6 The Daily Tar Heel Monday, October 3, 1977
Greo Porter
Editor
Ben Cornelius, Managing Editor
Ed Rankin, Associate Editor
Lou Biuonis, Associate Editor
Laura Scism, University Editor
Elliott Potter, City Editor
Chuck Alston, State and National Editor
Sara Bullard, Features Editor
Chip Ensslin, Arts Editor
Gene Upchurch, Sports Editor
Allen Jernigan, Photography Editor
iatU;
Sat HM
85th year of editorial freedom
Facts and myths surrounding marijuana debated
NCSU plan may be answer
The telephone crisis is not limited to Chapel Hill, and UNC students
aren't the only ones complaining about Southern Bell's service and business
practices. Students at North Carolina State University also have to cope
with the prospect of sky rocketing installation fees, as well as soaring
monthly service charges.
And, as in Chapel Hill, State students are disturbed over the realization
that increased phone costs hit the naturally transient student the hardest. To
deal with the problem, an associate dean of Student Affairs, the director of
Residence Facilities and the student body president at State are working on
a plan to include telephone costs in each student's dorm room rent.
The idea, which has also been kicked around at this University, is a good
one. As we understand the plan, State's first step would be to assure that
each dorm room has a phone with a permanent number, thereby easing the
problem, common at the beginning of a school year, of finding someone's
telephone number. While we at Carolina already have permanent dorm
room phone numbers, the concept could be extended in Chapel Hill to
apartment complexes as well, facilitating the search for an individual's
number in the fall while no phone book exists.
Part two of the State plan would include the costs of the dorm room
phone in the room rent. Such action would make sure that phones are
available for use on the first day the dorms open, and that students know
their telephone numbers when they learn of their room assignment. The
benefits of such a system are obvious unnecessary hassles and long waits
can be avoided.
But an additional benefit and one of perhaps greater importance
would come in savings. Installation charges would be curbed, as a one-time
bill of approximately $20,000, according to the Technician, the State
student newspaper, would be levied for hook-up of all the dorm room
phones.
A plan to finance the installation charge with the proceeds from dorm
laundromats is under consideration by State officials, along with the
possibility of an on-going subsidy of the phone costs in the same manner.
While the fate of State's plan is still in doubt, it, nevertheless, serves as a
model for study here at UNC. As long as increasing costs are brought to bear
on the student body the people least able to carry the burden some
program to curb the costs is needed. "Socializing" dorm room phones just
may be the answer.
The Daily Tar Heel
publishes Monday through Friday during the academic year. Offices are at the Student
Union Building, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27514. Telephone
numbers: 933-0245. 0246, 0252.
News: Tony Gunn, assistant editor; Mark Andrews, Jeff Collins, Meredith Crews, Shelley
Drocscher, Bruce Ellis, Mary Gardner, Grant Hamill, Stephen Harris, Kathy Hart, Nancy
Hartis, Keith Hollar, Steve Huettel, Jaci Hughes, Jay Jennings, Will Jones, Julie Knight, Eddie
Marks, Amy McRary, Karen Millers, Beverly Mills, Beth Parson, Chip Pearsall, Bernie
Ransbottom, Leslie Scism, Barry Smith, David Stacks, Robert Thomason, Howard Troxler,
Mike Wade and David Walters.
News Desk: Reid Tuvim, assistant managing editor. Copy chief: Keith Hollar. Copy editors:
Richard Barron, Jeff Brady, Amy Colgan, Dinita James, Carol Lee, Michele Mecke, Lisa
Nieman, Dan Nobles, Dawn Pearson, Melinda Stovall, Melanie Topp and Larry Tupler.
Sports: Lee Pace, assistant editor; Evan Appel, Dede Biles, Skip Foreman, Tod Hughes, Dave
Kirk, Pete Mitchell, Ken Roberts, Rick Scoppe, Will Wilson and Isabel Worthy.
Features: Jeff Brady, Zap Brueckner, David Craft, Debbie Moose, Dan Nobles, Lynn Williford,
Peter Hapke, Tim Smith, Etta Lee, Kimberly McGuire, and Ken Roberts.
Arts and Entertainment: Hank Baker, Becky Burcham, Pat Green, Marianne Hansen, Libby
Lewis and Valerie Van Arsdale.
Graphic Arts: Artists: Dan Brady, Allen Edwards, Cliff Mariey, Jocelyn Pettibone, Lee Poole
and John Tomlinson. Photographers: Fred Barbour, Joseph Thomas, Michael Sneed and Sam
Fulwood.
Business: Verna Taylor, business manager. Claire Bagley, assistant business manager. Mike
Neville, David Squires and Howard Troxler. Circulation manager: Bill Bagley.
