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Page 4 UThr ffamrrnrfe Wl?v vywiiivvvvii Serving the Carolina Community since 1908 editorial board Sara Ladenheim, Editor in Chief Rob Gioielli, Viewpoints Editor Kevin Langston, Assistant Viewpoints Editor Emily Streyer, Assistant Viewpoints Editor Jennifer Stanley, Special Projects Coordinator 'Zero Tolerance' policy intolerable New York May- undo some of the or Rudolph Giu- past few years'imliani has effected New York Mayor provements. some great change Giuliani's "Zero We do not mean in his city, but Tolerance"proposal. to understate the many of his meth- r r seriousness of 4.1 u a~ mm*irmrx'xmrxmmm j uus, tiiuugn uc- ui uiia ui iviug, aiiu signed with the ^ we understand public good in Phep) ogramgoei> too mere|y applymind, are ques- far to punish drunk ing stiffer penaltiestionable. drivers. usually means that A few months more lawyers get ago, he took an old law designed rich, but seizure of property hurts to inhibit drug traffickers and ap- innocent people ? for example, plied it to a more common but per- the families who depend on somehaps just as deadly offense: drunk one having a car to get to work, driving. New Yorkers found to be Furthermore, our justice system above the legal limit will have was designed to let 10 of the guilty their cars impounded, and vehi- go free rather than one of the incles are not returned until ac- nocent imprisoned; this system quittal. Exceptions are made for punishes suspects before they have rented or borrowed cars, which been given a trial, are returned to their owners. The state grants driver's liIn the meantime, drivers lose censes; it does not.grant them cars, their cars ? even first offenders Therefore, the state has the right(the program isn't called "Zero Tbl- ful power to take away a license; erance" for nothing) ? and pos- it should not take away property, sibly their jobs, making a bad sit- True, the revocation of a plastic uation, irresponsible drinking, card legitimizing the operation of worse. Does New York want to a motor vehicle will not deter dole out more unemployment ben- many drunkards from continuing efits in the name of intolerance? to drive, but property seizure simThe repercussions of this law could ply crosses the line. Transition Year may lose funding The USC ad- ing a negative mesministration has re- flHHBLMfckaflHHHI sage to South Carcently made a deci- Drastic cuts in the olina high school sion that could have Provisional Year students: You'd a big impact on fu- program better have the ture students. numbers to come The Transition to USC, or we don't ?????? from accepting vital to the success of the university's about 350 freshmen needy students to have overall attempt to to between 150 and funding cut. raise its admission 175. standards, and in The program provides oppor- most cases, it would be perfectly tunities for students who wouldn't understandable, be admitted under USC's normal But USC is South Carolina's admission standards. These are flagship research university. Part normally students who don't meet of this school's mission is to proeither the SAT or GPA require- vide a college-level education to ments. as many of the state's citizens as Transition Year provides these possible, students with a special curricu- Because South Carolina has lum and advisement services to the unique honor of having one of ensure they will succeed at the the worst education systems in university level. the country, USC needs to be a bit The program shows that the more accommodating in the type university understands people's of students it is willing to acgrades and test scores aren't al- cept. ways an accurate reflection of their There are a lot of great stupotentials. People have all types dents who are simply held back of experiences in high school that because their local schools just could negatively affect their GPAs. aren't that good. So until a sigAnd others just aren't that good nificant improvement is made in at taking standardized tests. this state's pubic school system, By cutting this program so se- programs like Transition Year verely, the administration is send- should still exist. Che Gamecock ? ~ N*J' Serving the Carolina Community since 1908 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 and the times during the summer with the exception 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 Student Media is the newspaper s parent organization The Gamecock All area codes are 803 Sara Ladenheim Editor in Chief Emily Streyer Asst. Vieupoints Rob Gloielll Vieupoints Editor Kevin Langston Editors cked@scedn Kenley Young News Editor Rachel Hehvig Asst Nats Editors Brad Walters News Editor riavton Kale Viewpoints 777-7726 ? . .. r, Luylu" w"c gckvieus@sc.edu Brock Vergakls Sports Editor Michael Strickland Asa Sports Editors Charlie Wallace Sports Editor News 777-7726 ??