The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 02, 2000, Page A7, Image 7
V '*
Quote, Unquote
‘I think most of the things I promised with safety,
I accomplished.’
Malik Husser, Student Body President
fflie (Bamcock
Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08
* Editorial Board
Kenley Young • Editor in Chief
Brad Walters • Managing Editor
Brock Vergakis • Viewpoints Editor
Peter Johnson • Assistant Viewpoints Editor
Emily Streyer • Editorial Contributor
' lack community
#must unite on flag
It’s up to USC’s African-American community to utilize this
year’s Black History Month as a tool to uige the General As
sembly to remove the Confederate flag from the Statehouse
dome.
Not only could this month be used to demonstrate the power
of the university’s student body, but it could also create an aware
ness among the student body that isn’t currently present. Without
a strong stand in honor of this monumental month of history and
awareness on the part of the black community, the flag’s onerous
presence will remain as a shadow looming over any positive activ
^ iv piamicu uu5 muiiiii.
Student activism as a whole at USC is on a downward spiral.
With strong support and a planned action, USC’s black communi
l. ".ould unite the entire campus in a collective effort to bring the
flag down. Rallies, petitions and even letters to the editor from
members of the Association of African-American Students or
USC’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People - or other representatives of the community -
could ignite a fire that just might spread all the way to the top of
the Statehouse dome.
Let’s take a stand, with our black student leaders taking
charge, and show the rest of the country how easy it can be to
successfully lobby for change.
It is within every student’s right to petition state and local law
makers, urging them to stand against the flag and call for its re
moval.
If half the student body at USC called for the flag’s removal
simply by filling out the form below and bringing it to RH 333, or
e-mailing their name, phone number and address to gamecock
viewpoints@hotmail.com, the hardest part in calling for the flag
to come down would be over.
If Black History Month provides inspiration for one thing at
USC, it should be how fortunate we as students are to live in
South Carolina at a time when black and white can peacefully
unite for a common cause.
!
i I, . _. hereby petition lawmpk- t
I 11
i ers that we work to remove the Confederate flag ,
1 from atop the Statehouse dome as soon as possible. J
! :
' Phone Number: j
| Address: ,
-;-:
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A BOU T Us
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You realize,^
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Justice
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Campus Issues
Drinking, gun ages reversed
In this coun
try, anyone
who is 18
years old can
buy cigarettes.
In this country,
anyone who is
18 years old can
participate in
free elections
and choose the
future leaders of
our nation.
In this
country, anyone
who is 18 years
old can join the
militaiy and de
fend the United
• _ n.u
ouuoa Ul U 11V1U
of battle anywhere in the world. In this
country, anyone who is 18 years old can
purchase a weapon, whose sole purpose is
to kill another human being.
In this country, anyone who is 18 years
old can be fined and possibly thrown in jail
for consuming and possessing an alcoholic
beverage. In this country, we’d rather give
our youth the right to own an M-16 than
a Miller Lite.
Is it just me, or does something about
all of that seem a tad bit ludicrous? On
Monday, another one of my roommates
will turn 21. Believe me, you’d much rather
entrust him with a six-pack than a shot
gun.
But for some reason, our legislators
seem to think it’s better the other way
around. Have you ever really thought about
how absolutely backward those two ages
are?
Almost every single freshman at USC
is at least 18 years old, meaning almost
every single freshman can legally purchase
a firearm somewhere. However, only a
select few freshmen are deemed by our
governmental institutions as being mature
and old enough to handle abottle of Boone’s
Farm. I’ve seen our freshmen walking
around campus, and quite frankly, I’d rather
tap a keg for them than give them the right
to carry an Uzi. I’d even go so far as to
brew my own beer for any and everyone
willing to turn in a gun for alcohol, re
gardless of their age.
Our society has many problems, one
of the largest being violence. One way to
stop this problem is to get rid of all the
guns out there. I’m sick and tired of peo
ple buying guns to “protect” themselves.
You don’t buy a gun to “protect” yourself.
You buy a gun to kill another living hu
man being. I don’t care what anyone says,
that’s the sole purpose of a gun.
But what about all the good things guns
do for our society? Don’t worry, I haven’t
forgotten about all of you people in the
Upstate who live in double-wide trailers
with large Confederate flags hanging on
the wall, who drive your pick up trucks
into the woods to hunt down and kill the
ever-fearsome and menacing Bambi. Oh
yeah, our society owes a great debt to you.
