The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 14, 2004, Page 7, Image 7
# 7
r Jnline.Poll “Our thrust ought not to be on
Does the capture of Saddam beconffitg more difficult to get into.
Hussein change the way you
feel about the Iraq war? nJSSSSSSh on plans to
www.dailygamecock.com. raise requirements for admissiomnd the^
Results published on Fridays. school's national ranking y?”
In.Our.Opinion
Bush needs
to prioritize
^ In his yearly State of the Union address before
Congress next week, President Bush is expected to
announce an initiative for the nation to put a man on
Mars by 2030 and establish a permanent base on the
moon.
Although on paper it seems possible to fight a war
on terrorism and colonize the moon, prudence may
suggest taking on one at a time.
Echoing the original call for the space program
issued by President Kennedy in 1961, Bush's proposal
is equally risky considering our existing
, Next week
President Bush
will announce
^ plans to land a
" man on Mars by
2030 and return
to the moon
commitments in Afghanistan
and Iraq and planned changes
in Medicare, all of which will
cost billions of dollars. This
does not mean the idea lacks
merit, as space is, to use a
phrase from “Star Trek,” “the
final frontier.”
More importantly, the research NASA has done
since its inception in 1958 has many applications
extending beyond pure science. We have NASA to
thank for such wonders as freeze-dried ice cream,
global positioning systems (GPS) and Velcro.
The challenge of putting a man on Mars will be no
less daunting than it was for the original Apollo
teams, and NASA will scrap the current space
shuttle program, which costs $3.5 billion a year to
operate, in favor of a new design to be rolled out in
2007. Unlike most other federal agencies, which will
a pe few additional dollars next year, NASA will get a
” j percent raise on their existing $15.5 billion budget.
Also, the president is suggesting changing the
direction of NASA's priorities away from unmanned
exploration. ,
We applaud the noble goals of this new space
program, but remember the historic example of
President Lyndon Johnson. Our nation must
prioritize if we are to avoid overextending our
resources and missing our mark.
SOUND OFF
Create message boards at
www.dailygamecock.com
or send letters to the editor to
gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu
Gamecock.Corrections
In a story in Monday’s paper Jason White’s name was
misspelled.
In Monday’s game schedule, the time for the men’s basketball
game at Auburn should have read 8 p.m.
The Gamecock regrets the errors.
If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us
at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu
About. fhe.Gamecock
Editor in Chief
Adam Beam
CCopy Desk Chief
Gabrielle Sinclair
Design Director
Shawn Rourk
News Editor
Michael LaForgia
Asst. News Editor
Alexis Stratton
Viewpoints Editor
Patrick Augustine
The Mix Editor
Meg Moore
Asst. Mix Editor
Jennifer Sitowski
Sports Editor
Wes Wolfe
Asst. Sports Editor
Jonathan Hillyard
Photo Editor
Morgan Ford
#Asst. Photo Editor
Morgan Ford
Page Designers
Erin Cline, Staci Jorde
Brian Ray, Brad Senki
Mary Waters
Copy Editors
Allyson Bird, Jennifer
Freeman, Jessica Fos
Steven Van Haren
Wire Editor
Z'Anne Covell
Online Editor
James Tolbert
Public Affairs
Kimberly Dressier
CONTACT INFORMATION
Offices on third floor of the Russell House.
Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@gwm.sc.edu
News: gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu
Viewpoints: gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu
The Mix: gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu
Sports: gamecocksports@.gwm.sc.edu
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
n, Whitney Bridges,
n, Robbie Burkett,
Trenholm Ninestein
Advertising Staff
Adam Bourgoin,
er’ Latoya Hines, Jesica
Johnson, Caroline
Vove, Ben Sinclair
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 Stude
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 PUCE AN AD
The Gamecock
1400 Greene St.
Columbia, S.C. 29208
Advertising: 777-3888
. Classified: 777-1184
Tax: 777-6482
CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS
Memorial in need of motion
Immediately after 9-11, a doc
tored photo of a new World Trade
Center was circulating online —
a building shaped like a clenched
fist with a raised middle finger.
But now that plans for the
memorial at ground zero are ac
tually being decided on, no one is
joking.
Michael
Arad’s
“Reflecting
Absence” de
sign was cho
sen just over a
week ago, but
as I watched a
news segment ^LYSON
about the RIRD .
memorial, I ^°nfymr
never did see journalism
the model for student
the structure.
