6AThe Daily Tar HeelTuesday, August 28, 1984
JliFF Hi DAY, Editor
Joll Broadway, Managing Editor
MICHAEL T(XLE, Editorial Page Editor
FRANK BRUNI, Associate Editor
KELLY SIMMONS, University Editor
KYLE MARSHALL, State and National Editor
melanie wells, aty Editor
VANCE TREFETHEN, Business Editor
STUART TON KINSON, News Editor
Frank Kennedy, sports Editor
Jeff Grove, Arts Editor
CINDY DUNLEAVY, Features Editor
JEFF NEUVILLE, Photography Editor
Ready or not, here we come
A nuclear war with the Soviets? No
problem. We could handle 'em.
Problem is, Moscow knows we could
handle 'em at least in the nukes
department. The dirty Reds would think
twice before firing up their new and
presumably nuclear-tipped cruise
missiles. They'd much rather come at us
with their conventional forces, since
they've got more of them than we do.
So goes, anyway, the scenario
envisioned by the Reagan
Administration: a nuclear standoff, with
most of the fighting instead occurring on
the battlefield. It follows, then, that the
Reagan-U.S. objective is to have not only
a greater nuclear arsenal (for deterrance
purposes), but, in addition, to have all
forces ready for combat on the first day
of a war. Presumably, they'd have the
capacity to sustain battle until American
industry could shift into large-scale
wartime production.
All this, of course, is in line with
Reagan's "America-first" foreign policy.
However, of late it is difficult to tell if
we really are "first."
Are we really "ready" for war?
"Readiness" is a somewhat ambiguous
term that describes and assesses the status
of mundane things like fuel, ammunition
and spare parts. Whether we are "ready"
depends on who you ask.
The saga of a scapegoat
There is something inherently
obnoxious about an assumption. It
presumes where it may have no right or
call to do so. It affects those who may
wish to remain unaffected.
Take, for recent instance, the Coca
Cola company's revamping of our
beloved beverage Tab. Our friends in
Atlanta have assumed that we Tab lovers
will love Tab even more if it is as different
from our conventional notions of diet
soft drinks as it can be, if it is as much
like "the real thing" as it can be. Which
all translates: if it is as sweet as it can
be.
We have, to be sure, nothing against
sweetness. We like our cookies, our cake,
our ice cream, and our candy sweet. But
there are times when we desire more
than the the blood-racing sinfulness of
sugar (or its most convincing facsimilies)
the vaguely bitter, faintly acidic
aftertaste of saccharin, the satisfying .
sense of dietary sacrifice only saccharin
can give us. If there is a hint of masochism
m the claim, so be it. There is in each
of us a martyr waiting to be lauded.
Saccharin brought out the beast in each
of us.
Our succeeding generations will
doubtless look back on the 20th century
and recognize saccharin as one of its
principal scapegoats. The unlikely
successor to cyclamates, which had been
rendered hazardous (how familiar the
story line now seems!) and unmarketable
by the killjoy research scientists whose
existences we recognize only in terms of
all that they forbid us to do, saccharin
was ill-fated from the start. Scientists
plotted against it, claiming that it had
caused the deaths of many a laboratory
rat (without which, we might add, society
is functioning just fine). We knew better,
knew that we would have to each
consume something in the area of four
six-packs a day for the entirety of an
epoch even to keep stride with the
conspiring rodents. We, who live in an
age when every substance other than air
has been deemed a carcinogen, were not
about to throw another of life's few joys
to the winds of longevity. We fought for
the survival of saccharin. So the surgeon
The Bottom Line
Biffy Bradley couldnt believe it. Summer
was over. His days of lounging at the Country
Club pool and playing tennis were over. Soon
it would be time to put the top back on his
Mustang convertible. And not too long after
that, God help him, another round of final
exams and the frantic hours of catch-up study
they inevitably entailed. It was the beginning
of what looked to be a long sophomore year.
As he lay in bed Monday, visions of more
frat parties and Tuesday nights at Purdy's
danced in his head. The last thing Biffy wanted
to think . about was his first class at 11.
Geography.. ..pass-fail. '
Star
92nd year of editorial freedom
Just last week a senior Defense
Department official assured The New
York Times that the United States' is
ready. He said American forces could
fight a full-scale war for at least 30 days
twice as long as four years ago
with the supplies on hand. Even better,
he said, the readiness would double again
to 60 days by the end of the decade.
