* Vge £frgg Da Eighty-two years of editorial freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Political prisoners crowd Saigon jails 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich. News Phone: 764-0552 TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 1973 SGC vote: Everyone loses APPROXIMATELY 4,000 students - an underwhelming 12 per cent of the electorate - voted in last week's all- campus election. No less than 303 bal- lots have already been declared fraudu- lent. Student Government Council Elec- tions Director Ken Newbury, one of many who once touted the new sticker voting system as "foolproof," tells us that whoever fixed this election did is so well that plenty of other ballots may be phonies, too. Once upon a time The Daily would have used this space to soapbox at length about the despicably apathetic student body; we might have employed the old maxim that anybody who doesn't care enough to vote deserves whatever so- called government they get. But there is a good deal of truth in the argument that anyone who cares enough to vote in an SGC election is simply ex- pressing a masochistic desire to take part in a disgraceful farce. MR. NEWBURY HAS delicately avoided pointing any fingers at potential guilty parties in this latest attempted coup. CERTAIN FACTS, however, are obvious. As the intrepid Newbury himself points out, whoever "cracked the system" must have had a thorough knowledge of the election computer program and the complex registration-tabulation process. Newbury no doubt feels that some of the Council's fading integrity can be saved by not blaming the fraud ballots on anybody. But unbiased integrity has never been the forte of Mr. Newbury, who took oc- casion after his appointment as elections chief to vigorously endorse Gill's candi- dacy.r Moreover the 303 fraudulent votes are enough in themselves to torpedo SGC's already foundering ship. ANY ATTEMPT to cover up for the mis- takes or inadequacies in the elec- tion process, not to mention fraud, can only hurt the Council now. Newbury should bear in mind that SGC efforts at smokescreening its own flaws in the past has led to the present state of nil credi- bility. In the sixties the campus was the source of enough activism that students could look to other' places than Council for leadership, but that activism has all but died. We can no longer simply laugh when the only group of people designated to represent our needs and concerns to the University behaves like fools. At a time when we need nothing so much as credible campus leadership, we are forced to watch our "leaders" at SGC embarrass themselves. WHEN AND IF this election is certified, the new Council has its work cut out for it: Restore our confidence. It will be needed in days to come. By JAMES WECHSLER A FEW HOURS after the news from Sai- gon that Truong Dinh Dzu had at last been released from prison, there was a phone call from Chicago. It was from Dav- id Truong, 27-year-old, Stanford-educated son of the man who had run second (ac- cording to the suspect official count) to Gen. Thieu in the 1967 Vietnam elec- tion and was subsequently held in jail for nearly five years. His crime was his ad- vocacy of a negotiated peace. I first met David in midsummer of 1968, soon after he had begun his long, often heartbreaking fight to win American sup- port for liberation of his father. I have seen him often in the ensuing years, and my respect and affection for him have steadily grown. Now, after all the false hopes and disappointments, the day he had envisaged for so long was finally at hand. But it was a day still shadowed by the knowledge that thousands of other political prisoners are still held captive and ap- parently destined to be overlooked when Thieu makes his heralded journey to confer with President Nixon. "Of course I'm very happy about my father; we've waited a long time," he said. "But now I feel even more determined to continue what I'm doing." What he is doing is addressing meetings throughout the country to remind Amer- icans that Saigon's jails are still crowded with victims, many of them non-Commun- ist "neutralists" like his father, who were imprisoned for urging a compromise set- tlement. He believes as many as 200,000 are still being held. DAVID TRUONG had spoken to his father for the first time since 1968 shortly before he called me. Immediately after his re- lease, Dzu had telephoned David's younger sister, who teaches French at UCLA, and she had given him David's itinerary. The conversation between ,father and son was a guarded one - "we assume t h e phone was tapped" - but David said his father was aware he is pleading the pri- soners' cases