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

Controversial tactics

blur the issues

420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich.

News Phone: 764-0552


SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 1973


By RICHARD PARKS
IN RECENT weeks, serious citi-
zens of Ann Arbor have witness-
ed three separate stunts " which
have demonstrated the quintessen-
tial truth of this statement as it
applies to social change in general.
In each case, the nature of the in-
cident forced people to direct their
attention and thought to the stunt,
rather than to the serious and im-
porant issue at hand. These inci-
dents were:
-a campaign promise by mayor-
al candidate Franz Mogdis that he
would fire police chief Walter Kras-
ny;
-an invitation from Ann Arbor
state representative Perry Bullard
to his colleagues asking them to
join Bullard for a day's outing and
experience in the illegal use of
drugs at the Second Annual Ann
Arbor Hash Festival, and the sub-
sequent photographs of Bullard
"lighting up" which s p r e a d
throughout the state like Wallace
posters;
-a book burn-in, sponsored .by
AMI (Advocates of Meaningless In-
anity?)
In Editorial Director Kathleen
Ricke's thoughtful and well-reason-
ed discussion of the book burning
issue in Wednesday's Daily, she
has cut to the heart of the issue
(possibly unintentionally) when she
states in the twelfth paragraph that
"the results may prove counter-
productive if the issue becomes
the book burning, and not the
book.."
Indeed, the effect of the latest in
this bizarre series of events has
been the virtual elimination of any
discussion concerning meaningful
reform of the hideous ways in
which aspiring doctors are taught
to deal with women patients.
BOOK BURNING, regardless of
how "symbolic," is a disgusting,
morally reprehensible and general-
ly indefensible act which displays
a complete lack of class, taste and
reverence for history on the part
of the "firewomen." The issue of
medical care for women must ne-
Rchard Parks is a guest writer
for The Daily.

cessarily take a back seat for a
response to this brand of "protest".
The most sorrowful loss brought
about by radical freak-ins of this
type is not the waning of the sup-
port of the sympathetic, but the
nearly audible closing of ears and
minds on the part of the neutral
and the uninformed who simply
will not listen to issues presented
under these circumstances. Such
tactics cause those who are sym-
pathetic to reform to hedge on their
support and those in the middle
who are yet to be convinced to
become apathetic or antagonistic.
Many hundreds who would sup-
port reform under normal circum-
stances or who, at the very least,
would be willing to listen dispas-
sionately to a tight, well-reasoned,
well - documented a r g u m e n t
for change, are forced by the dic-
tates of taste and dignity to ally
themselves against groups such as
AMI. It is simply not true that,
for a given issue, all people are
either for or against social change:
there is a great mass in the mid-
dle, waiting to see what kind of
people support each side, what kind
of evidence they present and how.
they present their argument.
* ~*
IT WOULD BE nice, in times
of stress, to be able to say "who
needs the support of those who are
so reluctant to listen and so easily
turned-off"?
As Ms. Ricke writes later in the
article, "The public shows no vio-
lent reaction to women dying from
improper care at childbirth, illegal
abortions, being raped by doctors,
or being sent to psychiatrists for
medical problems."
Well, don't hold your breath. Be-
cause they never will.
It is important to dispel the myth
that the demand for social change
and reform comes from the peo-
ple. The masses in this country do
not demand social change and they
won't even support it unless the
case for change is presented to
them in a succinct, educational
manner, and until the arguments
against change are met effectively
and honestly.
THE FACTS OF LIFE in a plur-
alistic, conservative society de-

