1988_04 The Daily Collegian April 1988

              Pay 2  Monday, April 18,1968
Opinion
McCue's View
"Is strange time, comrade. Reagan is saying
nothing but always being quoted, and comrade
General Secretary is never shutting up but is
never being quoted."
CALENDAR
Swim Meat entries wtt be aval- Trie Intemattonal Business
able today - May 3 in North Gym Association will meet every Mon-
109. day at 6 p.m. in College Union 312.
Entry forme for the intramural
Backgamrnon tournament are avaN-
abie today - April 25 m NG109
Entries for intramural billiards
tournament wi be available today-
Apri 21 tn North Gym 109.
The Alliance    for    Gay
Education support group will
meet every Monday at 4 p.m. in
Agriculture 224.
The Fencing Club wtt meet
every Monday at 7 p.m. in South
Gym 133.
The Committee tor Chicano Commencement Celebration will meet every Monday at
3 p.m. in San Ramon 4 #220.
The GLSA win meet every
Thursday in Art/Home Economics
213 at 11 a.m. and every Monday
at noon in San Ramon 1 #21.
Tha Fencing CLub wii meet
every Monday at 7 p.m.
Tha Badminton Oub wii
meet every Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Everyone is welcome.
The Alliance tor Gay Education wii meet every Wednesday at 1 p.m; in Lab School 129.
The Christian Science
Organization will meet every
Wednesday at <8 p.m. in Colege
Union 311.
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Breathed
carmtmmoK m»
me uma> GBCmm
JatWtiW n&exi
HvmtLmirr
xm - UHQH
•fuxxta&r ma
5Miiu.6rrTow
■MM EffQffi ItMKP
ricnwr # HOtKKR '
.watMN* ucpt#r
wme you xe mm
OV77W* 150 mti-KN Cr
mr fxaey Be sf&tr av
smrem mcmex i%-
emu
l£T5f££F     ODSH  IV
ntneaxe      vu#is
meet ntxep bsm im-
.»■• t-4*.'.  camrmi
stmrw     nmuboyr
The Daily Collegian
Founded in 1922
Baj Daily Oaaapan » publaihed by (he AmcJUbI StudeAiof CSUF Had the nmppnitall daily n.-rp- Snuidayi,
Sunday* rxarrSmtkXT nrk and uitwrrnty hobdiyv The newifapcr otfkx • tooted In the Km Campua ikiilding,
Fma CallfonM 977VS EdatorUl "v. 2M-MK Newi btne 2M-MS7; BuM» ind Advmiainj N*-22fc*. TV Dmi)
fJliiii ta ■ trailer of the C onUa lnmaixfiMr Prat AnnrtMlmv Sub*cilp>iaM> inr rvulibie by mail for
$17.50pevnmroTiaOpery The apimoru fubtatheJ or (ha pip in not ntanmrff ihowof TiitMyGt
aq» oreamff  Um^md*)      laiatr throplnion srf the paper.rd«ooaJ Board
John and Ollie-
they meant well
JoAnn Baltau
Oliver North and John Poindexter didn't
mean to do it.
Sure they altered, destroyed and
removed government records and then Ited
to a Congressional committee about it.
But it was unintentional, and they are
being persecuted unmercifully by the
media and the public for their behavior.
Former President Richard Nixon was
right when he said last week on an NBC
televised interview that North and
Poindexter should be pardoned. Thcir
acbons lacked criminal intent and Reagan
should not hesitate to pardon these
upstanding citizens.
These men—one a Marine Corps
officer and the other a Navy admiral—
could not possibly have known their
actions would be declared illegal. It is not
for these top military officials lo know
right from wrong in regards to government records. Tliere are other people in
the current administration for that
John and Ollie meant well when they
participated in the attempted arms-for-
l>ostages deal.
They meant well when they destroyed
documents and altered records.
They meant well when they withheld
evidence from Congress.
1 know Ollie meant well when he and
Fawn worked the shredder overtime.
