Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 25, 1986, edition 1 / Page 8
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8The Daily Tar Heel Thursday, September 25, 1986 MMM rui r Sailu Ular 3ft M 94th year of editorial freedom RANDY FARMER, Managing Editor ED BRACKETT, Associate Editor DEWEY MESSER, Associate Editor Tracy Hill, News Editor GRANT PARSONS, University Editor Linda Montanari, city Editor JILL GERBER, State and National Editor Scott Fowler, sports Editor KATHY PETERS, Features Editor ROBERT KEEFE, Business Editor Elizabeth Ellen, Arts Editor DAN CHARLSON, Photography Editor Intolerance: coiled, lethal Given the political climate it is not surprising that the White Patriot Party was marching in Raleigh Sunday. To a certain extent, the N.C. white supremacist group's demonstration was in keeping with a disturbing national trend: Zealots of religious and racial bigotry find something in today's United States that gives them hope for a comeback. On the national scene, there is Pat Robertson, who with a heavenly sophistry, is dangerously walking the thin line of imbuing all Americans to be Protestant. His belief that secular public education promotes a godless world view is evidence of that. In essence, Robertson's candidacy for the presidency could attempt to translate divine inspiration into political author ity and use that authority to enforce his standard of morality over a diverse nation. There is also William Rehnquist, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, who drafted a proposal for a Constitutional amendment permitting the resegregation of the nation's schools. In North Carolina within recent months, crosses were burned in Iredell County and Glenn Miller aspired to be the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. At UNC, the Students For America, a conservative student political group, is. waging a war against the Carolina Gay and Lesbian Association. SFA's platitude is that CGLA does not have a right to receive student fees because those fees should not fund someone's sexual preference. At the heart of SFA's assertion is their intolerance of , homosexuals because homosexuals are different and are perceived to do "immoral" acts. Members of SFA claim they are not homophobes. In sum, the bigots are out of the closet, and for no clear-cut reason. Regrettably, our attention does not seem to be concerned with them, but with extremists on other shores most notably the Soviet Union. The United States may be justified in its outrage over the Soviet detention of U.S. News & World Report reporter Nicholas Daniloff. The "kidnapping" of a reporter without charges is an open and defiant breach of basic freedoms. But as regrettable as that situation is, it should not distract us from our domestic threats to human rights. Soviet and world licentiousness is dangerous and deserves our indig nation. So does American licentious ness. The American atmosphere has U.S. extremists coiled and ready to strike. Speeding toward a conflict On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate voted, 56-36, to allow states to raise the speed limit to 65 mph on rural stretches of . interstate highway. The measure is surprising in that it does not meld with Congress' recent efforts to make the nation's highways safer. : But those who favored the measure apparently don't think road safety will be impaired. The vote could be summed up as a classic East-West struggle; the measure was sponsored by a Westerner, U.S: Sen. Steven Symms, R-Idaho. Many other Wes terners also gave their approval of the measure. In many areas of the West, there is little reason to expect drivers to adhere to a 55 mph limit. Western states are generally sparsely populated, with long, empty expanses between towns. With few cars on the roads, there is little traffic to impede driving faster than the speed limit. : ':' Not so, cry the Eastern senators about their constituent areas. The Easterners fear that a 65 mph limit j in the East, even in rural areas, will - cost lives. U.S. Sen. William Prox mire, D-Wisconsin, said, "If we do this, we will be, in effect, signing the death warrants of 500 men, women and children and, in effect, we will be accessories to the maiming of thou sands of others." In a sense, these two sides of the issue are really voting for whether states should have certain legislative rights. Those who fear increased road fatalities voted against the measure, essentially disallowing states to make their own judgments. Those who did want a higher limit felt that states can make a wise and rational decision, based on their own needs. But one must wonder how this measure was successful when com pared to other recent Congressional acts. Forcing states to impose a seat belt law and higher legal drinking ages hardly extends states more rights; rather, Congress has of late fervently denied states' rights while they would interfere with highway safety. Whether drivers should be allowed to drive at 65 mph is the headline issue here, with the question of states' rights taking the back seat. Perhaps the best way to solve both issues at once is to allow states to decide for themselves. The Bottom Line Defendant pleads spud spaz Jaws" made some viewers afraid of the water. "Psycho" gave would-be bathers pause before they hopped in the shower. "Willard" provided a good argument for the extinction of gerbils everywhere. Now from real Hie and Northern Island comes potato chip hysteria. Yes, it was potato chips that drove Belfast resident Tony Doherty, 21, to temporary madness, ruled a judge in the city last week. ; Doherty normally a "pleasant and ; likable" sort, according to the magistrate ; had attacked his father after eating two bags ; of potato chips. The court dismissed the ; charges due to his allergic reaction to potatoes. Though Doherty