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E-MAIL! Vent your rage '90s style: ^ Send us your opinion ^ with an e-mail. GCKVIEWS@SC.EDU. Technology fees at work. Monday, April 12, 1999 13it (Bamctod? Sending 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 U.S. foreign policy Eurocentric, racist According to Political and geoAmerican and NA- graphic consideraTO officials, one Genocide isQOiflQ on tions shouldn't of the main objec- globally, notjust in the come into play. But tives for the con- Balkans by pleading hutinuing strikes in manitarianism, the Kosovo is to ensure United States and the human rights If we interfere with NATO are showing of ethnic Albanians , ' > m nverjer that they do. in Kosovo. KOSOVO, WO should stop The risking of In principle, we genocide globally. American lives for agree with these the human rights humanitarian motivations for the of Kosovars reveals how Eurobombings in Kosovo. Any kind of centric our foreign policy is. It's readily apparent, large-scale hu- not until the plague of genocide man rights violations should be comes back to Europe that we start dealt with as swiftly and decisively to take any action. as possible. But naming genocide This type of hypocrisy shows as the main reason for our pres- how prejudiced, even racist, Amerence in Kosovo reveals much about ican foreign policy can be. Right American foreign policy and our now, the short list of those whose attitiiHp f/vurarrl nnn-R/iirnivifm hnmnn riorVifc \xra aru willincr +n UVV1VUUV WTTU1U W1V> 11U1I V^VAAli 11U111U11 1 l^llVU ?Y V/ Hi V II 111X11^ fV world. defend is limited to peoples of EuHigh estimates place the num- ropean descent. That's prejudice, ber of Kosovars killed in the hun- Of course, this appeal to condreds of thousands. But in the past science could just be an attempt 30 years alone, we have seen the to convince a reluctant American genocidal-type massacre of mil- public to get involved in yet anlions in Cambodia, Rwanda and other foreign conflict, in scores of other countries across In this case, our policy isn't rethe world. ally that prejudiced, just ill-conIf we're in Kosovo to stop geno- ceived. But then our calls for hucide, how come we never went to manitarian action are an insult any of these countries? Human to the millions who have died rights are supposedly universal, because of genocide. Donation of eggs a fragile problem An ad recently res^ us* Now taken out in a ma- even merit may be jor paper offered "Superior"people are bought ~ and thus $50,000 for a tall, selling their genetic Power blue-eyed blonde mntprin] A caPltallst so" with 1400-plus on ciety already the SAT to donate jjMfTHTiyT^TTTTTfTWB stacks the cards some of her eggs to ~ t ^ , somewhat at birth, an infertile couple. ^ practice leads to although democraGenetic engi- a dangerous path; we cy attempts to neering is an is- need to think now. make fair the odds sue far too compli- as much as possicated to be deeply addressed in ble. Now the cards may be stacked the space of an editorial, but before conception, for those who this incident bears comment. have the dough. We don't wish to universally Furthermore, are we willing condemn genetic scientists and to risk, for example, the further engineers for their work, for it's marginalization of a Down's valuable to medical science and syndrome child because, in socicould potentially have a positive ety's view, he or she could have impact on society. And we find no been avoided? When genetic adcontroversy in the financial vantage is for sale, what happens compensation of such a "donation"; to those who don't pony up? people, after all, are paid for sperm Where are the bioethicists? In and plasma, as well. the news, we hear what is hap What concerns us is the po- pening and what is about to tential emergence of a financial- happen; we do not hear definitive ly determined meritocracy, a world statements on what should be hapin which some people, the privi- pening. Those quoted in the meleged, are ruling the world by dia say only that it's a big gray virtue of superior intelligence or area and that we need to think talent. Our capitalist system is to about it some more before a real some extent meritocratic because problem starts, leaders in all areas tend to be The real problem has started, smarter or more talented than the The time to decide is now. Bit Game cod! ? '*% Serving tlx> Carolina Community since 1908 ilMliSiHlMHiM The Gamecock is the student newspaper of The University of South Carolina and is published Monday. Wednesday and F riday during the fall and spring semesters and live times during die summer with the exception of university holidays and exam penous. upintoris cxpiesfeu m m an; uidc ot uic editors or autnor anu no tnusc i? me nn"-??) >< .