University of South Carolina Libraries
3 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, November 6, 2002 SOUND OFF ONLINE POLL Create message boards at Will the football team finish www.dailygamecock.com or with a winning record? send letters to the editor to www.dailygamecock.com. gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com Results published on Fridays. IN OUR OPINION I Exit polls unnecessary Last night, most television viewers missed a part of election-night coverage that has become all too familiar in American society — the exit polls. The Voter News Service, which is responsible for compiling election results for news stations, decided to nix the system after several attempts to improve the accuracy of the reporting. In the 2000 election, the errors caused the media to inaccurately report winners, causing mass confusion. If these polls are released with inaccuracte information, they can cause more problems than they are worth. There is no doubt that all citizens are interested in knowing who their newly elected officials are. But if these polls are being released with inaccurate information, they can cause more problems than they are worth. Florida lost some voters Decause when the news channels called the state in favor of Bush, some westernFlorida voters in the central time zone assumed there was no reason to go out and cast their votes. Elections are the foundations of a democracy, and if there is a chance that results could be tainted as the result of such polls, then there is no reason to conduct them. Media coverage is of great importance to the American people. Most citizens are eager to learn who won the races. But if the media report only after the precincts’ results come in, they are still giving then audience new information. But, most importantly, they’re giving their audience accurate information. Winners and Sinners GARLIC New studies show that a healthy diet of garlic can reduce the risk of cancer by half. Side effects might include permanent solitude. GREAT DEBATE Spurs discussion about the legalization of marijuana. Hippies and yuppies united for the first time since the ‘60s. MARK SANFORD Announced as winner of the mudslinging, negative ad-campaign war, best known as the gubernatorial race. Congrats. CRAIG KILBORN His “Gamecock-themed” show last week reminded everyone why his program runs at 1 o’clock in the morning. CATHOLIC CHURCH Trying to restrict reports of molestation to 10 years after victim turns 18. Pope is pawning Vatican memorabilia. FOOTBALL After last weekend’s spectacle, we wish this sport to die. USC will now officially be a basketball school. GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS A photo caption in Monday’s paper describing USC President Andrew Sorensen showing support for a Richland 1 bond referendum at the Center for Inquiry was misleading. The Center for Inquiry is in the Richland County 2 school district. In Wednesday’s crime report, the names of two victims of illegal telephone use were listed. The Gamecock’s policy.is not to run such information. The Gamecock regrets the errors. 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 CONTACT INFORMATION Mary Hartney „ ,, Offices on third floor of the Russell House. News Editor Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@hotmail.com Adam Beam News Desk: gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Viewpoints: gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com Asst News Editor The Mix: gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Emma Ritch Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Viewpoints Editor Public Affairs: gckpublicaffairs@hotmail.com Chris Fov Newsroom: 777-7726 y Editor's Office: 777-3914 Asst. Viewpoints Editor cTlimTNT MPniA Erin O'Neal 5TUUbm mtl/IA The Gamecock is the Faculty Adviser student newspaper of The Mix Editors Erik Collins the University of Justin Bajan, South Carolina and is Charles Tomlinson Director of Student published Monday, Medja Wednesday and Friday Sports Editor Ellen Parsons during the fall and Kyle Almond sPrin6 semesters and Creative Director nine times durin8 the Asst. Sports Editor Susan King summer with the Matt Rothenberg exception of Business Manager university holidays Photo Editor Carolyn Griffin an^ exam periods. Candi Hauglum Opinions expressed in Advertising Manager The Gamecock are Head Designer Sarah Scarborough those of the editors or Katie Smith author and not those Classified Manager of the University of Page Designers Sherry F. Holmes South Carolina. The Samantha Hall. Julia Board of Student Knetzer, Sarah McLaulin, Creative Services Publications and Shawn Rourk, David Derek Goode, Communications is Stagg Earl Jones, the publisher of The Sean O'Meara, Gamecock. The Copy Desk Chief Anastasia Oppert Department of Jill Martin Melanie Roberts Student Media is the newspaper's parent Copy Editors Advertising Staff organization. The Jennie Duggan, Tricia Adam Bourgoin, Gamecock is Ridgway, Holly Totherow, Justin Chappell, supported in part by Karen Vaught Bianca Knowles, student activities Denise Levereaux, fees. One free copy Online Editor Jacqueline Rice, per reader. Additional Bessam Khadraoui Stacey Todd copies may be purchased for one Community Affairs dollar each from the Kiran Shah Department of TO PLACE AN AD Student Media. The GaRTecock Advertising: 777-3888 ^ 1400 Greene St. Classified: 777-1184 Columbia, S.C. 29208 Fax: 777-6482 * iFiiei ] YoU HAVe YoURWAY-> GEflRGe* V/iULYoU