The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 25, 1998, Page Page 3, Image 3
We'll be publishing loads
of letters, because you'll
be writing us at:
GCKVPOINTS ?SC. EDU
Hic(5ai
Kert'ino the f'nmhnn C.n tm.
EDITORIAL 1
Jennifer Stanley, 1
Sara Ladenheim, M
Rob Gioielli, Vieu
Kurt Johnson, Assistan
Kathleen McCormick
Candidate
lack of pr
In a shameless
and totally political
attempt to gain vot- Beasley's rev
er support, Gov. tfre Confedei
David Beasley recently
announced that
he would never
again try in any , ,
way to remove the
Confederate flag are just ti
from atop the State- to get ik
house.
Yet just two
years earlier, Beasley supported ii
the 1994 Heritage Act which would tl
have moved the flag to a notice- I
able post along the Confederate
Memorial on the north side of the c
Statehouse. ti
This seemingly gutsy attempt, fi
which many flag-supporters pro- b
claimed never to forgive Beasley t'
for, lasted a couple of months, before
it feel into oblivion. b
Beasley's decision to remove e:
the flag came through, according
to The State, "late-night prayer p
and Bible reading," because he T
thought relocating it would "help u
the state's racial climate." d
But now, Beasley has changed h
his mind ... again. So, does this v
mean God has changed his mind
also? Does Beasley no longer want a
to help the racial climate in this a
state? e:
Jim Hodges, Beasley's oppo- o
nent, is no better. He supported tl
Beasley during his short-lived attempt
to dethrone the flag, now si
says he would not push to bring p
down the flag. His excuse, quoted
Campus n
need of o1
Been waiting for rTTTI
a letter lately? HBHHLtfU
If you've lived on The inefficier
campus for any of entire ca
your career at USC, mail sis
you've experienced
the turtle-like speed
of our campus mail
system. Wenedafu
The current postoffice
problems with the Russell H
campus mail system
are only the most
recent in what has been a history
of slow and incomplete service, p
Students have always taken cam- a
pus mail with a grain of salt. We si
have assumed that when some- ft
thing was late, it was because it
was sent through campus mail, k
What we need is a comDlete b
overhaul of the campus mail t
system. Right now it is incomplete s,
and haphazard. Using facilities in tl
the Russell House, students are b
able to pick up only their letters c,
and packages. g
Hit (Bat
Sert iuff the Carolina Cninint
Hie- Gamecock is the student newspaper <>t 11k* I niversity of
Friday durin|?foie lull and spring .semesters and five times during the
periods. < )pini< ins expressed in The (iameendt am tin ise iit die editor
Tlie Board ot Student Publications and Gxranunkatkins is the puhlis
the newspaper's parent organization.
The Gamecock
Jennifer Stanley Editor in Chief Rob Llndsey
Sara Ladenhelm ManayiiiK Eflitor Jessica Barfleld
Rob Giolelll I'utijromls lirlitor Jackie Poston
Josh Lonon Aero Editors Todd Money
Erin Reed Rosalind Harve
Kristin Freestate Ecatnres Erlitor
Bryan Johnston Editorial Assistant Kurt Johnson ,
Nathan Brown S/xirts Editor Brad Walters
Nlkki Thorpe I in So Editors Kenley Young
DntK Mottlpa
Brian Rlsh Online lidilor Deneshla Grah;
Student Media
Ellen Parsons Director of Carolyn Griffin
Student Media Jim Green
Lee Phipps Adivrtisinx Manager Erik Collins
Sherry F. Holmes Classified Ad Jeff Stensland
Man ' !er
ncrack
nunity since lyOts
BOARD
Editor in Chief
'anaging Editor
ipoints Editor
t Viewpoints Editor
Editorial Writer
5 show
inciples
from The State, was
that "the spirit of
iersalon compromise was
rate flag ruined by Beasle/s
abortive efforts."
' Just because
Beasley screwed it
JHndaw up before him,
i Hodges doesn't mean he
ylng couldn't come in
7tes. and fix it. That's
like a new coach
coming in for a los[ig
team and saying, "Oh well,
bey're a bunch of losers, nothing
can do about it."
