10The Daily Tar HeelFriday, September 29, 1989
TV fj Trvef Off Shs Cause Brrnmaf
97th year of editorial freedom
Sharon Kebschull, Editor
WILLIAM TaCGART, Managing Editor
MARY Jo DUNNINCTON, Editorial Page Editor
JUSTIN McGuiRE, University Editor
KAREN DUNN, State and National Editor
TOM PARKS, Business Editor
Dave GLENN, Sports Editor
MELANIE BLACK, Design Editor
TAMMY BlaCKARD, Editorial Page Editor
JENNY CLONINGER, University Editor
Jessica Lanning, City Editor
CARA BONNETT, Arts and Features Editor
Kelly Thompson, Omnibus Editor
DAVID SurOWIECKI, Photography Editor,
Julia Coon, News Editor
Bill out of bounds
Abortion resolution speaks for few
In a voice vote -Wednesday
night,
Student Congress
members unani
board
opinion
mously passed a resolution supporting a
woman's right to an abortion following the
weakening of Roe vs. Wade this summer.
It's hard to believe that congress finds it its
place to debate abortion laws, and it's even
more difficult to believe that this repre
sents the views of their constituents. More
likely, the vote served as a good way to get
their names noticed by the General Assem
bly, or at least as a good resume padder.
Regardless, it was inappropriate, unneces
sary and unwarranted.
The code of student government gives
congress three main powers: to deal with
student activities fees; limited power to
watch over elections and recall votes; and
to make laws necessary and proper to
promote the general welfare of students.
The code mentions nothing about con
gress members passing resolutions about
general issues. Students voting for con
gress members vote for them mainly be
cause of how they will allocate student
fees and how members will represent them
on campus issues. And abortion is not an
issue that immediately comes to mind when
discussing campus issues.
The resolution would normally be fairly
meaningless, but this one may have more
weight because of the amendment added
by Mark Bibbs (Dist. 12) urging the N.C.
General Assembly to uphold present abor
tion legislation. Bibbs said including the
amendment would "help justify debating"
Keep EClan off roads
KKK should not get adoption rights
North Carolina's Adopt-A-Highway pro
gram, the largest in the country, offers a unique
method for citizens to serve their state, but
recent efforts to join the program by a local
chapter of the Ku Klux Klan spell nothing but
trouble.
The state transportation department is con
sidering an application from the Rockingham
County chapterof The Invisible Empire Knights
of the Ku Klux Klan to adopt a two-mile stretch
of a state highway, which the group would keep
clean of litter through organized work on
weekends. More than 4,500 groups now spon
sor about 10,000 miles of state roads, and
officials aren't sure if hhbbhbi
they have ever rejected
The Klan's support
would be extremely
an application. But the
state should reject the
Klan's request for a
number of reasons.
supporters of the counterproductive to
Klan's request feel the
group has as much a nrnornm
right to adopt a high- me program.
way than any other
group. This is true, but the effects of the Klan's
support would be counterproductive to the
program. State officials must consider the
numerous citizens who would use the stretch of
highway. Placing the Klan's name on a bright
green sign on the side of the road would un
doubtedly offend a majority of people, black or
white. In all probability, angry motorists would
simply dump trash on the highway to make
more work for the Klan. Even the sign, a form
of advertisement for the Klan, would probably
be torn down such that their work would go un
recognized. In its best interest, the Klan should
consider a better way to serve.
The Daily
Editorial Writers: James Burroughs and Jennifer Wing.
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the bill.
But that is hardly enough justification.
If anything, it shows just why it should not
be debated it takes on a issue that should
not be confronted by this body. In this case,
as opposed to most issues concerning stu
dents that go before state legislators, we
hope that legislators will not take the bill
seriously, that they do ignore what they're
sent.
The vote seems to represent mostly the
views of congress members and maybe a
few of their friends. We doubt that many
congress members talked extensively to
their constituents about their stand on
abortion, an issue that demands detailed
discussion. And very few students knew
their representatives' positions on abor
tion when they elected them.
