Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday 21, 1988
Opinion
Gl9dd HCV6TW pc^r
Olympics provide example
of capatalism’s superiority
Mail Call
Berzsenyi-bashing day in Battalion
EDITOR:
I am writing to express my disgust with Lydia Berzsenyi’s column in theSl
l(i Battalion. I let article takes issue with Oov. Michael Dukakis’ 1977vetoofijR "
that would require public school teachers i<> lead students in the Pledgeol 1^'' 11
Allegiance. It also does a very job of using McCdarthy-style smear tactics to cot 1
the issues involved and impugn the character and patriotism of an honoralilt fe',.,.
The fact is that C'«o\’. Dukakis vetoed this piece of legislation on theadvict ^
the Massachusetts Attorney General and members of the MassachusettsSup
Court. He was advised that previous decisions by the L.S. Supreme Court tii
ruled it unconstitutional to coerce someone into taking an oath against their | t i ( |
The issue involved here is not one of patriotism but one of personal fredon Ki <
the limited powers of government. Governor Dukakis stood up lot the [mokii
constitutional right of the individual to decide for himself, rather than being
subjected to the dictates of government.
Massachusetts school children still say the Pledge of Mlegiancedailv.His
only limited the state’s ability to harass those who, for religious or other reasr
would not.
ancer
Jhe
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on
ac
Conservative columnist James Kilpatrick stated in a recent article,“The
Supreme Court was right in 1943 and Dukakis was right in 1977. 1 was relit
see that Kilpatrick was able to voice his disagreement with Dukakis on substi
matters, without involving himself in the personal attacks and political
demagoguerv associated with this issue. I onh wish Ms. Ber/senyi possessedi
similar level of maturity and sophistication.
Ms. Ber/senvi seems to have the misguided notion that standingonabur.®
draped platform and being showered by red, white and blue balloons is par K
while standing in defense of the ('.onstitution is not. 1 can see how someone I
watching the Republican national convention might has r gotten thaticlea.IiB 11111
only hope that the majority of Americans do not possess such a simplistic vie,^
reality. Lkm
William L. Hancock, Jr. ’87 Bs si
Ionic |
Pledge 101: A history lesson
mg.
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edii' ai
EDITORS:
ert
hopes
1 vdia I b r/semi might bet let ha\ c u i id ei stood the mu < mst it utionaln Inoic i
1977 Massachusetts pledge hill that was vetoed b\ (io\ . Dukakis had shesi.: more r
her history lessons.
This week the
24th Olympiad be
gan with a muf
fled bang. The
South Korean
games will be the
first time since
1972 that the
Olympics has been
at full force, with a
record 161 coun
tries competing.
4’ h e United
States and the Soviet Union swapped
boycotts in 1980 and 1984, making both
games incomplete. Many African coun
tries refused to participate in Montreal
in 1976, for purely political reasons,
making 1988 the first time in a long
time that a wide scope of nations has
competed.
For those of you who remember the
exciting splendor of the Olympics four
years ago in Los Angeles — well, don’t
expect as much this time.The Eastern
Bloc is back and in fine form. The So
viet Union, United States, and East Ger
many will all be vying for the same pre
cious medals.
We Americans won’t feel as attached
to the Seoul games as we were to the
L.A. games in 1984.When the Olympics
were in Los Angeles, we felt patriotic as
we swept the games, winning many
golds. In Seoul, the Americans watching
the games will feel somewhat distanced;
Asians will dominate the crowds, and
the few Americans present will feel dis
placed in a culture that’s not their own.
And with the Olympics across the Pa
cific, we in the United States will be
hearing Wednesday morning’s results
on Tuesday night’s news, psychologi
cally furthering the distance we feel
from our country’s team.
Theoretically, the Olympics is sup
posed to be the one international event
that is devoid of political overtones, but
that’s false.
