ardiere:
The genera
By PAUL O'DONNELL
PRO-MILITARISTS AND - .domino--
t h e o r y spouters often attribute'
draft resistance .and pacifist attitudes'
to lack of courage: "He isn't man
enough to lay his life down for his
country," is a typical comment of the,
"John Wayne" mentality. Even the,
draft-resister who is willing to spend
years in prison for his convictions does
not necessarily convince "John Wayne"
types of his courage: the words "He'd
rather sit in jail than do his stretch
in the service like a man," were heard"
in Ann Arbor, Michigan, when draft-
resister David Harris came to speak
in 1971. Here it must be noted that John
Wayne, the cinematic "Green Beret,"
the killer of movie Indians, the quint-
essence of American masculinity, has
never served in the military..,
FORMER GENERAL JAQUES de la
Bollardiere doesn't pontificate about
the. glories of war, even though he
"proved his manhood" in his thirty
years of military service, and was dec-
orated. for bravery by four different.
governments. Now a pacifist, he trav-
els across Europe, giving interviews,,
speeches, and writing books. Recently,
he was arrested for travelling by boat
into the restricted zone of the South
Pacific to protest against the French
government's nuclear testing there.
Bollardiere says, "While in the nuclear
testing zone, I was at complete peace
with myself. Before, I would go kill
people, now I try to prevent them from
being killed."
During Bollardiere's short stay in
Barcelona last month, I was fortunate.
enough to have a long conversation.
with-him before his public speaking en-
gagement. In private we discussed our
visions of non-violent societies; he talk-
ed of his war experiences and his final.
departure from the military service.
Our dialogue touched upon the ques-
tions that a pacifist is most often faced,
with: national defense, internal secur-
ity, social change through non-violent
means, and such concrete problems as
Nazi imperialism in World War II and
the violence within the society.
When did your active military career
start?
I was in the French Foreign Legion
when the war (Second World War)
broke out. From there I was sent to
France, then to England to join the
Free French Army.
At that time, were you convinced of
the justice of the armed anti-Nazi strug-
gle?
how ferocious look in their eyes as
they watched me go by. White flags,
the banners of humiliation and shame,
flew everywhere.
What was your reaction to your In-
dochinese experiences?
My reactions were many, but I think
that the violence of the Japanese ag-
gressors blinded my eyes to the vio-
lence that we, the French, were respon-
sible for. I began to realize the im-
possibility of any army winning a war
against a people. The Americans, with
the most modern weaponry in the
world, couldn't win the war in Viet
1 turns ,
permanently?
In 1961, when the conflicts between
my work and my convictions became
too great. As a member of the Legion
of Honor, I had to present my resig-
nation to DeGaulle himself. This man,
who represented my hopes in 1940, ac-
cepted it without much reaction.
How did your pacifist feelings evolve
when you returned to civilian life?
I began to realize that violence is not
only soldiers, battlefields, and torture
in Algeria. In civilian life I saw the'
violence of society itself: class struggle
in the labor world, the struggle be-
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61t is most'important to see violence not only in terms of Russian invasions and Viet
Nam wars but to recognize it in our daily lives and to oppose it."
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For me there was no doubt about
what I was doing: either one rejected
the German fascism and the racial su-
periority thpories they propagated, or
one condon d the German aggression. I
fought, for my liberty and -that of my
people, but my enemy-was fascism, not
the German people. Once when we
captured two German soldiers in the
' north of France, I asked them through
the' interpreter'if they knew that their
Field Commander had martyred a
hundred Frenchmen, in some cases in
front of the Frenchmen's own parents.
The German soldiers' faces fell, their
expressions showed immense fear
I could see the human beings that they
were. I then told them they were pri-
seners. of war and would be treated ac-
cording to the standards of the Geneva
convention.
And after the war?
After the war, we were liberated
from the Nazis, but not from ourselves.
In Germany, I saw women standing in
front of the rubble of their war-destroy-
ed homes, holding under-nourished chil-
dren against them, a lifeless but some-
Nam.
