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News Phone: 764-0552
Editorials printed in The Michigan Doily express the individual opinions of staff writers
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1970
NIGHT EDITOR: SHARON WEINER
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A little lesson
from our bucolic brethren
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FOR ONCE, the University has a lesson
to learn from - of all places - Michi-
gan State.
Like the University, MSU is in need of
new athletic facilities. MSU wants a new
all events building; the University wants
a new intramural building. Both want
students to pay through tuition increas-
es: $10 a year at MSU, $7 a term here.
But the critical difference is MSU's of-
ficial recognition of student right to de-
termine the use of student fees for con-
struction. At MSU, no events building will
go up without the consent of the students
who will be footing the bill.
"We've got to get the students to ac-
cept this building," explained MSU ex-
ecutive vice president Jack Breslin in the
State News last week. "If we could get the
students to put up $10 a year, we could
pay for it. But the students will have to
come out publicly and say they want it
and will pay for it."
MSU officials w e r e even foresighted
enough to hold a referendum five years
ago asking students to establish an ath-
letic fund out of student football ticket
sales. Now, over $1'million from the fund
will be used for the proposed building,
cutting down on the amount needed from
tuition increases.
IN CONTRAST, University officials have
been reluctant to accept the results of
last November's referendum in which
students voted by a 3-1 margin to assert.
student right to control ivse of tuition
money for University construction:
"We're alwayskinterested in student
opinion on, this kind of subject. But. it's
also very hard to get at such a complex
matter in a simple referendum question.
On the whole I think the issue is a very
complex one with general' student under-
standing," hedged aPresident R o b b e n
Fleming when he was asked for his re-
action to the referendum.
But Vice President for Academic Ai-
fairs Allan F. Smith was more definite.
Smith said he doubted a student referen-
dum on .the IM proposal would be given
significant weight by the administration.
Virtually every student group on cam-
pus, from Inter-House Assembly to the
Tenants Union, has already officially op-
posed any attempt to raise tuition for the
IM building without student approval.
But University administrators have not
yet conceded any need for a student vote,
and have pointed to what is really an in-
adequate survey (made by a physical ed-
ucation class) indicating student support.
The survey never asks students if they
are willing to put up the $7 per student
per term now proposed.
The proposal for a new intramural
building funded through a tuition in-
crease is slowly moving through ad-
ministrative channels toward the Re-
gents. Despite the clear opposition, it is
not clear whether the administration will
accept the results of any student referen-
dum held by Student Government Coun-
cil, much less ask for a referendum as
MSU is likely to do.
THE FLEMING administration has won
praise for its ability to smooth out po-
t:itial conflict - with the exception of
the bookstore controversy, the first real
crack on the surface. But the IM funding
issue could become the second major bat-
tle, simply because the right of students
to control use of tuition fees for construc-
tion is so clear-cut.
So clear-cut, in fact, that the adminis-
tration of MSU - which is hardly faced
with the kind of student activism found
here - recognizes and willingly accepts
the principle.
Before the issue comes to a climax, both
students and administration should look
at the way MSU is handling an exactly
parallel situation sn- withoutconflict,
with perfect sense and complete under-
standing between students and adminis-
trators. It wouldn't be very difficult to
establish a similar basis here, if the ad-
ministration w e r e willing to recognize
student rights. Student claim to these
riehts is strong, and the action of the
MSU administration can only re-empha-
size the real validity of last November's
referendum.
--MARCIA ABRAMSON
Associate Managing Editor
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i. 1
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
A
To the Editor:
BRUCE LEVINE'S
January 8 concludesv
perative (directed att
movement): ."radicali
tics, extend the socia
enough, as a maxim
sion among our sister
ers.
There is, however,
tion between the imp
Levine's missive andt
which will receive it; 1
ic failure he lays on
ment (for not exten
imperialist consciousn
cisely duplicated in h
motivated, though s
torial. He might have;
and explained more;
physiotherapists (ore
anyone), do you dig
means by imperialism
The contradiction b
and audience is n
speaking, an error in1
alysis. Brother Levine
some simple assertio
which appear to me
the pinball machin
"TILT." Levine is
context, but I raiset
because they are ge
amongst the Univer
community.
1. He lumps Mobe a
lum together. Ignoran
zantine maneuvers of
of sinners locally, it
to me that there was
difference between ti
ally. That the M o b
militant speakers and
keep the Moratorium
them in November is
a political failure.
But don't for a mom
Sid Lens, a socialist c
Dave Dellinger, a sta
ist, for Sam Brown, al
no vision, or Allard L
red-baiting opportuni
2.Levine denigrates
der Action by saying
"marched around a li
"aborted" the develo
more "insightful" mo
social change. There
three significant iss
ignored here.