The medal count has evolved into a
political contest of superiority. The
team that walks away with the most
medals is somehow smug in the fact that
their country outshined all others in the
world. The real political ramifications of
the sports are shallow at best, forgotten
weeks after the closing ceremonies.
The real significance of these Olym
pics is not ON the playing field, but
rather the field itself. The games are in
South Korea, the emerging Asian na
tion whose rival to the North is defi
nitely not emerging.
At the end of World War II, the Japa
nese surrendered in Korea — to the So
viet forces in the North and to Ameri
can forces in the South. A year after the
U.S. withdrew its forces from southern
Korea, the North Koreans invaded the
South (isn’t that just like a communist?),
aided by Communist China.
After the Korean War, the line be
tween South Korea and North Korea
was fixed along the 38th parallel. It was
then as it is now, Eastern versus Western
ideology transplanted in Asia. The
Qommunists are on one side of the de
militarized zone, the Capitalists on the
other, which gives us an oppurtune
chance to analyze the modern day dif
ference between the two, though roots
extend back forty years.
South Korea has gone from a war-
torn nation in the early fifties to having
one of the five largest cities in the world.
In the last 25 years, it has gone from a
poor country dependent upon farming,
to one of the world’s most productive
nation’s, making everything from shoes
to ships. South Korea has higher than a
90 percent literacy rate, and many re
spected universities.
North Korea on the other hand, is re
markable for having resisted change for
the past forty years. Its military might is
impressive, but its economic weaknesses
are more staggering. North Korea has
been a self-imposed, isolated economic
island since its existence. Changes are
being made, but ever so slowly in the
communist nation.
The truth is, without considerable fi
nancial help, North Korea could not
have supported the Olympic games like
its neighbor to the south.Japan hosted
the Olympics in 1964, and soon after
started becoming a rival in the world’s
economic market. South Korea, like Ja
pan before it, is becoming a model Capi
talist country, and this Olympiad is
proof positive.
Some of the college students in South
Korea are protesting their government
tocall for re-unification of North and
South Korea. That’s about as likely as
(and in some respects similar to) the
United States selling Alaska back to the
Soviet Union.
North Korea and South Korea are di
vided not by land but by two differing
ideologies that show the triumph of cap
italism over communism.
North Korea is still a poor country,
dependent upon its larger allies for eco
nomic survival. South Korea is a mod
ern first-world nation who is economi-
Timm
Doolen
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Lydia Berzsenyi, Editor
Becky Weisenfels, Managing Editor
Anthony Wilson, Opinion Page Editor
Richard Williams, City Editor
D A Jensen,
Denise Thompson, News Editors
Hal Hammons, Sports Editor
Jay Janner, Art Director
Leslie Guy, Entertainment Editor
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cally vital enough to lay out three billion
dollars to host the 24th Olympics.The
North/South Korea comparison is just a
miniature of the rivalry between West-
/East Germany, and even the U.S. and
the U.S.S.R.
The big difference between the
United States and the communist coun
tries is exemplified by the fact that the
U.S. Olympic team is the only one in the
work that does not receive ongoing fi
nancial aid from its government. Our
team is funded through private dona
tions from corporations and citizens.
The Soviet Union and its satellite
countries are funded almost wholly
through its governments.For the next
two weeks, we’ll hear daily reports of the
Americans winning many medals, and
the Soviets winning slightly more.But in
a country like the Soviet Union, where
the athlete’s training is supported by the
government (i.e. he get’s paid to be an
athlete), do we expect less of the Sovi
ets?
It has gotten so bad that this year the
Soviet government is actually awarding
prizes to Russian medal winners. A So
viet champion could receive up to
12,000 rubles, roughly equivalent to a
five-year salary in the U.S.S.R., for his
participation in these amateur Olym
pics.
The United States may not win as
many medals as the Soviets at these
Olympics, but if we win any significant
amount (and we will), it will once again
show the world that a team funded
solely on private donations from a coun
try’s citizens can beat a team funded ex
clusively by its government; showing
that capitalism works effectively, at least
moreso than communism.
