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Quote, Unquote ' ‘I’ve seen about a thousand clowns of injustice come out of it [the Elections Commission].’ David Hill, Katie Taylor’s campaign manager Whe (5mccock Editorial Board Kenley Young • Editor in Chief Brad Walters • Managing Editor Brock Vergakis • Viewpoints Editor Peter Johnson • Assistant Viewpoints Editor Emily Streyer • Editorial Contributor Weekend primary has record turnout Chis weekend’s GOP primary enjoyed record numbers at the polls. More than a half-million South Carolinians cast their votes Saturday, more than doubling the 1996 primary it. When the polls were closed for the day, Texas Gov. Geoige W. Bush came out on top, by a maigin of 11 percent, much higher than expected. Bush finished with 53 percent of the vote, Arizona Sen. John McCain had 42 percent and former Ambassador Alan Keyes received 5 percent. The three candidates are set to square off Tuesday in the Michigan primary. me inc^ain camp was uisappuinieu m me lower-man-expeci ed turnout of democrats and independents. The closings of some selected Greenville polling stations Sturday might have slightly af fected numbers, as well. Twenty-one stations were closed in all af ter volunteers didn’t show up. There were also reports that some stations ran out of ballots and had to send for more to accomodate the record turnout. Upon hearing of the closings, McCain called for an investigation. The Republican Party insists that it got the word out to local news media early enough Saturday to allow time for news of the closings to reach voters. They also named alternative polling sta tions that voters could go to. Unfortunately, when people have to drive 20 minutes out of their way to vote, they are less likely to put in the extra effort. The record turnout of voters in the two primaries shows that Americans care about who they want their next president to be. This is the first time in several elections that there has been a rela tively tight race and voters have been turning out in force to sup port their favorite candidate. Let’s hope this trend continues. Gamecocks playing best ball of season By shellacking Alabama on Saturday by 21 points, the USC men’s basketball team finally strung together something of a winning streak - it’s the team’s second straight victory af ter a 68-67 win Wednesday against Mississippi State. It’s a small streak, to be sure. Nevertheless, for the Game cocks, who are just coming off a nine-game losing skid, this might be just what the doctor ordered. The boys played some of their best basketball of the season Saturday, as they shot 14 of 17 from the foul line, hit a season-high 12 three-pointers and finished the game with 22 assists to only five turnovers. Just to put things in perspective, that’s the lowest number of turnovers any USC team has had since head coach Eddie Fogler took the helm. It seems the Gamecocks are playing with some confidence now, which is something they’ll need if they hope to pull their record above .500 and salvage an otherwise dismal season. Out side of winning the Southeastern conference tournament, the only way the Gamecocks can hope to reach any sort of postseason play is to win the rest of their regular-season games. Keep cheering’’ them on, and wish the boys luck for Wednesday’s match-up against Louisiana State University. * i ~ About Us 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. TUC ftlUTM/WU ADDRESS The Gamecock 1400 Greene Street Columbia. SC 29208 Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Stuoent Media Area code 803 Advertising 777-3888 Classified 777-1184 Fax 777-6482 Office 777-3888 Gamecock Area code 803 Editor gckedQsc.edu 777-3914 News gcknewsQsc.edu 777-7726 Viewpoints gckviewsQsc.edu 777-7181 Etc. gcketcQsc.edu 777-3913 Encore! gamecockencoreQhotmail.com 777-3913 Sports gcksportsQsc.edu 777-7182 Online www.gamecock.sc.edu 777-2833 Submission Policy Letters to the editor or guest columns are welcome ) all members of the Carolina community. Letters jjd be 250-300 words. Guest columns should be an opinion piece of about 600-700 words. Both 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 bt vorovided 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 Shannon Rooke 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 Sen/ices Kenton Watt Advertising Manager Carolyn Griffin Amy Godding 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 Elizabeth Rod Asst. Sports Editor Rob Fleming Assf. 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 * ■■ — LOOTS UTE WE OUGHT THE BOG TOTS GOINS MVS). National Issues For some, fame validates life “Mom, did you see ‘Hard ball’last night?” I asked, excit edly. “That was my hand hold ing the ‘Stu dents for Mc Cain’ sign.” Sure, she was proud of my in volvement, but my mom wasn’t really impressed by the self-pro fessed “fame” I was offered by this random ral lowing day. They’d be the coolest ones at school and never wash their shirts again, but would the BSB be affected by their vis it? Most likely not, considering the de mographics of these supposed VIPs probably consist of prize-winners and kids with connections, anyway, like the little snob Veruca Salt of “Willy Wonka.” So the Boys were probably at as much of a loss as we were, having to sit through more “sincere” compliments. I’d never forgive myself if I were to spout the mundane words “You inspire me” or “I love your