letter from the editor


Eighty-three years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan

City election:

Now the

fun

begins


!

420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104

News Phone: 764-0552

FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 1974

Just watch what we say...

SUPPORTERS OF THE Nixon adminis-
tration who feel that Watergate in-
vestigations and criticism have gone too
far have cited what they call the post-
Watergate morality, arguing that those
who engaged in the various illegal acts
during and after the Nixon re-election
campaign were merely following the
mores of political life at that time.
Now, they rationalize, the press, the
public and the Democrats are "more
moral" than in the past, and therefore
Watergate defendants are not really to
blame for doing what was allegedly com-'
mon political practice.
Aside from the fact that there is noth-
ing in the American past of the scope of
the Watergate scandal, it is irrellevant to
defend illegal acts because others sup-
posedly did the same without being de-
tected. Such acts were no more accept-
able in the past than now.
One would hope that the basic stand-
ards of public morality regarding govern-
ment officials were as high before the
Watergate scandal broke as after. How-
ever, it would appear that the standards
of state legislators in both Michigan and
New York have been little affected by
Watergate.
JN BOTH LEGISLATURES, men indicted
for criminal acts, one convicted, have
received strong support from their col-
leagues despite their troubles with the
law.
In Michigan, State Sen. Charles Young-
blood (D-Det.) resigned Wednesday un-
der strong pressure both from Repub-
11can state senators and the public.
Last October Youngblood was convicted
of conspiracy to bribe a state official.
Appealing the decision, Youngblood re-
fused to resign saying 'that resignation
would be tantamount to admitting his
guilt before a verdict could be reached
on his appeal.

State senate Democrats supported
Youngblood's position and defeated a
move by Republicans to oust him. Finally,
under mounting criticism, Democratic
leaders agreed that they would have to
at least suspend Youngblood, resulting in
his resignation.
In the New York Assembly, Republican
Speaker Perry Duryea, who is under in-
dictment for an alleged vote-siphoning
scheme, has received the strong support
and praise of his colleagues.
DURYEA HAS NOT been convicted, and
so must be considered innocent.
However, for a person in the high posi-
tion occupied by Duryea, ethics would
seem to suggest that impeachment pro-
ceedings be initiated. Again, not because
of any presumption of guilt, but to up-
hold the integrity of the body.
It is interesting to watch the various
legislators moan about Watergate and
its effect on public confidence in govern-
ment and then become defensive when
trouble strikes closer to home.
It would seem that ethics and moral-
ity, even of the supposed post-Water-
gate variety, have not spread too far in
many political circles.
Recognition
FOR MORE THAN a decade the United
States government has refused to
have diplomatic relations with Cuba and
has promoted an economic boycott
against it, in one of the more anachro-
nistic remnants of the Cold War.
However, is now seems possible that
tthe two countries will begin preliminary
talks, depending largely on the attitude
of the American government.
In a news conference Tuesday called
by Cuba's ambassador to Mexico, notice
seemed to be given that Cuba was ready
to begin talks with the United States if
this country would lift its economic
blockade.
The ambassador, Fernando L. Lopez
Muino, was no doubt correct when he
termed the economic boycott "a farce."
After twelve years Cuba's government
has not crumbled due to the blockade.
Much of the non-communist world now
trades with Cuba, including Japan and
much of Western Europe, making the
blockade merely a pretentious display of
Cold War ideology that this country and
the rest of the world could well do with-
out.
No one should expect an overnight ex-
change of ambassadors. But it is interest-
ing to note that American officials did
not reject reports of the ambassador's
statements out of hand. If U. S. officials
do begin to move towards some sort of
relationship with Cuba, it will be a step
towards greater American government
recognition of the way the world is, rath-
er than what officials might like it to be.

