1ilingijamton
~ ..•..
America in for a lickin' -Clinton's Cabinet -Retirement for Rabbits -MTV and the election and much more...
Editor-in-Chief ................ .... Admn I3 romberg Publishing Editor ..... ............. ... Paul D. Schnier Executive Director ............. ...... John Maggio Managing Editor ....... ......... ... .. . David Holland Copy Editor ........................... Bemadctte Malone Treasu rer ........ " .. ....... ... ......... A Icxand ra AlIcoue
A Cabinet that looks like? ................ .4
Contributors Schmidt Epstein Andre., Sharetta Josh Trapani Duane Farab.-'lUgh Brad Levine
Juliet Sitieids Michael V aidman Brctt R. Baker Cara Donlon Mitchell Berger
Sulli van
III~I~I;'~:,~' Bernstein
III
Doherty IllNlatlllew Carr IIi JiIIllI:ST. Sheka
Abortion
Foll.y .................... 8
The Shocking Future .. ... ..... ...... l 0
AlumniBoard """.mlla Schwing
Retirement for Rabbits? ............. 6
Peter Kaplan Richard Carr Patd Scolese Yan Rusanovsky Joseph Rosenthal Bill y Schor
Funding Foolishness ... .. ............. 15 Term Limit Debate ................ 16
IIIA.dvIISOJ路.................................. Dr. Herb Londou III F'lcuity Advisor ....... .... ...... profcssor Aldo Ben=do
HI shall do nothing in malice, what I'm dealing with is too important malicious intent." Binghamton Review is an independent journal of news, commentary, and analysis published monthly. Binghamton students receive the Review free of charge. Lettcrs to the editor arc encouraged and should be sent to: Binghamton Ueview SUNY Binghalllton P.O. Box 6000 Binghamton. Ncw York 13902路6000.
All submissions to the Review becomc the property of the Revi ew. 'lllC Review reserves the right to edit aIld print any subnussions. All opiluons expressed arc those of the author's and do not Ll13t of the Review.
Somalia Rock
In
Perspective ... ........... . 18
thtNote? ... ........ .......... .. 22
Departments: From the Edi tor............................. ... 3 Right Side ................................. 12
We were recently informed that state budgct cuts to the SUNY system will be sli ght thi s ycar and will require tuition increases. This comes as welcome news after four straig ht years of tuition increases, fewer c1asscs, and professors. Over the winter break, our parents recieved a newsletter in which Lois DeReur discussed the negative impact that the budget problems have had on our university. What struck me as odd was her concl uding the letter by saying, "I want to assure you we are responding encrgcticall y and creativel y to the c hallenges that facc us ... " The thought that she and the rest of the administrators are dealing with thc budget problems (or any problems for that matter) in a creative way is a laughable. What is so crcati vc and energctic abo ut raising tuition and Ictting fac ulty go? Our tuitio n has been raised three straight times to morc than do uble what it was just thrce ycars ago. There have beennumcrous faculty cutbacks. In selecting a course to ta kc you barely have anything to choose from anymo re unl ess you want to take a class about handicapped women in S ri La nka. Besides having few good classes to choosc from, most of them are much morc crowded then thcy sho uld be. Sorry Presidcnt DeR eur, that doesn't sound very creative to mc. I understand that we have had sevcre cutbacks from the state and there will be less classes and fcwcr professors, but can we tackle the problems more crcatively? If we reall y wanted to tackle these budget pro blems in a imaginati ve and energetic way we wo uld be cutting back the bureaucracy at thi s uni versity. Ho wever, li ke typical administrators and bureaucrats, DeFleur and company have raised tuition and fi rcd professors rathcr than cut admini strati ve bureaucracy. In the last three yca rs while our tuition has gone up and we have lost fac ulty there has been no reduction in the administration, and in fact there has been some increase. According to the uni versity directo ry, there are the same number of people on thc prcsidents staff as there were in 1989. The Vice President for External Affairs has the same amount of staff as 1989. The staff of the V icc-President for Student Affai rs has gone down by one. The vice-presidents of Academic Affairs and Administratio nliave both increased their staff from six people in 1989 to eight people now. Has anyone noticed a vast improvement in o ur academic affairs or administration with this additio nal staff? The Personnel and Payroll office has increased its staff from fi ve people to six people. Wh y do they need mo re staff when there are less personnel and less people to pay? Thc Uni versity Relations office headed by Ma rgery Heffro n, has increased its staff from four people to six people. How can these admini strators justify increasing their staff when the budget is in such bad shape? Our tuition has doubled, we have fcwcr and fewer classes to choose from, the faculty is shrinking and these administrative offices have lost no staff and have even increased their staff? These vicc-presidcnts who are proba bly tripping over each other as it is have increascd their staff by around 35% in thrcc ycars. Margcry Heffro n has gottcn a 50% increase in her staff so she can run aro und being the official apologist for DeR eur's numerous blundcrs. Presidcnt DeReur, if you really wanted to solve our budgct problems maybe its time you cut the bureaucracy in the adm inistration instead of fa culty and tuition hikes. It came to light this past week that SUl\ry has a nice little policy for its campus presidents and the SUNY chancellor. Thc chancellor and all the presidents arc eligible for two months of paid leave after three years of scrvice, and get fi ve months paid leave after fi ve years. W hile our budgets are being cut to the bone uni versity presidents like Lois D<~f1{mr I who make between $90,000 and $ 130,000 a year get to take a paid leave every few years to right a book or give lectures. This sounds nice for our presidents, but in these hard budgetary times I believe that its ridiculous that anvo ne I sho uld get paid while doing no work for the school. Chancellor Bruce Johnsto ne said that the policy allows presidents and chancellors to be able to take a leave and come back "academically refreshed". If the SUNY system is so concemed about the budget and is looking for ways to save money perhaps perks like these are a good place to start. On the other hand, if this policy means Lois DeR eur will spend a couple of months away from Binghamton University maybe that will give o ur school a chance to become "refreshed". This is still a very good uni versity, and a relati ve bargain for its academic quality even after all the tuition increases and faculty cuts. But I believe that we could have found much better ways to deal with thc budget cuts. The first thing we should do is cut the administrative burcllUcracy, not raise tuition and cut faculty. This has not been done. Energetic and creative, President DeReur? T ry again .
-AB
Mark Schmidt
ust what significance has all
J
the rhetoric of "change" had on the first three mont hs of Clinton' s victory? As Bill and Al zipped in and out of their perfectly orchestrated rallies, tap danced on Ole Ielevised debales, and bed.azzled the media with their slick chanll and hair do·s. one thing was abundnntly
The cabinet looks more like a circus than America to me. clear: a vote for them w~)s a vote for C HANG E (and Hillary Rodham Clinton). III trumpeting '"They mus t go!t) Clinto n a nd Gore zeroed in on their natural constituency, those bright lighls who arc uplifted by such meaning less sioganeering. America now had its hero, its knight on a white horse, its savior, its JFK rcincanl<ltc! And if anyone dared to ques ti on the true value of all thi s incessant psyc hobabble a nd il1lagery? ... Wby the se anli-
progressive pigs lUust be escorted to the exit immediately. C lint o n promised lhat lhese evil spirits of the Reagan era would be
U1C
thc White House for four ycars. Allowing Shalala 10 head a deparlmenl of goveflUllcnt that has a S590 dollar budgel 'Uld 126,000 employees is comparable to (rus ting the S.A. to lluUlage the Review's filHUlces. P. Clinlon' s pick 10 hcad the Council of Economic Advisors appears to be sludenl of Shalala' s school of academicleftis m. Laura 0' Andrea Tyson is professor at Ole Universily ofCdlifomi:a l al Berkeley (need I s.oy more?) who written g lowingly of COlllmwtist CQWltries like Rwnauia being "willing and able 10 provide a social safety nel." As many American radicals do, Tyson has simply excused Ihe abuses of Eas lern government s because of commendably socialist naturc of the country. For someone who recognition of Inunan rights as loudly as Tyson docs, it is ironic that her precious left-wing ideology is placed democratic s tandards for a oppressed people as olese were. typifies the severilY of the lel1l-learung l academic coml1lwlity which is currently infiltrating our American govelmnoer.1 1 lmder the guise of change.With Tyson's appoinunenl, Ole U.S. is handed another PC Universily goon who can only "Hurrah for Markct Socialism
eANDIDATE CLINTON PRESIDENT CLINTON BOLD
exorcised, but in chasing the ghosts out the door, has invited
CHANI5£!
