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■ QUOTABLE
4 • The Red and Black • Wednesday, October 31, 1990
OPINIONS
“If I can feed my family for a dollar a day, there’s going to come
some time when you’re going to ask me what I'm feeding my
family.”
— Tom Valentine on state funding for adult literacy education.
The Red & Black
Establuhed 1893—Incorporated 1980
An independent ttudent newt pa per not affiliated with the Univertity of Georgia
Robert Todd/Editor-in-Chief
Jennifer Rampey/Managing Editor
David Johnston/Opinions Editor
■ EDITORIALS
Vote no
Amendment four would call for the General
Assembly to provide insurance for licensed emergency
management rescue specialists who are killed or
permanently disabled in the line of duty.
The state already provides such insurance for law
enforcement officers, firefighters, prison guards or
publicly employed emergency medical technicians
killed or disabled.
However, we don’t feel this state funded and
administered coverage should be extended to private
agencies.
These people certainly need some kind of
insurance, but the public and the government shouldn’t
bear the burden. State bureaucracies tend to do more
damage than good and the private agencies themselves
should be responsible for providing the insurance
coverage for their employees.
If the state is so concerned about private emergency
management agencies having thorough insurance
coverage, then the state should make the coverage a
prerequisite for licensing.
Vote no on amendment four.
Vote yes
Amendment six would prohibit people convicted of
felonies involving moral turpitude from running for
public office in Georgia for at least 10 years from the
date of the completion of his/her sentence. They would
also be ineligible for appointment to positions of “honor
or trust.”
This amendment is designed to deal with people
like white supremecist J.B. Stoner, who was convicted
of bombing an Alabama black church, and Ed
McIntyre, who was convicted of receiving kickbacks
from riverfront developers while serving as Augusta’s
mayor.
Stoner recently lost his Democratic primary bid to
become Lieutenant Governor, and McIntyre was
defeated in his attempt to be re-elected as Augusta’s
mayor.
Convicted felons may or may not be reformed upon
leaving prison. Ten years is a reasonable amount of
time for them to wait before attempting to obtain
positions of public trust.
If, after 10 years, they have re-established
themselves in the community, then they should and
will have every opportunity to hold public office.
Vote yes on amendment six.
Vote no
Amendment seven would expressly allow the
General Assembly to expand the jurisdiction of
municipal courts to include state offenses.
We cannot support this amendment for two
reasons.
First this would give municiple courts and judges
far too much authority. Second, and more important,
this new authority would be accompanied by a greater
burden.
Local governments bear the costs of municiple court
operations. If these courts hear state cases, then the
local governments also will have to shoulder these
costs.
This amendment allows the state to pass the buck,
or in this case the bill, on to local governments. That’s
the wrong answer to the state’s overcrowded judicial
system.
Vote no on amendment seven.
Editor's note: Amendment five was omitted because of
The Red and Black editorial board’s failure to reach a
consensus on whether or not to support it.
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US government needs return to elitism
Something is amiss in this fine land we affec
tionately call America. The symptoms of this
malady are clear — huge budget and trade defi
cits, corrupt and inept politicians who still
manage to get re-elected, and a budget that has
more fat in it than a University Food Services
steak. The diagnosis is easy - acutis Washingto-
nious. However the cure for this disease is not
as easily found.
Some people have suggested that the solu
tion is to vote out all incumbents. Others pro
pose that Congressional terms should be
limited. Still others protest that we should just
get the US the hell out of Washington. All of
these seem logical except maybe the third op
tion which although it is illogical, admittedly
yields some sort of emotional satisfaction.
But the gravity of this illness requires a more
radical solution, a sort of labotomy for the gov
ernment. What I’m proposing is a return to the
ideals of our Founding Fathers. We need to
turn from our foolhardy illusions of democracy
and return to elitism.
First of all, our Forefathers were no cham
pions of democracy. In fact, they hated the
whole idea and were convinced it would never
work. James Madison, the author of the Consti
tution, wrote in Federalist Paper 10 that "...de
mocracies have ever been spectacles of
turbulence and contention (and) have ever been
found incompatible with personal security or
the rights of property.”