Was there torture in Viet Nam as
there was in Algeria? ,
Yes, there was, but it was not an
official tactic. In Indochina the degrad-
ing aspect of war became evident to
me. (Author's note: One is reminded
of Lt. William Calley's involvement in
the murder of over a hundred civilians
in My Lai).
What was the deciding factor in your
decision to resign from your military
position?
My departure from the military serv-
ice was not a complete "about-face;"
in thirty years of military service, I
often lived in a profound contradiction.
But the Algerian War was what direct-
ly caused by departure from my gener-
alship in the Atlas de Blida (Algeria).
I left in protest of the torture which
was being practice on both sides, but
which was practiced, and even author-
ized or ordered, by the French mili-
tary command. As an officer, I felt
morally obliged to protest. (Author's
note: this was in 1957).
If you left the Algerian campaign in
1957, when did you leave the military
tween men and women.
... the violence of the assembly-line
factory existence
Yes, violence in its larger sense .. .
In a non-violent society, how do you
envision national defense and internal
security?
First, let us examine the effective-
ness of the French armies in defending
the nation. In the First and Second
World Wars, the armies were not even
capable of defending the national bor-
ders, but under Napoleon, French
troops went all the way to the Musco-
vite region in Russia.
Then the army is more effective as
an aggressor than as a defender ...
The main function of many armies in
the modern world is prestige.
In an age of nuclear weapons, when
every war could be the last, the tradi-
tional standing army seems to lose its
value.
Especially when the tactic of nuclear
weapon use is the destruction of civil-
ian populations. I don't think that non-
violent defense has been studied
enough. The best model of non-violent
pacifist
defense, in my opinion, was that of the
Czech population during the Russian
occupation. I'm referring to the origi-
nal Russian occupation in the late
1940's. The Czechs' non-violent resist-
ance could have been effective of the
Czech government had supported and
organized the resistance, rather than
collaborating with the Russians. It
seems that certain Russian soldiers
were so affected by the passive oppo-
sition that they were sent back to Rus-
sia; their superiors realized that they
were about to disobey orders . . . but
it is most important to see violence not
only in terms of Russian invasions and
Viet Nam wars, but to recognize it in
our daily lives and to oppose it.
The Chilean experiment emphasized
the problems of social change through
non-violent methods. Have you any
comments on this subject?
I have much admiration for the
Black and Chicano movements in the
United States. Cesar Chavez, whom
many consider the most important non-
violent leader in the U. S. since the
death of Martin Luther King, and the
United Farm Workers seem to have
achieved important changes in the area
of better work conditions and salaries;
they have also managed to engender
international support for their cause.
It was almost midnight when Bollar-
diere called the public meeting to a
halt, saying, "If I talk any longer I'm
afraid my thoughts won't be clear." He
excused himself, said "good night," and
left; his train was leaving for France
the next morning. I admire this mod-
est, soft-spoken, courteous man, a kind
of Martin Luther King of the military.
Gandhi once said, "I can make a paci-
fist out of warrior; with a man who is
afraid to die, I can do nothing."
Paul O'Donnell is a University stu-
dent and European correspondent for
The Daily.
Op
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Letters to The Daily
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I-
THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL
.PublshrsHaii Syndicate, 173
Ilove the give and take of the free enterprise system!'
GEO-O TF
To The Daily:
ONCE AGAIN the Michigan
Daily has shirked its responsibil-
ity to accurately report all facts
relevant to a given situation. The
Daily has been quick to cover
Fleming's successes in countering
GEO efforts. But it has been un-
willing to report GEO victories. In
short, the Daily has frantically em-
braced the current fashion of pre-
dicting the demise of mass move-
ments. Intentionally or uninten-
tionally, this serves only those who
seek to suppress such movements.
In all of its reporting, the Daily
has almost completely overlooked
Fleming's concession to us several
hours before last Monday's mass
meeting: the militant activity of
graduate employees forced the Uni-
versity administration to consent
to a MERC (Michigan Employment
Relations Commission) election ap-
proximately one month from now.
Ten days ago, going through MERC
meant the likelihood of a prolong-
ed court battle, as was the case
with the seven-year University
Hospital interns' fight for a un-
ion.
