Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

.. VIEWPOINTS AMECOCK EDITORIAL BOARD Editor MICHAEL LaFORGIA News Editor STEPHEN FASTENAU Asst. Neves Editor JUSTIN CHAPURA The Mix Editor ALEXIS ARNONE Sports Editor JONATHAN HILLYARD Viewpoints Editor BRINDY McNAIR Copy Desk Chief STEVEN VAN HAREN Design Director chas McCarthy IN OUR OPINION Bush shouldn't dilute U. S. torture policies It’s time to call a spade a spade. President Bush on Monday spelled out America’s policy on treat ing detainees in the war on terror. “We do not torture," he told reporters at a news conference in Panama. But the evidence would seem to suggest otherwise. The Washington Post reported Nov. 2 that the CIA is holding suspect ed terrorists in secret prisons across Eastern Europe and Asia, and the White House has neither confirmed nor denied the disclo sure. Meanwhile, Vice President Dick Cheney is spearheading a push to exempt the CIA from a proposed ban on abusive treatment of terrorism suspects. We don’t think the White House is entirely in the wrong. Let’s face it: These aren’t nice people we’re dealing with here. These are bloodthirsty extremists bent on bringing America to its knees, who have already engineered the worst attack ever on U.S. soil. One cap tured terrorist suspect could potentially lead the U.S. to other ter rorists and save innocent lives. Thing is, detained terror suspects as a rule are averse to talking. Enter torture. It’s a tool, and it should be used effectively for a spe cific purpose and within certain bounds. It shouldn’t be used sense lessly, or in situations where the national interest isn’t potentially at stake. But it should be used, just as police officers have license to use deadly force in situations in which lives are at stake. Terror sus pects are exponentially more likely to talk under some form of sustained duress than if they were sleeping in a Best Western, with military police fluffing their pillows at night. It’s a simple as that. So what’s wrong with the president’s comments is the dubious nature of waving a “we don’t torture” banner with one hand while the other hand’s shielding an organization’s right to, well, torture people. Detained terror suspects as a rule are averse to talking. Enter torture. IT 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 CORRECTIONS 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 MICHAEL LaFORGIJ Design Director chas McCarthy Copy Desk Chief STEVEN van haren News Editor STEPHEN FASTENAl Asst. News Editor JUSTIN CHAPURA Viewpoints Editor BRINDY McNAIR The Mix Editor ALEXIS ARNONE Sports Editor JONATHAN HILLYARI Asst. Sports Editor ALEX RILEY Photo Editor NICK ESARES Sports Photo Editor KATIE KIRKLAND Pare Designers MIKE CONWAY, JES! ANN NIELSEN, MEGI SINCLAIR Graphic Designer LAURA-JOYCE GOUG Copy Editors CHELSEA HADAWAY, KRISTY LAUBE, KATIE THOMPSON, JAMISON TINSLEY LIZ WHITE Online Editor RYAN SIMMONS Creative Services JOSEPH DANNELLY, LAURA-JOYCE GOUG MARGARET LAW, MEGHAN WHITMAN CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. The Editor’s office hours are Monday and Wednesday from 1-3 pm. Editor: gamecockeditor9gwm.sc. edu News: gamecodtnews9gwm.sc.edu Viewpoints: gamecockopinions9gwm.sc. edu The Mix: gamecockfeatures9gwm.sc.edu Sports: gamecocksports9gwm.sc. edu Public Affairs: gamecockPR9yahoo. com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726; Sports: 777-7182 Editor’s Office: 777-3914 *> I U Util I IY1LUIA Director I scon LINDENBERG Faculty Adviser ERIK COLLINS Creative Director SUSAN KING Business Manager CAROLYN GRIFFIN ICA Advertising Manager iN SARAH SCARBOROUGH Classified Manager * SHERRY F. HOLMES Production Manager c. neil scon Advertising Staff BREANNA EVANS, RYAN GORMAN, KATIE CUPPIA, APRYL ALEXANDER, MARY RACHEL FREEMAN, MCKENZIE WELSH, OEIDRE MERRICK TO PLACE AN AO The Gamecock 1400 Greene St. Columbia, S.C. 29206 \ Advertising: 777-3888 Classified: 777-1184 Fax: 777-6482 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 publisher o/THE j 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. Cartoon courtesy of KRT Campus Senate correct to eliminate UT resolution College students should follow what’s going on, examine who they elect To the people (more likely the person — Hi, mom) who read my column every week, brace yourself. This might come as a shock to you, but sometimes, I get this crazy impulse to write a column that has nothing to do with dating or the opposite sex. This is one of those tim^s. And for that, I am sorry. I represent the College of Arts & Sciences in the senate. Accordingly, week after week, I get to throw a “yea” or “nay” into the record books regarding any number of issues — parking, safety, textbooks, etc. However, during the past two weeks, I got to throw my two cents into a rather unusual debate. A resolution was introduced in the senate last week to congratulate Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks on their hard work throughout the season and their victory against Tennessee. Go, fight, win, kick ass. Harmless enough, right? Right. That is, until a senator with a lot of pageantry and very little discretion proposed not one but two amendments to the resolution so that copies would be sent not only to Spurrier and the crew at home, but also to Phillip Fulmer, the Volunteer football team, UT’s student government, the UT student newspaper and their charming mascot, Smokey. Trust me. This is a very, very bad idea. If you don’t believe me, go Karlf anrl rpari CHASE my column ST0UDEAA1IRE from Aug. 29 Second-year (“How I history learned a big student lesson in journalism”). Sending a congratulatory note to our guys for a job well done? That’s the kind of stuff our mommas taught us to do. Arrogantly rubbing it in your competition’s face when you win? Not so much. Ever heard of fratty.net? USC doesn’t need any bad publicity right now. For some reason, I don’t think the University of Tennessee wnnld have found our gesture half as entertaining as a group of gloating college students acting on impulse. Unfortunately, tHe resolution passed with both amendments attached. Needless to say, myself and the 12 other senators who voted against the resolution were pretty agitated. I thought it was a bad idea, I voted against it. I did my part. Luckily, not everyone was as easy to accept defeat as I was. This