And thanks to all of those people in the
Lowcountry for taking care of those dan
gerous ducks that keep flying overhead. I
sleep better at night knowing there will be
less quacking, thanks to Jimbo and Billy
Bob.
Hell, don’t we all feel better knowing
that some psychotic person has the right
to buy a gun because he wants to kill some
one who pissed him off? We should, be
cause if Jimbo and Billy Bob get takill
ducks for fun, it makes all the violence and
bloodshed in the streets worthwhile.
We should all do our part to make this
society a safer place for all humanity. Each
and every person who owns a gun should
turn it in before it kills someone. No mat
ter how “safe” your gun makes you feef,
statistics have shown that owning one in
creases the likelihood that either you or
a loved one will be the one who is killed,
not the “bad” guy. And even if someone
does try to take your purse, who are you
to take their life away?
The beautiful thing about this country
is that we have the capability to change
laws. Because my idealism is limited by
my realism, I know the constitutional
amendment that rednecks everywhere have
misinterpreted since our nation’s found
ing will probably never be repealed. How
ever, if people feel as strongly about
their personal safety as they do about their
right to drink, we might be in luck.
A quick historical lesson for all of you
who slept through History 112: Prohibi
tion is the only constitutional amendment
ever repealed. And for all of you religious
zealots out there, listen up. Jesus turned
water into wine, never into a bazooka.
So call your legislators and let them
know you think they’re morons not just
because they support the Confederate flag,
but because they’d also rather let us buy
weapons designed to kill than a Long Is
land Iced Tea.
Just as the Bible instructs us to do, let’s
eat, DRINK and be merry, and not kill our
brothers and sisters. So it is written here
and today, anyone who wants to have a
stop-the-violence drink-a-thon, I will work
the keg. So it is written, so it shall be.
Brock Vergakis
is a journalism
junior and
Viewpoints editor.
He can be
reached at game
cockviewpoints
©hotmail.com
:
Letters
Humans are no
better than animals
Michael DiPresso’s Jan. 31 column,
“Man ‘just another animal,’” was one of
the most intelligent and insightful articles
that you have ever printed.
Thank you, Mr. DiPresso, for stating
the truth, despite popular opinion to the
contrary.
I have always said the same thing; that
we are animals and we are not superior to
the rest of the animals. People think I’m
nuts, but I’ll continue to see this as a
fact, not just as an opinion.
If humans could open their minds and
get past their superiority complex, they
would realize that we’re all in this life
together. No one is better than anyone
else.
Thank you for showing me that there
are other people who see this obvious truth.
Thank you for giving me some hope that
others will begin to see it, too.
KirstyMcGucldan
Assignment Coordinator
Family & Graduate Housing
USCPD works to
keep dorms safe
Lt. Stmdemire, Sgt. Ross, CpI. Enzor,
and officers Williams, Moore and Ettenger.
One might find this an odd way in
which to begin a letter. On the night of
Jan. 27, these men, as well as several
other officers whose names I do not know,
put the safety and concerns of my resi
dence hall first. Now, it is my turn to put
them first.
At around 10 p.m., I was speaking with
the security guard stationed at the front
desk of Maxcy College when a resident
came up to the front door and quietly in
formed us that a man was attempting to
steal a bicycle out front. Immediately, the
security guard telephoned the University
of South Carolina Police Department. I
followed the resident back outside to cau
tiously observe the thief. However, in the
short time that had elapsed, the would-be
thief spotted the resident’s boyfriend and
became nervous, subsequently fleeing the
Horseshoe. As her boyfriend and I walked
across the parking lot towards the Horse
shoe, a rather shady-iooking character ran
up behind us. Startled, I asked this per
son who he was. With a quick flash of
the equipment under his hooded sweat
shirt, it was immediately evident the ques
tionable man behind us was a plainclothes
USC police officer. In the time it took to
call 911, walk out the door of Maxcy and
down to the parking lot - around 90 sec
onds - an officer was already on the scene.
Several officers responded, tracking
the suspect on foot between buildings,
parking lots and across he Horeeshoe prop
er. Regrettably, he managed to slip between
the officers, steal a bike behind Preston
and flee back across the Horseshoe. Af
ter a chase that lasted several minutes, his
direction was lost on Pendleton Street. At
this point, I joined Stoudemire and Williams,
Moore and Ettenger in an unmarked car
to search for the subject. While we failed
to locate the thief, the hour I spent with
USCPD officers opened my eyes to just
what a fabulous police force we have at
this school.
Little did I realize, the night was far
from over. At 3:30 a.m., a man was spot
ted attempting to steal a bike from the
vicinity of Bull Street garage. He matched
the description of the thief from earlier in
the evening, and this time, officers appre
hended him.
