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E-MAIL! ^ We like e-mail. E-mail makes us happy. Send us e-mail. GCKVIEWS@SC.EDU. E-mail is good for the soul. Page 4 TOip (Kflinprnrfc Serving the Carolina Community since 1908 EDITORIAL BOARD Sara Ladenheim, Editor in Chief Rob Gioieylli, Viewpoints Editor Kevin Langston, Assistant Viewpoints Editor Emily Streyer, Assistant Viewpoints Editor Jennifer Stanley, Special Projects Coordinator Hate crime laws raise new issues During the past I I hate toward a cersix months, we tain group, they are havewitnessed The proposed still punishable by some of the most expansion of hate- law-The murder ol brutal hate crimes crime legislation. Ja sByrdJr.w* in recent memory. racially motivated. This has led to making it especiala sudden push for r , ly abhorrent. Bui expanded state and Laws should punish killing a man by national hate-crime people for their actions, dragging him belegislation. A new not their thoughts. hind a pickup truck bill in Congress, is still considered Hate Crimes Prevention Act, homicide, no matter what the cirwould add gender, sexuality and cumstances. disability to federal hate-crime Hate-crime laws seem to be an laws. And while it's encouraging attempt to punish people for the to see many of our governing bod- motive as well as the crime. But ies finally recognize sexual ori- in a country that embraces freeentation as a motive for discrim- dom of speech, we should only ination, the desire for more be able to punish people for hate-crime laws raises questions their deeds, not their thoughts, about their validity in the first No matter how disgusting the place. deed might be, hate is not a cnme. Unlike other anti-discrimi- This is why the Ku Klux Klan has nation statutes, which guarantee the right to advertise on the Ina person's basic rights in areas ternet. like employment and voting, hate- At the end of this century, hate crime laws are meant as a deter- and intolerance might be two ol rent, to protect people from crimes the biggest problems our country based on discrimination. faces, but there's only so much the One of the main problems with government can do. You cannot this type of legislation, though, is legislate morality, you can only that even though these crimes encourage people to treat each othmight have been motivated by er with decency. Regulation answer to right-to-die issue Does a person I Just as there are have a right to die? HHIRiiftfllSflHHl licensing proceA Michigan court Michigan is the latest duresforother said "no" last week s^e f0 mfe assisted physicians, there when it convicted suicide illegal. should be similar Dr. Jack Kevorkian, _ ones for physicians Dr. Death, of mur- who assist their paHpr tipntc' Hp^tVic Kevorkian, who Assisted suicide should ^egovernment has been tried three be but tt needs to and medical comtimes prior, taped be regulated. munity can overthe death of his pa- see chosen deaths tient, Tom Youk. During the tri- by first requiring long-term counal, reports said Kevorkian made seling to determine if the paavailable the tape of the death and tient is of sound mind and by deof an interview with Youk to fi- tailing procedural considerations, nally force the state to make a de- such as drugs and methods, cision regarding physician-assisted These sanctions will not only suicide. Thirty-six states so far protect the patient, but the physihave ruled it illegal. cian, as well. If physician-assistThough we do not necessari- ed suicide is going to be legal, ly condone suicide, no matter the which it should be, there need to reason, people nonetheless have be regulations, the right to make decisions re- Unlicensed doctors like erardine their own lives. Although Kevorkian should not be able to O CJ Kevorkian illegally obtained the take someone's life in their hands, poisons used to kill Youk, Youk But nonetheless, physicians should still died in a humane and non- be allowed to ease pain permapainful way, and the government nently when circumstances allow should respect the desires of the it. For these circumstances, there terminally ill to die in such a man- should be regulation, ner. There is an answer to preHowever, the legalization of serving the sanctity of human life assisted suicide could lead to its and protecting people's right to getting out of hand. die: regulation. fgjj die Gamecock ? ~ Serving Ihv Carolina Community since 190H jBIBIMilMMMKiiHHil The Gamecock is ihe student newspaper of The University of South Carolina and is published .Monday. Wednesday and Friday during the fall and spring semesters and five limes during the summer with the exception of university holidays and exam pencxti Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editors or author and n<x those of The University of South Carolina The Board of Student Publications and Communications Is the publisher of The Gamecock. Ihe Department of Student Media is the newspaper s parent organi/alion The Gamecock All area codes are HO.i Sara Laden heim luiilor In Chief Emily Streyer Ass). Vk-upmUs Rob Gioielll VU-upAnls Editor Kevin Langston Hditors aclx'Mlsccdii Kenley Young Aeus Editor Rachel Helwig AW A<ws Editors Brad Walters News Editor Clayton Kale Viewpoints '7-7 2ft Brock Vergakls Sports Editor Michac| Strickland Assl S/xtrls luJit<in> I CharUe Wallace Sp.rts Editor Jared Kclow|tz NwS ^Jascedn 1^**^ Editor ^ ?s hMlllns Editor * Rob Undsey / ealures Editor Etc 777-.V2l.