8 The Daily Tar Heel Friday, November 17. 197ft
Lou Bilionis, Editor
Chuck Alston, Managing Editor
Don Woodard, Associate Editor
David McKinnon, Associate Editor
Bertie Ra'ns bottom, University Editor
Mary Anne Rhyne, City Editor
Michael Wade, State and National Editor
Richard Barron, News Editor
Betsy Flagler, Features Editor
Mark S candling, Arts Editor
Lee Pace, Sports Editor
Billy Newman, Photography Editor
letters to the editor
Sit!?
Satin
E
oard off Governors delegate some power
$6th year of editorial freedom
Justice for the 10
The case against the Wilmington 10.
The phrase has an unmistakable ring to it. To the uniformed, it might
sound as convincing as any pronouncement by our judiciary, to which
we are used to lending much credence.
To the informed, however, the phrase rings hollow. It resonates, in
fact, of every instance in which our system of laws has lent its credibility
to causes of less worth. It is a sound which saddens and depresses.
For the uninformed, the Wilmington 10 are nine black men and one
white woman who were convicted in 1972 of firebombing a grocery store
and conspiring to shoot at police and firefighters during racial
disturbances in Wilmington in 1971. They were convicted on the
strength of testimony by three persons who have since recanted their
stories, and the efforts of a state prosecutor who has since admitted to
making gifts to one of the witnesses, and has been impugned by evidence
that the state granted-favors4o the other-two witnessesas-welL
The case against the Wilmington 10 is a myth. And like all myths it
contains a grain of truth; at least, that truth which is attached to events
by our courts. And we cannot in all honesty gainsay the verdict of the
jury which convicted the 10; the approximation of the truth with which
they were confronted by the state in that trial was, after all, quite artful.
We can, however, and must, gainsay the disposition of the case by the
state at that time, since then and now. As more and more of the
improprieties in the case's handling have beearevealed, the true nature
of the case against the 10 has become more clearly delineated.
The case against the Wilmington 10 is a political and a racist myth.
And however political, however unconcerned with justice and the law,
however racist the case's handling was at its inception, it has only grown
more so, by orders of magnitude, with every attempt by our state's
leaders to deny its nature.
Unfortunately for those leaders, however, they have raised the case's
political stakes so high, because of the magnitude of the injustice they
have done the 10, that a higher political authority that of the federal
government has been drawn in, inexorably and quite against its will.
(The federal government, after all, has no great desire to contradict a
state's government, or people, with which it is supposed to cooperate.)
The brief filed by the U.S. Justice Department in Federal District Court
in Raleigh on Tuesday, requesting that the convictions of the 10 be
overturned, was by all accounts an answer to the federal government's
many critics in this case (who include the Congressional Black Caucus
and the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Amnesty International). Yet it was
as well an answer shaped by a number of other political concerns most
notably for the conservative Democrats of this state, the South and the
nation in general: it contained only very muted objections to the
treatment of the 10, it was delivered by the Justice Department rather
than the White House, and, significantly, it came after the November
elections.
A stronger answer may be needed, however. Too much injustice has
been meted out. For too long the racist and political nature of the case
against the Wilmington 10 has been allowed to dictate its disposition;
and for too long both state and federal governments have been
generating political capital, by their actions and inaction, from the 10.
We hope that the government's action in this instance will have its
intended effect in law: the - overthrowing of the convictions of the
Wilmington 10. If not, it will be time for the nation's the president's
political energies and capabilities to be turned directly toward returning
justice to the Wilmington 10.
To the editor.
An article on the Board of Governors
appearing in the Oct. 24 DTH and citing
me as the source stated that the power of
the Board of Governors "has limited the
individual influence of the boards of
trustees at each of the 16 schools and has
left virtually all the decisions in the hands
of the central board.
The statement is inaccurate; the 16
institutional boards have extensive
powers. The theory consistently followed
by the Board of Governors has been that
only those decisions that need to be made
centrally should be made centrally; all
others should be made at the campus
level, either by the Board of Trustees or
the chancellor.
