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Page 5 Friday, December 3, 2004 AMECOCK EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR Adam Beam DESIGN DIRECTOR David Stagg NEWS EDITOR Michael LaForgia THE MIX EDITOR Meg Moore COPY DESK CHIEF Gabrielle Sinclair VIEWPOINTS EDITOR Wes Wolfe SENIOR WRITER Kevin Fellner ASST. NEWS EDITOR Jon Turner IN OUR OPINION Semester ends; we 7/ be back It’s been a semester of washing machine urine and elevator feces, but we still count it a success. Semesters have a tendency to seem a lot longer than they are, and this one is no exception. August and its sweltering weather surrounding the start of another football season has been swallowed by the coolness of fall and the pace of basketball. In between has been a whirl wind of peeping Toms, football speculation and a presidential election. We know 1 he (jamecock can t compete with 1 he New York Times as far as national news coverage, and we don’t try to. We We hope you feel more connected to your school through our reporting. don’t try to cover the State House and the Richland County Council. We don’t try to be something we’re not. But we do try to cover USC as best as a group of 25 full-time students can. So mixed in with the drama of the USC baseball stadium and the enormity of the presiden tial election are the stories about two students winning Rotary scholarships, the theft of the Maxcy Monument ball and a story offering tips for walking to class in the rain during hurricane season. We hope that you feel more connected to the school through our reporting. We hope that you have a general understanding of how Student Government and the Residence Hall Association operate and why they are an important part of the university. We hope you were entertained by Chuck and the gang with Heads and Tails, a comic drawn by student Jonathan Hughes. We. hope we’ve created a dialogue of issues important to you through columns and letters printed on the Viewpoints page. But most of all, we hope you’ve had an enriching semester of growth, as a student and as a person. The Gamecock will take a break for Christmas, but will return on Jan. 10. We look forward to serving you for another 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 On Monday’s Page 2, the cutline for the picture of the day should have identified the Office of Community Services. 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 EDITOR 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: gamecockopinions@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 THE MIX EDITOR 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 Regenscheit, Jason Reynolds, Jennifer Sitkowski, Shana Till, Steven Van Haren, Joey Wallace ONLINE EDITOR E.B. Davis PUBLIC AFFAIRS Jane Fielden, Katie Miles l 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 Garen Cansler CREATIVE SERVICES Burke Lauderdale, Chelsea Felder, Laura Gough, Joseph Dannelly, Kristen Williams ADVERTISING STAFF RbbertCarli, Breanna Evans, Ryan Gorman, Caroline Love, Jesica Johnson, Katie Stephens ---1 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 $1 each from the Department of Student Media. TO PLACE AN AD The Gamecock Advertising: 777-3888 1400 Greene St. Classified: 777-1184 Columbia, S.C. 29208 Fax: 777-6482 lazeemi-CAfzosaeo Canos'saigas weAfo/j 1 / 900p$»\ hottv, z ) IT WA5 M \ /v\AST^ / CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Take a stand against a tired policy ■ Administration hasn’t learned from its earlier mistakes in Iraq war I know the election is over, and everyone is sick of hearing about politics, but quite frankly, the result has only motivated me to continue complaining about what is going on in this country. After Nov. 3, while I am sure that a number of people in this country — a few of whom are on this campus — joined me in trying to find a cheap flight to Canada, I have since decided that running away is neither practical nor productive, but revolution is. It seems to me that the problem with the current and continuing administration and with the country in general is that there is a problem with education — a fundamental lack of understanding what is actually going on here and around the globe. Consider this, if you look at individual states’ average IQ, the 10 states with the highest IQ went blue in this election — that is these “smart” states went Democratic; in this case, I will go as far as to say these states went against Bush. Now to the brunt of my complaint for today — the holiday season is here, and a number of soldiers are serving their second tour in Iraq; let me repeat — their second. And I will reiterate that more people have died after the declared end of this war than during combat. For those of you who think that this war is part of a worthy cause and worth all of the lives that are being sacrificed over there, I would like to suggest that you give up your winter break so that one of our soldiers can ANNA come home and pQ^ spend time with - her family. THIRD-YEAR Thomas PUBLIC c • j RELATIONS Friedman s STUDENT column, reprinted Nov. 30 in The State, directs confusion as to where exactly the plan and security for the end of this war are. The answer? Nowhere. It seems that Bush and