Anti-abortionists and pro-choicers
should be equally offended by this resolu
tion. Activism on such matters should be
undertaken by other campus groups acting
on their own behalf, not on behalf of the
entire student body. Even the executive
branch would be a better source for this
sort of activism the student body presi
dent was elected to represent the student
body on a much wider range of issues than
were congress members.
Congress seems determined to expand
its powers, and members may consider last
year's nuclear weapons resolution some
what of a precedent. But representatives
should not consider it a precedent worth
following. We hope this resolution gets no
further than some secretaries' desks in
Raleigh.
The leader of the Klan's Reidsville chapter
recently said his group is only trying to do
something good for the state, to help "clean up"
North Carolina. But the group's first request
was for a stretch of highway in Rockingham
County located in a primarily black commu
nity. Certainly these North Carolinians were a
bit concerned when the Klan said they wished
to "clean up" the neighborhood. State officials
realized the potential for trouble and persuaded
the Klan to apply for a "white community
stretch of highway."
A sign bearing the Klan name would also
convey a bad image for the state, especially to
hhhhbbbbhbbh out-of-state travelers.
Imagine a northerner
driving through and
seeing the Klan sign;
they'd see nothing but
a small part of the South
of which most are now
ashamed. The Ku Klux
Klan, regardless of its
constitutional rights, is
" """m a group founded on hate
and white supremacy things which North
Carolina should not advertise on the highways.
Klan officials say legal action may be taken
if the state rejects the application. To avoid
such a standoff, state officials should encour
age the group to explore other less visible
possibilities of service. The group's desire to
help clean up the highways is admirable, but the
group itself and all it stands for are an embar
rassment to the state and too controversial for
any good to result in this function. State offi
cials should apply the Klan's efforts to another
capacity while protecting the well-being of the
majority of the people. James Burroughs
Tar Heel
NRA shouldn't hide
behind Bill of Rights
To the editor:
I am distressed to see that Na
tional Rifle Association propa
ganda has infiltrated the DTH
letters column. Of course, dozens
r maybe hundreds of sensible
gun control laws have been passed,
but they're ineffective as long as
gun runners in, say, North Caro
lina are free to smuggle every
thing from Saturday night spe
cials to AK-47's to drug gangs
and ordinary street thugs in juris
dictions that have passed controls.
Until we get tough national legis
lation overwhelmingly sup
ported by the public, by the way
local laws will have little effect
in reducing the nation's appalling
level of gun-related violence.
To my knowledge, not a single
gun control law has ever been
thrown out as a violation of the
Second Amendment. The reluc
tance of NRA lawyers to chal
lenge these numerous local stat
utes is clear evidence that they
know damn well they wouldn't
have a prayer in court. Whatever
the amendment means, it doesn't
give constitutional sanction to any
right to blast your spouse with a
shotgun, waste your neighborhood
drug dealer or enforce and every
day street mugging. The NRA
knows that but prefers to hide its
sordid contribution to the Ameri
can shooting gallery behind the
Bill of Rights. Shame on them.
Your letter writers should know
it, too. Shame on them, too.
ROBERT L. STEVENSON
Professor
Journalism
Right to bear arms
not a guarantee
To the editor:
I would like to clear up a little
matter of some apparent confu
sion concerning what the
Constitution does and does not
guarantee. Perhaps many of you
saw Taps and recollect Timothy
Hutton defending his actions with
the line, "The right to bear arms is
guaranteed by the Constitution."
Well, unfortunately, Tim was
wrong, just as opponents of gun
control who use the same argu
ment today are wrong. The only
thing the Bill of Rights allows for
along these lines is the right of the
individual states to maintain a
militia (today's National Guard).
The individual citizen is totally
outside the scope of this amend
ment, and any argument using it
as justification for the individual
is completely invalid.
Therefore, without stating my
own position on this issue, since it
is not the purpose of this letter, I
would tell those in opposition to
gun control to find a new argu
ment. This one will be shot out
from under them.
Activist sold out by taking job with Helms
Since the end of the Civil Rights Move
ment, many of the former leaders have gone
on to hold public office and participate in the
government in many ways. For example, John
Lewis, one of the former chairmen of the
Student Nonviolent Coordination Commit
tee, is currently a representative in the U.S.