His only catch: Congress would have to
approve President Reagan's military
budgets.
Then, on the other hand, you've got
the report issued last month by the
Democrat-controlled House
Appropriations Committee. It said
military readiness had declined, despite
rising military spending, and that "United
States forces could not sustain combat
against the Soviet Union or many lesser
powers." On top of that, numerous leaks
in the past six months have indicated a
similar decline, and, further, the leaks
themselves seem to have been confirmed
by Pentagon war games.
In short, evidence proving that military
readiness has declined despite
Reagan's huge budget increases is
inconclusive. We may not be any closer
to dominance over the Soviets now than
we were in January 1981, when Reagan
was inaugurated. The ambiguity alone is
enough to cast doubt on tne worthwhile
of his record spending.
general slapped one of his ubiquitous
warnings on Tab and its competitors,
thus paving the way as well as the
palates of those gullible to the
government's claims for a new
sweetener.
Enter Nutra-Sweet. Whereas saccharin
was brazenly briefed "a non-nutritive
sweetener," the new sweetener has a
prefix to fool the less than discerning.
It's got what those in the chewing gum
industry might call "big taste" or those
in the coffee trade might term "robust
flavor." But it's not such a large deal.
Sure, it puts a new zang in something
like Kool-Aid, which is artificial enough
to begin with: tropical flavors, billious
color. But its near-but-not-quite-sugar
claim sissifies colas characterized by their
crass carbonation. There's something
iconoclastic about the syrupy snap of
Nutra-Sweet in a can of would-be Coke.
It's the sweetness junkies, however,
who dominate the market, who have
found in Nutra-Sweet a less-fattening
alternative to sugary soft drinks. They
are not the ones who have persevered
with diet sodas through the years and
learned to love saccharin, to feel a certain
a gratitude for the taste sacrifice
saccharin allowed us to feel we were
making. They are the ones who now bring
about the demise of our preferred, if
imperfect, sweetener, the ones who
switched from Tab to Diet Coke as soon
as the latter incorporated the trendy new
trademarked "brand sweetener." We
clung to the remaining distinction
between the two drinks, the distinction
that is no more.
Much as we lament it, saccharin's days
are numbered. As it becomes increasingly
obsolete, a core of loyal friends we
among them comb supermarkets for
those few. remaining colas which employ
our persecuted friend, for those leftover
Tab shipments. We frown upon the
hedonists who insist upon sweetness and
overwhelm our vocal minority of
martyrs. And we pray that a new breed
of laboratory rat will come along and
pass along and prove Nutra Sweet a
villain of unforeseen proportions.
Slowly he raised himself out of bed and
snuck a glance at the clock. 10:15. Oh well,
the unwelcome beginning of school was about
to take place.
Biffy muscled his way through the crowds
in the dorm bathroom, then returned to his
room to dress: faded jeans, polo shirt, and,
the final touch, Ray-bans. Outside, the
scorching light of a hangover morning
reflected off the pastel shirts and blouses of
thousands of students more energetic than
Biffy. At least a three-day weekend was coming
up.
A chance for
By STUART TON KINSON
Mention 'Rams Club' to a UNC
student and the likely response will
be a cynical growl. Students asso
ciate the sports boosters with fat
cat alumni who use their wealth to
get the best parking spaces and the
best seats at games, often to the
detriment of students.
And the Rams Club, also known
as the Educational Foundation Inc.,
has probably earned its reputation.
Over the past couple of years,
student interests have conflicted
directly with Rams Club plans. For
example:
Two years ago, plans for the
$33.8 million Student Activities
Center, scheduled for completion
next spring, gave Rams Club
members 1,000 more seats than
students got. A petition to give the
students more and better seats was
moderately successful, but UNC
officials said they needed to reserve
a large number of seats to reward
Rams Clubbers who made substan
tial donations to the school.
Students were again outraged
last year when the Rams Club asked
permission to park cars on Carmi
chael Field during football games.
James Field had been cleared to
make room for the activities center,
and the club was already using
Ehringhaus Field for parking. The
fields, essential to the life of intram
ural programs at UNC, were show
ing their wear. Combined action by
Student Government and intramu
ral athletes forced the Rams Club
to find spaces off campus.