By CHRISTOPHER PARKS
IT'S ONLY JANUARY, and already t h e
partisan brickbats are beginning to fill
the air, bringing with them the promise
of an early spring. The local polls are
even now sharpening their knives a n d
eyeing each other's carcasses longlingly
in anticipation of the "April Madness" -
the city's exercise in mayhem sometimes
called the municipal elections.
This year, first blood was drawn by
HRPers who pointed to the mysterious dis-
appearance of the GOP from the Second
Ward race as evidence that the big boys
are conspiring to freeze them out. The
charge brought howls of rightous indignation
from the Democrats and sniffles of wound-
ed innocence from the Republicans. And
the race is on .. .
The "Second Ward Affair" is, indeed, a
queer case.
An unlovely hunk of political turf com-
posed largely of run down student neigh-
borhoods, the ward is regarded as a colon-
ial possession by the wealthy Republicans,
many of whom own the wretched, over-pric-
ed hovels in which its inhabitants a r e
forced to live.
THE FIESTY NATIVES bear no great
love for "Bwana-Jim" Stephenson and his
cohorts, and thus, a GOP campaign is a
token gesture at best.
It is a token, however, which is not
without significance to the Democrats and
the HRP, as the 10 to 15 per cent of the
vote any Republican would be likely to
garner could spell the difference between
them.
HRP's assumption is that at least some
of these Republican votes may now go to
the Democrat as votes against them. In
a close race, 500 or 600 votes could spell
the difference.
The GOP's excuse for pulling out of the
Second sounds lame at best: They claim
they couldn't find a candidate to run in
a race that can't be won.
Traditionally, all three parties have run
candidates in each of the city's five wards
regardless of their chances for victory. A
city-wide party runs a city-wide cam-

paign - that's the way the game is play-
ed.
SO THE CLAIM t h a t suddenly, this
year, the GOP "couldn't find" a candidate
is a little hard to swallow.
The charge has been made in some quar-
ters that the pull-out is a result of a
"deal" between the GOP and the Demo-
crats.
Clearly, many local Dems are pleased
to have a one-on-one with HRP in the Se-
cond Ward. They honestly believe they
can take HRP under those circumstances.
As for the Republicans, the knotty ques-
tion is: What's in it for them? Tactically
speaking, a healthy HRP is the best thing
that could happen to the GOP for a num-
ber of reasons:
0 In close contests like the Fourth Ward
and the mayor's race, the presence of HRP
denies some student support to the Demo-
crats and can facilitate a Republican vic-

erosity. Could there be a beady-eyed little
quid pro quo lurking around in the political
bushes somewhere?
In lieu of any documentation or solid
proof we are left with strictly circumstan-
tial evidence.
What is clear is that things are going to
be just a little tougher in a year when
HRP didn't need any more bummers.
The Second Ward race is now between the
Dems' Mary Richman and HRP's Kathy
Kozachenko.
RICHMAN IS the latest in the line of
articulate young radic-lib females so fash-
ionable in Democratic circles these days.
Following in the very successful footsteps
of Elizabeth Taylor and Carol Jones, Rich-
man looks very good on paper and Dem in-
siders are almost obscenely proud -of her.
She's a third year law student with poli-
tical experience and at least some creden-
tials in the peace and women's movements.

"The Republicans are not notorious for their generosity.
Could there be a beady-eyed little quid pro quo lurking
around in the political bushes somewhere?"

his party's fair-haired boy, is being open-
ly groomed for the mayor'% chair in '75
and reportedly has ambition the scope of
which etxends all the way to Washing-
ton. One scenario: Local Congressman
Mary Esch will vacate his post in '76 to
battle some Democrat (probably Flint's
Don Reigle) for Phil Hart's Senate seat,
leaving the GOP nomination open to guess
who.
The Fourth, which lies in the city's south-
ern quadrant is closely divided between lib-
eral and conservative voters. Last year only
the presence of HRP's Phil Carrol prevent-
ed Democrat Ethel Lewis from picking up
all the marbles there.
This year, however, Lewis - a good, at-
tractive candidate with a wide reputation
-has decided not to run. Instead, the
Dems are putting up one James 1C en-
worthy who's supposed to be a nice guy but
who's a political nobody.
THE PRESENCE of the well-known, well-
liked Colburn has to give the GOP the
edge at this point. The role of HRP, how-
ever, could be pivotal.
There is strong sentiment in HAP for
running a low profile "educational" cam-
paign in the Fourth in order to avoid charg-
es that they are splitting the "liberal vote."
Since this phenomenon was cleaiy re-
sponsible for what happened in the Fourth
last year (and some believe it also account-
ed at least indirectly for Stephenson's vic-
tory in the mayoral race) HRPers are wary
of giving the Dems any more ammunition
on the vote-splitting issue than they already
have.
So . . . at this juncture, myI premature
prognostication calls it this way: Ward One
to the Dems, Ward Two too close to call
(leaning towards the Dems), Ward T h r e e
to the GOP, Ward Four too close to call
(leaning towards the GOP) and Ward Five
to the GOP.
That's three to two, folks, which means
at least one more GOP year at city hall.
If they'd only made good on their prom-
ise to pick up my garbage, I wouldn't feel
so bad...