RESpecr me inihe MORNING? J just as MUCH, darun; AS I ’ Respecr You Right NOW' CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Maternity isn’t for everyone SHANNAREED GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM The thought of having a son is simply terrifying. There are some things women are compelled to do. We are com pelled to breathe, to love and sometimes to shop, and some of us are compelled to give birth— to watch our stomachs swell, then spill over with life. Some of us can’t bare the thought of missing that God-giv en experience, to feel that inaudi ble pulsing. I want to be there at the beginning, the start of life, but I can’t. It’s not because I’ve lost my maternal instinct or that I don’t like children. It’s just that my chances of having a child with a Y chromosome are too high. Please don’t misunderstand me; I don’t hate men, and I wouldn’t hate my male child. I just don’t think I’d be able to han dle the pressure, and it hurts me. I feel guilty. Guilty that I’m not the way I’m supposed to be. I should be strong; isn’t that what a black woman should be, strong? I’m supposed to be able to car ry the burden of the world on my shoulders while simultaneously forging a lucrative career and keeping my marriage together, or better yet, keeping my head up because my baby’s father walked out on me. I’m supposed to build a safe haven for my children against the ills of the world. I’m supposed to pat my son on the back and tell him everything will be OK, even when I don’t know whether it will. I’m supposed to quell his anger and wipe away his tears when the teachers ig nore him in class. I should tell him words will never hurt him every time some ill-informed child calls him that “n” word—a word drenched in so much suf fering that a child couldn’t pos sibly understand its meaning. I’m pressed with the burden of coming up with a clever explana tion of why the heritage that is waving so proudly on the State House grounds is not his heritage. I’m supposed to make sure he grows up happy, not depressed. I’m supposed to raise him to have thick skin, but then what happens to his sensitivity? I’m supposed explain why it’s taking so long for Dr. King’s dream to come true. It’s too hard. My heart can’t handle the stress. I’m afraid the humors that coat my heart with love will swell up and spill out of my eyes as tears and drown me. I’m afraid the chains of self-con trol that hold that maternal beast inside me will break, and I’ll be consumed with revenge. I’d break loose and demand retribution for every scrape and cut against my son’s soul. I’d demand blood for every tear he cried when he was pulled over for driving while black. I’d demand tears for every tear he didn’t cry because he just got used to “fitting the descrip tion.” I’d revel in my madness and settle in my insanity. There would be hell to pay for the hell he endured, and you wouldn’t understand. You would talk about how much promise I had and the life I had given up be cause you wouldn’t be able to see. You wouldn’t be able to see that my life is his life. He is part of my soul, my very reason for being— he is my son. Not only is he my son; he is my brother, and my un cle, and my nephew and my fa ther. He is my child, he is my tribesman, he is my friend, and I love him. And because I love him, I am so afraid. I am afraid. I am afraid. I am. Reed is a third-year public relations student. IN YOUR OPINION Freedoms ignored with Bush at helm Two weeks ago, President Bush visited Columbia. While the South Carolina GOP cer tainly showed its support for Sir Dubya, you might be sur prised to find out that there were also many of his critics in tow. How did you not know this? Well, it might be because free speech barely existed in this city on that very Thursday when the patron of democra cy himself was at our doorstep. A personal friend, who often places himself on the front line of the issue of U.S. imperialism, was harassed by officers at the airport because he held a sign that read “No Blood for Oil.” The police told him he had to move to a “free-speech zone” more than a mile away, which was virtually nonexistent once people arrived there. Being the strong-minded cit izen he is, he pointed out that he thought he was “in the free,” on public property, while Bush supporters who stood around him remained untouched be cause they supported “der Fiihrer” without question. We have become what we hate. We are a nation in which the voices of dissent are squelched by a questionably elected official in order to fur ther his own means in the “best interests of the nation.” And to think that we have the idea that we could even re motely begin to solve similar problems in foreign countries. MATT SMITH EIKNT-YEAII IIISTOIIYSTUDENT Thanks for raising money for children On Thursday, I woke up with a single intent in mind: to raise as much money as possible for the Phi Kappa Tau Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. It is a summer camp for chil dren with chronic and often fa tal illnesses that allows these children (and sometimes even their families) to not only go to summer camp for free, but to behave like kids for once—not people with the world on their shoulders. I would like to thank everyone who donated money (I was dressed like Dracula, in case you were wondering who I was) and helped me out on Thursday. I just counted up the funds: a generous $77.60. A huge thanks go out to the facul ty who helped by allowing me a bit