Letters to the editor

Chant disrespects school, tradition

As an alumna who now lives on the East Coast, I have to settle to watch USC football games on my TV instead of inside the historic Coliseum.

I’ve never been a fan of the “Hey, you suck” chant during football games because it exhibits an extreme lack of good sportsmanship.

However, I am now completely embarrassed to say that the current students have taken the chant to the next level.

I was confused when, as I was watching last weekend’s Homecoming game, my TV’s sound kept cutting out. As I listened more intently, I realized that it was because students had added a simple word to the end of that chant, which ABC then censored. I was absolutely appalled and contacted a local friend of mine to confirm the change in the chant.

Please tell me where this kind of chant falls into the qualities that we, as Trojans, attempt to exemplify: “faithful, scholarly, skillful, courageous and ambitious?”

One of my favorite things about going to USC games is to see that alumni of every age, young and old, remain faithful in their dedication of all things USC. How then do you think they feel hearing that sort of chant coming from the student section? How do we change this behavior? Do we even want to?

Change shouldn’t come from a request by our university officials. Change shouldn’t come from the parents of our students trying to impart a “be nice to others” philosophy.  Change should be driven by you — our current students.

I hope that this letter does not fall on deaf ears. I hope that current students are embarrassed by their peers and refuse to be a bystander to this type of behavior and language.

We are all proud of our university, both students and alumni, and it hurts all of us to have our university’s traditions and reputation trashed by chanting “Hey, you suck dick.”

Fight On!

Lindsey Goldstein

M.Ed. Rossier School of Education

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Prop. 19 isn’t clear road to legalization

Looking at marijuana prohibition from a strategic level, it becomes clear that legalizing marijuana in California will have a devastating effect on federal marijuana law enforcement.

During Prohibition, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New York, Massachusetts, California, Wisconsin and eight other states repealed or modified their alcohol prohibition laws, leaving the burden of enforcement of Prohibition to federal authorities.

There was nothing the feds could do to compel state cooperation with federal Prohibition because there is no constitutional requirement that states must duplicate or enforce federal legislation. The fact that states cannot be compelled to enforce federal legislation is well-established constitutional law.

The promises of Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, U.S. Attorney Gen. Eric Holder, Steve Cooley and others to continue enforcing marijuana laws after Proposition 19 passes are empty threats.

Although state laws cannot repeal federal statutes, there’s no way states can be forced to enforce federal marijuana prohibition. Currently 98 percent of federal pot cases come from investigations and tips done by local law enforcement. Proposition 19 will end all California law enforcement cooperation with federal marijuana prohibition.

Since the Drug Enforcement Administration only has about 5,000 agents worldwide, the feds will be unable to enforce their pot laws in California without local help after Proposition 19 passes. The DEA will only be able to make token raids.

When two or three states follow California’s lead, federal marijuana prohibition will be deader than King Tut’s cat.

The feds might have their “law,” but they will not be able to enforce it after Proposition 19 passes.

Vote yes on proposition 19.

Ralph Givens

Daly City, California