Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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® THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, October 29, 2003 SOUNDOFF TTT^TTTTl/^TATmCi ONLINEPOLL Create message boards at I 1-4 1 /1 / I_JI II \ I Should creationism be included in www.dailygamecock.com or | I i i ■/ m/ I I ■ | I I l college biology textbooks? send letters to the editor to IliWW I \ / I 1 ll Ik/ www.dailygamecock.com. gamecockopinions@hotmail.com J —4—^4 w * —4— —4— A 1 —I— Results published on Fridays. , IN OUR OPINION Parkingfix is misguided We commend our Student Government for making efforts to solve the never-ending parking issue. Today, however, SG will vote on a resolution that suggests changes to the process by which students reserve garage spots — and the resolution’s proposals could do more harm than good. Stemming from a regular decrease in parking and the eternal struggle between Parking Services and the students, the proposal includes giving priority to upperclassmen — defined as everyone but freshmen — whnlivpnnramnns Thp This proposal would place off-<campus upperclassmen, who need reliable parking more than anyone, secondary, and that is illogical. resolution would place off campus upperclassmen, who need reliable parking more than anyone, secondary, and that is illogical. Purranflv ohirlonfc pan reserve their spots forfce next semester. There is no reason to stop this, as the resolution suggests. Shuffling all of the garage assignments every semester instead of letting students renew would only make the system more complex. The proposed resolution is surely driven by noble motives, and it does contain some good ideas, such as limiting students to one decal. But if passed by USC Parking Director Derrick Huggins, it would serve only to complicate and perhaps worsen the current system. SG needs to take Ihe time to sit down and think . this flawed resolution through. Winners and Sinners MERCI RETRIEVER New device might save the lives of stroke patients. TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS Win coveted Radio Music Award. Maybe they can melt it down to make something nice. GAS PRICES Down 16 cents per gallon from a month ago. Don’t go spending it all at once, now. CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES 600,000 acres consumed, 17 people killed. It doesn’t look to be slowing down. DANGEROUS ASSAULT MAN Released man charged with kidnapping and assault is reported lurking around campus; posted description inspires countless Halloween costumes. P. DIDDY Accused of using sweatshop labor for his line of clothing. GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us at gamecockopinions@hotmail.com. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK tailor in unier Charles Tomlinson Managing Editor Adam Beam News Editor Michael LaForgia Asst. News Editor Alexis Stratton Viewpoints Editor Gabrielle Sinclair The Mix Editor Meg Moore Sports Editor Brad Senkiw Asst. Sports Editor Wes Wolfe Photo Editor Morgan Ford Head Page Designer Shawn Rourk Page Designers Justin Bajan, Samantha Hall, Staci Jordan, Philip Whitehead Slot Copy Editors Amy Genoble. Tricia Ridgway, Mary Waters Copy Editors Jessica Foster, Steven Van Haren Online Editor James Tolbert Public Affairs Kimberly Dressier UUNTAUI INrUKmAMUfi Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@hotmail.com News: gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Viewpoints: gamecockopinions@hotmail.com The Mix: gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com Public Affairs: gckpublicaffairs@hotmail.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726 Editor’s Office: 777-3914 STUDENT MEDIA Director Scott Lindenberg Faculty Adviser Erik Collins Creative Director Susan King Business Manager Carolyn Griffin Advertising Manager Sarah Scarborough Classified Manager Sherry F. Holmes Production Manager Amber Justice Creative Services Whitney Bridges, Robbie Burkett, Sean O’Meara Advertising Staff John Blackshire, Adam Bourgoin, Ben Sinclair, Jesica Johnson, Ryan Gorman, Laytoya Hines The Gamecock is the editorially independent student newspaper of the University of South Carolina. It 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-activity fees. One free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 each from the Department of Student Media. TO PLACE AN AD The Gamecock 1400 Greene St. Columbia, S.C. 29208 Advertising: 777-3888 Classified: 777-1184 Fax: 777-6482 ?