These men should not be persecuted.
They should be respected for their
intentions. Schools and parks across the
nation could be named in honor of them.
After all, John and Ollie thougrft they
were acting in the Presidents interest and
with his approval. You cannot get much
more honorable than having blind faith in
your President
They have such faith in the President
that they have protected him to the point
of not implicating him in the Iran-Contra
scandal. They know Reagan will in mm
protect mem and keep them from harm by
pardoning them. It's nothing more than
what they deserve.
Reagan should trust Nixon on (his one.
He knows what he's talking about. He
was pardoned by President Gerald Ford
when impeachment was buzzing around
Washington, D.C. before he went to trial.
The courts did not decide thai matter of
guili and innocence, why should they
decide this one? It's not the court's place
How can a court understand a sensitive,
personal thing such as this?
Our President can decide. Using his
good judgment, ^Reagan can determine
what his staffs intentions were. If there
was no criminal intent, then these senior
military officers—who should not be held
responsible for their own action;;—should
be set free.
We should keep in mind that these men
never questioned their orders. They jusi
followed mem. They never thought about
the the Constitution or federal laws. John
and Ollie were working for the President
and he is. as we have learned over the past
eight years, outside such trivial things.
Their basic duty of civil consciousness
is secondary to what the man in die Oval
Office wants. He knows best
The use. or misuse, of the Presidential
pardon is obviously needed here to
circumvent justice. Nixon and Reagan arc
a pair I would trust
JoAnn Baltau s column appears every
Monday in The Daily Collegian.
Reader
Response
to The Daily Collegian is welcome. Please
send letters of no more than 250 words to
The Daily Collegian, Keats Campus Building California State University Fresno, Frrs-
no. California 93740-0042. Letters must be
signed and have the author's name, telephone number, and address.
Greeks defended
Dear Editor,
Why is it every time 1 pick up 7Vie
Collegian, ihere is another editorial criticizing the social Greek system and the
concept of fraternal broiherhood? This is
the question I have Been asking myself
for almost a year. I can comfortably say. 1
have discovered the answer. Fellow
Greeks, if you would agree, are they
(these who wnte the absurd articles)
jealous? What else can it be? Are we unfair, are we mean, do we discriminate?
No, we do not! Obviously, if those who
do not approve did not give a crap, they
would not be writing those ignorant articles.
Now, to those of you who cannot seem
to understand what the concept of fraternal
brotherhood is all about, due to the lack
of experience, lei me briefly fill you in.
First off, I want to clarify your concept of
"buying friendships." All orgamzaions
must draw funds to function efficiently
How m the hell do you think we manage''
It does not matter who you are; be il a
Greek organization or Communists for a
Better America. You don't buy friends,
you make them. Well, you ask then,
How do you make them? There is not one
social Greek organization on campus that
does not require their prospective members to complete a learning period, a
period in which you learn the true meaning of friendship and loyalty. To facilitate
this process, you acquire leadership abili
ties that give you that extra advantage to
be successful in the future. You must
achieve what is put forth against you.
You gain the respect of those who want
to share a great feeling, the feeling of being as one; one with a group of men, or
women, who share ideals with each other.
This, believe it or not, is a learning process. This is a process, an on-going process, that does not slop upon graduation.
You can carry these ideals and friendships
on for the remainder of your life and you
use these friendships to acquire other
friendships. This is what leads to success
in the real world. It's a tough road out
there, and il sure is nice to know that you
can share problems and joys with those
you have grown lo know and respect
So I say to you. all of you, who arc
misinformed, stop writing articles about
things you have no understanding about
It really makes you look foolish!
From an informing Greek,
Paul Gotclli
Questions
Dear Editor.
I have a few unresolved questions after
reading the article on the Greeks' alleged
discrimination based on social status.
First to Peter Robertson: Were the
members of Sigma Chi speaking for
themselves, their house, or the entire
Creek system? Your statements led me to
believe they are not speaking for all
Please sec LETTERS, page 4
..