• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1991-04-11_Vol56_No24_03

Volume 56 Number 24 Voices rollnlan Page 3 >ril 11, 1991 Letters to the Editor *"' ^SJ? * Gulf conflict responses disappoint Oakes John Marshall Dennis Editor-in-Chief From the Editor... It's SG A election lime again and I hope to see a large turn-out at the polls today lo vote for your candidate of choice. Student Government is a viable part of any campus and good leadership is a must. Throughout the current academic year I have heard many negative comments about SGA and accusations about lack of action within government. You will find lhat not everyone is going to be happy with the government lhat they have and will always want something different. You can't please everyone. Our student government works sim ilar to our national government in that you have a senate which is supposed to work closely with the president and vice-president. They may not always agree, but they are supposed to work together. Many criticisms I have heard throughout the year have been directed toward President Lambert and vice-president Kallao. However, reports I have received from the staff writer whocovers the senate meetings indicate that the senate has been almost non-existent this year. Keep in mind that we as students elect our senators as well as our president and V-P and should not focus our negative comments toward any particular individual. Remember that this fall when we vote for our dorm and commuter senators. Elect those individuals that genuinely want to be involved and will make an effort. The president and vice-president should not be held responsible for the actions of the senators or vice- versa. Government is a two way street'and no one person or group should be blamed. We are all in it together. This is all a learning process and everybody is going to make mistakes. We shouldn't judge a person or group without having first been in their shoes. All the while we need to remember that we are all students and that our studies should be our first priority. Vote today and vote based on issues and not popularity. I read the letters submitted by Morcau and Jones which were printed by this newspaper on the 27th of March with mixed emotions. The feelings of elation and excitement I felt over having written a political opinion worthy of two separate responses was tempered and, in the end, overshadowed by the disappointment which accompanied the realization that these men were responding to something other than my article. Mr. Jones wrote "There are so many issues that you failed lo see. .. lhat it leaves the mind astounded." Then he lists them: oil, Hussein's brutality, Iraq's military machine, and America's desire to prove the superiority of its military technology. Mr. Jones, I specifically mentioned three of those issues, and strongly inferred ihe fourth in my opening paragraph. If you're going to berate me for my short sightedness, please have the courtesy to respond to my article, and not to some other statement you think you heard. I wrote "It is true that there were several motivations . . . other than our . . . dependence on petroleum." That seems to be suggesting that I think there was more at stake than just oil. Thereafter, I went on to discuss these other motivations. Nevertheless, Moreau wrote "but oil is not the sole factor in our involvement," as if I had made such an implication. I did not. I am also compelled to contend with Morcau'sstalcmenlthat the Iraqi conflict could have in any way resembled our Vietnamese disaster. There are several crucial differences. First, the United States Army never failed in Vietnam. We won every battle we fought for the entire duration of the war. Our tactics were highly successful. It was the lack of a cogent strategy that undermined our efforts. Clearly, there was no lack of American strategy in Iraq. Second, in Vietnam, we were fighting against the South Vietnamese as well as the North Vietnamese. Popular support for the Communists was tremendous, even in South Vietnam. The Americans failed there because we tried to maintain a government that nobody wanted, a government that was so intolerable that people were williru; to die rather than accept it. The U.S. never invaded North Vietnam, because we were afraid to draw the wrath of the Soviet Union. Only with the internal collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War was President Bush able to intervene in Iraq. There are no parallels between Vietnam and Iraq. Moreau did make several excellent points, but he failed to realize my central issue. Perhaps that is my fault, since I never stated it directly. I will correct that oversight now. President Bush used the Persian Gli ublic attention o mestic problems. He also use Persian Gulf conflict to boost his sagging popularity and lo protect this country's oil supply. Each ol motives is questionable. Combined, they add up to nothing more than shallow political maneuvering. In my previous letter, I focused on his masking process, because I thought what he was trying to hide was obvious. This time, I will focus on the effects of his machinations, they aren't as apparent as I thought. There is now little talk of our economic woes, even though they still exist. There is no talk of the savings and loan scandal, even though we're still paying for it. Nobody noticed Alan Cranston getting strung up as a sacrificial lamb by the Senate Ethics Committee. Nobody worries about the rapidly declining literacy rate in this country, or the poor state of higher education. President Bush is lulling us to sleep wilh a good bedtime story about man of Hussein, and I don't like it. This country has too many problems to be proud of itself. The military forces did what they were paid to do, andatminimum risk. They did a good job, but they