Newspaper Page Text
■ QUOTABLE
4 ♦ The Red and Black » Thursday, August 2, 1990
OPINIONS
"I travel to Atlanta an average of two days a week, and its no fun
when your car breaks down in Dacula at 1 a.m."
— UGA President Charles Knapp on his fundraising travels.
The Red & Black
Established 1893—incorporated 1980
An independent student newspaper not a/f'dialed with the University of Georgia
Jennifer Rampey/Editor-in-Chief
Trevor Padgett/Managing Editor
David Johnston/Opinions Editor
■ EDITORIALS
Our endorsements
Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young is our choice
for the Democratic nomination for governor.
Young has, in his own words, spent a lifetime preparing
to lead Georgia.
A former United Nations ambassador, Young commands
an understanding of the international scene. Georgia has
witnessed the rise of the global marketplace, and Young can
help the state become a formidable player in that arena.
In fact, he has already proven himself — he was instru
mental in making Atlanta the most important city in the
Southeast Under his leadership, the city experienced a
boom in tourism and industry. There has never been a more
effective salesman for Atlanta or for Georgia.
Young also has led progressive social reform. One of
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “lieutenants,” he forwarded civil
rights progress in the South. He is ardently pro-choice,
saying he trusts the women of Georgia to make their own de
cisions.
He is committed to excellence in education through set
ting and achieving goals. Although he supports a lottery, he
has said he wouldn’t rely upon lottery revenue for education.
Those funds would supplement a healthy education budget,
avoiding the problems many lottery states now face.
The clear choice for the Democrats in the race for lieu
tenant governor is Sen. Pierre Howard of Decatur.
Howard, 47, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Univer
sity and received his law degree here in 1968. He was cap
tain of the UGA tennis team and president of the OAK
Honor Society. As a state senator for 18 years, he served on
the Judiciary, Education and Appropriations committees
and he chaired the Human Resources Committee.
Throughout his senate career, Howard supported and
sponsored important progressive legislation. He co-authored
the Ethics Act of 1986, which requires state officials to dis
close their sources of income and, in the same session, led
the fight for tort reform. He authored the PEACH program,
which requires able-bodied welfare recipients to work while
recieving job training, and he co-sponsored legislation to
adopt the ERA. He is pro-choice. Howard is everything his
opponent, Sen. Joe Kennedy of Claxton, is not.
Kennedy, House Speaker Tom Murphy’s candidate, is a
good ole boy who has consistently resisted progressive legis
lation. He voted against the Fair Employment Practices Act,
which Howard sponsored in the senate, and against the
ERA. Kennedy is anti-choice.
Our choice in the Democratic race for insurance com
missioner is Tim Ryles, a former state consumer affairs di
rector. Ryles has pledged to reduce the state’s high
automobile insurance rates — a problem most University
students are all too familiar with.
His opponent, incumbent Warren Evans, is too close to
the industry he regulates, and skyrocketing insurance rates
demonstrate his ineffectiveness in protecting Georgia’s con
sumers.
For the Public Service Commission seat being va
cated by Billy Lovett, we recommend Gwinnett County at
torney Robert Durden.
His opponent, Mollie Fleeman Glitsis, is a former con
sumer’s utility counsel, who too often caved in to the utility
companies at the consumer’s expense. Electing a qualified
woman statewide is an important goal for Georgia voters,
and Cathey Steinberg’s 1988 PSC campaign offered us a
chance to break through that barrier. We blew it.
Durden, unlike Glitsis, doesn’t have a cozy relationship
with the utilities he wants to regulate.
Rep. Karen Irwin of Winterville has our support in her
bid for re-election to the Georgia House from district 13,
post 2.
Irwin is as unabashedly pro-choice as her opponent is
anti-choice, and her argument for more representative gov
ernment through single-member districts has us convinced.
The Democratic primary runoff will be held on Tuesday,
August 7th.
STAFF
NEWS: 543-1809
New* Editor Mary Ratcliff*
Sport* Editor Jon Tully
Entartalnmant Editor Rachel Curry
Aoooclato Now* Editor Elizabeth Graddy
Inside Copy Editor*: Nick Schweitzer,
Stephanie Smith
Graphic* Editor Howard Fore
Photo Editor Wayne Jackson
Photof rapher. Marla Clay
Staff Writer*: Gwinn Bruns, J. Leigh Burrell.
Cathy Ferns. Patrick Flanigan. Dan Pod, Jeff
Rutherford, Beth Vallnoti, Douglas Wood
Entertainment Writer David William*
Sport* Writer David Pace
Special Sect Iona/Trend* Editor Marla
Edwards
Editorial Aaaiatant Laura Roe
Cartoonist: Mike Moreu
ADVERTISING: 543-1791
Student Advertising Managers:
Kristi Burnham, Krtchelie Halualani
Senior Advertising Representative: Rick
Huggins
Advertising Representative*: Jeff Hams,
Alan Holcomb. Chris Munguia, Toby Myers,
Kipp Mullls, Maureen Musgrove, Lee Nettles,
Asst. Editorial Prod. Manager Cristina
Felndt
General Manager. Harry Montevideo
Advertising Director Robin Stoner
Office Manager Mary Straub
Production Manager Martena Martin
ClassHleds/Recepttonlst: Beverly Vaughn
The Ned an* BUck ia pubbahed Tueadey through
Fndey during the regular achod year and each
Thuredey during summer quarter, with the exceptions
of holidays and exam periods, by The Red and Slack
Publishing Company Inc. a nonprofit campus
newspaper not affiliated with the University of
Georgia, 123 N. Jackson St. Athens, Ga 30601.