mand that those who seek change
seek the attention, support, and,
most importantly, the tax dollars
of the as yet unconvinced. Well it
is that the situation dictates this,
for the necessity of getting the ap-
proval of the people, real people,
is one of the hallmarks of the sys-
tem.
These are the same people who
have worked their lives away in
back-and-mind-breaking jobs to pay
the lion's share of the cost of the
education and experiences of those
who now challenge the system the
middle-mass built. Having already
financed the attacks upon their sys-
tem, they are now being asked to
pay the staggering bills which will
come as the price of social pro-
gress.
It is correct and just that they
should bear this burden, for this
is the means by which society has
institutionalized the process of
change, reform and progress. -,
The evidence of history clearly
shows that they will gladly pay
these new bills and more if those
who seek change are careful and
tasteful in the exercise of noblesse
oblige in bringing education and
the light of truth and reason to
the middle-mass.
Groups such as AMI should look
at the overwhelming evidence of
history and learn that social and
educational reform is brought
a b o u t by kleen-kut coat-and-tie
types who swim upstream In the
established channels-people who
reach the relevant committees,
groups and individuals and present
those in a position to make changes
with a strong, well-documented
case. Such channels undoubtedly
exist with respect to the review
and reform of medical college ma-
terials.
Y *
THE BIG LOSERS in all the fur-
or, as usual, are women, who must
stand by helplessly as AMI sends
the 'issues of their physical and psy-
chological health and well-being up
in smoke. With discouraging and
increasing frequency it is often the
case that those who would speak
for an oppressed group begin by
prejudicing the issue in the public
mind and conclude by replacing it
with a secondary, irrelevant issue.

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". .. and so, in support of our great President's commend-
able battle against inflationary, high government spending
-please find enclosed not one red ..."
Defining presidential power

Daily Photo by JOHN UPTON
BOOK BURNING: "Such tactics cause those who are sympathetic to
reform to hedge on their support and those in the middle who are
yet to be convinced to become apathetic or antagonistic."

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Black Muslim groups split over ideology

LAST WEDNESDAY's court decision
calling President Nixon's dismantle-
ment of the Office of Economic Oppor-
tunity (QEO) illegal will hopefully not
only save the OEO and some of its pro-
grams from a premature demise, but will
clear up some important constitutional
questions as well.
In his ruling, U. S. District Court
Judge William Jones made the basic as-
sertion that according to historical pre-
cedents, logic, and the Constitution the
President does not have the power to
shut down programs that have been en-
acted by Congress.
In recent months we have watched
with growing apprehension the increased
assumption of powers by the President.
Considering the elected congressional
representatives unresponsive to the "will
of the American people," Nixon has ve-
toed bills regularly. When Congress ov-
errode the veto of a bill to provide funds
for water pollution control, Nixon im-
pounded the funds with questionable
Constitutional power backing him.
President Nixon has also refused to
allow his aides to be questioned to clear
up some of the mystery clouding the
Watergate investigation, extending ex-
ecutive privilege far beyond previous
bounds.
WHILE CONTINUING the American
air war .in Cambodia, the Nixon ad-
ministration has been unable to explain
what authority it has to continue drop-
Today'-- --- ff:
News: Angela Balk, Robert Barkin, Laura
Berman, Bill Heenan, Cindy Hill
Editorial Page: Martin Stern
Arts Page: Diane Levick
Photo technicians: Thomas Gottlieb, Steve
Kagan

ping the bombs. The only explanation it
has offered is that the President has a
mandate from the electorate after his
easy victory in November. We are not
aware of any section of the Constitu-
tion that says that a President may do
whatever he wants because he was re-
elected in a landslide.
However, the presidential assertion of
power that has gained the most publicity
is the dismantlement of the OEO. The
agency is funded until the end of the
this fiscal year, but is not funded in the
President's 1974 budget proposal.
Just to make sure that OEO was killed
before Congress could make up its mind
whether to fund it for another year,
Nixon hired Howard Phillips, a former
member of the Young Americans for
Freedom, to dismantle OEO as fast as
possible, especially the controversial
Community Action Agencies.-.
PHILLIPS DID AN efficient job, often
ordering people out of the agency
with as little as thirty minutes notice.
Such tactics tend to upset bureaucracies,
and so the OEO employes unions, along
with other groups, filed suit against Phil-
lips calling the actions illegal.
The judge agreed, saying that allowing
Phillips to continue to wield his axe
without congressional approval would
clothe "the President with a power en-
tirely to control the legislation of Con-
gress and paralyze the administration of
justice."
We also agree. Unfortunately it may
take more such court actions to convince
Mr. Nixon that there is indeed something
called separation of powers under our
present Constitution, and that "Presi-
dent" is not just another word for "dic-
tator."