tory.
* Tough races in the first and second
wards drain Democratic resources and en-
ergy from the effort in other parts of the
city, and
* The presence of the left-wing HRP
eating away at their student support forces
the Democrats to move to the left, thus
alienating them from their more moderate
supporters.
So why, when a token campaign in the
Second would require such a small expendi-
ture of money and energy, did the GOP
pull-out and thus strengthen the Democrat's
hand? Surely there is no sudden shortage
of sacrificial lambs willing to fight the good
fight in return for a nice city job after
April.
It is this enigma which gives the HR
"collusion" charge its credibility. The Re-
publicans are not notorious for their gen-

Kozachenko is basically a unknown qual-
ity at this point. She's solid and intelligent
but no charisma kid. How she'll look in a
campaign is anyone's guess.
HRP also has a chance in the student/
black dominated First Ward but it's some-
what of a longer shot.
Democrat Collen McGee is smart and
respected - even by many HRP honchos.
HRP entry Beth Brunton will have an up-
hill fight.
Elsewhere in the city it looks like two
GOP runaways and a Republican-Demo-
cratic horserace.
IN THREE AND FIVE, it will be Jim
Stephenson's boys in a couple of real
laughers.
The Fourth Ward looms as a major bat-
tle field, however.
Bill Colburn is the GOP entry. Colburn,

Gay rights: Am erica still in darkages

Sports Staff
DAN BORUIS
sports UWitor
FRANK L01400
Managing Sports Editor
BOB McGINN.............Z"Cuttve Sports Edit
CHUCK BLOOM ........Associate Sports Editc
JOEL OREER .... ........Associate Sports Edit
RICHTUCK............Contributing Sports Edt
BOB SOVA............ontributing Sports Editc
Editorial Staff
CHRISTOPHER PARKS and EUGENE ROBINSON
Co-Editors in Chief

a

for
or
for
for
for

By NANCY WECHSLER
AMERICA IS thought to be a
land of freedom and demo-
cracy; civil rights and civil liber-
ties for all - hoorah!!
But for anyone that is not well-
off, anyone not white, or part of
the majority culture civil rights and
civil liberties are constantly being
restrained.
Where are the civil rights of a
public employee who is told that
she/he can neither strike for bet-
ter working conditions nor engage
in political activity? Where are
their liberties when they cannot
even afford health care or food
and shelter?
Where are the civil liberties of
blacks and other racial minorities
when they pursue their own life-
style, culture, mode of dress or
behavior? What happens when they
try to get a job or have a career?
Don't the police, the courts, and
all of white society mistrust the
young black for his/her differenc-
es? And doesn't this lead to more
harrassments, arrests and curtail-
ment of rights?
WORKERS HAVE won some im-
portant victories by their collec-
tive action. By working ogether
and demonstrating their strength
they have won the right to union-
ize and bargain collectively, a n d
from time to time won important
improvements in working condi-
tions.
With massive demonstrations and
riots blacks confronted America

through the 1960s and 1970s with
its blatant racism. America could
no longer hide the fact that it had
kept blacks as second class citi-
zens - with the worst housing, the
worst jobs, the highest unemploy-
ment, and high ghetto, prices for
goods. The government was forced
to respond in some way - and at
least on 'paper blacks won some
of their rights.
Women, by standing up and fight-
ing, have also made quite an im-
pact on American society. A n d
slowly women are winning some
basic demands such as abortion.
BUT THE POSITION of g a y
people in this society is as if
America were still in the dark
ages. Where as disgusting 'nigger'
jokes (the term makes me vomit)
are in fact considered in bad taste
- sick jokes about homosexuals
or "faggots" can still be thrown
around at our expense. That jokes
are made about us, often in our
presence, is only symptoina:ic of
what this society thinks of lesbians
and homosexuals. }
As gays we are denied our basic
civil rights and civil liberties. The
church, the psychiatric profession,
the courts, the laws, the police. the
schools, the City Council stand to-
gether in denying us our rights and
our humanity.
The church teaches its followers
that homosexuals are ungodly. Psy-
chiatrists perpetuate other myths
and stereotypes that define us as
sick and unnatural. The courts and

legislatures and police maze and
enforce numerous anti-gay laws.
The schools feed the myth t h a t
only heterosexual relationsnips are
good, only the nuclear family is
proper, and all people want to grow
up, get married and have kids. In-
stead of having counselors in the
schools to help the homosexual or
lesbian to self-acceptance, t h e
school fills the student with self-
hatred and fears.