Third dees postage paid at Athens. Ge. Subscription
rate: *24 per year.
Opinion* expreese* In The Re* an* Black other than
unsigned editorials ere the opinions of the writers of
signed columns end not necessanly those of The Red
end Black Publishing Company Inc. Ail ngrss
reserved Repnnta by permission of the editors.
Bush knows how to play the nomination game
For George Bush the word politic is definitely
a verb. As in “George sure politics well.”
He’s like a well oiled political machine. One
can almost visualize a chalk board in the Oval
Office filled with Xs and Os. The plays have
names like, “ambiguous statement right," “un-
keepable promise left” and “mid-term reverse.”
He’s undefeated in the veto game, but he’s
down in the opinion polls. Not to worry, a good
flag-burning speech will fix that.
Like any good player he reacts well, too.
When Justice William J. Brennan announced
his retirement from the Supreme Court the
president found a nominee within 72 hours.
Any longer and political action groups, such as
the Pro-Choice Action League and Right-to-
Life, would have pressured him to take a defi
nite stand on abortion. Political Suicide
What a candidate too. Federal Appeals Court
Judge David Souter is an enigma. Con
gressmen call him a blank slate. Justice Thur-
good Marshall said “I’ve never heard of him.”
He hasn’t done anything, so how can Con
gress possibly find any thing wrong with him.
He’s a perfect candidate for a successful nomi
nation by the president. Add that to George’s
list of accomplishments. Another one for the
Gipper.
The only problem is that there is more at
stake here than the president’s personal score
card. If David Souter is nominated he will make
decisions which affect American lives well into
the next century. Decisions affecting affirmi-
tive action, treatment of prisoners and abor
tion.
The decision maker and the decisions he
a
Patrick *
Flanigan
makes will outlive the president and his poli
tics. This is not part of the game.
David Souter may turn out to be a good jus
tice, but no one can tell by looking at him. He’s
a blank slate with an impeccable academic re
cord; magna cum laude Harvard graduate,
Rhodes Scholar, Harvard law. He served on the
New Hampshire Supreme Court — not exactly
a dynamo state for social issues — and was re
cently appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals,
but has yet to participate in any of its decisions.
There are few written examples of his
opinion concerning constitutional law. A brief
statement by him was recently dug up in which
he acknowledges the constitutional right to
abortion as long as it is not funded by tax dol
lars. This is not an example of his opinion be
cause all he did was accept the judgment of the
Supreme Court in the Roe v. Wade case, which
concluded that women have the constitutional
right to abortion.
These are the actions of a follower, not a
leader. As a Supreme Court Justice, Souter will
not have the luxury of accepting the reasoning
of a higher court.
The question here is not whether Souter will
be a suitable Justice, but why did the president
choose him for the nomination?
As president, it is Bush’s responsibility to ap
point a Supreme Court justice whom he be
lieves will interpret the Constitution in a
manner which is beneficial to the American
people. It is not his responsibility to appoint
thenominee who is most likely to be approved
by senate.
It is the Senate’s responsibility to confirm
the nominee. This is to insure that the opinion
of one man — the president — is not over em
phasized. To do this, the Senate reviews the
past record of the candidate in order to form a
premise of what sort of justice he or she will be.
This is also done for the good of the people
In the nomination and eventual approoval of
David Souter, the welfare of the people has
been removed from this system of checks and
balances. Congress will have no choice but to
approve Souter. Their decision won’t be based
on what he has done, but rather on what he
hasn’t done. But this still dosn’t guarantee that
he is the best candidate for the job.
By not ever demonstrating a definite opinion
on any social issue, David Souter is a good polit
ical choice for the personal gain of George Bush
and the individual congressmen who approve
him. As for the people, we can only watch and
hope.
Patrick Flanigan is a staff writer for The Red
and Black.
Barney Frank deserves credit for being honest
Three cheers for Barney Frank!!! One for
honesty, one for courage, and one for dignity.
For those who’ve managed to avoid television
and newspapers for the past three years, Frank
is a Democratic congressman from Massachu
setts. Like quite a few of his colleagues, Frank
has been at the center of a public scandal in the
past year, and he has endured having his name
bandied about by the opposing party, as well as
splashed across headlines nationwide. Just like
any other congressman who’s made some errors
in judgement, Frank has faced having his fate
decided by the House Ethics Committee, and
has had to accept the punishment his peers
have voted he should receive. However, FVank
faced proposals that he be censured, and even
expelled for ethics violations that probably
wouldn’t have earned even an oral reprimand
for the vast majority of his colleagues. Unlike
most of his colleagues, Frank is gay.
