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VIEWPOINTS Wadnaaday, Octobar 30,1996 3_ Serving I) Stephanie Sonnen Chris Dixon,1 Edttot Angie Campbell, Martha Hotop, Ac Adam Snyder, Jennifer Stanley, Sara S o p i r Homeless shoi more respect, There are TTfWVF certain problems Himbi in American society that will A menu not go away. to see I. Problems with no as peoj quick solution, no skills an easy fix that will be provided by simple governmental legislation. tt i r i.i numeiessuess is une ui mese problems. There are millions of people in this country who have no address, no phone number. No roof over their head or a bed to sleep in, much less a place they could call "home". The problems that contribute to their homelessness are many and varied. It's almost different for each person. And it's something that's not going to go away. lb solve homelessness we need to look at the roots of the problem and address them. We have seen that the "safety net" of welfare does not work. Handouts and shelters just keep people's bellies full and off the street. And that's fine when they first encounter trouble. But we need programs that help people help themselves get off the street. Wo a loo noorl rrurro <Y*mnaooirvn TfV Uiovy 11VVU AiAAV when it comes to the homeless. We i. eed to have respect for those who are less fortunate than us, and let them know we still view them as people. People who are just as valuable and capable as those of us who Affiimative < improvemeir Republican V!T?7|lPaC^ presidential ! candidate Bob Dole spoke out Employ Monday on governtneri affirmative action, use disci savine the tn fioht die governme t should provu * assistance baseu on economic status, not gender or race. Dole said the government should fight discrimination with justice and opportunity, not more discrimination. Ideally, affirmative action is positive because it attempts to integrate minorities into the workplace. Like too many programs inacted by the government, affirmative action has strayed from its original intent. It's be come a program Stephanie Angje Sonnenfeld Campbell Editor in Chief Lisa Chris Dixon Noworatzky Viewpoints Editor Sara Svedbere Martha Hot op Copy Adam Snyder Robert Walton News Editors Photo Editor Jennifer Stanley Brian Rjsh Features Editor Graphics Editor Adnm Hunt Jason Jeffers Sports Editor r?,. ??? v , .. Daniel Brown Cece von Kolnitz c . , _ Cartoonists Special Projects The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the University of South Carolina and is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the fall and spring semesters, with the exoeption of university holidays and exam periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editors or author and not those of the University of South Carolina. The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of i Studen};Media is its parent organization. i tart !SC Since 1908 feld, Editor in Chief Viewpoints Editor lal Board him Hunt, Lisa Noworatzky, Brian Rish, Ivedberg, Cece von Kolnitz, Robert Walton noN uld be given opportunities hppwpphh| do have a home. iUaliiilH By giving the homeless respect 2Yis need we will be on the homeless first step to Die with helping them. d abilities. Then we need to stress the programs like job training. Many people are homeless because they can't get jobs. If we give people the basic education they need, and job training, then they will be able to attain jobs where they can support themselves. We stress to our young people that education is the most important thing they can have in life. We need to extend these opportunities not only to the young, but also to those who missed out in the first place, so they can go back to school. The minimum wage increase is also important. There were many homeless who work for minimum wage, but still can't find a place to live, because housing just cost too much. The value of the dollar has just decreased too much, and $4.25 an hour cannot support a person. Now they at least have a fighting chance to survive of f the wage. Once we do this we will be on the way to solving the homeless problem. We will be giving people a chance and giving them respect, which is all that anyone should really need. ration needs t, revamping MVpn9*H| dependent upon filling quotas and maptinfr vers and numbers based it should not on gender and imination ethnicity. crimination. Isn't that discrimination of sorts? Doesn't that seem to defeat the purpose of affirmative action? Using discrimination to fight discrimination doesn't teach us anything. All it does is legitimize discriminatory hiring practices. Can we, as the world's leading democratic nation, afford to tolerate any more discrimination? The answer is no. What can we do to rectify this? Well have to change the process. Woll K 0170 tn /^Vionrro