I
Eighty-two years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Diverse ideologies necessary for
HRP
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich.
News Phone: 764-0552
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of storf writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1973
Protecting press freedom
IN UNPRECEDENTED actions the Ad-
ministration has done much to shake
the foundation of the First Amendment
providing for freedom of the press. One
need only mention Daniel Ellsberg and
the Pentagon Papers or New York Times
reporter Earnest Caldwell and the Black
Panthers to invoke images of govern-
mental suppression of the press.
Believing a free, vigorous and unim-
peded press a requisite for a thriving de-
mocracy, Rep. Jackie Vaughn, (D-Det.),
has recently introduced a four-bill pack-
age into the State House of Representa-
tives in an attempt to combat increasing
governmental hostility.
THE PROPOSAL has come none too
soon.
Collectively known as a shield law,
the bills would protect journalists from
having to reveal their privileged sources
of information. This would place report-
ers and their sources in a situation com-
parable to the status presently enjoyed
by physicians and their patients or at-.
torneys and their clients.
Vaughn said the bills would "protect
all newsmen in both print and broadcast
media from any conceivable legal action
from anybody for refusing to break the
confidentiality of their sources or to
hand over information."
The crux of the arguments against the
adoption of a shield law is that it .is the
duty of all to come forward with any
and all information to insure that justice
prevails. The basic premise Is that the
reporter would have information the ;po-
lice would not possess.
BUT RFPORTERS are not policemen;
that is not their function. If that
was the case, their sources would dry up
and disappear.
If journalist's sources began refusing
to reveal information, fearing that the
reporter would be forced to identify the
source, the ability of the press to re-
port the news would be crippled. The
public has a right to know what goes on
in their society and in their government.
This right would be meaningless if re-
porters could be intimidated by the
courts or any branch of government.
The founding fathers put freedom of
the press first in the amendments, know-
ing how important it is to our political
system. They sought to prevent govern-
mental interference with the press even
before they were sure exactly how toler-
ant of a free press the government would
be.
As Vaughn has observed: "The past
and, present remarks by Vice-President
Agnew indicate an utter contempt for the
news media on the part of the adminis-
tration, and President Nixon's reluctance
to keep the press informed of his actions
or lack of the same seems to reveal an
attitude of malice."
SURELY A SHIELD law is needed in
Michigan to upgrade the status of
the news media. The passage of Vaughn's
bill is vital to the continuance of free-
dom of the press as we have come to
know it.
-LINDA ROSENTHAL
By ANNE BOBROFF
and LISA NORTH
THE MEMBERS of the Chocolate Almond
Caucus see the Human Rights Party as
a coalition of people of varying political
perspectives, united around several basic
beliefs. The foremost of these is that an
independent, radical third party is neces-
sary in order to create significant s o c i a l
change. The HRP platform details funda-
mental changes which all HRPer's believe
should be made in many American institu-
tions: health care, taxation, the prison
system, education, and so on.
However, in addition to these vitally im-
porant agreements which bind us together,
there are differences within the party.
Many people would like to ignore these dif-
ferences in the name of unity.
BUT THE CHOCOLATE Almond Caucus
sees such differences as the perfectly na-
tural result of the continuing, rapid growth
in the membership of our organization.
HRP is not a monolith. People of many
sorts and degrees of perspectives h a v e
always been warmly welcomed. For dif-
ferences within the party will not harm
it, as long as they are openly recognized
and discussed, with decisions made by de-
mocratic votes.
Just what are the differences in HRP?
HRP member David Cahill has suggested
in his recent Daily articles that they are
between those HRPer's who are into end-
less ideological debates on abstract, irrele-
vant topics, and those who simply want to
get on with the practical business of im-
proving things. In short, between the heavy
ideologues and the activists.
The C-A Caucus believes that Cahill's
analysis is inaccurate. "Ideology" is simply
a set of guidelines by which people oper-
ate in their day-to-day activity. We con-
tend that, happily, most people in HRP base
their political functioning on an "ideology"
so defined. And the differences in HRP are
in fact differences in the "ideologies" by
which different people choose to guide them-
selves.