VltiOR!
NEW
poltergeist in through the
chimney.
and his undying servitude to thc Q ueen. Shalala, a friend of Hillary's from the C hildren' s Defense Fund (based all increased welfare, food stamps, rul(1 n.ationalized health care) has been dubbed the "High Priestess of Political Correctness." S halala undoubtedly eamed her title, evident in her po licies a s chancellor of Univcrsi ty of ' Visconsin at Madison. It is there she ins tilUtcd the "Madison Plan", compl etc with racial and gender quotas for s tudcnts and faculty, the creation of a new multicultural center, and a speech code Olal banned fonns of speech she decided werc offensive (which was later ruled uncons titutional by the cou rt s). So much for the firs t amcndment rights that PC'ers like S halala always pretend to defcnd. Remember. we vOled for change, so when someon e gels fired for insensiti ve. ego bmising speech,just Imrk baek 10 Ole Iyrannical repression of ~le Rcagan-Bush years and breathe a sigh of relief. Unfortunalely, il appears as if Ihe Shalala genre has fOlUld a safe havcn within the wall s of the C linton admini strati o n. Clinton & Clinton have wlchaincd tlle radical acc.ldemic idcologues from the univcrsit y c..1.m pus and arc putting them up in
IDEAS!
The following
review of President Clinton's cabinet appoilHees will
illustrate the freak show that allegedly "looks lik e America"] By appointing Don na and HlIImm Services, Shalala Secrelary of Clinton !-Ieallh has unveiled hi s leftis t
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keep a running score. it' s the IMilitanl Feminisl Socialisl Radieals: and the Moderates. (who we were 5O ...HAS THIS lRANSmON PERIOD IproIIus<:d in the advertisements: O. FRB'J\RED YOU 10 Clinlou's choice for Secretary of the BE LEAf)£!? OF 711£ R?EE WORLJ)? Interior is sure to please all adherents 10 Cold Copy's "Rccycle or Die" mono. Bruce Bobbin, who has presided over I'~''''''';;jl,'§\) League of Conservation Voters is an interesting specimen. His serves as yet ano ther I_""c:-:-::-;;' lobbying group tha t lo!)poses any oil exploration in Ihe 1.5 "DlnlC," acres of the Arctic Wildlife I ~,-y'""" I R.,f" •••
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'
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MCI5r
CERTAINLY!
. ':'"~~ ." '..
(there is no evidence such
,
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lexpla,ration wonld have any negative leflfec ls), opposes all developmenl in a re defi ned as weI lands , and IdemaJuds a reduc tion of the currentl y ' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ' lac.oeplable 20-30% in U.S . carbon Here was the ultimate hypocrisypayoff for being cbai nnan of tl,e Idic,';,le levels. All of Ihese Ulopian a woman who wished to be Atlomey Democratic National Committee. Wild Kingdom measures are proposed Gene ra l of Ihe U.S. knowing ly These race conscious policies were witholll regard for tl,e U.S. economy, of violaled Ihe law. Many liberal made further ev ident by the course. Democrats attempted to cxcuse her, appo in~n e nt of black femal e Hazel The LCV has played a key role in but it was all for nought. Baird, an 0' Leary 10 the position of Energy supporting many left-wing liberals like attorney who makes upwards of Secretary, a job promised to white Mosely Braun ,md Barbara Boxer. $500,000 annually, had hired illegal male Tim Wirth prior 10 the election. much for a moderate gang, While aliens 10 care for her children. WI,y? Frederico Pena, a Hispanic, was given is troubling in itself, what is tfilly Because there was n' t "proper" Ihe Secrelary of Transporlation job disturbing is that Babbitt was president childcare available to her. Right. after it was basically promised to of the LCV while this wenl on, and that When one makes over $500,000 tI ,mother candidate. Ihe media has a llowed hi m 10 year, everything is availab le. The Americans were g uaranteed successfully pose as a moderale. Add a truth is that Baird wished 10 save change, and illooks like tllings will radical environmentalist to yo ur money on child care and figured she certainl y be done a 10 1 differentl y in ISDorecar,d. The c.1binellooks more like could get away willI it. \Vhile not llle new Administration. Racial and circus tban AmeriCc.1 to me. paying Social Security taxes on illegal gender quotas will replace merit Finally. we examine the case of Zoe labor and ulldennining the working based luring practices. and tl,e radieal . The appoinunenlthankfully did class that liberal s arc pledged 10 academic malcontents wilJ have the go tluough, bUllhe entire incidenl support, Baird demonstmtcd qllaJities opportunit y to prac tice their uncloalked the embarrassing foil y of the which Ihe American left porlray as blackboard tlleories on the American administration. Baird was tl,e only characteristics of the Conservati ve people. Univers ily slUdenls have interviewed for the position of Plot. already had a lasle of whal may be 'n,e Baird case poi nledl y illustrates our fUlure: radical lefti sm , orthodox 1""unllOY General, and it was decided tlle beSI person for Ihe job. A the insulation frolll realit y which polilical correctness, and the I ~~~;~~<~I decision? O r did C liulon & many in the Clinton administration fragmentation that comes with I( promise tl,e NOW girls a trophy demonstrale. A $500,000 a year "multicultural" aspirations. One Ihe cabinel, and Baird, being a lawyer! Wonldn'l she fil in beuer al cm, only hope Clinlon will show some KenneblUlkport ? IWI)man , was a splendid quota fiU er. moderation and true leaderslup by Aside from bein g packed wilh holding finn against th e extremist AI first it appeared thaI Baird 's leonfinn,ali()Il would go as smoothl y as radiealleftist ideologues, tl,e Clinton agendas of his appointees. Bill Clinlon told us thaI he was a Ime oUle,rs, bUI soon trouble arose. The cabinet reeks of quotas, affinnative that Baird had hi red an illegal acti on in efficiencies, mId poli tical new kind of Democrat. He said thaI I ':~~!,~~'~ family 10 care for her child payoff. Besides the aforementi oned he would appoinl a cabinel thaI looked Is While Clinlon and his li beral designates, Ron Brown (lawyer and like America. Far from looking like three ring circus thought nothing of lobbyist) is tl,e Commerce Secrelary. America, it is a cabinet filled with the Ameri can people did. Baird' s \Vas n' t there a Clinton campaign left-wing activisiS, lobbyists, lawyers, Isheepi sh withdra wal was a well promise to end the inOuence of and Carter retreads. Ide ser'I'ed wake-up call 10 the oUI -of- lobbyists? Brown' s appointmen t to be motivated lauch eliles.
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Mitchell Berger
n March 20, 1991 Ihe Chicago Tribune reported an unbelievable plan 10 establish a retirement home for rabbits. Accord ing to the Tribune animal rights advocate Mariu llcll Harriman wanted to establi sh a residence for rabbits 10 " 'live ont th e ir las t years with dignity ... 路 Retirement for rabbits!? Maybe Harriman " reasoned" that after a lifetime for hard work, hour-long
O
commutes, and exposure
10
Coup de
Tele, rabbi Is need a place 10 call home. Aren't all the rabbits you
know constantly inquiring abollt retiremenl, pensions and healtll care'? Apparentl y, Miss Harriman alld her colleagues have concluded from their extensive interviews with the rabbit community tilat retirement is a major coneen! for the average rabbit. Sound reasonable? Yet this is exactl y what passes for sanity in the cmilllal-rights community, represented here by tilC highly respected and SA-funded BARC(Binghamton Animal RighlS
Groups like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) perceive no moral difference between humans and the lowest species of animals.
