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Scott Hicks
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
Katie Abel
UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Jacob McConnico
CITY EDITOR
Board Editorials
Burning Issue
Last Monday, the Senate began another
long-shot effort to pass a Constitutional
amendment that would protect the American
flag from desecration.
The proposed amendment is a one-sen
tence article stating, “Congress shall have
power to prohibit the physical desecration of
the flag of the United States.”
That is absurd. Congress should have no
such power.
The desecration of this nation’s banner is,
without question, the most stirring form of
political protest the United States has had to
face.
Asa method of expression, desecrating
the stars and stripes produces an effect on
American citizens that could never be
equaled by any poster or pamphlet, speech
or sit-in, essay or article.
Put simply, it is an immensely powerful
form of expression.
Admittedly, there is, to most Americans,
nothing more repulsive than the sight of
some ungrateful, unshaven, Lenin-worship
ing radical dousing Old Glory with kerosene
on the steps of a federal courthouse.
However, it is certainly more despicable to
imagine this nation forbidding him from
doing so.
One of the standard arguments in favor of
the amendment has always been that the flag
is a symbolic representation of the millions of
servicemen who fought and died for the
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I fill
Barometer
Dollar Dollar Bill
UNC and Dook students came
together to compete for spots on
the game show "Greed" on
Monday. Sad that the only common ground we
ha\fe seems to be our desire for money.
Electronic Ballot
What do you get when you mix
Elections Board members and tech
nology? Disaster. The online voting
%
system planned for next year promises to be fun.
Tar Heel Quotables
“(the First Amendment is) what we’re built
on. We have the First Amendment
enshrined on the wall in 4-inch metal let
ters.”
Journalism School Dean Richard Cole
Yeah, Richard, and there's also that Afoot tall plaque with
#>ur head on it just around the corner in Carroll Hall.
“(Women) are the Midol in the patriarchal
society.”
The Rev. Marcia Dyson
Giving a speech for Women's Week. If women are Midol,
then does that make men tampons?
Rob Nelson
EDITOR
Office Hours Friday 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Matthew B. Dees
STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR
T. Nolan Hayes
SPORTS EDFrOR
Leigh Davis
FEATURES EDITOR
United States.
Surely this is true. The flag does represent
all the boys that perished in an American
uniform and certainly honors their memory
each and every time it flutters in the breeze,
whether it’s atop a schoolhouse, courthouse
or outhouse.
However, the obvious question arises:
What were those soldiers fighting for in the
first place?
The answer is equally obvious. American
troops took up arms to defend the ideals and
principles of this nation. They were shipped
to Korea, the Middle East, Latin America
and Vietnam, all for the purpose of protect
ing those rights codified in die Constitution
and that document’s Bill of Rights.
One of those rights they fought for was the
right to freely and openly express views and
opinions.
Although it might not have been listed first
when Madison originally presented his laun
dry list of rights to the Founding Fathers, the
First Amendment is commonly believed to
be the most important. Many of the rights we
enjoy today are dependent on it.
Those who support protecting the flag
with a constitutional amendment are allow
ing their emotional attachment to the
emblem to cloud the issue.
Freedom of speech is the cornerstone of
American democracy, and destroying a flag
is the essence of that freedom.
Secret Giveaway
Did anyone besides CAA officers’
friends know students could go to
the Smith Center on Monday
morning to put their names on a list for Final Four
tickets? We didn't think so, either.
Stayin' Alive
Ticket to the Final Four: $100; gas
for the ride to Indianapolis: S4O;
knowing that Dook is staying
\&4
home while UNC plays in the Final Four: priceless.
“It was a vanilla-ice-cream Congress.”
Rep. David Rudell, Dist. 16
Last week it was Aaron Nelson who was talking dirty about
a proposed annexation by using ice cream flavors as an
analogy. Now it's Student Congress representatives sharing
their flavor of choice.
“This is why I came to Carolina.”
Freshman Basketball Player Joseph
Forte
Commenting on his excitement about making it to the
Final Four at the Smith Center on Sunday night. You mean
to tell us that you didn't choose UNC for its superior
intellectual climate, Joe?
