Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Wk 0amtcock Speak your mind, no matter the cost I einS 3 \~ls t a f f J—/w rit e r and columnist for The Gamecock newspaper, I have been dis turbed as of late by the number of peo ple attempting to repress oth ers’ right to free speech. After all, it’s a right afforded to us by the Constitution, a a luxury citizens of other countries would risk their lives to obtain. Yet, we often take it for granted. In today’s society, one cor rupted by political correctness, it is viewed not as a right afford ed to all citizens of the United States but only to those who know when to keep their mouths shut. A prime example is the con troversy surrounding rock star Ted Nugent. Nugent, a staunch conservative and avid hunter, is frequently at odds with animal rights activists, publicly promot ing the good and necessity of hunting. However, the issue he took up in late March dealt with his beliefs about immigrants in the United States. While performing as an open w ing act on the Kiss farewell tour, Nugent made stops in Houston and San Antonio. During these shows, Nugent made some dis paraging remarks about Latinos, specifically those who live in the United States. Although these remarks offended many npnnlp Nnopnt stuck with what he said. For example, according to the Houston Chronicle and radio stations in our area, following the concert in Houston he remarked in an interview, “If you can’t speak English, get the f*** out of America.” These remarks have not only jeopardized his involvement with future stops on the Kiss A tour, but also have led to the organization of a national boy cott against Nugent by the League of United Latin American Citizens and numer ous criticisms from the tradi tionally liberal press. In a write up of the incident on VHl’s news wire, the net work stated, “We’d throw out our copy of Great Gonzos (one of Nugent’s albums) - if we owned one.” Even Michael Miller, The State newspaper’s music editor, criticized Nugent as having a narrow-minded isola tionist mentality. These statements cause me, a member of what is collectively known as “the press,” to lower my head in shame. Why is it that the press is always the first to crucify people for what they say and believe, yet are shouting the loudest in issues dealing with their rights to speech and the printing of material? Doesn’t the freedom of speech not only cover newspapers, net works and other news sources, but also give each and every individual living in the United States the right to speak one’s mind and opinions? And that brings up another pointrlt was his opinion. Although to Nugent the state ment he uttered was a fact that should not be overlooked, that statement is not the belief of everyone. It is his belief. But individual beliefs are what this country was founded on. And although everyone may not have the same mentality as Nugent, the principal remains the same. Now, I don’t want people to think I’m promoting the remarks Nugent made. Although I, too, am a conservative, the actual remarks he made are not the issue. The issue is that because Nugent stood up for what he believed in, and stated that rmininn tn nthpr<; hp ic nnw being criticized and his liveli hood has been affected. For instance, look at what has happened to John Rocker of the Atlanta Braves. Because of opinions he stated, the press bashed and ridiculed him, indi rectly affecting his life and his performance as a baseball play er. But in the end, these remarks were still only his opinion, and he was given the right to speak them by the First Amendment. I’d like to point out, for the record, that there isn’t a clause in the First Amendment stating that it only applies to those who know when is the proper time to speak. The First Amendment knows no boundaries. Whenever a person deems it appropriate, according to their own standards and not society’s standards, then the amendment gives them the ability and the right to voice their opinion. We should no longer take offense to the words of a few isolated individuals. Didn’t everyone learn the rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me?” Hopefully, soon the world will come to its senses, realize their immaturity and allow people like Ted Nugent to state what he or she believe without being punished. But until then, in many people’s eyes, Nugent will be living up to his nickname as the Motor City Madman. • We need people! Well... responsible people. But, if you’re looking for valuable experience and lots of fun and you are good at keeping deadlines, stop by • one of The Gamecocks fall training meetings — at 6 p.m. Aug. 22 and 23 in RH 333. No experience required. We’re looking for: • Copy editors • General assignment reporters • Sports reporters • Photographers • Designers • Cartoonists * • Online editors v V *4 ' '¥ Jonathan Dunagin is the student media graduate assistent. He can be reached at gamecockview pointsOhotmail .com Take a tip from me Words of warning to the Class of 2004: You will proba bly have a horri ble roommate. If you know your roommate, con sider yourself lucky. It seems that whenever a housing form is turned in with a blank space by roommate pref erence, you are automatically qualified to live either with will play White Zombie and vacuum at 3 a.m., or the shrinking violet vari ety who sits in your room all day and never wants to leave. This is college, not the Sans Souci. Don’t expect any place on campus to offer the kind of food you ate at home. Unless of course, you have a macaroni and cheese dependency. Athletics, while offering many thrills and loads of fun, can also be a wholly depressing way to spend your spare time. There might, be flashes of brilliance, but there’s usually some thing that will happen to make you believe in voodoo. Clothes don’t wash themselves. If you don’t have a car and have ait aversion to walking, transfer to Iowa, because you’re obviously misin formed about the entertainment value in the immediate area. Don’t ever, ever go swimming in the pool in front of the library. Something about communicable diseases. There will be 13 student organiza tions, religious zealots, a Zipsheet jerk, three credit-card companies and/or banks, gusts up to 50 miles per hour, intermittent rain and cyclists at high rates of speed to deter you from getting to class. Then on Tuesday... If you have to kill one roach per week in your dorm room, consider yourself lucky. Some dorms- require hunting licenses. At some point in the next four years, you will have at least one professor who will make your grade the cutoff between an A and a B-pIus. Waking up in a hotel room in Pocatello, Idaho, with a Royal Canadian Mounted Police hat on your head and no wallet was not the way your parents meant the term, “Drink moderately.” Living in the Towers, Bates, Bates West or the Roost means you’ll never have to set your alarm clock. Like it or not, you’re getting up at 6 a.m. when the sadistic engineer ties down the whistle to his 40-ton train as it rolls past your window. College women have heard all the lines from “American Pie” many times before, and aren’t impressed by belching the ABC’s. College men really don’t care about your Psychology 101 final, just take some thing off! USC police officers have the same amount of authority as regular police officers, and the same size pistol. Remember that when you’re thinking you can “talk him out of it.” You have from 7 a.m. until 11:50 p.m. to check your mail. Therefore, if you insist on checking it between 11:50 and midnight, the guy locking up the Russell House will call you and your family terrible names and then take a laige, heavy object to your person. There is no such thing as a “manda tory meeting.” The columnists in this newspaper take themselves much more seriously than you think. Go Cocks. Any questions? David Cloninger is a journalism graduate student and former sports editor. He can be reached at game cockviewpoints When your socks stand at attention, it's time O. to go to... O o ° ; o ®, r m — f=s*) ( Corner of Assembly & Whaley_252-0005 $9 PER CAR FROM COLUMBIA ON |-Z0 WEST. TAKE EXIT 33. TURN RIGHT ON HWY. 39. 1 THEN TURN RIGHT ON HWY. I. theatre is on Right. Concession $ Oates open 7:30pm Shows start at ousk Call 803-685-7949 FOR THIS WEEK'S FEATURES! 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