of time at the beginning of their classes, the faculty who donated money, my friends who donated, and the sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma for open ing their purses for a worthy cause. Thank you on behalf of the children and Phi Kappa Tau. I cannot say how thankful I am to each and everyone of you. Of the money raised, more than one-third of it was in coins — so to those of you who thought the few coins you tossed in would not amount to much—wrong! Every little bit helped. JIM GERRICK FOURTH-YEAR HISTORY STUDENT Disclosing names discourages victims It is scary to think we al ready account for 34 cases of rape this semester alone. According to the Oct. 30 Gamecock editorial “Awareness is prevention,” only one of these cases has been filed with USC Police Department. This is some thing to be extremely concerned about. Only one out of 34? This does not surprise me. Probably for the second or third time since my freshman year, I received a distressing phone call this past Sunday. A guy calling himself “Brad Taylor” called my room asking me to pose for him — for his art project, or whatev er he had in mind. His name was not on the VIP database, and when I told him about it, he hung up. I then called USCPD to inform the police about it. As a result, my full name was mentioned in this newspaper’s police report as the victim of a violent crime. Now, Brad Taylor, and everybody else who cares to know, not only has my full name, but also my ad dress (no zip code, ironically). This was not much of a threat ening crime. I did not think much of it until I read my full name in The Gamecock. I am now con cerned with this fact. Such an ef ficient police department, which had an officer knocking on my door within two minutes of my call, forgot to keep my name con fidential. Is this the way the de partment expects to encourage victims of more serious crimes to file reports with its office so that it can investigate and act accord ingly? MARTIN VEDANI FOURTH-YEAR BUSINESS STUDENT / 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 gamecockviewpo.. its@hotmail.com. Letters will be edited. Anonymous letter^ will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777-7726 for more information. Vitriolic TV ads are tons offun PHIL WATSON GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Negative advertising makes life worth living. It’s too bad the elections are over; I loved those negative ads. They made me feel like a pretty decent guy. Here’s an example: Narrator: Sure, former pornog raphy addict Joe Politicianato says he’ll stand up for South Carolina taxpayers. But in 1987, his wife cheated on him with an illegal immigrant. Gee, Joe, if you can’t even manage your own mar riage, how can we expect you to manage South Carolina’s money? — Paid for by the Citizens for John Campaignson. Or how about this one: Narrator: Samuel Electington wants you to trust him with your child’s education. But rich boy Sammy won’t tell you he voted against the children when he was chairman of the South Carolina Poultry Board. (Camera switches from grayscale picture of Electington’s face while he’s us ing the bathroom to a toothless redneck standing in front of a Texaco station.) Kectneck: mat raecungton is something else. I ain’t trustin’ Bubba Junior’s future to no man who don’t even understand the av erage South Cacolakian. (Computer-altered picture of Electington’s face with Islamic beard and turban comes on screen). Narrator: Electington cares more about his highbrow marti nis and fancy Asian cars than he does about your children. Call Electington at home and tell him you won’t let him steamroll over your child’s future. (803) 555-0423. — Paid for by the Votesmith Campaign. I hate to see this classy style of advertising go away just because the elections are over. So I decid ed to start making my own nega tive ads for things totally unre lated to political campaigns. For example, if my buddy Ryan and I are going after the same girl, I might make a negative ad to run against him, in hopes of persuad ing the girl to like me instead: “Sure, Ryan seems like he’d be a good date, but there’s something he’s not telling you. Last St. Patrick’s Day, he got drunk and ad mitted that when he thinks about his ex-girlfriend, he listens to Tori Amos and cries. Is this the kind of clammy-handed weakling you want to be associated with?—Paid for by the Date Phil Coalition.” Say another student and I are applying for the same scholar ship. I might make an ad showing that this other student isn’t fit for the award: mil r>iasK.y says lie ueserves a scholarship. He wants you to think he’s worked hard through’ out his college career. But the sad fact is, Brasky has a habit of tak ing advantage of vulnerable fresh man girls — instead of attending class — and he has a gambling problem. — Paid for by the Phil Endowment to Negotiate Ingenuity Scholarships.” My negative ads don’t even have to be about people. Here’s a little spot I’m running about a window at an 1-85 truck stop: “Sure, that window at the 1-85 truck stop would like you to think it shouldn’t have been broken. But the fact of the matter is, that window voted against free school lunches for poor children six years in a row. Is this the kind of window you want protecting your children from bugs and extreme tempera tures? — Paid for by the Committee to Exonerate Phil of Malicious Vandalism and Disorderly Conduct Charges.” Watson is a fourth-year print journalism student.