And oddly, no timeline was
named for the project either.
The design features a paved
field sprouting pine trees and two
reflecting pools at its center.
“Reflecting Absence” will com
plement the planned Freedom
Tower, a 1,776-foot glass tower
that will be the largest building in
the world.
But apparently Arad’s design
neither matches architect Daniel
Libeskind’s master design, nor is
it green enough for Lower
Manhattan Development Corp. to
get started on its construction.
LMDC promises more pines, but
it’s not just the scarcity of trees
that is generating complaints.
The design will cover the foot
prints that remain where the
Twin Towers once stood. This
piece of bedrock is considered sa
cred ground by some who lost
family members in the attack.
Others have expressed the serene
gray design masks the horror of
the attacks.
“Reflecting Absence” was cho
sen by a 13-member panel of ar
chitects, artists and civic leaders
out of over 5,000 entries generat
ed from 49 states and 63 countries.
But the project now sits at a
standstill. We’ve had almost a
year and a half to gaze at the rub
ble, and it’s time to clean up. As
painful as it might be to cover the
footprints, it’s time to bandage the
wounds.
It’s not like Americans, and it’s
especially not like New Yorkers,
to leave empty space in the mid
dle of a city.
But we certainly don’t need
any more overly artsy memorials.
In my home city of Charleston, we
have a Holocaust memorial in one
of the busiest parts of town that
loses emotion to abstraction when
onlookers are forced to wonder
what exactly it is.
Obviously, everyone will never
agree on the ground zero memo
rial while it’s being built because
there’s an emotional investment
in that structure that can never
be paid off.
Expectations will always be
higher than they should be, but
I’m certain that a monstrous
glass tower and a paved forest
with two still pools resting in
the middle of New York City
will give us pause.
We don’t need a violent
shrine. Maybe when we catch
Osama, we can prominently dis
play his head; but, until then,
let’s get started.
A memorial isn’t simply there
so that we don’t forget. It’s there
so that the generations to come
will be left with something more
than a pile of rubble or an empty
field, but something made by the
planning of the surviving gener
ation.
And it’s a way to cover wounds
with a somber beauty that speaks
wordlessly to our attackers about
the resilience and sense of com
munity of our country. In many
respects, it’s simply a more
poignant way to flip the bird.
In.Your.Opinion
St. Paul’s message
skewed by writer
This letter is in response to
Peter Copter's letter to the edi
tor about St. Paul. I must admit
that I was greatly disturbed
with Mr. Copter's lack of insight
into the mind of St. Paul and the
reasoning behind St. Paul's
stance on marriage, women and
homosexuality.
Mr. Copter is correct in say
ing that St. Paul began his life
as an enemy of the Christian
church, but his vision on the
road to Damascus changed his
life forever. He did not rebel
against the Romans, but
against the sinfulness that was
in the world.
From the moment of his
amazing vision, St. Paul became
a man of love toward all people.
Again, in 1 Corinthians 13:1
Paul says, “Though I speak with
the tongues of men and of an
gels, but have not love, I have
become sounding brass or a
clanging cymbal.”
I will admit that Paul does
say that homosexuals will not
inherit the kingdom of God.
However, in the same breath he
says, “Neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
homosexuals, nor sodomites,
nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor ex
tortioners will inherit the king
dom of God.”
How many of us would be
clumped into that group of sms
r mmamm msmx
that St. Paul mentions? The
truth of the matter is that ho
mosexuality is just one of the
many sins people have to work
through. Homosexual sex is just
as sinful as heterosexual sex
outside of a marriage that is
blessed by the church. Paul
“slams” homosexuality no more
than any other sin. His validity
lies not within himself, but in
the “Body of Christ” that he was
writing to, the Church.
PHILIP ROGERS
FOURTH-YEAR REUCilOUS
STHHIES/HISTORY STUDENT.
Cocky attributes
win to USC support
Dear Faithful Carolina Fans:
The year 2003 has sure been
a roller coaster ride for us all.
The peak of my roller coaster
ride came when I was selected
to the Capital One All-Mascot
Team, and from there my little
coaster car just picked up
speed.
Early in the voting period, I
took a commanding lead be
cause of the response of you,
the faithful Gamecock fans. We
held that first-place position for
a while, too.
Even though Ohio State did
pass us, I didn't fret because
there isn't much you can do
when the school itself is popu
lated by 50,000 students.
