not been machine-backed have
won, including former Alabama Governor and national presidential
candidate George Wallace.
Probably the most famous political machine was the
Tammany Hall machine of New York City, run by a man named
Boss Tweed.
This machine ran the city for years through kickbacks, favors,
dirty politicking and overall unethical and illegal behavior.
Ironically, one of the people most responsible for Tammany
mil s conapse was tne editorial cartoonist 1 nomas i\ast.
Through his satirical cartoons, the public slowly became aware
of who actually ran the city. It wasn't the people; it was the
machine boss.
Machines are one way a few select people can monopolize
political power and, subsequently, policy under the facade of
democracy.
They are dangerous to the democratic ideals of equal justice
and opportunity and, unfortunately, are usually subtle enough to
stay in power for years.
It took a candidate to be slashed and beaten before the
Alabama administration finally stepped in to stop the machine's
terror.
But most machines are not stupid enough to intimidate
through blatant violence. Veiled threats, either physical or emotional,
of candidates and their campaign staff are a commonly
used tactic. Election fraud, frame-ups, spying and other illegal
behavior have also been widely used by machines in the past.
Another sign might be if one group or a collection of linked
organizations, such as Alabama's fraternities and sororities,
monopolize or "pack" the government.
This type of campaigning and government should not be tolerated,
period. This goes for any level of government: national,
state, local or campus.
As far as we can tell, a machine does not seem to run USC's
student government. But the building of a machine is a slow,
methodical process. Signs can be so subtle that they don't show
up for years.
So students, keep your eyes open. Look for the signs. You
never know.
'
Gay bashing must end
I know that most of the people
here on this campus aren't aware of
this issue or don't think much &
_ i . r. 1 _ 1 1 .1 1 I
auoui u. i aisu kuuw uiai i>cvciai
people on campus are aware of it jJk ^ wt
and wonder what they can do. I'm J im
talking about an issue that contains K m
one of the ugliest words in the
English language. It's the DIS- 1 ^ "%lL
CRIMINATION against gays, lesbians
and bisexuals at USC. C H P I S
As a gay student, I feel this issue
is current, important and needs to DUNCAN
be seriously discussed here on L???-???
campus. While many of the organi- Pardon my French, but not a
zations on campus have added a damn thing. As long as they are
"sexual orientation" clause to their doing their job and doing it well,
anti-discrimination policy, USC as who cares whom they love? And
yet does not have such a clause. furthermore, what business is it of
This means that organizations yours? If the student president was
can turn down or Fire members or gay, lesbian or bisexual, but was
officers simply because of whom doing a good job, would you care?
they love. It also means that "gay I know I wouldn't. I'm open-mindbashing"
can continue at anytime, ed enough, to accept people for
by anyone. I'm not saying people whom and what they are.
don't have a right to voice their As long as they are qualified,
opinion. I just don't think it's right give them a shot. Boot them out if
to force it on someone without let- they make a mess of things, but not
ting*them hear both sides of the because you don't like what they
issue. stand for or what they present.
I really get ticked off when As far as budget cuts go ? if
someone says "Oh my God, there's you didn't like what AAAS prea
fag!" So what? I hate to inform sents during Black History Month,
you. but if you have 10 friends, you would not cut their funds. If
more often than not, you know you didn't like the way SAGE pre
w iiw id 5 ay y it^uiau ui ?jviho c*?i vii v ii uiuiiciuai jjiugiaiu,
bisexual. You may or may not you would not cut their funds. But
know whom they are, but they're you're willing to do that to CPU.
there, under the guise of ordinary USC has made some headway in
people. recognizing gays, lesbians and
We are the one group that it is bisexuals as people, but it's very
okay to discriminate against. Case small when you compare it to the
in point ? a certain unidentified total spectrum. There is so much
candidate for an SGA office that needs to be done, and with the
allegedly made some incendiary new administration here at USC, it
remarks regarding CPU's can happen.
"Mistresses Of Illusion" show, President Clinton has set a stanbilling
it as a "drag show" and pre- dard with his lifting the military
senting the group he was speaking ban on gays. Why shouldn't USC
to with erroneous information. follow this and add "sexual orientaThe
chief purpose of the pro- tion" to their anti-discrimination
gram was to raise money for policy? It's only two words, but
Palmetto AIDS Life Support they can make a world of differServices.
