G The Daily Tar Heel Wednesday. November 19, 1980
7
o
' MEL AN IE SILL
It doesn't seem to matter where or to whom New
York Times columnist Tern Wicker speaks. Sooner or
later, the conversation swings to pel-tics, and Wicker is
in his element.
"Politics is just the kind of subject that lends itself
naturally to discussicn...that'$ because it's mostly
speculation, Wicker said Monday, as he sat in
Harrison's talking with four students and sipping 'a
Ikineken.
Wicker, now hailed as one of the foremost liberal
writers in journalism, came to Chapel Hill for two days
of discussion and visits with students and faculty. It
was a homecoming cf sorts for the columnist, who
grew up in Hamlet and graduated from Carolina in
1S4S. '
" junmmmmMwmt-mmmmm,mmm t I i
7 don't see in this election and
Governor Reagan didn't propose a
repeal of the New Deal. '
Tom Wicker
The accent softening his quick speech is one of the
few ties Wicker still has to North Carolina, though,
and the New York resident said he had no plans to
move back to the state. Nostalgia was at a minimum in
Wicker's speeches and conversation Monday. He
talked mostly about the recent election of Ronald
Reagan as president and what he calls a "cultural
coanterrevolution'of conservatism in the United
State. This movement, he said, arose in reaction to
dramatic changes in the 1950s and '70s.
"I'm talking about a cultural attitude that is
exemplified in some ways by the group call Moral
Majority," he said. "They are finking the sense of
moral decline in the strength of the country, both
politically and economically."
"The fact is that in presidential politics, this is a
country that's beginning to be more and more
Republican no matter which way you look at it.
"(President Jimmy) Carter was identified and tarred'
almost inevitably with the very policies which the "
counterrevolution is most against and most upset by."
Reagan will be unable to make the kind of radical
changes feared by some and wanted by others because
of the limits on what a president can do, Wicker said.
"If you take things on the moral side, there's not a
whole lot in there that a president can do much about.
(The conservatives) may stop the Equal Rights
Amendment, but they can't make a lot of difference in
the women's rights movement or the gay rights
movement. '
"I don't see in this election and Governor Reagan
didn't propose a repeal of the New Deal," he said. "I
think what liberals need to do in the next four years is
to rethink things. One of the reasons liberalism has
fallen into decline is that we have too long stuck to
what we call 'tried and true' methods in politics."
Wicker said he expected strong support in the now
Republican Senate and White House for legislation and
constitutional amendments aimed at liberal reforms of
the past, and perhaps even for a national constitutional
convention.
"I expect a movement to restore prayer in the
schools.. .but it's not the kind of thing we liberals are
going to throw ourselves over barricades and die for,"
he said.
A constitutional convention probably would be
called if conservatives are frustrated in their efforts to
make rapid and dramatic economic, political or moral
changes, Wicker said.
"That convention is an inherent possibility, no
matter how remote, in the kind of cultural
counterrevolution I've described."
The nation's ' conservative trend has included
journalism, leaving Wicker among a small group of
leading liberal writers. The columnist's steady rise in
the newspaper business began at the Sandhill Citizen .
(circ. 1,00) and included the Winston-Salem Journal
and the Nashville Tennesseean before the Times hired
Wicker in IScO. Wicker wrote for and later was head cf
the Times Washington bureau before taking the job cf
associate editor he holds now.
Wicker also has earned national recognition as an
author. His nonfiction book Kennedy Without Tears
(1SS4) and the 1973 On Press are two cf his most
successful works. In the 1950s, Wicker also wrote
thrillers under the pen name cf Paul Connolly, which
he later dropped. Another novel is in the works now,
and Wicker has agreed to do a nonfiction book about
Richard Nixon. He said he expected it would take at
least five years to finish.
Though Wicker isn't what he calls a "professional
Southerner," who romanticizes his North Carolina
background, he remembered his parents ardent
support of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and economic
liberalism.
"1 came to maturity in a time when many
Southerners like myself felt that something had to
change on the racial front. The generosity, openness
and lack of prejudice that I felt in my parents house
was very much an influence, I'm sure. You never get
that far from your raising."