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By DENISE GRAY
"WE BELIEVE that we who de-
clared ourselves to be right-
eous Muslims, should not partici-
pate in wars which takes the lives
of humans."
These words, taken from the doc-
trine of Black Muslim beliefs, ap-
pear every week on the back page
of Muhammad Speaks, the official
organ of the Black Muslim faith.
They are perhaps more effective
on paper than they are in prac-
tice, however.
For despite these beliefs, the
Black Muslims are allegedly par-
ticipating in a "holy war" with
a rival group of Moslems, the Han-
afi sect. The killings of seven
Hanafi Moslems in Washington,
D.C. last January have been link-
ed to the Black Muslims. F i v e
children and two men were method-
ically killed by eight armed men
in the Hanafi headquarters in
Georgetown.
Hamaas Abdul Khaalis, the Han-
afi leader, believes the murders
were in retaliation to his p r o-
nounced disagreements with Mus-
lim leader Elijah Muhammad. Mr.
lKhaalis believes that Mr. Mu-
hammad is a false prophet w h o
preaches racial hared, which is
contrary to true Islam. The Han-
afi believe that Islam is color
blind.
IN JANUARY OF this year Mr.
Khaalis sent letters to the minist-
ers of all 50 Black Muslim mosques
in which he denounced Elijah Mu-
hammad's teaching and urged the
ministers to leave the Black Mus-
lim faith. The major difference
between the two groups is the
Muslim belief that whites cannot be
a part of their faith and that all
whites are devils. The Hanafi feel
this is contrary to the orthodox
Moslem ideology as taught in the
Koran.

HISTORY SHOWS that eventually
all such leaders come to question
their roles and become insecure
about their positions. So perhaps
Elijah Muhammad has reason to
fear opposition from below. Once
having reached the top there is ap-
parently a burning desire to stay
there.rBut Elijah is aging and will
be forced to retire soon. Perhaps
he is afraid that many supporters
will be attracted to rival sects when
he retires. The problem may 'stem
from Elijah's search for a replace-
ment who will faithfully carry on
his teachings and can keep the
members within the sect.
Any organization that depends
solely upon the leadership of one
man faces the risk of falling apart
when new leadership takes t h e
helm. But in this case, the Black
Muslims do not seem to have any
reason to be overly concerned. Eli-
jah Muhammad still has thousands
of supporters across the United

States, and the contributions the
Muslims have made toward black
nationalism can never be forgot-
ten.
Muslims have alwavs sent their
children to Islamic schools where
they were taught black pride by
black teachers. They have, furth-
ered economic growth in the black
communities by establishing and
supporting their own restaurants,
schools and clothiers.
And in Chicago, the Muslim head-
quarters, tremendous progress has
been made. Besides the smallr
business ventures, the Muslims are
presently constructing a S a I e s
and Office Building on the south
side of the city. The building will
provide underground parking and
available space for sales and med-
ical offices. This is part of Elijah
Muhammad's call for the blackman
to 'build up and beautify phis com-
munity."

SO DESPITE whatever paranoia
may exist within the Muslim lead-
ership, their political contributions,
if not their religious ones, cannot
be questioned. The ideological dif-
ferences between sects will always
exist for the jihad, or holy war
against the infidel, is an old and
bloody Islamic tradition.
But politically speaking the con-
tinuation of this "holy war" would
be a mistake. In the long run this
trend toward violence will only be
detrimental to the Muslim image in
the black community. To non-Mus-
lims, it appears that Elijah Mu-
hammad is merely running scared.
The Black Muslims doctrine also
advocates justice and equality for
all black brothers and sisters. Must
a qualifier be added that reads,
"that is, justice for all blacks who
agree with us?"
Denise Gray it an Editorial Page
Night Editor.