music” in the heat of the mo ment, so maybe it’s better we got denied. I felt the same way when I stood by Sen. McCain for a few minutes as he was leaving Jillian’s that evening; I was close enough to him to see that he signs his name left-handed, and I had ample time to say something to him. Nothing substantial brewed in my head as I was distracted by the cameras flashing in his face and the psychotic fans tugging on his shirt, while volunteers literally screamed at him, plac ing their claims on his signature. I felt physically threatened, so I stepped off, with just enough time to tell his supportive wife that I hoped she could get some rest. The BSB need rest, too, I guess, but they’re busy making young girls go crazy, not necessarily restoring pride in our coun try. Still, we care whether they wave at us anyway, probably for the same reason Geoige W. Bush fans want his autograph on a campaign sign. I suppose we think it matters be cause we want to matter. If we are with people in the magazines, then we might be magazine-worthy, too, and we might have the chance to live the fame we so adore in these people. These famous folks are just like us, though, and their signatures will never mean more than the feeling they repre sent. Even meeting them in person can be surpassed by that inexplicable rush of emo tion experienced at a certain time in our lives. • Being at the McCain rally with my fired-up ally epitomized the MasterCard commercial about certain life experiences that are simply priceless. That evening had less to do with big news stations and spot lighted politicians and more to do with a celebratory attitude about life. We can all meet celebrities and shake hands with high-profde people if we stalk hard enough. We can even send fan mail and receive timely, personalized re sponses from our most-treasured stars, but we shouldn’t foiget that these people are real and flawed, and the “best” people in our lives could very well be the same ones sitting next to us as we read People mag azine. We are all blessed with gifts, but we need to search for them and exchange our talents in life so we can fulfill each other like these celebrities seem to fulfill us. I’ve had a few long and personal encounters with some of the country’s most familiar faces, which only enhances my puzzle ment over being star-struck. I can’t explain why I screamed for the Backstreet Boys on Thursday night and couldn’t muster up a word for the senator, but 1 can definitely sum up what it means to be affected by a person or event, to get caught up in a moment and let the excite ment take over. “Tomorrow, you’ll see Brian and the Backstreet Boys in person, Mere,” en thused my fellow BSB-obsessed com rade the day before the show. “Tomorrow, you’ll turn 12.” Happy twelfth birthday to everyone who plans to watch next month's Acade my Awards in awe, as well as everyone who voted passionately in the primary for the presidential hopeful of his or her choice, and finally, to those who ran to the State house on Friday to be in the presence of Peter Jennings. Congratulations to all of you - fame’s presence has not been lost on you, nor has the adrenaline of youth. Now, let’s all have a pillow fight, eat some Pixie Sticks and wave around our American flags to the tracks of our favorite CDs - we have been given another day to live and smile with one another and to make a reality of our most excellent dreams. ly reaturing s.c.. s most prominent politicians in support of the senator. I guess knowing all of MSNBC’s viewers saw my hand was enough to keep me excited for a few days... that is, until the long-await ed Backstreet Boys concert! I constantly wonder what makes us common citizens care about fame, and I’ve finally come to a conclusion. After pon dering this question every year after the Oscar obsession wears off and following the buzz of every live concert I attend, I have decided that being the watched in stead of the watcher is surreal; it almost validates life. Most “normal” people are the audi ence of such phenomena as political fire balls, teen dreams and Oscar contenders. When we are the watched, however, life seems to offer hope for more possibilities, with an abolishment of monotony and per sonal mediocrity. Thursday night, I tried to get into the dressing room after the Backstreet Boys conceit with my three companions, after we had already successfully sneaked down into better seats. Our dreams were shattered when a se lect group of teeny-boppers, sporting VIP stickers, made sure we lowly fans didn’t get to visit the Boys backstage. Enraged and disappointed, we stormed out the Coliseum, pondering the pictures those girls would be developing the fol is a journalism junior. She can be reached at gamecockview points®hotmail.c om Campus Issues Don't bother smokers I don’t K 5 smoke, and al though I am not a fan of the act of smoking, 1 don’t hate smokers. I have several smoking friends and loved ones. My clothes often smell like smoke, and my apart ment smells like the teachers’ lounge, but 1 real ly don’t mind. 1 have basically been a second hand smoker for most my life. While'it doesn’t help my allergies, I can usually tolerate it. It isn’t my choice for them to smoke or not smoke. It’s free will, baby, and while most of you think that smokers are uncaring and rude people because of their habit, I like to think otherwise. Smoking doesn't do anything to your character