The Daily Tar HeelMonday, April 18, 198813
Opinion
Oypoinig Mtevs for the OTH provides rare
"should mention, before I am
accused of insensitively burden-
JLLing you with uninformed ODin-
ions on stale issues, that for the past
two years I have performed a vital
function for this page. The title is
"editorial assistant," but that's one for
the resume, much like "sanitation
engineer.'" My responsibilities, how
ever, are critical, for I am a typist.
I am the one who turns your every
letter into a computer file, for a little
over minimum wage. Is this fulfil
lment, or even just compensation? I
have my opinion, but I do make more
money than the editor.
Rarely am I able to get anyone to
appreciate the full significance of the
job, but detailing the implications
might help. Think of all the CGLA
articles you never finished, and then
remember that I don't have a choice.
Think of the times you wondered at
the variety of arguments this debate
Firee peech a (right
betoogflng to al
do CGLA
nee again, it is time for me,
la heterosexual, "bieoted.
uninformed" male to verbally
attack the "enlightened, informed,
holier-than-thou" homosexual
community.
I was rather amused by Mark
Donahue's reference to Christopher
Morgan as a "mental casualty"
("CGLA funding has student sup
port," April 13). I was also struck by
the two words "immoral" and "ille
gal." Morality cannot be used as a
criterion here, simply because mor
ality is a creation of today's society
and eventually stands on a personal
basis, to be determined by the
individual. However, legality may be
introduced as a topic for discussion,
because to my knowledge, homosex
ualtiy is a crime in North Carolina.
The CGLA did receive their money,
however. I wonder if a Cunnilingus
and Fellatio Association might be in
the creation stage would it also
receive a fair share of student fees
if it proved to be a "beneficial"
association?
Donahue is correct in stating that
42 percent of the student body feels
that funding the CGLA is a just cause.
However, this does not nullify Chris
topher Morgan's belief ("Listen to
majority views on CGLA," April 1 1)
that gay support is a minority. Let
us clearly define "gay support." The
majority of students with whom I
have discussed this matter did not
support homosexuality, but felt that
denying the CGLA their fair share
of the dollar would be constitution
ally wrong. I think that this falls
under that famous quote, "I may
disagree with what you say, but I will
defend to the death your right to say
it."
The word "homophobe" also
caught my rather prejudiced eye. I
think this term is also ambiguous. My
dictionary defines a phobia as a
"strong and unreasonable fear of
something." I think "homophobes"
are a creation of the CGLA, and
possibly an endangered species. I
personally do not fear homosexuals;
I simply dislike them. I am not afraid
Defunding is
It has really become quite sicken
ing to see letter after letter decry
the Carolina Gay and Lesbian
Association.
No, you're probably wondering,
I'm not gay, and I'm not a closet gay,
and I'm not bisexual. I'm heterosex
ual, just like the majority of you are.
I also never chose my heterosexuality.
Let's think about it. Do you, the
heterosexuals, wake up every morn
ing and choose the opposite sex as
your preference, like you choose the
color of shirt you're going to wear?
Of course not. It's just kind of there,
isnt it?
And if it were a choice, why in the
world would you choose to be
homosexual? You'd have to be crazy
to do so, considering the way this
campus treats homosexuals. The
tremendous debate over whether
homosexuality stems from hereditary
or environmental influences is abso
lutely irrelevant. The point is, you
didn't choose it; external forces
(nature or nurture) rather unfairly
did. You were either genetically
predisposed or socialized by the
environment. If you still believe it's
a free choice, then, if you're a
heterosexual, for one day try and
choose to be attracted to the same
sex. See if you can actually choose
your sexual preference, and then start
David Starnes
Guest Writer
produces, and know that we don't run
them all. What keeps me going,
however, is the fact that there is more
to life as a typist than the keyboard.
The view of the comptroller, as a
typing medium, is something of an
outsider's; it can reveal things which
transcend the mere argument.