But, despite getting 700 extra
spaces at the off-campus locations,
the Rams Club continued to tow
student cars on parking lots nor
mally allocated to students, includ-
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Talking politics can be lonely
By KYLE MARSHALL
The loilowing column should be clipped and
saved. I expect to find it on most bulletin boards
and refrigerator doors in the Chapel Hill area.
Two good friends and I always talk about N.C.
politics when we're together. We can be found
in area restaurants, watering holes or other
gathering places, discussing things like the split
between the moderates and the conservatives in
the state Republican Party or the merits and
pitfalls of the intangibles tax. Sometimes that's
all we ever talk about, even with other friends.
And we wonder why we have trouble getting
dates. '
But the topic has served us well. If you try
to keep up with the political scene, youll know
that there's always something new to talk about,
especially in this election year. So, this N.C.
political primer is being presented on a one-time
only special offer, and will enable the unitiated
to hold a conversation on state politics in North
Carolina.
The conversation assuming you're not
already talking about Tar Heel politics, which
is a safe assumption can begin with a simple
question: "What do you think of Jesse Helms?"
That's a good start, but if you're eating dinner
in a quiet restaurant, the argument may result
in an immediate ejection from the place. No other
politician in North Carolina, perhaps in the
country, generates as much scorn and contempt
as Helms, yet he stands more than a reasonable
chance of being elected this year to his third term
in the U.S. Senate.
For those of you who have been vacationing
in Namibia for the past year and a half, Helms,
a Republican, is being challenged for his Senate
seat by Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt, who is
ending his second term as governor.
Helms draws the wrath of many a, North
Carolinian. His detractors take exception to his
strong stands on social issues such as abortion
(he's opposed) and school prayer (he's in favor)
and think that his votes to trim government
spending are unfair. Still others perceive Helms
to be a racist, and they point to his lonely
campaign in the Senate to stop the national
holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. as
evidence.
Helm's supporters, and there are many of
them, defend his efforts to save taxpayers' money,
provide a strong national defense and support
tobacco and other agricultural programs
important to North Carolina. ,
Personally, I like Helms because of his sense
of humor, which far outshadows Hunt's cold and
impersonal style of campaigning. "I saw Ted
Kennedy standing with his hands in his own
pockets for a change" and "With what Jim Hunt
knows about international policy, he couldn't
find his way to the International House of
Pancakes" are two of my favorite quotes from
Helms.
Hunt's appeal comes from mainstream
Democrats. Considered moderate to conserva
tive on most issues, he has not gathered a lot
of support from the state's most liberal Demo
crats. They're casting their votes against Helms,
rather than for Hunt, in most cases. The
governor's support for the death penalty and his
freeze on state employee's salaries during the
Rams' redemption
Deck parking: conciliatory project
ing part of the Morrison lot, the
Bell Tower lot, the Rams Head lot,
part of Stadium Drive and the Cobb
tennis courts lot.
And last summer, the UNC
Board of Trustees voted to give the
Rams Club almost 200 additional
parking spaces on a McCauley
Street lot, even though the Club will
get almost 800 spaces in the new
activities center. Although Student
Body President Paul Parker
opposed the allocation, the proposal
was pushed through without encoun
tering the student opposition that
would have been present if it was
introduced during a regular school
year.
Yes, students have reasons to
distrust the Rams Club, which
consistently places far more empha
sis on athletics than academics and
almost as consistently acts out of
self-interest. But the Rams Club and
the administration are now in a
position where they can change that
image.
You see, the Rams Club donated
$4.77 million more than the school
needed to build the activities center.
That's almost $5 million that the.
school gets to play around with.
So many people contributed so
much because of the reward of the
contributions the right to buy
tickets to North Carolina s favorite
sporting event, UNC basketball
games. Now the University has to
decide what to do with the excess
funds.
The University could best make
use of the funds by using them to
help pay for a badly needed parking
deck in the Bell Tower lot. This year,
students who drive to classes will
have to park further from the main
A campaign is
choice of mate
i&m - rir
Edmisten, Martin: personalities eclipse issues
recent recession are particularly sticky points
with them.
Political observers rate Hunt a slight edge to
beat Helms, but almost everyone agrees the race
will go down to the wire. Even aside from the
Jim & Jesse Show, there's a lot to say about
N.C. politics. Democratic Attorney General
Rufus Edmisten and Republican Congressman
Jim Martin, for example, are the two men who
want to replace Hunt as governor. Edmisten had
to overcome five tough primary opponents to
gain the Democratic nomination, while Martin
had the GOP nod wrapped up long ago without
any competition.
