The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 22, 1999, Page 10, Image 10
Quote, Unquote
‘I just can’t understand why we don’t perform on
Saturdays like we do in practice.’
Lou Holtz, USC football coach
Wednesday, September 22,1999
Whe (Samcock
Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08
Editorial Board
Sara Ladenheim • Editor in Chief
Kenley Young • Managing Editor
Emily Streyer • Viewpoints Editor
Corey Ford • Assistant Viewpoints Editor
Brad Walters • Editorial Contributor
Kiki McCormick • Editorial Contributor
Football miracles not
expected overnight
What fair-weather fans some Gamecocks are. True, it’s frus
trating that our football team’s losing streak is nearly a
record, especially when our hopes were high for coach
Lou Holtz’s wizardry, but miracles don’t occur overnight - or over
one summer, where football teams are concerned. We seem to
have lost sight of this in our excitement over hiring a coach with a
national reputation.
A football coach is only one element of a winning football
team. We hired Holtz for a reason - his record and coaching ability
- but he needs time to orchestrate the other elements needed for a
winning season. Although many Gamecocks expected the season
to begin with a satisfying win as if to prove that hiring Holtz was
the right decision, realistically, we should recognize that rebuild
ing a football team takes time - and support from its fans.
Psychology is another part of a winning team, and we make a
bad situation worse when we send our athletes the message that we
care nothing for their hard work and dedication if they aren’t
putting enough points on the scoreboard.
Finally, luck is another element of a winning record, and we
simply don’t have it right now. But bad luck will turn to good in
time. And in the meantime, it’s petty and unbecoming of Game
cocks to criticize the coach and players for not having luck on
their side - especially when most fans couldn’t do the work our
football players do.
Our football team deserves our support through good times and
bad. Gamecocks, stay in the stands until the game is over and
cheer until the clock runs out. With unwavering support from us,
the team’s luck will change sooner rather than later.
Hospitality speaks
well of football team
East Carolina football players couldn’t get home to celebrate
the 21-3 shellacking they administered to the Gamecock
football team Saturday. Hurricane Floyd caused enough
flooding in North Carolina to keep the East Carolina campus
closed until Monday.
Instead, the Pirates spent the weekend here in Columbia and
were treated to a healthy dose of Southern hospitality from the
very team they defeated four days ago. The Gamecocks opened up
their indoor facility and their weight rooms for the beleaguered Pi
rates squad so that the team could practice for its game Saturday
against Miami. That game will now take place at Carter-Finley Sta
dium in Raleigh, N.C., home to the North Carolina State Wolfpack
r_^1 n .
luuiuan itaiu.
The magnanimous Gamecocks haven’t stopped there. Accord
ing to the Associated Press, “South Carolina has washed East Car
olina uniforms, opened the visitors locker room and provided
video equipment so the Pirates can plan for Miami.”
The Gamecock commends the members of USC’s football
team, who could just as easily have turned a blind eye to their op
ponents’ misfortunes. An admirable display of Southern hospitality
is always a welcome sight, particularly when it is the vanquished
who come to the aid of their conquerors. It speaks highly of both
our team and our state.
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 nine 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 is supported in part by student activities fees.
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'_ _ __
The Gamecock
Sara Ladenheim
Editor in Chief
Kenley Young
Managing Editor
Emily Streyer
Viewpoints Editor
Kevin Langston
Brock Vergakis
News Editors
Clayton Kale
Associate News Editor
Rachel Helwig
EtCetera Editor
Todd Money
Jared Kelowitz
Sports Editor
Kristin Freestate
Copy Desk Chief
Sean Rayford
Photo Editor
Rob Lindsey
Encore Editor
Student Media
Ellen Parsons
Director of
Student Media
Susan King
Creative Director
Kris Black
Julia Burnett
Betsy Martin
Kathy Van Nostrand
Creative Services
Will Gillaspy
Online Editor
Corey Ford
Asst. Viewpoints Editor
John Huiett
Asst. News Editor
Ann Marie Miani
Asst. EtCetera Editor
David Cloninger
Asst. Sports Editor
Greg Farley
Asst. Photo Editor
Casey Williams
Asst. Online Editor
Brad Walters
Graphics Editor,
Copy Editor,
Editorial Contributor
MacKenzie Craven
Charlie Wallace
Philip Burt
Senior Writers
Lee Phipps
Advertising Manager
Sherry Holmes
Classified Manager
Carolyn Griffin
Business Manager
Erik Collins
Faculty Adviser
Jonathan Dunagin
Graduate Assistant
Washington Post
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nl CAN'T HOLD IT UP ANYMORE -
IT'S GETTING TOO HOT"
State Issues
Are Hugo's lessons learned?
A decade
might
seem
like a large
amount of time,
but to any
coastal South
Carolinian resi
dent, September
22,1989, seems
like yesterday.
This date re
mains a vivid,
horrifying
memory of how
the powers of
nature can un
leash their aw- ;
ful wrath upon
human civilization. Hurricane Hugo paid
a visit to the Palmetto State 10 years ago
today.
