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Quote, Unquote ‘I love our student section; it’s just fun out there. It’s tough, and it’s hard, but it's fun.’ Chuck Eidson, guard, USC men’s basketball team Whe (damcock 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 SG runoff shows every vote counts Returns from this year’s Student Government elections show that only about 600 more students voted this year than last. And because online voting should have made the process much easier this year, it’s disappointing that almost 23,000 stu dents chose not to take five minutes out of their days to log on and vote. But despite the relatively small increase in voter turnout, 600 votes can still make a difference. While national elections often make people feel as if their vote doesn’t count, every vote is im portant in SG elections. For instance, in the presidential election, 100 votes here or there could have resulted in a completely different turnout. Every vote counts. If your candidate lost in the presidential race, don’t let your ,voice go unheard. Vote for the one who best represents what you believe in. Almost 900 votes went to the two presidential candi dates who didn’t make the runoff. Their voters might very well decide who wins the presidency, but only if they choose to vote again. The runoff election for SG president will be held online again from 9 a.m. Wednesday to 5 p.m. Thursday, and all students should take the extra five minutes out of their day to vote. USC still needs a student government president. Don’t be lazy. It takes only a couple of minutes, and your vote can make all the difference. Hanging shows need •for more garage security At 8 a.m. Saturday, a student walked into the Senate Street garage, only to find a hanged body in the lower ground level stairwell. The body, which had presumably been hanging for many hours, should have been found before a student stumbled upon it. If university police officers patrolled the area regularly, the body might have been found earlier, or the death might have been prevented altogether. Overall, the situation could have been averted. Attacks and vandalizations plagued USC garages last year. Two students were chaiged and expelled for lighting cars on ire in Blossom Street garage last fall. In the spring, there was an armed robbery in Bull Street garage, and several attacks on stu dents in Pendleton Street garage. Despite the dangers in our park ing garages, university administration hasn’t made strides toward safety. More cameras have not been installed, additional guards have not been posted and university police have not been patrolling parking garage areas more frequently. On top of that, parking garage safety has not been a main priority on many of the presi dential candidates’ platforms. Saturday’s mishap should be a re minder of how important safety is in our parking garages. About Us I he 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. Adoress The Gamecock 1400 Greene Street Columbia, SC 29208 Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Student Media Area code 803 Advertising 777-3888 Classified 777-1184 Fax 777-6482 Office 777-3888 Gamecock Area code 803 Editor gcked@sc.edu 777-3914 News gcknews@sc.edu 777-7726 Viewpoints gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com E^c gcketc@sc.edu 777-3913 Encore! gamecockencore@hotmail.com 777-3913 Sports gcksports@sc.edu 777-7182 Online www.gamecock.sc.edu 777-2833 Submission Policy Letters to the editor or guest columns are welcome from all members of the Carolina community. Letters should be 250-300 words. Guest columns should be an opinion piece of about 600-700 words. I / ' th must include name, phone number, profes sional title or year and major, if a student. Handwritten submissions must be personally delivered to Russell House room 333. E-mail submissions must include telephone number for confirmation. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit for libel, style and space. Anonymous letters will not be pub lished. Photos are required for guest columnist and can be provided by the submitter. Call 777-7726 for more information Ken ley Young Editor in Chief Brad Walters Managing Editor Brock Vergakis Viewpoints Editor Clayton Kale News Editor Brandon Larrabee Associate News Editor Rebecca Cronican Ann Marie Miani EtCetera Editors David Cloninger Jeff Romig Sports Editors Kristin Freestate Copy Desk Chief Renee Oligny Copy Editor Kevin Langston Encore Editor Student Media Ellen Parsons Director Susan King Creative Director Kris Black Julie Burnett Todd Hooks Betsy Martin Kathy Van Nostrand Creative Services Kenton Watt Advertising Manager Carolyn Griffin Amy Goulding Travis Lynn Photo Editors Will Gillaspy Online Editor Peter Johnson Asst. Viewpoints Editor Kelly Haggerty Patrick Rathbun Asst. News Editors MacKenzie Craven Asst. EtCetera Editor Shannon Rooke Asst. Sports Editor Rob Fleming Asst. Encore Editor Charles Prashaw Shawn Singleton Charlie Wallace Senior Writers Emily Streyer Editorial Contributor Business Manager Sherry Holmes Classified Manager Erik Collins Faculty Adviser Jonathan Dunagin Graduate Assistant Robyn Gombar Gina McKelvey Melissa Millen Brantley Roper Nicole Russell Advertising Stall College Press Exchange m i#,wwwis B ItH&UfeTTiWElfcU g J CURLED UP W.THSCW P 1 |CtP IAmi”J Cultural Issues Free will causes crime, drug use For a col umn I wrote a few weeks back, I was called a .hypocrite. Us ing biblical doc umentation to justify her argu ment, which is