Now, as a result of Fleming's
concession to us, the MERC route
has become a viable, relatively
speedy alternative. r'he Daily has
completely missed this distinction
and termed our present willingness
to go through MERC as a sign of
weakness.
IN A FURTHER demonstration
of peculiar logic, the Daily has
chastised us for holding a strike
vote which did not win, as this
somehow damaged the Daily'; ab.-
ity to find the GEO leadership cre-
dible. We would stress hat t was
not the Executive Committee whichi
"called" a strike vote, but rather
a mass meeting of 450 people
whichsdemanded that the vote go
on and tabled Fleming's conces-
sion. What is important about the
strike vote now is h'Jt it was an
- opportunity for hundreds of people
to demonstrate their anger toward
the University.
Had we not held the vote, the
administration would have assumed
that Fleming's single concession -
which does not guaranee serious
negotiations or a contract - was
enough to satisfy graduate er.-
ployees. The threat of strike has
not been lost when one -thirdl of a
Min- constituency(the same proportion
nuch as began the successful strike at
ome- Wisconsin in spring, 1970) votes
the "yes" as a warning that the coo-
cession must be carried out in good
faith.
ition The Daily complains also t h a t
elled the GEO leadership's credibiilty
and was damaged because professors
tents were frantically running around
all last Tuesday trying to figure out
what their position would be vjs-
a-vis picket lines - and that the
etual Daily itself had to rewrite i'. s
s al- strike endorsement editorial. These
people expected a strike not be-
[t to cause the GEO leadership predict-
the ed one. Six people cannot convince
It is an entire campus that militant a;-
pint- tion is imminent.
should the University go back
on its word.
In short, checking our vital signs
we find we are in good health.
We now have over 900 signed cards
certifying GEO as bargaining
agent. Clearly many of those un-
willing to strike at present have
rallied this week arund the con-
cept for a union. Seventy people at-
tended a working session Wednes-
day after the strike vote: the larg-
est such meeting we've ever had.
Undergraduates are preparing for
bargaining teams when we pu our
no tuition hike demand on the tab-
le.
The Daily ignores these indicat-
ors of success. It attempts to re-
port only on spectacular events
such as strikes. But unionization is
always a long and difficult process,
usually entailing some setbacks
along the way.
LASTLY, SPEAKING of credi-
bility gaps, we would like to re-
mark on the recent Daily article
comparing U of M TF's statu to
those at the other schools wih
whom we play football. Thi head-
line proclaimed, " 'U' TFs Com-
pare Well with Big Ten." The con-
tent, however, explained that at
the University of Minnesot a, TFs
are paid roughly $7,300 per year,
and that Purdue charges only $60
tuition for TFs and nays their room
and board.
This article has become the
laughing stock of the campus.
Even if the Daily continues such
absurd reporting, we will continue
the hard work of building a unin.
-The Executive Committee
of GEO
February 25
"Anger is being tem.
porarily held in check
as we wait to see
whether the University
will carry through in
good faith."
GAWK
To The Editor:
AFTER MONTHS of stalling and
shuffling, city attorney Ed Pear
has decided that there is insuf-
ficient evidence to file charges
against the Rubaiyat for discrim-
ination based on sexual prefer-
ence. It is clear to those of us who
filed complaints that Pear has all
the evidence he needs, and that
the real reason for his actions are
merely that he does not want to
go to court (nor do the Republi-
cans want to go to court) defend-
ing the rights of lesbians and
homosexuals.
Pear claims he tried via phone
calls and letters to get people to
come down to city hall to furnish
him with additional information.
This is a LIE. He neither called
nor wrote. The few of us he dd
question at city hall were merely
asked to repeat information we
had already put in writing for the
Human Rights Department.
The city of Ann Arbor has an
nrrlnnnnno n tiahnkni which
IT IS CLEAR that for his lack
of initiative in following through
on this case that city attorney Ed
Pear should be fired. He has re-
fused to uphold a city ordinance.