At 54, Wicker is as tough and his writing more
precise and bold than ever. Though he disagrees with
many of his colleagues' positions, Wicker likes the
writing of William Safire and George Will and doesn't
mind the popularity they have enjoyed lately.
"I feel very strongly that life and public affairs in
particular are cyclical, and not too many years ago I
thought my views, and those of others who felt as I did
about many things, were in the ascendancy.
"But things change, people change. Safire and Will
are very good, and they both have something to say.
The wheel turns, and they're up top now. But it's got to
turn again sometime."
Melanie Sill, a senior journalism major from Waipahu,
Hawaii, is an editorial assistant for The Daily Tar Heel.
'i
CTHJtyHyman
r.'avv York Times columnist Torn Wicker tralks ct U'lC
...speculates about politics, journalism
Geobge Shadroui, Editor
Dinita James, Managing Editor
Da ad Kutrow, Associate Editor
Pam Keixey, Associate Editor
Karen Rowley, News Editor
Linda Beown, University Editor
Martha Waggoner, City Editor
Mark Murjuxl, State and National Editor
Bill Fiilds, Sports Editor
Jamls Alexander, Features Editor
Tom Moore, Arts Editor
Scott Sharps, Photography Editor
Ann Peters, Weekender Editor
mm
n? ''in rm
88th year of editorial freedom
Hunger hurts .... .
You're probably reading this as you wait for your class to start. Or
you're glancing over it to waste time or avoid studying. You've most
likely got a lot on your mind things like studying for a test, writing a
paper, or picking up a block seat ticket for the Duke game. So if we
told you thit the United States now spends more than 20 times as
much on defense as on development assistance, it probably wouldn't
phase you. You wouldn't get too excited to learn that Americans, who
make up less than 6 percent of the world's population, consume 35
percent to 40 percent of the world's non-renewable resources, either.
And we don't expect that you'd run out and join the Peace Corps
when you find out that in the next 15 minutes, 428 people will die of
starvation.
But think about this for a minute: you eat every day, but you don't
eat enough and often get hunger pangs. You're smaller than you
would be if you ate properly. You're always weak, rarely at your peak
intellecutal capacity and susceptible to infections. Your muscle tissue
and internal organs are being eaten away slowly to provide glucose for
the rest of you body. If you don't die of starvation, you will live the
rest of your life blind because you don't get enough Vitamin A.
That's a disturbing image, one that we, as college students, usually
find little time to ponder. But for an eighth of the people on Earth,
that image 'is a reality.
The Campus Y Hunger Action Committee is sponsoring a 24-hour
fast beginning at 6 p.m. It's being held to raise money for Oxfam, a
non-profit organization that funds projects to teach people to better
use their resources for food production. Last year, the fast raised more,
than $5, CCO for Oxfam. Jim Cox, this year's co-chairman, says the
group, is hoping to collect $10,000. Students, faculty and community
members are to donate the money they would have spent on food to
the Y. Those unable to fast also can contribute.
But the fast serves another purpose, too. It will help teach the
people who have never stopped to think about hunger what it's like.
If you've become a bit more concerned about starvation now, if
you're starting to picture the people in Cambodia and Africia and
India who see death by starvation every day and learn to expect it, if
you're feeling a different kind of pang, sign up to fast. Alone you
can't solve the problems of the starving population of the world. But
you can help.
1
IS C1C6
At Duke University about 300 people gathered silently in front of
the Duke Chapd to cr.prcss their dissatisfaction with the verdict
handed down Monday by the Greensboro jury. At UNC-G 70 people
carrying signs and singing "Vc Shall Overcome" expressed their
disapproval. N.C AT is phnning some type of vigil as well.
Certainly, schools all over the state will join this list.
