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THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, October 9, 2002 7 SOUND OFF TT^TTTTirY VTmCi ONLINE POLL Create message boards at I 1-4 ■ /» / I-* I I I Should freshmen be allowed to www.dailygamecock.com or I I ' J \l \l I II % Ik ^ - have cars on campus? send letters to the editor to ||iWW | \x www.dailygamecock.com. gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com —® ■ f * —■— — k- l —■— rv—/ Results published on Fridays. Teach-in opens forum The anti-war demonstration outside Preston on ^Monday was just what USC needed: peaceful, open debate. In a climate in which dissent is branded as treason, the university has been far too silent. Silence is not patriotic; neither is letting the nation go to war with Iraq without carefully weighing the costs. Whatever one’s opinion is about the merits of Bush’s proposal, giving the president a blind OK can only be harmful in a democratic society, as an institute ot learning, USC has lagged in changing the public’s perspective; but events such as Monday’s teach-in can change that. The professors and students w who spoke at the event raised some valid concerns: President Bush has yet to produce solid evidence that Saddam Hussein is contemplating an attack on the United States or one of its allies. And, by itself, the likelihood that Iraq has stockpiled weapons of mass destruction is no reason to start a war. Those who oppose action in Iraq, however, fail to take into account Iraq’s history of deception and its defiance of international law. Add that track record to the country’s weapons supply, and the result is a highly combustible combination. But what made Monday’s protest valuable was that it allowed such views. A rational evaluation requires more than one opinion, and all were welcome on the steps of Preston. If everyone operated this way, ^ perhaps the United States could act — or not act — with the strength of a unified nation behind it. A rational evaluation requires more than one opinion, and the protest was valuable in that respect. Winners and Sinners ANDREW CARD Distinguished alumni, U.S. chief of staff comes to visit. We’re just happy to use the phrase distinguished alumni. HIPPIES Our lives are a little more interesting because they decorate campus with chalk. Make love, not war! MICHAEL JORDAN Says Wizards will win the Eastern title. Thanks M. J. Washington needs a laugh with all this Iraq stuff going on. CAMPUS STEAM Claims first “official” victim this past week. Mold now down 0-1, but vows to get someone by semester’s end. TIRE SLASHERS Striking fear in the hearts of tires everywhere and terror in the wallets of poor, student car owners. ROSIE O’DONNELL Paying for a Boy George musical on Broadway. Proves, in time of crisis, her “culture club” comes together. GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us at gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK Editor In Chief Mary Hartney News Editor Adam Beam Aset. News Editor Emma Ritch Viewpoints Editor Chris Foy Asst. Viewpoints Editor Erin O'Neal The Mix Editors Justin Bajan, Charles Tomlinson Sports Editor Kyle Almond Asst. Sports Editor Matt Rothenberg Photo Editor Candi Hauglum Head Designer Katie Smith Page Designers 50 Samantha Hall, Julia Knetzer. Sarah Mclaulin, Shawn Rourk. David Stagg Copy Desk Chief Jill Martin Cdfry Editors jennie Duggan, Tricia Ridgway, Holly Totherow, Karen Vaught Online Editor gessam Khadraoui Community Affairs Kiran Shah _ CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@hotmail.com News Desk: gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Viewpoints: gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com The Mix: gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Public Affairs: gckpublicaffairs@hotmail.com Newsroom: 777-7726 Editor’s Office: 777-3914 STUDENT MEDIA Faculty Adviser Erik Collins Director of Student Media Ellen Parsons Creative Director Susan King Business Manager Carolyn Griffin Advertising Manager Sarah Scarborough Classified Manager Sherry F. Holmes Creative Services Derek Goode, Earl Jones, Kimberly •Myles, Melanie Roberts Advertising Staff Adam Bourgoin, Justin Chappell, Bianca Knowles, Denise Levereaux, Jacqueline Rice, Stacey Todd ,u PLACE AN AD The Gamecock 1400 Greene St. Co.umbie, S.C. 29208 Advertising: 777-3888 Classified: 777-1184 Fax: 777-6482 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. One free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for one dollar each from the Department of Student Media. I fW/'STv 1 - CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Carmes come but once a year PHIL WATSON GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Butter sculptures and broken glass make the fair a good time for all. Like a vicious relapse of hep atitis B, the South Carolina State Fair is back and redder than ever. I first realized this beloved annual tradition was back in town late last week while I was polishing