>??< Rob llndsey Features Editor , . Etc. 777-3913 Sean Rayford Pboto fitter eS Graham jncketc9sc.edu Man Ryan Online EdUor Ashtonjune Asst Photo Fditon 777-7182 Kristin Freestate Cqpy West CJiie/ A"11 Mar'e MlanJ gcksports@sc.edu Todd Money Copy Editor Jennifer Stanley Special Projects 0n|inc 777-2833 Rebecca Cronlcan Copy Editor Coordinator Student Media Ellen Parsons Director of Jason Curry Creatine Services Advertising 777-3888 Student Media Kathy VanNostrandOva/fne Services Lee Phlpps Advertising Manager Sherry Holmes Classified Manager Classified 777-1183 Susan King Creative Director Carolyn Griffin Business Manager Susan Barren Creatiiv Services Erik Collins Faculty Advisor '"ax 777-6382 Daniel Brown Creatiiv Services Jeff Stensland Graduate Assistant (j!, !T? y view] The Gai 11 Gcwmx an increase / iBu-m / A6AIN I R?IN?7UH | ? Land of th /^V ur societal values are strongly A I 1 connected to how our countrv v_y was formed. Because of this, ; ?- they are KEVIN LANCSTON our'"g?^t columnist nation." My conclusion is that our country is filled with egotistical, ideological, hypocritical morons. It is no secret that English settlers first came to this continent for religious liberation. This motivation helped define the course of this nation: to stand behind your beliefs and do what your heart tells you is right. If this were, in fact, the case, why is it that in Illinois a minister was suspended from the Methodist church for presiding over a gay wedding? If the building blocks of this nation were placed by people in search of religious freedom, why is this same nation being exclusive in who can and who cannot be wed in the house of God? I just hope God is not as selective as we are. Blacks have been a part of American history almost as long as white Americans. Blacks have fought in every ? major war to defend this nation. No oth- v er group of people has collectively n contributed more to this country. Blacks have been in this country longer than ^ any of my family, yet they are still treat- q ed as unequal citizens. This is a blatant cry of racism and bias in our society. For a long time, blacks were only considered three-fifths of a person, and this ^ Columnist ruins ? 'good' paper ? To the Editor: I am a freshman here at the Uni- I versity of South Carolina. I have en- ft joyed most of my experiences with the S| faculty and students during my first ft two semesters. I completely respect this s university for its commitment to p higher learning. There is something that I don't understand, however, and that is why Shawn Singleton is still a member of The Gamecock. The fact is he is an embarrassment to the university and all of the students who call ^ USC home. He also single-handedly turns The Gamecock from a respectable c newspaper into a rag that should only be used to wipe ***es with. X Who does bhawn think that he is: Howard Stern can say that he is the q king of all media because he is. His fan p; base is in the millions. When Shawn e] says that he is USC's most dangerous o man, who is he kidding? I haven't met ]j( anyone who enjoys reading his articles. g( The simple fact is no one likes what he p has to say. If he were fired from The si Gamecock staff, people aren't going to o fall into a depression, but they will re- ^ joice. di This year's football and basketball q teams were constant topics of Shawn's fa columns. He would ridicule the coach- vj es and players without hesitation. The th simple fact is that Shawn's columns are more 6f an embarrassment than any th point iiecock JSi?VK> HAS C&)6 ?