here and hoped "I would do whatever I'm doing to help them." He also said the circumstances of his father's release plainly indicate that it was designed to deflate the pressure for free- ing Saigon's captives during Thieu's visit here. "Only a few weeks ago," Truong said, "my father was reclassified as a common criminal, as they've done with many others, so that they could keep them in jail with- out regard to the peace agreement." "Then very suddenly everything changed and he was let out, just a few days before Thieu's trip here." AFTER WE HAD TALKED, I went back through the files, including material David Anti-government demonstrators in Saigon: Still 200,000 South Viet- aIfmeSe poltical prison had given me that could not be used at the time. There was a letter smuggled from his father in Con Son prison dated Feb. 20, 1969: "I am feeling well although the detention and constant surveillance are hard for mry nerves. Without any pressure from Nixon, I don't think I and other non-Communists will ever be released. I am doing my best not to break down, but there are terrible moments . .. A delegation of deputies from the Assembly recently visited the island, and I promised the major of the place that I would not try to meet them. However, my guardian has clamped with lumber every door and window of the little shack for two days and there wasn't any food coming in ... "You must tell the people back there that the was is far from over. The Presi- dential campaign might be over, but not Vietnam. At the present rate, we might all have to face 1972 with a bigger Viet- nam . . " There are also reminders of the depressing rebuffs David Truong received from t h e Nixon Administration when he made direct appeals in his father's behalf - often with the backing of Senators and Congressmen. David never abandoned the effort. He often expressed a desire to return to Sai- gon, even at great personal risk, but others persuaded him he could render more use- ful service to his father here. In De- cember, 1971, he sent me a not saying "there has been some movement on my father's case . . . and on his release for Xmas, but something may go wrong." Something did. THROUGHOUT THESE YEARS David has somehow retained both the gift of laugh- ter and a sense of dedication. But I have also seen how wounded and frustrated he was by the continuing American commit- ment -to Thieu and the unending devastation of his country. In April, 1972, he wrote me: "Jim, as a personal friend to another; what are -your country and people doing to mine?" Now he once again talks of going home, but his initial efforts to obtain a visa and passport have been brushed off so far by Saigon's mission to the UN. Looking back over these years of David's lonely strug- gle, my rejoicing over his father's belated release is tempered by shame that it took so long - and that it will now be ex- ploited to cover up Thieu's unremitting re- pression. For David Truong and others of his generation who care deeply about free- dom and independence for their country, we have secured no "peace with honor"; their war is not over. James Wechsler is the editorial director for the New York Post. Copyright 1973 by the New York Post Corporation. Supporting the meat boycott MEAT BOYCOTT is on, and early indications reveal that a large num- ber of shoppers have begun to faithfully honor this protest week by not buying or eating meat. The question is whether or not such a nationwide boycott will have any effect on high meat prices. So far, the mere threat of a meat boycott apparently has been effective in that' it did reach the White (House, where President Nixon last week responded by clamping a ceiling on current meat prices, but this move was received bitterly, with the oft-heard re- sponse "too little, too late." Indeed, it was little consolation to irate shoppers to hear that hamburger would not go any higher than $1.19 a pound, or that chuck roast will rest at $1.38 a pound. Are meat prices worth protesting against? We believe so. In the last twelve months, whole sale beef prices have risen 24 per cent. Any wage in- creases, on the other hand, have been kept in the area of 5.5 per cent. Even persons living in dorms who don't shop for meat should be concerned, for higher meat prices will lead to more increases in dorm rates, or lesser quality meals. THE CHIEF PURPOSE of the massive boycott is to show that the con- sumers of this meat-eating nation are organized in their opposition to runaway meat prices. Furthermore, the meat boycott will un- doubtedly drive down meat prices, if for only a short time. After all, prices are determined by supply and demand, and with a boycott-produced