The Constitution was set up on the principle
that the elite should rule the government. The
President was to be chosen by a group of elites
known as the Electoral College. Even the
Senate was not elected by popular vote. Sen
ators were appointed to their positions by the
state legislatures.
Look at us now. Politicians are so caught up
in protecting their own backyards to assure re-
election that nothing of national importance
gets done. Senator Spuds from Idaho gets Sen
ator Chaff from Kansas to vote for a potato chip
subsidy bill by promising to vote for a protective
tarriff on wheat bread. No wonder we can’t get
a balanced budget with everybody scratching
everbody else’s backs.
Campaigns have become so expensive that
candidates turn to Political Action Committees
(PACS) to fund their campaigns. This turns pol
iticians into virtual employees of groups like
Associated Milk Producers Association and the
National Rifle Association.
Our senators should be independent of such
duties and should work for the common good.
The only way to do this is to make senators re
sponsible to the state legislatures and remove
them from the grasps of the ignorant and emo
tional masses. Additionally, limiting the terms
of Congressional members would save us from
the scourge of professional politicians.
There is one huge flaw in this idea though.
What kind of idiot congressman is going to vote
to limit his term or lessen his chance to get re
elected? But right now I believe, however con
servative it may be, that elitist rule is the only
way to lead America back into prosperity.
But seeing as how this isn’t going to happen,
maybe we should just get the US out of Wash
ington afterall.
Ryan Singel is a freshman journalism major.
Coercion used to expand rape definition
What is “date rape?” According to an Amer
ican College Health Associations pamphlet,
date rape is “forced, manipulated, or coerced
sexual intercourse by a friend or an acquaint
ance. A woman is forced to have sex through
verbal coercion, threats, physical restraint
and/or physical violence.” First, aren’t verbal
coercion and threats the same thing? Secondly,
does this “date rape” really exist?
The reason why these questions must con
cern us all, male and female alike, is to ratio
nally, not emotionally, determine what certain
groups are attempting to do with our nation’s
law. Are groups such as ACHA encouraging
awareness of such horrid events as “date rape,”
or are they attempting to broaden our nation’s
law to eliminate individual responsibility. To
properly evaluate our dilemma, we must first
look at the legal definition of “rape.” According
to the Georgia Legal Code, OCGA section 16-6-
1, the legal definition is: “A person commits the
ofTense of rape when he has carnal knowledge
of a female forcibly and against her will.”
Now, I think we can all agree that the key
phrase is our legal definition is “forcibly and
against her will.” Also, we can all agree that a
person, male or female, may be raped while on
a date or with an acquaintance. If this unfortu
nate event does occur, once again, we can all
agree that the authorities must thoroughly in
vestigate the matter as aggressively as if a
stranger had committed the rape.
Now we must compare our legal definition
with ACHA’s definition. In the legal definition,
the key phrase is “forcibly and against her
will.” The ACHA’s definition, however, over
steps these boundaries by stating, “A woman is
forced to have sex through verbal coercion,
threats..."
Well,what is “verbal coercion?" The Georgia
Legal Code, OCGA section 16-3-26, lists coer
cion under defense codes and defines it as, “A
person is not guilty of a crime, except murder, if
the act upon which the supposed criminal lia
bility is based is performed under such coercion
that the person reasonably believeB that per
forming the act is the only way to prevent his
imminent death or great bodily injury.” The key
fact here is that coercion is listed under defense
codes. This means that under the law, a person
can not be charged with rape by coercion; coer
cion can only be used as a defense to crimes.(i.e.
If the rape victim is charged with the crime of
fomification or adultery, the victim can use co
ercion as a defense to those crimes.) A person,
however, may be charged with rape by threats,
that is, if the threats of death or great bodily in
jury forces the sexual encounter against her
will.
Therefore, if under the law one can not be
charged with rape by coercion, then, what does
ACHA mean by ‘verbal coercion?” Does it mean
that if a person was talked or begged into an act
of sexual intercourse (an “Oh, please, oh please,
or 111 kill myself* type thing), then, the next
morning, while experiencing feelings of moral
guilt, tne person can exclaim, “I was raped
through verbal coercion!”