always nice to see, a reader said I was a hyp ocrite for being Latino and fo cusing on the problems of African Ameri cans instead of Latinos. Random House defines a hypocrite as “a person who pre tends to have desirable or publicly approved attitudes, beliefs, principles, etc. he does not actually possess.” So, at least in definition, criticizing another group when your group has its own share of problems is not being a hyp ocrite. Nonetheless, I always enjoy taking a challenge. I was challenged to confront Latino issues, so here we go. To begin with, I think it is premature to make a call on the im migration and assimilation of the Latino in the United States. We are still immigrating, and so far, we bring nothing more and nothing less than every other immigrating group has brought to the United States. It is fact that the crime rate in low-in come, predominantly Latino neighbor hoods is substantially higher than in oth er regions or neighborhoods. But that in itself cannot be attrib uted to the culture. Although I neither make apologies nor give justification for Latinos, it needs to be recognized that so cioeconomic status is a much more accu rate identifier of crime than ethnic make up is. Poverty creates desperation, and desperation creates lawlessness. When the Irish immigrated, they, too, brought crime, as did the Russians, Ger mans and Hungarians. It wasn’t that their culture was a lower culture or a crime oriented culture. It was that the motiva tion for crime was there. It was the will to survive taken to a drastic measure. Although I cannot advo cate lawlessness, there are some crimes that, under certain circumstances, almost seem justifiable. A father stealing to feed his infant, for example. We aren’t neces sarily talking about a person with a criminal past. We are talking about an av erage citizen, who, despite putting in the hours going to work, doing everything he can, still is unable to provide basic neces sities. If I were in a similar circumstance, I cannot say with any degree of certainty that I would not resort to the same thing. Sometimes, survival comes at any cost. Drug use, on the other hand, is where I will stab my culture in the heart and of fer no justification. I think a Latino who comes to this country and consumes dmgs should get his or her ass sent home. To me, this crime has no justification. There is no clear objective with drug use. People steal to have money, and mon ey makes things happen. From a very pragmatic angle, there seems to be some justification. The moti vation is real. Money feeds people. Mon ey shelters people. Drug use, however, leads to what end? To get high? For recre ational purposes? In our country, there simply is no room for that. I believe in free will. Latinos choose whether to do dmgs. Although there might be some cir cumstances that make some people more vulnerable, the bottom line is people can make that choice. This whole metaphor of dmgs being some kind of epidemic is crass. It’s like some rampant disease that people just get. No one chooses cancer. Some people might do things to increase their chances of getting cancer, but no one asks for cancer. The same aigument can’t be made for drug addiction. No matter what the cir cumstances are, there comes a point when someone needs to actively decide to in dulge in drug use. People who choose this route should also be ready to pay for the consequences. I am a cigarette smoker and am aware that if I get cancer, it had to do with some of the choices I have made. I would nev er try to pass the buck and say, “Oh, this cigarette epidemic got a hold of me, and there was nothing I could do.” At least I feel that I am taking re sponsibility for my actions. I can’t say the same thing with drug addicts. These crim inals, who CHOOSE to do drugs, should not be treated like patients. They should be treated like the crim inals they willfully choose to become. The problem with the drug war in the United States, and perhaps the world, is that we are going after the wrong people. Basic economics tells us that when there is de mand, there will be supply. We are going after the suppliers and failing to realize that if we lessened the de mand, then by logic and economic theo ry, the supply would also go down. I think the drug user a worse criminal than the drug supplier. After all, the drug supplier has a legitimate reason to sell — to make money. What motivates the drug addict? Hallucinations? Getting high? Trip ping? What objective does this satisfy? For now, as a Latino looking at Latinos, I have no excuses for drug addicts. For other crimes, I think we have to wait and see how things work out once Latinos get their feet in the door. Mario Ona is a naval science senior and can be reached at game cockviewpoints® hotmail.com State Issues Candidate's platform announced Last week, I an nounced my inten tions to run for president of the United States of America, revealing my Cabinet to you. But my campaign isn’t just about who I’ve got on my side. No, people, it’s about my beliefs and values and my stance on the con troversial issues that shape our world. Yes, it is true that I am the youngest man to ever run for president, and admittedly, I’m not the most mature individual you will ever meet, but I have a Cabinet full of hard-working, camera-friendly celebrities who will look pretty while they work for me. Who could ask for anything more? YOU, that’s who, because the American people deserve more, dammit. (Whs that powerful enough?) One score