t * " Eighty years of editorial freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich. 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. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1970 NIGHT EDITOR: ROBERT KRAFTOWITZ Heroin: No easy answers THE ADDICTION of any individual to a drug such as heroin is not only a sad commentary on that individual. Each and every heroin addict is a product of a society which openly condones drug use to ease and obfuscate its problems. It is hard to conceive of our lives - or those of the rest of America's middle- ,lass - without the presence of drugs. It is socially acceptable in our society to use drugs to go to sleep, to wake up, to ward off anxiety, and generally to keep going' through the day. In a society where the mass media urge us to take aspirin for our aches, No-Doz for our studying, and liquor for our highs there should. be little wonder that youth ?has followed the lead of its elders and just gotten stoned better, faster, and more permanently. PERHAPS the ultimate expression of this social milieu is the unprecedent- ed growth of heroin addiction across the nation. Heroin abuse - traditionally re- zarded as criminal!by our society - must be seen as a medical and social prob- lem and dealt with as such. Certainly, the 'search-and-arrest' tac- tics used by law enforcement agencies are totally inadequate responses to heroin agencies. The random arrest of heroin users and pushers serves only to increase the price of the drug and leads to a pro- portional increase in crime, for an ad- dict must often engage in criminal ac- tivity to finance his habit. Moreover, enforcement of narcotics laws can lead to the death of heroin users without stopoing the drug's spread. Po- ice, try to arrest dealers to prevent them from hooking more people on the drugs. However, no number of arrests of dealers will affect the existing demand for heroin. When pushers are arrested former customers quickly find other sources of sunply. Numerous amateurs then enter the market to imake a fast buck by selling what inevitably is poorly measured hero- in, cut with anything from aspirin to Ajax. It is more than a good bet that the influx of unreliable dealers will lead to an increase in fatalities. AND WHILE the dilemma of ending heroin addiction will never be solved by increased law-enforcement, it a 1 s o appears that alternatives like legaliza- tion or restricted distribution won't solve the desire to escape. Heroin's illegality is responsible for much of the fear that the very mention of the drug creates. It's illegality is also responsible for forcing junkies into steal- ing and other modes of crime - in order to support a habit which is made artifi- cally expensive. However, despite the merits of the as- sertion that the underlying reason for the popularity of drugs are their illegal- ity, the causes of heroin abuse lie far be- yond its value as a symbol of rebellion. For even if the drug is legalized, the num-, ber of addicts and part-time users will probably increase because, as one doctor says: "It's simply the best escape there is." tN AN ENVIRONMENT in which large numbers of people seek escape through drugs, their prohibition by law is as effective as the liquor prohibition of the twenties. Keeping drugs illegal clear- Ly does not eliminate the need to escape. Addicts and many part-time users will testify that being high on heroin is a far superior alternative to the straight world. And in our society, it is difficult to try to convince them otherwise. In a nation which thrives on the most brutal human emotions, telling an addict to return to reality rings hollow. However, there are steps which can lead to the time when heroin is no long- er sought out like it is now. Some pro- osals should be adopted immediately. Those who are already addicted should be able to get the drug legally. Treatment services, both in-patient and out-patient, should be drastically expanded, offering methadone maintenance treatment, as well as other theraneutic approaches to iea1 with the nsvehological problems un- I.'vino' the addiction. Schools especially must become more sensitive to the conditions which lead to drug addiction in youth. One area which cries for attention is support for students with disturbed family back- zrounds. More humility and more under- standing that answers are not easy to come by are also required. Cities should expand recreational fa- 2ifities which nermit nersons vulnerable to addition to find alternate means of ex- pression. What is reauired, above all else, is a thorough re-evaluation of the life-styles of contemnorary America, out of which this problem has emerged. Otherwise there can be little hope that the epidemic will not accelerate. -JONATHAN MILLER --HARVARD VALLANCE Letters to The aily Provocateurs at Ohio State By JAMES WECHSLER DURING A RECENT disciplinary hearing at Ohio State University, pictures taken by the State Highway Patrol were presented in evi- dence. They portrayed a series of episodes on that campus last April when black students and Women's Liberation supporters began picket- ing several buildings. As the demonstration proceeded, about 200 students marched on a set of iron gates and closed them to dramatize their threat to shut down the university unless their demands were met. State highway pa- trolmen descended on the scene and, after a scuffle and some rock- throwing, succeeded in reopening the gates. Sporadic clashes continued throughout the night; National