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4 « The Red and Black ♦ Tuesday, October 2, 1990
OPINIONS
"What happened a couple of weeks ago hasn t hurt my busl-
-Super Thunder stun gun salesman “'ck Rot^Ofon^heGal-
The Red & Black
Established 1893—Incorporated 1980
An independent student newspaper not affiliated with the University of Georgia
Robert Todd/Editor-in-Chief
Jennifer Rampey/Managing Editor
David Johnston/Opinions Editor
■ EDITORIALS
Effective machinery
“...as to the preservation of the UN as machinery
through which we may work for peace in the future, I
have a great deal of conviction and I hope that other
people will feel the same way."
— Eleanor Roosevelt
Roosevelt was one of the most important figures in
the birth of the United Nations 45 years ago. She and
the other leaders of the world body’s first session
envisioned it as a powerful diplomatic check on
military agression and an effective forum for hashing
out world problems.
But for most of its history the UN has been
ineffecti ve and impotent in times of crisis.
In “Man of Integrity,” a 1988 autobiography,
President George Bush says that the “UN’s role as a
peacemaker and peacekeeper is minor at best.”
Much of the problem was the constant sparring
between the Soviet Union and the United States, both
permanent members of the 15-member UN Security
Council.
Yesterday Bush addressed a dramatically different
UN — one which he described as more than ever “a
center for international collective security”
During the last few weeks, the Security Council has
passed nine near unanimous resolutions in retaliation
for Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.
The United States and the Soviet Union are
standing together against Saddam Hussein’s
aggression, and the UN is finally the instrument for
world peace it was meant to be.
This new effectiveness bodes well for the stability of
the post-Cold War world.
Our government, which is $600 million behind in
its UN dues, should continue to be an active proponent
of the role of the UN in world affairs.
Today the United Nations stands as a tribute to the
foresight of people who founded it. Their dream of a
better world just may come true.
Off the road
“Obviously, being told not to drive and not to drink
just doesn’t work,” Cobb County District Attorney Tom
Charron said Monday.
Though the number of habitual DUI convictions —
three - is at its lowest level since 1983, state officials
estimate there are up to 45,000 Georgians on probation
for habitual DUI violations. Simply put, people are
drinking, driving, getting busted and they don’t care.
Georgia needs to put some teeth into its DUI
sentencing or these laws will never be taken seriously.
We’re not saying throw these people in prison for a first
offense DUI, and the drinking age already is too high.
But certainly there are potent and cost-effective
measures which can be adopted.
First and foremost, habitual DUI offenders must be
taken off the road. Suspension of drivers’ licenses,
harsh fines and arduous hours of community service
should automatically accompany every DUI conviction
- no acceptions, no extenuating circumstances, no
questions asked.
If individuals are caught driving while under DUI
license suspensions, then it’s time for the state to
impound some vehicles and provide some
accomodations at the cross-bar motel. Additionally, a
person who allows a habitual DUI offender to drive is
as guilty as the habitual offender.
Second the state needs to provide education and
alcohol counselling for DUI offenders, especially
habitual offenders. The funding for these programs can
come from the increasingly stiff DUI fines.
It is possible to drink responsibly, millions of people
do it every day. However, our society must do
something about those who cannot.
STAFF
NEWS: 543-1809
Nmi E#t«r: Jennifer Wilkin
Sport• Mttut Randy Walker
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UQA Today/ Wire Editor Lite Kondail
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Olion, Patrick Flanigan. Chna Grime*. Lance Helm*.
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Stephana. Dana White. Stacey Mcintoah
Sport a Writer: Enh Schnrdt
Trond* Editor: Maria EtNnard*
A a Nat ant Trend* Editor: Stephanie Smith
•atwaon The Hedges Edttar: David Paco
Aaaletant Between The Hedged Editor: Inc Garber
Cartoonlat: Mika Moreu
Editorial A eat at ant: Do* Do* Varga*
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and Black Publishing Company Inc An right*
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WHAT IS ART?
Art is like-. y oU knew-
Me macaroni noodles,
ySClil^glueompaper
and Stuff-. Sometimes
Jennifer MMy, Age-. 7 City Cincinnati
SGA offers opportunity to UGA students
When, in the course of a university’s expan
sion the number of students becomes so great;
the inherent problems of an “extended re
public” arise.