Among the areas in which nearly all
power has been delegated to the
institutions are these: personnel, campus
planning, endowments and trust funds,
admissions, student services, student
activities, the construction of buildings,
honorary degrees, campus security and
the management of such auxiliary
enterprises as the Carolina Inn.
The "North Carolina Plan for higher
education attempts to put sufficient
strength in the center to avoid
unnecessary duplication and to insure a
coordinated system of higher education.
At the same time it attempts to give as
much freedom as possible to the
institutions, thus encouraging
institutional initiative and the
development of a diversified system.
Many authorities on the governance of
higher education believe we in this state
have hit upon the best scheme yet devised
for division of responsibility between a
central board and the institutions. Our
plan is admired all over the nation; it
needs to be understood here at home.
John P. Kennedy Jr.
. Secretary of the University
Greet Scott
To the editor?
Now that the voting for Homecoming
Queen is over, although the winner has
not been announced, 1 have something to
say. Over a month and a half ago, we, in
Scott College, started planning and
working on a project...the selection of
Miss Scott College. The project was
intended to serve the purpose of creating
a spirit of unity within the "New Scott
College" (Whitehead, Teague, Parker
and Avery). We felt that selecting and
supporting a girl in our residence area for
Homecoming Queen would foster a sense
of "togetherness.
Committees were formed and each
floor nominated a representative. The
voting took place, and Ruth Lineberger
was selected as Miss Scott College. A
central committee then made publicity
plans and submitted Ruth's name to the
CAA. Posters were printed and were
being sent to us via the bus company.
However, when members of the
committee went to pick up the posters,
they were not there. An imposter had
intercepted them. At first, we thought
that a friendly prank had been played on
us, but as the voting day grew nearer.
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W PU HAVfc Wf DWIWIS OF Y0UK OWN 10 U)0K
AFTER?"
there were still no posters. The bus
company acknowledged their mistake in
not asking for identification during the
pickup and agreed to reimburse us for the
cost of the posters. But we still had no
posters. ,
The question remains: Who is low
down and sneaky enough to do such a
dastardly deed? At last report, the two
villians had called the CAA office and
admitted to thieving the posters. Why?
They said it was a protest to Ruth's late
registration. Did they not realize that
other girls were registered after the
deadline also? Apparently not. The
crooks ruined our campaign, but not our
spirit.
We're still very proud of the
committee's hard work and of Ruth
Lineberger Miss Scott College. This
whole incident made me realize how
lucky I am to live in a residence area like
Scott College. Here, we don't foster the
growth of irresponsible, irrational and
immature behavior. As for the scurvy
who stole our posters, I can forgive, but I
can't forget the incident. I'm glad you're
not a part of Scott College and sad that
you are a part of UNC.
i
Jimmy Huneycutt
Scott College governor
Students in politics
To the editor:
The voters of Carrboro recently passed
a critical bond referendum for $1.5
million to be spent on recreation and
bikeways. Student voters proved once
again to be the decisive factor in charting
a-progressive course for our town. Town
elections and referenda have for the past
few years reflected the degree of student
interest and involvement, Three attempts
by the Board of Aldermen seeking
approval to use property taxes to support
public transit have failed when the
student turnout was low. Likewise the
student vote has been the margin of
victory in electing and maintaining a
progressive board in the municipal
elections of 1975 and 1977.
Though the student population is
largely transient, its needs are very real.
Only through continued participation in
the electoral process and in the life of the
town, will those needs be addressed. 1
encourage students to become even more
involved. Get registered, file your
personal pf operty tax (in January), serve
on an appointed board or commission,
participate in our many recreation
programs, and vote.
Douglas Sharer
3 McAlpine Apartments
Ceaselessly amazed
To the editor:
The willful ignorance displayed by
such opponents of nuclear power as the
Kudzu Alliance, ECOS and your
columnist Jeff Porterfield never ceases to
be amazing. Spend a few hours in the
library and you will find:
1) Radiation leakage from operating
nuclear plants is so minimal that it is
difficult to detect.