and 16 months ago, a baby was bom. That baby, now grown, stands be fore you today. By implementing my ideas for reform, America will be forever changed for a brighter future. We live in a country that forbids inno cent, fun-loving college students from legal ly quenching their thirst for beer. I WILL CHANGE THIS! I suffered under the vice grips of drinking-age restrictions for three years of college until the government fi nally decided I was mature enough to handle a beer. We are not going to take it anymore! I say, “Hell no! We want Strohs!” (Lets put aside the fact that Strohs is piss in a can, for the sake of the rhyme.) Secondly, I intend to punish to the fullest those people who piss me off. Yes - YOU who spilled beer on me at that party once upon a time and dicfri’t apologize, you have not been foigotten. YOU with your nose high in the air... do you feel superior to the rest of mankind? Nobody cares how ex pensive your car was or how cool you think you look with those letters on your chest. Yes, you will be banished to the “Isle of Degenerates,” along with all the child molesters and rapists of the world, angst ridden teen-agers who insist that Korn is better than the Beatles, that annoying girl who played Blossom on television and the rest of the scum of the Earth. Also gone will be all of those reli gious extremists who annoy the piss out of me. Yes, I intend to make America free from the Brother Jims of the world. There is something called free will. How dare you try to force your salvation upon another? I will eliminate religious television. I’ve never seen more of a blatant display of re ligiously blinded ignorance in my entire life than the rhetoric I saw spouting from the lips of Pat Robertson on the “700 Club.” If I only had the space to ramble on for another page and a half, I would. Send all campaign contributions to me, please. It’s fun trying to sound like a politician, but who am I kidding? It’s Friday, and you’re probably thinking about beer right now. BEER Vbte BEER for BEER Pete BEER in BEER 2000 BEER Letters SG candidates are nuisances during lunch As voting day in the Student Government elections ar rived, we students were once again showered with pam phlets, fliers and those lovely 3x5 cards with the candi dates’ names on them. While this election has shown some legitimate de bate and an overall increase in student interest, one major problem came to light Wednesday. I was sitting with my friends in the Grand Market Place, enjoying my chicken sandwich, when a volunteer walked up to the table and be gan pitching a candidate. Here I was, trying to enjoy a nice meal with my friends, and this person began bothering me about who 1 should vote for in this election. I do not know if this is an acceptable activity by the rules of SG elections; however, I belie ve it should be stopped. When I questioned the volunteer on why she inter rupted my meal, she said that since it was chicken-finger day at the Grand Market Place, they were campaigning where the largest concentration of students was located. I did not further my aigument, but I think that campaigning should be left outside. Bothering students while they are eating is a sure-fire way to get them to vote for someone else, as is true in my case. I also noted that other candidates had their vol t3SS83Sg^8aBa^o«g^SS^giSW36S8»^a:f «-www.w<»o «»ccbboboc u. ... unteers inside, as if competing with one another over the students. This is something that should not be stood for by the students at this or any university. Students are people with their own ideals and beliefs. They will vote for the person who best demonstrates their personal beliefs, not for someone who bothers them during their meal. Stephan Dukes Chemistry Senior McCain not everything he has been made out to be Apparently, the staff of this paper was too busy patting John McCain on the back for his “honorable” decision to quit attacking George W. Bush to watch the Republican debates Tuesday night. During the debate, Bush confront ed McCain with a flier that attacked the governor’s stance on Social Security. Curiously, the document was distrib uted Monday, well after McCain had claimed to take the “high road.” When faced with his hypocrisy, the “honorable” sen ator then proceeded to lie. He disavowed any connec tion between his campaign and the negative leaflet, despite the fact that it said it was paid for by John McCain. After V i the debate, the senator even acknowledged that Bush could have been right. He acknowledged that it was made by his campaign last week but said he does not know how it was distributed this week. So he made it but did not pass it out. This sounds like our current president, who smoked marijuana but did not inhale. It’s ironic that McCain compares Bush to Clinton when it is the senator who seems to be playing games with the truth. You question Bush’s character, but at least he is not dishonest. Before you print another attack on Bush or a com mendation of McCain, perhaps you should broaden your narrow understanding of the political landscape. Even if McCain had stopped all of his negative ads, he has al ready taken plenty of cheap shots at the governor in the preceding weeks. Yet, by claiming the “high road" a week before the election, he can pretend that he is above such tactics. The editorial board seems to have completely fallen for this cheap political ploy without considering other mo tives for McCain's sudden decision to end negative ads. Chris Major History Senior