6The Daily Tar HeelFriday. August 30. 1985
READER FORUM
Dangerous times call for precautionary measures
93 rd year of editorial freedom
Arne Rickert and David Schmidt
Editor Editor
STUART TONKINSON Managing Editor
BENPERKOWSK1 Associate Editor
DICK ANDERSON Associate Editor
JANET OLSON University Editor
AMYSTYERS Neu s Editor
ANDYTRINC1A State and National Editor
Leigh Williams
Mark Powell
; Lee Roberts
Frank Bruni
City Editor
Business Editor
Sports Editor
Arts Editor
Sharon Sheridan Features Editor
Larry Childress Photo Editor
No Tulane road for justice
College athletics and the judicial
system two of America's most
sacrosanct institutions that have run into
each other quite often lately. Suspects
in the latest scandal to rock collegiate
sports, the Tulane point shaving scheme,
have been in the legal hot seat as they
face television cameras and a judge's
scowl on a daily basis.
But a shocking development Wednes
day that led to the dismissal of charges
against former Tulane basketball star
John "Hot Rod" Williams shows that
the system passing judgment on college
athletics may need to step back and take
a look at the way some lawyers are
playing their game.
District Judge Alvin Oser of New
Orleans dismissed sports bribery charges
against Williams and lambasted three
assistant district attorneys because
evidence termed "Brady materiar was
withheld by the Orleans Parish District
Attorney's office. Several times Oser
ordered the prosecution to turn the
evidence over to defense attorneys, but
that never transpired. Deriving its name
from a U.S. Supreme Court decision,
Brady material is evidence uncovered by
the prosecution that could lead to the
acquittal of the defendant that must be
shared with the defense.
The evidence in question concerned
statements by former Tulane players
Clyde Eads and Jon Johnson, who have
received immunity from state prosecu
tion in exchange for their testimony.
Johnson's statement conflicted with
earlier testimony he gave to the grand
jury that indicted Williams, thus eroding
the credibility of his statements.
The prosecution also had a picture of
a mound of cocaine in front of star
witness Gary Kranz, who had claimed
in earlier testimony he had never seen
more than $50 worth of cocaine at one
time. Such information could be used
by the defense to shoot down Kranz's
character.
Oser said in his decision that the
prosecution's refusal to submit the
evidence did not give the defense
adequate ooportunity to prepare for
proper cross-examination, violating
Williams' right to a fair trial.
The actions of the district attorney's
office are abominable. The three assist
ant district attorneys named in Oser's
decision deserve to be demoted, if not
fired. Denial of a fair trial goes against
everything upon which the American
judicial system was founded. These three
men, who are supposedly serving in the
public interest, have no business con
tinuing in their current position.
Federal officials have indicated that
they might file charges against Williams
if Oser's decision stands on the state
level. But there is now a distinct
possibility that a central figure in the
biggest scam in the history of college
sports may walk away scot free. Suppose
another athlete considers trying the same
thing. He thinks even if he is caught he
would be exonerated on some legal
technicality. What's to stop him?
This is not a condemnation of the
entire legal system, just as the crimes
Williams and his counterparts commit
ted are not indicative of all college
athletes. But it makes one wonder what
has happened to the original premise of
the legal system, guaranteeing a suspect
of his innocence until proven guilty.
When an attorney shifts the burden of
proof to the defendant, that premise has
been chunked right out the window.
Such acts cannot be tolerated.
Ain't it anti-social?
Antimatter.
Pretty scary stuff, huh? Sort of like
the cheese on an ARA cheeseburger.
"Hmm, think IH stay away from that."
Or maybe antimatter more closely
resembles the lime-green contents of two
puddles that have been observed grow
ing between the Student Union and
Davis Library recently. "Check it out,
man."
If either of these two thoughts came
to mind as you read the word "antimat
ter," then we're sorry to have to report
that you're living in the dark ages.
But have no fear, for ours may soon
be a brighter age. As reported recently
by The New York Times, work is
scheduled to be completed on a $38
million antimatter "factory" next month
in Batavia, 111.
The factory, a monumental project
undertaken by the Fermi National
Laboratory (Fermilab),'just happens to
be a 4-mile circular underground atom
smasher. Imagine going to the trouble
of building something that's four miles
around, underground, just to smash an
atom. The guys who dreamed it up must
be pretty excited about antimatter, huh?
Wouldn't you like to go to some of their
cocktail parties?
We bet you would ... or should.