James Madison wrote “that in an extended
republic the masses are rendered, baffled and
apathetic.” So fitting are Madison’s thoughts
for the student citizenry on the campus of the
University in 1990.
The University has grown tremendously over
the last 20 years, and within this growth the
students and their interests have been lost. The
incredible diversity that attracted so many stu
dents to this campus (myself included) is a
double-edged sword that has served to divide
the campus into an uncounted number of fac
tions.
These factions are extremely important to
the “world class” education and in no way
should they lx* destroyed: however, the divisive
effect that this diversity creates must be
guarded against within the student body.
The problem facing the students of the Uni
versity in 1990 are two-fold. We the students
must struggle and fight to overcome our
“baffled and apathetic” state; and at the same
time we have to guard ourselves against the in
herent problems of diversity — i.e. factiona
lism.
The suggested solutions to our problems
have been as numerous and diverse as our spe
cial interests, however, one clear and obvious
solution has been created and stands as the
practical and ideal answer to our problems —
The Student Government Association.
The power of the students lies in a unified,
educated, and involved student citizenry and
the proper institution to provide this unity is
the only all-encompassing representative body
on the campus —The Student Government As
sociation.
The SGA executive officers and senators
have backgrounds as diverse as the general stu
dent population, yet each member of the Stu
dent Government is working diligently and
responsibly ns the one unified form of student
representation.
The old era of a lack-luster Student Associa
tion and an apathetic student body has ended
and a new era of a professional and responsible
Student Government Association has begun.
Individual students and organizations must
respond to the University’s need for involved
and cooperative leadership. Students must
throw off the chains of uneducated stereotyping
and work as a solidified unit of 28,000 mature
adults in search of all that is good and correct.
There are real issues to be discussed, and the
SGA is rising to meet the challenge. The issues
before the SGA today include:
1. Physical Education Requirements
2. The Semester System
3. Weekly, Bi-weekly, and monthly meetings
with the President, V.P. and staff
4. Lobbying the state legislature for funding
5. Appointing responsible students to campus
committees
6. Voter Registration
7. Academic dishonesty/Honor Code
8. The open container law
9. The pros/cons of the grading system
President Charles Knapp’s administration
has offered students an opportunity to have a
voice in our campus life with the SGA. We all
need to take advantage of this opportunity and
prove to the state and to the nation what we al
ready know — that students at the University
deserve to be respected as “world-class.”
Heath Garrett is a junior political science major
and the president of the Student Government
Association.
Keep Atlanta from fate of Los Angeles
I recently had the chance to visit Los An
geles, the hip city where the world famous Uni
versal Studios tour is given. The tour was
overpriced, overcrowded and less than spectac
ular.
Los Angeles is supposed to lx* the city of an
gels. I think a more appropriate name might be
the city from hell. Could Atlanta become an
other Lis Angeles? We shall see.
Traffic in Los Angeles is a huge problem that
controls the lives of many. During most of the
day on the L.A. freewny, the traffic is stop and
go. The only decent daytime hours to drive are
from 1 to 3 p m.
Once before the traffic problem persisted a
rapid transit system was proposed to relieve fu
ture traffic problems, unfortunately car compa
nies and oil interests defeated the measure.
Because of auto emmissions and L.A.’s loca
tion a thick smog blankets the city for most of
the year. During the daytime hours people are
discouraged from heavy exercise because of the
poor quality of the air.
L.A. is also overdeveloped and overpop
ulated. Houses and buildings are crammed to
gether, and often there are water shortages due
to the large population and proximity of the
city.
Fast-food restaurants dot the landscape for
as far as the eye can see. Los Angelenians
trying to relieve the stress from living in the
“concrete jungle” pull up to the drive thru
window, order a large shake, a burger, and
fries: thus shortening their lives by 20 years.
At the once beautiful Santa Monica beach
smog limits your view of the ocean, and a large
group of homeless people sleep du; ;r.g '.he day
in their tattered clothes.
L.A. also experiences gang violence, arson,
and drive by shootings.