2) Death, illness and property damage
from a worst-case core meltdown would
be substantial, but the probability of a
core meltdown is extremely low,
something on the order of being hit by a
meteorite.
.... 3) There are no current adequate plans
for long-term storage of nuclear wastes.
One alternative to this undeniable
problem is not to store the wastes, but to
reprocess and use them in the kind of
breeder reactors currently operating in
France and the Soviet Union.
4) Given our demand for energy, the
immediate future supply of energy will
have to come from an increasing use of
coal, or nuclear power, or both, and a
" decreasing use of oil. Solar power can be
helpful in such areas as residential space
heatings, but remains impractical for
cooling, industrial use and
transportation. Nevertheless, these simple facts are
passionately denied by anti-nuke
activists. They prefer to dance around in
skeleton costumes and prattle on about
future generations glowing in the dark.
Arguing with an antnnuker resembles
nothing so much as arguing with a
religious fundamentalist. Facts are
irrelevant; belief is based on faith and
emotion. The emotion is obvious from
Porterfield's column. The faith you can .
test for yourself: Try an experiment;
argue with an anti-nuker and make up
pro-nuclear studies and evidence.
1 have and found that it makes no
difference. Anti-riukers remain opposed
to nuclear power, regardless. Apparently,
to their point of view, the essential point is
that monstrous trolls live in the hearts of
nuclear power plants.
A. Hewitt Rose
F-l Castillian Villa
New hope foi 9 Wilmington 10; Iran relatively quiet
Tine Week
By TERR! HUNT
"I don't know how long I was there, but all
of a sudden, the world caved in on me."
After "Butch" Summers, 30, was cutting a
beam with a torch on the first floor of the
Connor Hotel in Joplin, Mo., when the entire
nine-story building collapsed last Saturday.
Rescuers worked for three and a half days to
free Summers from his entombment.
"I thought only the first floor had fallen on
me," said Summers, who suffered a broken
pelvis and three broken ribs in the mishap. I
would have felt a lot less hope if I had known
it was a whole building."
On Tuesday afternoon, more than 82 hours
after the 70-year-old hotel had fallen on him,
Summers said he heard the rumble of voices.
He took a pipe in his hand and started
pounding. Officials said two falling steel
beams must have crossed, holding up a slab
of concrete to form the pocket which saved
Summer's life. Summers said he could do no
more than lie on his back or side in the dark
cavity.
It was a matter of just keeping my head
and not panicking, Summers said. I was
scared some, but all you can do is keep your
head and keep thinking that someone will
come to get you out.
The landmark hotel collapsed one day
before it was scheduled for demolition to
make way for a new library.
Filed by the Justice Department, the brief
questioned whether the state's chief witness,
Allen Hall, told the truth when he testified
that each of the defendants took part in the
firebombing.
The department said its evidence indicated
that Hall was not a reliable witness, that the
defendants were not allowed to portray fully
Hall's unreliability at the trial, and that the
prosecutor, James Stroud, withheld from the
defense an amended statement by Hall that
cast doubt on his testimony. -
Defendants in the case, nine black men and
a white woman, were convicted of arson and
conspiracy in connection with the burning of
Mike's Grocery, a white-owned store, on
Feb. 6, 1971. The firebombing came after a
week of racial violence which left one white
man and one black man dead.
Of the defendants, nine have been freed,
eight of them on parole as a result of Gov.
James B. Hunt reducing their sentences in
January. The only defendant still in jail is the
Rev. Ben Chavis, who is not elegible for
parole until Jan. 1, 1980. However, if the
court heeds the government's brief, all parole
restrictions would be lifted.
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Participants in an investment scheme
circulating in North Carolina claim that
investors in the "Circle of Gold" chain letter
can reap more than $100,000.