THESE "IDEOLOGIES" within the party
are not highly developed systems of thought
cutting the party up into sharply defined
Letters:
subgroups. The Chocolate Almond Caucus
itself is a rather vague collection of people
who lean in the same direction but don't
agree on every point. Other very b r o a d
"ideological" perspectives can be discern-
ed as well.
Precisely because these "ideologies" are
vague at pdesent, they must be clarified
and developed. For each indicates a dif-
ferent way for HRP to proceed in the near
future.
The C-A caucus believes that the only
force which can create significant social
change is mass movements, such as those
of blacks, women, and, historically, trade
unionists. The caucus wants to utilize elec-
toral politics simply as a forum to voice
these views, and 'to push for wh'atever re-,
forms we can gettthough present govern-
ments.
IiRP MUST DECIDE what offices to
mostly white, student, middle class con-
fines of Ann Arbor,
This spring HRP should make at least one
ward in Ypsilanti among our highest races.
And HRP should also look forward to play-
ing a major role in the party's guberna-
torial campaign in 1974, and must con-
tinue and expand it's commitment to the
national Peoples Party..
Also of primary importance is attacking
the Democratic Party, both locally and na-
tionally. For the Democratic Party is to-
tally unable to promote real social change,
largely because it seeks to co-opt mass
movements, rather than to actively enicour-
age them.
WINNING RACES is important because
it forces people to think in terms of third
parties, aids recruitment, and bolsters par-
ty morale. However, the party should not
have the hysteria about winning that it has
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The Chocolate-Almond Caucus does not see local govern-
ment as the agent for making significant progress along the
road to drastically reordering the priorities of our society.
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Mass meetings can be devoted to discussion
of the basic political differences in the
party, instead of bogging down in a quag-
mire of organizational detail.
Another aspect of party democracy is
our relation to the world outside the party.
Disagreements within the party should not
be confined to party circles. Caucuses with-
in the party should run candidates'for nom-
ination who espouse their viewpoints and
people should write letters and articles for
news media giving their positions on inter-
nal party issues. Voting membership should
be open to anyone who supports the core
of our platform (income redistribution,
community control, etc.) and whose pri-
mary political committment is to HRP as
opposed to the other political parties.
Since our elected officials primary re-
sponsibility ought to be articulating t h e
party's viewpoint, our nominees will con-
tinue to be largely drawn from the 'core' of
the party. Also we can be sure of real
commitment to the party only with the can-
didates who have been active in the party
to some degree.
Our elected officials will thus usually be-
long to some political tendency within the
party. As a part of the political leadership
of the party - and as members of the
party - it is important that they be able to
express themselves on issues within the
party, outside party circles. This freedom
for elected officials reinforces the need for
having nominations contested by various
political tendencies.
THERE ARE A number of other "ideol-
ogies" in HRP. Part of being a healthy,
growing party is to attract people of dif-
ferent viewpoints. Debate among them will
be a vitalizing force in the party. And after
discussionzvotes will, as always, determine
the directions in which the organization will
.proceed. Those who hold a minority "ideol-
ogy" will continue to try to convince people
of their position. But they will support and
work for whatever immediate objectives
are chosen democratically by the member-
ship.
Anne Bobroff and Lisa North are active
in theIlman Rights Party and the Cho-
colate-Almond Caicus of HRP.
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4
,-I
run for on the basis of which races and
offices give it the best opportunities to
argue for third parties and against the sup-
port of "liberal" Democrats. Fear of of-
fending liberals by running should not be
a consideration, for it is in just such 'of-
fensive' races that our reasons for opp-s-
ing Democrats can be brought out most
clearly. Thus HRP must run a strong cam-
paign for mayor and run candidates in all
five city wards.