Congress. Andrew Young, who was active in
the movement with the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference, is currently mayor of
Atlanta. However, in the newspaper the other
day, I read something quite shocking to me
about another former leader of the movement.
James Meredith, the first black student to
enter the University of Mississippi, recently
became a special assistant to Senator Jesse
Helms.
In order to understand the relevance of
Meredith's new job, it is important to recall a
bit of black history. The U.S. Supreme Court
ruled that the "separate but equal" doctrine
could not apply to schools in Brown vs. Board
of Education in 1954. However, blacks were
met by white opposition when they tried to
enforce the high court's decision.
James Meredith was denied admission to
Ole Miss because he was black. He went to
court with the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
as his counsel and again was denied admis
sion. Everytime Meredith tried to enter the
doors, he was met by a mob and several times
he almost didn't get out alive. The governor of
Mississippi, Ross Barnett, sometimes blocked
doors to the university himself. Finally, Presi
dent Kennedy sent U.S. Marshals to protect
him after he realized that something had to be
done. A riot broke out on campus in which two
people were killed and 375 were injured.
Meredith still had to be escorted to class by the
marshals until tension died down.
After Ole Miss, Meredith became active in
the movement. He started a march from
Memphis, Tenn. to Jackson, Miss, in 1966 to
give blacks the courage to register to vote. He
was shot on the second day, and the march was
finished by , several of the leading civil rights
organizations of the time.
With Meredith's situation in historical
context, it may be easier to understand why his
job with Senator Helms is such a shock. Sena
tor Helms has not been an advocate of civil
rights or civil rights legislation.
Helms has used the filibuster, which is
unlimited debate in the Senate, to kill civil
rights legislation. He voted against the Civil
Rights Act of 1 964, which among other things
prohibited segregation in public accommoda
tions. He voted against an extension of the
Readers9 Forem
JOHN STEPHENS
Sophomore
Psychology
Soldiers fought for
ideals, not for flag
To the editor:
I am writing in response to
Hamlin T. Raney III. Despite his
claims, expressed in his letter,
"U.S. soldiers fought to preserve
the flag" (Sept. 27), our soldiers
have never fought for the flag
itself, but for the way of life the
flag has come to symbolize a
way of life that all too often has
included imperialism, racism,
sexism, slavery, widespread en
vironmental irresponsibility and
the subjugation, oppression and
economic exploitation of entire
nations. It is that way of life that
those who burn the flag seek to so
symbolically denounce.
Mr. Raney states that the
"people who burn the flag are
symbolically destroying that
which gives them" the right to do
so, and sees "this action as contra
dictory." Would he not also con
sider it contradictory for our gov
ernment, in the name of "free
dom," to pass an amendment cur
tailing individual freedom to pro
test actions of that government?
While asking several pointless
questions about how important
symbols are to various people,
Mr. Raney misses the point un
derlying this decision and alluded
Debbie Baker
Guest Writer
Voting Rights Act of 1965, which sent federal
registrars to areas where blacks has been denied
the franchise the most. He also opposed bus
ing children to achieve racial balance in the
school systems.
In addition to this, several of the senator's
editorials appeared in the racist Citizen. The
Citizen is a monthly magazine published by
the White Citizens Councils, which were
organizations devoted to fighting racial equal
ity and social change. These organizations
believed firmly in the maintenance of the
status quo. Helms also favored tax breaks for
segregated private schools in order to slow the
process of integration. As a commentator for
WRAL-TV, he criticized the sit-ins by stu
dents in downtown Raleigh restaurants. He
also accused Robert Williams, the president
of the Monroe, N.C. NAACP, of stirring up
trouble and racial tensions in that town. Monroe
just happened to be Helms' home town.
Furthermore, Senator Helms openly ac
cused Martin Luther King Jr. of being a
communist. In American history, there have
been several "red scares," which were times
when Americans believed communists has
infiltrated our society. Sometimes though,
people accused others of being a communist
or red-baited them to weaken their influence
among the people. Martin Luther King Jr. and
other civil rights leaders were red-baited
because they were becoming too powerful in
the movement.
