Editorial opinion A matter The tape is only 17 minutes long, so it can’t have an 18'/ 2 minute gap But the tape which Eric Richardson, former executive assistant to Undergraduate Student Government President George Cernusca, made of a conversation between himself and USG’s secretary, Claire Brown is riddled with credibility and ethical gaps. At a press conference yesterday Cemsuca said, “That tape is not owned by me. It was not recorded by me. It was not prepared by me. It is out of my con trol. It is not in my possession. I am not involved with .that tape." But Cernusca also said he was aware before the tape was made that it might be made to “protect" him. Therefore he is very much involved with that tape. When the USG Senate’s special insurance in vestigation committee supoenaed the tape from Cer nusca, he did not tell them he does not own the tape. And when Cernusca did not bring the tape to the committee hearing Tuesday night, he said it was because he had fTot had sufficient time to prepare a press release and a transcript. Once again he did not tell the committee that he did not have control of the A dark-horse Democrat? By PATRICK SOKAS of the Collegian Staff With the departure of Teddy Kennedy, :he race for the 1976 Democratic Presidential nomination has been ■hrown wide open, and there don’t seem 10 be any potential winners in sight. A major problem is that the Democratic party is stiff being led by a bunch lof old losers. The ghosts of Hubert Humphrey and Edmund Muskife float Sbout the Senate halls. George McGovern has done a mercifully quick fade but still appears from time to time ;o remind people of their sins. Henry Jackson keeps yapping, apparently hopeful that, if he talks enough, people might eventually start listening. George Wallace is still wheeling around, trying to base still another Presidential race on the fact that his wife would make a nice First Lady The problem with all these familiar names is that an old retread simply wifi not do in 76. These men have Exhausted both their financial and popular support. There are obviously men waiting in the wings But the ones that we've seen so far General just won't do. Walter Mondale keeps surfacing to say that he'd like to be President, but there isn't a/J>an alive who can as much as who Walter Mondale is. Even Jacksiin, the strongest of the old timers in sight, faces that problem. It's hard to conjure up a good image of Scoop Jackson. Charisma may not be necessary in a Presidential candidate, but a face that people can remember is. Mondale and Jackson don't have it. Right now. It looks as if the Kennedy departure has left the Democrats high and dry. While Kennedy had the nomination in the palm of his hand, it is not difficult to see why he passed it by. He obviouslA looked at the track record for Kennedy campaigns and decided that it was better to be alive than President. With a nervous wife, a sick kid and a rather poor driving record to compound the problem,. it is easy to see why Kennedy bowed out. Politically, he may have made the decision thatjford cannot be beaten. Kennedy will still be of campaigning age in 1980, and he may have decided that if he doesn't run in 76. Ford’s victory will General Photographic THE GREATEST CAMERA SALE OF THE YEAR ! 222 SOUTH ALLEN ST. tape He did tell p.m. yesterday. The credibilit the press yeste the tape to tt would not hand Cernusca says the tape will help clear him. Yet he can’t- seem to convince his former executive assistant to produce it to help him out. That does not seem quite credible. After all, former President Nixon said his tapes wpuld clear him, too. Cernusca later spoke of tapes not a single tape but he would Inot reveal whether there were more than one tapei secretly recorded in the HUB executive mansion. What is being covered up? It may be legal for Richardson to have majJe a tape of his conversation with Brown without her knowledge, but it is totally unethical. ' Must students and University staff members watch every word they say in the USG office for fear it is secretly being taped to be used against them in the future? ; It is tbo late to mend the ethical gap. But the credibility gap must be mended immediately so that this smalll Watergate can be cleared up and the executive branch of the USG can resume its work. presents Minolta Sfcflol with HVT Minolta z < o u t/> * 0 o I" z Photographic ethics them he would release the tape at 2 / gap appeared when Cernusca told rday at 2 p.m. that he could not give le committee because Richardson t over to him. be assured and the way will be clear tor' the next time, without the annoyance of trying to beat an