Advertising: Blair Kleitsch, manager; Dan Collins, sales manager; Carol Bedsole, assistant sales
manager; Steve Crowell, classifieds manager; Julie Coston, Neal Kimball, Cynthia Lesley, Anne
Sherril and Melanie Stokes.
C omposition Editors: Frank Moore and Nancy Oliver.
C omposltlon and Makeup: UNC Printing Dept. Robert Jasinkiewicz, supervisor; Robert
Streeicr, Geanie McMillan, Judy Dunn, Carolyn Kuhn, David Parker, Joni Peters, Steve
Quakenbush, Duke Sullivan.
To the editor:
Congratulations to D. C. Malle ("Get
Straight," Letters, Sept. 28) for setting our
campus "straight" with the "strong opinion"
that it needs. After reading the letter, I
immediately discarded my copies of
Consumer Report!, (March 1975) and
Psychology Today (which only contains
trashy little experimental studies on
marijuana) in favor of authoritative
literature on the subject. Not just any World
Book Encyclopedia would do; I needed my
Daily Mail or National Enquirer's column
on "The Killer Herb" in order to separate the
myths from the "facts."
Myth: Marijuana does not harm the body.
Fact: Marijuana leaves millions of fatal
overdoses in its wake.
Myth: Marijuana does not damage
chromosomes.
Fact: Marijuana produces thousands of
armadillo babies.
Myth: Marijuana does not stunt growth.
Fact: Marijuana smokers need elevator
shoes to reach Reader's Digest in Wilson
Library.
Myth: Marijuana does not harm
"Johnny's brain."
Fact: Marijuana turns Johnny's brain into
a cabbage head.
Now that the truth be known, listen to a
bit of advice:
1) Since marijuana is not "a weed similar
to tobacco," smoke tobacco; after all,
tobacco only kills a mere 500,000 people per
year (The Washington Monthly, February
1976, p. 9).
2) "Five to ten in the pen"
Leaves no room for other men.
Marijuana smokers do a great disservice
to the public by not leaving enough room in
our prisons for robbers, rapists and
murderers.
3) Give your policeman a holiday. At the
present rate of arrests of only 450,000 per
year Human Behavior, May 1976, pp. 58
59), your neighborhood policeman will not
catch all 30 million marijuana users (The
Washington Post, Feb. 13, 1976, p. A-22)
before 2044 A.D.
4) Give yourself a tax break by
discontinuing abuse; if the police did not
need to enforce this law, they could save $600
million a year (Human Behavior, May 1975,
p. 59).
5) Rush down to Wilson Library foryour
"straight A's" but beware lest you stumble
upon any questionable literature that will
give both sides of the issue.
In closing, we did not notice the name D.
C. Malle upon the Phi Beta Kappa roster.
Better luck next time.
David Bodenheimer
4 Old East
To the editor
We read with great interest your recent
articles on the new library addition. Not
being library-goers ourselves, we have
restrained our strong opinions in hopes that
someone else would sound off. However,
after reading last months High Times ("1 am
Johnny's Pencil"), it becomes more and
more necessary to speak out on the issues at
hand.
Come on you library-goers, get off. Let's
separate the myths from the facts about
studying.
Myth: Studying heightens sensitivity.
Fact: Studying causes fatigue and "nerve
deadening."
Myth: Studying is relaxing.
Fact: Studying causes headaches and "the
jitters."
Myth: Studying is not a law but merely a
duty similar to working.
Fact: Five to ten in the study pen will drive
one to smoking marijuana, or even worse,
tobacco.
Now that we have the facts straight, it is
time to "turn off the study lamp and "turn
on" to the real reason we are all here in
Chapel Hill, namely for good herbs and
enlightening experiences. So, come on
library-goers, let's go "straight" to the Bell
Tower so we can get off.
Signed by seven
residents of Morrison
To the editor:
D. C. Malle should be commended for his
bold letter in which he explained the effects
of marijuana to the members of the High
Noon Society and gave his admonition
concerning its use. I also found extremely
valuable his reference to the recently
published treatise on the subject entitled, "1
am Johnny's Brain," in the August issue of
Reader's Digest (a periodical which prints
articles on topical subjects as well as
condensations of popular novels). The
article is well worth reading by those people
who want to learn all that there is to know
about this substance.
Malle procedes to explode several myths
about marijuana or "Mary Jane" as it is
known to the drug culture. He explains that
contrary to popular belief, smoking
marijuana is not pleasant and relaxing, but
rather causes headaches, fatigue, nerve
deadening and what scientists refer to as "the
jitters." 1 wish to add that it has also been
reported that marijuana causes a reduction
in the body's resistance to infection plus
impotency in men. This has yet to be
accepted by the medical community,
however, because of technicalities regarding
false and inaccurate data.