Just over an hour later, a small fire
broke out in the basement of Maxcy, forc
ing 180 residents to spend an hour outside
in the cold. Ross, Enzor and Moore of the
USCPD used the fire panel to determine
the affected rooms and then went to in
vestigate.
One busy night gave me a glimpse
into the everyday job of USCPD officers.
Until this point, I had no inkling of just
how much these men and women do on
a daily basis.We should all be grateful to
have such a fine-quality police force at our
school, and one that is undoubtedly the
envy of other institutions.
Aaron Hark
Maxcy College Resident Adviser, 3-East
National Issues
Political
comeback
romantic
In every presi
dential nomina
tion process, a
particular candidate
from each party in
an election year in
which no incum
bent seeks a second
term, makes a so
called “insurgent”
challenge to the
front-runners’cam
paigns. Unfortu
nately, no matter
how compelling and
gritty these chal
lenges might be, of
ten the underdog
loses steam and
casn, railing snori oi KnocKing on me can
didate of the parties’ establishments. Only
in rare cases do daikhorees like Jimmy Carter
succeed in winning the race to the White
House.
1 VVU1U VI IV IIVI1VJ IIIW1I VUlll^UlglM
for Sen. John McCain and former Sen. Bill ’
Bradley possibly have found their end? With
both front-runners (Vice President A1 Gore
and Texas Gov. George Bush) dominating
the Iowa caucuses, the end certainly could
be in sight for both. Despite whatever suc
cess Bradley or McCain might have in New
Hampshire (this column was written before
the final results of the primary), both Gore
and Bush have the ability to carry on, even
if the two underdogs inflict early wounds.
The problems for the Bradley camp have
been mounting for some time. Bradley
hasn’t been able to cash in on his rise in the
polls. Ever since Bradley began to make noise
in the campaign over the summer with a rise
in the polls and fund raising, the former sen
ator took the lead in New Hampshire over
Gore. Consequently, Bradley also started to
lead in the crucial primary state of New York.
Yet, once Bradley unveiled his com
prehensive health-care proposal - one that
actually addresses the true needs of working
Americans, unlike Gore’s incremental ap
proach - the vice president initiated his blis
tering attack on the proposal. The Bradley
campaign’s response triggered internal snip
ing in the organization. And as we all know,
no team in any field can win without a unit
ed effort and remarkable chemistry. This pe
riod is critical, for Bradley needs to bring
about a new, unexpected second feat to gain
some sort of momentum. Bradley must prove,
not in a desperate manner, that he didn’t peak
too early.
oeuer Known lor ms anility 10 ueoaie
and his willingness to fight to the end, Gore
now controls this race for the Democratic
nomination. When the vice president goes
on the offensive rather than defending him
self, he gets the results he desires. And
having the president on your side never hurts.
Bush, along with his formidable fund
raising prowess, has held the advantage from
day one. With his millions in monetary re
sources and his endorsements from the Re
publican establishment, Bush can basically
compete throughout the whole nomination
process, no matter how many early contests
he might lose to McCain. South Carolina,
the first primary in the South, at the moment
gives Bush a huge advantage in the polls,
with him leading McCain 51 percent to 29
percent. A successful bid by the Texas gov
ernor in South Carolina will more than like
ly close the door on McCain.
So the strategy for the Arizona senator
is clear. In order to keep his “insurgent” cam
paign alive and have the ability to compete
in the California primary, New Hampshire
must be won. He must win three out of the
first five primaries, especially this state and
his home state. Bush basically has Michigan
and Washington wrapped up. Despite the
overwhelming odds, the S.C. primary might
be McCain’s saving grace because it might
not even occur. A federal judge will soon de
cide if the state Republican Party practices
questionable, racist policies in holding its
primary. With Bush’s huge support in South
Carolina then null and void, McCain
might just have the momentum to knock
him off in California.
As stated earlier, tnese underdog cam
paigns hardly ever succeed. But no matter
what happens this winter and spring, the na
tion has to admire Bradley and McCain. The
two embody the idea from “Mr. Smith.Goes
to Washington” that lost causes are the on
ly ones worth fighting. Even though you
know you can never have that dream you
desire, you still fight for it. This romantic
belief, I hope, will one day provide our na
tion with a courageous example of how to
better the course of o$r collective history.
Corey Ford
is a liberal arts
sophomore. He
can be reached
at gamec oc ((view
point s®hotmail.
com