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