CoaJi tion). Activities most of liS consider routine provoke BARe-type fanatics to froth a t the mouth. Take Thanksgiving Dinner, for instance. E.ach year, millions of Americans go home, see their families and have a wonderful dinner th at usually includes turkey. MallY of us recently did Ihat. Hardly conlroversial! Page 6
~iiii~~~~~~~~~;;;:;;~=~搂~~~~~~~;~;;~U;;~ would have been impossible w.moUi
'Slill, for tlli s polilicallyincorrect activity (it has, after all, been an American tradition for 300+ years) drive s holier-than-thou vegetarians into a frenzy of h)1X>Crisy. Never mind that the lurkeys wou ld never have been raised by fanners in the first plaee were there not millions of potential cons ulllcrs on or about November 25. Now, in fairness. de spile all BARK' s grow ling, Ihe traditional "nt.:-mksgiving celebration is not reaUy threatened. Far more substantial activities, howel'er, are at ri sk, Biomedical research , for example. continues to be tilfCatelled by tile well-publicized efforts of r.tbid cmimal-rights groups. The odds are overwhelming titat we personall y, famil y members and friends have been helped by medical treatments that required research on animal. Newsweek (Dec, 26, 1988) points Ollt tl1.11 numerous Nobel prizes in medicine/physiology have been rewarded to scientists who reli ed on animal testing . Prizes have been given for Salk's polio vaccine (which used primates), the CAT scanner (pigs), skin grafting and transplants (canines) and insulin (COWS). Even rabbits (sorry Mrs. Harriman) have been used in Nobel -caliber research on insulin and organ transplan ts ! Prac ti ca ll y every drug and vaccine, including those required by the SUNY -!3 ' Hcallh
animal research. Aspirin. penicillin, the DPT vaccine and poison-control information relied 011 data from testing. Today, promising research Cc.'UlCCr, birth defects, AIDS. heart and aging arc progressing with tile of animals. Besides numerous IWIID:"' I beings. even many animals have helped by anima l tes ting! mlleliorating feline leukemia, heart disease and tape-wonns all tested on animals. Millions of perhaps yours, have been saved by research billerly opposed by anlm:lI- 1 rights advocates. In fact, criticalml:uuAU I efforts are dangerously threatened deranged animal-rights zealots. year, tile New York Times~ reported Ihe ALF (Anima l Liberation Fronl) members ' liberated' five cats from labs at Texas Tech University. ThcseanimaIs were part of polelltially ground-breaking research on S uddell Infant Syndro me which mysteriously kill s hundreds of infants each year. This callous attack graphicall y illustrates priorities of animal-rights "rll''''' "I,,,, cats are more importan t to psychotics than human infants. wonder tilat tile FBI considers the a terrorist organi zat ion. (Jan. 14Times) Even without violence,(h" mad l dogs of the rutimal-rights moverrleDll 1 have had frightening successes. Micltiko Okanto, at Comell, was in 1988 to s nrrender a $600,
Binghamton Review
are not yet to [ofbarbitur,a teaddiction on cats. Steve provide acceptable substitutes for head ofTI1Uls-Species Unlimited animals in research. The potential Dr. Okanto " the worst of the beneficiaries of animal research arc more than just computer characters; groups used numerous hostile they should not be forced to rely on calls and the threat of sabotage to substandard, second-mte computer her to rclinqui sh the g mnt. resea rch just to sll ti sfy a special research on drug inte rest group. June McCabe. for 1",IOIcuon is hardl y a priority for pot- instance. told Newsweek (Dec. 26. Isnaoldn:g, barcfoot li beral fanati cs. 1988)lhat. '''My daughter has cys ti c Nevertheless, thOUSilllds of addicts fibrosis. Her only hope for a nonnal wish to improve their lives (without life is tllnt researchers. some of tllem chcck from the govenlluent) mi g ht using animals, find.a cure.''' Thcse been helped by thi s resea rc h . people. a lrcady suffering fro m [LikeIYi:, e, it's no surpri se tlIat groups dcbilitating di scases. aren't helped BARC unleashed illl incredible by tllC obs tacles animal -rights groups over military experiments using are posi ng to medi cal science. This lack of sy mpathy indica tes for research on nerve gas and wounds. Again. the draft- the larger, sinister agenda of the IUllUg:1111l, fl ag-bunting left has never animal rights movement.. .. 'Their the safety of Americrul soldiers a real go;~ '" Dr. Christopher Coc, s",lcs priority. in \Visconsi n' s Capilal~l'imes . .,. is Animal -rights groupies, like S teve the abo liti on o f biomedi c al bray that "AnimaJ research is researc h.'" "Philosopher" Peter Iwm,:cess;u-y and dangerous to human Singer reslxmds to June McCabe by Human heaJth ? The average asserting in hi s treatise 011 Animal IRAJ<:Cm,:ml:>er i's free to seek Mr. Siegel Liberatioll tha t "A n experimcnt medical (or mental) treatment. (using animals) cannot be justified IP,,,hap.s , however, the American tutless the experiment is so importmlt Association and Na ti o nal that the use of a retarded child would Coullci l of the Nationa l a lso be justifiable." A real Ac.-1demy of sciences know just a litlle humanitarian! This g rote sque more about Iluman health tlum groups sentimcnt stems from a ocHer mnong the Binghamto n Allimal- Rights ruuma1 -rightists tJ]31 "'A rat is a pig is Oftell tllese filllali cs make a dog is a boy.'" G roups like PETA r ~'"~v''' claims tha t computers can (people for tlle Ethical Treatment of replace mU.I1lals in research. But mcdic..l l A nimals). with their Coup De Tcte science is not some sort of Nintcndo quality logic. pcrceive no moral Computers. for all their wo nders. difference between humruls and the
animals by humans is "speciest exploitation" and definitely not politically-<:orrcct. In PErA's Brave New World entrepreneur Frank Perdue is "Adolf Hitler" lUld a chicken factory, according to group leadcr Ingrid Newkirk, is Auschwi tz. Singer compares those who defend medical research to lllOse who rationali zed the slave [rHde. DOll Matthews, a PET A s poke s man, ju s tified mi sleading ad s in the Des lv10ill es Register COI11I>..'lring llle beef industry to Jeffrey Daluner, growling .•• \Ve are at war ... we'll do what we need to win ... if we got rid of tbe slave trade we cml get rid of tbe beef industry ... · Therefore, it' s no wonder tJlat when 25,000 fanati cs converged like a pack of dogs on Washingto n D.C. lasl ye.1I' tllellUle II Washillgtoll Post quo ted o ne participant who noted crowd '''wa s alm os t exclusively white:" It' s both mi sleadi ng and di sgu sting for the ~Ul iIllal - ri gh t s community to draw parallcls between mcdical researchers and business people and Nazi's or slave-traders. Truth be lold, as 1.A. Sechzer document s in Animal Research alld Ethical COllflict, Hitler's Gennany had surpri singl y strict anti-vivisection laws. A federal law on J mI. I , 1934 scvcrely curbed mumal research. Nazi atrocities and medical research indicates Hitler' s regime , tragically . agr('~d with Singer's criteria. Germa uy al.so followed another oft-me nti o ncd s ugges ti on o f a nim alrightists- the use of hwn an I'M Wm·1 ~1-t~R'K,(. VU\..TURE. tl-ND "volunteers. " SCUM UUAL %RVICE.~~ I ONOEf!E>TN-.lO Only In tlle context of 'fOU'V~ ~ D\':::(.~\M\NAT'NG MoI\I"''''T ~MI'\.O~~ e:'" WITH this peIVcr.;ity, tlle equating Foar I'];TI"'l;e:,,! of animal s and human beings, call Harriman' s retirement home for rabbits truly be appreciated . For all tlleir howling about lack of compassion and pity for animals, anim a l ri g ht s groups have hearts of solid granite when it comes to hum an beings. BARC's SA-funded budget should be "retired" along willI tJIC rabbits.