Tuesday Carolina held a silent vigil in the Pit, which for the most
part v' z, organised by a group of law students. They, too, considered
the exoneration cf six Klar.smen and Nazis of any responsibility in the
1,:tt: r C f"t!-r nllM'(irKtk! r't fri,llMr,'
Still, mere will te done. Carolina's Student Government, the Black
Student Movement, 71:? Djiiy Tcr Ike! and a group of law students
have joined together to sponsor a peaceful "Rally for Justice"
Thursday. The rally will !:egin at 12:30 p.m. in the Fit and after a short
This is net a prcup cf students trying to get their nan: . and pictures
in Ike paper. This is a prcup cf people trying to expii their di:;:ust
and fftr.tr a! ion over v. hat they consider a breakdown in the judicial
system and the continued resurgence of such violent a.uviiy. Vc
caecum a.e all tudents to jeln the rally. The state and country should
kr.-r-.v l: t fdoith Carolinians v.:U not put their stamp of approval eel
.h:t h : p;u;:i as Nov. ?,1V79 or the verdict reached by the jury
True confessions of am aBiised lO-sraee
r,
By JOE'S BICYCLE
Thanks to Reader's Digest you've read all about
many of Joe's vital organs, and some of Jane's too.
The pages of that staid old publication, replete with
more trite phrases and quotable quotes than you can
shake an aorta at, have been populated with the true
confessions of Joe's liver, kidneys, prost ate gland and
rftore. But now comes the true revelation. This is the
story of one organ in Joe's life that has direct impact
on the life, and death, of all others.
that organ is me.
I am Joe's bicycled -'
My story is not a unique one. A poor little waif with
bad brake pads and a decrepit derailleur, I was given up
for dead until an original owner advertised the sale of
my splendid services in the Village Advocate. Joe
bought me for S50. With the going over he gave me the
first day we met, I thought things were going to be
wonderful. He checked all my parts, intimate and
otherwise, cleaning behind the ears of my head set and
pumped my brakes firmly on test rides.
When we returned to his place things got even better.
1 got a thorough bath and lube job and even had an air
lunch for my wheels, front and back. Then there were
the first few rides around Chapel Hill with Joe. He was
a gentle owner with much respect for me, and the
consideration to put me in the bike racks right beside a
few shapely Raleigh racers. Those early days of the fall
semester were blissful. I had a good rider, occasional
rides on well-paved roads and moments spent with my
pedals embracing the spokes of countless female
bicycles while Joe was in class. What more could I ask
for? ... '
Not much then, but a helluva lot now.
Joe started trying to get to class on time. He ran red
lights and stop signs, rode into the traffic flow instead
falters to tfia editor
of with it, and broke just about every traffic
regulation which bicyclists are supposed to follow,
too, you know that exists. It was daring, almost
commendable considering the cause, and certainly
exciting. I forgave Joejor his questionable judgment
when he was hurried. Even when we weaved through
traffic and scraped my handle bars on car doors or
collided with pedestrians on campus walkways I
understood.
What I couldn't, and won't, tolerate was Joe's
negligence and eventual abuse of me; After the royal
treatment on inspection day (when he was so concerned
about "The buy,") do you think ol' bimbo Joe ever
took time for my maintenance? No way.
" He was too busy, impressing people with his daring
feats riding "no hands" down Franklin Street
sidewalks, passing cars on narrow curves, and, worst of
all, riding double with the flabby gidfriend of his to
pay attention to me. Two-ton Jane thought that last
trick was great fun, but all I got out of it was a sore
cross bar from her ample derriere and two broken
spokes when her foot got caught in my front wheel.
Joe never replaced my worn brake pads; in fact, he
joked with friends all the time about riding with no
brakes. My derailleur was clogged badly with grease
and sticks, and I was not even given a reflector to
improve my appearance and protect the two of us.
What about a horn or light for night driving? Forget it.
We're talking strict case for negligence here, kid.
Yet, Joe still rode on like he was king of the dung
heap, and I was left wondering if the Village Advocate
would take a classified from a washed-up 10-specd that
liked to (bike) rack around.
Joe got what he had coming to him. We had more
than our share of mishaps. Some were just from
accidental slips on the wet fall leaves, but most resulted
from Joe's foolishness. He blamed a lot of the scrapes
on the drivers in Chapel Hill. Granted, they're not too
respectful of us bikes or bikers. Seems like they open
car doors in my path at least once a day or swerve in
front of us like we were made of rubber that could
bounce off rear bumpers and never bend or break.