These guys are talking about all sorts
of long-term possibilities for antimatter
energy levels powerful enough to
achieve interstellar travel, single-factory
energy production for entire nations,
pinpoint medical advances and bombs
of nearly unimaginable magnitude
(depending on the relative immorality
of your imagination).
Without getting too technical, and
without insulting those of you who are
more particularly informed about its
nature, antimatter is no different than
ordinary matter, except that its sub
atomic particles carry charges opposite
from ordinary matter. An atom of
antimatter is composed of anti-electrons,
anti-protons and anti-gluons. Unfortu
nately (maybe), antimatter is extremely
rare in the universe. And one might well
wonder whether there isn't a good reason
for that. We do, but we're no experts.
One expert is Dr. Theodore E.
Kalogeropoulos (isn't that a great
name?) of Syracuse University, who has
suggested the possibility of using anti
protons in the treatment of cancer
tumors. He envisions the ultimate
obsolescence of the X-ray treatment.
But Dr. Robert March, a physicist
from the University of Wisconsin, isn't
at all sure about the possible applications
for antimatter theory. "There is no way
to produce antimatter in significant
quantities and no way to store it safely,"
he says. "On the other hand, you can
never tell. Sometimes practical applica
tions sneak up on you suddenly."
Well, doesn't that sound titillating?
Perhaps a practical application will blow
us all out of our beds one morning.
Of course, we at the DTH are still
awaiting the advent of anti-courses In
our Utopian world, University professors
would be required to wait in long lines
for hours on end in order to "drop" and
"add" courses that they wished to teach.
But their choices would be strictly
limited to those courses which fulfilled
anti-perspective requirements.
Dream on. . . .
A gallery's best friend
One of the best things hanging on the
wall of the Student Union gallery,
regardless of the exhibit, was the sheet
of paper for spontaneous comments
about the art.
f Initiated under Carolina Union Pres
ident Walt Boyle's direction last semes
ter, the paper brought viewers closer to
the art by allowing them to respond
concretely. For passers-by who ignored
the displays, it challenged them to notice
the differences decorating for better
or worse, according to opinion their
routine path through the Union.
It's encouraging that the original
sheet, accompanying one of the last
exhibits in the spring, was filled. So are
doors to bathroom stalls, you might say
(and some of the comments on the Union
wall could have been called graffitti), but
at least the comments showed that many
people cared enough to react and
appreciated the opportunity to critique,
question, advise or just show off.
The only problem is that the paper
was too small. And there was no pen
for to scrawl. Which wouldn't have
worked long, 'cause it was hung vertical.
But that's about all.
With the suggestion of placing a
secured pen and large, open sketch book
on a table, let's hope the Carolina Union
board decides to continue an outlet that
lets students and faculty add their own
bit of creativity to Union art exhibits.
To the editors:
Returning home from my class
Wednesday night, I witnessed a
distressing event. In a matter of two
blocks, 1 saw seven women walking
alone. Considering the recent hor
rible events. 1 would think these
women would be taking extra safety
precautions, instead of remaining
vulnerable to the sick people out
there.
It would be nice to pick up the.
DTH and not see another disgusting
occurrence, with one of our women
as the victim.
Speaking as a guy who sincerely
cares about the safety and well
being of the women on this campus,
1 make this plea to any female
readers: Take extra precautions. Do
not, under any circumstances, walk
alone at night. While walking in
pairs does not guarantee safety, as
realized last week, it still serves as
a deterrent.
if you need someone to walk you
somewhere, call a male friend. I'm
not saying that you're completely
safe with a male escort, but 1 think
we all realize an attack is much less
likely with a male around.
There is also the Rape and
Assault Prevention Escort service
(933-7602). I strongly urge you
women to use it. At any rate, don't
take chances. Call a friend. He won't
mind being your escort:
If you should need someone to
walk you somewhere, 1, for one, am
willing to help. Call me at 967-6743.
1 won't mind.
We guys at Carolina are aware
of the problems women face and we
want to help. Carolina women are
special and we don't want anything
to happen to any of you. Give us
a chance and well get through this
problem together.
Wayne McDaniel
Bolinwood Apts.
H 4 .1. -J"!
tSErL... Lj5 ii ' '-1
IRS i : liR - - .
If you want a say, then say so
' GABQ3H! I5THVS PUSTCN W5M.T S1WER.? '
Buki: The time isn 't right
To the editors:.
In the story, "CGC to ask Town
Council to put student on board"
(Aug. 29), Frank Whitney was
quoted as saying. They have to
respect students' requests since they
are such a large proportion of the
community." With all due respect
to the member, and especially to his
abstention, I do not believe that the
Town Council has to respect stu
dents' requests. Why? How many
students are registered to vote in
Chapel Hill? I am, and 1 noticed
how few students voted when I went
to the polls at the Community
Church and then at Fetzer Gym.
