Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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SOUND OFF ONLINE POLL* Create message boards at What do you think about www.dailygamecock.com or former usc President James send letters to the editor to Holderman s conviction? gamecockopinions@hotmail.com wwW.dailygamecock.com. Results published on Fridays. , IN OUR OPINION Safety above capitalism This year, a new system will offer a five-day forecast of hurricanes’ activity. The Council of Myrtle Beach Organizations, however, is leading a push to return to the old three-day forecast system during the hurricane season. The council says the extended forecast is too broad and will unnecessarily ward off business from tourists who won’t visit the area when they think a hurricane might be headed for it. Our state barely lucked out with Hurricane Isabel two weeks ago, but it could The COU nci I has have been, as it has in the past, no evidence to go mucb worse. on, IS using The new systeni) which has a argum n 340-mile margin of error, gave based on pure . .. , _ speculation and mdlv'duals and emerB<mcy ShOWS a worhers two extra days to distinct lack of PrePare themselves and their consideration for homes for the worst. its Customers. The forecast balanced out the hype of network news channels and stopped many people from leaving. People need to know what they’re up against. Though the system needs some fine-tuning, these extra two days could be crucial in case a storm the like Hugo or Floyd should swing by our way. Safety can’t take a backseat to capitalism; it’s just greedy to want people to place themselves in harm’s way so that a business can make a profit. The council has no evidence to go on, is using arguments based on pure speculation and shows a distinct lack of consideration for its customers. College Quote Board DAILY EGYPTIAN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY “If our plan for helping to re build Iraq is taking away the merchants’ market, then the United States is indeed a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Rather than giving the Iraqi mer chants the opportunity to let their businesses flourish with a new-found openness to the goods of the rest of the world, we will take advantage of that openness as yet another way to get a larger foothold in the Middle East.” THE BG NEWS BOWLING GREEN UNIVERSITY “The interests of college stu dents might never get heard if they do not take the initiative to go out and learn who is run ning for president or of issues that are affecting students even on this campus if they do not go out and vote.” GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS In a headline in Monday’s paper, the Gamecock should have listed Ida Thomas’s age of death as 83. The Gamecock regrets the error. If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us at gamecockopiniohs@hotmail.com. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK Editor In Chief CONTACT INFORMATION Charles Tomlinson Offices on third floor of the Russell House. m _.. Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@hotmail.com Managing taitor News: gamecockudesk@hotmaiLcom Viewpoints: gamecockopinions@hotmail.com The Mix: gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com News Editor Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com Michael LaForgia Public Affairs: gckpublicaffairs@hotmail.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Asst. News Editor Newsroom: 777-7726 Alexis Stratton Editor’s Office: 777-3914 Viewpoints Editor STUDENT MEDIA The Gamecock is the Gabrielle Sinclair n. editorially independent uirector student newspaper of n«. _... Scott Lindenberg the University of South The Mix Editor Carolina. |t Meg Moore Faculty Adviser published Monday, Erik Collins Wednesday and Friday Sports Editor during the fall and Brad Senkiw Creative Director spring semesters and Susan King nine times during the Asst. Sports Editor summer, with the Wes Wolfe Business Manager exception of university Carolyn Griff,n holidays and exam cu.. periods. Opinions Morgan Ford expressed in The Advertising Manager Gamecock are those of Sarah Scarborough the editors or author Head Page Designers an(j npt ,hpse of the Shawn Rourk. David ciasslfied Manager University of South s'agg Sherry F. Holmes Carolina. The Board of Student Publications Page Designers and Communications Justin Bajan, Samantha Production Manager ^ publ|sher pf The Hall. Staci Jordan, Philip Amber Justice Gamecock. The Whitehead Department of Student Creative Services Media is the Slot Copy Editors Whitney Bridges, newspaper’s parent Amy Gtenoble, Alyson Robbie Burkett, organization. The Goff, Tricia Ridgway Sean O’Meara Gamecock is supported in part by ' Copy Editors Advertising Staff student-activity fees. Mary Waters, Steven Van Jphn Blacksh|re, One free copy per Haren. Jessica Foster, A(iam Bourgoini Ben reader- Add|t'onal Alicia Osborne Sinclair. Jesica copies may be Johnson, Ryan purchased for *1 each Online Editor Gorman. Laytoya fr°™ 'he °eda^ment James Tolbert Hines of Student Med,a. Public Affairs TO PLACE AN AD Kimberly Dressier -|-be Gamecock Advertising: 777-3888 1400 Greene St. Classified: 777-1184 Columbia, S.C. 