>_ : JN ATRctJTlE5>, ssriN ry~'?L v&am^UM r i e rree, nor vas only to label voting populations even though they were not allowed to rate ). Not until the 1950s did blacks jegin to make significant progress in standing up for their rights. This, unbrtunately, was several hundred years ifter the first black person set afoot on his continent. They are underpaid, unlerrepresented in government and treatid unfairly in the job market. Although ' do not believe blacks sit around and Iream up ways to screw over the whites, ' would not think any less of them if hey did. In fact, I think they should. Women have been here since there vas a "here" to talk about. They have aken the same steps as every man in milding this nation. In a perfect world, hey, too, would be looked upon as equal o men. This is not, however, a perfect vorld. Women are stilled viewed as inferior to males. In this patriarchal naion, women are placed in less imporant roles. Men usually hold the higherlaying positions and are more likely to >e someone else's boss. For some odd eason, the woman's place is still in the Lome. Without women, we would not have ushed through the rough times of Vorld Wars I and II. Women worked a the factories to aid the war effort and tabilize the economy. If it weren't for heir strong will, the men fighting the rar would not have had much of a counry to come back to. However, when the nen returned from the war, these jobs hat were occupied by these women rare relinquished to the men. Women rare always supposed to be second to nen. The issue of illegal immigration has een a recurring theme in the news, t )ur country supposedly has no more t oom for immigrants who can't con- i ribute to our society in an ideal fashin. We have literally closed off our bor- c ers to Mexico and Cuba, yet the i I Letters to the editor or guest columns are w columns should be an opinion piece of abot if a student. Handwritten submissions must 1 number for confirmation. The Gamecock re required for guest columnist and can be pro' ISC athletic team to take the playing \ arface this year. I can personally take { lore pride in a l-and-10 football sea- c in than any of his past articles. s I should be proud of the school that f go to. I should want my parents and c lends back home to be able to read the a tudent newspaper without being em- r arrassed. The simple fact is that Shawn y ingleton's columns are a waste of good I aper and an embarrassment to the C University of South Carolina. Matthew Gaetz ( Freshman >afety efficiency 1 ipplauded d o the Editor: a I am a graduate student residing in p liff Apartments on campus. For the v ast couple of months, I have experi- e iced severe hypertension problems. I n two occasions, I contacted our Pub- a : Safety Department for medical emer- C mcy reasons. The first time, my blood i| ressure was around 180/160; the n icond time, it had risen to 210/170. a bviously, I was in danger of a stroke s ad, simply put, could have died. Yet b ue to the grace of God and the effi- ji ency, expediency and unmatched skill- if lness of our police department, I sur- C ved! Far too often, so many positive p; ings are accomplished on this cam- s] is without even a word of thanks to tr ose who work so diligently. Trust me u QUOTE, UNQUOTE "Everything we do in the university has to do with becoming an SAAU-caliber school." Jerome Odom, USC provost, on the Transition Year cuts. Wednesday, April 7, 1999 i ,(7EA^STT3A"nCNS> IN XTMM.&feeCe, | <?AWAG>A ANP t^CS^CCWi ATTACH I / TO \ W;^3 ( CgZAXE ) ^ "f ^ST^aiur^J ne of the oppressed "As a child playing 'Cowboys and Indians,' whoever played the Indian was the bad guy." Canadian border remains the most un- tion was written by these men, and they ier-protected border in the world. If claimed that all men were created equalCanada were not predominantly white ly and should be treated as such. Howand not well off in its own respects, I ever, the second the Constitution was assure you its border would be more signed and implemented, Americans heavily guarded and patrolled. went against that clause. The wealthy Who are we to say who can and can- make the rules, and the wealthy mainaot enter this country? Should we take tain the order. We hide behind "The Dff the engraving at the foot of the Stat- Star-Spangled Banner," never facing lie of Liberty: Give me your tired, your the simple fact that we are corrupt, poor, your worn, your huddled masses Most of us go about our daily rou/earning to be free"? Do we still harbor tines never stopping to realize just how this belief? I see no proof of it anymore, backward we are. We are the envy of The truth is, we stole this land from many nations, or at least we'd like to i people who never did anything to pro- think we are Weoare gelfish and CQn. joke us We saw that we could defeat ceited) md we only help others jf it ^ I^ative Americans with great ease and ^ We love to ^ : aim their land for our own. We liter- ^ w0 hel^ to define iUy killed thousands upon thousands and redefine year after year We gee ) ese^ieop e