The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 13, 2000, Page 7, Image 7
Quote, Unquote
‘It’s a great cause. It’s something that is a very healthy competition
for both schools.’
Gena Runnion, Director of Greek Life on the USC, Clemson Blood Drive
Monday, November 13, 2000 Will 0ai11CCOCk Page 7
Wlu (Bamecock
Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08
Editorial Board
Brock Vergakis • Editor in Chief
Kevin Langston • Viewpoints Editor
Nathan White • Asst. Viewpoints Editor
Patrick Rathbun • Editorial Contributor
Brad Walters • Editorial Contributor
Martha Wright • Editorial Contributor
Take advantage of
Meet Your SG Day
This Wednesday, USC’s Student Government is hosting its an
nual Meet Your Student Government Day. This event is a
way for Student Government to show the student body all of
the projects and legislation Student Government has involved itself
in this year.
This event will take place all day on Greene Street and is a
great way for students to see what Student Government does.
What it does is often overlooked by the student body, and this is a
good way for students to really learn about and gain an understand
ing of Student Government.
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O X X VVllUwil V IU1U vyx tl UUVVVU ilU T V UV lvi VJl* vu> —
tious plan for Carolina going into the next millennium. This is the
time for students to see how Student Government is acting on be
half of the student body in regards to USC’s new vision.
Issues such as parking versus green space are becoming hot is
sues on campus with students. How is Student Government ap
proaching this issue and other issues that will directly impact USC
students?
Not only will you get a chance to meet your Student Govern
ment representatives, but you will also get to know students who
might be considering running for office next February. By going to
Meet Your Student Government Day on Wednesday, you will not
only get a chance to meet your current Student Government, but
you will also get the chance to get informed on potential candi
dates for office next year.
A -W A
bi-Lo changes image
to make more money
\ he Devine street Bi-Lo will reopen this Wednesday as an of
ficial Gamecock Bi-Lo. It has traded in its cow mascot for
the gamecock and has changed its colors to garnet and black.
This reopening ceremony is intended to raise student awareness
of the Bi-Lo so students will feel more inclined to shop at a store
that outwardly supports their school. It’s a simple marketing ploy
to raise their number of shoppers.
While we obviously condone school spirit, we don’t necessarily
like it when it’s being used to make a quick and easy buck. Sure,
the Bi-Lo might have put a lot of money into redesigning their
store, but it was only to lure more Gamecock fans, particularly
students. An obvious question is why a better location wasn’t cho
sen for a Gamecock Bi-Lo. This store is out of the way for stu
dents who live on and around campus. There is no real reason for
students to venture out to this location, aside from the fact that it’s
a pro-USC store.
( Why is the university supporting a store that is so far away
from campus? This insists USC students choose their store over
others. Why? Will the university be getting any benefits from this
store, and if so, will any of it directly benefit the students?
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College Press Exchange
Election 2000
Florida is now the Wanker State
Before I begin
another can
tankerous di
atribe, I would like
to say to all of you
who read my last
column and decid
ed to vote any way,
I told you so.
This voting
stuff is madness!
Madness!
Okay, let's talk
about this little
election that's fin
ished. Do we have
a President yet?
No, of course not.
This crap should
have been over
nothing less from an A1 Gore supporter.
I just knocked 50 million people! Wow.
That's gotta be a record or something.
Now they are re-recounting the votes,
and because I saw a problem with this, I
decided to go down to Florida this week
end and see what the heck is going on there.
I personally talked with some of my col
leagues and discussed the situation. These
two residents of the Orlando area asked
not to have their first names printed for
personal reasons. My colleagues, Mr.
Mouse and Mr. Duck, told me they don't
even know what's going on. Frankly, they
said, they're just plain confused. What is
with all this confusion stuff in Florida?
Enough questions. It's time for answers
and who better to give them then myself?
I mean, come on, am I not always right?
I think my last column is proof of that.
Here's how it's gonna be. Florida loses the
"privilege" of voting for president from
here on out. I think it's pretty clear they
can't handle this little responsibility.
We'll make Florida a commonwealth
like Puerto Rico, where Puerto Ricans are
US citizens who don't vote for President
and don't pay federal taxes. The only dif
ference is that we'll make Florida pay tax
es because in their confused status, they
won't even notice.
The problem with this is we will no
longer have 50 states, and we all know
how nice and round that number is. There
fore, we will make Puerto Rico a state. At
least Puerto Rico doesn't have a bunch of
rednecks in its northern half and it does
n't have a bunch of whiny Cubans crying
about some dude named Elian in its south
ern half. Whatever happened to that wanker
anyway? He probably got confused and
voted for Pat Buchanan too.
