Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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TOe ©aniEcock Local restaurateur uses Rebel flag to make political statement The owner of the Piggy Park chain wants to see the U.S. flag removed from all state property by Amanda Silva Staff Writer Maurice Bessinger, owner of the Piggy Park restau rant chain, has lowered the American flag and raised the South Carolina and Confederate flags over all of Iris restaurant locations in an effort to address the re lationship between state and federal government. "I call on the South Carolina Legislature to re assert the proper historic relationship of state sov ereignty and I suggest that their first step be the re moval of the federal flag from the State House dome and from all state property," Bessinger said. "Now that the Confederate flag has been taken down from tire State House dome there should be some lessen ing of the heated rhetoric that surrounded its removal. Now we can move on to a genuine discussion of flag symbolism and meaning." Bessinger said now that the controversy sur rounding the flag on the State House dome has end ed, legislators can focus on problems created by the symbolism of the American flag, which he said rep resents tyranny. "The United States flag is a symbol of the feder al government and it lias become the symbol of those who wish to continue to increase its centralized pow er," Bessinger said. He is currently urging legisla tors to remove the American flag from the state house dome and fly the South Carolina flag in its place. "It is especially important that the federal flag be removed from all state property, especially our schools," Bessinger said. He believes that by flying the federal flgg young people are being wrongly informed of the proper re lationship between the federal and state government with regards to the constitution. "They should not be taught that the federal government is dominant to the state governments," he said. Bessinger believes that the proper relationship between the states and the federal government has long been overlooked. He regards flying the American flag as a symbolic error. "By flying the federal flag on school property we are sending the wrong message to our children," Bessinger said. "We are sending the message that the federal government is sovereign over the states while the exact opposite is true." Bessinger hopes that his action will start a debate between state and federal government. "I would hope that members of the South Car olina Legislature would open a dialogue among them selves that would lead to the proper understanding of the states a still sovereign over the federal gov ernment," Bessinger said. Bessinger thinks states are sovereign apart from the federal government, saying, "states are the sov ereign power in the United States and the federal government is the child of the states, not their master," he said.* Bessinger said that since there are no state flags flown over federal property, such as military bases, there should not be federal flags flown over state property. Bessinger has lowered the federal flag on his properties and is flying die Confederate flag beneath the South Carolina state flag to remind people that Southerners wrote the Constitution and remain its most loyal defenders. "The Confederate flag is rec ognized as the universal symbol of resistance to cen tralized tyranny," he said. The city/state desk can be reached at ganiecockcitydesk@homaiI.com. ‘The United States flag ... has become the symbol of those who wish to con tinue to increase its cen tralized power. ... It is especially important that the federal flag be removed from all state property, especially our schools.’ Maurice Bessinger Owner of Piggy Park restaurants High-tech tools changing the face of college by Sonya Kelberg Knight Ridder Students going back to college this year are packing more than pencils and homemade brownies. They're packing a feast of technological goodies that have dramatically changed the way America's college students work and play. College freshmen today are playing Christina’ Aguilera on MP3 players while freshmen of 10 years ago clicked on their tape of New Kids on the Block. When yesterday's students needed to research a topic, they usually climbed the stairs of the university library, checked the card catalog and heaved open journals and books, running their fingers down ci tations. Now, with the touch of a key l board, students easily can tap into a world of information without ever havipg to turn a page. "The basics are still the basics. Stu dents read, write, communicate and think analytically. That hasn't changed," said Bill Goad, dean of information technology for Oklahoma Christian University. "But the tools they have available have changed" Today's students can turn to a research resource virtually unheard of a decade ago. "Now students use the Internet," Goad said "It means you have to be even more discriminating as to what you use as sources. We're teaching freshmen com