Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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IEWPOINTS IN OUR OPINION USC needs all night shuttle The recent announcement of a renovation and beautification plan for Five Points is a welcome one, although long in coming. Now, students looking for food, an eclectic shop or a night on the town will walk among trees and lightning rather than cement and sewage. Extended curbs, a possible traffic light and better lighting will be here within the next two years and will help make Columbia a safer place. This is also a good time for the University to establish better lighting on campus and an all-night shuttle serving students both on campus and in Five Points. Along with diminishing the likelihood of drunk drivers, a shuttle would give students a safe way home from a part of town known for poor lighting and crime. First-year students are required to live on campus unless they live with a parent, and USC is responsible for those 2,000 students. Many universities throughout the country use these buses to carry students farther than Five Points. If USC wants to take advantage of a renovation promoting safety and health, it ought to address the realities of student life and take care of its own. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK STAFF Editor in Chief Corey Garriott Managing Editor Julia Knetzer News Editor Gabrielle Sinclair Viewpoints Editor Wes Wolfe The Mix Editor Brian Ray Sports Editor Brad Senkiw Photo Editor Patricia Shadwell Page Designers Rachel Edwards, Patricia Shadwell Copy Editors Amy Genoble, Parul Joshi STUDENT MEDIA Faculty Advisor Erik Collins Advertising Manager Sarah Scarborough Creative Director Susan King Business Manager Carolyn Griffin Classified Manager Sherry F. Holmes Advertising Staff John Blackshire TO PUCE AN AD The Gamecock 1400 Greene St. Columbia. S.C. 29208 Advertising: 777-388S Classified: 777-1184 Fax: 777-6482 CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@hotmail.com News: gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Viewpoints: gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com The Mix: gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726 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. CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS PATRIOT Act hurts liberty ELEANOR BURKE GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM The USA PATRIOT Act takes away essential American freedoms. In December 2002, a young man named Imhrat is studying hard for his final exams at Georgia Southern University. Suddenly FBI officials burst into his dorm room. He is arrested and thrown into jail. For two weeks he is detained, until final ly, his country's embassy can raise $20,000 for bail and find a lawyer. In jail, Imhrat meets others with similar stories. One man has been there for over three months with no contacts, no lawyer and no clear charges against him. My friend Imhrat's crime? He is a citizen of Saudi Arabia. He comes from a promi nent family with a stem Muslim upbringing and came to the United States to attend college be cause of our high-quality educa tion system. He is not a criminal. He is not a radical. He is not a ter rorist. But because of a bill called The PATRIOT Act he and thou sands of others have been target ed as terrorists by our federal government because of their eth nicity. Shortly after 9/11, President George W. Bush signed a 342 page document into law - the USA PATRIOT Act. This so called PATRIOT Act gives law enforcement agencies leeway to pry into citizens' lives under the guise of hunting down domestic terrorists. Although these citi zens have been proven not guilty in association with any sort of terrorist involvement, they re main incarcerated. My friend is just one example. October will be the two-year anniversary of the PATRIOT Act. And these days, things are out of control. Citizens every where, dark skinned and light skinned, are being threatened. Suddenly dissent means silence. Now federal officials, aided by our local agencies, can pry into public library records and spy on patrons. Citizens' phone lines can be tapped. E-mails can be read. Your private information is now open to share between all levels of local, state, and federal gov ernment. Suddenly, freedom means enslavement. America is our country. Therefore it is our duty to change what we don't like. It is our duty to say no to neighbors spying on neighbors. It is our duty to say no to the PATRIOT Act and re gain our freedom to breathe, walk, think and live. For more information, please go to www.bordc.org. Eleanor Burke is a third-year English student.