Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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ONLINE POLL Should Syvelle Newton be^ USC’s starting quarterback? Go^ to www.dailygamecock.com to vote. Results posted on Friday. AMECOCK EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR Adam Beam DESIGN DIRECTOR David Stagg NEWS EDITOR Michael LaForgia THE MIX EDITOR Meg Moore COPY DESK CHIEF Gsbrielle Sinclair VIEWPOINTS EDITOR Wes Wolfe SENIOR WRITER Kevin fellner IN OUR OPINION GMP rating not cause for concern The Grand Marketplace, affectionately known by the stu dents as the GMP (with an implied vowel), scored the lowest score possible on a DHEC test last week, earning a C rating. While this isn’t the first time this has happened, there is no need for alarm. Restaurants get lower than A ratings all the time for various reasons, and they are usually back to an A after a couple of hours. / Students shouldn’t fear for their safety or start boiling their food before they eat it. The GMP S initio I However, this doesn’t mean .C rating is that clinine services officials can worrying, but the . . f . , . ' .P’ .. , relax. As the largest dining loca staff’s attention to 6, . fixing the GMP’s tlon on campus’the GMP1S’for problems was many students> a primary source excellent 0p^ooc^ Underclassmen with meal plans might eat at the GMP for all of their meals. GMP employees have an obliga tion to keep their facilities clean and safe. As it is, the traditional hustle and bustle at the start of the school year created problems — namely with the maintenance of cafeteria equipment and other repairs that would be needed at the beginning of the fall semester. The quick response of the USC food service personnel in bringing the GMP up to standards should be commended, as their actions show a com mitment to the USC student body. The GMP wants to compete with off-campus locations, as dining services officials stated earlier this semester. Because of this it has begun to offer more menu options and has raised prices to off-campus levels. But if the GMP wants to draw upperclassmen away from Five Points, it needs to take care of its facilities. While dining services officials said all of the deductions were for maintenance issues instead of cleanliness issues, in the eyes of the consumer, a C is a C. IT’S YOUR RIGHT Exercise your right to voice your opinion. Create message boards at www.dailygamecock.com or send letters to the editor to gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS In Wednesday’s The Mix, a feature on used CDs should have been credited to Maria Charles. The Gamecock regrets the error. If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK i " I Adam Beam DESIGN DIRECTOR David Stagg COPY DESK CHIEF Gabrielle Sinclair NEWS EDITOR Michael LaForgia ASST. NEWS EDITOR Jon Turner VIEWPOINTS EDITOR Wes Wolfe CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. The Editor's office hours are Monday and Wednesday from 3-5 p.m. Editor: gamecockeditor@gwm.sc.edu News.- gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu Viewpoints: gamecockopimons@gwm.sc.edu The Mix: gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu Sports: gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu Public Affairs: gamecockPR@yahoo.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726; Sports: 777-7182 Editor's Office: 777-3914 i nc miA cui iuh Meg Moore SPORTS EDITOR Jonathan Hillyard ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Daniel Kerr SENIOR WRITER Kevin Fellner PHOTO'EDITOR Jason Steelman SPORTS PHOTO EDITOR Katie Kirkland PAGE DESIGNERS Erin Cline, Jennifer Logan, Chas McCarthy, Jessica Ann Nielsen, - Staci Jordan COPY EDITORS Jennifer Freeman, Anna Huntley, Daniel Regensheit, Jason Reynolds, Jennifer Sitowski, Steven Van Haren, Joey Wallace ONLINE EDITOR Brian Cope PUBLIC AFFAIRS Jane Fielden, Katie Miles 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 Patrick Bergen CREATIVE SERVICES Burke Lauderdale, Chelsea Felder, Laura Gough, Joseph Dannelly, Kristen Williams ADVERTISING STAFF Robert Carli, Ryan Gorman, Caroline Love, Jesica Johnson, Katie Stephens TO PLACE AN AD The Gamecock Advertising: 777-3888 1400 Greene St. Classified: 777-1184 Columbia, S.C. 29208 Fax: 777-6482 L--: 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 m part by student-activity fees. One free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 each from the Department of Student Media. I j—---!---1 N6W5- frlQ(3Ai MAY 5fW fi£ftc£ft HufrFUCAHgS / M2.£ MOV/IN&-.* ) ~ IS, //*° ..___; CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Tired of hearing tired arguments ■ There’s no need for a glut of letters from non-USC students Recently, a column on the Confederate flag generated quite a large number of e-mails to The Gamecock, most of which were composed by people with no affiliation to the university whatsoever. Only three out of the 17 letters directly supporting the flag came from people associated with USC. Two of these letters ran, as they should have, to promote balance and the voice of the Carolina Community. Three letters also supported the columnist’s position, and one of these letters ran in the paper. However, people from coast to coast that had no connection with our university composed 14 letters directly supporting the flag and opposing his column. This sort of thing occurs because, most likely, someone here in South Carolina got his panties in a wad and decided to send out a mass e-mail, and the column became attack fodder for neo-Confederates across the country. I