Opinion
lailg (Tar
Established 1893 • 107 Years of Editorial Freedom
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Robin Clemow
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Carolyn Haynes
COPY DESK EDITOR
Miller Pearsall
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
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Frederick Basketball Diary Excerpts
March Madness is as important to my
family as Oktoberfest is to Germans.
We spend the winter consumed by
college basketball, watching the growth of our
teams: Kansas and North Carolina. And the
Final Four is the celebration of the harvest.
The first Final Four my younger brother
Brad and I attended was the 1988 Final Four
in Kansas City. Kansas won the title and my
hometown partied until the following season.
Brad ended up coming to school here and
played basketball for the Tar Heels. (I had so
much fun visiting him in Chapel Hill, I opted
for graduate school here.)
But as much as we both love Kansas and
North Carolina, my brother and I view col
lege basketball differently. My brother is a
participant; lam merely a fan. Asa former
UNC player and current assistant coach at
Vanderbilt, Brad is like the Lederhosen-clad
German dancer. At the Final Four, he is either
on stage or figuring out how to get there. I am
merely the drunken fool in the audience, lov
ing every minute of the show.
This is Carolina’s sixth Final Four in the
last 10 years. Here is how Brad and I remem
ber Carolina’s last five.
1991 (Indianapolis)
Brad: For those who’ve never been, the
Final Four is a gigantic basketball circus.
Every college coach you’ve ever seen on tele
vision walks down the streets wearing nothing
but warm-ups. There are a million contests for
fans to participate in. You can’t walk five feet
without getting something free: Gillette razors,
Nike T-shirts, Gatorade samples, Sprint phone
cards.
As for the game, student beat teacher, as
Roy Williams got Coach Smith in the semifi
nal game.
Can’t remember who won the national
championship that year.
(Who cares?)
Me: After watching Roy beat Dean, I was
sure that if Kansas didn’t win the title that
year, thejayhawks would the next.
1993 (New Orleans)
Brad: I had the unbelievable opportunity to
be a ball boy. I sat just to the left of the basket
closest to the Michigan bench. After giving
Readers' Forum
Chapel Hill Police Ask
Fans to Celebrate
In Fun, Safe Manner
TO THE EDITOR:
As we prepare to celebrate anoth
er UNC national championship, I
would like to ask all students for their
help in keeping the victory celebra
tions safe.
Our primary mission in planning
for Final Four victories has always
been to ensure the safety of those
who choose to celebrate on Franklin
Street. We have been successful in the
past thanks to the efforts of hundreds
of town employees and volunteers, as
well as the cooperation of UNC stu
dents and fans.
The most numerous injuries occur
ring at past celebrations resulted from
falls and burns. For that reason, we
are asking fans to refrain from start
ing fires and to keep their feet on the
ground. Falls from lampposts, trees
and (more recently) crowd-surfing
can easily result in serious head and
neck injuries. The size of the crowd
makes it extremely difficult for emer
gency medical providers to get to an
Vicky Eckenrode & Cate Doty
MANAGING EDITORS
Thomas Ausman
DFSIGN EDITOR
Megan Sharkey
GRAPHIC S EDITOR
William Hill
ONLINE EDITOR
■
BRIAN FREDERICK
ON TAP
the Heels a two-point lead, Pat Sullivan misses
his second free throw with 20 seconds left.
Chris Webber rebounds, travels, dribbles into
a Derrick Phelps-George Lynch trap and calls
the infamous time out.
Sitting just a few feet away, I see Webber
turn to the bench after being slapped with a
technical and shout, “WTiy the f— did you tell
me to call time out?” The guys on the bench
look at him as if to say, “Don’t blame this on
me.” (A little Basketball 101, C-Webb: Always
know how many T.O.s you’ve got down the
stretch.) Coach Smith cuts down the nets for
the second time.
Me: I couldn’t go to New Orleans because
of school, but I wasn’t disappointed. 1 had the
house to myself for a week. There is still a
tape floating around of that “Weekend Jam
Session.”