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Abortion Folly Bernadette Malone
T
heY're still ",,,und. All tllose bumper stickers and posters brandishing the "Vote ProChoice in '92" and" NARAUWe Will Decide" are still plastered all over campus, even though election day was more than a month ago. What lUI eyesore. Not only did ,dmost all the clUldidates I voted for lose. they were vehemently attacked on
one single issue that has become nothing morc than a political hot poUllO: Abortion rights. During campus-held debates for local elections, students grilled the candidates on their feelings about the abortion controversy, as if that were the most important issue facing Broome Connty. They even grilled candidates who were running for
mtd gone home to Long Island? Secondly. since most of liS haven't been living ill Broome County for very long , or since we haven't been drawll into the politics of the area very often, just how familiar are we with the candidates who were up for election? The majority of us know Ii ttle about the records or policies of polilicifUls like Timothy Grippen or Thomas U bous. But tlmt really doesn 't matter, does it? All oue has to do is look up tl,e llrune of the cmldidate in question in NARAL's (National Abortion Rights Action League) Vo ting Guide (distributed ,~I over crunpus) mId fUld the local politician who is endorsed by tlus Pro-Choice orgruuwbon. The rest of the issues that the candidate represents are inconsequential. NARAL has effectively provided students with the information they need to vote for cruldidates they 've ncvcr heard of before. All of thi s is not to imply that abortion rights aren '( a legitimate aspect of a ",ndidate's platfonn. To many people, the right to have an abortion is their first priority. But for quite a few college students who mechanically vote ill10c.:11 elcctions (because SAVE told them to) . abortion is onc of the only issues they
.. .
•
•
. • I •
0
But for quite a few college students who mechanically vote in local elections (because SAVE told them to), abortion is the only issue they fully understand.
next to you in tlle dining hall if he is Pro•• Jobs Bond Act and you will !,'Ct a have tllC oppor tunit y to voice their coherent response than if you ask him opinion 011 the matter,likc the Broome he is Pro-Choice. Is he wearing a SAVE County Executive position. bUllon? First of an, students who are living The Pro-Choice movement is not in the Binghamton area all a comprised entirely of sexually active. temporary basis (while they attend self-interested teenagers and college the Univers ity) should not be students. There are plenty of the pennitted to vote in local elections. hypocrite-liberal genre who shriek for \Ve have no future stake in this the government to stay out of comnuUlity, so what gives us the right utcmscs. but demand Uncle Srun waits to influencc decisions that wil l affect outside the clinic with his check book. the penncUlent residents of the area, State funded abortions are the only long after we have received OlLr degree to ensure that all women have access r - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - , tJle same rights in the Arena the Vacuum Oeaner. But an abortion elective ",,·.eo.,,? ! GO !>HEAD, BILLY ... Should Mario have to pay BUT IN 25 '{EARS my nose job, too? '1C*.!'LL Bt F~CI~ The Pro-Choice mc)Vem,:nt! HAAASSMENT sees the Supreme CHW-GES!", decision to grant states the ng:bq to regl~ate abortion as a threat to the viability of Roe Wade. They are unwilling tolerate anything less financially insured unquestioned, accessibility to abortion during lUly stage of the pregnancy. Why are the regul'IUCIDS ! constructed by some states so
offices in which they would never
Page 8
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Studies show that in the states that enacted the twenty-four hour waiting period between request aud procedure, the number of abortions that were perfomled sharply decreased. Might this imply that given time to consider their actions, many women were dissuaded from terminating their pregnancy? And if so, how is this in fact detriment..,l to Roe v. Wade? Pro-Choicers arc up in arms about the Parent.al Consent clause adopted in some s~1Ies . Yel in places as liberal as New York CilY, minors are unabl e 10 gel their ears pierced withollt their parent presen!. And if the Pro- C hoice movement is so concerned with women ' s physical, mental. and emotional heallh, why aren'l Ihey as worned about yOlmg girls ', whose well beings will be far more in danger Ihan !hose of self responsible, malure adu1ls?
Isn't their objection to this proposaJ a clear indicator of tJlCir extremist., ultrafemini st political agenda? And the "gag rule", as they refer to it , which would prevent medic..,1 pcrsolUlcl from suggesting abortion to pregnant j><1tients, is another direct assaul t against the Freedom of Choice Act, according to NARAL. Undoubtedly every woman who has figured out how to get pregnant is aware of how to get unpregnanl. Ab o rtion clini cs and Planned Parenthood organizations arc widcly publicized, from advertisements on buss t:s to the yellow pages in the phone book. Why should il be left up to a health care provider to infonll a pregnant patient that she can abort her j etus? Two aspect of the pro-choi ce
IALI
movement need to be addressed; it is extremism and it' s choke on the political viability of c~U1didates the opposing ideologies if the pro-choice and pro-life movements can only be resolved L1uough compromise. The majorit y o f the American public would strongly disapprove of the retraction of roc v wade and pro-life politicirulS are sensitive to tJus. But at the same time the many personal and societal effecls of aborlion on dcmand should not be mininuzed by far left-wig fcminist rhetoric. Voters, especiall y yOWlg illexperienced ones, should reconsider their undying allegiance to the pro-choice cause when casting the ballot against the candidate who might otherwi se deserve tJleir support.
I
D WHAT NEXT?
Liberty or Welfare State? A One-Day Regional Student Conference Saturday, February 27 Gutman Library Conference Center, Cambridge, Mass. Join students from the entire northeast to learn about and discuss the direction of contemporary politics: toward the free market and individual rights or toward a bigg er welfare state and more paternalism.
Easy Registration by Phone
0
"How truly compas• sionate is . . it to have a ' ,1 system ~ which encourages dependency and discourages people from achieving their potential? " -Keynote speaker Professor Walter Williams.
1-800-697-8799
Professor of Economics,
George Mason University (Monday to Friday. 9:00 am - 6:00 pm EST)
Free admission with pre-regi stration includes lunch. Friday night crash space is available 10 students travelling from outside the Boston area . Sponsored by the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax , VA 22030-4444.