I can't believe we didn't '’atch this soon
er. We should have known Floridians
weren't up to the challenge of picking a
circle that has a GIANT arrow pointing to
it from their preferred candidate's name.
Once again, I must insist we set up a sys
tem of government that disenfranchises
everyone but cool people like me. If we
did that, we wouldn't have this Florida
fiasco because nobody in Florida is cool.
If there ever was a better time to set
up a despotic regime in America than now,
I can’t think of it right now. The best way
to set up this system is by choosing a leader
much in the same way the Publisher’s
Clearing House chooses its winner.
Two things come to mind when I think
of Florida. First, that's where the Back
street Boys are from, and second, the Unit
ed Popular Front of \Vhnkers (UPFW) has
its headquarters in Palm Beach County
(big surprise). Also, while I was in Flori
da this weekend one thing did stick out
quite clearly in my mind. Everybody
was riding around on scooters.
Hmm. I think I'll leave you to think
about that one yourself.
lueMjay xiigiii, uui wc uavc a xiiaxc pxuu
lem. That problem is Florida. My good
ness, the most powerful man in the world
will be determined by a bunch of back
water chumps whose favorite football team
plays in a "swamp."
The problem is these Floridians aren't
really sure who they actually picked to be
our next President. This is due to the
fact that a bunch of "citizens" in Palm
Beach got "confused" with whom they
were voting for. Apparently they mistook
the big GIANT arrow next to Pat
Buchanan's name as an indicator that they
were voting for A1 Gore. I would expect
nduidn nnne
is a senior political
science and history
major. He writes
every Monday He
can be reached at
gamecockview
points
©hotmail.com
Letters
Reader questions
columnist’s fear
of Bush
To the Editor
It is so refreshing to see someone who
is so enraptured in dislike of one candidate
that he is perfectly willing to ignore the
problem areas of another that he greatly
prefers. Mr. Johnson indeed shows such a
bias towards Gore, it is a small wonder in
deed that he has not flown down to Flori
da to hand-recount the Palm Beach
votes himself.
Now, I myself cannot understand a
"fear of Bush", for the simple reason that
I had no fear of Reagan. Neither man strikes
me as the highest of intellectuals, but rather
as men smart enough to rely upon the opin
ions of advisors who are more well versed
in matters that the potential President may
not be. This is what advisors are for. I for
one doubt the credentials of any one
man who claims to be an expert on every
thing, and especially one who claims to
have invented the Internet. You see, Mr.
Johnson? Gore is hardly without his own
verbal gaffes. At least with Bush, ignorance
can be claimed. But after eight years of
hanging out with President Clinton, you'd
think A1 Gore would be abetter liar Or at
least a more circumspect one.
This is why I have a "fear of Gore".
It really seems to me that the man is phys
ically unable to stop lying. Or if not lie,
embellish the truth. Or misquote his facts.
His attempts to endear himself to the peo
pie of America, if not outright two-faced
lying, are the little white lies which can
be even worse, especially if one cannot
stop making them. And as for Gore being
more straightforward and honest then Clin
ton, it hardly seems possible that he could
be less honest. But then, comparing Gore
to Clinton in any way, shape or form may
not be the best of comparisons to make.
Finally, I would challenge your claim to
Bush's being a brat. He's a grown man who
has been Governor of Texas. Yes, he has
gotten family support, but considering who
his family is, is it really that shocking? And
I'd rather have a brat then a liar. At least
with a brat, you know where you stand.
Who knows what a liar will say?
Patrick Geannan
Alumni, College of Engineering, 19%
Alumni, College of Math and Science,
2000
Student suggests
USC obtain higher
image of success
To the Editor
It is said that to be successful, one must
project an image of success. The same the
ory holds tree for this University. As I walk
through this campus, I observe two things
that I deem to be detrimental to the pub
lic image of this University. First is the
constant blaring of car stereos. Second is
the commercial expos held in front of and
behind the Russell House.
President Palms often speaks of a goal
for U$C to be included in the AAU. He
has made great strides in emulating AAU
schools like the University of Virginia and
UNC-Chapel Hill. I have been to the cam
puses of both these fine institutions and
can attest that they do not have commer
cial carnivals going on during classes, nor
can one hear the bass of car stereos on
every comer of campus, 24 hours a day. I
am sure that at other elite schools like Stan
ford, Harvard and Yale, the scene is simi
lar. One thing that the nation’s top uni
versities have in common is this: an
atmosphere of civility and scholarship. As
I walk through USC I often feel that I
am in a rap video or at an adventure theme
park, not at a distinguished University.