Both of our candidates have
hanged their stance on an issue
hat has been tearing at this state
ar a long time. They are both
eing hypocritical and elusive on
his issue.
One of them needs to assert
limself, take a stand and weathr
the storm.
What about those who opose
the Confederate flag?
hese people are in a lose-lose sitation.
These people have no canidate
to throw their support beind,
no candidate to stand up for
rhat they believe in.
All Beasley and Hodges want
re votes, and all they are worried
bout are losing potential votrs.
The hell with standing by their
pinions. Whatever gets the vote,
hat's what they believe in.
If this is true, what a sorry
tatement to make of the politics
racticed in South Carolina.
nail in
yerhaul
FMMj] To do anything
else we have to go
icy of our to the actual post
mpus office on Main
tem Street. That is
me piace you nave
to go if you want to
send a package,
U service send a letter exin
the press-mail, buy
ouse. stamps, or use any
real post office ser
vice.
With such a large on-campus
opulation, USC should have an
11-inclusive post office in the Rusell
House. There is plenty of room
)r it in the Carolina Mall.
There are distribution probims
with such a large institution
ut when sending a letter via the
J.S. Postal Service, we expect the
ame speed and quality of service
tiat any other citizen gets. Just
ecause we are students on a big
ampus doesn't mean we should
et second-class service.
rack ISM
iiiity since 190S
South Carolina and is published Monday. Wednesday ami
summer witli the except km of uniu-rsity holidays and exam
>or author and n<? those ijt'The Cniiersity ol South Carolina,
.her ot Tlie Gamecock. Tlie Department ot Student Media is
All area codes are HO.S
Off Milurs
Editor 777-.W14 .
Viewpoints 777-7726
y ftilAic Relations .
News 777-7726
Dinxtor
1 sst Viewpoints Editor j.tc 777-3913
.isst News Editors
Sports 777-71H2
Encore Editor
Mi Asst Eeatwvs hliktr Online 777-2833
Advertising 777-3888
Business Manager
(.'rentuc Director classified 777-1184
faculty Adrisnr ^ m-MHl
(iratluale Assistant
a Office 777-3HHH
VEWP
The pif-tv c
TGCHMDi.C?(rV
I He ni o r* e si
M^Tii
Laws need?
columnist S,1
I 1 d<
It seems to me all the finesse has gone j
out of lawmaking. Laws are becom- <j]
ing increasingly subjective and spe- p,
cific. And the more specific laws become, w
the less good they are; the less good they ^ j
are, the more laws we need. Because of
either redundancy or a moral agenda, (j(
our laws aren't doing us any good. ^
For example, the idea that we can
prosecute someone for a "hate crime" vis
silly. I don't doubt that some crimes
are committed out of hatred, but is that ^
really important? Why should it be
against the law to hate someone? It's . ,
already against the law to kill some- *
__ ? n?
one.
Does it make any difference to a .
dead person whether he was killed over ?
an arbitrary genetic issue or killed because
a thug wanted his wallet or killed
because his nephews wanted his life- n'
insurance policy? Murder is against the a?
law. Why don't we leave it at that? w
It's really nobody's business why they itdid
it b<
Another recent phenomenon I don't
understand is the creation of addition- in
er
Americans t
T ast Friday, in an attempt to look
respectable, I thought I'd put on a "
JL-ipair of khakis before I went out. ^
?-i This may ^r
not sound ^
is a stretch. b<
Well I tl
ROB GIOIELLI tried a|
columnist on flnf^ they
wouldn't n
button, so I realized I was getting fat ei
again. n
Now my weight, like any person's, tl
tends to fluctuate. But as I was think- tl
ing to myself, "Time to cut back on a,
the cheese fries," I began contemplat- ^
ing our country's obsession with weight w
and fitness. S(
I believe it's important to live a
healthy life. I don't, myself, but it's a
good thing. Eating right and exercising
are the keys to living happier fives.
They reduce our stress levels, give us
more energy and give us a higher
self-esteem.