BingliamlOlI Review
Expert Speakers also include: Professor Ralph Raico, SUNY College Buffalo • Professor Stephen Macedo , Harvard Universily· Mr. James Powell. Editor Laissez Faire Books t
Page 9
James T. Sheka
O
ne
night with electricity and we wash our
remains that our abi lity to meet
sometime in the not so clothes with electricity. \Ve light our skyrocketing demand for electricity elis t,mt future, Bill C linton
homes with electricity and we watch
in serious doubt since America's
will be sitting behind the desk in the footb.'IlI witll elcctricity. Soon, numy plants are simply getting 011 in years. Oval Office preparing for the of us will even be driving electric ulx:oming State of the Union Address. cars. But that' s not where it stops . ''Our factories and hospitals, our \Vhile wracking his brain to decide which American heroes to cOllllllend farm s .utd our banks all rely on a and which lines to keep for maximum steady strerun of electricity to do applause, Bill Clinton will be facing evcrything from molding steel and a silent but deadly issue looming large monitoring heartbeats to mining grain over the future of the U.S. economy. and mana ging money . Truly , If the president is as slUart as we electricity has become a reso urce hope, thell after high·fiving some crucial to the American way of life. "And when we look at the pali tical fliellds and enemies down numbers, we see jus t how obvious the Congressional aisle 011 the way to thi s is. Between 1973 'Ulel 1991.for delivering the speech, he would examp le, our consumption of inc! udc something like the rallowing: "A nd now my fellow Americans, electricity grew by 61 percent. This I would like (0 nml our attention 10 rul closely parallels and even cxceeds issue that doesn't gel much press. yet the growth of our economy which alone has the potential to crush OUf expanded by 50 percent over that economy if it continues 10 go ignored. same pcriod. "Electricity also accounts for a I am speaking about our naLion' s ability to meet its growing need for greater part of total energy usc in Ameri"",. Today, 36 percent of all electricity. "You know, I can remember the energy we COllStulle is in the fonu growing up in Hope, Arkansas in a of electricity, and by tlle year 2010, simpler time whcn air conditioning experts tell us that may ri se to 45 your room meant using a scrccn door percent. and blow·drying your hair meant "Now we can safely expect an standing in the wind. Tod..,y, though. aggrcssi vc energy efficiency progrmu we only need to look around us to see coupled with increased production how important electricity has ix:COI1lC from new cncrgy sources to address to ourck1ily lives. We cook Ollr food some of tllis need. But sadly, tlle fact
Page JO
tlle yc.1r 2000, in fact,llbou t 40 per·cc[lll of the plants that provide us with will be more Hum 30 years old. 30 years nught not sound very old Illos t of my colleagucs in ,-c"'~:r c'''1 (.mdicnce laughter), we're going to to s tart thinking abou t rephlcing tmsty them, ~Uld we're going to have , start thinking about it soon. "Building new power plants, sec, is not something that c..'Il be ovemight - it takes a good ten years plruming and constmction to gel one line - so I think it is incwnbent upon to tltink a lirtle bit here. Why wait t.he lights go out before we act? 'The question, then, is not wlllelller l we need to build new plants but what kinds of plants to build. answer should be obvious to all of us. Nuclear power and coal-fired plants already account for the vast bulk electrical production - some percent. No other energy sources can even come close to matclung this. with advmlces in Iluclear power desigllS and clean coal technologies, domestic sources of energy can easily power us well beyond the 21 st Centurv.1 'Therefore, tonight 1 run dir·cc1tinll l the Department of Energy inuncdilltely begin studies tltat will result in the construction by utility companies of 20 advtUlced-design nuclear and 30 clean coal plants by the 2005. ''Twcnty years rrom now, a generation of Americans, those nn'<enlt'v I in high school and college begimung to think about careers families, will look back on our actions and either thank us for our foresight blame us for our blindness. I think we owe lito them to make sure lhcy left in tlle dark. "And now I would like to discuss rulother issue of national importrulce ... ••
Billghamtoll Review
An open letter to President DeFleur:
'.'
Once again, you have erred with you're latest administrative decision not to provide Binghamton University's Public Safety officers with "access with appropriate firearms." This decision is a flagrant disregard of the recommendation made by the Personal Safety Advisory Committee which felt access to firearms was not only appropriate but necessary. At the same. time, you have failed to address the concerns of a majority of students who believe that Public Safety should have the necessary weapons in dangerous situations. You have claimed that the low number of reported incidents of violent crime on campus was one reason behind your decision. We at the Binghamton Review see all crime as violent, not simply murder, manslaughter, armed robbery, etc ... Besides, must any campus wait until more violent crime occurs before our officers can have access to fireanns? Why not take a pro-active stance rather than a reactive one? Our campus has a crime rate more than double that of the town of Vestal; what role did this fact play in your decision. You have explained that since most students and faculty feel safe at night on campus, there is no need to provide Public Safety with access to firearms. While they may feel safe as indicated by a Student Association poll, the same poll revealed that almost 70% of students felt Public Safety should have access to firearms, which is what the proposal called for. Simply because people feel safe does not mean that an incident where ULED would need guns will not arise.
As usual, you have falsely assumed that a group of 200 vocal students who ranted and
raved represent the opinion of most students. Once again, you were mistaken. The SA JX>1l showed students agreed overwhelmingly with the proposal. Instead of listening to these students, you listened to the students who shouted the loudest. This seems to be the trademark of your administration. Sincerely, The Binghamton Review
Binghamton Review
Page 11
WE IN T~E IOloD CONGRESS , WILL HORIl laRD,
REDUCE WASTE AND /
I
/ MISMANAGEMENT, AND RESTORE PEOPLE'S FAlTW
IN TIlEIR GOVERNMENT I
"White liberals are nothing but political hypocrites who use our people as political footballs only to get bills passed that will increase their own power. " -MalcomX
"You can't keep the Democrats out of the White House forever. Someday they'll win, and then my criminal buddies and I will be back on the streets again. " -Sideshow Bob, upon his arrest for the attempted murder of Bart's Aunt Selma, on The Simpsons
Wanted: Female candidate for Attorney General. A little bit of legal experience preferable. Those who have had illegal immigrant nannies need not apply. Send resume to Hillary at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Puel.IC :ocHoa .. Te:AcHI>RS . f oR 'Ill. MOeoT PART. ARE ...
Apparently some pro-choice activists feel that abortion is so important that they have them even when they're not pregnant. According to the Associated Press, feminists throughout the country get together on a regular basis in people's homes and perform abortions on each other despite the tiny little technicality that they're not pregnant.
Page 12
... CÂť'RING ...
... \1I1-RO WoRI<.It-lG ...
Bingham/oil Review
"People say that you have to have sex in every picture because it reflects real life. But I say, people also have soup. I never heard any body in a movie say, 'I'm looking f or a nice plate of soup. '" -Comedian Jackie Mason on Hollywood's obsession with sex
On the "Today show" Tipper Gore was talking about the campiaign and said, "l have learned a lot, particularly the breadth of the people out there. There are children. There are older people. " Wow, what a revelation Tipper!
'N\..l ;..
';~:: o; , c':'
'.IJH;..T : :. :(' ! :- .~ ~: .
"Have you heard about the derivation of the word politics? It comes from poly which is the Greek word f or many, and ticks, which are blood-sucking paras ites. " - Andre Marrou, Li bertarian Presidential Candidate
e~c i~ ~ ::SSI .... ;:,~':~ .:. '7G\!~ !1J ~ ~!:(c::; ::: •.:......~.--J
1'\41";: •
"There can be no coexistence between market economy and powers who control everything and everyone .. .The experience of the past decades of communism show that it has no human f ace , Freedom and communism are incompatible. " -Boris Yeltsin
Binghamtoll Review
Page 13
Clinton's Simplified 1040 Form
Part 1. Income 1. How much money did you make last year? ..........~
2. Send it in . ............................... ~ 3. lf yo u have any questions or comments, please write them in the box provided ...... ......... ... .. .~
Page 14
Binghamtoll Review
Funding Foolishness
I
t seems almost too easy. Recently, the Student Association has given me the opportunity to attack both its hypocrisy, as well as point ou~ Coup de Tete's operational illogic.
Scott Epstein
The SA refused a request for additional funds from the Experimental Media Organization and refused to give any monies at all to Moo! Robert Wallace, of the EMO, explains in the Pipe Dream that paid advertisements in Coup de Tete "would go against all that we stand for and all that we write about." Indicating possibly that he would not want his publication influenced by capitalistic concerns, or that he would not want his publication to participate in revenue seeking behavior. Instead, the EMO assumes that the SA was a source of unlimited funds. This reasoning is somewhat faulty. Publishing advertisements from other entities with viewpoints similar to their own would benefit both the EMO and the advertising organization. They would be a medium for the message, and by taking a fee for the advertisement, would enhance their ability to disseminate it. Secondly, after they decided not to seek outside revenues, they should have been more frugal with their original allocation. As a former editor myself, I know that it is not that difficult to project printing costs for the year - publications tend to have very few unplanned expenditures. That the EMO spent its allocation in a little over two months seems to indicate either a glaring lack of fiscal competence, or that they believed they could coerce additional funds out of the SA with an argument about "free speech." This is another error. Speech is free; publishing is not. The right to speak freely guarantees the right not to be censored. It does not guarantee that someone else should be forced to provide a forum. Further, if the EMO is concerned about conflict of interest with advertising, it seems they've got a bigger problem by accepting all of their money from student government. If the EMO believes that the SA is above refusing funds because of editorial content, one need onl y look at the case of Moo!. Phillip Foley claims that the SA refused to fund Moo! because no one on the staff could pass the Finance Committee's treasury test. This, from an organization which pays the bills of unfunded organizations and can't keep track of its own vouchers, seems the height of hypocrisy. These two related events demonstrate the vulnerability of editorial independence in media, when media relies on government for its funding. .