C-A caucus, taking over the city gov-
ernment is of secondary importance, be-
cause it does not see local government as
the agent for making significant progress
along the road to drastically reordering the
priorities of our society. Of primary import-
ance is expanding HRP's base beyond the
had in the past. We shouldn't expect to
win all the time, nor is it crucial for par-
ty morale. Candidates should not be chos-
en on their ability to win, but on their
politics. People's ability to criticize the
campaign or party should not be contin-
gent on them working a certain amount of
hours for the party.
HRP should have the further politiciza-
tion of its own membership as an import-
ant goal. Internal education is important to
this end. Far more essential is a caucus
system in the party. Caucuses will allow
new members to see the differences in the
party systematically. They will also allow
us to elect party officers on a political bas-
is, thus giving the officers more basis for
making the party's day to day decisions.
Tenants sing the
blues again
, I
Just what the doctor ordered
jN THIS DULL and commonplace world,
Monday's announcement by the Uni-
versity medical school that Robert
Young, alias Dr. Marcus Welby, would
be this year's commencement speaker
came as a refreshing note.
Besieged by news of the Wolverines dis-
heartening cage losses; savaged by the
numbing weather: and disillusioned by
the shenanigans of King Richard's co-
horts, certain members of the college
'community still retain enough sense of
reality to seek wisdom where it surely
exists.
As the forenost expert in his field,
easily outpacing James Kildare and Ben
Casey (to say nothing of "The Doctors,")
Young will doubtless expose the occupa-
tional descendents of Hippocrates to an
angle of their profession undreamt of in
their four years in the University's hal-
lowed halls.
It would be easy to insinuate that this
angle might include something like
"Make-up and the Doctor" or "How to
Look at the Camera While Speaking
Today's stuff:
News: Debbie Allen, Laura Berman, Terry
Martin, Chris Parks, Charles Stein,
Rebecca Warner
Editorial Page: Linda Rosenthal, E r i c
Schoch
Arts Page: Mara Shapiro, Gloria J a n e
Smith
Photo Technician: Rolfe Tessem
Editorial Staff
SARA FITZGERALD
Editor
PAT BAUER ............... Associate Managing Editor
LINDSAY CHANEY ................ Editorial Director
MARK DILLEN .................... Magazine Editor
LINDA DREEBEN ........ Associate Manrging Editor
TAMMY JACOBS .................. Managing Editor
ARTHUR LERNER ........... .... Editorial Director
ROBERT SCIREINER ........... . .Editorial Director
GLORIA JANE SMITH .................. Arts Editor
PAUL TRAVIS ..... ... Associate Managing Editor
ED SUROVELL ..... ......... . Books Editor
ARTS STAFF: Herb Bowie Rich Glatzer. Donald
Sasin.
NIGHT EDITORS: Robert Barkin. Jan Benedetti, Di-
ane Levick, Jim O'Brien, Chris Parks, Charles
Stein, Ted Stein.
COPY EDITORS: Meryl Gordon, Debra Thal.
EDITORIA NIGHT EDITORS: Fred Shell Martin
Stern.
DAY EDITORS: Dave Burhenn. Jim Kentch, Marilyn
Riley, Judy Ruskin, Eric Schoch, Sue Stephen-
son, Ralph Vartabedian, Becky Warner.
TELEGRAPH/ASSOCIATE NIGHT EDITORS: Prakash
Aswani, Gordon Atcheson, Laura Berman, Penny
Blank, Dan Blugerman, Bob Burakoff, Beth Eg-
nater, Ted Evanoff, Cindy Hill, Debbie Knox,
into the Microphone in Your Lapel." But
editorial judgement should be reserved
on Marcus Welby until after he speaks
(rumor has it he will speak on The Doc-
tor-Patient Relationship), to look at pos-
sible ramifications of the medical school's
decision.
FOR INSTANCE, perhaps the Law
School will fall into line next and
invite E. G. Marshall or Raymond Burr
to their graduation exercises.
The nursing school could resurrect
"Julia", alias Diahann Carroll, for their
ceremonies.