"Hard vs. soft"
To the editor:
I had mixed emotions reading three
articles dealing with America's future energy
policy ("America, is there an energy
option?," Sept. 27-29).
The authors pondered on two options:
"hard" nuclear energy development, and
"soft" the alternatives:
"Alcohol-based fuels for transportation."
Imagine the whole new industry built for the
country's transportation needs over the dead
body of the EPA. W hat are they going to use
for fuel to keep this industry going?
"Wind-generated electricity." Picture ten
thousand windmills as a substitute for one
compact nuclear power plant.
"Chicken droppings." A new profession
(CD-collector) with its own union. Though
"this represents no significant threat to
present lifestyles."
Are you for "hard" or "soft"? I asked my
wife's opinion on the subject. Her choice
dissipated all my doubts.
Igor Pavlov
105 Buena Vista
letters to the editor
Finally, Malle proves fallacious the myth
that marijuana is a weed like tobacco, rather
than a drug like heroin. He writes, "the law
states that marijuana is a drug. Five to ten in
the pen will support that fact." Q.E.D. This
is non-Euclidian reasoning at its zenith.
D. C. Malle is himself living testimony to
the virtues of a brain which is filled with fresh
air instead of chemicals. Surely, a drug user
could never have developed arguments such
as his. Therefore, let me add my voice in
support. It is time to "turn off to drugs and
"turn on" to the real reason we are all in
Chapel Hill, namely to get straight A's. After
all, that is what life is for!
Robert S. Caine
Massachusetts Institute
of Rhode Island
To the editor:
Why waste valuable printing space on the
High Nooners? Let's talk about something
meaningful, like the impact of the Student
Government constitution on the students
here at the University.
James Thaddeus White III
639 Grimes
Errors In logic
To the editor.
Your editorial ("Amendment may end
unfair foreign med student quotas," Sept.
28) attacking the HEW quotas on medical
school admission of foreign was well
intentioned, but the reasoning was based on
a number of serious errors.
Error 1: The reason that U.S. students go
to foreign medical schools is not, as you
state, that they lack the "proper credentials"
to get into a U.S. medical school. It is that
there are very few places in U.S. medical
schools to begin with. Medical schools in the
U .S. only have room for 10 per cent of those
applicants who are well-qualified. The
number of medical school places is
deliberately kept small by physicians
themselves, in order to keep down the
number in their profession.
Error 2: "Academic integrity" has nothing
to do with keeping down the number of
medical school places. The number of
physicians is kept low by physicians
themselves in order to preserve the archaic
"fee for service" system of medical care,
preserve outrageous fees and prevent a
system of public medical care as now exists
in more civilized countries. Anyone who can
get through UNC with a B average is smart
enough to become a physician. Indeed, a lot
of technical biological and chemical
knowledge is not even necessary: 49 percent
of philosophy majors applying to medical
school are accepted, as opposed to 17 per
cent of biology and chemistry majors.
W hat we really need to do about the health
care crisis in the U.S. is to immediately
expand medical education, quadruple the
number of medical schools, and then offer
public employment to the resulting surfeit of
physicians at a wage about that paid to
public school teachers.
We must stop being taken in by
physicians' absurd propaganda, to the effect
that "academic integrity" and "standards"
are somehow involved in the current medical
school squeeze.
R. K. Hsueh
Fellow in applied logic
Minority opportunity doctrine
To the editor:
1 am responding to the letter by Dwight
Ferguson in the Sept. 23 DTH which you
happily titled "Argument illogical."
Ferguson says that both UNC and the
North Carolina Student Legislature (NCSL)
benefit a minority at the expense of a
majority but that both are developing future
leaders for the state. Now the only reason I
can guess for making this statement is that
the majority which supports them ultimately
benefits from the exchanges. Whether the
majority actually does benefit from either is
a question incapable of proof that can be
answered only by considering each situation
individually.
In contrast, the last part of the letter states
that students at UNC and NCSL have taken
an "opportunity to better themselves."
"Without even considering the indirect
benefits to the majority made possible by the
existence of minority interest-geared
organizations, justification for taxing the
majority for them can be found in the
existence of these opportunities open to all."
It states that lack of benefits to the student
body is not an argument for opposing a
student fees increase.
In order to give a concrete demonstration
of this last idea, I suggest that the 50 or 60
members of Ferguson's hardy band in NCSL
(a majority) send me $1000 for an
"opportunity which would not otherwise
exist" to "better myself" on the Florida
beaches. They may make this opportunity
open to all if they like. As I lounge in the sun,
I will sing the praises of Jhe "minority
opportunity" doctrine! Please sentf the
amount in cash to:
Dave Abernethy
343 Craige
Cruise director on the 'Titanic'
Columnist Art Buchwald finds it hard to be funnier than the front page
GREENSBORO "1 have great respect for
Jimmy Carter," Art Buchwald said. "I worship
the very quicksand he walks on."