After Kansas lost to Carolina, we walked
six miles across town at 2 a.m. drinking
Keystone and Brass Monkey in order to
(unsuccessfully) serenade a girl.
1995 (Seatde)
Brad: Snapped my streak of consecutive
Final Fours. Hey, as a senior in high school,
you gotta go on Spring Break.
Brian: Missed this one, but I get the feeling
people around here have forgotten about it.
1997 (Indianapolis)
Brad: My first year as a walk-on for the
Heels was unbelievable as Coach Smith won
his 877th game on the way to his 11th Final
Four.
The hype surrounding our team was
beyond my wildest imagination. We had a
police escort everywhere we went. They gave
us so much Nike stuff, they should have just
injured person and treat them effec
tively.
We look forward to sharing with
you the joy of another NCAA
Championship. Please help us keep it
safe. Go Heels!
Gregg E. Jan ies
Interim Chief of Police
Chapel Hill Police Department
Naik’s Race, Religion
Not Factors in Letter
Writer’s Criticism
TO THE EDITOR:
1 would first like to apologize to
any person who was offended by my
March 27 letter to the editor, which
mentioned meditation. In no way
was I addressing my statement to
Amol Naik (DTH columnist) - to
“meditate a little longer” - because
he was Hindu and/or Indian. Thus,
my comment should not, in any way,
be interpreted as one of a “racist”
(which Rishi Kotiya, in her March 29
letter, so quickly labeled me).
Rishi, I would ask that you don’t
try to start a fire when there’s nothing
Friday, March 31, 2000
Terry Wimmer
OMBUDSMAN
given us stock. Our hotel lobby resembled a
block party as autograph seekers (sadly, they
weren’t after my John Hancock) hounded the
team. What must have been 25,000 watched
our Friday practice as Vince put on a dunk
display so vicious everyone else moved down
to the other basket. As for the game, let’s just
say Arizona was hot and our shooting perfor
mance was definitely not.
Me: There was a tornado warning that
Thursday night and I was on the top floor of
our hotel, so I sought refuge in the bar. The
only thing more iniense than the weather was
Vince’s dunk display the next afternoon:'
1998 (San Antonio)
Brad: San Antonio will forever go down as
the one that got away. Forget about the game.
We lost; we should have won. What else do I
remember? Brendan Haywood and 1 tried to
talk to this girl at dinner, and she says, “So,
I’m supposed to believe you play for North
Carolina.” You don’t have to believe I played,
but how many 7-foot, 265-pound guys do you
know who don’t play ball?
Me: I needed a drink after the game
because not only did Carolina and my broth
er lose, I spent the game sitring next to Coach
K. (No kidding.) I ended up shooting tequila
with ESPN’s Mike Tirico at some bar on the
Riverwalk. (If you think that case of name
dropping was bad, be glad I didn't tell you
about playing piano with Bruce Hornsby at
the 1996 Final Four.)
2000 (Indianapolis)
Brad: By now, I’m at my 9th Final Four.
Today, I hope to catch the Heels’ practice and
get a chance to speak with some of the guys.
As for the game tomorrow', with any luck, the
boys will handle Florida’s press and the magi
cal run directed by Coach Gut will continue.
Me: By now, I’m camped out on a barstool
at Woody’s, downing steins of beer and wait
ing for the big game.
See you on Franklin Street.
Brian Frederick is a graduate student in
journalism and mass communication from
Lawrence, Kan. Send praises to
brifred@yahoo.com. Send criticisms to brad
fred3s@yahoo.com.
substantial on which it can burn.
Neither Naik’s race nor his religion
were taken into account in my criti
cism of his column (which is how it
should be). In fact, meditation, which
is simply the act of engaging in deep
thought, is present in many religions,
and even in the lives of those who
consider themselves nonreligious.
One can meditate onjesus Christ, the
exam they just failed or even an arti
cle to be submitted for publication.
Enough racism already exists
today, so Rishi, please don’t look for
racist thought when it’s not there.
lulie Mancuso
Sophomore
Journalism and Mass
Communication
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Editor Scott Hicks at 962-0245.
11
F
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