know this is the case because, as a reluctant member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, I’ve ended up with my e-mail address getting onto lists and being sent all sorts of garbage from middle-aged racists who are looking for people to pounce on any “heritage violation” that happens. As someone who has lived in the South all his life, knows his family’s history (they owned slaves, had a plantation in -- Calhoun County and lAirti rr served with W0LFE distinction in FIFTH-YEAR the Confederate RELATIONS arm^ and has STUDENT been to innumerable Civil War battlefields, to read these letters made me sick to my stomach. The columnist’s support for his conclusion may have been shaky, but his conclusion was correct — the Confederate flag has no place at our football games, showing the rest of South Carolina and the nation just how backward we are in the Palmetto State. Not that it’s that hard to tell, since if the flag’s not at the state fairgrounds, it’s, still in front of the State House, feet away from a statue of one of the most disgusting racists to have ever lived, Ben Tillman. Of course, you can’t say anything bad about the flag, since once you do, you’ve committed a heritage violation, and your name and words get sent to people who have nothing better to do than to try and drown out the voice of one college student. They make all sorts of racist, or at best insensitive, comments and then say that since the U.S. flag flew on slave ships built in Rhode Island and since they aren’t wearing white hoods that they’re not racists. My friends have told me to just ignore these people and that they would just go away. Well, we’ve been ignoring them for some time, and they’re still here. They need to be brought out into the light and exposed for what they are. If these people have to keep denying that they’re racists and doing bad things, then maybe they are, and they need to check their actions. Don’t say I don’t know, because I do. I’ve known their type all of my life. They use code phrases like “politically correct," mention the handful of blacks over history that have supported their side and put themselves in total denial about the nature of the Confederacy and of the South from then until now. Then they say that the “War of Northern Aggression” wasn’t about slavery, but states’ rights. States’ rights is another code phrase, meaning the right of whites in power to do what they want — this was true in 1860, 1960 and is true today. Eventually, though, the flag will be gone from the stadiums, from the statehouses and from the courthouses, and be placed in a Plexiglas case in a museum where U belongs. Then, _ maybe, we can all move forward into the future under one flag, the American flag. IN YOUR OPINION Protesters mislead students about wall The recent protests against the Israeli wall on campus ("Both sides of the wall," Wednesday) failed to present a fair and accurate portrayal of the wall as an effective deterrent to terrorism. I recently toured the wall while on an anti-terrorism fellowship in Israel, and it is very clear that the wall has not only saved the lives of many Israelis but coundess Palestinians as well. Terrorists hide among civilians in the West Bank and Gaza, so rather than strike at these terrorists who hide among innocent people, Israel has decided to build a security barrier to deter terrorists from entering Israel. The wall, not even completed, has significantly reduced the rate of terror attacks against Israel by almost 80 percent, thus keeping Israel from forced retaliation against these potential terrorists within heavily populated areas. The opponents of tne wall attack its legitimacy Dasea on human rights and its possible economic impact. But aren’t the basic rights of existence and the freedom to live without fear challenged in Israel every day by Palestinian leadership that has failed to crack down on terror groups? It is the inherent right of all states to self-defense, and Israel’s security barrier is a humane measure of self defense against terrorists whose fundamental goal is the destruction and deiths of Jews and Christians in Israel. The Palestinian people must force a change in leadership and de legitimize terror tactics in order to live and prosper in Israel without a barrier. Until then, Israel must take every measure possible to protect its citizens from unrelenting attacks against it by terrorists. JEREMIAH I. BUSH Fourth-year international studies student Link letter displays lack of knowledge The ignorant attitudes of people like Craig Link ("Dwelling on the flag doesn’t help anyone," Wednesday) are the reason that race relations in the South continue to suffer. Link claims that he is tired of hearing black people complain, because after all, “they teach about racism and the Civil Rights movement” in schools. Link, however, makes it quite clear from his racist, ignorant remarks that the lessons highlighting the struggle of black Americans in schools are far from adequate. The rich history, heritage and culture of blacks in this country are comprised of much more than a few simple school lessons on slaver)' and the Civil Rights movement. Perhaps Link should enroll in one of the many African-American studies courses available here at USC, so that he can educate himself before making such stupid remarks. Link goes on to contradict himself by stating that “it’s a tragedy that so many of us are stuck in the 19th” century. This statement is precisely why the Confederate flag has no place on the State House grounds. By continuing to