29208 Fax:777-6482 ' . Love to hate telemarketers y GAMECOCKOPINIONS@HOTMAIL.COM Venting aggression on callers keeps us sane. Forget the economics of the situation. Forget the constitu tionality. Because at the core of the Do Not Call list craziness, there is but one underlying truth: Telemarketers are the people we love to hate. They have helped preserve the sanctity of the home in their own strange way, because when they call during dinner after a bad day, you have the opportunity to take out your aggression on them and not your family. You never have to worry about seeing them again. And hey, they asked for it. And in that sick sense, what’s more fun than playing with them? You can tease them, ha rass them, ask them terribly per sonal questions or be downright cruel and maybe, just maybe, they’ll actually hang up on you for a change. After a while it becomes a game of strategy, a “hey, watch this one” performance in the very comfort of our homes. One of my friends even “picked up” a telemarketer who promised he’d call back after work. She didn’t wait around, but I’m sure that there are those sick, serial killer types whose very sanity rests on a tenuous thread that today might be the day the telemarketer of their dreams makes the call. Speaking strictly in terms of natural balance, people have to be able to hate in order to love. If telemarketing provides an outlet for that, then by all means, bring the troops home, pass the peace pipe, and let the calls come in! Thursday the decision to put the 51 million-person Do Not Call list in effect Wednesday was called off after being found un constitutional. A federal judge in Denver stopped the registry because it unfairly would allow charities to continue telephone operations while cutting off commercial calls. I’d personally rather get a so licitation from an admittedly profit-driven organization offer ing me something tangible. There’s nothing worse than being panhandled in your own home. If the government wants to restrict telemarketing, it should start with the charities that are easily the most annoy ing callers. With these charity solicita tions, whatever you donate is never enough, but only because they want you to be your best; they want to see you achieve the gold member status. I’ve known since I was a little kid to never tell my father when my mother had taken a call from Chief Thundercloud or the Special Ed. Cops of California, be cause when those people get a nice person on the line, they will shamelessly take $10. And I still have one remaining question: I just want to know where the $11,000 fine per call to a listed person would go because I have a sneaking suspicion that we, the victims, would never see any of it. If the government wants to be really effective, maybe it should collect the fines and then at the end of the year split them among the various charity tele marketing organizations and tell them to take a hike as well. But even then, all the ends wouldn’t meet. Because then, who would we hate? Bird is a second-year print journalism student. IN YOUR OPINION GPS system will benefit students I was amazed at the stupidi ty of the USC alumnus who wrote to The Gamecock speak ing about the GPS system. I have many friends who live in Bates, the Towers, and the Greek Village who are very ex cited about this idea. I know that it has been done nationwide at other universi ties. If this so-called alumnus would get his story straight, he would realize that the GPS system will do just what he is asking for. The point of the system is to encourage students to ride the shuttle, thus cutting down on students driving to class who live on campus; this in turn frees up parking spaces. At least that is what I gathered from last week’s article. One main reason students don’t ride the shuttle is the fact that they don’t know about it or when it is coming. I under stand that they would like a schedule posted, but there will be one posted at the shuttle stops; this, I believe, is being funded by SG as well. The GPS system is just an easier way for students to find out where the shuttles are. This way, they don’t have to stand outside and wait forever on them. Take advantage of technolo gy, for crying out loud. There isn’t really a way to enforce the times of the shuttles. Traffic in Columbia during class hours can be hectic. So, maybe since this alum has nothing better to do than complain about issues that are no longer affecting him, we should give him the career op portunity of improving the shuttle system. Come on; I am not a huge SG fan, and sometimes I do doubt the things that they do and spend money on, but maybe the voice of the students, those who are actually affected by the changes, should actually be heard for once. I guarantee that you would find more people ex cited about the GPS system than not. So grow up and get a job. This letter he wrote was more about bashing SG and Katie Dreiling than pointing out the negative sides of the GPS System. If you are going to complain about something, then do the research and take it to SG. Maybe then your opinion will be considered. JENNIFER WILSON THIRD-YEAR FSYOHOLOOY STUDENT Distribution system is fine the way it is The ideas