Some of these problems can be explained by
the “rat race” theory. The theory states that if
too many people get grouped together in a small
area, and most of these people care only about
getting ahead, violence will eventually break
Jim
Shaw
Maybe under these conditions most humans
aren’t rats, but add some pollution, tear up the
grass, and replace it with concrete, cut down
the trees to put up another Wendy’s, and ignore
the problems of the underclass; then see what
happens.
On my return trip to Atlanta I thought to my
self, I hope Atlanta never becomes like L.A.;
then I was scared. The population of the At
lanta Metropolitan Area has grown phenome
nally in the past 15 years, and with it
development. Everywhere new skyscrapers,
and fast food restaurants take the place of quiet
meadows, and forests.
In my home county of Gwinnett developers
scoured the land, while commissioners encour
aged them by implementing insane zoning poli
cies, and allocating a minimal amount of lands
for parks.
One park that is very popular in the metro
area is Stone Mountain. It was once a beautiful
scenic place to relax and er\joy the outdoors.
Though the park is overcrowded, already au
thorities at tne rock have built a new conven
tion center, and hotel, built a new rail line to
bring more visitors into the park, chartered
buses into the park, and now because of the
Olympics they are going to build new roads into
the park along with two new stadiums. In the
past year park authorities at Stone Mountain
got into hot water for destroying wetlands that
were protected by state law.
Traffic on Indian Trail Rd., Jimmy Carter
Blvd., and 1-85 at times rivals the traffic of L.A.
I have also noticed that the haze that hangs
over the Atlanta skyline is a much more
common occurence than it used to be.
The prevalence of violent crimes committed
by the underclass in Atlanta is on the rise, and
some gangs now exist. Instead of drivers
shooting other drivers as in L.A., Atlanta has
drive by shootings where drivers shoot at
people walking or playing basketball.
Atlanta and L.A. are becoming similar in
many ways, but I hope it isn’t too late to save
our capital from becoming another L.A.
The citizens of L.A. are having to shell out
massive amounts of tax dollars to fix the mess
they’ve got themselves into. I hope Georgians
and Atlantans will adopt the saying “an ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
What can be done? The people must raise
their voice in protest and demand:
1. Greenbelts (natural buffer zones between
cities where people can go to get their sanity
back) which already exist in Europe.
2. Strict zoning laws.
3. Rapid transit.
4. Tougher emmision standards.
5. More fuel efficient cars.
6. Adequate park space and park manage
ment that doesn’t overdevelop the parks.
7. Better schools and oppurtunities for the
underclass.
8. A limit on the number of people allowed to
live on a certain amount of land.
9. Sidewalks or more preferably cross
country trails for walkers, runners, and bikers.
If the citizens of Georgia are apathetic, and
complacent I predict in twenty years living in
the Atlanta Metropolitan Area will be like
living in hell. People will flee Atlanta for the
burgeoning city of Charlotte and some former
Atlantans will invite Gen. Sherman back to
redo his dirty work.
Jim Shaw is a senior political science major
mFORUM
□ The Red and Black welcomes letters to the editor and prints them in the Forum
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and Black s offices at 123 N. Jackon St.. Athens. Ga.
Heath column
As I sat in a restaurant down
town this morning reading The
Red and Black, I came across Ter
rance Heath’s column on the
reality of AIDS (9/28/90)
For me the Opinions Page is al
ways my favorite because of the in
formation it carries, but today I
was touched far more than ever be
fore.
I am not one of those who mokes
cruel comments or jokes about
gays. I have respect for them.
I’ve never known anyone with
opens eyes
AIDS, let alone lost anyone from
this horrible disease. His column-
brought it home for me, it accom-
lished what he wanted it to. And I
ope it will do for others what it
dia for me.
It brings an emotion find under
standing. People are so ignorant of
the dangers and of what really ex
poses them. Maybe this article will
help people to know or learn or
want to learn what is myth and
what is truth.
I think it took courage for that
article and I support Heath and ap
plaud him. It was so sensitive and
real. I hope the acquaintance he
spoke of changes his view or at
least learns to feel more compas
sion.
God Bless you, Terrance Heath.
Mary Dunbar
Senior, fine arts