an orce em o ourseiVes as the great contributor to itta am q frootiAn at tttI-* or tnmr noH a?aa c ^ed home ^ weN"being ?fthis planet. We are ' As a child playing "Cowboys and In- ^ tot runner in rn^y thinp, and iians,'whoever played the Indian was i ^mk there is something to be said he bad guy. I don't know how this idea a^?ut how messed UP our Planet actu" vas embedded inside ofme, but it fright- a y*s' , , ms me to think I had been given this selfPnde ? buned 100 deefy noral from above. It says a lot about wltbui ,our hearts- ^ 400 scared to he morals this country fosters when I?.8 w screw UP we actua%are:hildren already know to hate Indians. e hate what is not popular and sucThis land was never ours to dele- cessful. If you aren t heterosexual, rate who can and cannot live here. God wealthy, white, male and Christian, vas never ours to say who could and then you re scum in the eyes of Amer?uld not wed underneath Him. Whites ica. You are looked upon scornfully and vere never officially given the power condescendingly, o determine whether other groups had And we want to help you get better, heir fair cut of jobs, representation and But who's to say you're in need of help espect. in the first place? We are the ones who The obvious and sad truth is that need to look in the mirror. >ur country is run, and will always be God bless America ... we need all nn, by rich, white men. The Constitu- the help we can get. welcome trom all members of the Carolina community. Letters should be 250-300 words. Guesl jt 600-700 words. Both must include name, phone number, professional title or year and major, 3e personally delivered to Russell House room 333- E-mail submissions must include telephone serves the right to edit for libel, style and space. Names will never be withheld. Photos are vided by the submitter.Call 777-7726 for more information. vhen I tell you ? the Public Safety De- and most other UNIX variants in benchjartment is to be applauded for the ar- marks. Sony is using Linux and the deluous work they do and for their un- velopment platform for their upcoming elfish efforts in providing protection Playstation 2. It is hardly "amateur softor us on a daily basis. In this age of ac- ware." ountability, outcome is the bottom line, But Linux is only one example of ind in my opinion, our police depart- this. I am sure you have visited Yaaent rises to the occasion. Thank hoo before. Every wonder what they rou, as well, to the Thomson Student use? FreeBSD (www.freebsd.org), anlealth Center and the Baptist Medical other open-source operating system, Center ?job well done! and what is believed to be an Apache Elaine Coleman derivative. The Free Software FounMSW Candidate dation, founded by Richard Stallman, ft* has been the business of free soft/ AA vt w *xi c ware since long before Linux was ever r>Al11mn 'lintmip' thought of. Their compiler, gcc (GNU LUlUllill U.1111 UC c Compiler), is one of the most widely Po the Editor: used compilers in the world ? probaIn Ms. Streyer's column in last Fri- bly the most widely used compiler for [ay's issue of The Gamecock, she made UNIX. All of their software is extremely I few valid points about intellectual high quality. The open-source nature vr Nawovat hpr claim of nf it <71iaran+POC flno Tf ie coma pnn. UJ . AXVffVivi , Viuuu bliUt UlA/ V* iv UUO. XI/ iO U1U OUillV/ Wll /are" is made by "amateur program- cept as publishing your research for aers" is completely untrue. Although peer review, admit I was amazed she was even What does all this mean? Don't disware of software such as Linux (my miss freeware as "amateur software" )S of choice), I am not amazed at her just because someone doesn't want mon*norance about its quality. First, it is ey for it. There is more free software lot freeware, which is usually simply out there than you can shake a stick at. . free program, but what is called "open Almost all of it is some of the best qualource" ? meaning that the source code ity software you will ever see. If these o it is and always will be available, not "amateur" programmers write appliiist a precompiled binary. Secondly, it cations that outperform their commer3 not written by amateur programmers, cial counterparts, what kind of proontributors range from professional grammers must be writing the rogrammers hacking away in their commercial software? pare time to college students conibuting for one reason or another. Lin- Wesley Morgan x consistently outperforms Windows Chemical Engineering Student