Guardsmen were summoned and about 20 students were wounded by police birdshot. At the recent hearing a key exhibit was a photograph showing four young men hanging from the disputed gate and pushing it closed - the action that touched off the ensuing clashes. Under sober cross-exami- nation by an often flamboyant barrister, William Kunstler, the patrol's photographer admitted recognizing two of the four youths. They were undercover agents of the Highway Patrol. THIS REMARKABLE REVELATION, contained in a dispatch from Columbus that was published beneath the bridge column on page 26 of the Oct. 31 Times, is one more ominous intimation of thegrowing role of the "agent provocateur." The Ohio State hearing involved a black student accused of "join- ing with others to disrupt the activities of the university." He was eventually acquitted, perhaps partly because of the embarrassment created by the identification of the two agents. But the questions stir- red by the disclosure like those aroused by the activities of "Tommy the Traveler" unveiled some months ago, are many and serious. How extensive is the business of provocation among the infiltra- tors? How many of the 1000 FBI men now reportedly assigned to col- lege campuses will engage in activist agitations to camouflage their surveillance roles? How many of the hell-raising hecklers whom Presi- dent Nixon and Vice President Agnew encountered on their campaign journeys were secret operatives of one sort or another who helped to foment disturbances and aggressively participated? Such questions were given new solemnity by the nature of the Nixon-Agnew crusade that reached its climax in the final hours of the campaign. For if this was a preview - or trial run - for 1972, there should be large foreboding about the devices that may be employed to sustain the specter of domestic peril. To put it bluntly, Mr. Nixon's exploitation of the San Jose episode (and what some reporters even regarded as his invitation to disorder) suggests a readiness to inflame manifestations of violence with crude political design. As Henry Brandon cabled the London Times, Mr. Nix- on "did not seem scared or outraged, only triumphant" after the inci- dent. It is not a long step from that condition to the instigation or in- vention of anarchic upheaval by planted agents. IF SUCH APPREHENSIONS seem obsessive or unjust, consider what has been happening this autumn. On nearly every campus the far-out left has been isolated and fragmented;' students have either participated peacefully in the political process or turned away from politics in despair. Yet the Administration's two top figures conducted themselves as if the nation were on the brink of a civil war precipitated by th vio- lence of the younger generation. They have, of course, taken pains to proclaim in each outcry that only "a few" youths are responsible for the trouble. But this qualification is lost in the frenzy of their rhetoric, and the President himself betrays no self-consciousness about making a national spectacular out of what he simultaneously describes as fringe behavior. What he and his partner have done surely raises the possibility of even more audacious fakery if Mr. Nixon finds himself in serious political discomfort when his battle for reelection beghls. And that is why the prospect of the provocateur's increasing ubi- quitousness is becoming a clear'and present danger. This year the Ad- ministration found itself tormented in the last phase of the campaign by cruel economic news; the diversionary issue became rock-throwing students. Conceivably 1972 will demand bigger distractions. IT IS FOLLY to assert that there are no underground sects fa- natically dreaming dreams of violence and building their nightmare arsenals. There are small units of Weathermen and other political des- perados who have struck recklessly - sometimes killing an innocent, as at the University of Wisconsin, sometimes destroying themselves, as they did on 11th St. here in New York. To deny their existence is hope- less innocence; to apprehend them is a grim police mission. They could not care less about who wins elections; they are volunteer Agnew allies for whom "the worse, the better" is. basic political dogma. But a society that seems to panic because of their. presence is doomed. It is in the manufacture and promotion of panic that the President - despite all his disclaimers - is so adroit. Provocateurs may be the big secret weapon of the next 24 months. 0 New York Post Salute to Women Auto strike settlement To the Daily: AFTER VIEWING William Re- velli's "salute" to women at Mich- igan last Saturday, we offer the following scenario for a possible similar tribute to blacks ... er, ah, Negroes in the community: 1) The band marches onto the field, outlines an ante-bellum man- sion, and launches into a lively rendition of the "Tara" theme from Gone With The Wind as Al Wheeler, Charlie Thomas, a n d Ezra Rowry pick cotton from a few plants flown in from Mississippi especially for the occasion. 