did not do anything heroic. It is time to stop celebrating a rather minor victory and get to work correcting several problems more serious than Saddam Hussein's brutality. J.L. Oakes If elected, I promise not to promise anything Douglas R Pease Columnist Well, I've finally resigned to the fact that it's not going to snow ever again in Cullowhee. I guess that means Spring is here. Yipee. Outside the Carolinian the trees are a-buzz with monster bees and the slopes surrounding the dorms are covered with flesh. Butbestofall.postersare all over campus screaming for your SGA vote. A whopping two candidates are running for Prez and the apathy of WCU strikes me again. Two?!??!? Out of thousands of students, only two wish to lead us??!?! With this in mind, I'm tempted to declare myself acandidate for any position you wish to write my name in. But if I'm going to sway you to vote for me, I must present my platform. Here it is, take it or leave r (Ike 'Western Carotinicm Western Caroling University The Old Student Union P.O. Box 66 Cullowhee, NC 28723 John Marshall Dennis Editor-in-Chief Laura L. Adams Assistant to Editor-in-Chief Associate Editors Jeff Oakes- Copy Editor Tony Bolick- Sports Douglas R Pease - Design & Layout Jennifer Mann - News ^ it: • If elected, I'll try my darnedest to locate my office and install an answering machine. I can't guarantee that I' 11 return your calls or even listen to messages. But at least you'll feel secure that something is answering my phone. • Lam in favor of selling parking spaces to the highest bidder. If you find anyone parking in your place, you will be free to break into his or her car and take anything you want. You could even sell the offending car to recoup what it cost you to purchase the space between the lines. • I'll do my utmost to install a condom dispenser in every room, hallway, and classroom on campus. After all, when the need arises, who wants to rush down the hall and wait in line for a Trojan? Not me!! Students will be able to use their declining balance meal card in the machines. In addition, all the Coke machines that don't work will be offered up as sacrifice to the students that lost money trying to use them. • Unlimited visitation in the dorms. In fact, I will rally to create a Utopia of co-habitation in the dorms. Want to live with your girlfriend/ boyfriend? Go ahead!! Just be sure to remember that prophylactic dispenser in the corner. • Paying athletic coaches on a per win basis. I believe that if the coach has.a stake in outcome of games, then perhaps .he/shc/.will try a little harder to make the team better. "Hey", the coach might say, "we don't have student support!" I propose the addition of beer stands al all sporting events. Who wants to watch a baseball game while dying of beer- dehydration? Football concession proceeds would soar! The added profit could be used to recruit more talented and less violent players. • If elected, I would mandate the placement of those "How Are We Doing?" reply cards in the cafeterias. Give ihe food, service, and wait staff a grade. If they do well, they get paid. If they fail, they have to eat leftovers. So there il is. I don't promise anything, but I'll try. Oh, one last plank in my platform, I will never be seen in a tic unless I absolutely have to wear one. Photographer Jonathan Fondow Hunter Papc Typesetters Kim Miller Mark Ellison Business Manager Charles Baldwin Advisor John Moore Design & Layout Stephanie Messer Mark Ellison Writers Jeff DcMoe Karen Stewart Robbie Robertson Thad Shcarin Amanda Barthcttc Kim Shivcly Advertising Sales & Design & Layout Christa Humphrey V. The Western Carolinian is published byWestern Carolina University's Publication Board. It is an independent student publication that receives its Funding through student activity fees and advertising. The Western Carolinian isprinted at The Waynesville Mountaineer, Waynesville, N.C. J The Western CaroUnianwslcomes editorial input from students, faculty, and staff on matters of public interest. Please address c orrespondence to: Voices P.O. Box 66 Cullowhee, NC 28723 All submissions will beconsidered, but The Western Carolinian reserves the right to refuse publication of offensive orotherwi unsuitable material. The Carolinian is n responsible for opinions expressed on t Editorial Page. Student On The Street "Is one campaign issue more important to you in our upcoming SGA elections?" Name Major - En Class- Junior Hometown - Statesville "I feel every issue is equally important." Name - Angela Kanupp Major - Nutrition Class - Sophomore Hometown - Hickory "I think it is important that we get the whole campus involved in SGA so we will get a better idea of what SGA has to offer." Name - Derek Vaqg Major - Undecided Class - Freshman Hometov "Part- ddfms.Tn be nappy 'ike it" if they could make declining balance lower so we don't waste money." Name * Greg Andrews Major - Marketing Class - Senior Hometown - Alleghany "Parking problems around here because ther6 is not enough close park ing'J 'The'bas'ebail field Is too far away!" Name - Stan Hall Major - Marketing Class - Senior Hometown - Wcirsdalc, Fl. "Parking woui y be an is sue. There are places around here where they could put in nev around can mm Name - Bill Slocumb Major - NRM Class - Sophomore Hometown - Cary "The willingness to get students involved." Nann Name - Mclony Tcssncar Major Major - Marketing Class - Ju> Class - Sophomore Hometown Hometown - Ruthcrfordlon he "Idon'tknowanythingaboutthem." ion'l really kno^

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: 1991-04-11
  • Date digitized: 2019-10-01
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 14.25"
  • Pages: 8 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_1991-04-11_Vol56_No24
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library