Letters to the edi tor are encouraged and should be sent to:
,Singijamton
JR~1lid.tJ
SUNY Binghamton PO. Box 6000 Binghamton, New York 13902-6000.
Billghamton Revie w
Page 15
Term Limits: Will They
John Maggio
T
here was only one landslide in the November elec ti on and it did not involve Bill Clinton. Tlu s landslide occurred in e very slate whic h had tcrm limits on its ballot. In each of 14 states, lenn limits were overw helmingly passed by margins of 55 to 80% of the vote. Such votes show the American response to present day career politicians. Eimillating careerism in Congress is the essential reason 10 promote lenuiillliis. Surprisingly, some see the removal of experienced politicians as a poss ible problem. \Vilhonl experi ence ho w can our govcmmcnt fWlction efficiently? 111is argument is absurd if we look at what our experienced lx>iitici<.U1S have given our COIUllIy - expanding deficits, the House bank scandal, the S & L crisis. prepos terous confinnalio n hearings, meaningl ess 1l·1IV1'>Ulg",ue>'I>' 1 etc ... Catl inexperienced citi zens do an y worse? Besides, 72% of new mem bers of Congress have previously elcctivc office and therefore possess some type of govenunent e xperiencc. What term limits will' do is remove career poli ticians who are prescntl y "unt ouchable." Nowadays, incumbents' finances put them at sig nHi C<1flt advantages over atly challengers. T enn limits will cnd most of tllese advantages lobbyists EUld interes t groups won' t have robot-like legislators with clear past voting records to support. PACs be lUlsure of what tllcir contributions will elect since secure incumbent votes will no longer exist. Term limits for true refonn in our po litical sys tem which is currently contro lled by those who are wealthy. Umits c.m Ie.:ld to many types of refonn in Congress. They could easil y qui ckcn tllC ascent of women and minorities to power a s well as bring fair competition back into tlle elcction process. T ernl limits will also restorc the brulance l of powcr betwecn thc President and Congress. In 195 1, a two tenn limit WHS attached to the pres idency; 'lIIuung l prcsidentialtenurc but not congressional tenns. This gives Congress CUI advantage over the President in d~:~::~::~ 1 the direction of tIle country. \Vhile the President is expected to master his position and al1 of tlle worldngs \: within four o r eight years, Congress lillS an overwhelming advruwlge since mos t members have been their The response to tenn limits from somc C<lfccr politicimls has been quitc hUllIorous. [n \ Vashington State, the Speal.er l of the House Thomas Foley hns started a law suit against thc voters of his ho me state c1ainung tl13t tenn limits are unconstitutional. Rnther tIlen accept what hi s cons tituents ovenvhclmingly voted fo r, he instead will challenge them in court so that he can continue hi s prolonged career. Another important point is tllat tenn limits arc an important part of our hi story. T enn limits were a part of thc natio n' s first goveming document , tIle Articles o r Confedcration, but were left out of the Constitution. Limits al so part of the Virginia Plan submitted to the Constitutio nal Convention, bllt tllC idea was put aside and considered jus t a mailer of detail. George \ViII has po inted out the interes ting fact tIlat what looks to Americans today like a mailer of potentially large consequences, looked in 1787 like a mere matter o r "detail." [n di scussing his rcservations about tllC Constitution, Thomas Jeffcrson said , 'The second fea ture I di slike, and s trong ly dislike, is the abandomnent, in every instance, of tIle principa l of rotation in ofli ce." \Vhile criti cs claim tlmt tcnn limits take away voters choices, tIley presently appl y to 27 govemors, an innumerable alllount of mayors and cit y council members, and, ofcour.;e. 1 the president of the United S tates. The time to limit Congressio nal tenns has clearl y arrived. AmcriC<11l dis trust is rampant as we watch clected officials lake advanlagc of tllcir positio ns ,md do lillIe 10 benefil o nr conntry. A glaring cxrunple lies with the failure of Congress to constrain federal spending ;md cut tlle deficit. Of course, tlli s should not be startling since many who were elected to accomplish tllese go..1.I.s two yCc1fS ago, have rai led for tIle past six, ten and even twenty years. 1110ugh effective lawmakers may be pushed into an enrl y retircmcnt , the eliminati on of Congressio nal gricUock from career politicians will be achieved. Lets face it, "professional" )X>liticicUls have lost touch witII the real world. America needs people with s kill s in vari ous profess io ns and walks of li fe , those who build businesses, practice medicine, voluntcer Hgellcies , etc ... ratIler tha n C<'1fCer legislators who may know the legislative nd es or the old -boy networl•• 1 but little else .
I
Pag e 16
Binghamtoll Re view
End Government Gridlock?
G
Joseph Rosenthal
eorge \Vill has said of the 1992 electi on that the biggest vi ctor was the idcil of tcnn limits. But while it' s (rue th at propositions for term limits have passed in man y sta tes, it see ms to me to be an undemocrati c concept whose goals can be accomplished by olher means.
To have lerm limits is 10 limil the freedom of Ihe people, fo r Ihey can no longer choose Ihe beSI candidale in their regi on. People naturall y prefer an experienced legislator for their representati ve. Granted . som e have used tllcir positio n in Congress for self-aggrandizement and amass ing weal th . But other long-time legisla tors like Senalors N\UU1 (D-G A) and Halch (R-lJI') as well as Congressmen Hami llon (D-lN) and G ingrich (R-GA), have
been a credit to the nalion and their constituents. If lerm umils are imposed, both effective and ineffecti ve legislalors would be removed. I believe thi s represents a flllldam ental diS1rUS1 in the American people
To vote for term limits is to yet again abdicate personal responsibility in favor of big government, as if Americans are children who must be defended from themselves.
to make rational, intelligent choiccs. It is each ci tizcn's rcsponsibility to choosc cthiC<.l l. rcsponsible leadcrship, mid to cducatc himself regarding the candidate' s qualifications. T o vo tc for tcnlllimits is to yet again abdicate pcrsonal res po nsibility in fa vor o f big gove mment , us if Americans are chil dren who must be defended from tllCmsel ves. It is tmc that incumbents do have som c unfair a d v~Ultages . BUI these can be amelio rated b y m o re democrati c mcans than lcnn limits. O ne very positi ve proposal is to limit the frankin g pri vilege. T his pri vilege allows congressmcn to send tmlimited free mail ings to their constituents . T he intcnt was to enablc congressmen to infonll those that they repres ent about recent votes and events. bUI tlu s has ins lead oft en been cyni c.111 y lIsed for political gain. T lu s pri vilege should be limited in the number o f m ai lings per sess ion, and some guidclincs should be es tabli shed as to the content of thi s matcrial. Another approach to fairer ele cti ons wo uld bc spcnding limits. Altho ugh challengers som e times bombard tlle airwaves with political ad vertisements , incumb ents are the far wo rse offenders. Tclevi sion adverti sements c..m be entertaining. but most often they are slick and shallo w in substance. These ads are o ften used to smear challengcrs who lack the resources to fi ght back in kind . In addition. the m oney for these ads usually come from sources o ut side thc district, like national party committees. \Ve as Americans sh ould fi ght to limit cam pai gn spend ing but to encourage debates am ong candida tes. T hen we c.:'U1 make an infonned cho ice. Yet another problem with tcnn limits is tlmt they create "lame duck." politicimls no t able to seek fe-election. These politichms have o nl y tlleir o wn conscience to encourage them to respond to the needs of the people. C ertainl y there will be som e repres entati ves of lo w ethi cs who would abuse tlleir p ower fo r personal gain. knowing they are doing so with impmut y. "Illis will in turn create more resentment toward politics and politicians, a problem which o ur republic canno t afford . I will admit that incumbents are fe-elccted at an manning mte. But tlle stati sti cs usuall y leave out those who choose no t to nm fo r re-election. Tltis yet') r, in tlle wake of the I路louse banking scandal , the number of incmnbents who choose no t to run was quite lti gh. They lmderstood tbat to lose an election often means JX>li tical deatll. So despite tlle fact that most incumbents who rrul for re-electi on wcre rctumed to office, there was s till quite a lot of tumover. So it appears that using term limits to ensure a " healthy" degree of tUnlo vcr is unllccessary . As a Republic.:1.l1, I hope m y Ih1.rty regai ns power in Congress tllfOugh the po wer of its ideas and through ethical and fi scal respons ibility. It would be a sham e if we resort to undemocratit ennlimils instead.