How many students register their
property for and then pay property
taxes? I'm sure you could ask the
Town Council how much property
they think is going untaxed, even
though the town's fire department
answers dormitory fire calls, for
example.
The children of Chapel Hill also
are a large part of the population,
but the Town Council doesn't have
to listen to them they neither vote
nor pay taxes. If students do want
a voice in community affairs, the
voting booths are always open. If
they would rather use their vote in
their "home" community, that is
their choice as well.
Rachel Applegate
'.',' Craige
Tonkinson: 'D TH'er no more?
To the editors:
It is with regret that I take this
opportunity to announce officially
that 1 will not seek a position on
the Chapel Hill Town Council for
the coming term. 1 have made this
decision based on personal reasons
which indicate that a decision to
continue to run would be counter
productive at this time.
This decision in no way reflects
any belief on my part that a student
does not belong on the Town
Council; so i urge further consid
eration of this matter from within
the student body. Finally, I would
like to thank v James R.Leutze and
Willis Brooks for their support and
belief In this idea.
Charles Z. Buki
Chapel Hill
Editors' note: Buki is a junior
from Ft. Bragg who announced
plans to run for Chapel Hill Town
Council last spring.
It's still rock 'n ' roll to me
To the editors:
I feel compelled to take exception
to Stuart Tonkinson's column
concerning Bruce Springsteen
("Bruce Springsteen: Rocker no
more?," Aug. 27). Apparently Ton
kinson has not had the good fortune
to attend a Springsteen concert.
(Editors' note: Tonkinson saw
Springsteen most recently in Lon
don July 4.) Earlier this month 1
saw Springsteen in concert and
came away with an entirely different
impression than Tonkinson's.
Several times during the concert
Springsteen spoke to the crowd
about social responsibility in what
a friend of mine said could only be
called "lectures." He promoted a
local food kitchen at least three
times and urged the crowd to
contribute to it. Before singing "My
Hometown," he said, "This is your
hometown, so you'd better do
something about it." He introduced
"This Land is Your Land." a Woody
Guthrie- song, by labelling it "the
best song ever written about Amer
ica" and saying, "Countries are like
people. You have to invest in them
or you lose them." That song is an
anthem for those who feel dispos
sessed by the system to stake their
claim to America.
While Springsteen's songs reflect
the despair of the unemployed and
the decay of former factory towns,
his message is far from fatalistic.
Rather, he suggests that help begins
at home and that we must all get
involved in finding solutions to our
problems. What could be less
fatalistic than encouraging millions
of young people in this country to
get involved in their communities?
1 hope this sets the record straight.
Leonard Wolfenstein
Chapel Hill
To the editors:
I n response to Stuart Tonkinson's
column ("Bruce Springsteen:
Rocker no more?," Aug. 27): I was
amazed at Tonkinson's absolute
knowledge of what rock V roll is
and is not. Having written one or
two letters to newspapers in my past
really just one, possibly two
I was nearly irate at Tonkinson's
use of the word "albeit" and his
drawing on President Reagan's
critique of Springsteen's music.
I'm not a Springsteen fan. IVe
never seen him in xoncert. I don't
have any of his records. I think his
voice is a little raspy, but that isn't
the point. What is the point is
Tonkinson's claim that "rock 'n' roll
is intrinsically an optimistic mode
of expression." Rock 'n' roll prob
ably is mostly optimistic, but what
boring music it would be if that's
all it was as Tonkinson seems
to suggest it should be. A message
of hope "is just such a message
Springsteen needs to transcend."
Why should he? In fact, here is this
35-year-old guy, happily married,
playing guitar in front of thousands,
having the time of his life and you,
Tonkinson, are cutting the hell out
of him just because he doesn't have
an impact.
Since you state, "in rock all can
be reduced to the dance next Friday
night, the date with Peggy Sue, etc.,"
what type of impact do you expect?
I suggest you stop looking for rock
and rollers for impact and turn to
the old folk musicians (e.g., Pete
Seeger, Dylan, Baez, Guthrie). 1
also suggest that the type of impact
you're after judging from your
article would be played by
musicians on the scale of Bobby
Sherman, The Cowsills, Frankie
Avalon or the Partidge Family.
I enjoyed writing this letter not
really. I get too worked up over
these unimportant subjects. So
please, Tonkinson, dont irritate me
anymore.
