, 'y'-. 014P Atr4tgau Datly The War: Making the World Safe for What? Seventy-Seven Years of Editorial Freedom EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS r. ,_ rte "-= ..1 Where Opinions Are Free, 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MICH. Truth Will Prevail NEWS PHONE: 764-0552 Editorials printed in'The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. 10 FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1968 NIGHT EDITOR: ROB BEATTIE ,..,.......... 1 Kennedy vs. McCarthy: The Best Man Who Can Win "THERE IS A holy mistaken zeal in politics," wrote a centuries-old po- litical scholar. "By persuading others, we convince ourselves." This forgivable but no less fatal flaw-now being practiced by the McCarthy backers-could wreck any hope of success the growing anti- Johnson forces have. To preserve the unity of the anti-Vietnam Democratic faction and to insure a serious threat to the re-nomination of Lyndon Johnson, Eugene McCarthy should withdraw from the primary race following the Wisconsin contest. Such a proposition raises a wail among the exuberant followers of the. Minnesota Senator who have lifted their hero into the national political spotlight. Yet Mc- Carthy himself announced his candidacy last fall by declaring his intention to alter the administrations policies but not the policymakers. It is now apparent. that the two can not be so easily sepa- rated, and that to end the war and re- direct the priorities of America, the: nation needs a new president. McCarthy's campaign can embarrass the President and reveal his enormous weaknesses, but it can not, in all objec- tivity, deprive him of re-nomination. The appearance of Robert Kennedy, despite all the confusion and split allegainces it has created among dissident Demo- crats, offers a timely opportunity to deny Johnson the Democratic mantle. The most immediate obstacle appears the divided energy of the anti-war forces and not the imposing roadblock of dethroning the incumbent. THE INDIGNANT righteousness dis- played by McCarthy forces since Kennedy's announcement have .tempo- rarily weakened the anti-Johnson jug- gernaut. Naive charges of "cynicism and opportunism" have been levelled at Ken- nedy by people who should be united in trying to defeat Johnson, -not their own cause. Certainly Kennedy was "opportun- ist"; what politician isn't? Who is to say that Kennedy is any less idealistic and courageous than McCarthy; after all, political courage is merely a function of risk, sacrifice, and the possi- bility of success. Last fall McCarthy sensed the frustration of youth and the growing sentiment against Johnson. He was a secure Senator (not facing re-elec- tion soon), with little national recogni- tion or future, whose home state would be protected against federal revenge by Vice - President Humphrey. "Gambler" McCarthy threw his few chips into the political pot and challenged the Presi- dent's hand; Bobby Kennedy, once he made his move, put almost every cent of an immense political potential on the line. Kennedy's motives were no more selfish because they came later, his con- victions no less sincere because he hesi- tated. It is certainly unfortunate that his challenge threatens to fracture the peace movement. But what is done is done. This ever-growing segment of the Democratic -and Republican-party must not be destroyed through internal blood-letting. IN THE APRIL 2 Wisconsin primary, there must be a total effort to rebuke Johnson through a massive McCarthy vote. The effect of a success may only re-enforce McCarthy supporters who could next turn to Kennedy as the oppo- nent of their greying hero. There is hardly a Democrat of significance who thinks McCarthy has the slightest chance of unseating Johnson, but Kennedy- with his name, his passion, his organiza- tion--offers a compelling alternative to the haggard and defamed face of LBJ. Following Wisconsin, if McCarthy were to throw his support to Kennedy, the realists and idealists, the old pros and the young guard would all have a com- mon end through a common means. SENATOR McCARTHY is an admirable and inspiring figure on the political stage, and his contribution-whether he wins or loses-will not be quickly for- gotten. But if he has the best interests of his country and supporters at heart, he should realize that after Wisconsin the inevitable confrontation must occur. With Kennedy and McCarthy splitting the anti-administration vote, Johnson would have plurality, if not a majority, dropped in his lap. As Rev. Coffin said here Tuesday, "Gene McCarthy repre- sents a moral threat to Johnson; Bobby Kennedy represents a mortal threat." The anti-war faction in this country must not be misguided by its own persua- sion. Its numbers are neither so large nor the country's opposition so deep that the movement could withstand a lengthy di- vision of men, money, and enthusiasm. The object is not just The Best Man, but The Best Man Who Can Win. -ROBERT KLIVANS Editorial Director, 1967-68 S4 The Trenches at Khe Sanh 44 Storming Saigon's Radio' Station The War To Stay Out Of: The War . . 