The political science dept. could have
a field day with such guest speakers as
Fess Parker (Mr. Smith goes to Wash-
ington) or Hal Holbrook (The Senator.)
ROTC grads could hear Vic Morrow
("Combat") or, if they're less tactically
inclined, Phil Silvers ("Sergeant Bilko")
or Robert Crane (Col. Hogan of "Ho-
gan's Heroes.")
And of course computer aficionado
should have the opportunity to listen to
that machine of a thousand words, HAL,
(from the movie "2001.")
If nothing else ,it might at least keep
students awake through what normally
would be just another boring lecture.
And the medical students should pay par-
ticularly close attention to Mr. Young.
AFTER ALL, perhaps it's true that
"Father Knows Best."
-WILLIAM ALTERMAN
A hep Pentagon
GROOVY!
In helping returning prisoners of war
to understand the current jargon of the
younger generation, the Pentagon has
prepared for them a pamphlet containing
a dictionary of teenage slang expressions
which the POWs may be unfamiliar with.
According to the pamphlet, one's
father is the "big daddy." Getting high
on drugs or alcohol is being "blasted."
Other hit phrases, explains the Pentagon
booklet, are "Do you dig?" "Lay it on me,
dude," and of course, "right on."
Those of us who keep with the latest
slang are amused, for much of the jar-
gon above has already faded from popu-
lar usage.
One wonders if the use of these terms
reflect a lack of ability on the part of the
To The Daily:
THE OFF-CAMPUS housing sit-
uation in Ann Arbor presents a
very real and regrettable problem
to students seeking a viable alter-
native to dormitory living at the
University of Michigan. Not only is
rent disproportionately high in this
city for the size and quality of
apartments which are available,
but the large management compan-
ies which rent these buildings do
their utmost to avoid servicing the
maintenance needs and requests
of their tenants.
This problem, which is at best
irritating and frustrating, became
glaringly apparent to the residents
of our apartment during a recent
effort to have a hot water circulat-
ing pump installed in our building.
Without this pump, residents on the
top floors cannot get hot water
during periods of high usage; af-
ter dinner to wash dishes and at
night when taking showers. This
piece of equipment is routinely in-
cluded in buildings of two stories or
more, yet our apartment had none.
Calls to our landlord were made
on a regular basis begining in De-
cember. Each phone call brought
assurance that the pump had been
ordered and that installation was
imminent. Yet the middle of Jan-
uary saw no results. We became
increasingly irritated over the sit-
uation and suspected that we were
being given the proverbial "run-
around." Phone calls to several
local plumbing wholesalers con-
firmed our suspicions; the pumps
were in stock and readily avail-
able. Finally, as a last resort, we
called the city building and safety
inspector and explained the situa-
tion. The city in turn called our
landlord. Some 45 minutes after
our call to the city, they contacted
us. By some strange coincidence it
was at this time that we were fin-
ally promised a specific time and
date that the pump would be in-
stalled.
After weeks of waiting, we now
have hot water all day long. How-
ever, we find it difficult to leave
unsaid the disgust we have for the
way in which management com-
panies run their business. Requests
for routine maintenance w o r k are
answered only with promises. Con-
tinued complaints meet with con-
descension on the part of the land-
lord and a total refusal to accept
responsibility for the lack of serv-
ice. It's always the fault of some-
one else in the office that work
orders are "lost" and not filled. To
delay maintenance work for a year
is to delay it indefinitely for each
year new students move into the
building and must rediscover old
problems.
The student has few avenues of
recourse. The tenant's union has
little power. Withholding rent is not
a viable alternative. All one can do
is make his fellow tenants aware
of the situation through The Daily.
And we urge other tenants w ii h
similar problems to call the city.
UAC supported
To The Daily:
AS ONE who is familiar w i t h
the media, I am well aware of the
proverbial clout that the written
or spoken word has. For this rea-
son, I would like to draw attention
to an article in Wednesday's (Jan.
