• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1989-09-14_Vol55_No04_04

Voices Tftr Wrctf>m rnrnlinlnn Patfe 4 Thursday. September 14. 1989 Christine Faris. Editor If Jesse's a Joke, Why Isn't He Funny? from Micheal Cook Congratulations on the first Fall issue of the Western Carolinian. Looks like this year's paper is off to a good start (the new front graphics are a nice addition too). The only problem I saw was the misplaced article entitled "A Vote for Jesse Helms," which would have been correctly placed in the Entertainment section. It seems that Mr. Jones (who I am friends with) is trying to clean up our wickedly biased left-wing commie press again. If the press is so damn liberal, then why do those conservative-stroking articles such as his appear in print all the time? It is a common practice of demagogues and dictators to label aN contrary opinion as biased—Hitler suppressed Jewish presses for their "biased slant;" in this country in the fifties Senator McCarthy tried to nail the media as being "liberal" or "communist" when reporters questioned his motives and actions. And now, in 1989, Helms followers cry "liberal-biased!" when anyone raises questions about his record (a record which, you'll remember, he did not run on or publicize in his 1984 campaign, being too busy trying to spread rumors that Jim Hunt was a homosexual). I was recently in Washington, DC and the overwhelming opinion of officials (of both parties) that I met with was that Helms is a "joke," to quote some. Helms refused to meet with my group of interns from the Institute of Government. We settled with a meeting with his aides and staff at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee office, and after hearing their side of the Helms story, we too realized that the "joke" was true. They are all convinced that homosexuals and minority groups are threats to America, that the Commies are coming to get us, and so on. There was no mention of concern about Apartheid in South Africa or of U.S. aid to the Contras. Blacks and other minority groups should be aware of the thinly disguised racism in Helms's policies, and everyone should recognize Helms's reactionary ideology. It you ever wonder why we students have to keep paying more for tuition, while teachers don't receive a pay increase, it's because people like Helms are not concerned with education. Why? Because abortion and communism in China are handier tools to stir up emotions (and votes) than funding for education. Mr. Jones's article shows that you can always find people who'll say anything in support of their party. Helms isn't a conservative; he's a reactionary. I have great respect for many conservative thinkers as well as many liberals, because the best of both sides have the best interests of the global community in mind, not the interests of the Contras, PAC groups, the No More Wilderness morons, or the misnamed Moral Majority. Maybe, with the end of Helms's term in 1990, North Carolina can step out of its political Dark Ages. Rompin1 on Rasslin' from Bill Loytty I am writing this in response to Mr. John Mayhew's call for a weekly wrestling show to be aired on WWCU. While I am sure that Mr. Mayhew enjoys wrestling, and that it is his right; I do not feel that his enthusiasm warrants another bit of mindless programming on our radio station. If we sink to the point of placing "wrasslin" news on the radio, how about stock car news, a tractor pull show, or even a hog call roundup (at six and eleven). I feel that there is an adequate information base at Hunter Library to satisfy Mr. Mayhew's (and the other six wrestling fans') cravings for news about the Syrian Bone Crusher, Rapacious Ronnie, and Teddy the Thrasher. In short, I feel that WWCU can better serve the interests of the student body by playing more Madonna, AC/DC, or even (god forbid), NEWS. While I am sure that this letter will provoke controversy, who cares? I was bored this week anyway. Another Call For Military Spending Reform from Steve Jones I feel there is broad support for streamlining the wasteful Pentagon. I am a conservative Republican who strongly supports an effective military and the concept of peace through strength. I do not think this means that spending more money will necessarily mean we have a more effective military. The horror stories we read about the Pentagon paying $435 for a hammer, $430 for pliers, and $652 for a tool chest should convince everyone that reform is a must. The Strategic Defense Initiative, or SDI, is probably America's single most important defense program. Obviously, the SDI program must be a vital part of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs' strategy, considering that they are our senior military leaders. Right? Wrong! The Joint Chiefs advised Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney to cancel SDI. They feared money for SDI would be taken from their particular branches of military service. Their favorite programs were more important to them than real national defense. SDI will become more important when Iran, Iraq, and Libya build or buy missiles with nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons on them. SDI is the only program that we have to defend us from fanatics and madmen who will not necessarily listen to threats of retaliation. The Pentagon is the nation's largest bureaucracy, and it wastes money just like the "welfare" ones do. Bureaucrats do what is comfortable for the bureaucrats, and not what is needed for national defense. The Pentagon allows military contractors to set their own prices and add a percentage for further profit. The results of this were that from 1978 through 1981 we spent $122 billion but got only 1,799 airplanes. Profit and waste made up the difference. The Army's Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle is another example. Troops ride in this carrier sitting on ammunition rounds, and the armor is thin enough that any anti-tank weapon will easily blow it up. The Pentagon has spent billions on this, but we continue to be the only army without easy access to a simple, light, antitank weapon. The F-16 fighter and the A-10 close-support