incumbent. At any rate, it was courteous of Kennedy to withdraw at this early date. He has left the Democrats time to settle out, to . find the strongest available candidate. ' It is likely that the race no longer will be so closely centered in the Senate. Governors and even congressmen will likely wield more power in The future. Already Florida Governor Reuben Askew is being mentioned as a' possible presidential or vice presidential can didate. There will doubtless be a mare exhaustive search for regional taldpt. With Kennedy out of the running, it* seems that the Democrats will have to have a new star for '76. This candidate, for the first time in many years for the party, is unlikely to be a familiar face from Washington. The time is ripe for the classic Dark Horse, who, on the state of America as w’e near the' bicentennial, may or may not be able to , unseat Gerald Ford. It promises to be 1 * interesting. $215. SRTIO2 with f/1.7 $245. - - j * | i J-;;ij; 'My name is George Letters to the editor Abortion like prohibition TO THE EDITOR: Any high school graduate must have at one time taken an American history course and learned of (among other things) Prohibition. State legislatures passed the 18th amendment because they felt it was the “morally right" thing to do. “The noble experiment" failed because people usually don't behave in the morally correct fashion. Thus, most historians concluded that the only accomplishment of prohibition was to make bootleggers wealthy, and the lesson to be learned was morality cannot be legislated. Recently, the Pennsylvania state legislature demonstrated its ignorance of history .by passing a rather cons*ervative abortion bill. After all the debate has subsided over a woman's right to choose vs the rights of an unborn fetus (which may or may not be alive, depending upon your definition of life)! vs what certain interpreters of the Bible claim is morally right plus the dire warnings to young women not to get pregnant if they don't want children, one fact will remain: women will stilt get pregnant and will still seek abortions. \ Despite what others may think, the decision of whether or not to give birth belongs ultimately to the woman involved and no one else. If the proper medical facilities are withheld by law, then a woman is forced to adopt siich crude methods as visiting a butcher for an illegal abortion, (you’ll be lucky if he even bothers to wash the coat hanger) or throwing herself down a flight of steps or in front of a passing car. Such dubious methods)not only cause the loss of the fetus, or at the very least, causa it to be severely damaged, but also (for those of you who aren't medically inclined) pose a very definite threat to the would-be mother. It may interest you FOLKLORE COMMITTEE I MEETING 1 (formerly Folklore Society) | Thurs., Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. | in Room 106 Sackett | Anyone interested please attejnd discussion of concerts, sings, jams and other events i c -« J | 1 1 to be hospitalized for phlebitis.' “feITENOUR HEALTH CEHTeR . ****** tU t-t> Cernusca, and I'd like bleeding-heart Bible enthusiasts and legislatprs to know that the year before New York enacted its abortion law, there were over:l6o women in New York City alone who died from illegal abortions, while ope year after the bill was in effect there were only two such deaths discovered. It is about time we ended "the noble abortion experiment" and started to allow therapeutic abortions. If we can’t save the fetus at least we’ll put a butcher out of business and save at least one life. DIANE M. NOTTLE Editor Successor to the Free Lance, est 1887 tvlember of the Associated Press Charter member of the Pennsylvania Collegiate Media Association BOARD OF EDITORS: MANAGING EDITOR, Steve Ostrosky, EDITORIAL EDITOR, Barb White; NEWS EDITOR, Glenda Gephart; ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, Steve Auerweck; COPY EDITORS, Jean LaPenna, Robyn Moses, Jerry Schwartz; LAYOUT EDITORS, Cathy Cipolla, Paula Ruth; SPORTS EDITOR, Rick Starr; ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS, Tim Panaccio, Jeff Young; PHOTO EDITOR, Ed Golomb, ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR, Ed Paisa, EDITORIAL CARTOONIST, Tom Gibb; WEATHER REPORTER, Thad Chupalio You are cordially invited to attend the dedication of the Community Safety Building upon the occasion of Alpha Fire 75th Anniversary Sunday, Sept. 29th 1 -5 p.m. Corner of W. Beaver Ave. and S. Atherton St. _ State College, Ra. i! f if t:i£» ... ' Ed Thall 4th-pre-med CYNTHIA Ar ASHEAR Business Manager
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