FIRST, IS IT of no
that the largest polit
stration in the nati
took place in the face
tion, lies (Nixon on IN
and confusion in lead
My anti-imperialisn
to the notion that ma
response to
ple are essential to victory and to
editorial on justice, and importantly, to mor-
with the im- ale. Contrast this with the few
the anti-war hundred Weatherpeople in Chica-
ze the poli- go in October and ask yourself:
.base." Fair which, concretely, does more to
l foriscus-rend imperialism? There is no
s and broth- movement without the people.
Second, Levine somehow eval-
a contradic- uates a "single-issue" (the war?)
licit tone of mobilization as abortive of the de-
the audience velopment of a more fundamental
the pedagog- radicalism. In this he falls into a
the move- deep contradiction, albeit a com-
iding "anti- mon one. How can one oppose the
ess") is pre- extension and preservation of
is own well- American Empire without doing
hallow edi- everything in one's power to fight
asserted less the war; is not the struggle of the
hey there, Vietnamese American aggression
engineers, or now the sharpest and most signi-
w h a t he ficant revolutionary struggle go-
? ing on in the world?
betweentone THIRD, and related to the
not; strictly above, Levine labors mightly to
political an- ,
does make generate a so-called "left" critique
e des ake of t he anti-war moderates, he
ins, though, huffs against petty issues, and he
to fall into
ie category puffs anti-imperialism (his em-
innocent in phasis) as opposition to authori-
these points tarianism. This is the view of a
neral errors adical? If he and I usehimperial-
°sity radical ism even vaguely in the.s am e
manner, then Levine must surely
be ashamed of collapsing monop-
nd Miorator- oly capital's many violent and de-
t of the By- grading impacts into the all-pur-
b of therBy-s pose household word - authori-
both groups tarian.
seems clear ain
considerable I do not wish to belabor Levine.
hem nation- the point, or the issue. Let me
e sacrificed shift to the positive: words like
d tactics to "co-opt," "social change," "mod-
crowd with erate," have a place but not every-
true - and when. A radical view of change
ultimately implies a socialist per-
nent mistake spective; "anti-imperialist con-
omrade, and sciousness" implies a critique of
lwart activ- the political economy, not a ref-
hustler with uge from dealing with issues in
owenstein, a which liberals are also interested.
st. A mass movement by definition
the Novem- includes those who do not accept
people were one's entire analysis. Like too
ttle," that it many brothers, Levine snatches
pment of a defeat from the jaws of victory
ovement for by exhorting not teaching. Social-
are two or fists should not turn their backs
ues blithely on mass mobilizations - t h e y
should read t h e m as marvelous
portents of what people will do
importance when and as the issues and their
ical demon- interests become clear.
on's history
of intimida- FINALLY, one clarification: as a
November 3), socialist I wish, at every turn, to
(ership? engage in sharp debate with lib-
m leads me erals: but as I believe they will
asses of peo- eventually come over to our side I
Levine 'S
do not view most decent liberals
as "antagonists" (Lowensteins
and other misleaders excepted).
-Robert Ross
Research Associate
Institute for Social Research
Jan. 9
Go Blue
To the Editor:
I must raise issue with some
misstated facts in Mr. Shackle-
ford's article, "All power to the
plaza . .", which appeared in
the Jan. 10 edition of The Daily.
First of all, the revolutionary,
totally free Blue Panther Party 'is
not attempting to "control" the
sign whatsoever. Rather, we are
trying to "liberate" (goddamnit)
the sign from University control.
The cosmos-oriented revolutionary
Blue Pa'nthers are dedicated to
freedom from political repression
on all fronts.
Secondly, we do not have a
"chairman of the sign division."
Rather, we have Minister of
Communications. (The s e v e r e
climate of repression on this cam-
pus makes it impossible for me to
reveal his .identity in this letter.)
Thirdly, The Daily referred to a
"half-serious game of wits" in
reference to the struggle for con-
trol of the People's Plaza. We
know of no such game. The Pan-
thers are Boone's Farm-driven tot-
ally committed maniacs of the Uni-
verse who consider the mere men-
tiol1 of "Regent's". an affront to
our very beings. It only serves to
emphasize our need to gain con-
trol of our own lives in this miser-
ably capitalistic jungle.
Finally, it is not the case that
a member of the revolutionary
Blue Panther Party would ever
"fondle" a can of spray paint, as
Mr. Shackleford reported. All blue
objects are held as sacred by the
Blue Panthers and are treated in
a reverent manner..
