10
Monday, November 13, 2000
Concerns or
ombudsman at
or caß 933-4611.
Kelli Boutin
EDrrOMAL PAGE EDITOR
KimMinugh
UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Ginny Stiabbarrasi
017 EDITOR
Board Editorials
Sneaky Scheduling
Until Thursday, North Carolina had not executed a prisoner
in about a year. This seems like a fishy move on Easley's part.
The debate about the death penalty is per
haps one of the most controversial questions
in American politics today, one that is influ
enced by issues of morality, religion, class,
race and justice. But should that question also
be affected by election politics as well?
After a yearlong hiatus, the state of North
Carolina resumed executions Thursday,
when Michael Sexton was put to death for
the rape and murder of a social worker. Two
more executions are scheduled between now
and Dec. 7.
Although many people would find these
executions disturbing in and of themselves,
the matter of their timing is particularly trou
bling. The Attorney General’s office is sup
posed to set each execution date after they
receive notice an inmate’s appeals have been
exhausted. In Sexton’s case, that was Aug.
9.Yet his execution was scheduled for three
months later, two days after Attorney
General Mike Easley was elected governor.
There is no proof that the execution sched
ule was influenced directly by concerns
about Easley’s campaign. A spokeswoman
for the Attorney General’s office said that
each execution date is set a “reasonable
amount of time” after the appeals are
exhausted. That amount of time differs from
Switch the System
The Electoral College system of choosing the president fails
to represent the people's wishes. It should be done away with.
Once the battle between A1 Gore and
George W. Bush finally is over, citizens for
generations to come will look back upon the
race as one of the closest and most confusing
ways the nation ever has elected its leader.
But this election also should go down in
history as the country’s primary motive for
abolishing the Electoral College and relying
on the popular vote to pick the president
Although the margin is extremely slim, Vice
President Gore unofficially has been declared
the winner of the nation’s popular vote. But
after the ballots are finished being tallied in
Florida, Gore might lose that state’s electoral
votes - which will cost him the election.
In most cases, the candidate who takes the
nation’s popular vote also will lead in elec
toral votes. But that doesn’t mean the people
should be ignored. Because the president
presides over the nation, not the individual
states, he should be picked by the people
rather than electors from each state.
Granted, problems with the electoral sys
tem don’t occur often. In fact, it’s been more
than 100 years since something like this hap
pened, when Samuel Tilden won the popu
lar vote but lost the election because
Benjamin Harrison carried the majority of
the Electoral College votes.
But even when the popular vote and the
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case to case, she said.
But even if that is true, the timing of
Sexton’s execution certainly gives the appear
ance of political manipulation and would
make a great deal of political sense. Easley’s
campaign no doubt would have liked to avoid
angry protesters chanting his name outside
Central Prison before Election Day.
Yet that is a consequence he should have
had to accept if he publicly supports the
death penalty as he says he does. Many peo
ple might disagree with him, but he should
nevertheless have had the strength of his
convictions to carry out his work without
regard to how many points he might lose in
the latest election poll.
As it is, the apparent injection of vulgar
politics into Sexton’s execution process
threatens the credibility of an institution that
is already the subject of immense scrutiny
and criticism, in both this state and others. If
Easley truly supports the death penalty, he
should have allowed the process to go on as
normal. If he has questions about either its
fairness, its use or die overall morality of it,
then he should make those concerns public.
The death penalty is carried out behind
closed doors, but that doesn’t mean that
these questions belong there as well.
electoral tallies are in line, the Electoral
College often fails in accurately representing
the nation’s desires. Take North Carolina, for
instance. Gore won 43 percent of the popu
lar vote. But because Bush won the majority
(56 percent), he gamers all 14 of its Electoral
College votes.
Under the Electoral College system, all
North Carolinians who supported Gore basi
cally were disregarded.
If the president was elected by popular
vote, more voices would be heard in the
democratic system. Votes that fall in the
minority within each state would count in the
grander scheme of things.
And under a direct popular vote, third
party candidates would have a greater
chance of gamering support. Ralph Nader
likely would have received more votes if
people didn’t feel as if they were mining
Gore’s chances of getting electoral votes with
a vote that didn’t count beyond the state
level. With a popular election, citizens would
be more likely to vote according to their con
science, for their votes would count on a
broader, national level.
Despite a very confiising race for the pres
idency this year, one thing is clear: An elec
tion by popular vote next time will ensure
that the people get the leader they want.
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An Ode to UNC’s Lovely Ladies
I’ve had my eyes on you for a while. I
knew you were a special person from the
first time I talked to you. No doubt you
had the looks.
Subtle attractiveness.
Your natural beauty allows you to stay gor
geous at all times. Little makeup. You don’t
Sways have to squeeze into skintight outfits to
show your assets. Your sunshine radiates even
through sweat pants and flip-flops.
Pretty face with a well-toned body. You hair
feels like silk, and your soft skin is gentle to
the touch. Plus you’ve got those delicate
hands that 1 adore, accentuated by flawless
nails.
You stay fresh with light perfumes. You are
a breath of fresh air every time I’m lucky
enough to be in your presence.
Your wardrobe is impeccable with clothes
for every occasion. Your style fits your person.
Instead of following trends, you set them. You
are confident enough in yourself to ignore the
crowd and blaze trails.
You sashay through the Triangle in an array
of cutting-edge fashions. It seems like you
never wear the same outfit twice. Regardless
of whether it’s Express, Moschino, Guess, V,
LVLX, Donna Karen, Beße, D&G or Gap you
always look lovely.
Without question, you look good.
Envious females barrage you in your suite,
at the clubs and on The Yard questioning
your every movement.
“Where do you shop?” “How much did you pay
for that cute little top?” “What are you doing
tonight?” “How’s your lone life?”
