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Is) HHH EDITORIAL Fire & Rain Nature unleashes power on Midwest, East Coast 7 4 4T 've seen fire, and I've ' JLseen rain. I've seen sunny days that I thought * Nature has ravaged the Eastern United States for the past two weeks. Excessive rain has caused 16 deaths and more than SI billion in flood damage along the swollen Mississippi River; excessive heat led the S.C. Water Resources Commission to declare drought conditions for the state. While the conditions causing the flooding were unpreventible, many of the conditions aggravating it were. For several years, the federal government warned many of the flooded communities to build higher levees and offered to pay for them. However, many of the local zoning boards voted down the idea because the levees were deemed "unattractive." By blocking the view of the river, the levees prevent local landowners from charg ing higher rents for rooms with riverfront vistas. Nature is not solely to blame for the destruction along the Mississippi. Greed and special interests are as much to blame as Mother Nature. In addition to the destroyed housing and the dead, millions of acres of crops are ruined, further weakening the country's low agricultural output. So far, almost $15 billion of crops has been destroyed, and although food shortages are unlikely, higher food prices are certain to follow. While record-setting water levels occur in the Midwest, the record-setting heat is a preoccupation of most South Carolinians and Easterners. ine upstate s parcned lands will not yield cotton, com, peaches, tobacco and assorted crops. The financial losses wrought upon the state are expected to be devastating. Twenty people have died because of the oppressive heat. While South Carolina has had no heat-related fatalities, many people are behaving unsafely. Despite warnings, people continue to go outside without adequate protection. Warnings of low-water levels have been issued for the upstate and could be issued soon for the Midlands. Greenville has received less than a quarter-inch of rain and Columbia less than two inches. If rain does not fall soon, water will be as orecious a enmmnrtilv In 11s as houses are tO Midwesterners. As temperatures rise, so do tempers. To beat the heat, people tend to drink alcohol excessively, which relieves them of their moral restraints. This is evidenced in last week's report by the Rape Crisis Network that the number of reported rapes increased in June because of alcohol abuse. In times of extreme heat, more self-control is needed to prevent violence from starting and spreading. As fire and rain ravages the United States, South Carolinians can only hope to see sunny days that will end. V"P I I 'The Crying We all know the Year of the Woman began about ten months ago when it was first noticed that a number of candidates for the U.S. Senate were (gasp!) women. November brought us the election of several fine women to high office such as Poi*a1 \4r\rnlrt?? m\A>wgj-Dl(lUIl, DcUVaid DUAC1 clUU Hillary Rodham Clinton. But there were dark clouds on the horizon. In June, a special election took place in Texas to fill the Senate seat vacated by Secretary of the Treasury Lloyd Bentsen. After the primaries, Texas state treasurer Kay Bailey Hutchison emerged as the frontrunner. Many casual observers thought this would be the latest triumph in the Year of the Woman. Imagine the sur- "They have prise when Gloria for years. Su< Stienem, longtime J a leader r?f the femi- WHS Ofie. hO nist movement, Some of the gave a speech in dated have Texas in which she said that Hutch- inipersonab ison, while posing knOW. I thou as a successful, just Republic progressive prochoice woman who had Rodham-ized her last name, was actually a "female impersonator." Many responded skeptically at first. How could this be? But Steinem, not one to throw about such charges lightly, had proof. She pointed out that Hutchison was a Republican who supported Republican policies. Condom Lad] Honolulu streets are filled with tourists during the day. Mothers, fathers and their children walk the store-lined avenues seeking relaxation, food and the ever-popular T-shirt to take home to those who could not make the trip. The nights, however, are another reality. On Honolulu's streets, women are beaten daily, harassed by police officers, robbed and even murdered. The crimes make the back pages of the local paper, if at all. Women are frequently denounced as public nuisances desDite the fact that thev are the victims of crime, not the perpetrators. Those who commit the crimes are rarely found, nor are they likely to be. Why? Because the women harmed are prostitutes. Enter a robust, free-spirited, non-traditional minister who goes by the name of the Condom Lady. Her job is to