I believe the true spirit of the Olym
pics comes from the Americans, the
West Europeans, the Canadians, the Af
ricans, and many more, who cross the
finisl line because they love their sport
and have trained hard for years to he
among the best in their event.
They do it not for fame or money,
but for themselves and their country.
Tf ey compete because they want to,
not because they must.
This desire, which burns in the hearts
of the Olympic teams, is a product of
freedom of thought, freedom of trade,
and freedom of choice, all ingrained in
our democratic ideals.
Timm Doolen is a sophomore com
puter science major and columnist for
The Battalion.
A look at the 1943 Supreme Court’s decision. West \ irginia Board of
Education vs. Barnette (on which the veto was based), helps illustrate whvcoi
teachers into leading the pledge does little to teach children the virtues of fit
and patriotism.
The ruling was intended to protect Jehovah’s Witnesses from lieingfora
pledge allegiance to a governmental entity (a seculai institution) wlten.byR
creed, they offer allegiance only to their God. Ehey had been jeered,beaten,
tarred and feathered as well as castrated by “True Americans" tvhobadbflp
force uniformity and their version of patriotism on them. A wave of hysteria
Kennebunk, Maine, where 2,500 “blue bloods” sacked and burned the local
Kingdom Hall after they deemed that their patriotic well-being was threaten:
Witnesses whose love for their country was second onh to their love of God
Justice Robert H. Jackson in the majority opinion wrote, ‘ To believeths:
patriotism will not fluorish if patriotic ceremonies are voluntan andspomar
instead of a compulsory routine is to make an unflattering estimate of (heap
of our institutions to free minds.”
Aren’t there plenty of other reasons to he a proud and patriotic Anienu
Relax, Lydia, the foundations of our great country are stable and legitimate
enough to wit (island a (gasp!) voluntaiA pledge' of allegiance (like the one
Massachusetts children are now using). 1 he compulsory pledges are nece'T
oni v where authority is unjustified (I’ll bet t he\ Ye mandated in the Soviet Li
Fortunately, there are open minds that are war\ > >1 111 is cm j >t \ T i^.incciii. I
elec t ion year alarmists and opportunists who are hungry for votes. I
Steve Ridge
EDITOR:
Since Lydia Ber/senyi has seen lit to bring up the issue of the Pledge of
Allegiance again I believe it is time to address the- hidden issue behind this
controversy — whether or not patriotism is enhanced by mandatingitthroui
government legislation.
I oday, t he Bledge of Allegiance is a symbol of our national pride andlovtj
our country. We are free to recite the pledge at any time or place. When the
government passes legislation requiring a person toeithei rec ite the pledged
threatened with a fine or other such punishment, it has the ef fect of cheapen*
this pat riot ic svmbol and undermining one of the basic princ iples behind it-B^
freedom of expression.
freedom of expression means that vou at e not only free to think and|H
you want, hut also that the government cannot tell you what to think and did
say.
If government legislators try to tell you what to say, even if it is something
you agree with 1 10 percent, you should he concerned because they are
overstepping the boundaries set before them by the Constitution.
By vetoing that 1977 bill, Gov. Dukakis demon.st rated that he has a deep
understanding and respect for the basic princ iples t hat make out country gift
Dukakis had supported legislation banning t he* recitation of the pledge,then<
only then would Berzseny i have grounds to question Dukakis' patriotism,
There are grounds, however, to question the judgement of Vice Presidenl
Bush. Bush said that he would not hesitate to sign into law a bill thattheSupn
Court had advised would be unconstitutional. Both governors and presidents
an oath to uphold the Constitution.
Bush’s statement, which I believe he still stands by, is both rash and
irresponsible. Bush has also done a great disservice to the Pledge of AllegiatW
trying to exploit it as a partisan campaign issue.
Mike Thomas ’87
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves the light to edit Itthol
and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author's intent. Each letter must he signed and minis
classification, address and telephone number of the writer.
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