... Y . - I a A. i I - , Seventy-nine years of editorial freedom Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich. News Phone: 764-0552 $ I~ I'I t.U 'V 4 ' ,~ t / ' - b! \ I., ' 'I 1, d" G f -,.1 9 l _ i r '7A 0 Iii, Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be'noted in all reprints. ESDAY MARCH 4, 1970 NIGHT EDITOR: ROB BIER It ~ I 1 r i r R 3 s . , DNE Moynihan's 'benign neglect' 1 ' r AT A TIME when the black people of the United States are becoming in- creasingly alienated and frustrated by the social conditions imposed on them, Daniel P, Moynihan, special Presiden- tial advisor, has recommended that the issue of racism in America, be treated with "benign neglect." Taken as a whole, Moynihan's re- port is more than unfortunate. It re- presents the paternalism and n e a r - sightedness with which our corporate system and the Federal government have responded to the needs of black people. Moynihan maintains that this policy be adopted because of his fears that the "gains" of the, black community are vulnerable to the "rhetoric" of black leaders. THIS POSITION is irrational. If as Moynihan says, the black commun- ity had made "quite extraordinary" gains in the past years, then t h o s e gains would hardly be "vulnerable" to' loss because of the ideas and pro- grains of militant black leadership. The president's advisor stated: "What I am saying is that the more we discuss the issue of race as an issue, the more people get polarized . . . Moynihan should realize that b 1 a c k people are becoming polarized f r o m American institutions because of the glaring and crippling disparities be- tween the social benefits and services which they receive, and those which affluent whites receive. Moynihan's report supplements the Nixon administration's great leaps backward in dealing with institutional racism in the United States. ON THE OTHER hand, Moynihan credits the administration w i t h making "intense efforts" to improve the "lot of Negroes". Carswell and Haynsworth were recommended to the Supreme Court; the Justice Depart- ment initiated no voting rights suits at all in 1969; the President demand- ed cuts in a HEW appropriations bill as a supposed check on inflation, after approving a Defense Department bud- get of nearly four ,times larger. THE BLACK community is being ' pushed against a wall of an in- creasingly unresponsive society, and someday may need to tear that wall down if they are to have justice, equality, and freedom, In the face of these j social realities, Moynihan's report only feeds the fire of extremism in America: the extreme injustice and inequality in our social institutions, and the extreme inhumanity of those who would advise "benign neglect" of rac- ism - benign neglect of institutional brutality and oppressiyeness in Amer- ica. -BRIAN SPEARS ,., . *_s,.4..., "Our Vietnomization program progressing sais factorily . iS it The deficiencies of the trimester system; (Editor's note: The following quotations by President Nixon are taken from the President's report to Congress on foreign policy unless otherwise indicated.) "When we assumed the burden of helping defend South Vietnam, millions of South Vietnamese men, women and children placed their trust in us. To abandon them now would risk a massacre that would shock and dismay everyone in the world who values human life." ". ..There were some who urged I end the war at once'by order- ing the immediate withdrawal of American forces. From a political standpoint this would have been a popular and easy course to follow. After all, we became involved in the war while my predecessor was in office . . , But I had a greater obligation than to think only of the years of my Administration and the next election." -Televised speech on Vietnam, Nov. 3, 1969. "It would be easy to buy some popularity by going along with the new isolationists. But it would be disastrous for our nation and the world. I hold a totally different view of the world, and I come to a dif- ferent conclusion about the direction America must take." -Speech at the Air Force Academy, June 4, 1969. * * * "Vietnamization is not a substitute for negotiations, but a spur to negotiations. In strengthening the capability of the government and people of South Vietnam to defend themselves, we provide Hanoi with an authentic incentive to negotiate seriously now. Confronted by Viet- namization, Hanoi's alternative to a reasonable settlement is to con- tinue its costly sacrifices while its bargaining power diminishes." "In Vietnam we seek a just settlement which all parties to the con- flict and all Americans, can support. We are working closely with the South Vietnamese to strengthen their ability to defend themselves. As South Vietnam grows stronger, the other side, will, we hope, soon real- ize that it becomes even