The Carolina faithful stood
their ground though, sitting
through the longest voting sea
son ever by far. The mere fact
that Gamecock fans never gave
up means the world to me.
For this, I wanted to extend
my most heart-warming thank
you. Each Carolina fan who vot
ed, especially those who voted
daily, showed the nation just how
loyal you are.
In addition to the entire stu
dent body, staff and faculty mem
bers at USC, I also want to thank
all Gamecock Club members, the
USC Athletics Department and
the Student Government for
their continued support and ef
forts during this process. No mat
ter the circumstance, we all stick
together, and the support I re
ceived from you exemplified that.
While I may be the one
crowned, this title is just as much
yours as it is mine.
Thank you for sticking with
me through this and showing
your love. You will never know
just how much this is appreciat
ed. Thank you once again, and 111
see you at the games.
Go Gamecocks!
COCKY
USC MASCOT ANI) 2003 CAPITAL ONE
MASCOT OF THE YEAR
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@gwm.sc.edu. Letters
will be edited for space, possible libel
and style. Anonymous letters will not be
published. Call the newsroom at 777
7726 for more information.
Winners.and.Sinners
ROCKAWAYS Local restaurant redpens after
Are, new location featuring sprinklers
RUSH LIMBAUGH ACLU comes to aid of radio
tJP- personality after his privacy is violated by
H, ■p*—' police search for stash of OxyContiri
CANADA Stops saying “eh” in exchange for
the chance to bid on Iraq contracts
** “ V
BCS COMPUTERS Ditched in favor of abacus
after Oklahoma picked over Southern Cal
NORTH KOREA Thumbs nose at Washington
again, wants to play with nukes like the big boys
SUPREME COURT Upholds Ashcroft’s secret
lists after talking it over with Joseph McCarthy
Political
strategy
sinks to
new lows
I love presidential elections.
Most would say that the demo
cratic process brings out the best
in America.
Iam not one to disagree, at least
not entirely. I am in complete
agreement that the discourse cre
ated by the choosing of our lead
ers is a healthy thing. I have seen
college students— a demographic
not known for its benevolence
volunteer their time to work on .
various presidential campaigns. I
even have a
friend going all
the way to Iowa
to work for a
candidate in the
week leading up
to the Iowa cau
cuses.
mcriN Yes, elections
SIMMONS *rifng A0Ut the
■ . , best in America.
SSSr Unfortunately.
science student it seems to me
. that the group it
brings the best
out in is not the one running for
office.
While I have never called into
question the superiority of our
political system, I have some
times wondered how we have let
things arrive at the current
state. According to a recent re
port, President Bush has raised
an unprecedented $131 million
for the Republican primary. That
amount of money is impressive
in and of itself, but when you
consider the fact that it's for an
unopposed primary it becomes
mind-boggling.
Of course, President Bush isn t
the only candidate rolling in the
dough. And the money isn't such
a bad thing in itself. My beef lies
with the fact that instead of using
the money for positive education,
most candidates choose to use
their cash to inform us of the sins
of their opponent.
If your only source of political
information is propaganda, you
would think Bush hates poor peo
ple, and the Democrats are all card
carrying members of al-Qaida.
In one ad, President Bush is
even compared to Hitler.
Somehow, we have allowed the
political discourse to shift from
constructive political debate to
name-calling and finger-pointing.
Not only have we poisoned our
elections by allowing this cheap
form of political competition, we
have also attracted the wrong type
of leader to our country's most im
portant offices.
The problem with cheap politi
cal debate is that it draws cheap
political participants. Don't insult
my intelligence by just telling me
what I want to hear. I would love
to see a universal healthcare pack
age, but be honest about the cost.
I'm not naive enough to believe
that at the snap of Howard Dean's
finger everyone will have insur
ance. And the fact that you pro
vided health insurance for all
three people under the age of 21
in Vermont doesn't impress me
either.
wi uuuibe, uiis iype ui uuiig isn i
limited to one party. That's the
sickness of the competition. Both
sides try to trump the other, and
the American public usually goes
along with every word that's said,
believing it will happen. Bush is
literally promising us the moon
and the stars. But let's ignore the
$100 billion plus that will be tacked
onto the deficit with it.
So what do we do? From my pes
simistic tone, it would seem that
the reasonable thing to do would
be to just ignore politics. And yet
that's not the solution. Despite its
frustrations, and our indifference,
political activism is still a worth
while investment. After all, you
can't affect the score if you're not
in the game.
F r'm „ .