prominently display the flag, South Carolinians are showing that they are stuck in an era of oppression, racism and hatred. While the flag does have significant historical value, it should be kept in the same place as other historic war memorabilia, and that is in a museum. DANIELLE R. WASHINGTON Fourth-year advertising student DeMint will never support tax increase In response to Craig Swaisgood’s column ("DeMint will raise price of your beer," Sept. 15), I have some mm i things to say. The first being that he did not “commission his own study." The argument that Jim DeMint’s tax plan 1 would increase the cost of beer came straight from Inez Tenenbaum’s Web site. The study he cites was done by a liberal think-tank funded by George Soros, who also funds Moveon.org. I would like to ask him to be an advocate for students, not Tenenbaum’s puppet. The next problem with Swaisgood’s column is that he is saying that the plan would hurt students with little income, and he gives the example of Killian’s beer. I don’t have an income, and that’s why I buy the cheapest beer available, not an expensive beer. Under DeMint’s plan, low-income people would get a . rebate for all the taxes they pay. Also, the idea of going to college is to get a job after graduation/and that is where the real savings start. I would rather pay a couple more dollars for a beer than lose almost half my paycheck to the federal government. The last and most major problem wnn owaisgooa s column is tnai DeMint has never and will never propose a tax increase. He has the endorsements of countless anti-tax groups, unlike his opponent, who has proposed raising taxes by $1 billion in South Carolina alone. The real issue here is DeMint’s plan to eliminate the IRS and the income tax. The DeMint plan saves everyone money in the long run, by reducing the cost of doing business and giving people more control over their own lives. Swaisgood, get your facts straight and stop being a puppet for Inez. RANDY DARGAN Third-year hotel, restaurant and tourism management 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@gwm.sc.edu. Letters will be edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777 7726 for more information. L. Edwards livens up den of sin and crime ■ Visit by Democratic VP nominee makes life in my ‘hood interesting My neighborhood is pretty scummy. Homemade crack is plentiful and prostitutes quarrel in the streets. So I was quite puzzled when I heard John Edwards was coming to . '- speak Wednesday at the Dr. Martin 1nHHill t ..a,— u Community Center. The Secret Service guys, those pillars of cold-steel STEVEN attitude, would VAN HAREN certainly have their hands full. A THIRD-YEAR „ . 1 MECHANICAL Two weeks ag°’ ^ STUDENT^IN(; as 1 talked on mY front porch, a woman walked by and asked me, “Do you have any alcohol?" Ahem. We lock our doors. Some fellow Gamecock staffers and I braved the beautiful weather to see Kerry’s sock puppet smile and do his thumbs-up thing and pose spread-eagle on the hood of a Camaro. Apparently, Edwards is the cutest politician this side of William Howard Taft. By the time we got there, the line was stretched out the door. After a few minutes of waiting in line, some campaign stooge informed us that the Community Center was packed and that we’d all have to smoosh together outside to hear | Edwards’ speech through a crummy speaker. I was ticked off at first, but then the protesters came to liven things up. The Bushies were Jed bv some dude with a megaphone who looked oddly like Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, geeky bowtie and all. They marched and chanted and menacingly waved signs colored by neon markers. Eventually, they came face to face with the Democrats waiting in the grass. The two sides faced each other, separated by a few feet, yelling at each other in the shadow of that great American battleground: a set of monkey bars. I leaned on the swing set, poised outside the fray, and took careful notes. “Democrats: baby-killing hippies. Republicans: gun-toting bumpkins. Green Party: still hemped up." The best part was the guy in the elephant suit, a Republican dynamo I truly admired. He danced between the two sides with a lot of funk in his trunk. Both trunks. That guy livened up the mood, and he was kind enough to shake the hands of some Democrat tikes who just wanted to shake the hand of the guy in the elephant suit. After 45 minutes of chanting, the elephant guy took off his head and posed for pictures as the Republicans left. I wonder if that guy is aware of the Disney World Mascot Clause: “Don’t take off your head in public, even if you vomit in your suit." * The crowd ooh-ed and aah-ed when an official-looking bus pulled up. Was it Edwards? No, it was a press bus. The crowd’s shoulders slumped collectively. Truly, with the exception of The Gamecock, the press is a blight on all things fun. We livened up the crowd with prodding questions. Finally,, we saw a beautiful convoy of tinted SUVs pull in. Edwards got there, gave a speech and prepared to leave without even talking to the people who had been standing outside for a couple hours. We rushed to the front and watched Edwards beam with sweaty confidence. I saw him only for a second, shaking hands and buttressed by bodyguards. The theme to “Cheers” erupted in my mind. I was glad we went. The political demon was a thrilling spectacle, and to be that close to a big-time politician in my home turf was oh-so-American. 1 would’ve gone if it was Cheney, Dukakis or Jesse Ventura. Screw partisanship — I’m in it for the spectacle.