-t Sean Rayford l-bolo Editor Deneshla Graham . . gchMmsc.edu Matt Ryan Online Editor Ashton June AW Eboto Editors 777.7, K2 Kristin Freestatc Copy Desk Chief Ann Marie Mlani panwcocki/iortsU Todd Money Ccflv Editor Jennifer Stanley S/xria/ I'm/eels bolmail.com Rebecca Cronican Opy Editor Coordinator Online 777-2H.t.t Student Media Ellen Parsons Director of Jason Curry Creative Services I\t|vcrtjsjn), 777--W88 Student Media Kathy VanMostrandc.h-u/iti' Services Lee Phipps Adoertisirtft Manager Sherry Holmes Classified Manager Classified 777-11H-1 Susan King Creative Director Carolyn Griffin business Manufier Susan Barrett ( reallie Services Erik Collins Eaculty Advisor '"J* 777-fvt82 Daniel Brown Creatbe Services Jeff Slensland (iraduate Assistant ... < Alice 777-tKSW \ T. view The Gi I 7 t V Easy way Being one of the student body's leading intellectuals, I often set aside time just to think about 1 complex A couple of weeks ^ago, I happened to be pondering what it like to be rich. Not afROB GIOIELLI fluent, not columnist wealthy, but rich. Really, really rich. Specifically, Bill Gates rich. Believe it or not, trying to conceive what it would be like to be as rich as Bill Gates poses some problems. Current estimates place the Gates fortune at $56 billion. At a time when movies like "Titanic" gross $800 million, the International Monetary Fund bails out small countries with billion-dollar loans i i.i i.: I J : i. anu uie iiauunai ueut is suiiiewnert: around $3 trillion, it's easy to take $56 billion for granted. So to actually fathom what it would be like to have the largest personal fortune in the known universe, it's necesIntellectua Chances are youll use a computer today. I used a computer to write this column, and IH use a ?-i different When we rn/ntMMic/ | " | buy software, we're not so much buying a product to do whatever we like with it as paying rent for the use of property. Perhaps you're familiar with Infowarriors, as they are known. They're computer hackers and pirates, something akin to bandits of Web wilderness who'll take anything not nailed down. And how do you nail down something that exists only as is relevant to magnetic fields and electric switches? Software pirates tend to think that if a thing is not tangible, it cannot be owned. This line of thought, were it rational, offers no explanation as to why we have patents, copyrights and legal Budget process needs to change io the tumor: We as the past and present Round Table Gaming Society executive members wish to express our vehement disagreement with the past senate budgeting process. The articles in The Gamecock and statements by the senate Finance Committee chairman therein seek to place blame on the Round Table for not know noint L imecock i E ftVMttSM ^ j rl s to blow sary to break the numbers down a little bit. Another way of saying a billion is a thousand million. Last time I -nomVIo wVin uro millinnairoo VllVVXKV/Vij |/VV|/1V IIUV U1 V JLU1111V/11U11 VU are still considered extremely well-todo. So in these terms, Gates is the equivalent of56,000 millionaires. If you filled up Atlanta's old Fulton County Stadium with millionaires and had them turn over all their personal fortunes to you, then you would be as rich as Bill Gates. So Bill Gates has more money than most sovereign nations. But the thing that gets me is that he doesn't seem to spend any of it. He built himself a big house in Washington and jets around the countiy playing bad golf once in a while. But these are things your average, run-of-the-mill billionaire would do. Bill has something special, but he seems more intent on taking over the world than actually spending his hardearned dough. There are so many more creative ways he could blow the wad. For the altruistic, the first option is for Bill to become a philanthropist. But instead of giving the cash away to worthy charities like most of the disgustingly rich do, Bill needs to create his I property t entities called "intellectual property." Software is intellectual property. A book is intellectual property. A CD is intellectual property. I had a ludicrous argument once with a guy who was bragging about something he hadn't gotten caught for (an intelligent young man, clearly) some victimless (or so he thought) crime. He then said, with a grin indicating how impressed the females present must be with his awesome inteltectual capacity, "But it's not illegal if you don't get caught." A chorus of female voices pointed out that the reason anyone would tiy to catch him in the first place is because whatever he'd done was illegal. He tried to explain the fine points of his logic (he was so proud of it) for our blunt senses, which were nonetheless sharper than his argument. (When f 11 < 11 ii i . J ii n i nnauy trapped, ne tnen naa trie gaii to claim responsibility for our intellectual activity by saying, "But at least I made you think.") But the scary part of that is the number of people who think his views are valid. They think it's harmless to hack into someone else's system as long as you don't do anything, even though the owner of the system may have to pay thousands of dollars to make sure you haven't done anything. You're stealing I Letters to the editor or guest columns are columns should be an opinion piece of abr if a student. Handwritten submissions must number for confirmation. The Gamecock i required for guest columnist and can be pn ing when and where the budgeting appeals were to be held. While maybe it is our fault for not being omniscient, SGA failed us through the entire process. While there were several times when the meeting time was supposed to be announced, our representatives were told that the time would be "announced at a later date," either posted by the allocations in the Student Government window, or sent