14 U_ THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPER L ife and Art MARCH 19RR 14r v . ,,L- t1I4) AI, C)INJ --L- v NF "W- PAPER I ife V119sORI R A rlMOCW loov0 --", Ham radio junkie scans the world's airwaves By Jim Black The Daily Egyptian Southern Illinois U., Carbondale "Hotel, Charlie, Two, Golf, Romeo, Charlie, come in ... from Whiskey, Nine, United, Italy, Hotel ... over." The faint signal becomes stronger and the person on the other end re- sponds: "Whiskey, Nine, United, Italy,, Hotel . . . Hotel, Charlie, Two, Golf, Romeo, Charlie ... over." This conversation may not mean much to most people, but to the two ham radio operators carrying on the con- versation, this is communication at its best. Using the international phonetics alphabet, ham radio operators from all corners of the world exchange code names and other vital information. Kel- ly Jones, president of the Southern Illi- nois U., Carbondale (SIIJ-C) Amateur Radio Club, and other enthusiasts scan the airways in search of contacts in new and out-of-the-way countries such as South America, Africa and such remote places as Mali. Greg Rossel, also a member of the club, said typical topics of conversation are the weather, what type of equip- ment each operator has and where each person lives. Although ham radios are generally used for pleasure, they have been very important methods of communication following natural disasters, often serv- ing as the only method of communica- tion available. Although the temptation to talk ab- out politics and current events with peo- ple from such distant countries is strong, Jones said such topics are taboo on ham radios. "Political situations you kind of steer away from," he said. "Ham radio is ab- out world peace." The most important thing to be gained from talkingto people from various parts of the world is learn- ing that people are basically the same everywhere," Jones said. Vietnam Continued From Page 13 ments. Opening this Pandora's Box for the sake of profiteering is bound to stir widespread resentment and expose scars that haven't had time to heal. There's nothing inherently wrong with turning pathos into profit, but normally respectable filmmakers like Stone, Francis Ford Coppola and Stanley Kub- rick have compromised themselves and their craft with all their incestuous pla- giarism. These are primarily reaction- ary movies in the worst sense of the term-they senselessly drudge up a harrowing past in order to retreat from an equally harrowing present. Had the directors really wanted to make a compelling social statement or help shape a new American political vi- sion, all they needed to do was pick up a copy of the morning newspaper. How many mainstream films do you see ab- out Central America, AIDS or South Africa? The real blasphemy of the new Viet- nam movies, though, is not their patent derivativeness, but their spurious claim to speak for those who actually fought the war. All the films present a grunt's- eye view of what it was really like in the jungles of Da Naang. But of the three, only Stone stepped foot in Southeast Asia during the war, and he served a one year tour of duty to escape the shel- tered life of Yale. Kubrick and Coppola were safely ensconced in the groves of academe, student exemptions clenched firmly in hand, conveniently insulated from the toils of combat and the'stench of corpses, plastic bags and pine boxes. You needn't be an apologist for the American cause in Vietnam to deplore the obscenities of Stone, Coppola and Kubrick. But, something other than dol- lars and cents had to motivate the simultaneous release of all these war flicks; these intensely personal films struck a visceral cord with the public at large. Sensing a raw nerve, the corporate bigwigs moved in for the kill. Now they've flooded the market, and they're laughing all the way to the bank. But the biggest losers in all this are the ex- soldiers. In classic American fashion, they're receiving a double screwing. During the '60s they were duped by gov- ernmental red-baiting, and now they're being manipulated by the rhetoric of a film industry that also purports to rep- resent their interests. Ironically enough, the glittering prizes of the war were good old laissez-faire capitalism, and its trustworthy side- kick, licensed public deception. The ostensible defenders of economic free- dom have now become its victims. My how times change. Or do they? CAMPUS COMIX w z rx cl, MUSEUM OF ^.G a _- 0 w w U) 7 a royHr' D m t_ YOU POOL YOU NUN6 IT UPSIDEDOWI) 2 4 cn a a ADDRESS: CITY: STATE: ZIP: _ _PHONE: CARD#:EXP:____ American Express O Visa Q Master Card [ COWARD $14.95 EX i BULLY $24.95 Add $3.50 for postage/handling. Total Order: Send Check or Money Order to: University Discount Store, P.O. Box 3758, Champaign, Illinois 61821