the rims on my new E-Class. A thunderous sound echoed through the sky and into my garage. Instinctively, I grabbed one of my double-bar reled shotguns and ran outside. “If you’re from the bank, you’ve got about two seconds to get off my property,” I screamed into the darkness as I cocked the shotgun. “I’ll never foreclose.” As I adjusted my cowboy hat and aimed into the bushes, I looked over at my rottweiler. “Remember me as a hero,” I told him. But just before I pulled the trigger, I noticed the old dog look up at the sky and start howling madly as if he had just eaten a stray cat. I realized the noise was com ing from the nightly fireworks display at the fair, and I took my shotgun back in the house. Several days later, some friends and I decided to get cul tured, so we drove my new E Class to the fair. Lee Greenwood, Brad Paisley and Mayor McCheese were among the dignitaries entertaining the crowds. I hate to say it, but Mayor McCheese has really let himself go. He was drinking, and kept asking girls whether he could autograph their navels with ketchup packets. Things got really ugly, until the Hamburglar came and told him it was time to go home. I quickly forgot all about the celebrities when I noticed those kings among men whom we mortals know as camies. Carnies are a lot like the Christmas holidays. They only come to town once a year, but the gifts they leave behind can last a lifetime. Boy, did they know how to dress. Whether they wore a John Deere hat, a mullet, a Guns N’ Roses T-shirt or no shirt whatsoever, they all had one common thread: chain smoking. I asked one of them for advice on how to start my own carnie career. He broke a King Cobra bottle over a generator and tried to stab me with it. “Thanks, any way,” I said as I ran toward the exhibition area. Once I got there, it was time to see the cow sculpture made from 600 pounds of butter. I’m not making this up. Chick-fil-A sponsored this exhibit, and I couldn’t wait to check it out. As I came upon it, I couldn’t believe my eyes. “That’s the biggest cow made of butter I’ve ever seen,” I said to a large man standing next to me. “Sir,” he said to me with a hateful look, “the butter cow is in the next room over. That’s my wife.” On that note, I decided it was time to go home. As my friends and I walked back to my new E Class, we all agreed the fair was fun to visit, but we wouldn’t want to live there. Watson is a fourth-year print journalism student. IN YOUR OPINION Try walking a mile in my shoes, Rapp I am writing to reply to Mr. Jason Rapp’s interesting view on Homecoming and Showcase (Monday, “Raising a stink for no reason”). I think that all the contestants being white does not properly represent the stu dent population of the University of South Carolina. In addition, I know there were non-Greek organizations that tried to do Homecoming competition, but didn't succeed because they didn't have enough pull as the Greeks. I think these dirty deeds done by the Homecoming Commission further divides the student pop ulation, separating Greek from non-Greek, white from non white. Mr. Rapp, I am tired of hearing that same excuse of "more people need to get in volved." I agree with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — its sole purpose is to ensure justice and equality to everyone — and I applaud its effort in trying to challenge the old system of the South — the good ole boy mentality of this university. Furthermore, it does matter if you're a Kappa Kappa Kappa or a Future Dirt Farmers of America member because in today's society it's not what you know, but who you know. If your organization has con nections that extend to the Board of Trustees rather than the Board of Dirt Farmers Association, if you can't ever fit the main criteria, and if you don't believe that these con nections exist, how can you measure up> to the Showcase? They do, and those connections are more complex than a spi der's web. During freshman year, I thought I could make a differ ence if I only put my mind to it. I discovered that I was sadly mistaken. I realize that, at the University of South Carolina, a person is judged by the color of their skin and not the con tent of their character. So, Mr. Rapp, I suggest one thing: Walk a mile in my shoes. EMANUEL R. THOMASON SECOND-YEAR CRIMINAL JUSTICE , STUDENT Parking complaints are nothing new Over the past three years, I have read many letters to the editor lamenting the lack of parking at USC. As a graduate student from 1999 to 2002 who lived on cam pus, I witnessed the metamor phosis of the library lots to green space. I heard the many complaints that stemmed from that change, as well as others from students who were upset about not being able to walk to their dorms for a minute without getting a park ing ticket. I brought a car to USC and, over three years of graduate study, I never got a single park ing ticket — not from the uni versity and not from the city of Columbia. How did I avoid tickets? I walked. I parked