Chief of Police Walter Krasny
should be fired with him. Krasny
has never protected the rights of
gays, has never instructed his own
police officers about the city ord-
inance, has never done anything to
educate the department about gay
rights and in fact has carried
on a policy of discrimination and
harassment of gays. Jame, Slau-
ghter, head of the cities Human
Rights Department, for his lack
of initiative in the areas of gay
liberation, womens liberation and
black liberation - mu-3t also be
dismissed.
If the City is committed to en-
forcing its Human Rights Ordin-
ance in total, it needs department
heads who are willing to fight for
minority rights. If this city is not
willing to make this committment,
as it seems clear it is not, City
Council should repeal the entire
Human Rights Ordinance. Repeal
it or enforce it - that is the
choice.
Gay women had been going to
the Rubaiyat all summer, without
many problems. It didnt seem to
botherwthe manager athat time,
since we gave him more business
than he usually had on Sunday
nights. In October he changed his
mind. One night he pulled the elec-
tricity on the singer, turned on the
lights and started yelling that he
couldn't stand any more of these
provocative demonstrations'.
The Worst House
of the Week Award
By EVERETT ERLICH
AS A MEMBER of the Ann Arbor Blue Ribbon Rent Control
Study Commission and a drafter of the rent control charter
amendment proposal you will vote on this April, I am privileged
to announce the formation of the "Worst House of the Week"
award, for which all rental units in Ann Arbor are eligible. Cer-
tainly there are those among you who are sitting on, if not
living in, serious contenders for this honor. In fact, ours is a con-
test so rife with winners that its first will be announced below.
What dimensions qualify a rental unit for consideration for this
singular award? Surely we must consider exorbitant rent levels
or dramatic -increases first, this being Ann Arbor's particular forte.
In the eight page tabloid HRP has put out, the case of a four
bedroom unit on East University is presented, in which McKinley
Associates have raised the rent from $300. to $460 a month. Such
increases are ,getting more and more frequent now that taxes
the landlord don't pay are going up, as is the price of heating
oil which you can't have. High rents merit consideration for
many candidates, as well as the preposterous explanations that
accompany such increases. Perhaps consideration should also be
shown for the most formal form letter accompanying increases of
more than 25 per cent.
BREATHTAKING EVENTS may catapult an unknown into a
Worst House of the Week that will be remembered by enthusiasts
for a long time to come. A flash fire, a staircase that collapses,
a flooded apartment, anything that brings home the human
drama of living in an Ann Arbor rental unit is fair game.
Remember, Mary Pickford was discovered at a soda foMntain
and went on to be famous and successful. Maybe your apart-
ment has the same fate in store.
Wildlife is another category in which many units excel, and
our judges would certainly be impressed by whatever fauna your
units has managed to attract, especially in today's ecology-orient-
ed times. Rats are good, although many prefer Detroit, and the
use of cinderblock has eliminated many termites, although it Wjll
probably induce the evolution of something that promises to be
spectacular.
Roaches are also a favorite, especially in reconverted older
units in which they frequently hold pep rallies, group sings, and
religious events. Keep in mind that one of the crumb-bearing
six legged friends doing the stroll across your kitchen floor
might be a prize winning endangered species.
WILDLIFE.EARNS respect, but cannot live without vegetation.
An example that stands out .in my mind is that of a friend of
mine whose bedroom had a ring, of mildew around it at the tp'
foot level, due to the abeehce of a functioah humidifier. T*
week's winner, incidentally, has a dramatic piece of vegetation
in his unit, one that I'm sure will impress you.
Deterioration of the premises is a good yardstick of your
entrant's chances. While going to visit apartments whose opera-
tion statements (costs and profit information) I -had read while
researching the housing market here, I saw several odds-on
favorites. An Ann Arbor apartment, with its colorful paint chips
and gayly peeling wallpaper often pays $50 a month profit!
Leaking pipes, inoperative plumbing, antiquated furnishings -
all are generally hailed as hallmarks of squalor.
Another good mentionable is the house's "freeze level"; the
temperature at which the heating in the house proves, shall we
say, inoperative.
You get the general idea, I'm sure. And now, without further
delay, we announce our first winner.