Now, ever since the beginning of time,
beaches have held a remarkable appeal for
humans. With its gorgeous landscape or
tempting climate, the coast always draws
us near. But with our obsession with beach
es comes an annual phenomenon that al
ways threatens to destroy our paradise.
Building oceanfront property does
come with a price. Especially this past
decade, an abnormal number of tropical
storms have threatened beaches all the way
from Texas to the Carolinas. Hugo de
stroyed most of the coastal property be
tween Charleston and Georgetown, while
hurricanes Fran, Floyd and Bonnie devas
tated coastal regions of North Carolina.
Despite the appeals of the beach, own
ing property on the coast is treacherous
because owners have to deal with the threats
of these storms. Especially after Hugo and
the other hurricanes, why would anyone
want to build on the beach if the storms
continue to hit?
Many of the property owners have ig
nored the lessons Hugo taught South Car
olina 10 years ago. That hurricane, the
third-costliest natural disaster in the his
tory of the nation, caused nearly $7 billion
in damage. Insurance claims came to $5.5
billion while an additional $2 billion went
uncovered. The only two disasters to top
Hugo were Hurricane Andrew (1992, $15.5
billion) and the Northrrdge earthquake
(1994, $15.3 billion) in California.
Insurance companies, however, can
not measure the most harmful damage left
behind from Hugo. The actual legacy Hugo
left behind is not measured in dollars, but
in how the storm destroyed the hopes and
dreams of its victims. Some families lost
homes and property; others lost loved ones
to the hurricane’s huge flood or fero
cious winds.
One aspect of Hugo’s destruction - the
one most overlooked - was the damage
done to the Lowcountry’s natural envi
ronment. Possibly a century will pass be
fore the Francis Marion National Forest,
nearly obliterated by 135 mph winds, will
be restored to its former capacity and beau
ty - that is, barring another hurricane land
fall.
Hugo inspired an array of new build
ing standards and codes on two of
Charleston’s barrier islands, Sullivan’s Is
land and the Isle of Palms. The codes sup
posedly are able to withstand a Category
3 hurricane (winds up to 130 mph). I am
no construction expert, but it seems to me
that the codes still are not perfect. Maybe
the recent, rebuilt houses can survive a
Category 1,2 or 3 storm without major
damage. Another Hugo might change some
minds, though, unlikely as it this might be.
But what if it did happen? What if a
hurricane stronger than Hugo or even Floyd
struck the Carolina coast? Now, the chances
of a Category 5 storm (winds over 155
mph) slamming into S.C. are slim to none.
Only two have hit the U.S. this century:
the Florida Keys Labor Day hurricane of
1935 and Hurricane Camille.
Contrary to the odds, the possibility
of a strong Category 4 or 5 hurricane land
fall still exists, especially for South Car
olina As an approaching hurricane swings
closer to the state, the storm crosses the
Gulf Stream. By providing even warmer
water - the “fuel” of tropical storms - than
the Caribbean Sea for hurricanes, this stream
can increase a storm’s strength with little
to no warning. Hugo strengthened from a
weak Category 2 to a powerful Category
4 in one day over the Gulf Stream. This
day just happened to be the day it came
ashore north of Charleston.
Despite the advancement in building
codes, coastal property owners and resi
dents must remain skeptical of them. If,
nevertheless, the people become confi
dent that the new construction will with
stand a strong hurricane, then a large num
ber of people might perish in the next major
landfall. The codes and the improving
weather forecasting tools do help the sit
uation. Although mankind can put a man
on the moon, we absolutely still do not
have control over our natural meteoro
logical and climatological systems.
The coast draws man to enjoy its plea
sures, but we must heed the lessons from
past hurricanes, including Hugo. If not,
then the devastation from 10 years ago
might be minute in comparison to the next
Hugo.
Letters
Flag represents only
part of state’s heritage
To the Editor
I am a 20-year old African American,
and as a USC student, 1 get to see the Con
federate flag practically every day. Al
though I see it as a symbol of oppression,
I also feel that it is not flying over the Capi
tol for that reason. I agree with flag sup
porters 100 percent when they say, “The
flag is atop the Statehouse as a symbol of
THEIR heritage and to honor the brave
soldiers who fought for their rights under
it.” The flag supporters who spout this
statement seem to forget that not all South
Carolinians are included under the word
“their”-just Caucasians. The flags on the
Statehouse should be a symbol of all peo
ple it represents. When I see the Con
federate flag, I see a symbol of total dis
respect and indifference to the feelings and
emotional wounds of minorities living un
der it. I think the flag would be more ap
preciate in another place of honor on the
Statehouse grounds because it is a part of
the history of South Carolina (both posi
tive and negative), but seeing it atop the
Statehouse makes me think the capital
city’s slogan should be WHITES ONLY.
Retrick L. Smith
Computer Science Junior
Students not the focus
ot The Gamecock news
To the Editor.