THE BLUE PANTHERS are now
engaged in . a membership drive
and your story did little to help
build our ranks. We felt this letter
was necessary to inform the Peo-
ple of the true nature of the Blue
Panther Party.
As compensation for your faulty
honkie reporting, we feel you owe
it to us and the other brothers
and sisters of the People's com-
munity to publicize our ten-point
program of demands in The Daily.
-The Blue Panthers
Jan. 11
exhortation'
-The only road
to draft ref orn
THE NIXON administration is about to
come out with another g i f t of ap-
peasement from its bag of political tricks.
The latest "reform," as stated by Secre-
tary of Defense Melvin Laird on CBS's
"Face the Nation" program, is the grad-
ual elimination of student and occupa-
tional draft deferments.
This latest attempt to equalize t h e
draft comes right on the heels of the now
futile draft lottery of December 1. The
lottery was supposed to make the draft
more equitable by eliminating the uncer-
Perfect osture
'ICE PRESIDENT Spiro Agnew has
finally found a position in which both
he and his Mfellow Americans can find
comfort--lying on his back.
News services reported Agnew resting
easy on the legendary paradise island of
Bali. Lolling on the Balinese seacoast,
shielded from the sun by parasols, the
Vice President amused himself by watch-
ing scores of native dancers dressed in
sarongs.
Commenting on his stay in Bali, Agnew
explained, "It's very pleasant. This is the
first resort posture (sic) we have had on
:this trip. I am afraid we won't get much
chance to unwind and enjoy it." No more
literate than usual, the Vice President
did manage not to insult the locals who
seemed to take only a passing interest
in their distinguished visitor.
In Bali, Agnew has found. an ideal
place for his recumbent self. He should
spend more time there.
-C.S.
Editorial Staff
HENRY GRIX. Editor
tainty present in the old system but end-
ed up confusing thousands of draft-eli-
gible young men.
Now Laird comes forth with the recom-
mendation that student and occupational
deferments be phased out over the next
several years, saying President Nixon
"wants to move in the direction so that
all young men are treated equally and
fairly."
LAIRD AND NIXON at first appear to
be instituting some much-needed lib-
eralizing reforms in the draft system. But
once the thin liberal veneer is stripped
from their motives, it is apparent that
they're as magnanimous as t w o ante-
bellum Southern slaveowners. In order
to make things more "fair," Laird and
Nixon have decided to wipe out any dis-
tinction between their field niggers and
their house niggers, making t h e m all
equally subject to the overseer's whip.
Reforms like those presented by t h e
Nixon Administration are meaningless
even in the context in which they are
made. No matter how you modify it, the
selective service system is an institution
of legalized slavery. The present system
serves to channel young men into certain
pre-arranged slots in t h e occupational
system, thereby giving men like Laird and
Nixon a stranglehold- on the political, so-
cial, and economic futures of American
society.
The newly proposed system is n o t a
whole lot different. The power leaders
have decided to give up their fine tuning
control over the nation's future in order
to - appease the nation's youth, who are
quite clearly getting out of hand..
Consequently, Nixon retains the power
of live or death over every American male
offspring once he attains the age of 19.
Nixon can use and is using his army of
slaves to fight wars of aggression abroad
'HE BLUE PANTHER
MANIFESTO
A 10-POINT PROGRAM
1. We, the members of the Blue
Panther Party, support the White
Panthers in their support of the
10-point program of the Black
Panthers. ,
2. We recognize no national, in-
ternational, or state boundaries,
laws, codes, creeds, governments,
or officials.
3. We demand that all political
prisoners of the Blue Panther
Party be freed immediately. This
includes the non-negotiable de-
mand that Henry Shorr, Blue
Panther minister of international
aviation, along with the plane he
hijacked, be allowed to return
from Cuba.
4. We demand that Sheriff
Doug (Hog) Harvey call off h i s
puppet plant department and a-
low the Panthers to make manifest
their destiny.
5. The blue frisbee represents
the highest ideals of our organ-
ization. Blue is beautiful ! ! ! ! !
6. We demand that at least 10
per cent of all streets in all cities
be cleared for frisbee playing.
i. "School Days," by Charles
"Chuck" Berry, shall be the of-
ficial anthem of the Blue Panther
Party, and shall be played at all
frisbee matches.
8. We demand that all plazas,
parks, and playgrounds be turned
over at once to the people.