"Has a heterosexual ever been refused a drink
at a bar on the basis of her/his sexual prefer-
ence ? Has a heterosexual ever feared losing
his/her job or friends because of sexual prefer-
ence?"
om' y { yeaanaanm ! ymanman

when it comes to harrassment and
discrimination against blacks, n't
when it comes to handling of wo-
men and rape victims, and certain-
ly not when it comes to treatment
of the gay community.
A WARNING to the City Council:
We will not rest, and w3 will not
let you rest until w; have won
our basic rights. The Human Rights
Party will not stop its public ex-

because of sexual preference?
RECENTLY IN Ann Arbor gay
women have charged discrimina-
tion and harrassment by the man-
ager and owner of the Rubaiyat. If
the City Council, the Human Rights
Department, the City Attorney's
office and the city administration
stop stalling and finish collecting
evidence, there may be ample
grounds to prosecute the Rubalyat
under the sexual preference sec-
tion of the city's Human Rights
Ordinance.
While we must continue to pres-
sure the city to prosecute c a s e X
of discrimination we cannot ,rely
on them to fight our battles for us.
Gay oppression will end only if
gays publicly and collectively de-
maid that it end.
Gay liberation means challeng-
ing the church, the courts, the leg-
islatures, the schools, and the psy-
chiatric profession. On a personal
level Gay Liberation challene$ the
way we all lead our lives - t h e
roles we play, our concepts of mas-
culinity and femininity, and our
sexism. For a start, Gay Libera-
tion means demanding basic civil
rights and civil liberties other peo-
ple take for granted, and it can
end by being a powerful force for
social, political and personal
change.
Nancy Wechsler is an HRP
councilperson from the Second
Ward, and a member of the Gay
Awareness Women's Kollective.

DIANE LEVICK .........................Arts Editor
MARTIN PORTER ..................... Sunday Editor
MARILYN RILEY..........Associate Managing Editor
ZACHARY SCHILLER ............. Editorial Director
ERIC SCHOCH.. .........,..Editorial Director
TONY SCHWARTZ...................Sunday Editor
CHARLES STEIN ......................City Editor
TED STEIN .......... ..... «..«... Executive Editor
ROLFE TESSEM «.. ....... Managing Editor
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Dan Biddle, Bill Heenan, Jose-
phine Marcotty, Eugene Robinson,
Charles Stein
Editorial Page: Eric Schoch
Arts Page: Sara Rimer
Photo Technician: David Margolick

THE PRESENT City Council in-
suIts gay people by not giving the
police department strict and defin-
ite instructions to enforc the city's
own Human Rights Ordinancet. Jt
insults us by doing nothin; to e:2d
police harrassment of gays, it in-
sults us by doing nothing to AC-
TIVELY PROTECT tie rights cf
gays when we are hassied, and it
insults us by remaining silent on
anti-gay state laws which should be
repealed.
This is not surprising or unusual.
This council as well as all prev-
ious councils have abdicated their
responsibility to determine police
policy and priorities. Council ha>
never used that authority - not

posure of police and city policies
towards gays and minorities
Sexism and racism will not end
overnight. It is deeply rooted in
our culture and our capitalist econ-
omy which benefits greatly from
keeping people divided in all sorts
of ingenious ways.
Think about this: Are heterosex-
ual couples forbidden to dance
slow? Forbidden to hold hands or
kiss a bit in public? Are heterosex-
uals stoned, laughed at, run out of
town for merely loving one ano-
ther? Has a heterosexual e v e r
been refused a drink at a bar on
the basis of her/his sexual prefer-
ence? Has a heterosexual ever
'feared losing his/her job or friends.