Art Buchwald owes a lotto Jimmy Carter. The
President provides much of the material that
goes into Buchwald's syndicated column, one of
the funniest items to be found in more than 500
newspapers worldwide.
Buchwald is not just another Washington
columnist, however. Buchwald is master of his
profession: political satire.
Speaking to an almost capacity crowd at
UNC-G's Aycock Auditorium recently,
Buchwald gave some insight into how he writes
his column.
"I don't talk to anyone," he said. "This way,
facts don't get in my way."
Buchwald's main competition, he said, is the
front page of daily newspapers. As an example,
he cites Jimmy Carter's revelation last year that
he lusts after women. "I couldn't just make that
up," he said.
"He is the first president who doesn't do it but
thinks about it a lot."
Buchwald is known as an astute observer of
the political scene. "I believe President Ford
would still be in the White House if he hadn't
freed the Polish people prematurely," he said.
He also understands the election process.
Many persons, he said, ask him why a country of
210 million doesn't have better presidents.
"Only 99 million people are registered to
vote," he explained. "Of this number, 38 million
are under 35, the minimum age eligible to be
president.
"Of the remaining 61 million, one million are
aliens. Thirty million are women, and this
country is not ready for a woman president for at
least three years.
"This leaves 30 million. But four million are
afraid to fly. We cannot have a president who is
afraid to fly.
m QUOTES
By row cvss
"Two million have w ives who don't want to
live in Washington. Two million have been
audited by the IRS. And 12 million were
mentioned in Elizabeth Ray's book.
"This leaves seven million. Of this, 6,999,998
have had psychiatric treatment. The country w ill
never accept a president who has had mental
problems.
"This left us with a peanut farmer from
Georgia and a guy v ho played football without a
helmet."
Buchwald finds the Carter family fascinating.
"Suppose I went to a TV producer with the
following idea for a scries:
"A family from Georgia tmncs into the White
House. The central character used to sell peanuts
and used to be the captain of a nuclear
submarine.
"He has a redneck brother who drinks 10 six
packs a day; a 78-year-old mother who used to
work for the Peace Corps; a nine-year-old
daughter who lives in a treehouse; one sister who
rides a motorcycle, another who is a faith healer.
"What would the TV producer say? 'Get rid of
the faith healer.' "
Jimmy Carter was not the first president to
give a fireside chat, Buchwald said. "Gerry Ford
once tried it, but the fire went out."
Buchwald also proposed a search committee
to find a replacement for Bert Lance, Carter's
director of the Office of Management and
Budget. "Carter needs a new best friend," he said.
A poll taken before Lance resigned, Buchwald
pointed out, showed that 38 percent of the U.S.
people wanted Lance to resign; 33 percent did
not.
"The others couldn't answer because Lance
owed them money," Buchwald said.
Although Buchwald has put together many of
his columns into books, he said he has always
wanted to author a pornographic book. "But I
get so excited doing the research that I never get
around to writing the book."
Buchwald blamed the energy crisis on the
Harvard Business School. "If Harvard had not
taught the sons of those Arab sheiks, barrels of
oil would cost $3."
He also predicted that by 1980, the post office
w ould deliver mail only one day a year. "It w ill be
called 'Mail Day,' and it will be just like
Christmas," he said. "People will decorate their
mailboxes, and when the mailbag comes, they
will open up their bills together."
Buchwald also said he favors gun registration.
"My neighbor has a gun, and he can't even water
his lawn straight."
In addition to pointing out the shortcomings
of government and society in his column,
Buchwald also proposes solutions.
Buchwald has noticed that, due to the amount
of mail he receives after he writes a column
favoring gun registration, everyone who owns a
gun also owns a typewriter. Instead of registering
guns, he said, 'Make everyone register their
typewriters."
B uchwald also has a solution to the problem of
the supersonic transport Concorde. "Let it land
but do not let it take off."
Many would consider the 52-year-old
columnist's job difficult. But he doesn't.
"I just look at things and see how ridiculous life
is," he said. "People pay me large sums of money
to do this.
"I consider myself the cruise director on the
'Titanic' We may not get there, but I'm going-first-class."
Sometimes, Buchwald admitted, his column
gets him in trouble. "What really scares you is
when you make something up and it really
happens," he said.
"I once wrote about a top-secret plane that
could fly so slow that nothing could shoot it
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Photo couilMy of UNC-Q Newt Bureau
Art Buchwald
down. Two days later I got a call from the
Pentagon saying I had violated security."
Tony Gunn, a senior journalism major from
Reidsville, N.C, is assistant news editor for the
Daily Tar Heel.