position courses with students sitting down at a computer. That certainly wasn't done even a few years ago. "It's a whole shift in thinking about how you teach writing and how you learn to write. It's a whole different paradigm of how you approach a subject." Derek Ralph, a sophomore biology student at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, said his favorite research tool is the Internet. "When you get into a search engine, it will pull up Web sites on the same tiling but they can all be used as different sources," Ralph said adding that he prefers the Internet to library books. "In the Eng lish classes they make you use the books, too. But you can use the Internet on some things. So we know how to use both tilings, the books and the technology." Eighty-five percent of college students say the Internet is their most frequently used research tool, according to a Digi tal Divide survey. Ralph said he just bought a Dell desk top computer to take to school this year. Last year, he borrowed his roommate's computer and wanted the convenience of having one of his own, he said. About 53 percent of students plan to take a personal computer or laptop to cam pus with them this year, the Digital Di vide survey said. "It will help in my chemistry labs, writing my lab reports," Ralph said. "I'll be e-mailing friends that are going to col lege out of town. I'll probably e-mail dai ly, or every other day, maybe." Jason Allison, a graphic arts senior at Oklahoma Christian University in Ok lahoma City, said computers are part of his college experience. "It's a huge part for me. I know in my major... 90 percent of everything we do is involved with doing it on the comput er. Once the concept is in place, we go to the computer and make our graphics," Al lison said. Ralph said a fair part of his computer^ use will be e-mailing friends, most of whom either have computers or access to com puters in college computer labs. About half of today's college fresh men will use e-mail messages, compared to just 7 percent in 1990, said the survey of 500 members of the 2000 freshman class and 500 people who were college freshmen around 1990. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent. Today's freshmen graded themselves high in level of competence in technol ogy. Almost 19 percent claimed to be "ex treme tech-heads," the survey said. Most rated themselves somewhere in the middle in technology competence while 10 percent admitted being "not-so-sawy." But for many students, the technolo gy experience they gain as freshmen zips them quickly toward being comfort able and efficient with technology. 111. student grounded for smuggling cocaine by Billy O’Keefe College Press Exchange A University of Illinois student who admitted to orally smuggling cocaine capsules into the United States was sen tenced Tuesday to six months of home confinement, the Associated Press re ports. U.S. District Judge James Holder man ordered Dominique Bryant, 21, to perform 200 hours of community ser vice. Holderman also granted Bryant ac cess to school, church and the grocery store and warned that_any unauthorized trips from home would result in a stint in federal prison.. In what could result in a positive footnote, Holderman also said that Bryant could spend her community service talk ing to youths about the pitfalls of drug use and abuse, adding that Bryant's own youth could give her air edge in influ encing younger minds. "The message to young people is n't getting through anymore because it's coming from old people," Holderman said. Bryant admitted to smuggling 125 grams of cocaine from Jamaica for Leon Holmes. According to Bryant, Holmes, 27, had promised her $2,000 for her trou ble but never made good on his promise. Holmes himself was sentenced Aug. 8 to six years in prison for recruiting women, Bryant being one example, to swallow capsules containing cocaine in order to smuggle them into the states from Jamaica. Other women hid the drugs in Jars of infant formula, carrying real babies in their arms to deter customs in spectors. All told, Bryant swallowed 30 capsules of cocaine, according to her own account. Beyond Holmes and Bryant, 11 oth ers have been charged for their role in the scheme, with nine pleading guilty and three receiving sentences. I I _ , . ■ ■ ....... 2000 Emerging Leader Program ' Learn: • Leadership Skills • Team-Building • Goal Setting • Appreciation of Diversity Meet new friends and future leaders! Application deadline: September 8, 2000. Volunteer Fair September 6, 10am-2pm Russell House Patio Come and learn about all of the volunteer opportunities offered in the Columbia community... Look for our fall calendar of events around campus to learn more about getting involved. Come to the Campus Activities Center to learn more about ' these and other opportunities or call us at 7-5780. |----rs--i*r Back To School Blowout Sale! \ Furniture Liquidations I Student Special Show Student ID and get 10% off Total Purchase with this coupon. 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