The Gamecock has disappointingly
lost sight of its primary focus: the students
at the University of South Carolina. Ex
cluding the sports section, The Gamecock
is covering fewer and fewer activities of
USC students and becoming a carbon copy
of The State newspaper.
There are so many student-related
events happening every day at USC that
are truly newsworthy and deserve atten
tion from the student media 1 think The
Gamecock needs to do a better job re
porting on these.
While I recognize the importance of
keeping readers informed on state and na
tional issues, I feel that the recent increased
coverage of topics from the Associated
Press and other non-USC sources have
come at the expense of covering events
going on at USC. 1 can hear news from the
Associated Press anywhere, but The Game
cock is the place for news about our uni
versity and students.
For example, why does The Game
cock include in its “Briefs” section infor
mation about city and county council meet
ings but not information about USC student
government meetings that USC students
4‘
may actually be attending?
Nevertheless, I would like to thank
The Gamecock for its Sept. 13 article about
Students Allied for a Greener Earth and
their plans for the coming year.
It would be an improvement for the
The Gamecock to write more articles about
the various USC oiganizations and student
activities. Doing this would support stu
dent activism and create a greater sense of
community within our university.
Also, perhaps if the student newspa
per were about students, more members
of our community would read it.
Lastly, I uige student oiganizations to
demand the coverage they deserve from
the student newspaper. Send press re
leases to The Gamecock to let them know
about your upcoming events. Invite re
porters to your meetings. Suggest arti
cles for them to write. Students, be a guest
columnist and write an article about what
you would like the USC community to
know. Students, take back the student news
paper!
Holly Selvig
Biolqgy Senior
National Issues
Time ripe
for Reno
to resign
In the wake of Mark Plras
revelations by writes a biweekly
the FBI that it ,
- , . . column every
used pyrotechnic Wednesdav
gas canisters in the 0ther efl ^ y'
Branch Davidian He can be
raid of 1993, an- reached at
other brick has cockwriterOhot
been laid in the mail.com
foundation of a Swi'TriTrTrrirtiniiiiir
compelling argu
ment; Janet Reno is an ineffective leader
as attorney general.
For six years, the FBI has claimed that
it did not use any incendiary devices ca
pable of starting the blaze that killed ap
proximately 80 members of the Whco, Tex.,
religious sect. The blaze was so intense that
it devoured the entire complex and left
bodies so charred that the number dead re
mains at “about 80” instead of a definite
figure.
rvimu me yuunc iuiui uvci me
whole Waco debacle, Reno won public sup
port in April 1993 for her willingness (if
not eagerness) to take the blame df the
failed raid. In the past few weeks, howev
er, Reno has begun to steadily deny that
she had knowledge of the FBI’s exact ac
tivities - an almost direct contrast to her
position in 1993.
What is at issue is not whether Reno
had knowledge that the FBI used devices
capable of starting the fire and then lied
about it; that is an issue for a court to de
cide.
Rather, it brings up a curious dichoto
my. Ether Reno did have knowledge of the
FBI’s cover-up or she did not. If she did,
she is surely unfit for her office as attorney
general. The office demands that she act as
a legal adviser to the president, guiding him
through the legal minefields while serving
the law of the country. Involving herself
in and helping to perpetuate a cover-up
would certainly run contrary to these ideals.
But if she did not, if she had no knowledge
whatsoever, then she is also unfit for her
office. She took the reins during the stand
off, guiding the actions of the FBI and ATF.
By failing to involve herself enough to give
her knowledge on a matter as sensitive as
this one, she has also failed her office. Her
. negligence in follow-up investigations of
Waco to divulge this embarrassing fact be
fore it was uncovered by a Texas newspa
per proves her unfit.
And this is not the first time she has
been criticized. In to, members of Con
gress have asked for her resignation three
times in the past two years regarding three
separate incidents.
TKo firct time ii/ac u/han tVio PRI uel'arl
for her permission to conduct a wiretap on
Wen Ho Lee, the scientist accused of steal
ing nuclear secrets for China from the Los
Alamos lab. She refused. The second in
cident occurred when Republicans asked
her to appoint an independent counsel to
investigate allegations of campaign-finance
abuses by both President Clinton and Vice
President A1 Gore. Again, she refused. And
now, the Waco allegations have come back
to her doorstep, and for the third time,
members of Congress have asked for her
resignation.
She has attempted to save herself by
ordering the FBI files regarding Waco seized,
and by appointing the well-respected for
mer Republican senator James Danforth to
oversee a new Waco investigation. These
are both good moves, and will serve the
country well in finally answering the Wa
co questions once and for all. But they are
long overdue.
Ms. Reno should do the country a fa
vor and resign immediately, allowing some
one capable of handling the job to carry
her dropped torch. For apparently, we should
call her “butterfingers”; she will drop that
torch again and again. She is like the little
boy that you stick in right field in Little
League and pray to God that nobody hits
the ball to him.
She has failed her duty to her country;
she is unfit for the office. And she should
resign. Right now.
t