UNFORTUNATELY, all we can say is that our winner is in
Model Cities, and due to .a strained relationship with the.land-
lord, we cannot divulge the tenant's name or address. But Joe
F. has it coming.
The unit does not meet the Concentrated Code or health re-
quirements. Since October, the ceiling has leaked, and the water
has flowed through the house, down into the basement. The base-
ment itself contains a drain that doesn't work, so the water goes
through cracks in the basement floor caused by the foundation
slipping. This combination has resulted in weeds actually growing
through the basement floor, no small feat.
The paint on the walls is flaking, and one of the tenants is a
three year old child with a typically curious set of eating habits.
Nevertheless, the l.ndlord refuses to repaint, and when the ten-
ants painted some area of the house in the interests of the
child's safety, the landlord refused to compensate them for the
paint. The landlord, in fact, wants a deposit for their water and
sewer service, a leasing condition that ranks in severity with
mandatory lights out.
AND SO, ANN ARBOR, here is the Worst House of the Week.
And as long as Ann Arbor's landlords are able to exploit our
shortage, and keep our rents up and services down, there are go-
ing to be more.
On election day in April you will be able to vote for the rent
control charter amendment. It will limit profits and base them
on maintenance services. It wil stop speculators from driving
up the price of housing. It will stop banks from receiving exorbi-
tant interest rates from tenant's pockets. It will help the city
pick up the late property taxes landlords owe. And it will put our
contest out of business. Vote yes.
Everett Erlich is a member of the Mayor's Blue Ribbon Rent
Control Commission, a drafter of the Rent Control Ballot Pro-
Posal, and an economics graduate student.
Eighty-three years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104.
News Phone: 764-05
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1974
Sunon keeps Nixon traditiol
CREDIBILITY IN GOVERNMENT went
by the wayside long ago. It's a rather
passe topic of conversation, out of fash-
ion at parties, along with women's libera-
tion and ecology. The new topic of con-
versation among the knowledgeable is
the energy crisis, or more specifically,
gasoline and where to get it.
That the two problems of credibility
and gas shortages are directly related has
rarely been made more clear than by a
recent difference of opinion between the
Shah of Iran and our own energy czar,
William E. Simon.
It seems that the Shah of Iran, whose"
country does not participate in the oil
boycott, said Sunday on CBS's "60 7
utes" that the U. S. is receiving as n
oil now as before the boycott. "S(
thing is going on for sure", opined
Shah.
Simon, upholding the Nixon trad
of truthfulness in government, lab
the Shah's remarks as "irresponsible
reckless", saying that such comm
"just complicate the problem we
have".
OBVIOUSLY, SIMON HAD no fa(
evidence disproving The Shah's
legations, and it is rather diffidul
believe Simon's explanation that
Shah is "after the oil companies."
more likely that Simon, who was app(
HE COULDN'T STAND the sight
of lesbians dancing together, hold-
ing hands or hugging -- t h i n g s
heterosexual people do in pubic
all the time. From that night on,
every time we went, we were har-
rassed, and forbidden to dance slow
together, as well as veroaly abus-
ed. Finally the Rubaiyat stopped
having dancing on Sunday nights
alltogether.
Gay women interested in plan-
ning a response to the cities latest
abuse and indifference come to
GAWK (Gay Awareness Womens
Kollective) Wednesday, Feb. 27th,
8:30 p.m. (third floor conference
room, Michigan Union).
Pnll.. n n onnla nn.nrnl .nnit
bike summer
To The Daily:
I THINK IT would be sorta mel-
low if we had a bicvc:le summer
in Ann Arbor this year.
Perhaps we could designate cer-
tain areas around the campus-town
area which would be primarily 'e-
stricted to commercial vehicles,
pedestrians, and bicycles. In other
words, places where private autc-
mobiles cnnnot restrict the flow of
summertime, and these few could
seemingly have adequate parking
on the periphery of such an area.
Plus it might be a nice idea
for the bicycles that the police
department liberates though auc-
tion to be given back to the people
in an identifiable form to be park-
ed freely and taken freely for rid-
ing around this so-called designat-
ed area. Ah, but such bikes might
get stolen! They were stolen be
fore. though. weren't they?