In 1983, Jesse Helms led the opposition to
a King holiday in the U.S. Senate, once again
claiming King was a communist. Helms hoped
that he could sway his fellow Senators to
agree with him and kill the holiday. Of course,
his attempt to deny MLK that honor was futile
as politicians realized what he had meant to so
many people of all races.
Now, you wonder how James Meredith
could join the staff of the man who has consis
tently voted against and opposed everything
black people have tried to accomplish.
Meredith believed that blacks should fight for
their civil rights because he fought for his on
the steps of Ole Miss two decades ago. So tell
me, how in the world could he work for a man
who criticized people for trying to fight for
equality. Who can work for someone who
tried to deny Martin Luther King Jr. a national
holiday? How in the world can Meredith face
to in my first paragraph that
symbols mean different things to
different people. To me, a burning
cross generally means something
very different, especially here in
the South, than a protest of the ac
tions of the church in front of which
it sits. Because a Star of David has
a certain meaning for Jews, does
that mean that Rastafarians, for ex
ample, should not be permitted to
wear the Star of David because their
meaning for it is different? More
over, is it our government's place to
decide for us what the American
flag will and will not mean for us
and how we may or may not use it
to express our viewpoints?
Mr. Raney is quite right in his
assessment that many people, such
as veterans, are undoubtedly in
censed by this recent Supreme Court
decision. I too am incensed by vari
ous statements, symbolic or other
wise, made by, for example, "hate
groups." But feelings are not the
basis for good law principles
are. And I will not stand idly by
while the freedom to speak their
minds of even those with whom I
most bitterly disagree is eroded by
the passage of laws to silence them.
I am quite proud of the Supreme
Court for standing their ground in
this matter. Doing so has made them
less popular, but allowing even un
popular views to be expressed is
precisely what this issue is all about.
CLIFTON TROY TOTH
Staff
Student Health Service
Jesse Helms knowing how he views equality and
civil rights for black people?
Two other facts that most people don't know
is that Helms did not have a black person on his
staff until 1984. He hired Claude Allen, a UNC
CH graduate after people began to talk. Also, the
Klan supported him in his 1984 campaign. The
Klan started a voter registration drive after he
began to slip in the opinion polls.
While Meredith was trying to get into Ole
Miss in 1962, his current boss was one of the
people criticizing the movement. Apparently
Meredith has not thought seriously about his
actions. His taking a new job as special assistant
to Jesse Helms goes against everything blacks
worked for during the movement. Perhaps money
and prestige were the key elements which caused
him to turn his back on his people. Money and
power can cause people to act in peculiar ways.
It must be something strong which has caused
him to make an about face on issues concerning
black Americans.
It doesn't make sense that someone can sup
posedly be so dedicated to fighting for civil
rights and completely change his attitude.
Meredith risked his life time and time again
during the movement. It is amazing how you can
let your people down when you've been a sym
bol of hope for so many years. ;
In recent years, Meredith has shocked audi
ences by calling integration a sham. He blames
integration for creating hostilities between black
and white Americans. These are harsh words
coming from the man who defied tradition en
route to writing a page of history on integration.
Maybe Meredith was a hypocrite all along in the
struggle for black equality, and today the real
James Meredith has surfaced: one who only
cares about himself.
What James Meredith has done all comes
down to a matter of respect. As the first black
student to integrate Ole Miss, Meredith had been
admired by so many people. If he keeps his job
with Helms, he'll lose the respect of his people.
All of the fame and money in the world won't
mean anything if no one respects who you are.
Evidently, James Meredith respects Jesse Helms
and will continue to respect him despite how
black people feel. Black Americans will never
have the full economic, social' and political
progress we deserve as long as we allow our
selves to remain content with our situation and
disrespect our own people. With leaders like
James Meredith, the black struggle for equality
in all aspects of American life will never be oven
Debbie Baker is a junior journalism! pre-law
major from Raeford