Carl Rove ran a masterful scheme trying to convince the American public that we are safer and more secure because he was re-elected, and already he is failing (again) on his promises. The New York Times reported last week that despite the 3 million-vote margin of victory, people have increased concerns about whether Bush can make good on his campaign promises. Friedman says, “Iraq is now about who has the smarts, the focus, the gumption, the strategy ... .” Who has the smarts? My issue with the war is not whether the Iraqi people are better off without a psychotic dictator ruling the country — anyone with sense can see and hear that the people oflraq, especially women and children, are better off. Hey, look. Kids can play soccer now. My issue is the basis for this war. This is a war on terror, one that will never be won with guns and bombs. Having lived in Israel and experienced constant fear of terrorist attacks, I feel assured that our country is being taken in the wrong direction to win this war. Terrorism is an ideology, a way of thinking. It is something that is taught to children as a way to give them a reason for why they have the lives they do, and this reason is that Western ideology and capitalism is at fault. How can these children fight against the unfair allocation of wealth and resources? Terrorism. To fundamentalists, terrorism is an effective way to, at the very least, fight the reason behind the suffering of their people. Terrorism does not consist of a calculated battle plan, it does not follow the rules of combat, and at its basis it is education. If Americans want to fight a war on terror then it has to start with dispelling the truth in the ideology behind terrorist attacks. Fundamentalists preach that it is our fault for their suffering. Well, consider this feet: Americans are 5 percent of the global population, yet we consume 25 percent of the resources. If we are going to consume at that proportion, then we have a responsibility to equalize the consumption of resources in some way. In an increasingly globalized world, now is not the time for Americans to preach the holier-than-thou act, abroad or at home. It is time for us to educate ourselves on the facts behind the issues and to help educate others. IN YOUR OPINION Christians can voice their opinions, too Thank you, Curtis Chow, for revealing what I believe to be on the minds of the majority of conservative Christians (“Clarifying my faith in terms of politics,” Wednesday). Conservative Christians have taken much heat for voting based on their personal convictions in the recent election. The fact is, each individual decides which issues are important to her,' and based on their stance regarding these issues, votes accordingly. This is true whether you are Christian or non-Christian, pro-choice or pro-life. My personal belief is that life begins at conception and that marriage should be defined as only between a man and woman. These are my personal convictions; these are the issues that are important to me, and 1 voted accordingly. Someone more liberal than I am may believe that same-sex marriages are OK and that life does not begin until one is born. I’m sure that person’s vote reflected her beliefs. Are non Christians or liberals allowed to vote based on what they believe to be important, and I, a conservative Christian, am not? That sounds a little intolerant to me. HOLLY ADELMAN Third-year biology student USC, Clemson deserved bowl bids I, for one, am not terribly disappointed that USC will not be attending a bowl game this year. However, my position has nothing to do with the fight (see also: melee, donnybrook, fracas, brouhaha) that took place at the end of game with Clemson Nov. 20. In my opinion, the unwritten rule that almost guarantees a team a bowl game if they win at least six , y games during the course of the season is ridiculous. Considering the fact that Carolina barely squeaked by with a sixth win, along with their mediocre play on both sides of the ball for the majority of the season, both translated to an unfavorable bowl trip. However, contrary to my opinion, there are two reasons why I believe that Clemson (as if I really cared) and Carolina should both be allowed to attend bowl games. First of all, the current policy does entitle them to it once they have secured a sixth win. The players have operated under that assumption for the entire year, and to pull the rug out from under them at this point is unfair. Second, this lip service being doled out by the administrations of both schools with respect to the bowl issue is nothing more than damage control. The impression is that both are taking the “high road” and that their actions are a means of indicating to those involved that such behavior will not go unpunished. Anyone who Believes this is setting herself up for one day being sold ocean-front property in Wyoming. Their positions are instead the direct result of their concern over what the perception of their respective universities are in the media. “Isn’t that their job?” you might ask. Absolutely, as long as they deal with such issues fairly and above-board. Screwing a player out of a bowl trip that has been promised to him so that the athletics director-, and