Rhetorical trends are most fasci
nating. I'm not sure what prompts
people to use the word "logic" in their
letters, but it would seem that one
of the most common phrases I
encounter is something like this: "The
logic of this argument (or statement)
is fallacious." I would expect this
from philosophy majors, but it
doesn't appear to be the result of any
debate
Jeffrey Grimes
Guest Writer
of spiders, but that does not mean
I would like to be in a room full of
them.
I also find Donahue's belief about
the Bible's stance on homosexuality
to be a case of grasping at straws.
Unless I am mistaken, some of
Donahue's "biblical buddies" were
consumed by "fire from the heavens"
in the twin cities of sin and corrup
tion, because they were leering at Lot
and his son outside the city gate.
Score one for divine intervention.
". . . the CGLA is a
campus group, and peo
ple must decide for them
selves what to accept
or deny. "
Lastly, I agree with Donahue that
no beliefs are being forced on anyone.
The fact is that the CGLA is a campus
group, and people must decide for
themselves what to accept or deny.
I was myself surprised to find such
a large homosexual community in the
college I have longed to attend since
I was a child. But life is, after all,
full of surprises.
I am sorry, as a student and a
citizen of the United States, that the
group is being persecuted. But to
scream "prejudice" at every turn only
serves to aggravate the situation,
which has already reached a ridicu
lous level. However, I would hope
that Donahue would understand that
both Morgan and I are entitled to
our free speech and opinion as much
as he is. There is no monopoly on
democracy, my friend.
Jeffrey Grimes is a sophomore
biology and English major from Tar
Heel.
new, slick discrimination
Grant Vinik
Guest Writer
to wonder how much of a free choice
homosexuals have.
So, from that, we can make the
simple deduction that homosexuals
are a minority that had no say in the
single factor that made them, a
minority. Isn't this beginning to
sound a lot like the situation many
other minorities, such as blacks, are
in? Blacks certainly didnt choose
their skin color, and their skin color
is the only reason they're a minority.
But it's the 1980s now, and it isnt
hip for the majority to humiliate
blacks anymore. No, now weVe got
a new minority to drag through the
mud: homosexuals. Up until the mid
1960s, the majority down South
didn't seem to mind pushing blacks
to the back of the bus. And in the
1930s in Nazi Germany, that same
darned majority was convinced the
Jews were the source of all their
problems.
But it's the m now, and it's hip
for the majority to insult someone
else. No, you cant throw them to the
lions, like you did to the Christians.
No, you cant burn them to death in
particular training or background.
Hence, by obvious deduction, it must
sound good. Unfortunately, issues
like the CGLA or Playboy are hardly
suitable to empirical debate, and the
Reader's Forum isn't quite long
enough to allow a treatise to logically
conclude an undeniable truth.
Besides, most of the responses, even
though they do make valid points,
are as emotionally inspired as the
original letters. Throwing "logic" and
syllogism into the fray hardly seems
fair.
Psychological responses and the
subconscious play an unrecognized
and important role in Letter Land.
While the AP Stylebock has stand
ards for capitalization and other hotly
contested grammatical issues, I get to
see the raw letters before they are
made to conform, and I am convinced
that grammatical mistakes are actu
ally slips of a Freudian finger on a
- J THETRICKPART: U'"'fl
jill nT TOE MOH0N FOR -t s" lll
Speakes spoke too 000, betraying Keagam
Everybody has been hollering
about Larry Speakes lately.
The former White House spo
kesman has gotten the business since
the release of his book last week,
wherein he claims that he "manufac
tured " certain quotes for President
Reagan.
Marlin Fitzwater, the new White
House spokesman, calls it inexcusa
ble. Denison University cancelled a
scheduled Speakes lecture, and Mer
rill Lynch (Speakes' present
employer) dropped the hint that it
might be time for the quote wizard
to take an early retirement. The firm's
annual report is titled "A Tradition
of Trust."
Speakes says he played Cyrano for
President Reagan on two occasions.
The first came after the Soviets shot
down Korean airliner 007; the other
was during the Geneva Accords with
ovens, like you did to the Jews. No,
you cant separate their public facil
ities, like buses, restrooms and
universities, like you did to the blacks.