^uui vjujium. The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher ol Hie Gamecock. The Department of Student Media Is the newspaper s parent organization The Gamecock A|| arca codes are 80.1 Sara Ladenheim Editor in Chief Emily Streyer Asst.VU-upiinLs Rob Gioielli Vieufxtints Editor Kevin Langston Editors l ;M@scedu Kenley Young News liciilor Rachel Helwig Ave .Yens Editors * __ Brad Walters Sou's Editor Clayton Kale Viewpoints - -jo Brock Vergakls Sfxirts Editor Michael Strickland Ave Sports Editors rc-neu s se e, u Charlie Wallace Sfxjrts Editor Jared Kelowitz Xw's , 7P'77T6 Erin Reed Eealun-s Editor Katy Evam Asst Ecvnms IMors Rcl?HVs@scedn Rob Lindsey Ei-aluns Editor , l-.tc 777-191.1 Sean Rayford I'holo Editor enes a ra tarn rcIx-Ic@sc edn Matt Ryan Online Editor Ashtonjune AveEhoio Ed,too ^ Kristin Freestate (Spy Ik-si- Chief Ann Marie Miani Rcks/forls@sc edit Todd MoneV Oft-Editor Jennifer Stanley S/?i?/ISof-cts Onhno 777-2*.1.1 Rebecca Cronican (.opy Editor Coordinator Student Media ' Ellen Parsons Din-dor of Jason Curry Cn-aline Sen-ices A(jvcl1jsln)t 777-1888 Student Media Kathy VanNostrandOen/frt' Sen-ices Lee Phipps Adi-enisinp Manager Sherry Holmes Classified ManoRer Classified 777-1181 Susan King Cn-atin- Director Carolyn Griffin business Manager Susan Barrett Cn-atiee Sen-ices Erik Collins Eacully Adrisor ' ;lx -6182 Daniel Brown Cn-atiee Sen-ifof Jeff Stensland Crartfate Assistant 777 1888 view] The Gail By cu* W i\ 5^/AT? cl^^r Cars raise A car. The word has quite a few 0 meanings: freedom, adulthood, ^ independence, impressing your ^ friends and 6 ^opposite 1 sex, and, of t Ijflff course, pains c BBMBMlL in the rear f ! from tickets, c ? suspended t licenses, r IfHfp . J parking spots, and t rising gas f prices com- r GUERMAN ABAEV piicated by columnist gas gutters q some of you y may own. q Cars were created as a means of t transportation. Since then, their con- q cept has come a long way from that somewhat boring use to marking wealth and status, as well as being a powerful -j1 mating tool. In short, cars have become so important that some people consid? j-U ? ??i.? l?J: l a ci uiciii ycu ui uicii uuuica uiai nave merged with their behinds as a result ^ of natural evolution. ^ Since there are so many vehicles on 11 the market, the legitimate question of e which to drive is never off the agenda, c To solve this burning issue, a bunch J 1; U.S. only co I am ashamed of the ignorance, apa- ? thy and lack of interest the vast ma- * jority of Americans have toward the ?- current NAwith Serbia * m jj| over Kosovo. N f After seeing c | - rothpmedia ? m oi etnnic A & cleansing j - Serbia's die- ( DAVID NEWSOM tatorSl0bo I 8uest columnist danMilose- > vie has most c recently unleashed, I would hope that 1 more of the public would be galvanized ? to support stronger military action, in- I cludihg the use of ground troops if nec- ^ essary, to reverse Milosevic's brutal i policies and perhaps even to destroy 1 and remove his regime. c Many Americans have voiced fears i of another Vietnam if we deploy ground 5 troops to Kosovo. This fear has been 1 skillfully manipulated and exploited in \ the media as a warning to stay out from s Milosevic's propaganda. This is far from 1 the truth. He exploited ethnic tensions by using the media to seize power and 1 to unleash the genocidal wars that rav- 1 USC responsible " to state, students > C. To the Editor: g I am a professor teaching English in the Transition Year Program. Thanks ? for your thoughtful editorial on the need s for a program like this at a school in a j state where the norm is SAT scores below the average. I think of the students i I havQ from CA Johnson High, from t NT/ joint lecocK "" " "7bM? ^ jjT5 7<> A*AK? /AM ,6g TWC Sfif2*3 ?ee CAff^6V 56<x y^uu H* fofZ issues, qu f factors must be considered. First (or or some, last) comes the question of lough. No surprise that most under[rads, heavily depending on parents' imited donations, don't ?pend much ime solving this issue: They ride bicyles. It's not just healthy; unless a more ortunate undergrad with a fresh liense driving an actual car hits you, it's ough to get a ticket from driving a hunan-powered bike. Some more independent and enrepreneurial students, desperately ighting for extra cash by selling junk bod in the summer, do overcome the irice obstacle and find affordable sets f four wheels. Then they proudly drie senior citizens'1972 Caddy and Hdsmobile barges, pre-owned by relaives, that usually carry a heavy load f hard-rock, athletic and sex-orientd stickers to make the dying monsters, jst five stickers short of pimpmobile, X)k a little younger. But let's say your parents are loaded nd love you to death, or you're a Vail Street genius or Bill Gates-to-be. Vhich car to choose? Of course, a neat lerdmobile such as a Ford Festiva or ven a Saturn is not a choice. A sue i i i j xu in essiui maie wuuiu gu iui a vai iiK.t; a ag or a BMW sports coupe, specificaly designed to serve as fox traps. mntry able iged Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, ^ow, he is doing the same in Kosovo, t would be unfortunate if he manipuates the American people into giving lp. But in the past few days, it appears le has done just that by cleansing Kosorars and parading captured Ameri:an prisoners of war on television. The truth is that this war has more similarities with the appeasement of ^azi aggression of the 1930s and the genocide of the Holocaust that followed han with the Vietnam quagmire. Since L991, the politicians in the West have :hosen a policy of appeasement toward Milosevic, in order to avoid military involvement, with devastating consepiences. However, this latest crisis in Kosovo could unleash a tinderbox in southeastern Europe, threatening the )eace and stability of the region. If the Nest had acted much sooner, military ntervention might have been avoided, Milosevic might have backed down or lissident forces might have ousted him md pushed Serbia toward democratization. Now, the leaders of the West lave finally decided they are no longer villing to appease this fascist aggressor, forcing NATO into a war with Serbia. Many Americans still think we don't lave a place in this conflict. "It's a European problem; it's in Europe's back I Letters to the editor or guest columns are columns should he an opinion piece of abi if a student. Handwritten submissions must number for confirmation. 'The Gamecock H I V. L|U II vTU IUI ^UOI LUIUIIIIIIM U 1 HJ V.JII 1 A. \t I dullins, from Marion, from other redly weak schools, who nonetheless are )erforming incredibly well once they ire exposed to challenging material and jood teaching. Sure, these kids could have gone to i local technical school, but then these students probably wouldn't fulfill their >otentials. As a professor in this program since ts inception, I can vouch for the fact hat we have hajl outstanding kids fin QUOTE, UNQUOTE "Germans hold the belief that the arts are as important as, for ' example, public health or r education." " J * Alfred Nordmann, philosophy professor Page 3 *7 ji -n..+.,*!* I estions for students "Sometimes, however, Wranglers seem to be driven by guys with beer bellies, desperately looking for models." More adventurous men go for top Benzes and Beemers. I don't realJeep Wranglers, with their conveniently ly know if they are supposed to serve upholstered protection frames, around as hunk traps. 