university president can hide behind the facade of righteousness is inexcusable. They are instead coming across as sanctimonious blowhards. Is there anyone who believes that Carolina would not be attending a bowl game if their record was 11 -0 and there was the possibility of them traveling to Pasadena, Miami, or Tempe for a big payday in January instead of to Nashville or Shreveport in December; trips which would most likely cost the university money? Nothing short of a human sacrifice at midfield during halftime would have caused them^to decline a bowl trip under those circumstances. Is there anyone who believes that Carolina would not be attending a bowl if the fight had occurred in week one, three, six, etc., of the season instead of the last game, one short day after the media blitz about the brawl that took place at the Pacers-Pistons NBA game? What would have happened then would have been individual suspensions for subsequent games for the worst offenders, which is exactly what should have happened here instead. r It is without a doubt unfortunate that coach Lou Holtz’s tenure at South Carolina had to end on such a dour note. As I’m sure most of you are, I thank him for all the good things he brought to the university and wish him the best of luck in the future. With the Spurrier era on the horizon, we of the feathered following again cross our fingers and hope for good things in the future. Hopefully, his arrival so close to the Christmas season will give dual meaning to the word “savior.” JOE BRILEY Class ofy78 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. : Christmas compassion comes from your wallet m It’s time to celebrate the birth of Santa Claus and commercial ism The only good thinj $ about the Christmas season is TNT’s 2 !4 hours of “A Christmas Story”: 12 consecutive showings of a delicious movi e rolled into a swee t little bail like one of gram ima’s pecan clust< zrs. I say this becai use Christmas has lost its way. The holiday seaso n has always been a time of (uni ortunately) givin g and (pr eferably) recei ving Santa’s jolly debris. Thai :’s how our for efathers celeb rated it, and that s how i 11 always celebrs ite it. When 1 talk to my mom on the ph one now and then, I keep her up-to-date on what she must buy me if she knows w hat’s good for her. She knows if I don’t see a pony and a drum set under the trc e Christmas morning, I’ll stop loving hi er, and that’s fine by me. £ But a disturbing trend has begun to take shape, one in which 1 :he twinkling spirit of commercialism is I >eing crushed by love and happiness anc 1 other such 1 novelties. Tom Hanks’ creepy conductor character from “The Po lar Express” warned me of this in a drea m. “Steven,” he said, “Christmas is the time of year when we recognize the bii th of Santa Claus, who later died for y our sins. To celebrate this day properly, you need to spend, spend, spend. But be ware of false idols and warm, fuzzy feeli ngs in your heart.” Let’s face it: Winter sucks., It’s a season of dead stuff and bah-humbu ggery. Poofy jackets are plentiful. Reindleer meat is inexplicably scarce. The Coca-Cola cartoon polar bears haun t my every waking moment. Sunless days and freezing nights depress the li ving hell out of me, so when I huddle together in a cozy room with my family to get merchandise, all’s right wit h the World. I already took a stab at “Holiday spirit” last year. My roommates an < J I strung red Christmas lights in our Bares West crib. They unexpectedly gave o ur apartment the charming glow of a whorehouse, so we gave them a chance. The lights’ holiday goodness flat-lined around exam week, and I was back to square one. Holiday spirit got me nothing, except a few knocks on the door from horny Bates Westers. OK, it got me something. When will it stop? Thcrre’s a guy at Wal-Mart who stands right at the entrance and wags a be* II to collect money for some cult-like “Army.” It’s a clever ploy, actually. Little kids (and 21 year-old little kids) get all confused and think it’s the sound of Sa nta’s sleigh. I almost didn’t stop myself from putting in some pocket change. Heavens to Betsy. But his aura of decency and aim for a greater good didn’t s;top my quest to lengthen my wish list. Sometimes we old-school romantics luck out. I hiked past the Russell House one day this week and found myself accosted by several holiday fund-raising cronies. I didn’t have a dlime on me — thank Santa — but I’m suire they didn’t believe me when I told them that. I had a sick urge to jump off my bike and shove my empty wallet into their faces and scream, “See? No money! Boo ya!” Either way, I beat the system and this disturbing trend. Take that, Homeless Kids with Cancer and No Shoes Fun d. When we face Santa <on our Day of Judgment, he’ll ask us if ’^e’ve been bad or good. Hey, we’re not all saints, and sometimes we mess up. I’ve quite shamefully donated some money here and there in previous holiday seasons. But I’m not worried. We’re all busy, and how much can pocket change help? Couldn’t be much at all. STEVEN VAN HAREN THIRD-YEAR MECHANICAL ENGINEERING STUDENT ONLINE PO LL Did USC make the right decision to not to go to a bowl game? Yes 77% | No 23% FROM VVVVW.DAILYGAMECOCK.COM