No, this is the '80s; you're too
sophisticated for that. You've got a
new and improved way of denigrating
the minority. You defund them.
Some claim their religion cant be
reconciled with homosexuality.
That's perfectly all right; every
individual is entitled to his beliefs. But
let's not forget something vitally
important here. Our legal system
distinctly and deliberately separates
church from state. It has done so for
the past two centuries, and it always
will. And let's not kid each other; the
reason we do this is to prevent the
religious majority from creating laws
that could impinge on the inalienable
rights of any minority. No one has
to like, agree with or condone
homosexuality. But if you live in this
country, then you must live by its law,
and that law accords a fundamental
respect for the worth and dignity of
all peoples, including minorities.
The point is, why must we insist
on persecuting the minority now, only
to look back on these civil days in
the future and say things like, "Gosh,
what a blemish on our great nation's
history; I wish we'd have treated
blacks right from the beginning"?
typewriter. Conservatives, usually
responding to campus protests or
issues of morality, rarely capitalize
terms such as "First Amendment,"
'while liberals, responding to just
about anything, insist upon capital
izing everything. Two common mis
conceptions I would like to address
are the Pit, which is capitalized, and
homophobe, which isn't even an
official word yet, much less deserving
of capitalization. Another difficulty
not resolved by the almighty Style
book is the capitalization of races;
invariably, a letter calling for an end
to racial discrimination will capitalize
one race while ignoring the other. It
would seem that this would get across
the wrong message.
I begin treading dangerous ground
now, so let me say that I respect and
welcome everyone's right to say
anything they please in the news
paper. Still, I have to wonder if people
Dan Morrison
Guest Writer
Reagan and Gorbachev. Some say
Speakes was responsible for turning
the 007 incident into a "world vs.
Soviet" issue. I wouldn't give him that
much credit. The moment the world
heard of a Soviet MiG ruthlessly
downing a passenger plane, the
incident was a "world vs. Soviet"
issue. You can't keep things like that
in the closet.
As for Geneva, President Reagan
needed help. Gorbachev had Rea
gan's public image against the ropes.
He came off like a movie star in the
eyes of the press, and Reagan
appeared to have stage fright. So
what did Speakes do? He tried to help
for the '80s
Well folks, this is the chance weVe
always wanted. We can, in a sense,
rewrite the disgraceful portions of our
country's history by refraining from
adding the next chapter of shame.
That chapter is certainly there, ready
to be irrevocably inscribed in the
annals of American history. But it
does not have to happen. We can,
thankfully, alter our future by simply
avoiding repeating the mistakes of the
past. WeVe got the chance to do it
right the first time, by simply refrain
ing from discriminating against
homosexuals, as we've at last begun
to do with blacks.
And do you know how much it's
going to cost you to do just that? Ten
cents. That's how much your student
fees contribute to the CGLA. Ten
measly cents for an entire year. Most
of you spend 10 times that every day
for a Coke and a bag of popcorn for
the daily Pit sit.
Come on, Carolina, let's not let
history teach us the same, tired old
lesson all over again. WeVe got a
chance; for humanity's sake, let's do
it right this time.
. Grant Vinik is a freshman political
science and psychology major from
Mountain Brook, Ala.
really expect those Biblical quotes
they include to be effective. Yes, I
am a practicing Episcopalian, but all
that means is that I'm going to view
"1 Corinthians 6" in a different light
than a Baptist, not to mention a Jew,
Moslem or atheist. Have you ever
read " 1 Corinthians 6" and said, "Gee,
that settles my dilemma?" Anyway,
as is too often bemoaned, most people
probably could care less.
What people couldn't care more
about, and is the most easily iden
tifiable aspect of campus thought, is
the focus of the tug-of-war between
liberals and conservatives. The really
"in" thing to do is to prove your
political stance by writing about the
hot topic. Dale McKinley and the
"Trendies," whether or not they
deserve such a label, are replacing the
CGLA as the center of this struggle.
If this is to follow last year's pattern,
we will learn much about Dale in the
the guy out. He made him sound a
bit more intelligent and involved, and
in the end, he took the bullet for
Reagan.