2) The band forms a "Stepin Fetchit" character while playing selections from "Old Man River" and "Old Black Joe"; the twirl- ers, appropriately attired in white gloves and black face, do some shuffling and jiving to demon- strate that "they" sure have rhy- thm. 3) For the grand finale Herbert 0. Ellis is honored as Ann Ar- bor's outstanding colored leader; as he acknowledges the crowd's applause with a wave of his hand, the band plays a medley of tunes from severalaSidney Poitier movies. HOW UNFORTUNATE it is that, while the society changes around us and roles for women and men are beingredefined, the Michigan Band cannot match its unquestioned musical excellence with an appreciation of the social realities of the day. -Richard Barfield -Susan Schwartz -Jay Schmiedeskamp -Nancy A. Baerwaldt -Katherine Dickinson -James Morgan (EDITOR'S NOTE: Victor Ma- son, a former student at the University, is currently a grad- uate student at U.C.L.A.) By VICTOR MASON Daily Guest Writer (AMID widespread astonishment, it has been rumored that the University of Michigan intends to bestow an honorary degree on Vice-President Spiro Agnew at this winter's mid-year commence- ment exercises. But in a departure from tradition, it is said the uni- versity has decided to grant Mr. Agnew a specially created award. One well-informed source at Mich- igan, who asked that his name not be disclosed, consented to the following exclusive interview.) Q: Is it correct, sir, that Michi- gan is making plans to award Vice President Agnew an honorary de- gree? A: Your information is substan- tially correct. Q: Would you care to comment on the nature of that award? A: Well, there has been no little disagreement as to what the Vice President most deserves. As you have no doubt heard, this will be a citation unique in academic an- nals, in recognition of Mr. Ag- new's singular contributions to the public life of this country. Q: Has a specific ;degree been settled upon? A: WE'VE NARROWED the field, but there's still a good deal of interdepartmental bickering ov- Impressing HEW To the Daily: IF WHOEVER was responsible for thehalf time band program last Saturday could not think of anything better than "There is Nothing Like a Dame", "Spinnin' Wheel" and the strip tease theme to commemorate one hundred women at the Univeristy, it is years of academic activity by time for him, or her, to retire. I can't believe that HEW was impressed, either. --Virginia Davis Nordin Nov. 10 EnouJhz To the Daily: ENOUGH OF this bullshit. I am referring to the constant articles about the imperialistic oppressive state. Israel. I would like to point out to all the goddamn goyim reading this letter that it hasn't seemed to bother them one bit that the 2%/z million Jews in the Soviet Union are faced with a calculated plan of cultural and physical genocide. Remember that word, genocide. The first time the world heard it was when YOUR parents said nothing as you say nothing today and six million of our bre-- thren were slaughtered by the Nazis. Remember the word ghetto. The first time you heard it you pro- bably forgot that Jews invented that word. That it was two thous- and years of oppression and mur- der that we have suffered that has spawned the word ghetto. Remem- ber this also, we will not be op- pressed again. We have a land where we can stand as men and we shall never give it up. Do not ask us to rely on your promises. The Jewish cemeteries are filled with the results of your promises. Remember Auschwitz, Remember Dachau, Remember the W a r s a w Ghetto - Remember our martyred fathers, "And thine eye shall not pity: life for a life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." -David Fauman Nov. 10 Hi, Joe To the Daily: THIS MORNING I was showing a movie in Aud. A's projection booth. While I was operating the projector, two maintenance men from the University came into the booth to see if any light bulbs needed to be replaced. As they were leaving one of them saw the movie and asked what it was. (on the screen was a long haired king of England). I said it was the Peasant's Revolt of 1831, to which he then replied to his workmate that they shouldn't show that to those crazy kids and fill their heads with ideas. Then as they were walking out of the booth, he further replied that if they ever come around his house, he's got a couple of shotguns and an auto- matic waiting for them. I couldn't believe it. Joe isn't just at the Fifth Forum, he's in the University, too. --Julian Krajewski '72 Nov. 10 The Editorial Page of The Michigan Daily is open to any- one who wishes to submit articles. Generally speaking, all articles should be less than 1,000 words. 1 A'I pA THE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT nego- tiated by the UAW and General Mot- ors puts the auto workers in a position slightly better than it was before the strike began. The principal union gain was a return to the unlimited cost-of-living allowance (COLA). This allowance, pegged to the Consumer Price Index, has been limited for the past three years to eight cents an hour annually. Under the new con- tract, COLA, will be adjusted every three months, in contrast to annual adjust- ments in the past. The concessions for the COLA, how- ever, involved both the union s w a g e demands and the '30-and-out' retirement plan. The UAW compromised on its de- mand for a 61.5 cents an hour wage in- crease in the first year, settling for a 51 cent hike (26 cents of which compensates for money lost in inflation in the last three years), in addition to three per cent hikes in the second and third years of the contract. Editorial Staff MARTIN A. HIRSCHMAN, Editor STUART GANNES JUDY SARASOHN Editorial Director Managing Editor NADINE COHODAS Feature Editor JIM NEUBACHER Editorial Page Editor ROB BIER........ Associate Managing Editor LAURIE HARRIS . , Arts Editor JUDY KAHN' Personnel Director DANIEL ZWERDLING Magazine Editor ROBERT CONROW .. Books Editor JIM JUDKIS...Photography Editor NIGHT EDITORS: Dave Chuawin. Erika Hoff. Steve The UAW had also been asking t h a t workers receive a $500 monthly pension after retirement with 30 years of work for the company, regardless of age. GM offered a $500 pension after 30 years. provided the worker was 58 years old. The compromise was GM's offer with the addition that in the third year of the contract, workers may retire with t h e $500 pension at age 56 with 30 years service. EVEN THESE compromised issues, how- ever. are not insignificant. The 30 year program is still far superior to other industry retirement plans, and may pro- vide a model to be sought by other unions. The wage increase, too, is one of the largest in recent times. The effects of the settlement on the economy are still unknown factors. It is certain that GM will run its plants at full steam for a few weeks after the workers return, thus providing workers and sup- pliers with overtime pay, giving some stimulus to the economy. In addition, the automakers in general are expected to begin stockpiling steel in anticipation of a steelworkers strike next summer. This increased economic activity can be expected to alleviate the unemploy- ment situation somewhat. However, there is also the possibility that it will create a temporary "artificial boom". The af- termath of such a "boom" would again be unemployment and probably increas- ed inflation. SPECULATION ON the effects of the )ffe rs Agnew a chair to sit ons erary Letters, or just plain old B.U.L.L. Q: Would you care to explain sir, some of the motivation behind this effort? A: Well, as you probably know, the Vice President's widely report- ed reproach to this school's plan to increase minority-group enroll- ment through compensatory edu- cation has caused no little bit of soul-searching here in Ann Ar- bor. Partly in response, we have taken this well-intentioned criti- cism to heart, and I am now au- thorized to make the first public disclosure of this university's in- tention to establish a specially en- dowed chair: t h e Spiro Agnew Professorship for the Promotion of Popular Ideas, Political Unity, Unflagging Patriotism and a Fair Press (SAPPO-PIPUUPFP). Q: And has anyone been select- ed for this prestigious position yet? A: As I said, this is a very spec- ial post. Q: You don't mean-the VEEP himself is to fill it. A: I do. Q: That is an honor. Then he would be present for the official announcement this winter and the chair would be left until his de- parture from public office. A: NOT AT ALL. We would like him to come immediately. Q: But this is early November. Isn't commencement just before Christmas? A: Yes. Six weeks should give him plenty of time to get in a few prerequisites. You know, basics in government, politics, and English grammar. Then the degree. Q: But what's the purpose of the chair? A: Why, for him to sit. What does an ordinary person usually do with a chair? After all that ex- haustive barnstorming this fall, he should welcome the chance to just sit tight for a while - and listen to somebody else. Q: But wouldn't he also be teaching? A: You might call it that, yes. We'll work in a seminar on Gov- ernment and Press (GAP 001) for him, and try to get it accredited. Q: But isn't' it rather unusual for an official to hold down an academic position while occupy- ing high public office? A: YOU MUST UNDERSTAND these are unusual times calling for unusual men with new ideas and bold programs for the allevia- tion of our chronic social and po- litical problems. What we need here, my young friend (rising to the occasion), is someone to teach the troglodytic truants of our country's combat- the leadership of history's most powerful nation. Q: Then there are certain limi- tations on the kinds of men who could be expected to hold down the SAPPO-PIPUUPFP chair. A: EXACTLY. As the represent- ative of the common man on this campus, the occupant of this seat would be presumed to have the temerity to eschew some of the niceties attaching to those attri- butes of scholarly distinction and detached viewpoint that promote the unsullied and disinterested pursuit of knowledge and the concomitant acquisition of wis- dom. Thus, one of the required texts for GAP 001 would of course be Mr. Agnew's own rewriting of Tom Paine's little classic, Com- m o n Sense. Another would no doubt be How to Succeed in Poli- tics Without Really Trying. Q: Can you be more specific about some of the qualities in Mr. Agnew that make you think his nomination for t h i s position a happy one? A: Certainly. It is clear in Mr. Agnew's use of the English lang- uage that he has been trying to join the intellectuals, alas, with- out success. Tnable to join them, (brightening) he h a s taken to beating them, to considerable popular acclaim. Q: Then you're just trying to co-opt him. A: Perhaps you're right. But we're dedicated to the pursuit of truth. you know. With the Vice 'Os.~ - + ar nala n-,.iie the florid flush of purple prose emanating f r o m the mealy- mouthed misfits who strut t h e stage of political opportunism in these tortuously turbulent times. The VEEP has shown he can put down the nit-picking neoisolation- ists and t h e nattering nervous Nellies nostalgic for t h e know- nothing negativism of the now- forgotten nineteen-thirties. Q: I can understand why you're so excited about this development here at Michigan. But somehow I can't help but feel there's more to it than what you've said. Could you elaborate further on the rea- sons for the creation of this un- 4