Now, is this actually “date rape?”, or a job of
persuasion? Does “verbal coercion” mean that
begging (persuasion) is now a crime? After all,
doesn’t the general public tend to see per
suasion and coercion as synonomous? Also,
shouldn’t it be the duty of an individual to act
responsibly at the time of the act, and not in
hindsight? If the person gives in to the plea (i.e.
persuasion), and consents, then rape cannot be
committed; it wasn’t forcibly and against her
will (i.e. falling for verbal persuasion). I hon
estly believe that we must be careful about such
situations. It is easy to get caught up in the
emotional fever of saying, “Date rape is wrong.”
We must, however, ask, “What are groups
trying to do’? Is there a difference between rape
and “date rape?” Is it relevant whether a rape
occured on a date or not? No, the rape occured,
period. We must establish that there is rape or
no rape, that it is not relevant where or by
whom the crime was committed. The fact re
mains, rape was committed. So, is ACHA trying
to create a new offense in “verbal coercion” to
eliminate individual responsibility?
This dilemma of “vernal coercion” is a deli
cate one, but under the law, we must conclude
that “date rape” by coercion doesn’t exist. In
reality, if a person falls for a plea, it is the indi
vidual’s responsibility. We must not let groups
appeal to our emotions and in the process,
broaden the nation’s laws to eliminate indi
vidual responsibility.
Groups such as ACHA are creating a major
problem in the United States today; they are
telling people that no one has to take responsi
bility for their own actions. We can just Dlame
the government, blame society, blame “verbal
coercion (persuasion),” but never, I say never
blame yourself. To have no blame, sounds ludi
crous, doesn’t it? Well remember it the next
time you have a set back, or better yet, the next
time you hear of “date rape.” That is, if “date
rape” really exists.
Jeff Finger is a senior economics major.
Resents ‘patriotic’ request
■ FORUM
□ lhe 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 ler^th. 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 classifl
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 St.. Athens. Ga.
I truly resent the request by Me-
lynda Ware, a so-called “compas
sionate and patriotic Savannah
woman,” suggesting that women
write and send pictures of them
selves to the Marines stationed in
Saudi Arabia. University women
have more important things to do
then to feel obligated in wasting
their time combatting the boredom
and loneliness of the Marines de
fending our country. She comes
across as feeling that the men are
in Saudi Arabia only to defend and
protect women.
She is insulting to women who
remain in the states, and belittles
the reason why men are stationed
in Saudi Arabia. They are there
partly to defend the United States
as a whole (women, men, and chil
dren), but mostly, they are there to
defend American interests (regard
less of whether we citizens want
them to be there or not).
The most blatant insult of all is
the fact that she ignores the
women who are stationed in Saudi
Arabia. Would she suggest that
men in the states send nice,
"wholesome” pictures to those
bored and lonely women as well?
Michslla Travis
Junior, political sclsncs
Rats taking over
It was just the other day that I
was walking by the Tate Student
Center thinking about classes,
studying — you know the usual col
lege student's thoughts — when I
heard loud, bristling sounds from
the busheB.
Now, I admit it. I am a typical,
squeamish female and deep down
inside I wanted the sounds coming
from the busheB to be the ecunds of
maybe a dog, a bird, a chipmunk,
even a squirrel — although I’m
really not too thrilled about these
rodents either. Well, what came
out of the bushes had a tail and
yes, four legs and was large enough
to be a cat —have you guessed yet
— I had a run in with one of the
universities famous rats.
Over the years I’ve heard people
talking about big rate on campus,
but I ruled thiB out as malicious
gossip. Well dudes, 1 have a nows
flash. This campus is infested by
huge, mean rats. The rat and I did
sort of a dance. I stepped to my
right —maybe I could go around it.
It stepped to the right. I stared it
down — to no avail. I stepped to the
left. The rat moved to the left. This
was a definite stand off.
Since then, I have seen rats at
the Science library, by Women’s
P.E., and around Morris Hall. Ei
ther this one rat is following me
around all the time, or there are
lots of rats around here. Under
stand, I am not talking about little
mice that are afraid of people.
These rats are big, bold, and bad. I
think that there ie a serious
problem with these rodents around
campus. I’ve thought about it and
instead of having Bulldogs as our
mascot — we should call ourselves
"The Rate.”
Kimberly Klllon
senior, business