demand work- ing against the existing supply, prices will undoubtedly go down. THERE ARE possibilities which could counteract the boycott, however. One is that farmers may withhold their steers, hogs and lambs from market. But as noted .by the National Farmers Or- ganization, such a plan could only be ef- fective for a short time, as " farmers would still have to feed and care for the withheld stock. With a ceiling establish- ed on wholesale and retail prices for meat, the feed costs would soon prove Today's.st (1ff: News: Mike Duweck, Bill Heenan, Jona- than Miller, Chris Parks, Gene Rob- inson, David Stoll Editorial Page: Kathy Ricke, Eric Schoch, David Yalowitz Arts Paoe: Gloria Jane Smith Photo Technician: Ken Fink, David Mar- golick 1j;1j too big a burden to allow farmers to con- tinue their actions. Of course, the rising costs of produc- ing cattle has contributed to the rising cost of beef. Included in these costs Is the increased cost of feed grain. We are now paying in part for the huge sale of grain to the Soviet Union last year. Unfortunately, the rocketing meat prices are only a symptom of the grow- ing Inflation in this nation's economy. Phase III has not been successful In checking inflation, especially food prices. The boycott can demonstrate the pub- lic's dissatisfaction with government economic policy, since in this age the government pulls the important eco- nomic levers. ONE MUST NOTE however, that the government apparently doesn't expect to be influenced by the meat boycott, other than the minor concession of a price ceiling. Over the weekend, Secre- tary of Agriculture Earl Butz made it clear that the Administration doubts that consumers will have the will power to go without meat for very long. Ac- cording to Butz, "The question is, do you really change your eating habits over the long term? Probably very little." It is up to the populace which the Ad- ministration serves to show that it does have the will power. For this reason, we support this week of boycotting meat. City budget AFTER MONTHS of debate, City Coun- cil finally approved a massive fed- eral revenue sharing budget providing funds for many necessary community services including child care, health care, and drug help. Republican councilman Lloyd Fair-. banks called the budget a "Human Rights Party victory." Perhaps, but more importantly the budget represents a vic- tory for the citizens of Ann Arbor. With federal projects aiding the indig- ent being eliminated right and left by the Nixon Administration, revenue shar- ing has become the most important source of funds for continuing such vital community programs as Octagon House, Ozone House, and the Summit Street Medical Center. Admittedly the revenue sharing bud- get was not the best that could have been designed. Council "threw away" $200.000 to reduce the city debt, yet re- fused to finance the Community Wo- men's Clinic, a health service operated by women for women. Letters: To The Daily: Open Carncelled letter on SGC election AN OPEN LETTER TO THOSE WHO SEEK TO DESTROY STU- DENT GOVERNMENT: The whole ideal behind a demo- cratic election is to obtain a re- presentative sampling of the popu- lace, thereby asserting the exist- ence of every single individual in the processes of government. Re- cently, some individuals have de- cided to thwart the presence of any SGC, LSA-SG, UHC, Board of Pub- lications and various referenda. How dare you! YOU need an SGC. Whot do you think would happen without a student government? Your voice in the University will cease. Now suppose you did not think your voice was being echoed through a SGC. Well, where were you during the elections? When is the last time you encouraged the existing student officials of how you felt? How dare you camplain? How dare you be apathetic? How dare you! The SGC does not exist to per- petuate itself. Where would the Advocates for Medical Information be if SGC had not voted them money? But more important where would you the student be if AMI had not uncovered many of the oresent University health dangers. Dr think of the many students who desperately needed the student le- gal advocate. The students who were being evicted by their land- lord, or the students who were forced out of their dorms because they thought marijuana to be a pleasuretand notadisease. Where would the 5000 students be with- out their health insurance which includes, at no extra cost, abor- tion coverage. You the student helped finance these activities. Who would be around to help establish a day-care center for the many women who have to work or attend school. Wold you do it? What organiza- tion can effectively fight the clos- ed door