Three years ago, Frank publicly aknow-
ledged his homosexuality. His disclosure meant
much to gays across the nation. It meant that
one more person who was leading a succeful
life, and making a significant contribution to
society was also gay and not ashamed to be
honest about it; it meant one more hole
punched in the stereotypical images of gays
that have been perpetuated for too long in our
society. Three years ago, Frank made a coura
geous effort to be honest, no matter what it cost
him, and for that he deserves praise. His
coming out put one more human face on the
enigma that homosexuality is, for many people;
however, for some, that face was all too human.
In 1985, Frank hired Steve Gobie, for sex,
and later hired the prostitute as an aide in his
Washington, D.C. apartment. According to alle
gations, Frank fixed 33 parking tickets for
Gobie, and distributed misleading memoranda
in order to shorten Gobie’s parole for sex and
drug convictions. Gobie, according to his own
testimony, ran a prostitution ring from Frank’s
apartment without the congressman’s knowl
edge. All of this goes to show only one thing:
like any number of his fellow congressmen,
Frank has made his share of mistakes. How
ever, the reaction of some overzealously homo-
phobic congressmen would lead the uninformed
American to believe that Frank has com mi ted
nothing less than high treason.
This past week, the House of Representa
tive’s convened to debate the fate of Frank, and
the proposal of the Ethics Committee that he be
reprimanded. Frank attended the session, even
though protocol did not require his presence
there. During a debate that saw decorum
thrown out in favor of viscious partisanism,
Frank faced proposals to have him censured
(which would nave required him to stand in the
well of the house as the charges against him
were read, as well as stripping him of his posi
tion on the House Finance Committee), and a
proposal to have him expelled from the House.
The two most rabid attacks against Frank
came (surprisingly?) from Republican Con
gressmen William Danemeyer and Newt Gin
grich. Danemeyer stood in the well of the house
calling for Frank’s expulsion, saying that such
a scandal would have ended the career of any
high school principal or businessman. The
question is would such a scandal have de
stroyed the carreer of a heterosexual con
gressman who had been involved with a female
prostitute? Ironically, the entire debate took
place while Donald Lukens, a Republican Con
gressman convicted of molesting a female
minor, sat quietly in the midst of that body.
Even more ironically, Newt Gingrich developed
a new concern for integrity, and called for
Frank’s censure.
In the middle of the debate, Frank rose from
his chair and publicly aknowledged and apol
ogized for his mistakes. He did not flinch nor
bow his head when the House voted 408 to 18 to
reprimand him. He deserves praise for his hon
esty about his life and his mistakes, his courage
in facing up to the charges against him and the
the advantage his opponents would make of
them, and for the dignified manner in which he
handled himself during the ordeal.
Frank made his mistakes, and he faced the
music for them without squealing, unlike those
who would have him expelled from the House
for crimes very similar to their own. Frank de
serves to be treated with the same respect due
any other congressman, or at least to be left
alone.
Terrance Heath is a senior English major
Walker column double faults
■ FORUM
□ The Red and Black welcomes letters to the editor and prints them in the Forum
column as space permits. All letters are subject to editing for length, style and li
belous material. Letters should be typed, doublespaced and must include the name,
address and daytime telephone number of the writer. Please include student dassifi
cation, major, and other appropriate identification. Names can be omitted with a valid
reason upon request Letters can be sent by U.S. mail or brought in person to The Red
and Black’s offices at 123 N. Jackon SL, Athens, Ga.
We are writing in response to
Randy Walker’s June 5th article
regarding Andre Agassi and his
tennis clothes. We are not writing
this to argue with him. We feel that
he is entitled to his opinion. We are
merely writing this to correct a few
of the mistakes in his article, and
to offer an opinion of our own.
First, and contrary to what Mr.
Walker thinks, Agassi has played
at Wimbledon. He played there in
1987, and was given an early exit
by Henri Leconte. We feel, as
would he, that the decision to play
Wimbledon is his, and his alone.
Secondly, you stated that John
McEnroe was tossed from the Aus
tralian Open for comments made
at Mikael Pernfors, when in
reality, he was ejected for racauet
abuse and a comment directed at
the head official’s mother.
As far as Agassi is concerned, we
feel that he has reawakened the
tennis scene in America. He gener
ates interest in the sport with his
abilities and his flamboyant char
acter. Being a born-again Chris
tian, he provides younger tennis
players with a positive role model.
Lastly, Agassi is not the only pro
fessional tennis player with a lu
crative endorsement contract.
Ivan Lendl recently ended his
ties with Adidas, and has more re
cently signed an equally lucrative
contract with Mizuno. The list of
multi-million dollar endorsement
contracts goes on and on, starting
with the world’s top ten tennis
players.
Mr. Walker, the next time you
decide to write an article slamming
American tennis players, I suggest
you do a little more research, and
leave your opinions on the tennis
court.
Cris McQueen, jr., business
David Mowery, ir., journalism
Editor’s Note: Signed columns
on the Sports page, like those on the
Opinions page, can include the
writer's opinion.