week, the bill author brought the amendments back up for reconsideration, and we were able to get the two-thirds majority needed to eliminate them. We dodged a bullet. In the past week, two high school students have been elected mayor of their cities. Democrats swept gubernatorial races. Texas laid the smack down on gay marriage with a constitutional amendment. What’s the point behind all of this? We, as college students, don’t pay enough attention to what’s going on around us. Granted, I don’t expect the majority of students to spend their time poring over the latest headlines on Fox or CNN half as much as I would expect them to focus on the next episode of “Family Guy.” But a litde awareness never hurt anyone. If the well-being of our state or nation is too much to get your head around (I know it certainly is for me) just take the time every now and then to see what’s going on here at your university. Participate in the process. Engage yourself. If nothing else, check out the Web site every now and then or come by the office to see what Student Government is up to. All of our debates and votes are public record. You can find out who’s representing you — and how they’re doing it. Although we’ve never invaded any countries, raised taxes or cut spending on education, we almost made a really, really bad move on behalf of the university. I hope that each senator’s record — including one belonging to a certain amendment author — will be taken into consideration when we’re up for re-election this spring. IN YOUR OPINION Greeks treated fairly in student newspaper Mr. Jerry Brewer and his administrative colleagues at USC did nothing to disparage or disgrace the Greek community in the handling of the message board comments posted on fratty.net. Third-year political science student Jarrett Calder made a bold statement in Wednesday’s paper (“Fratty.net distorts Greeks’ real value”) when he wrote, “Never is anything published in The Gamecock that sheds a positive light on the Greek system.” Upon visiting the Web site www.dailygamecock.com, I found that since this summer, articles have been published about new housing plans for the Greek Village, community service events taking place in the Greek Village such as Trick or Treat With the Greeks, and a number of articles about the involvement of Greek life in Homecoming festivities. In addition to these articles, I attended the Homecoming football game, during which I witnessed Homecoming awards being given primarily to Greek organizations. The presence of Greek organizations in the Carolina community is one that is both necessary and beneficial to the students that attend this great institution — and I for one believe that it should be and has been recognized as such. It should not be frowned upon, however, when university officials condemn racially charged, divisive commentary. As far as I’m concerned, the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity is now just as much a part of the Greek Village as any other Greek organization. Disparaging their presence simply diminishes the integrity of Greek life. Whether these comments were the isolated actions of a few or representative of the thoughts of many is trivial. The important lesson to be learned here is that when a problem like this arises, it is best to deal with it accordingly instead of pretending it does not exist. TERRILL WILKINS Third-year history 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. Do you think President Bush was hypocritical in saying that the United States does not torture? www. dailygamecock. com For Kansas, ruling means science takes huge tumble School board decision flies in face of logic, traditional teachings It was this week when I ^ wanted to mention the wonderful work of USC’s ruguy teams, it was this week when I wanted to congratulate the Gamecocks I for bowl SSL But this week, BRAZIER something Third-year happened so philosophy monumental it’s student , . hard not to notice it. The Kansas Board of Education has developed a j severe case of monstrous idiocy. Instead of me pointing out that USC’s men’s rugby team is playing Clemson Nov. 18 on the Blatt field, I’m stuck with bloody Kansas. Had Dorothy the ability of foresight, I’m fairly sure she would have celebrated her evacuation of Kansas. Instead, she could have chilled in the Emerald City, where at least the lies were entertaining. According to the Kansas Board of Education, science, by definition, no longer has to have a natural explanation. I Let me say it again, in case anybody started tearing up for the death of education: Science no longer has to have natural explanations in Kansas. Science, apparently, now just means doing whatever you damn well please. Kids can now be taught, in science lessons nonetheless, about whatever the hell the idiot Kansas Board of Education desires. In honor of the stunning move by the Kansas Board of Education, I believe that either USC, or the state itself, starts defining the board as “a bunch of ignorant buffoons who hate children.” Nobody with an ounce of brains could begin to accept this step. America was, for better or for worse, supposedly founded on the Enlightenments principles. Freedom of religion was encouraged. The First Amendment was written to stop any one' religion having too much governmental power. But so what if you’re in the Kansas Board of Education? To say this horrendous move is a slap in the face is an understatement. It offends me as a philosopher, as a respecter of American values, as a I Christian and as a lover of education. Scientists have Kppn n a m^»t-ar»hr»riral O I kick in the whatsits. Kansas has now officially declared war on education, and we, as students, need to stop them. While this step only affects science, who’s to say it will stop there? English lessons will next be entirely Bible driven. Where do you think morality or government teachers will be forced to teach from? The sooner America as a nation, laughs, ridicules and crushes the Kansas Board of Education, the better off America will be. Point at it and tell it that it’s gotten fat and that it should wear a dress more often. Still, can’t complain. USC’s men’s rugby team will hopefully beat Clemson and complete an extremely successful season. At least sports keep our minds off the bloody Kansas Board of Education. I- 'i