Jim Thorson
Chapel Hill
Thumbs up to Union films
To the editors:
1 was confused after reading
letters to the editors this past week
criticizing the Union's fall film
schedule. Are these people looking
at the same fall schedule that is at
the Student Union desk? This year's
schedule is the best IVe seen in my
four years here at UNC. No classic
films? How about La Dolce Vital
The Discreet Charm of the Bour
geoisie1! The Blue AngeV. Fox and
His Friends If Fellini, Bunuel, Von
Steinberg and Fassbinder aren't
classic directors, I'd like to see who
is! '
I would like to offer my thanks
to the Carolina Union Film Com
mittee for bringing UNC students
the best movies our student activ
ities fees can buy.
Michael Bafford
Old Well Apts.
We want the facts, Lee, yY the facts
By MIKE BERARDINO
With all due respect to Lee Roberts, The Daily
Tar HeeVs slightly opinionated sports editor, I
would like to take this opportunity to present
the other side of an important issue in the world
of sports.
I am referring to Roberts' column in Monday's
DTH, "Marino should examine morals."
Obviously overcome by that perennial sports
fan's ailment, "proportion distortion," Roberts
spent several paragraphs blowing off some steam
and ignoring some key facts regarding the
situation of Dan Marino, star quarterback and
holdout for the Miami Dolphins.
If we are to believe Lee's version of the
situation, Marino is the kind of guy who shoots -young
autograph seekers on sight and juggles
flaming kittens for fun. If you think I'm
exaggerating, you're right. But try this quote
from "Low-Key Lee" on for size: "Marino . . .
has the moral fiber of some of the scum running
around the streets on Miami Vice."
C'mon, Lee, try Sanka!
Instead of likening the most prolific passer in
National Football League history to a drug
pusher who spends his Friday nights running
from Don Johnson, I would rather present a
few simple facts which hopefully will enlighten
and sway the "sportivores" of the UNC campus.
Rather than referring to Miami Vice in his
column, Roberts could have written about the
"Miami Vise," which seems to be Dolphins'
owner Joe Robbie's favorite style of contract
negotiation. For the real issue in the Marino
Robbie dispute is not one of greed, but one of
preserving the sanctity of the spoken agreement.
Join me now as we borrow a page from the
script of Michael J. Fox and friends and head
back in time. No, not all the way back to 1955,
but rather January 1985 the week prior to
Super Bowl XIX:
The scene is a crowded press room in Palo
Alto, Calif. Basking in the glory of his team's
second trip to the Super Bowl in the past three
years, Joe Robbie stands at the head of the room
fielding the customary questions asked during
Super Bowl week.
"Do you think the Dolphins will win? What's
your wife's three favorite soap operas? Will you
renegotiate Dan Marino's contract?"
Although I'm unsure whether the first two
questions were asked or not (judging from the
notorious history of stupid Super Bowl ques
tions, they probably were), the final question
made headlines in Miami papers' story-starved
sports sections.
C LA C
X'fA A LITTLE
"Yes," the proud owner said. And why not?
After all, Marino had led his team to what is
arguably the world's biggest sporting event and
compiled the astronomical statistics of 48
touchdown passes and 5,084 passing yards along
the way.
The Dolphins lost that game, however and
Joe Robbie subsequently lost all recollection of
his earlier statement.
My uncle Tony, a longtime Dolphins fan and
original season ticket-holder, has a funny
description of the frugal Robbie that may help
you understand the situation better. "He has long
pockets and short arms." In other words, he's
cheap.
Unfortunately for Robbie, Marino and his
agent, Marvin Demoff, have pretty good
memories. They contacted "Jokin' Joe" many
times over the next six months to set up the
negotiations Robbie had agreed to with hundreds
of writers and television cameras as witnesses.
Marino's phone calls went unreturned and his
efforts unrewarded. In late July, at the advice
of Demoff and for fear of hurting his bargaining
position, Marino stepped off the training camp
field and left the two-a-day workouts behind to
pursue birdies and eagles on the golf course.
One month later, the only thing that has
improved is Marino's golf game. The situation
is this: Robbie wont negotiate until Marino is
back in camp and Marino won't come back to
camp until Robbie negotiates.
For a devout Dolfan like myself, the whole
scenario is hard to accept. But what is even harder
to accept is the categorization of Marino as just
another greedy jock and Robbie as the poor,
downtrodden owner. Take it from a Floridian
who knows, that couldn't be any farther from
the truth.
Mike Berardino, a freshman journalism major
from West Palm Beach, Fla.. is a staff writer
for The Daily Tar Heel and a lifelong Dolphins
fan.