and his family knew of the allergy, Doherty, who lived in a hostel, "was forced to eat the institutionalized food," according to his father. Unfortu nately, the hostel's menu frequently featured the scurrilous spud, and Doherty's person ality began to change, say witnesses. The potato chips were the last straw, apparently. In dismissing the charges, the judge expressed concern that "so many other Offenders" could have similar allergies. But will they go so far as to enter the Potato Plea? . . . dead Drop The recent release of the University Registrar's survey of students who endured pardon the expression and please finish your coffee, lest you want to lose it ignominiously DROP-ADD yielded some interesting results. (Actually, The Experience ended just over a month ago, so you should start to deal with it now and get on with your life. Breath deeply, now: DROP-ADD, DROP-ADD, DROP-ADD, DROP-ADD. There. Feel better?) Solicited comments in the survey indi cated that at least some freshmen actually liked The Experience (no word on how their mental therapy is coming along), while the upperclassmen, natch, gave it a colossal thumbs-down. "This is ridiculous," wrote one nay-sayer. "You couldn't make it more difficult." Thus commanded another: "Get the new tele phonic system installed SOON." Then there's this cogent analysis: "Putting everyone in Carmichael . . . was nuts." Not everyone was content to play critic, however. At least one freshman wasn't too concerned with the whole thing, writing, "You hire pretty check-out girls thanks!" We can only hope such comments prove useful to the University. Lenoir salads, a "wei Wi hile waiting in the long lines of Lenoir Hall, Chase Hall or The Commons, have you ever secretly and quickly eaten something without paying for it? How many times have you put a few of those 1 5c butter patties under your napkin, hoping the lovely lady at the register won't notice them and charge them to your quickly dwindling account? How about this one? While weighing your plate of salad or cottage cheese, have you ever held your plate so that it was only partially on that modern weighing scale and the price came to only $4, instead of the bargain deal of $6.50? These tricky cafeteria tactics are but a few of the obvious outcries to the problems of our new Marriott dining service. All comedy aside, the atmosphere in each of the dining areas is pleasant and comfortable. The employees of the Marriott Corporation are no less pleasing. One can always expect "service with a smile." But the problems consist of the shortage of favorite foods, compounded by the lack of adequate seating, high prices, and lengthy waits in line. There must be some plausible solutions to these problems. First, let's talk money. If we use a little multiplication, we can see what a rip-off the butter really is. If one puts 20 of those little patties together to form one stick, he comes out with a $3 stick of butter. Someone is making a healthy profit off that one. Some, though not all, of the food is expensive. Charging by the ounce for salads seems like a good idea until one notices that any decent sized salad costs more than one would care to pay. At home, didn't your mother encourage you to eat something green with every meal? You used to ask why. And she would reply, "Because it is good for you!" Then you would scrape the spinach or lima beans off your plate and into a napkin, then hide it in a secret place until your parents had left. In college, things are a bit different. The freedom that the students receive provides them with the responsibility to eat the correct foods. Especially with the 'SOs being the "health era," many college students gMy" matter 3 OECOin Guest Writers During the normal eating hours and between classes, one obviously expects to wait in line. Sometimes, though, a person will find himself waiting in a random line that goes nowhere. By the time the student has survived the wait for food, it's time for another wait, this time at the register. Your meal, once hot, refuse to live on hamburgers, french fries and colas alone. The salad bar provides students with a wide range of toppings, "V" "! T . ' 7rl EyAi?n . & la?ngvyT wait go faster and will save you a few dollars. "JSSfeSLSfeS?: For fhe students who do survive the wait, i uui uicuii wuuim, siut uiaucs, uiuik. un&cn and a salad can set a meal card holder back an easy $8. There's no bargain there, pal, so chuck the salad. Most would rather eat a greasy burnto over a salad anyway. the hunt for an empty table begins. It is usually hard to find an empty table, so be friendly and sit next to a stranger or his girlfriend if the opportunity arises. r,:"7::t " "6 J . beh nd-the-counter organization, Marriott thi.Sf?SS? students from getting fc bfc h &re food the essential vitamins and minerals. Some- . . 5 6 where, there is a solution. Maybe once or service a good name. twice a week Marriott could accommodate , , . , the students' appetite for salad with an idea . Brad Beebe is a freshman nutrition major like buy a meal and get a salad free, or Jrom Atlanta Ga. Danny Rosin is a possibly an all-you-can-eat salad bar once freshman nutrition major from Portsmouth, in a while. Bomb Libya To the editor: In his Sept. 12 column, "Diplomacy, not bombs for Libya," Keith Cooper asked that President Reagan remember the proverb, "To err is human; to forgive, divine." Is it possible that supporting random murders of innocent people is to "err?" Perhaps we should have forgiven Adolf Hitler and tried to establish diplomacy with Nazi Germany. Let's face it: terrorists com mit acts of war, not just acts of violence. If you support acts of war, you are, in essence, at war. Moammar Gadhari is at war with the United States as well as other nations that don't support his views. One may argue that he hasn't officially