more in their interest to negotiate a just peace. t ** * "At the conference table, we have made gener, ous and reasonable proposals for a settlement. Yet the other side still refuses to nego- tiate seriously." "The policy of this Administration is to help strengthen the free- dom of other nations to determine their own futures." "I believe that the time has passed in which powerful nations can or should dictate the future to less powerful nations. "If Hanoi were to succeed in taking over South Vietnam by force - even after the power of the United States had been engaged - it would greatly strengthen those leaders who scorn negotiation, who advocate aggression, who minimize the risks of confrontation with the United 'States." "If we are to have a negotiating position at the Paris peace talks, it must be a position in which we can negotiate from strength and dis- cussion about unilateral withdrawal does not help that position. I will not engage in it, although I realize it might be popular to do so." - News conference April 18, 1969. This is< the Nixon, "What an incredible FEW STUDENTS at the University have attended a college operating under a quarter or semester system; nevertheless, nearly all of them would likely vote in a referendum to con- tinue the familiar trimester - main- ly because of a four month summer va- cation and the final exam period pre- ceding winter break. These are b o t h' valid reasons, yet they are both ill- considered and deal solely with non- educational concerns. The trimester system was institut- ed soon after the state legislature be- gan to press for full utilization of the college. plant, thereby enabling more people to benefit from college educa- tion. ARGUMENTS for a trimester are mainly spurious. The conclus- ions which the Calendar Committee recently drew from its study can be re-interpreted with far different re- credibiity gap ,,!" sults, as Psychology Prof. E. Lowell Kelly has pointed out at meetings and in studies. The arguments against the trimester point out the serious faults inherent in such a system. First, there is a decrease in profes- sor-student contact. The content of a course must be pared because of fewer class days; the professor feels cramp- ed by his limited time and the pres- sured student receives less for both time and money. Moreover, the credit hour becomes inflated even as the amount of time in class decreases. Thus, a student gets less of an inferior, education. MORE THAN the present casual con- cern should be shown on this mat- ter by faculty, students and especially the administration - which is direct- ly responsible for the assembly 1 i n e education inevitably fostered by t h e trimester system. -JIM McFERSON "The second element of a durable peace must be America's strength. Peace, we have learned, cannot be gained by goodwill alone. "In deternining the strength of our defenses, we must make pre- cise and crucial judgments . . Fpr if we are-less strong than neces-, sary, and if the worst happens, there will be no domestic society to look after. The magnitude of such a catastrophe and the reality of the op- posing military power that could threaten it present a risk which re- quires of any President the most searching and careful attention to the state of our defenses," "There can be no gain and certainly no victory for the power that provokes a thermonuclear exchange. Thus, both sides have recognized a vital interest in halting the dangerous momentum of the nuclear arms race. * * "I should admit at this point that this decision has not been an easy one. None of the great decisions made by a President are easy. But it is one I have made after considering all the options . . ." - Announcing the Safeguard ABM system, March 14. 1969. "Our objective, in the first instance, is to support our interests over the long run with, a sound foreign policy. The more that policy is based on a realistic assessment of cur and others' interests, the more effective our role in the world can be. We are not involved in the world because we have commitments; we have commitments because we are involved. Our interests tmust shape our commitments rather than the other way around." "Most important, what are the attitudes of the Vietnamese people whose free choice we are fighting to preserve?" I that- I "When peace marchers come to Washington it would be very easy to say that I agree with them and I will do what they want. But a President has to do what he considers to be right."-News con- ference, Dec. 8, 1969. "There were those, good friends of mine, who came to. me a few weeks ago suggesting I withdraw Judge Haynsworth's nomination due to the fact that a doubt had been raised and that politically it was going to b° very difficult to wield . . . I did not do so . . ."- News conference, Oct. 20, 1969. I' XXX,