or personali ty. Nicotine isn’t a mood-enhancing sub stance, so to think that smokers are rude and insensitive is a preposterous claim. Another stigma placed on smokers is that they are mindless and numb con sumers who don’t see the danger in their habit. Recently, an anti-smoking advertis ing campaign has taken an abrasive stance against the smoking industry. One ad mocks a Mountain Dew ad in which teen-agers do extreme sports with their favorite soda in hand. In this spot, kids are bungee jumping from a bridge with their soda, and one guy explodes. The moral of the ad:'Unlike cigarettes, this soda won’t kill a significant portion of its users. Get the point? So I hope smokers let these ads sink in because rumor has it smoking is bad for you. That’s right, that habit you’ve had for the longest time doesn’t enhance your lung capacity or make you stronger. It’s bad for you. Sorry. \\hit a minute! Smokers aren’t dumb. They can read (most of them anyway). They know some suigeon general guy says cigarettes are bad for them, but guess what? They choose to do it any way. Why? It doesn’t matter why they choose to smoke. It’s their choice, so don’t bother them. How would you like it if someone passed judgement on you because of your deep-rooted love for Twinkies? They might not be as harmful as ciga rettes, but they are certainly not good for you. Cynics would say that everything kills you in the end, and they’re probably right. Your need to keep your skin per fectly tanned all year isn’t going to help out in the long run, and your desire to grab a quick cup of coffee at Starbucks on the way to class won’t help out that much, either. Why do we place such negative overtones on smoking. Everyone knows cigarettes are bad for you, so why the big scare tactic? Just because somebody sees these ads on television doesn’t mean they are going to reform right away. Re form comes when and if these people want to change their lifestyles. Smoking isn’t wrong. It certainly isn’t healthy, but it isn’t wrong. Letters Columnist should explain issue further Please don't take this letter as a spite ful attack on your viewpoints, but rather as an objective and constructive criticism regarding your writing. When editing your work or the work of others, let me suggest that you require statements of fact or reason that backup or explain the opinions contained in the column. I personally do not have an opinion about public relations majors because I know not one. What I do know is that your col umn stated, “...PR majors are those who as pire to be glorified secretaries because they can't cut it in the journalism or business world.” I wondered, as I read this sentence, what brought you to this conclusion. This speculation could have all been avoided had you listed or explained your own reasoning, provided you actually thought about the words that you wrote, which1 leads me to my next point. What were you trying to accomplish with the phrase, "...various four letter words describing sexual acts with mothers and goats[?]” Whose mother? Whose goat? If you were trying to demonstrate that people disagree over opinions and further expound on the different methods used to voice this disagreement, i.e., obscenities, slurs, gestures, etc., ending that phrase with "...FOUR LETTER WORDS." would have sufficed. The added explicit reference was truly tasteless. Again, I urge you to take this letter to heart and think about the thoughts you con vey in your writings when it involves the viewpoints of others. The best way to avoid an argument is to fully explain the rea soning used to formulate a conclusion. W. Jack Tumer-Vaught First Year Law Student h \ ■' ■ Columnist furthers myths on drug use I would like to address Mr. Ona's be liefs about drug users in America. He is primarily speaking about Latini drug use, but most of his comments seen to be generalized in order to condemn th( users of all drugs that are illegal substances He makes a clear decision between his us< of cigarettes and the use of any other ille gal substance. He asks the question “what end doe drug use lead to?” He answers the questioi by saying that “America has no room to b intoxicated for recreational purposes. He then states that he is taking re sponsibility for his actions in regards to us ing cigarettes, apparently his drug of choice while denying any notion that a user of an; other drug cannot take responsibility. He concludes by saying that we shouli turn our drug war inward and start arrest ing the drug user^ It’s sad to see this kind of material ii your newspaper. I’m sure everyone realizes that drugs, legal and illegal, are widely used for recre ational purposes in our country. Their ef fects vary, depending on the social situa tion that they are used in, the method of 1 ingestion and the properties of the drug. Much of the anti-drug message has actu ally distorted the facts about the physical properties of illegal drugs. Marijuana has been proven to be less harmful than the author’s drug of choice, but articles like this only work to further 1 myths. 1 Ignorance about the physiological, psyy ' chological and social aspects of drug use and abuse continue because of narrow-mind ■ • ed works such as this article. Our own library has some very good . works that could offer enough information ' to start a good debate over this topic that is too often mired in symbolism. I Dan Walker Sociology Senior ,