I guess drivers need some educating too. I sure feci
bad for the bicyclists who do obey the rules yet suffer
the consequences of thoughtless car operators. It's
those conscientious riders, and yes, even guys like Joe,
who lessen congestion on both the road and in parking
lots. It's time to call a truce, and develop mutual
respect. Bicyclist and automobile drivers should stop
fighting each other and try sharing the asphalt a littlj
more v ; - r
I sometimes wish that Joe could have driven a car
and ridden me simultaneously. Not long ago' Joe's car,
another vital organ, told me how ironic it was, but he
always cuts off bikers when driving. Sccrns as if the
only way to make him sympathetic to both i lzs at cr.c:
would be by forcing him to drive the car wiih one foot
while pedaling me with the other.
I'm told they do that in China, with those rickshaws.
It's a shame I couldn't have been created as one of
them. Then maybe I wouldn't be here, in this Dcrnpcey
Dumpstcr, while Joe lies in his hospital bed waiting for
his leg, arms, and chest to heal. Like it or net, Joe, as
Ibng as you're using a fragile organ with no bumpers cr
shock absorbers and car drivers have four tens cf
reinforced steel surrounding them, you will have to
yield.
The true story of Joe's Bicycle was recorded by Cuddy
Uurmske, a junior English major from Hatfield.
Mass,
Heel.
and an editorial assistant for The Daily Tar
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To the editor:
I was very disappointed with your
article "Bikers create hazard by
ignoring traffic laws," (DTH, Nov. 7).
It is one thing to cite situations where
bicyclists may endanger themselves,
but another matter to imply that
accidents arc usually the bicyclist's
fault. Barring inclement weather, I
have ridden my bicycle to school every
day since I came here to graduate
school a year ago last Aua-st. H this
time I have teen appalled at the
consistent lack of consideration shown
by drivers in this area.
Unlike some other bicyclists, I go
cut of my way to follow traffic Laws,
stay off the sidewalk, and try to rsJe
fast cncirh so 1 da not hinder
following drivers. However, hardly a
week o;s by thai I have not hi J to
react quickly in crder lo avoid an
accident. My two saving factors rern
to be that I lock a rr;cicrc)cS: ufcty
ccure cr: J that I wear a l::!:r.rl. lie
rrc:-!em h r.ot that I Co rot consider
nse!f a vthl.lr, drivers do r.:;t.
Tft ; ;rr.:!y, diivcri cither d r.: t see
cr i.".c:fe ii.vli.ti, ar. J at te .t
r.si t! , f I Ar.'c-rod the ro; re
,-!eTCSt;r,2 s:;"ti thit dmcr have
rolled cn r;:.f a:?: I) 11 -t p. a: 4
7 ffc'a
figure they can fct by without moving
jnto the other lane. Sometimes they are
right, ether times it's ever the curb
again.
Since bicyclist are so vulnerable, it
is surprising that drivers are ret more
careful. However, if you ycil cr gesture
at them, the usual respon- ii to lack
at you like you are crazy or ai if it was
your fault. Unless yosi arc actually hit,
your cr.Iy recourse it a re:kl:i driving
charge. Thb is cr ly pos.il le if yasi ct
the licence jh'c r.urras er ci ycu can
identify the driver, wl.l.h is ret easy if
you arc Ibg en the t'VJ.r.i.
The police and the liw$ can b:
equally a?rr2vath-j. I wat itcrpcJ ere
r.irht by a r licetnan who tc'i me it
was unlawful to rid: mare than IS
in.het cut frcm the tlj.l side cf the
lane. It s.ee:r.eJ ! wc.;t rres;nlinj a
r.uis.snce to drr.ers v.;-.:.n t.s) pssj.
The fuct that I traveling the ?; eei
limit zri ih :.d J r. hae I ; ' '.-.. J,
p.-ked cars, any cf l',h r ';;Kl have
cpsnrJ t: ; . cl r and ca-s: J r:
in err..!..-! n, I t u:r tl t t
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