When we look in the mirror in the .
morning, we should be pleased with c
what we see.
ci
Student commends ?'
b
booze-free tailgating u
ei
To the editor: ?<
I am writing concerning the column f?
called "Students should assert the right 0
to alcoholism" printed in the Friday,
Sept. 18, issue of The Gamecock. Colum- d
nist Rob Gioielli criticized the "Third
Great Gamecock Tailgate Party of 1998" w
sponsored by the Office of Alcohol and ^
Drug Programs. He used the article b
to encourage students on campus to rj
drink more while promoting irrespon- b
sibility and dangerous behavior. In the u
article, he made such comments as "Car- t<
olina needs more crazed drunkenness tl
and self destructive behavior." Com- c,
me its like these not only reflect badly
OINTS
OW.,.
TT7T
I bis
SSi
d to protect
laws when the ones we have already
iffice. For an example I offer the unirage
drunk driving law in this state,
don't doubt that some underage
tinkers drive, but is that really imirtant?
Does it make any difference
hether people are killed by a drunk
3-year-old or a drunk 30-year-old?
If the state wants to penalize unerage
drunk drivers, why not first
large them with underage drinking,
id then charge them with drunk dri- 01
jig? Both are already against the law c<
l this state. Why is my tax money wast- n
1 in passing a third law when the first m
ro are enough already? Who thinks so
s logical to assert that it's worse to
ive a 20-year-old on the road with a ce
2 blood-alcohol level than a 21-year- ai
d with a .09? I certainly don't, and I ^
low my math's right. 0I
Furthermore, laws should protect gi
ghts, not serve moral purposes. It's ^
;ainst the law to murder someone, but
hy? Most people will say, "Because
s wrong." That doesn't mean it should w
i illegal.
If murder is immoral, it's immoral til
every case, and I can think of sev- w
al good instances where it shouldn't a
ooobsessa
But living a healthy lifestyle is one
ling; letting the amount of fat on your
lighs and the size of your biceps conol
your daily existence is another thing
atirely. This is a huge problem in
merica. There are too many people
at there who have this compulsion
bout eating right and exercising.
I see them everywhere, men and
omen, and it sickens me. For each sex
lere is this god-like ideal that everyae
is trying to attain. For girls it tends
) be the supermodel, for guys it's the &
idy-builder. These are two extremes ^
lat for some reason we have decided
re the norm.
Take supermodels. Have you ever ^
;ally looked at these women? It's sick- Ql
riing. People need to realize super- ^
lodels are freaks. No one should be jlat
skinny. I was reading a magazine
ae other day, and I saw a Versace c,
d, which I mistook for an article on ^
lortuaries. They all looked dead. I w
anted to scream into the pages, "Eat y
imething!" In our warped and sick- ^
oing culture, malnourishment is now a
le standard, and we have girls driving
lemselves and the opposite sex nuts h
per their figures. ii
Don't get me wrong; guys are just y,
5 bad. But instead of looking like twigs, g
re've decided that we should all be mus- si
le-bound behemoths. ci
Before the dawn of our modern so- o
[ety, man proved himself by laboring si
The Gamecockl
(01. year and major
elude the
a the columnist and The Gamecock,
ut also on the campus. Do we as E
rSC students really want to be gen- s
ralized as a bunch of students who si
stumble into the game at half-time, v
ill down the bleacher steps and pass ti
ut in the middle of the third quarter." e
One out of four students on campus ti
o not drink alcohol. y
They would like to go and watch it I
'ith their friends without having to t
rorry about some drunk person throw- t
ig up on them, causing an embarassing
fight on the field or being so unearably
rude that it ruins their ftin. I
nderstand that students have a right
d tailgate, but within that right comes 1
tie right to tailgate with or without alohol.
r
"I
Amei
? f
| Areth
:
: lights, not
"Drugs, prostitution, \
pornography?what's j
one is just a personal
er."
e illegal. When it involves no contention
f rights, however, murder should most
Brtainly be illegal. In other words, a
mrderer violates a few rights of the
urdered, and that should be the reain
why it is illegal.
I have a very simple formula for asirtaining
that a law protects a right
id not a moral: If someone wants to
) something which doesn't hurt anyle
else, it's okay. Our rights should
id only where someone else's begin.