are examples of aircraft that cost less, but perform better than their predecessors because they were developed through a free-market competitive strategy rather than the usual Pentagon method of having one company carry the whole load. The problem is that only about 10 percent of Pentagon purchasing is competitive. A defense contract averages six times the private sector cost. In 1983, the Congressional Military Reform Caucus decided to stop this wastefulness. The caucus includes such outstanding conservative Republicans as Congressman Newt Gingrich of Georgia and Denny Smith of Oregon. They helped pass an amendment that set up an independent office of operational testing in the Pentagon Cats Need Suport From the Community, Too from Tony Bolick Last Saturday night, WCU's E.J. Whitmire Stadium was the site of an outstanding game. Through a week of hype and anticipation, Western Carolina readied itself. When the game was over, the university should have been embarrassed. So many changes took place this year and so many positive feelings have come from it. Student turnout was tremendous. Yet with all the money the university generates for the community every year, community fan support looked bad. The students came out to support the Cats and that's what they did as the lower section was alive with people. The upper seats were so sparsely populated that you would think we were playing Texas or Nebraska. WCU has been an institution in Jackson County for 100 years and is enjoying more growth every year, but still the community shows little interest. Was there any curiosity about the look of the uniforms or if the team would play well under Strahm? Apparently not; not from the community's standpoint. Another point that is to be made in another direction, directed to the people who still like to criticize the university's decision to remove Bob Waters as Head Football Coach. The obvious lack of interest from the general community ought to show that the pride of this university has taken a beating over the last two years, although the baseball team has taken the Cats to the top 5 years straight. Everyone talks about what Bob Waters did here at Western— period. They keep WCU fretting over the past, having had a great man like Waters stolen from us. The press and the community also talk like Western is crippled since it's the first time in 20 years we haven't been led by Waters. ASU's Sparky Woods took over a battered USC program and there was no mention of Joe Morrison, who was taken from them just as cruelly. Western lost a great man in May, a man whose name is synonymous with Western Carolina. But now it's a new century for WCU and things have changed. Let's all (school and community) look ahead to successes, not back to losses and failures. Contrary to past seasons, when WCU struggled through the Lenoir-Rhyne game late, few left the stands and all who stayed cheered the Cats to a win. Fill the stands Saturday night at the UTC-WCU game. Give the Cats and Strahm four quarters of support every week. Keep up the good work, Western. Pat yourselves on the back. Bring Western and Jackson County to the forefront of the Southern Conference. Go Cats! Cage the Monkeys in the Dorms from Jon Mayhew The best part of being here at WCU is the dormitory living. Campus housing is the greatest thing ever invented! Unfortunately, some campus residents do not hold the same opinion that I do. They decide that, afterdrinking beer, smoking cigarettes, and raising total all- out "hell," they will break up furniture, throw trash on the floor, and that reports its tests unamended directly to Congress. The Pentagon has largely stopped progress by putting a defense contractor in charge of the program. The moral issue of not giving American soldiers M-16 rifles that jammed repeatedly in Vietnam, resulting in the deaths of many soldiers, clearly overrides even the economic reasons we have for Pentagon reforms. I served in the United States Army for two years, and we even have a code word for what to do when the M-16 jams. Thiswouldbegreatexcept that the enemy does not stop attacking because your weapon will not work. The goals of the Pentagon bureaucrat are the same as the "welfare" bureaucrat. Their goals are an increased budget, a bigger bureaucratic empire, and more power, rather than producing a useful and effective product. A 50 percent reduction of the Pentagon bureaucracy and replacing the Joint Chiefs of Staff with an independent general staff would be a good starting point for conservative reform. disturb other residents who are trying to get sleep. The next morning, after the residence hall carnage has ended, these people have a definite hangover, and possibly a bill from the Housing Department. Plus, they are faced with a write-up from an RA, which is something that nobody needs. The point that I am trying to make is that the residence halls are like homes to us, the students of Western Carolina University. In order for these dormitories to be kept in a livable state, we need to take steps to control the above-mentioned ugly scenes. To do this, I propose that if you see trash on the floor, pick it up. If someone is defacing/tearing up/destroying furniture or walls, then don't report him—yet! Try to calm the offender down. If calming the destructive brute down proves to be impossible, then a neighborly talk with your RA is in order. There is one near you. I hope that got you all thinking. ewvMntom com** editorial dents, faculty, and staff on matters of public interest. Please address correspondence Voices P. O. Box 66 Cullowhee, NC 28723 The Western Carolinian reserves to refuse cation of offen* sive or otherwise unsuitable material. The Carolinian is not responsible for those opinions expressed on Editorial

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University's student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 1989-09-14
  • Date digitized: 2019-09-18
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 14.25"
  • Pages: 14 pages
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1989-09-14_Vol55_No04
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library