decision-making of the Re- gents. and the anti-student policies they follow. Where do student or- ganizations go when in a crisis and a need of money? If you are unsatisfied with the existing system, vote to elect new officials. The real sabotage does To The Daily: LAST NIGHT I surprisingly found a parking space on South Thayer, walked through the rain into the loby of the Modern Lang- uage Building and approached the ticket sales desk of the New World Film Co-op. It was greatly dis- concerting to me to discover that the originally scheduled feature, "The Boys in the Band," had been cancelled. It was explained to me (by a woman who seemed to be affiliated with the Co-op, or at least famil- iar with the situation) that "Little Big Man" had been substituted as a result of pressurerfrom Gay Liberation. Whether or not the explanation for the cancellation is accurate, the fact remains that the film was not shown. I am an avid fan of Cliff Gor- man's and have been looking for- ward to seeing this film for quite a while. In addition to being angry and disappointed about missing Gorman's performance, I regret having missed a film that com- municates relevant social commen- tary to the audience, about the audience, about our lify styles (as a society) and about the film mak- ers. I resent this censorship that has been imposed on the many of us that wanted to see "The Boys in the Band." I imagine that there will always be people offended by a significant film, due to their over- sensitivity, insecurity, hypocrisy, intolerance and distorted per- spective whoeversthey are. Cancellation of "The Boys in the Band" is a step backwards: it pushes the homosexual down the stairs into the Krafft-Ebing cellar, and I consider it an act of blatant irresponsibility on the part of the New World Film Co-op. -Bonni Kaplan, Grad. March 30 Nomination To The Daily: I WOULD LIKEs to propose Dr. Mark Green for consideration as the next director of the Residential College. The nomination of Pro- fessor green deserves your serious attention because he is not only eminently qualified, but also pos- demonstrates a dedication to aca- demic freedom that would make him an unexcelled advocate for the college and its educational ap- proach. , 0 He has the ability to get along and communicate honestly with students, both in areas of personal counciling and group instruction. Dr. Green's record of rapport with students is thecresult of open and empathetic dealings where his re- spect for the students, an exceed- ingly rare quality among faculty and administrators, results in an amiable environment most condu- cive to learning. Don't pass him by lightly. Mark Green may not be the least contro- versial nominee you pick, but he will be the most successful as di- rector. -Louis Miller R.C. '73 Open coffee hour To The Daily: IN YOUR "Letters to the Daily" of March 28, a revival of the Spring Parley was suggested as a' means of increasing student-fa- culty contact. The idea is a good one and I would like to point out that something of the sort already exists on campus. Comparative revolution, women and the graduate experience and a recent visit to Hanoi have been topics of discussion at "coffee and donuts.- hour" sponsored by t hbe History UndergraduateAssociation this semester. These discussions, open to the university community, have been organized to promote student-faculty rapport and an ex- change of ideas in an informal non- classroom atmosphere. Our next coffee and donut hour is scheduled for Thursday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the faculty lounge of the Union. The topic of conver- sation will be cyclical apathy in the United States. This will probably be the last such gathering this semester, but we, would like to establish an on- going, regularly scheduled series of meetings for next fall. Anyone having ideas for topics (it need not be a historical subject) and per- haps specific faculty memibers whom they would like to see invited should let us know by writing the History Undergraduate Associa- tion c/o the History Department or 240 Michigan Union. -P. Pilzer History Undergrad Association March 29 A ........::: :....: v...5::i;': "i:"}iiX.i: :"i}}f: .'.:d; :-: - r :..::.w:; : ::; v::nvnw;,v..v:::: "::::": :"r..:::: vv::::; ":, :.v.:v: :":::::.v::.vv v.".t - m".v:::.v:: ::".ytt -.vw- -..: "-::. ... .. ... . ...... .. wnv.... ..... :w:.* :nyv::}: w::::;:.:.w:rvv:.w:::: -C::::::.: .......... h. v: v}f:'4. :"TS.t }}:k ."{ } .}: h". :..Ynr.. . -. _: :n .......:..... .. , t 40?. n\ .... r.:...x:.v::::; lw: :\-i}iiti\'"}:"ii:i:i:6:Jn :.{;.j"{: ::{ki f:4::.: t' 'i: Q"}i:{{:":. 'v{, {. - K ,,f4 ..-.", AI t U , ;. , 6 ~ .t i1 oo