declared war, and he hasn't done so because he is smart. He doesn't want to lose, to be dethroned. Instead, he relies on unofficial acts of war. He supports terrorism. He funds terrorists, has training camps for them and takes credit for their actions. Reagan doesn't want war, either, but he didn't start the trouble. Americans do not suddenly murder people at airports or in airplanes, terror ists do. And for retribution's sake, they must be punished they must be stopped. Terrorists cannot be for given. They will never see the "err" of their ways because they are determined to murder inno cent people. Terrorists cannot be reasoned with, so they must be stopped. Suppose we "forgive" and re establish diplomatic relations with Libya. If we do, we "for give" the murders of over 200 innocent people, all of the much more numerous serious injuries and all the causes of this pain and suffering. What would that prove? That terrorism works, that terrorism is a viable opportun ity for any small nation with a cause. "Kill enough Ameri cans," terrorists will say, "and they will understand. They won't bomb us because they don't want to stoop to our level, so well murder innocent people until we get our way. Terrorism works; Libya proved that." Attacking Libya does not add fuel to the fire we are trying to put out the fire. Other countries view our attack as "counter to international norms" because it is not hap pening to them. The United States must take the lead and stop terrorism. The United States must bomb Libya. Again. If indeed Gadhafi wants to "unify the Arab world and promote solidarity," wouldn't he do so by trying to establish diplomacy in that direction? Why is he jeopardizing any unity or solidarity by support ing terrorism? How can he support unity on one hand and oppose the United States through terrorism, a very real jmmmm'rrrr rsr, - z...ps.. .- act of disunity, on the other? Palestinian Arabs may have the right t6 self-determination. But they don't have the right to "resort to terrorism because . . ."; terrorism can never be justified. Saying that there will be immediate reprisals if we bomb Libya is another attempt to justify terrorism. In doing so, Cooper implicitly blames the United States for the acts of terrorism. Though Libyan civ ilians may lose their lives if we attack the country again, I am not convinced that they are all that innocent, especially when they burn the U.S. flag. Terrorist acts are acts" of war. Terrorism, and those who support it, must be stopped. Those supporters include Gad hafi. Stop Gadhafi. Bomb Libya. DAVID GILPIN Graduate Law Rottin'fink To the editor: I would like to disseminate a piece of advice to bike owners on campus: Dont leave your bikes on campus overnight, even if you have an unbreak able lock. I foolishly left my bike (a gray Fuji) locked in front of the Undergraduate Library this past weekend, thinking it was safe because it was locked with a Kryptonite lock. Nobody stole the bike, or even any part of the bike, but the front wheel somehow got wrapped around the bicycle rack. To the person who did this: 1 assume that you were drunk or otherwise incapacitated when you smashed my bike and that you are now repentant. You feel especially bad because you've, wrecked a penurious student's only means of trans portation. 1 believe that you want to make restitution to me in the amount of $35 (the cost of a new rim). Send the money to me . through the classics department, anonymously if you wish. Should you not wish to make restitution, I can only say: Rot in hell, scum. DAVID WHARTON Graduate Classics Rebel Yell To the editor: Perhaps George Tindall ("Away, Accent," Sept. 17) should take a moment to realize that not everyone feels that being an accomplished person and success in life mean living behind part of their heritage. My accent is a part of me of which I'm particularly proud. It represents my upbringing. My parents and grandparents instilled in me a strong set of values . which emphasized love graciousness and tolerance. I can only con clude from Tindall's comments that his upbringing was sorely lacking in two of those three values. Tindall, on behalf of Tom Wicker, Andy Griffith and all the other southerners you offended in your cute little letter, 1 have only one thing to say to you: You, sir, are no gentleman. CHRISTOPHER LEE SIMMONS Junior Psychology Keep off To the editor: Picture this: practically all of the UNC campus bricked over 1 mean no grass, few trees, no beauty. Some say, "Gosh! No way! Carolina will always be heaven on earth!" Well, 1 sincerely differ with these over optimistic, over-sighted people. Whether anyone has noticed or not, our campus is losing its aesthetic appeal because of the continuing growth of brick walkways. These walkways have appeared wherever stu dents have eroded away the grass by their constant efforts to prove that the shortest distance between two classes is off of current walks and over dusty trails forged day after day. Once the trail is noticeable enough, the administration chooses to make the path a full fledged, bricked-up walkway. However, the newness and convenience of the additional walkway is soon lost to the formation of yet another short cut. If we do not realize that there are places one should walk and one shouldn't, our attractive university will become like N.C. State and Sanford known for its bricks and not for its original aesthetic appeal. Perhaps the next time we're walking to classes and find ourselves venturing onto one of those Carolina trails, we should stop and consider whether our collectively destroying our school's looks is worth a few extra seconds of our time. WAYNE GOODWIN Sophomore Political Science x, . ? mMm
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Sept. 25, 1986, edition 1
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