at Cliff Apartments and walked to my classes every day. Sure, it took 15 minutes to get there and back, but it was also great ex ercise and a nice time to listen to music and soak in the atmo sphere at USC. In my three years at USC, there was always parking avail able on the outskirts of campus. I understand that there are times when it's not practical or safe to walk across campus, and I real ize that some people have really tight schedules and need every spare minute they can find. But I also know that there's a shuttle that runs around campus for the purpose of transporting those who don't want to walk, and I'm also sure that many of you have friends with whom you could carpool. I now live an hour away from Washington, D.C., and, trust me, carpooling and using public transportation is a way of life for a lot of people up here! In The Gamecock's last issue, someone suggested that freshmen shouldn’t have cars on campus. That's an excellent idea. My undergrad college prohib ited most freshmen from bring ing cars and, although we com plained about it at first, we later found that not having a car pro moted a sense of community among us and helped keep our college from becoming a "suitcase school." Folks, if s clear that the parking situation is not likely to change anytime soon. If you're really con cerned about the lack of parking at USC, be part of the solution and start using your own two feet. JENNY TOLLEY PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE, MAY 2002 Submission Policy Letters to the editor should be less than 300 words and include name, phone number, professional title or year and major, if a student. E-mail letters to gamecockview points@hotmail.com. Letters will be edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777-7726 for more information. The sky is not always the limit SHANNAREED GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Some are destined for greatness; others never see their full potential. In the endless hours of medi tation that I’ve devoted to self discovery (in between dance classes, eyebrow waxes and working minimum wage) I’ve come to the realization that all of us weren’t raised the same way. This simple revelation calms me in times of distress. It soothes me any time I see someone in a restaurant or equally public place wearing bedroom shoes or hair rollers. It lulls me whenever I see a “No fat chicks!” T-shirt or equal ly offensive Confederate flag racist — oh, I’m sorry — “Southern heritage” — parapher nalia. But why do some people grow up to be the president and others grow up to be Monica? The secret is motivation. When we were young, some of us were told the sky is the limit; others were told the limit is the sky. The difference is boundaries. I realize that, because I was a sky is-the-limit kid, I suffer from delu sions that might lead either to my enormous success or to my trag ic downfall. This can be great because you see negative events not as stum bling blocks, but as speed bumps. It can also be devastating because you invest your time and money in a dream that your talent can’t live up to, and you end up a joke. I’m sure it’s safe to assume that Susan Lucci, Spud Webb, George W. Bush and Britney Spears were all sky-is-the-limit kids. Limit-is the-sky kids, on the other hand, are a bit different. Everyone has known a limit-is the-sky kid. She was the kid in class who always cried because no one liked her, even though ev erybody thought she would be all right if she didn’t cry all the time. He was the kid who had the killer jump shot but never tried out for the team. These were the smart kids who would’ve given us a run for our money in competing for college admissions, but never ap plied. These kids seem to have a worse fate than our sky-is-the-lim it friends; they suffer because they strive and live below their potential. While the sky-is-the-limit kids might grow up to blow all their money on such frivolities as spring break, limit-is-the-sky kids grow and mature and might never leave the state. Not because they don’t have the money, but be cause they think they don’t need or deserve the best. But they’re not all bad, either. A limit-is-the-sky kid might be the best in his field just because he didn’t go for what really chal lenged him. They’re definitely a more stable bunch, but full of un realized dreams and “what ifs.” It’s amazing the amount of damage our parents can do, but we can’t blame them for how that manifests in our adult psyches. We sky-is-the-limit kids need to be more practical, and the limit is-the-sky kids need to stop set tling. Some of us need to stop mar rying the first guy who pays us any attention. Others need to stop thinking they’re superhuman and settle for realistic dreams, or at least attainable superhuman ef forts. We can’t all be a Nobel Prize or Grammy winner. Maybe we all need therapy; or maybe we just need roots to keep us grounded and wings to help us fly. Reed is a fourth-year public relations student.