This race is based more on the personal styles
of the two candidates than on the issues.
Edmisten is the folksy, country-boy type,
endearing himself to the rural voters that have
elected him twice as attorney general. Martin,
a former chemistry professor at Davidson
College, often appears more knowledgeable on
issues,, but he often falls into long-winded
speeches and answers.
The way things are going now, Edmisten
appears to be the favorite. When the traditional
home stretch in politics begins after Labor Day,
however, Martin is expected to tighten up the
race with a strong television ad campaign. The
ads will improve his name recognition with the
voters, giving him a better chance against
Edmisten, who is well-known after his two
statewide races for attorney general.
In case you're interested, there are some other
statewide races. Bob Jordan, the Democratic
nominee for lieutenant governor, is expected to
defeat Republican opponent John Carrington.
Other races for attoney general, insurance
commissioner, labor commissioner, agriculture
commissioner, secretary of state and state
superintendent of schools will go to the
Democratic candidates.
Here are a few more important safety tips that
will help avoid embarrassment during any
political discussion:
Democrats outnumber Republicans in North
Carolina by a 3-1 margin. Nine of the state's
1 1 congressmen are Democrats. Only one
Republican governor has been elected in the 20th
campus than before, thanks to
construction. But student demand
for parking spaces is higher than
ever. The University needs an on
campus parking deck.
The BOT recently proposed
looking into a plan which would
construct a 2,000-space deck at the
Bell Tower lot, at a total cost of
about $12 million. If the BOT
approves construction of the lot, the
plans must still be accepted by the
UNC Board of Governors and the
N.C. General Assembly.
Parker early this summer said he
would oppose a parking deck
because it would be too costly for
students. UNC officials estimated
that the paying for the lot would
more than double the cost of
parking permits, which now stands
at $60-$72. But that was before the
Rams Club's unexpected windfall.
Of course, if Rams Club money
did help pay for the lot, it would
probably be reserved during foot
ball and basketball games for Rams
Club members. But, during school
hours, it would be an invaluable
boon.
In the end, as Vice Chancellor of
Business and Finance Ferris Wom
ack recently said, it is the Rams
Club's money, and they can do with
it what they want. But construction
of the parking deck would help
relieve one of the University's most
persistent headaches. In addition, it
might just help relieve tension
between the boosters and the
students.
Come on, guys; help us out.
Stuart Tonkinson, a junior his
tory major from St. Louis, Mo., is
news editor of The Daily Tar Heel.
like a marriage: a wise or poor
makes all the difference.
DCHINI CVCKY 1
WOMAN .m
there's an
incredibly
dull presidential
candidate
3
11
century (Jim Holshouser in 1972). Jesse Helms
was the first Republican senator elected this
century.
The best way for a Republican to get elected
is to saturate the airwaves with TV ads. It has
worked for Helms, and it's why our other senator,
Republican John East, defeated Democrat
Robert Morgan in 1980. Much of the Repub
licans' funding for TV campaigning comes from
the direct-mail approach of the National
Congressional Club, founded in 1973 to help
retire Helms' initial campaign debts.
Voters in the rural eastern part of the state
generally are more conservative than residents
in the Piedmont and mountains. The mountain
counties, where there are almost as many
Republicans as Democrats, offer the best
example of two-party competition.
North Carolina, as well as much of the South,
does not take too kindly to' liberal politics on
nationally prominent Democrats such as Walter
Mondale. Mondale is given little chance of
beating President Reagan here. (When Mondale
visited Asheville earlier this month, most of the
state's Democratic leaders stayed away, saying
they had previous commitments to keep.)
That should be enough political trivia to
sustain the conversation for a while.
But the hazard begins when you try to convince
others that whatever values and positions you
hold are right. While talking politics last week
here in the DTH office, a friend told me that
she always stayed away from political
discussions.
"It's because your opinions are always wrong,"
1 told her.
"That's not true, and I'm never talking to you
again" was her response as she walked out the
door.
I hope I don't lose any more friends.
Kyle Marshall, a senior economics and
journalism major from Hendersonville and state
and national editor oThe Daily Tar Heel, often
is foutfd talking politics to the state Associated
Press wire machine in the newspaper 's office.
Mildred, as she is called, is kept locked in a small
room to prevent her from running away.