9. You may become a member
of the Blue Panther Party by:
(1) possessing a blue jacket (for
sister Panthers, a blue sweater or
a blue brassiere shall suffice); (2)
thinking right-on!! You may be-
come minister of anything that is
not already ministered. For fur-
ther information come to or write
0310 South Quad.
10. We stand on a platform of
rock and roll, dope, and frisbee
in the streets. All power to the
Blue Panthers! ! ! Blue power to
blue people! ! ! ! Blue power to the
Panthers of the people!!!!
RIGHT ON! !!!
Not for sale
To the Editor:
ON DEC. 10, the Michigan Peti-
tion Drive for Peace brought Mr.
Richard Austin in to speak. Mr.
Austin defined political action
rather narrowly as woring for
"peace-loving"candidates. (Mem-
bers of the Democratic Party, of
course.) He then urged us, the
antiwar movement, to join him in
that task. It is. precisely because
the antiwar movement has eluded
that trap, and built mass inde-
p e n d e n t opposition pressuring
whichever individuals fills the elec-
tive slots for immediate with-
drawal that Mr. Austin now comes
to us. He seeks to divert antiwar
sentiment into support for his
party as those other "peace" can-
didates, Lyndon Johnson and
Richard (I Have A Plan) Nixon
did in 64 and 68.
But he cannot advocate bringing
all the troops home now, which is
not in the interest of America's
rulers and not supported by one
dove from McCarthy to Goodell.
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S
attempts to divert the antiwar
movement from independent mass
organizing, which can gain the
power of numbers necessary to re-
sist this war and force its end, is
nothing new. Politicians develop
peace proposals which, closely in-
spected, turn out to be blueprints
for defusing opposition and con-
tinuing the war. The ominous and
disturbing. thing about the meet-
ing was that Ann Arbor New Mobe
cosponsored this Democratic party
going to keep on growing. It's up
to the Mobe whether to be the
vehicle for that growth-ar die.
-Ann Arbor Student
Mobilization Committee
Daily and dos.
To the Editor:
WHY IS IT that any issue
worth bacing or worthy news-
print gets all but ignored by The
Daily? The matter of a student
being bitten by one of the scores
of stray dogs that are permitted to
roam the campus unchecked, was
buried on page 8 of Saturday's
Daily. Why not a headline? The
non-story about football players
made page 1, with a yellow jour-
nalistic headline at that!
Now lets get with it . ..lets go
after the police, the administra-
tion, the plant department, the
dog patrol or somebody to rid the
campus of these huge, stray, and
perhaps rabid, dogs. You can't
safely cross the diag without being
pursued by a couple of these
monsters.
The other day, I saw a blind
coed's seeing eye shepherd being
intimidated by two very'large stray
beasts. Olmay Daily . . . let's get
with it. Let's 9ok into these dog
stories and see why the local es-
tablishment can ignore the stray
problem.
Do we have to lose a student to
rabies before someone takes this
problem seriously?
-Les Bidle
Ann Arbor 6'
To the Editor:
A CAMPAIGN was launched
against ROTC last semester. The
issues raised were around the
military as an instrument of im-
perialist aggression in Vietnam,
Latin America, throughout South-
east Asia, in virtually all third
world countries.
Imperialism is not only perpe-
trated outside the U.S. The black
colony in this country is a victim
of the same racism and imperial-
ism as are third world peoples
outside the mother country. The
genocide of the Vietnamese people
parallels that of blacks within this
country;, the MY La massacre and
the murder of Fred Hampton and
Mark Clark come out of the same
racist ideology; fighting the NLF
is the same as fighting the blacks
in the U.S. in their struggle for
liberation.
When blacks rebelled In Detroit,
the military-the 102nd Airborne
-was called in to squelch them,
just as they are used to quell third
world liberation struggles abroad.
ROTC trains the officers who en-
force the racist policies of this
country.
The war against black America
by white, racist America is clear.
The Black Panther Party is being
consciously and purposely exter-
minated, ripped off, locked up!
28 SAVE BEEN KILLED!! Fifty
more are in jail with ridiculous
bonds for phony trumped-up
charges. Cleaver is in exile; Bobby
Seale has been isolated and im-
prisoned.
This same' racist, political re-
pression has been waged against
the Black Berets, a revolutionary
group in Ann Arbor affiliated with
the Panthers. The pigs broke into
their office and wrecked t. Six
Berets were arrested fighting the
pigs, on charges of felonious as-
sault and resisting arrest. Their
arraignment is on Friday. People
should mass at the County Court-
house, located at Fifth and Main
at 8:30 in support of the Berets.
Racism by white America, by
the pigs, by the military, and by
the courts must be stopped. Whites
have to move in support of black
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