If the candidate had been ence.
present, he would have received an It's not a black thing, it's not a
information sheet at the door stat- white thing, it's not even a gay
ing the performers were gay but thing. It's a people thing, and the
that in no way were they or CPU sooner we realize this, the better
promoting a stereotype in any off we'll all be. Stop the hatred, the
sense. homophobia, and the discriminaAlso,
what does the sexual orien- tion. It's hurting all of us, whether
tation of a chair in any organization you realize it or not.
have to do with his/her ability to
perform the job and uphold the Chris Duncan is secretary of
responsibility of their leadership BGLA.
position?
PRO
Imagine having brown eyes ;
Even though you may have
tent enough to fly a plane, yoi
ent.
That's what a pack of asinir
when they refuse to allow gays
Some people will say that ;
forces. They are also the sam
white schools with black studei
Sen. Strom Thurmond, the
gays should not be allowed ii
that's the case, look up the de
definition. According to We
straight or gay, is guilty of sod
Not allowing gays in the i
"Those" people are not going i
ing soldiers in their sleep. Th
the showers just to get an exi
won't break down in the field
would. There would be no ext
tary if you allow gays in the m
This issue really shouldn't t
it is shocking to most Ameri
homophobia.
Homosexuality is a state of
tied to do a job. It means you
left-handed.
"Those" people are actually
bring America back together ai
You cannot sit in a room an
als. It is not like "we" have dif
So why should there be sue
and "them." There should not
puting it, and the courts believi
Instead of military people fi
hands and fight together as on<
Cooperation a mu
in race relations
To the editor:
I feel the following paragra
applicable to the Crossfire co
from Jan. 29:
"In 1948, one in eight black
dren was bom out of wedloc
our major cities today, it is c
to five in eight. The black ft
that survived segregation, de
sion and war collapsed unde
Great Society. The greatest cc
the welfare state is not to be
sured in dollars, and it has not
paid by taxpayers. Begun
good intentions, the Great So
ended up with the worst of re
While hundreds of billions
been piled upon the national
we have created in America's <
a permanent, sullen, reset
underclass, utterly dependent
nun oi uiatu) IV/I iwuu, diiwiivi
medical care with little hof
escape" (Buchanan, 1988, p. 3^
Believe it or not, Patrick J
Buchanan, brother of Angela "
Buchanan, wrote this in "F
From the Beginning." Even
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>,CRO?
W Should the mil
and being told you can't fly an airplane.
20/20 vision and may be perfectly compe1
are not allowed to because you are differle
senators and Pentagon officials are doing
lesbians and bisexuals in the military,
allowing "those" people in will disrupt the
e people who would have said integrating
nts would disrupt the educational system,
same man who was a segregationist, said
n because "sodomy is against the law." If
ifinition of 'sodomy,' especially the second
bster, everybody who has had oral sex,
omy.
military is nothing more than pure bigotry,
to disrupt the forces by attacking unsuspectlose"
people are not going to stay longer in
tra look at their comrades. "Those" people
of combat any more than a straight person
ra threat to order and discipline in the milililitary.
>e as shocking as it has been, but the reason
cans is pure ignorance or, in some cases,
being. It does not mean vou're less quali
"re different, just like being black, short or
/ just a part of "us." Clinton promised to
nd get rid of the lines of "us" and "them."
d pick out all the gays, lesbians and bisexu"ferent
marks identifying "us."
h a dichotomy in the military between "us"
be because there is no sound argument dise
it too.
ghting against one another, they should join
i unit called "us."
Tige Watts is a columnist for The Gamecock
St his right-wing babble, this radical
conservative shows compassion
and concern for those who are not
Jim McKellar
Jim Green (
Renee Gibson (
Erik Collins (
Brian McGuire
Erin Galloway, Rika Hashimoto
White Anglo-Saxon Protestants.