Tiv shouldn't an 18-vear-old be al
wed to run for president? A country
hich elects an 18-year-old for presimt
deserves what it gets. Drugs, prostution,
gun ownership, pornographyhat's
a moral decision for one is just
personal decision for another. If we're
i with weig
"You can't go into a n
without seeing that cu
next to certain items,
fat' or 'healthy choice
ii the farm, hunting in the forest or
illing on the battlefield. Since we can't
o out and kill dinner now, we have to
rove our manhood by spending two
ours in the gym every day pumping
on.
Having a good physique is one thing,
ut looking like Lou Ferrigno is anther.
I don't see any practical reason
>r a normal guy to be built like an NFLx
nnhool/or Uo rrnfo noirl fn forl/ln
iicuauagi. 11c geto ^/axa tu taeiue
ound running backs. You get paid beause
you're good at selling insurance,
low is bench-pressing three times your
reight going to help you do that? Are
ou going to hold your client above your
ead until he buys hurricane insurnce?
The male fascination with being
uge and the female fixation withbelg
skinny have permeated everything
'e do, especially what we eat. You can't
o into a restaurant anymore without
Being that cute little vegetable next to
ertain items, which means "low fat"
r "healthy choice." Every item in the
upermarket has its corresponding verwlll
try to print all letters. Letters should be 250-300 words and n
ludent. Hand written letters must be personally delivered by the
iephone number. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit all lett
I applaud the Office of Alcohol and
)rug Programs for providing a fun and
afe way to tailgate for those who abtain
from drinking and for anyone else
ffio would like to attend. And to all
hose out there who have "been a week
nd binge-drinker tor three years and
here's no permanent damage," I invite
ou to stop by the Office of Alcohol and
)rug Programs and pick up a flyer that
ells you the long term health problems
hat can occur from binge-drinking.
Noel Reynolds
Journalism Sophomore
Office of Alcohol and Drug Programs
Volunteer
?o the editor,
. It was with great pleasure that I
ead Emily Streyer's recent article in
feel that most African-ican
faculty feel that most
)roblems are evident."
a Pigford, former professor
of education
"J
t morals
ran ownership,
a moral decision for
decision for anothgoing
to call it a free country we need
to lighten up a bit.
We may have values as a society,
but the idea of society having a moral
1 _ *J__ IL.J. _1 1J 1 I
coae is an iaea inai snouia nave Deen
extinguished long before Prohibition
ended. Individuals have moral codes,
and a society made of individuals with
identical moral codes is awfully boring.
We are no longer a collection of Puritan
communes, each able to declare that
everyone who lives there must adhere
to a certain moral code and those who
don't like it can live elsewhere.
The greatness of this country is
clouded by the shadow of the freedoms
which are not welcome here, but should
be.
Comments welcome at The Gamecock
or esstreyer@mindspring.com
?ht, fitness
istaurant anymore
.x- I'xxl- ^ 1 1
nc 111uc vegeiaoie
which means low
yy>
sion in the green box, which means it's
lower in calories or has reduced fat.
The question I always have is why
are these foods more expensive? If they
have less ingredients, shouldn't they
be cheaper? And if you want to lose
weight, it doesn't matter if you are eating
low-calorie potato chips or reducedfat
cookies. Cookies are still cookies,
potato chips are still potato chips. If
you are on a diet, don't eat them.
America has turned itself into a culture
obsessed with image. We assume
that, because all the beautiful people
are on TV or in the movies, their appearance
is some kind of standard. If
we don't look like that, then we just
qron'f nnrmal
We should be happy with who we
are. I'm not saying we should give up
on living healthy and sit around the TV
eating junk food all day (though it sure
is fun). But we need to accept the bodies
we were born with, and stop idolizing
the .001 percent of the population
that has no physical flaws.
nust Include full name, phone number, professional title or
author to the Russell House room 333. E-mail letters must iner
for style, libel or space. Names will never be withheld.
The Gamecock entitled "Internet chain
letters waste time and resources."
Her article was informative, well
written and very factual. It blended her
personal feelings along with "technical"
information and made important
points on several levels.
It's good to know that others besides
those in Computer Services are becoming
more and more aware of the;
detriments of unsolicited e-mail. It is
truly amazing, the time and resources
that are expended in fighting
this type of abuse.
I look forward to her future articles
in The Gamecock (and not even necessarily
about technology).
Bill Mowery
Computer Systems Director