I
Billghamton Review
Page 17
Duane Farabaugh
I
hiS past December, President Bush commiued fIfteen thouarines to participate in a peace-
keeping Irelief mission in Somalia.
The initial intent of tlle effort, nroned Operation Reslore Hope, is 10 supply food denied 10 lilerally hundreds of
thousands of refugees and natives. More importantly. it was expected that this mission would play some
role i.n stabilizing the fragmented govcnuncnt, preventing
111C
waning fac-
tions from robbing food from the people, in order Ihal Ihey may feed
their own soldiers. Somalia, a COtultry occupying the horn of Africa, wilh a population approximating that of Sweden's and
a land area comparable to the Ukraine's. was not always plagued by such intcmal strife. The region. like 1110St of Afric..'l, was colonized by European imperialisls. Arbitrarily
fixed national boundaries were established when the Afric..'11l colonies
were granted independence. This occurred in 1961. The Republic of Somalia was fonned from British Somalia and 'Uld
Political stability in Somalia would be best achieved by the establishment of a democratically elected government. the Italian Tntsl Terrilory (souu,cm Somalia) . However, these were only two of the reg ions 111at are represcnled by u,e Somali nag, whose fIve pointed star points also to the Somali inhabited areas of cenlral Kenya (known as the Northcm Frontier Districl (NFD), the Ogaden highland region of castern Ethiopia, and fonner French Somaliland, Djibouti .. Problems aros e when in Novembcr of 1963, Britain granted Kenya its independence. The Somali Nationalists
Page 18
were hoping the NFD would be hUlled over to Somalia, but that is not what happened. Nationalis t groups in the NFD began a long and futile war. In Somalia they were regarded as freedom fighters ; in Kenya. as b.mdits. The situation in the Ogaden region was much more volatile. The freedom fighl ulere continued locally by guerrillas, bUI Ihe mililary did nol choose to intervene because of the superior American-trained Anny of Ethiopia, functioning under the regime of ule Emperor Haile Selassie. In Ihe lale 196Os, ule Somali Prime Minisler began 10 make peace with the independent nations, which direeu y lIndennined U,e pan-Somali cause. As a result he was ousled by a military coup under Major General SimI Barre in Oclober of I %9. Barre declared hi s new government to be .1 path to "scientific socialism ." A hlfge ntili~"lf)' bnild-up followcd willI increasing ties to the Soviet Union. 111e Ethiopians fU1d Kenyans, fearing a Somali military threat, turned to their Ameri crul allies for ass istance. But in 1974, a coup in Ethiopia removed eighty-two year old Haile Selassie from power, and Ule USSR wilhdrew ils supporl for Ihe Somali rebels. Wltile nol aclUally br~'lking their ties with Somalia, the Soviet Union supported the new jlUlta. In 1977, Barre invaded Ihe Ogaden , held ule region, and dro ve UlC EtItiopimls oul. The Soviets cmne to Ethiopia' s aid, and brought in eighleen thousmld Cuban troops. President Jimmy Carter promised to support Barre, who lurned 10 the U.S. for help, bnl assi st.mce never crune. The EtItiopiWls, backed with Soviel anns m,d Ihe C ubml troops, were able to relake Ule Ogaden. Somali govenunents have traditionally maintained a wide representation from the various tribal groups, blll as Barre' s position became less
country. The factioned tribal guerrilla groups grasped control of cow,try, and been lighting among selves ever since. The legacy of weslem impclialislll i and later Communis t intervention in Africa will only continue to reappear as current border di sputes, national minority upri sings. and tyrruUlical governments aplly display. As the U .S. inberits the role of the las I remaining superpower in the posl-Cold War era, policy of u,e Uniled Nations musl increasingly reneel U,e policy of Ule U.S. govenunent regarding regional conflicts in situations involving American troops ,md ""pi lal. The U .N. Securily Council, now lacking the threat of a Soviet veto, and hos ting U.S . friendly Gennany mId pan, will serve to ensure that U.S. pasal s will be met with less OP'IXlsitilon Faced with uti s wei ghly respollsilJililly, 1 wbal should the U. S. policy in "OIIl1"lIa l
I
be? Minimal involvement in African litical affairs would probably be mOSI preferable policy, but now tb,'1 have conunitted ourselves to the heading of this U. N. humanil.1riml fort, we must follow through. sl"bilily in Somalia wonld be achieved by the cst.ablislnncllt of a democratiCc:'lIly elected govcnunenl. a slep in the righl direction wo uld be first fonn a coalition govemmcnt of warri 11g tri bes. If Ulcse efforts are nol imlplemcnlc<l,1 Operation Res tore Hope will achievcd no other purpose except of providing lemporary relief 10 multiludes of starving individuals. Upon wiUldrawal, il is very likely tI,al factions will rekindle Uleir dispule , another tragic situation of the same portions as thi s pasl famine could cur.
I.
Binghamton Review
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1he intercollegiate StucfJeS Institute articulates and defends the ideas of afree society on the American college campus. lSI is also a strong proponent of high standards for college education. The Institute's programs enhance the quality of learning and thus further understanding of the norms and institutions so necessary to a society that is humane and free. lSI emphasizes the following principles: Individual Uberty Personal ResPOilSibility 1he Rule Of Law Umited Government Free Market Economy Cultural Norms Do you agree with these principles are essential to a free society? Are you tired of seeing these ideas derided on campus? If so, join lSI. We are doing something about it. For More Information Call1-8OG-S26-7022 Or Write: Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 14 South Bryn Mawr Ave., Bryn Mawr, PA 1901()'327S Page 20
Binghamtol/ Re view
•
It's the that
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Binghamtoll Review
Page 21
Michael Valdman
The confetti has been swept up, the ballads have been sung. ,mel Clinton IllIs fmally taken omce. Now, besides Clinton and Hillary, who really won the election? Certninly nol tIle people. sincc ncarly six oul of every ten of them who voted did so ag(linst Clinton. Arkansas is victorious -it is fmally rid of Slick Willie. But pcrllllPS by far the most deci sive victory belongs to MTV and the Hollywood liberal elite. Every otller cOllUllercial on the cable music chamleJ featured
either actors or musicians urging uleir audience to "choose or lose." But what was the actual mes sage that they were sending out to their viewers? To put it simply, MTV wanted viewers to vote, regardless of
their knowledge of the situation, even if its for the wrong Cc'ludidatc, just vote! It's as simple as that. Or is it? \Vas MrV just numi.ng IDIOlher public service aIUlotUlCCmcnt. or did it have an ulterior Illotive? Before thi s election year, MTV never really got involved in politics on a grand scale. Of course, Randy of
Clinton fits the MTV image of the Perfect Candidate: he's young, a charmer, a rebel, and he'll do or say whatever it takes to sell.