This is because racism and poverty
ph is are not simple political issues that
lumn can be labeled solely as "liberal" or
"conservative" concerns ? they
chil- are human concerns. As a nation,
k; in we must subscribe to a greater
loser degree of understanding and
jniily patience with those from other idepres_
ological backgrounds. The respecr
the live races must stop polarizing
(St 0f themselves along political boundmea
aries and, instead, work towards
been achieving some sort of common
with ground.
eiety If African-Americans identify
suits, solely with the liberal movement,
have and whites close their minds to
debt, everything non-conservative, then
cities our country may one day find itself
itful 'n a situation analogous to that of
upon former Yugoslavia, where
r and neighbors slaughter each other over
>e of ill-defined and increasingly mean3g)
ingless religious/political beliefs,
ames
Bay" J'm White
tight Education graduate student
amid
*tl5anl
1 UNIVERSITY OF SOU
Patrick Villegas
Lee Clontz, J.T. Wagenheim
Gordon Mantler c
Brian Garland ^
Jack Dunn, Melissa Tennen
Lea Clayton, Rochelle Killingbeck ^
Jennifer Fuller ^
Melinda Waldrop
Nancy Salomonsky, Tim Thorsen (
Rob Rodusky
Stephanie Nevvlin
Kelly Johnson |
Gregory Perez {
Chris Muldrow
Paul Jon
r"Kfie Hcivic Thnm Hnrmnn
SSFHFH
itary ban on gays
CON HD
The LJ.S. military's ban on homosexuals
help maintain order in the military. The ar
equal opportunity employer. It discriminat
of reasons; however, the one thing all th<
that, in some way, they make the military v
The fact that gays have served in the it
irrelevant because it would not have been
about their sexual preferences. If their pee
would have brought about disorder, disser
of the military.
To require heterosexuals to live in clost
shower with homosexuals is a violation
imagine if the military integrated male an<
women would be upset by this action.
Their rationale would not be based on
would be because of the mere possibilii
forced to shower with one whose sexual
gender constitutes a lack of privacy. Bei
would be considered a natural feeling, but
claim it is "homophobia."
Even if one ignores mainstream Americ;
uals, and die problems lifting the ban wi
issue of privacy. Privacy was the driving
Court's abortion decision in Roe vs. Wade.
I realize liberals will accept or reject coi
ty based on how they serve their politica
pend rational judgment for the sake of p
President Clinton can pay back a campaigi
considered or even cares to consider these
People must understand that the "right"
sional. The potential effects of allowing c
tary could serve to dissolve cohesion am
most likely fail to bond with gays in the i
tiveness of military action. For these reas
ban.
Ryan Atkinson is
Candidate apologizes ^ga
ly b
To the editor: not 1
I regret that several letters I take
mailed to student organizations was
were delivered early. These letters delo
were intended to reach student
groups on Monday, Feb. 1. The letters
provided two contact phone 'r
numbers, so student groups could
reach me it they wanted to hear my
views and expectations as an SGA Re
presidential candidate.
Despite this error, I made no
To<
The Gamecock will try to print ^
all letters received. Letters in|
should be 200-250 words maxi- oay
mum. Full name and profes- ?les
sional title or year and major, if maS(
a student, must be included Sout
along with an address and wee]
I T?L . O
|iiiv/iic nuinoer. ine uamecocK reau
reserves the right to edit lor of s
style, possible libel or space the
limitations. The Gamecock will Garr
not withhold names under any
circumstances.
Icock
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Z]
:
; be lifted?
; is a necessary action taken to
med forces have never been an
es against people for a variety
2se people have in common is
veaker.
lilitary honorably in the past is
possible if they had been open
rs had known they were gay, it
ision and an overall weakening
* quarters, undress around, and
of privacy. For clarification,
i female units. Particularly, the
anatomical differences, but it
ty of sexual attraction. To be
nature is geared towards your
tween males and females, this
: when applied to gays, liberals
a's inability to accept homosex11
cause, we cannot ignore the
principle behind the Supreme
istituiional amendments' validi1
purposes, but should we susolitical
correctness? Or so that
i debt? I doubt that Clinton has
arguments.
to serve in the military is provi>pen
homosexuality in the mililong
troops. Heterosexuals will
manner necessary for the effecons,
I oppose the lifting of the
a columnist for The Gamecock
ngements with any student
nizations before Feb. 1. I firmelieve
the election process has
been compromised by this mis
and that no unfair advantage
gained by the letters' early
/ery.
Zac Moore
iternational studies/economics
senior
ader praises
wspaper
he editor:
didn't think that I would ever
this, but The Gamecock
:rves to be congratulated on
ting the article concerning the
ROTC student. Amid the artithat
have appeared in what
querades as the free press in
h Carolina during the past few
ks, it was quite refreshing to
something from the viewpoint
omeone who was actually in
front lines. Kudos to The
lecock!
Amy Loeffler
International studies senior
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