in a letter. Unfortunately, we never received any information. We also met with the Finance Committee after the budget was passed. Our QUO "[We' to : Jim ( ?... ^ \f m an? CIMYOM ^ WO otfcM \ ?im , M- o.? 0 O 9 N1s. ^ s? ? Bill Gates' "Some might have a j could build his own I pay Winston Cup dri own charities. Specifically, I think he should start his own university. This may seem like a hairebrained idea, but many of our great universities. like Stanford. Rice and Van derbilt, were started by the old robber barons of the Gilded Age. Bill should go out and start Bill Gates University. BGU could be not only the newest American university, but also the most high-tech. And Bill would be sure that his legacy will live one. The next generation of techno-tycoons will aspire to be just like Bill: You don't have to have the great ideas, just enough money to buy out the guy with the good idea. Bill has enough to start his own school and give billions more to charity, but he should have some fun money, too. Here I recommend the kind of childish extravagance Michael Jackson has exhibited in his "Wonderland Forest." But instead of just a little amusement park and a zoo, Bill should build heft not rat "Freeware is great, bi willingness to share c our world is suddenly security. It's the same as breaking and entering a building. Info-warriors swear, "Information wants to be free," when really, they want information for free. Everyone wants things for free. Information is our most precious commodity, and the Internet, for all the advances it has provided, is in some ways the least advanced area of society. Freedom of information has imprisoned us in a cyber-barbarism in which we must protect our property and privacy or have them taken away from us by someone stronger. I support the lawsuit against the anti-abortionist Web page. The owner of any information has a right to decide how it should be distributed. True, some owners don't care. Linux, for example, an operating system based on UNIX, was written for personal use by a Finnish student, and he distributes it freely. (You can buy commercial versions of it, but what you're paying for is more user-friendly developments.) But even freeware pro welcome from all members of the Carolina comrn )ut 600-700 words. Both must include name, phon be personally delivered to Russell House room 3: eserves the right to edit for libel, style and spac ovided by the submitter.Call 777-7726 for more inf representative at that meeting was told that Round Table received less money because we grew. To the committee, our growth was a sign of stability, and a stable club "didn't need as much help" as a less stable organization. In other words, they were more willing to give a larger amount to a club that doesn't exist than to a club that has been at USC for 10 years. We sincerely hope that the newly sworn senate will give all organizations adequate notice for the next year's budget process. TE, UNQUOTE re] disappointed; [we'd] like serve all our constituents." Rvrnps dirprtnr Tranxitinn Year program Friday, April 2, 1999 fortune go-cart track, but he NASCAR track and vers to race him." on a grand scale. Some might have a go-cart track, but he could build his own NASCAR track and pay Winston Cup drivers to race against him. Of course, he'd have to win. Another option would be to create his own television station. Imagine it: 24 hours a day, whatever Bill Gates wants. Of course, it will probably start out right around the level of the WB, but then there would be room for "Three Meatheads on a Couch" prime time on Thursdays. The more I think about it, though, it doesn't look like Bill wants to spend his money on frivolities or charities. He seems a little too tied up by the Y2K bug and some antitrust suits. But it would be a shame to see all that money go to waste. He needs to hire someone to spend all his money. A person with plenty of free time, lots of creative ideas and some lazy roommates to help him out. I volunteer. ionalized it one person's loes not mean that / communal." grammers get something for their work. Freeware is usually the result of amateur programmers who just want to see if they can do it and would like some feedback on their work on a large scale. We can hold freeware programmers in high esteem for their selflessness, but we do that as a result of our own selfishness. We have a strong sense of entitlement and a weak one of obligation. Freeware is great, but one person's willingness to share does not mean that our world is suddenly communal. Our society is quite adolescent still. The easier it is to do something, the easier it is to rationalize it. In France, for example, you don't have a case against a burglar unless you can prove that you had locked your doors and windows. Parasitism is so easy now. Who doesn't have shareware they haven't paid for, or MP3s and Nintendo ROMs for CDs and games they never owned? As we are reminded constantly, we are on the verge of the millennium. I hope we are on the verge of a comingof-age, as well. unity.Tetters should ho 230-300 words. Guest e number, professional title or year and major. 53. F.-mail submissions must include telephone :e. Names will never be withheld. Photos are ormation. Put it on the window of SG. Give clubs a week to get ready for the appeal. Put the times and dates of the appeal in a poster on Greene Street. Instead of blaming organizations for your failures, change the process to make it fair. We would like to see responsible organizations rewarded instead of punished. Matt Polkowsky Brenna Sinclair Brian Gambrell Round Table Gaming Society