the Redwood s anlloun c ed hi s candidacy for President in 1988, but like Jerry Brown, not many took him serious ly. ~l 1992, MTV took it upon
itself to become the Amcrict'Ul YOllth's version of CNN for campaign coverage and editorial. As early as the primaries, MTV h"d launched
Page 22
their "Rock the Vote" and "Choose or Losc" messages onto the airwaves. Barraged by sexy slogans on the importance of young people voting , and bombarded with captivating images of Bill's ex-hippie face. the MTV crowd was no match for such propaganda. They s uccumbed without a hint of a struggle. Some may argue that MTV harbors no ulterior Illotives or political agendas; it is merely interested in becoming a pos itive influence on American )'outll. But their blatant, relentless pursuit of plastering Bill Clinton' s image all over the screen dispels that myth. There were interviews with Clinton, speeches about Clinton, practic.lIly tlle MTVlBiJl C linton Fan C lub. \VilIie would come on the show with his slick hair, slick suit, and s lick ins trument , and promise everything to everyone. promise the world in an eggshell - because he knew his oonstituency. He knew that tlle sycophants on MTV wouId never press him, question his judgment, or regard hi s word as anything less than tlle gospel trutll. After all , if MTV sponsors him , and MTV is always looking out for me and my concerns, then C linton must be the person for tJle job. \Vhat nonsense! Now let' s examine another example of music industry bias for Clinton. liollillg S(olle , perh"ps tlle most popular rock and roll magazine for the las t two decades, splashed Slick's face all over the cover of their September issue. Jann S. \Venner devoted an article explaining why C linton is the mess iah, Jesu s reincamated come back to save liS. Then a deta iled interview wa s conducted by two liberals and onc conscr"ati ve. On the page preceding tJle iutcJView, there was a photograph of Clinton superimposed in front of a fantasy \Vh..ite House, res embling images of the Garden of Eden. 'nlere Slick was, siuing in hi s blue jeans
and denim shirt with a big smile on his face mId unbridled hope in his eyes. What MTV enthusiast could ever away from such computer generated charisma? The interview, though too insightful, was less biased Wenner's ode to Clinton. But the lllldying, perhaps nnconditional SUI)pon l for the music business's candidate oould not be m asked. And then there was the inaugural ball. Where el se could one see such gathering of the hollywood strugg ling to get to tJle camera in to di splay their unqualified love C linton? Well re spected America's greatest entertainers, f3'vnUog I all over Clinton and his family. entire ordeal was nothing short of idolatry . And there was Slreisand looking like she was ready sacrifice her children for this God an,on," I men. And interviews were colnd'Jct,ed i witJl the singers and actors, as if they the tlunkers and philosophers of time. But all the ques tions ba:sicall'v i boiled down to "Wby do you think Bill C linton is God in human foml?" TIle influence the music industry had in tlu s election sets a dange,ro,"s i precedent for years to come. videos revolntiOluzed rock and rollmaking tlle image of the pelrfolrm,,, rOOl" i important tltan Ius talent. To be polPuI:ar, I all you need are tllC right ctCIU,,:s, sort of c1lann, a few special atouch of sccUldal, and in tJle future mldying support for tlle c.'llldidate of left. Gone are tlle days when crull"':tel, i experience, ~U1d talent mattered. Willie fits tlle MTV image of the Candidate: he' s yo WIg, a charmer, rebel, and he'll do or say whatever takes to sell . George Bush was just little too practical and a little less as Clinton, and it cost him the MTV vote. In tlle future, tlle candidates have to concentrate more on appearance and sales pitch than issues in order to "Rock the Vote."
I
Bingham/on Review
Get Yourself the Ammunition To Fight Back! Whether now ing with tIle milk of human kindness ... . . . or burning with the hot passion o f
Marxism,
the li be ral lerl on your
campu s de mand s the co mplete in tcl lcc· . tual sur rend er of anyone who di s-
agrees. . f'rom the raculty member spo ut ing liberal tra sh who brooks 110 op positio n in the classroom. To the IC(lisl s running st udent gov ernment like th eir 0\\' 11 personal charilY, using yo ur ml)ncy 10 fund their pet projec ts. To the radical demonstra to rs shoutin g down a ny conservative speaker th ey disagree with. The cam pu s left dcm31ll.l s you r sl1hmi ssion to their ideas. Tha t's why Humall Even/s , The National Conse rvative Weekly. is vital to yo ur su rvival in the campus jungle. In over 46 years of publication, we have earned a reputati on for objective reponi ng o f the news fr om Was hing· Lon, our -nation and around the wo rld . The kind of objectivity sadly lackin g in the maj o r daily newspapers, the well· know n newsweeklies, and th e televisio n and radio networks. Evcry wcek , Huma" £vellfs ~ring .~ ou r subscribns storics tha t o thers just won't c.nr y, or bury in section 2, page 56. The kin d ~)f new s you need to fight b'lck when the left is demand ing th ;'.! 1 you agree with their point of view. And because the fu ture of Amer icn is imporwnt 10 you, you will appreciate a weekly sou rce of objective news so )'0\1 can make up your mind based o n the (acl s, not some liberal' s inlerpretnlio n of the fa cts. And Human Even's is loa ded wit h regulnr fealme s unavailahle anywhere else: • Capital Briefs - in sid e bits o f informat ion on almost any impOrt:lnl lo pi c fro m politics to foreign affflirs to legis lat ive initiatives. Probab ly our bes t read sect ion, and the kind o f informa· ti on th at our subscribers always want Illore of.
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them up. And we've been to ld that some rep orters fr om radio , TV and even other publications read Human Events to find alit what will be "ho t" news in the co ming weeks. Thi s is your chan ce to se t it fir st.
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• Politics '9 1 - impo rtant political ra ces, referendums, nnd power shift s fro m a ll 50 sta tes , Human Evellfs gives you th e coverage sad ly unavailable anywhere clse. Whi le not strict ly speaking a "political news letter ," our po liti ca l cove rage pu ts many of the high-priced newsletters to shfl mc .. • Focus on The Medin - we 'll tell yO li where th e o th er "news" organiza· lio ns have fa ll en down o n the job and shown their liberal bias . O nce you've started reading "Focus" you 'll lake a mu ch more skeptical look at Ih e eve· ning news o r your daily paper. While HWlI Gn Evellts is ded icated to fi ghting media bias by bringing you all th e fa cts in "Focus" we 'lIl ell you exactly whe r~ a nd why Ihat bias occurs. • RollealJs - co mplete li sts o f how you r Senators and Cong ress man vOle on all the key issues . An absolute mu st if yo u want to tell the true conservatives rrom the liberal s. • CO l1 se rvnli vc Forum our "leiters to the editor." You'll ge t o pin· ion from your fellow conserva ti ves, and news of con servative fun ct io ns and gatherings ac ross ou r nati on. Some o f our subscri bers have writt en that this is the one place they ca n go to fi nd out what o ther conservatives all across o ur nati o n arc th in king and doing 10 further the conse rvative agenda.
Events , The National Co ns erva tive Week i)'. And beca use we th ink (hat once you become a subscriber yo u'll remain one for yea rs, we are wi ll ing to o ffer you a special Student Introductory Rate o( o nl y $26.95 ror a rull 40 weeks or Human Events, nearly 500"/0 off our cover pri ce o f S50. We're so certain th a t yo u will find Human Events indispensable, both in cl a~s an~ out, that we'll guar antee your sa ll sfa ctlo n. If you decide at any time tha t yo u don ' t want to continue reading Hilma" Evel/ts, just drop us a note. We'll ca ncel yo ur subscription and refund the cost of you r remaining issues. Take a moment right now and fi ll out Ih e co upo n below . In the battle against the campus left, you nccll all Ihe am· munition you can gel.
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