that SG is “consid ering” for the Carolina Clemson football game lottery are all wrong for a couple of reasons. To begin, I would like to voice my distaste for the senior privilege idea. This is not prac tical. The price of scalped tick ets will only increase. Seniors not going to the game will be more motivated to take advan tage of their privilege and of un derclassmen who really want to go to the game. Being that it was stated that no change in the lot tery would be made this year, I feel that my opinion is rather unbiased because by the time any changes take effect, I will be a senior. As for the “avid fan” policy, I don’t know who thought that one up, but that’s the most lu dicrous idea of the two. Basing Carolina-Clemson ticket distri bution on the other games will only make it harder for every one. Clemson is a rivalry that we all enjoy, regardless of whether or not we like football. It’s a tra dition. Tickets are already hard enough to get, seeing as we have already paid for them. The lottery is as good now as it was when instituted in 1995.1 only hope that SG will not change the policy and take away from the great legacy of the ri valry between schools. BRADLEY MCMILLIAN SECOND-YEAR LIBERAL ARTS STUDENT Give ticket priority to Gamecock Club Why can’t we have a simple ticket system for the Clemson game that gives priority to Student Gamecock Club mem bers and then second priority to upperclassmen? Thus, SGC members, who are the most avid fans, would be first entitled to a ticket. This would allow both the un derclassmen and the upperclass men who deeply care about ath letics to receive a ticket. Then, the remaining tickets would go to upperclassmen as a reward of their seniority. JUSTIN TYE FOURTH-YEAR OVIL ENGINEERING 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 gamecockopinions@hotmail.com. Letters will be edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777-7726 for more information Equal liability between the sexes 1 KRISTEN GILMORE GAMECOCKOPINIONS@HOTMAIL.COM New male contraceptive could make life easier. I might have just exposed a Social Security conspiracy. Since its conception, Viagra has been covered by almost all insurance plans. It is easy to at-^ tain, and men wind up as rand°T as goats. Interestingly enough, most forms of prescription birth con trol are not covered by insurance. Many women, balking at the price tag, opt to try their luck and do without it. The result? An expanded pop ulation of fecund adults and a higher probability of unwanted pregnancies. More babies equals more consumers, which means we could actually support the ag ing Baby Boomers in a few years. For decades, girls have taken their daily pills; received monthly intravenous injections; had cap sules implanted under their skin; applied stickers, caps, gels, rings and sponges; and purchased more condoms than men. Yet they stilM pray around the same time ever** month that life might keep going as it should. What do guys do? Oh, right; withdraw. It’s about time for a just distribution of lia bility between the sexes, and the opportunity has risen. Recently, a team of scientists in India have begun testing a product to prevent childbirth — through men. This injection, called Reversible Inhibition of Sperm un der Guidance (RISUG), is a charged polymer gel that, when injected lo cally, counters the electrical charges of sperm cells, causing them to rupture and become inca pable of fertilization. Though it does not protect against disease, it has not been found to harm eithet# partner, and out of250 properly acr ministered test injections, nobody nas nau a uauy. nus, u is uum pletely reversible for when a cou ple decides to have kids. Sound like a miracle? It might well be. RISUG is designed to be easy to manufacture and inject, and it’s dirt-cheap — about $22. I know USC students galore who would kill for this stuff. At least, they’d kill their boyfriends if they didn’t get it. It will elimi nate a lot of the fear that even monogamous couples face every time they crawl into bed. Or maybe not. The American FDA refuses to engage in phar maceutical trade with any other ( country, claiming that othei countries’ pharmacies do not as sure the safety of their products as well as we do. While this is a bald-faced lie in regard to western Europe, whose drug safety stan dards far exceed those of the United States, researchers in India concur that their chances of worldwide distribution for RISUG are slim without our govern ment’s seal of approval. Although the testing standards of their laboratory also exceed ours, the FDA will not agree to test or market any product in which they have not invested, and fkmr Hrm’+ wont tn imroct College students, by our very nature, are sexually stupid. It’s up to you, boys, whether or not you’ll consider this procedure if it is made available to you. Before you jump up and say you don’t warn anything unnatural going on in the most sacred part of your body, remember what we ladies are do ing to ourselves for the same cause. Its one little shot, and it can save you and your partner a pack of worry. It takes two to tango. Shouldn’t you show up with your dancing shoes on? Gilmore is a second-year theater student.