Granted, making up quotes
shouldn't become a habit for presi
dential PR men, but it's been done
before. Washington Post columnist
William Raspberry similarly argues
that making up quotes isn't unknown
"but the general rule is to clear
the quotes first." It's also the general
rule to make confessions and expose
secrets at a time when people won't
be hurt by them.
Novelists usually wait until their
parents or friends are dead to write
about them in frank terms, but Larry
Speakes just couldn't wait. In an age
when any Dick or Jane thinks he
she is qualified to lead a talk show;
in an age when someone like Jesse
Jackson (a man who has never been
And now, the top 25 list
After attending this University
for nearly two years, I have
watched liberals and conser
vatives ruthlessly shoot each other
down, in both confidence and des
peration (with the conservatives
usually winning, but that is beside the
point). In an attempt to provide a
respite in this battle, I present now
25 questions about this school and
town that have puzzled me for some
time. I hope they will momentarily
divert your attention from the annoy
ing bickering that frequents the
editorial pages:
Who were the madmen who
designed Phillips and Venable halls?
Are there any art majors living on
the top floor of Hinton James? Why
are two perpendicular towers at
Granville named "East" and "West?"
Is there any logic to the location of
Whitehead and Spencer dorms? Is
anything going to be done with the
abandoned fraternity house in big frat
court? Are some of the sororities and
fraternities cloning factories for
generic students? Has anyone met a
Kappa Delta who wasnt incredibly
gorgeous and incredibly stuck-up?
Has anybody ever lit firecrackers by
Silent Sam when a group of girls
walked by?, What percent of the
student body are virgins? Has anyone
spent the night in Davis Library? Has
anybody had sex in Davis Library?
Is anybody really serious about the
Pittsboro Street extension? What was
life like before Columbia Street was
one-way? How many murders have
iimsislhts
months to come, perhaps more than
you ever wanted to know. On the
bright side, this one seems to be
growing old quickly, and you can't
call for referendums to defund a
personality.
Before I truly offend anyone,
though, I'd best conclude in as
conciliatory a manner as possible.
After all, the letters you write are the
time and money of my livelihood, and
I appreciate your support. Participate
in the Reader's Forum as often you
wish, and if you're already a veteran
of the letter wars, bring a friend. It's
your newspaper; make the most of
it, and write a letter today.
But please, please remember to
type it.
David Starnes is a sophomore
English and history major from
Huntsville, Alabama.
elected to an office in his life) thinks
he can waltz into the presidency; in
an age when every ex-federal aide,
secretary or janitor writes a book
about the VIP he once served, Larry
Speakes' book is a cliche. That's
where he is open to criticism: Reagan
is still in office, and what Speakes
says now could compromise national
security and foreign relations.
Critics claim Larry Speakes altered
the course of history by speaking out
of turn at Geneva and after the
Korean airliner tragedy. The fact is,
there would have been little to write
about if Speakes had left President
Reagan on his own. As a rule, quote
making is best left to the quoted
himself; but what's a PR man sup
posed to do when his boss goes mute?
Dan Morrison is a junior American
studies major from Detroit.
George Markham
Guest Writer
been committed on campus? Why do
I pick up Greensboro and Fayetteville
television channels better than chan
nels from Durham and Raleigh? How
much money does Fowler's make in
alcohol sales on an average weekend
night during the semester? Does
Time-Out get any business between
noon and midnight? Are physics and
chemistry labs intentionally written to
thoroughly confuse students? Does
anyone know anything about Gimgh
oul Castle? What is torn off the top
of student basketball tickets? Just
how many lower level student seats
to basketball games are available
during regular distribution on Sun
days? Will either the varsity football
or basketball teams win an ACC
championship while I'm here? If U2
wasnt allowed to play in the Smith
Center during exams, why was there
a home basketball game during
exams last semester? Does Dean
Smith really smoke? Can the letters
CIA, CGLA or BSM be mentioned
in the DTH without some sort of
controversy surrounding them?
George Markham is a sophomore
chemistry major from Fayetteville.