>; \ : , . <% W^TiT FEELS LiKe _ • •-. m CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Awards shows hit a new low DAVID STAGG GAMECOCKOPINIONS@HOTMAIL.COM Categories border on the idiotic this year. I can’t seem to get over some of the awards shows television is broadcasting. This time, it was NBC showing the Radio Music Awards, which featured a myriad of performers, famous presenters and idols everyone secretly can’t even bear to look at but will give standing ovations for anyway. What gets me isn’t the massive amount of celebrities they can gather in one room at a time. It’s not how they can get Tim McGraw, Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee to perform on the same stage (at different times, of course, but after Diddy’s newest collaboration with Lenny Kravitz, Lord knows what he’s going to do next). It’s not even how the audience gave a standing ovation for near ly every performance, save a se lect few. (Michelle Branch, I love you, but it looked like you spent a little too much time carousing with Diddy before you went on.) What gets me are the wacky categories they dream up. I say to myself, “Self, it’s a radio show.” Other times, I say, “Self, they’ve got to keep the audience en gaged.” And yet other times, I say, “Self, you really need to take the trash out before the house Starts to smell. And also, look into hir ing a maid to wash the dishes. Because dish-washing is no good.” Let’s review: One of the two striking categories this year was “Best Driving Song.” How are you going to accurately count votes for “Best Driving Song?” What on earth even constitutes a driving song? One you could sing along to? If so, I guess it only makes sense that “Shake Ya Tailfeather” won. In fact, I can’t even begin to de scribe how appropriate this is. Just last week, I was driving in my car to get to work when the song came on the radio. Not only did I crank the volume, but I also put the cruise control on, jumped up in my seat, threw my rear end out the driver’s-side window and shook my tailfeather like it was going out of style. Definitely the best song to drive to. So that category didn’t tickle your fancy, huh? Well, thank God it’s an awards show because I’ll be darned if there isn’t another one that is just as hilarious. Striking category number two: “Best Hook-Up Song.” Not only did they get Nick “I Wear the Pants” Lachey and Molly “I Ended Up on the TV Show ‘Las Vegas’ What Happened To Me” Sims, but they also GAVE THE AWARD TO JEWEL. I can’t tell you how many times that’s happened. In fact, just last week, I was out late getting down with some friends when I met this girl. We kind of hit it off, and I asked her to come back to my home. We headed back and I lit some candles, turned the lights down low and went to the trusty stereo to put on the perfect song for the mood. I turned up the vol ume, hit play and “FOLLOW YOUR HEAAAAAART, YOUR IN TUIIISHUUUNN! ” She didn’t just cry; she rained cats and dogs. But I guess that’s just the life we, as Americans, live. I can’t wait for next year. We’ll have Best Song to Wash Your Car To While Simultaneously Washing Your Hair Because You Haven’t Showered In Three Days Because You Haven’t Had Time Even Though Last Night You Could Have But Decided Watching Another Awards Show Was More Important. Stagg is a third-year media arts student. IN YOUR OPINION Eliminate religion to solve problems We have come upon a great moment in this country, and we must not allow it to pass unno ticed. In short, a revolution is available, and we must not let it abandon us. I am, of course, talk ing about the separation of church and state. Going before the Supreme Court this term is a case involving the Pledge of Allegiance; earlier this year was the story of a State Supreme Court Judge setting up a monument for the Ten Commandments (so much for the “no graven images”), not to mention the many other in stances of government and reli gious faith colliding. It is time a decision be made once and for all. My suggestion is fair and constitutional (assuming an other amendment were added). I suggest all religion be out ixiweu. tyc, ui uiiowuiiuj(,uavc for too long allowed religion and its morality to interfere in the free flow of capital. Capitalism cannot continue with the moral chains that religion has tied around its neck, limiting its freedom and in the process lim iting our own. Capitalism has no morality because the market has none. It is time that we end the hypocrisy and state openly . to the world that the United States will no longer abide by the rules of the zealots. We have seen the damage caused by the religious fundamentalists — and all religions are fundamen talist, since all have fundamen tal rules that allow its followers to say they belong to X and not Y. How many must die for us to finally be fed up? The first step would be a se vere tax placed upon all reli gious organizations. This tax would bring billions into the coffers of the U.S. government and would easily allow for the funding of wars necessary for the expansion of the market. The second step would be an outright elimination of all reli gions. Those concerned about funding need not worry. The in crease in police needed for such an elimination could easily be provided for by those now as signed to drug duty because drugs, freed from the moral fin ger wagging, would now be le gal and those employed in paramilitary groups (S.W.A.T) could easily switch duties, not to mention the increase of cap ital that would follow such an increase in consumer freedom. Our time is now. We have nothing to lose but our chains. SID LITTLEFIELD GRADUATE STUDENT IN PHILOSOPHY Don’t belittle the Supreme Court Ryan Holt made grossly er roneous statements in his arti cle (“Losing faith in Supreme Court,” Wednesday) that need correcting. First, he said that the federal judiciary has historically used strict constructionism. I’m