0 The Way of the Future EDITOR'S NOTE: Following is a copyrighted article which appeared in the March 20 Wall Street Jour- nal. It is reprinted by permission. A HAPPY soldier is Pfc. Jack S. On' a recent leave, his spleen was removed by a Chicago surgeon. Since the spleen would replace red blood cells if Jack ever got malaria, Army medics have assured him that its absence means he will never be sent to Vietnam. There was nothing wrong with the spleen, a generally useless organ. The soldier was merely gambling-correctly, it seems-that its removal would guarantee that he would never go to Vietnam. The surgery was performed for a small fee by a doctor who opposes the war. He sent the bills for "emergency surgery" to the Army. Not many young men would go as far as Jack did to avoid Viet- nam, but soldiers increasingly are devising other exotic schemes to spend their two years' service in stateside posts. While ways to avoid the draft-like moving to Canada or feigning homosexuality -are more publicized, they tend to get a young man in trouble or to stigmatize him. But simply being drafted and then working to stay out of Vietnam seldom has legal or social ramification- though some might question the morality of ducking combat duty. Although military officials say they can't estimate how many sol- diers are using their wits to avoid combat duty, the practice ap- parently is wide spread. "Give me a guy with a college degree, a fast tongue and a poker face, and it's better than fifty-fifty I'll find a way for him never to go," says a personnel specialist at one base. THE PLOYS are many and varied. Perhaps the ultimate one was developed by a draftee from Festus, Mo. The plan: Find an orphan in the Army who wants to go to Vietnam and have your parents adopt him. Army regula- tions say that only one member of a family can be in Vietnam at a time (unless the others volunteer), so the natural son wouldn't have to go. That scheme hasn't been tried yet, but several others have. These include: * The Christian Science Ploy: A 23-year-old Virginian received Vietnam orders and was told to report for pre-shipment inocula- tions. When he announced he had been converted to Christian Sci- ence and refused to take either shots or pills, he was waved away by frustrated doctors. * The Crazy Letter Ploy. A corporal from Brooklyn wrote let- ters to Sen. Robert Kennedy and, Sen. Jacob Javits, Gov:. Nelson Rockefeller. his Congressman and several other prominent officials, claiming he preferred suicide to Vietnam and pointing out the ef- fects of his death on his mother. Two weeks later a Senatorial aide notified him his Vietnam orders had been canceled. * The Card-Burning Ploy. A basic trainee faked a picture of himself burning a draft card on the Berkeley campus and sent it to his commanding general with an anonymous note. A security check was ordered, and the sol- diers's two years were drawing peacefully to a close by the time the dust had settled. * The LSD Ploy. A glib Cleve- lander strolled into his post psy- chiatrist's office, claiming numer- ous LSD experiences had unbal- anced his mind. Regular visits thereafter assured his stay at a Midwestern post. THE SUGGESTION that the city sub- sidize a system of mass transportation deserves consideration: No one will deny that the existing city bus arrangements are woefully inadequ- ate. Unless there is promise that the set- up will improve materially in the im- mediate future, the city should definitely consider taking the responsibility upon its own shoulders either by subsidization or running its own system. But the consideration of a mass trans- portation system should not be divorced from a careful rethinking of another problem with which the community will have to come to grips in the next few years: humanizing the conditions of automobile traffic in Ann Arbor. Anyone who has attempted to drive anywhere within five blocks of campus Second class postage paid at Ann Arbor. Michigan. 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor. Michigan, 48104. The Daily is a member of the Associated Press, Collegiate Press Service and Liberation News Service. Daily except Sunday and Monday during regular summer session.. Daily except Monday during regular academic school year. Fall and winter subscription rate: $4.50 per term by carries ($5 by mail); $8.00 for regular academic school year ($9 by mail). Sports Staff DAVE WEIR........................Sports, Editor HOWARD KOHN ............ Executive Sports Editor DOUG HELLER.............Associate Sports Editor BOB LEES. ...... ...... Associate Sports Editor BILL LEVIS................. Associate Sports Editor Business Staff RANDY RISSMAN, Business Manager KEN KRAUS ............. Associate Business Manager DAVE PFEFFER.............. Advertising Manager JEFF BROWN............ Senior Circulation Manager JANE LUXON.................. Personnel Manager during rush hour realizes that there are just too many cars in this city. Smog is starting to become a problem. Around campus cars interfere with the free flow of pedestrians. And the situation is no more pleasant for the drivers. Within the next quarter of a century, as smog and traffic become national problems of serious enough proportions to demand large-scale action, the auto- mobile as we now know it, if not the whole concept of individual responsibil- ity for transportation, may become out- moded. ANN ARBOR could be in the vanguard of that movement. Next year East University Street between North Univer- sity and South University will be closed to traffic and other streets will be closed in subsequent years. This is a significant first step. The University now has a shuttle bus system so that administrators and stu- dents can park their cars in lots on the rim of campus and take a bus into their offices and classes. That-coupled with improved University or city bus service, more parking lots and more streets closed at least to automobile traffic may be the only long run solution to Ann Arbor's traffic problems. As long as driving around the central areas of Ann Arbor continues to be a reality, students should not be denied their equal right to drive. But the long- range best way out may be to discrimi- nate against students, faculty, adminis- trators and citizens equally. -URBAN LEHNER THERE ARE OTHERS. One lad tried to remove every trace of himself from Army records-at his own post, at the Pentagon, at the Army computer center in Indiana -but he was caught when he was on the verge of success. A Fort Dix soldier applied simultaneously for a commission and a hardship discharge; it so confused things that he was kept right at Dix- where he wanted to be. Confusion is the key to nearly every ploy. Army regulations are voluminous, and if your records get fouled up, you're in