IaHov's IIV U AiH VV W VllUlAgV IVUUJ w affirmative action to meet yesterday's ideal. s: 777-7726 ertising: 777-1184 777-6482 Chris Carroll Rob Gioielll Director of Student Media Asst. Viewpoints Laura Day Jessica Nash Creative Director Asst. Features J.T. Wagenheim Bryan Johnston An Director Dwayne Mark Hopkins McLemore Graduate Assistant Asst. Sports Marilyn Edwards Nikki Thorpe Taylor Asst. Photo Advertising Director Ben Muldrow Erjk Co?ins Asst. Graphics Faculty Advisor The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be 200-250 words and must include full nam, professional title or year and major if a student. Letters must be personally delivered by the author to The Gamecock newsroom in Russell House room 333. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit all letters for style, possible libel or space limitations. Names will not be withheld urder any circumstances. fNOW ImLAB P" Hb? WHEN (I | 8IKEIV "He kept tell Same-sex ma To the editor, I would like to respond to a letter submitted by Chris Herrod. He commented on how same-sex marriages infringe on his rights. Granted, I am not gay. I have had, and still have, gay friends. When I read his letter on how gay marriages "infringe" on his rights, I was outraged. First of all, he states that liberals have no tolerance for his beliefs. This upsets me because I do agree with liberals on some, but not all, subjects. He stated, "What is really meant is tolerance for those who believe as they do, but critical attacks against, and veiy ' i.,1 x -i.. * _ x J xl ...1. _ liuoieram rneionc lowaru, inose who don't." I don't know from where he got that idea. Most of the liberals I have spoken to believe there should be tolerance for everyone and for everyone's beliefs, no matter what they are. Now, as far as the Defense of Marriage Act goes, I totally disagree that a marriage has to be between a man and a woman. What is the difference between seeing a gay couple that is not married compared to seeing a gay couple that is married? There is only one thing that comes to my mind: a ring. A simple ring around the left ring finger of the person. Herrod makes marriages between two people of the same sex sound like the biggest sin on the face of the earth. While on the subject of the Defense of Marriage Act, I would like to comment on laws in this country. Laws in America have been changed time after time after time. For example, take African-Americans in this country. They were brought to the U.S. as a minority group, and are still a minority group. Even though they are a minority group, they have the same rights as anyone else in this country. They started out in America with no rights at all. They could not own land, be married or vote. Now, however, they can do all of these things and more. What is my point in bringing African-Americans into this issue? To prove that laws can be changed depending on the situation at hand. When Herrod states that his rights have limits because others have rights, and theiryrights are limited because he it f\r The rvssei ^ as ^."rwokK? Only rg t It 15! r (&#*]) Kico/g^ipERAre ^y(f 5 buzz by*" lj |j ling us 'play Bloody Mary. Pla] He said, 'So you ' Freshman Amy B. about her exp rriage doesn't i: has rights, I totally agree. ri I do not, however, see how a married w gay couple would go against his rights, ai What could possibly be the difference? tl ii lie uao tu put up vy i til gay ^uupico that are not married, and does so, why b< can't he tolerate a married gay couple? h I see no difference. c< While I am on the subject of rights si and their limits, I would like to comment "c on what he said about liberals and their beliefs on rights. He said liberals sounded like they wanted "unlimited freedom or a unbounded rights." ft This is not true by a long shot Most, pi if not all, liberals do not believe in this. V They simply believe that homosexuals should have the same rights as anyone i < else in this country, and that these rights p are now being limited t< Last, but certainly not least, I would s< like to comment on Herrod bringing God ft into the subject. In the Bible, it says, c< "Love thy neighbor." It does not continue to say "only if they are straight." tl Liberals are not out to change ft someone's religion or beliefs or limit their si rights. They are simply saying that they respect your beliefs, so please respect b theirs. J Herrod's letter upset me most of all a because he sounds ignorant to the facts, s and the letter sounds like a clear attack on liberals and homosexuals in this b country. o Ken Caudle p Marine Science Sophomore e: Freshman Council J member's statements c, it irresponsible To the editor, h tl Rarely do I call the intelligence of o someone into question, but in the case a of Freshmen Councilman Timothy Clardy, C HI