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Letters:

Has Bob

Dylan sold out?

Ni
hEulO~
ID#I.

To The Daily:
BOB DYLAN, respected trouba-
dour of the 1960's, proves that the
times are a changin'. In the 1970's
his songs are "Pay Lady Pay", "If
Not for You - I'd Starve", "My
Back Pages areTax Deductible
and "All I Really Want to Do is
Take Money from You."
Dylan, once the idealistic middle
class college dropout, now sings
in concert to the middle and upper
middle classes - because o n 1 y
they can afford to buy him. Dylan
is a crowd pleaser. Rocking chair
revolutionary draft card burners
would pay $8.50 to see Mr. Dylan
if he were giving a benefit for the
U.S. Army. By the same token, lie
can pack an auditorium with soc-
ially unconscious people, sing songs
that mock and defame them, ac-
cept his applause, and send every-
one home happy - unchanged, but
happy.
In "All Along the Watchtower"
Dylan says, "So let us not talk
falsely now, the hour is getting
late." Is the hour getting late
for Bob Dylan? Ticket sales regis-

audience he addresses, but indict-
ed by it.
-Kelly Allan '74
Jan. 9
hunching
To The Daily:
I SEEN YR story in today's
paper, hunching that mebbe the
Dems and Repubs has cut a deal
to wipe out the HRPs. Now I aint
verry brite, but that hunch dont
seem logicle to me.
There's seven (7) Repubs on
the City Council right now. Four
(4) of them got elected wita less
than half of the votes. In other
words, wouldnt none of them bin
elected if the Dems and HRPs
hadnt split there votes up.
You think the Repuos want to
deal out the HRPs? An get left.
on the Council, and n) Mayer?
with only three (3) or four (4) seats
Seems to me they'd be encouraging
them HRPs sted of tryin.g to wipe
em out. Seems like tne Repubs
might even want to hel them
HRPs with some of there campaign
expenses, just to help cm get a

4inf air frgm the UGLI, such as putming a
hold on one's own book betre it
To The Daily: is returned.
THE UNIVERSITY'S library fa- Some undergraduates spend al-
cilities are wel-ordered and effic- most half of their lives for four
iently run for such a complex sys- years in the UGLI - they deserve
tem. I usually have no trouble find- the best. Fines should be reduced,
ing materials, the extended hours the renewal policy revised and the
are a godsend and tha staff is al- door inspections made more ef-
ways pleasant. The measures tak- fective.
en recently to prevent facul'" abuse -Patricia Dorfman '74
of library privileges was a step Dec. 20
forward.
I realize that librarians have top
protect us from ourselves in a pen pal
sense, in that strict rules ensure To The Daily:
that the materials are there when MY NAME is Robert D. Hood. I
we need them. But I am disappoint- am currently incarcerated at the
ed with some of the seemi.igly ar- federal penitentiary, McNeil Is-
bitrary policies maintained by the land, Washington. I would appre-
Undergraduate Library. The rate ciate being placed on your pen pal
of 25 cents a day for an overdue list and will answer all correspon-
book is an unfair penalty. I is no dence. Thank you very much.
wonder that so many baks are --Robert D. Hood
"borrowed" illegally - instead of No. S0138-146
inhibiting a student from keeping P.O. Box 1000
a book overdue, the fine in fact Steilacoom, Washington
encourages a student to feel jus- 98388
tified in theft. It is unfortu-rate that
the checkers in both the Graduate
and Undergraduate libraries are no humor

able laughing academy. So where
are those people, now that we need
them?
I've just bought (2Sc) a copy of
the Gargoyle. I am not amused. I
am angry. It's not the quarter, so
much as the connection between
this sheet and the University we
call home. I feel a victim of shame
by association. Lord knows we need
amusements, and there certainly
are enough laughable conditions
here, but haven't laugyed at that
stuff since I was potty-trained.
-John Stirling
small mercies
To The Daily:
I HAVE LONG considered you
one of the worst collegiate news-
papers in the country. This is par-,
ticularly distressing when one con-
siders the wealth of talent in the
Ann Arbor Area. However, I have
jist read the new Michigan Gar-
goyle, and learned what an abom-
ination student writing can be.
Wherea von are a third rate at-

x:f'r.-
,; ,;<,
Yf, rS !
t.

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