There's only one catch the N.C. attorney
general's office says the chain letter is illegal
and plans to stop its circulation.
The way the chain letter process works is
that for $50 a new investor buys a list of 1 2
names , of other participants. The new
investor then puts $50 in an envelope and
mails it to the top name on the list. He then
adds his own name to the bottom of the list,
sells the letter twice to reimburse his $100
investment, and waits for the money to flow
in.
, Wake County District Attorney Randolph
Riley said the chain letter is illegal under a
197 1 N.C. law that clasifies chain letters in the
same category as lotteries. Riley's office and
the Consumer Protection Division of the
N.C. attorney general's office are determined
to halt the letter.
The federal government asked a federal
court on Tuesday in an unprecedented friend-of-the-court
brief to overturn the convictions'
of the Wilmington 10.
In a 89-page brief, the government said it
had found evidence that the defendants did
not receive a fair trial when they were
convicted of arson and conspiracy in a 1971
firebombing incident during a time of racial
unrest in Wilmington.
An air of uncertainty hung over
Washington throughout the week as Egypt
and Israel remained deeply divided over the
future of the West Bank of the Jordan River
and the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Egyptian President
Anwar Sadat termed the Mideast peace talks
as being in a state of "crisis' and raised the
possibility of a suspension to allow Egypt and
Israel time to ponder their positions.
The sticking point at the talks has been
Sadat's demand that the Egyptian-Israeli
peace treaty be linked with progress on
solving the West Bank and Gaza Strip
questions. Under the Camp David
agreements, Palestinians in both territories
are to be granted autonomy within five years. .
Israeli officials oppose Sadat's demand.
Informed Egyptian sources said their
government has formulated new proposals
designed to avoid a total deadlock while still
holding to Egypt's key demands.
In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Menachim
Begin said the Israeli Cabinet broke off a
review of the Israeli-Egyptian negotiations to
await clarification of the proposals expected
from Egypt.
releasing political prisoners and replacing
foreigners in the oil industry with Iranians.
However, acceptance of the demands has not
been made official.
By the middle of the week, relative peace
and order were restored to, Iran as the violent
anti-government protests ended and striking
oil workers returned to their jobs.
Government officials reported Wednesday
that only peaceful marches to protest the rule
of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi took
place, as opposed to the bloody riots that had
terrorized many Iranian cities in opposition
to the 59-year-old monarch. The peaceful
protests were in sharp contrast to the clashes
between youths and security forces in the past
four days which had left at least 23 persons
dead and scores wounded.
Oil workers ended their 1 5-day-old strike
when it was reported that the shah had agreed
to meet their demands of ending martial law.
Speaking of oil, reports of new oil
discoveries along Mexico's Gulf Coast have,
increased the prospect that the southern
neighbor of the United States will supplant
Saudi Arabia as the world's premier
producer.
The national oil company, PEMEX, said
Monday if the finds along the "Golden Belt"
are proved, they could increase the country's
potential reserves from some 200 billion
barrels to more than 300 billion double the
amount of Saudi Arabia's reserves.
Well, so much for marijuana and
Watermelons in Connell, Wash. It seems the
town's police chief can't tell marijuana plants
from watermelon seedlings. '
Tex German' is suing the town for $7,500
because Chief Andy Sawy.er destroyed his
watermelon plants .thinking they were'
marijuana.
The chief, however, may be hard pressed to
defend his position when the case goes to
Franklin County Superior Court. He
discarded the evidence after seizing them last
May. .
Sawyer said he received a tip last May that
pot was growing in three junked cars. But
German claims he used the abandoned cars as
hothouses for his melon seedlings, closing the
doors at night to keep out the frost.
German said the 800 melon sprouts that
were destroyed eventually would have
yielded 20 tons of watermelons. So, if there is
a watermelon shortage this summer in
Connell, we'll know why.
Jerri Hunt, a senior journalism major
from Stantonsburg, is a staff writer for the
Daily Tar Heel.