These obstacles are quick-fixes (e.g.
enforce a campus-wide noise ordinance,
and simply discontinue the commercial
expos), and should be rectified as soon as
possible. They are small problems with
simple solutions that will make a world of
difference for USC.
Lastly, I would like to commend Pres
ident Palms for the progress he has made
for USC in my four and a half years here.
We should all be grateful to have a man of
such vision and foresight leading our Uni
versity into the 21st century. Thank you,
President Palms.
WadeZirkle
Political Science Senior
1
Have your voice heard!
submit you letters to:
gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com
---*____1....
Election 2000
Freedom
should be
our goal
Tuesday after
noon, after vot
ing in my
hometown, I drove in
dusk down the In
terstate. The classic
rock radio station was
playing the Bush cam
paign’s altered version
of Fleetwood Mac’s
“Don’t Stop,” Clin
ton’s 1992 campaign
song. It cut off mid
song, inserted a brief
soundbite from Clin
ton’s testimony to the
Grand Jury regarding
Monica Lewinsky and
segued into the Who’s
“Won’t Get Fooled
Again.” I admit, de
cnitn rr»\r HieliL'n ovc
for, this was a clever and accurate lampoon.
Yet, I changed the station. It was Election
Day, and I had felt nervous since morning,
suspecting people might be conned by the
Texas Governor’s populist rhetoric. I punched
button after button. The travesty was play
ing on every station in range; I had a feeling
the Clinton era was over.
What would the end of the Clinton-Gore
Era mean? At the time, I thought it would
n’t mean much. People say “liberal” and
“conservative” as though they are polar op
posites, when they are modifications of the
same system. Whoever is President will con
tinue with oppressive free trade agreements,
allow the American worker to be laid off in
favor of slave and sweatshop labor abroad
and in Mexico, extend the death penalty to
widespread use for federal crimes and con
tinue the United States’ “special relation
ships” abroad. Their major differences, abor
tion and the budget surplus, seemed small
when one realizes that there are various forms
of democracy at work elsewhere in the world
Every year, the United Nations does a
so-called Freedom Index, in which they rank
the freest countries in the world. America is
usually in the top ten, but not always. In Am
sterdam, they have the right to use mind
altering chemicals in any way they see fit.
In Canada, they have universal healthcare.
In America, we’re stuck with “democratic”
capitalism and the Electoral College, by
which a candidate who loses the popular vote
can become president.
Freedom should be our goal and the goal
of our presidential candidates, but only A1
Gore seems to be working toward it in this
Floridian brouhaha The two candidates have
finally distinguished themselves from one
another.
Republicans aigue that the butterfly bal
lot is clear and that people who made errors
should realize the election process is im
perfect. They are on a slippery slope to de
ciding who can and can’t vote. Old peo
ple? Those with poor eyesight? The
practically and intellectually challenged?
“Let them flounder,” Bush seems to say.
“The process is imperfect.”
When racial intimidation in Florida is
mentioned, they are even more evasive.
There have been reports of state troopers
positioned at the polls, turning away African
American men by alleging they have crim
inal records. There have also been stories of
A.M.E. churches, the polling places of the
communities, being conveniently skipped
when the election workers were picking up
ballots. Stories abound of minorities being
turned away, with election workers claim
ing they had run out of ballots.
And how does Bush’s team respond to
this? They suggest those pesky Democrats
are “distorting and politicizing” the process. ■
Bush’s team consists mainly of his father’s
old cabinet members—James Baker, John
Sununu and the like— parts of an adminis
tration voted out because most people be-?
lieved they were out of touch with the coun
try. As the events in Florida unfold, it seems
clear that the 1992 election was accurate in
its mandate.
I saw a Bush crony on television
claiming all of these complaints are the re
sult of “agitation” by the Democrats who
had converged on Florida. It reeked of Jim
Crow-era racist rhetoric—agitators from the
North bringing the promise of civil justice
and stirring up a population that had been
abused by the system.
How should the nation deal with this
challenge? Bring in the United Nations and
let them monitor a new election in Flori
da. They are more objective than Jeb Bush
or any county election commissioner. After
that is over, let’s make sure this is the last
year the Electoral College is used. We can
not afford a president without a popular man
date.
Jennie
Lightweis
is a senior
English major.
Se can be
reached at
gamecockview
points®hotmail.c
om
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