24) edition of The Daily. It was
about Mediatrics, the new UAC
film group. What bothered me was
that the writer did not give a par-
ticularly objective view of this new
organization. Certainly Mediatrics
exists for reasons other than to
drive Friends of Newsreel out of
business. Indeed, the article cites
that as "one of the reasons" Med-
iatrics exists. What about the other
reasons?
Maybe it's a pet peeve of mine,
but it often seems that organiza-
tions involved with the so-called
"Establishment University" are
never given quite the respect they
deserve. UAC is giving students
and faculty a chance toesee good
movies at a decent rate without
ripping them off. Let's not forget
that - and give this new organiza-
tion a welcome.
-Hilary Kayle
WCBN News Personnel Di-
rector
Jan. 24
Abortion insensitivity?
To The Daily:
THE INCREDIBLY crass flag-
waving and self-congratulatory in-
sensitivity that Martin Stern of-
fered in "Abortion Reform"
(Daily, Jan. 26) has prompted me
to reply.
Thenclearimplication that ob-
jections to abortions are the patri-
mony only of those who are guided
by a theological-view of life is real-
ly too much. Those of us who have
honestly faced the dilemma be-
tween a woznan's right to control
her body and the rights of t h e
unborn,, can only marvel at the
unbelievable facility with which
Mr. Stern can consign the latter to
the casualties of the incinerator
can or bathe the issue in such
antiseptic terms as "after-the-fact
birth control".
When I finally made a private
decision not to support the abor-
Get involved--
write your reps!
Sen. Philip Hart (Dem), Rm.
253, Old Senate Bldg., Capitol
Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515.
Sen. Robert Griffin (Rep).
Rm. 353 Old Senate Bldg., Cap-
itol Hill, Washington, D.C.
20515.
,I
Inn' r.I.nmjlul ci
WPjll enil vntly"
W"' I" I "
tion reform issue as proposed (be-
ing an alien, I couldn't vote) it was
not as a co-conspirator in a puta-
tive Great Catholic Plot to Enslave
Women, but rather as a conscious
subscriber to a Western European
humanistic tradition that has hith-
erto accorded some importance to
the value of life, in whatever form.
Consequently, I have always es-
chewed casulstic interpretations of
"just wars", capital punishment,
and any other attempt to merely
"dismiss" life on some societal, so-
cial darwinistic or "revolutionary"
proposition.
Similarly, it had always appear-
ed to me as peculiarly inconsistent
to protect society by defending the
rights of the unborn, while pro-
tecting society by means of capi-
tal punishment; rejecting t h e
former, we have proceeded to ac-
cept the latter.
Having de-emotionalized and de-
'""" a ". 0 * *" 1 1 " 4
grounds, but I suspect that some
of those who eventually decided to
oppose it were (and are) heavily
dissuaded by such inane back-slap-
ping claptrap.
-James Maharg
Romance Languages
Jan. 26
Oops, not running
To The Daily:
I WOULD like to take this op-
portunity to clarify my position
in regards to the Human Rights
Party primary election. Though
my name will appear on the ballot,
I am not a candidate. Due to diffi-
cult circumstances I was unable
to withdraw my name before last
Monday's deadline.
I encourage people to participate
in the primary and to make sure
they are registqred to vote. The
HRP candidate in the First Ward is
VIN ywu
dignity of every human life. Be-
cause of the recent truce in Viet-
nam, many will have a tendency
to forget the suffering of those in
other parts of the world and, there-
by, neglect this necessary affirma-
tion of life.
The earthquake in Nicaragua
last December claimed numerous
lives and hundreds of thousands
were left homeless. The suffering
there is similar to the misery that
was caused by our bombs in Viet-
nam. It is out duty as human be-
ings, just as it was during the war,
to try to alleviate the human an-
guish that exists.
The American Red Cross is send-
ing donations to Nicaragua. Mon-
ey can be sent to the local R e d
Cross chapter (on Packard). In-
dicate that it is for the earthquake
victims.
Perhaps this type of aid is a
viable alternative to the decade of
i
r
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