1 guess they must work which are supposed to cluster swimsuit as repellents of less-fortunate guys, models, as seen in Hollywood movies. I'm especially curious as to why so Sometimes, however, Wranglers many people buy vans. If you want to seem to be driven by guys with beer bel- transport stuff, buy a truck; if you want lies, desperately looking for models, to make out, go to a motel. Speaking of Adventurous men with cash to burn making out in a car: In the movies, drive so-called SUVs ("Show-off Use Ve- Kevin Costner and Sean Young did it hides"), such as the Caddy Escalade or in a taxi in Washington, D.C. LeonarLexus RX300. I'm sure those machines do DiCaprio and Kate Winslet did it in can easily race through the country and a car below deck on Titanic. But from climb a muddy hill like typical 4WDs, now on in Italy, sex in the back seat but I wonder how often the people who could get you three years in jail. Wow! buy those cars really do that kind of And Italy is supposed to be the counstuff. I don't think it's that often. So all try of passionate lovers! the big bucks these guys pay mainly go In every age, some feather is more for, besides trapping babes, the privi- important than another. Maybe once lege of laughing hysterically at people you are a happy senior citizen in Floridriving old Volkswagen Beetles and da, security is the most important one. Toyotas. But while you're still a student, you But of course, it wouldn't be PC to probably have different priorities. So fail to mention what the fair sex is up no matter what you drive, as long as it to in dnvmg. Elegant and financially has a Dig leatner oack seat, you re utv. fortunate ladies seem to opt for rag- Happy trails. to solve Balkan crisis "How many more must suffer from our inaction and cowardice in the face of genocidal aggression?" yard," they argue. But Europe proved Unfortunately, many Americans fail highly incapable of stopping Milosevic's to recognize what is at stake for Amerearlier genocidal wars in Bosnia and ica. First, there is our credibility. If we Croatia. Only by using American mil- back down and let Milosevic win, this itary power, through NATO, was the will send a signal everywhere that war in Bosnia brought to a close. America is unwilling to fight aggres Thankfully, this time, our European S10n there is a risk of casualties, enallies are prepared to take a much dangering American security in places greater role alongside the United States ^ and North Kothl Second failto prosecute this war to its inevitable "re 40 wl" <!estl7the victory. Ifthe need for ground troops |iance. What is the relevance of NATO , ,, , , . . m the post-Cold War world if not to endoes arise, the overwhelming majority . .. ,, ? r , ~ 111 U T? gage m collective security on the Luof such a force will most likely be Eu- ^ If NAT0 ^ stand ropean though some ground forces ^ Milosevic there is n0, would have to be American. point to having it. Third, failure to deProsecuting a ground war would not feat Milosevic will be a sign that Amerbe easy. NATO might expect casualties has turned its back on the liberal in the hundreds or thousands, includ- democratic ideals for which it has fought ing some Americans. But this pales in and sacrificed many lives in the two comparison with the hundreds of thou- world wars and the Cold War to bring sands of lives alreadv lost and millions nnonn anH lactincr cfaKilihr Plnrnne J UliU iUUVlll^ OtUUllltJ w uuivpv. destroyed by Milosevic's lust for pow- Why come so far to abandon Europe er. How many more must suffer from now? If it is the inability to accept the our inaction and cowardice in the face necessary risks involved, then Miloseof genocidal aggression? vie has already won. welcome from all members of the* Carolina community. Letter* .should be 250-300 words. Guest nut 600-700 words. Both must include name, phone number, professional title or year and major, be personally delivered to Russell House room 333- E-mail submissions must include telephone reserves the right to edit for libel, style and space. Nantes will never lie withheld. Photos are ovided by the submitter.Call 777-7726 for more infomiation. ish our program and go on to success- By the way, USC research tells us fully graduate from ALL colleges at that the SAT predicts only about 11 perUSC, including the Honors College, cent to 15 percent of performance. One student who transferred from our Again, thanks for realizing that a program to the Honors College is now flagship university has a responsibiliapplying to medical schools. Another, ty to its state, one of your regular writers, is typical of our good students. Harriett Williams The administrators making these Transition Year Program decisions are working with abstractions; those of us teaching these students know the reality. , . .