the clear. Company clerks at Fort Benning, Ga., estimate that a sixth of the college graduates in their com- panies wriggle out of their Viet- -nam orders. The college graduate qualification is significant. These are the soldiers who are most likely to hold an administrative job, which is the best place to throw a monkey wrench into the works. Also, these men generally have the intelligence and poise to carry off a ploy. "I can't wait until they start drafting grad students," says one Stanford graduate who loves to fight the Army, "and the whole Army is filled with people like us." THE ARMY is already filled with draftees; that's one reason the Vietnam-dodging works. Almost every successful ploy is based on paper work: The reams of direc- tives, reports and applications that define, grant and deny Viet- nam eligibility. Not only are the clerks who handle these papers draftees, but their supervisors also are generally draftees or two-year- only lieutenants who occasionally are willing to look the other way. Veteran Vietnam-dodgers assert the ponderous Army bureaucracy is easy to outfox. Arcane notations typed on a morning report by a cooperative clerk can grant over- seas immunity; the code "7-2," for instance, means that a soldier is ineligible for overseas duty for various reasons. Not even a con- scientious scrutiny could easily track down such fiddling with records. For most soldiers, the crucial consideration isthe margin be- tween the time they have left in the Army and the 180-day mini- mum Vietnam tour. An effective ploy should fill as much of that period as possible. ALSO, the Army doesn't like to send a man to Vietnam even if he has 180 days left if there is a chance it will have to bring him back right away. Soliders capital- ize on this by applying for special +raining imnortant enoAh tn keenp leg is now recovered and on his way to Vietnam. Already there: A Pfc. who took every pill he could find before staggering into the overseas replacement depot at Oakland. Medics simply pumped his stomach and pointed him to- ward Vietnam. Bribery also is out. Personnel clerks who will risk court-martiyl to help a friend of a friend disdain financial offers. Going over the hill wont help either. When he re- turns, the AWOL soldier is often dismayed to find he is sent to the front instead of the stockade. FRIENDSHIPS are important in the modern-day ploy. It some- times helps if a friendly clerk will alter dates on various forms for Letters to the Editor you. And it helps to know in ad- vance that people in your specialty are about to be called to Vietnam; forewarned is forearmed, and you can change your job classification -say, from supply clerk to truck driver. Why do the draftees plot their ploys? Most admit that fear of being killed or wounded or unwill- ingness to leave a comfortable situation'are more important than pure political opposition to the war. But there is also an element of revenge. "They forced me to join the Army," explains a Missouri youth now at Fort Knox, "and they can make me do anything they want. Now, I'm causing a little trouble for them." Copyright, 1968, The wall Street Journal '~ Referenda Revisited To the Editor: WAS THERE a scheme to de- feat the referenda? Surely there was no explicit attempt to coerce people to vote one way or the other. Yet there were three polling stations set up in the En- gineering buildings - one in East Engine, one in West Engine, and one in the Engine Arch. All were very diligently manned from 8-5 p.m. on both voting days. This is a real tribute to the energy and determination of the engineers. If only by convenience, if not in- terest, engineers voted in far high- er. proportion than in past SGC elections. Contrast these efforts to the - failure to set up other necessary polling stations. There were no ;voting stations in Markley, West Quad or Bursley on Tuesday, the first day of voting. It was 10 a.m. Wednesday before a polling station was ready in Bursley. It was not until 2:30 p.m. that I discovered the West Quad polling station was non-existent and forced the elec- tions director to set one up. The polling table in the General Lib- rary was not manned until 4 p.m. Wesdnesday! (The ballots, how- ever, had been sitting for 6 hours in the library office.) Why certain polling places were manned and others not. is still unclear. Transfer of workers to needed places could have been ar- ranged. By inadvertance, neglect or planning, students in residence halls, and a number of graduate students were literally robbed of their vote. At any rate, the classified re- search and IDA referenda were by particular interest groups - must be initiated. Too many stu- dents are still unclear about the issues in the referenda. Event- ually, it will take another, more selective referendum to elicit the response of an informed, critical student body. -Mark Schreiber Student Government CouncilMember Lost Idealism To the Editor: YOUR EDITORIAL (March 14) denouncing Bobby Kennedy as a "cynical opportunist" is typical of the misguided idealism which has repeatedly robbed American youth of any hope for political success. Is it impossible to be sincere and realistic at the same time? Ken- nedy has openly verbalized his op- position to the war, but has real- ized, perhaps, that a political blunder at this time might ruin his chances for ever putting his ideas into practice. Unfortunately, politics do not operate on the principle that the man with the best ideas always wins. Earlier this year, Johnson seemed so deeply entrenched that no one could wrest the nomina- tion from him. NOW THE NEW HAMPSHIRE' primary has indicated that Amer- ica may be ready for a peace can- didate. Does Kennedy become a hypocrite .because he _has waited to insure that running in '68 will not be merely butting his head against a brick wall? I attach no stigma to being real- istic. Kennedy will have to be real- istic to ever get elected, and even 4 r .