Of course, you are more than meets the
eye. As our conversations became longer and
more frequent, you let me see a small slice of
your world. I take note of your hopes,
dreams, aspirations, motives and fears.
You’ve got it together, and you make all the
right moves at all the right times. Your priori
ties are straight, and you know what you have
to do. More impressively, you finish every-
Readers' Forum
African-American
Slave Descendants
Deserve Reparations
TO THE EDITOR:
Thanks to the DTH editorial
board for sparking discussion on the
reparations issue. Let me first say that
I support the concept of reparations
to descendants of African-American
slaves. To effectively address the con
tinued consequences of slavery, repa
rations must be paid for uncompen
sated labor and enslavement.
In the Nov. 8 editorial, two prima
ry reasons for opposing reparations
were put forth: The living descen
dants of slaves are centuries removed
from slavery, and the move to pro
vide reparations will divide the coun
try. It is important to clarify that the
transition from slavery to freedom
has been more of a gradual one fol
lowing the abolition of slavery,
through the Jim Crow era and Civil
Rights era, and continuing today. The
barrier to inherited wealth, the high
rate of African-American poverty,
and the income gap between black
and white households have all sur
vived as current-day legacies of slav
ery.
Reparations are certainly not a
new idea. Indeed, there are many
Sefton Ipock
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Cobi Edelson
DESIGN EDITOR
Saleem Reshamwala
GRAPHICS EDITOR
JL
■
KOFI BOFAH
PHILOSOPHY .22
thing that you start. Your mental is what dis
tances you from the pack.
Every day you continue to prove that you
are much more than a pretty face.
You’re a total package. With beauty, intelli
gence and an engaging personality, you’ve got
it all.
Of course what looks good isn’t always
good.
And I only give credit where credit is due.
I’ve done some behind-the-scenes detective
work and have made a few inquiries about
your person.
Most females on this campus said that they
love everything that you stand for. All of your
friends promise eternal loyalty and respect
toward you.
But with any precious individual, negativity
tinged with jealousy always looms large. One
girl summed it up with two sentences:
7 can’t stand her. She thinks she is so like that. ”
Your reputation remains spodess with the
fellas. We adore you and your name floats
around in all positive conversations about
UNC’s women.
It’s a fact that you look good. It’s a fact that
you are intelligent. It’s a fact that you have a
beautiful personality. It’s a fact that you dis
play a wonderful attitude.
It’s a fact that your radiance lights up any
room and your rays of sunshine melt the
clouds of the dreariest days.
Your reputation is spodess. Nobody has
examples of compensation paid by
governments and private companies.
The U.S. government is preparing to
pay reparations to Japanese
Americans held in internment camps
during World War 11. Several
German companies paid reparations
to Holocaust victims for forced labor.
Native Americans have received
compensation, though minimal, for
past injustices. Although never real
ized, let us not forget the “40 acres
and a mule” bill put forth and
rescinded after the Civil War.
The U.S. government bears
responsibility for protecting and
encouraging the slave trade, slavery
and segregation in law and deed.
Therefore, the U.S. government is
the focus of many efforts to obtain
reparations. The type of reparations
that I support would be paid by the
U.S. government taking the form of
educational trusts, interest-free loans
and other targeted economic devel
opment remedies. This is the only
way for the U.S. government to fully
acknowledge and take responsibility
for its role in slavery.
An argument that the struggle for
reparations will divide the country is
a weak one. The road to justice is
often difficult, as our history has
demonstrated many times. The point
is not to “rehash animosities,” but
Cate Doty & Lauren Beal
MANAGING EDITORS
Josh Williams
ONLINE EDITOR
Brian Frederick
OMBUDSMAN
Laura Stoehr
SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR
abused or disrespected you, and there are no
scandals swirling around your name.
I hear nothing but positives from all that
are touched by you. Your only “fault” is that
you proceed cautiously with relationships.
You always have been selective, and few have
been able to break down your defenses and
get close to you -a bad sign for men that
don’t recognize your inspirational nature.
But a good sign for those of us that wish to
treat you like the queen that you are.
I remain content simply to be in your pres
ence. I’m cool with just being friends. I love
being there to observe you in your natural
state.
It’s difficult for me to come at you the way
I wish. A lady as special as you deserves undi
vided attention. I barely have time for myself
as it is.
Would the study of double-entry account-,
ing, cool jazz, Shakespeare, Charlemagne and
logistics consume all of the time I wish I could
give to you? j
Maybe I’m just scared.
I know these are simply words, but trust
that my feelings are sincere. I have a genuine
interest in you, and I promise to convert talk
into action. i
Judge me for me. Don’t worry about my
grade point average, don’t stress my major,
disregard my career goals and ignore the type
of car that I drive. I implore you to separate
the material from the man.
As all the extras are stripped from my per
son, what remains?
If you like what you see, then we can move
forward.
If you don’t see a person that you could be
with, I’ll just have to deal with that.
Regardless of your stance, let me know ...
Dedicated to all the beautiful, respectable,
top-notch women of UNC. Don’t let negativi
ty steal your shine. Reach Kofi at
bofah26@email.unc.edu.
rather to seek justice.
It’s not too late for justice. Lawsuits
might be a way to address the issue;
however, there needs to be a forum
on the issue in the legislative and
executive levels of government. More
importantly in my mind is the need
for people to begin talking about the
continued legacy of slavery and “the
problem of the color line, and not
continue as if it doesn’t exist.” Asa
descendant of a Southern slave
owner, I recognize the need for jus
tice and for healing; thus my support
goes to paying down the nation’s debt
- the debt owed to the descendants of
African-American slaves.
Joseph T. Kennedy
Graduate Student
Environmental Sciences and
Engineering
Your Name in Print
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