aid people that society would like to forget. Armed littlo tv. ?? . ? ft uiuic man ooxes 01 conooms and her wits, the Condom Lady walks Honolulu's streets distributing condoms to women, offering information about AIDS and STDs, informing prostitutes of their rights when they are assaulted by clients and subsequently getting the women to court, listening when the women have personal problems, celebrating with women give birth, and mourning with women who have lost friends. The Condom Lady recently convinced i| i" Hi iH-rfl iUBfll Game' goes to i 1 i a Patrick McNeill < # s Columnist Well, that was proof to me. It is common knowledge that all self-respecting women favor higher taxes, an increase in the number of government programs and more deficit spending. Unfortunately, Steinem was unable to warn enough Texas voters before the i .,i election because been with US Hutchison was >an B. Anthony elected in a landwas Pat Nixon. sli?e x i It was just a rnatWOmon I have ter 0f tjme before been female such an event Drs. I did not affected the lives , , ,, of women everyightjhey were where. 0n July i, ans." the House voted not to pay for Medicaid-funded abortions by a vote of 255-178. Rep. Patricia Shroeder. D-Colo.. the senior woman in the House, was so upset by the defeat that she told a network reporter, 'The Year of the Woman is now dead." How terrible! Where does one send such a wreath? / protects sociei | jqA Martin ^yjf Davis r nlaamnicf an Oahu church to provide a house to serve as a shelter for prostitutes who need to get off the street. Her goal was not to coerce the women into leaving the streets but to provide them with a safe-haven against a world that uses and disposes of them quickly. The Condom Lady knows it is not easy for prostitutes to change their lifestyles. Have you ever tried to get hired with a prison record? Will a former client hire you? If you have little or no education, what are your chances of finding decent work? If you find work, how much will it pay? The average apartment rent in Oahu begins at about $900 a month. Many prostitutes face these problems when they consider leaving the streets. These are lethal combinations in today's job market. The popular American myth that anyone who works hard can get ahead is not universally true. Connections, family, friends and support systems consisting of teachers and neighbors are far more important than > Washington T1 * -1 - * me newspapers minK me vote was a rejection of higher taxes and increased spending, but I know better. Sinister forces were at work. I looked closer and discovered the following: There are 12 Republican women in the House. Five of the Democratic women in the House voted against Shroeder. This means there are 77 triore female impersonators in Congress! Nancy Kassebaum, R-Kan? was elected to the Senate in 1978! Women have been in Congress for 15 years! I have come to terms with the facts. Female impersonators are everywhere. They have been with us for years. Susan B. Anthony was one. So was Pat Nixon. Some of the women I have dated have been female impersonators. I did not know. I thousht thev were inst - G 'J J Republicans. But do you know what hurts the worst? I vividly remember my mother during the Christmas holidays curled up on the couch with her copy of Rush Limbaugh's "The Way Things Ought to Be." She kept her secret from all of us, rearing four children while having a successful career. I am not mad anymore. Female impersonators need to be treated like the rest of us. In fact, perhaps they should be represented in Congress. It is the Year of the Female Impersonator. Patrick McNeill is a columnist for The Gamecock ty's neglected skills in landing a job. If you are outside such a support system, our society is unforgiving. This is not necessarily wrong, but it is reality. These women are far outside this system. These women work hard, face job-related stress that few of us will ever have to handle and continue to work without the benefit of public sympathy. How often do you worry about contracting AIDS or being beaten at work? The Condom Lady offers these women tneir only nope and is often their only friend in the outside world. She is an inspiration to them and to me. While American religious groups decide who is more right than whom, who follows the Bible closer than whom, who are sinners or saints, and who is going to heaven or hell, the Condom Lady works the Honolulu streets, implementing a part of #L^ D :ui~ * c r "* * uic diuic iuu iicquciiiiy iorgouen: juage not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you." Martin Davis is a columnist for The Gamecock To readers: The woman in this article is real. If you wish to know more about her and her work, you may contact the columnist through The Gamecock Office, Russell House 321.