gladly make an exception. e His recent letter in The Gamecock r (Oct. 28) regarding a letter I wrote critical of Student Government was at best n immature, at worst boorish, illogical, g childish and openly hostile. I After reading it, however, I can better c appreciate the military term "target-rich , environment." Wi^?h so many utterly ij LL HoUst SOOK V STICK TH6 SP/i \ TUC10 <ian\t r @/996 TH?6A*ecOCA i Bloody Mary/ So, we ask will see me/" erience with a USC ghost. nfringe on air diculous statements in one letter, it g as hard to choose which to address now g nd which to let fade into the oblivion s ley so rightly deserve. (1 I suppose the best place to start would C e with the personal attacks on me. In is letter, Clardy calls my conclusions R mcerning the senate perks proposal lggested by SG senator Bryan Menees a :owardly and intolerant." s Pardon me, but why? v Specifically, how were my opinions F iwardly? Should I have smacked Senator y lenees across the face with a glove, then a resented him with a copy of my letter? /ould that have been brave? o As for calling me "intolerant," Clardy c 3 the one who told me just two I aragraphs below to "shut up" and later o ) "...not ever again criticize SG and the ii mators..." Clardy is hardly encouraging o ee-thoiight. Has he ever heard of the incept of agreeing to disagree? Clardy makes the statement (one of a le few valid ones) that I have never run v >r any SG office. Well, I confess. I'm a o inner. I have never run for any SG office, o I haven't contracted malaria either, c ut that doesn't stop me from knowing don't want any part of it. Some things i Dmmon sense tells you are just bad, and \ G is one such thing. ( I have, however, visited the SG offices c efore. In fact, I did so again today. t I discussed Clard/s letter with some I f those present, and all, including SG 'resident Patrick Wright, seemed rather f mbarrassed by it to say the least. ? The main purpose of my visit, f owever, was to obtain a copy of Senator c lenees' senate perks proposal, since t !larHv arrnserl me nf never havincr reaH t Well, you know what? No one has c iad the proposal because Senator Menees ? as not written it down, I was told by le SG receptionist. I based my opinions J n the issue of senate perks from quotes ? ttributed to Senator Menees in The i lamecock. If those statements were in rror, I suggest he contact them for a \ etraction. I Regarding Clard/s offer to "teach" t le about respect and power in 1 ovemment, Pm afraid ni have to decline, t would venture to say it is Clardy who 1 ould learn a thinp or two. Most notably is Clard/s striking I jnorance of how a epublican form of ( STo(Z?... I . criN * :gs; J s '? ed him why. - rnn /^\' 4+4 rr yuiic d llgilld overnment works. In this type of overnment, the people (in this case the tudents of USC) elect representatives :hat dubious distinction encompasses !lardy) to represent their interests. In simple terms, you work for me, Ir. Clardy. Part of my tuition goes to fund SG nd I, along with every other USC tudent, have the right to vote you in, ote you out, or not vote at all. \irthermore, that means I may criticize ou, student senate, or SG as long, and s much, as I like. I simply don't have the tune to waste n an organization that, in its own onstitution, states, iNote: tsy law tne ioard of Trustees is the governing board if this University and this constitution o no way abrogates or limits the authority f the Board in matters of governance." That seems rather clear, doesn't it? Since only five to eight percent, on iverage, of the student body as a whole rotes in SG elections, apparently many f my fellow students agree with my pinion that SG is impotent to affect hange at this university. The last issue that needs addressing s Clardy's none too subtle threat to vithhold funding for the Department of Computer Science as a result of my riticism of SG. So many a<$ectives come o mind when I think of this, but I guess '11 have to settle for ludicrous. SG has no control over the budget or the Department of Computer Science. j(i did, however, provide some binding or the Association of Computing Machines hapter on this campus, an organization hat is unfortunately defunct at present. In closing, I should like to ask Clardy o publicly retract his statements oncerning Computer Science and icknowledge that they were inappropriate. 01 IJL. r 'U i _ T 11 onouia ne rail 10 apologize, 1 can upon >G President Patrick Wright to issue in apology on behalf of SG for Clardy's responsible comments. I would also hope that the senators vho represent the College of Science and Math, Curtis Brown, RaNell Cheney, lonathan Dickson, Craig Harrison, Sue Moyer and Lisa Weaver, would voice heir disapproval of Clardy's heavylanded statements. tev Brown Computer Science Senior