guessing that he’s never taken any class in Supreme Court de cisions because if he had, he’d know that, in countless cases, the Court has strayed from a “strict word-for-word perspec tive”: Marbury (1803) establish es judicial review on less than explicit standards; Flast (1968) lets taxpayers sue the federal government without overt au thority; McCulloch (1819) estab lishes implicit powers; Baren blatt (1959) permits Senate in vestigations without express doctrine; and Neagle (1890) allows the President leeway stemming from the imprecise “take care” clause. Do I need to continue? The Court has consistently used other methods to. interpret the Constitution, so his assertion of “loose” construction being a most ly recent phenomenon misrepre sents the Court’s history. Holt misrepresented other facts as well. The Fifth Amendment, which he says “coerces” officers to state a person’s rights, was inter preted that way precisely to pre vent officers from “coercing” de tainees into giving up their “word for-word” rights. Also, the Pledge of Allegiance did not contain the phrase “under God” until 1954. Lastly, no one should hastily belittle the judicial branch be cause, without its judicial review, this country would have swung far away from its constitutional foundations. Sure they’ve made controversial decisions, but they’re the onlv bodv able to ef fectively keep the government from overstepping the constitu tion. This country would be in shambles without judicial ac tivism, which has been happen ing throughout our history. Remember, Mr. Holt, just be cause some highly educated peo ple with power and experience don’t agree with your interpreta tion of the Constitution, it doesn’t mean they’re wrong. And in the future, do us all a favor and give us real opinions instead of half baked rants. ELIZABETH BAKANIC SECOND-YEAR LIBERAL ARTS 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. Attacks in Iraq recall Vietnam f WES WOLFE GAMECOCKOPINIONS@HOTMAIL.COM War shows that history really does repeat itself. Now can we officially call President Bush’s venture into Iraq a complete failure? Sunday, a rocket attack against the headquarters of the American occupation killed an Army colonel ' from North Carolina and wound ed 18 people. A Baghdad deputy mayor was also assassinated in a drive-by shooting on Sunday. On Monday, 35 people, includ ing one U.S. soldier, died in four different attacks in Baghdad. Six more soldiers were included among the 230 wounded. The guerillas targeted the Red Cross and three Iraqi police stations. This is in addition to more than 100 Americans who have died since the war was declared over Mav 1 As of now mnrp Amprirans have died during the “peace” in Iraq than during open warfare. People have said rebuilding Iraq would be like rebuilding Germany or Japan following World War II. That rosy scenario simply isn’t happening in Iraq. 1 Back in May on an episode of the CNN show “Crossfire,” commen tator James Carville said that Iraq would be like Vietnam. I like Carville quite a bit, but I thought he was nuts. Vietnam? We had just gone in and swept aside the Iraqi army, and it wouldn’t be long be fore we could start rebuilding the country. I figured the rebuilding would get fouled up, but not in such a horrible way that it would merit comparisons to Vietnam. Well, Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and all the rest of the screw-ups in the Bush administration really put us in a pickle this time. More Americans are getting killed in Iraq, and things don’t look even , close to getting better — they’re getting worse, and we’re sending $87 billion to that money pit in the desert. So, Carville was right after all. It’s looking like Vietnam. Hearing officials from the White House say “victory is just around the corner,” and watch ing more attacks on major build ings in Baghdad sends me back to history class. nn hnrl /Mrnn JL1* U LllJ ed war hero Sen. John Kerry is comparing the Iraq quagmire to Vietnam. In an AP article Monday, Kerry said: “This sounds frighten ingly like the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ rhetoric of Vietnam. Every day, the White House’s excuses be come more insulting to our troops on the ground.” Monday’s attack showed how little American authority in Iraq has been able to secure the capi tal. The attacks on what should have been safely-guarded facili ties by the simple will of the guerillas is reminiscent of the Viet Cong attacks against U.S. forces in South Vietnam. When will Bush and his cronies uiai uu uicuici nuw mum money we put into fixing the coun try, it won’t happen? We can’t risk the lives and the money it takes to put the pieces of Iraq back togeth er while fighting off attacks from everyone in the country who has a beef with the U.S. Five or 10 years from now, when hundreds of American lives , will have been lost and nothing gained, we’ll pull out of Iraq and try to learn a couple lessons. It’s too bad we didn’t stop all this be fore it started. So, here’s to you, Georgie boy. Back in 2000,1 said, “Well, he can’t do that much harm to America in four years, can he?” I guess I was wrong. Wolfe is a fourth-year public relations ^uderit.