I'

Elijah Muhammad:
Controversial leader
It is very difficult for an out-
sider to discern exactly what is
happening between the two rival
groups, since the Muslims never
discuss their internal affairs with
non-Muslims. But it is apparent,
however, that there is some oppo-
sition to Elijah Muhammad's lead-
ership. Malcolm X alluded m a n y
times to the power struggle within
the faith, and it is believed that
he was murdered because he broke
with the Muslims and spoke out
against Elijah Muhammad.
And Elijah has often been crit-
icized for his monolithic leadership
and quasi-dictatorial rule. Elijah
Muhammad (born Elijah Poole)
holds the top leadership position
within the faith. The faithful sup-
porters believe he is the messeng-
er of Allah. (God).


Letters to TheDaly/

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Election
To The Daily:
I HAVE RECENTLY been ac-
cused by Ken Newbury, the elec-
tions director for Student Govern-
ment Council, of negligence for my
role in the past election. I feel that
I should make it clear that I had
no role in the past election.
As an employee of SGC until Jan-
uary of this year, I was instructed
by Bill Jacobs and Dave Schapr
to open and close the sticker regis-
tration table during class regis-
tration at Waterman Gym. I was
not consulted on the operation of
the system, nor was I given any
discretion in carrying out m, or-
ders. I opened the registration at
8:00 a.m. as ordered, and closed
it at 5:00 p.m.
During the registration p.er'od I
warned both Jacobs and Schaper
that the Kellev Girls and Manpow-
er Men hired by Council were not
only expensive (costing at least
$1,000 in wages), but inefficient as
well. The employees often failed
to show causing large crowds to
gather in front of our area waiting
for someone to put stickers on their
I.D. cards. The pressure of t h e
situation undoubtedly caused many
errors and imposed extreme limi-
tations on security.
My advice went unheeded, how-
ever, because of my poor relations
with the current "politicos" of
S.G.C. who seem intent upon wast-
ing as much of the students' money
as quickly as they can. The past
two elections have seen $25,000
spent on an over-sophisticated and
unwieldly election system.
As I was given no responsibility

Offensive al
To The Daly:
I FIND IT exceedingly difficult
to imagine how the editors of the
Daily can remain so oblivious to
the sexist attitudes so often evi-
denced therein. I am specifically
offended by the Schlitz M a I.t Li-
quor advertisement in the April
6 issue. One could hardly avoid'
noticing this slick, poster-sized, full
color, presumably nude appeal to
the Playboy crowd. Equally no-
ticeable, I hope, is the contra-
diction implied by the appearance
of such an ad in a newspaper
which at least does lip-service to
the cause of feminism.
A lengthy dissertation on the
principles of feminism, however
kell deserved, would, I think, 'e
inappropriate here. Both feminists
and gay people have repeatedly
cihastized the Daily for not assum-
ing a positive attitude toward our
common goal - the total elimin-
ation of sex roles. Besides contin-
uing to ignore my letters and oth-
ers in the same spirit, the Daily
can:
1) Appoint someone within t h e
Daily (or without) to oversee the
reduction of sexist articles (e.g.,
"Taking a Straight Look' at Homo-
sexuality" (Daily, Mar. 25) and
advertising:
2) Provide regularly scheduled
editorial snace for the exposition
,)f radical feminist and radical gay
ideas regarding sex roles:
3) Formulite and publish an
editorial oninion explaining t h e
Daily's position on sexism and the
reasons for not complying with 1)
or 2).

15, 3:00 p.m. at St. Andrews
Ch-rch, 306 N. Division.
In the past few weeks, several
task forces have been formed and
are working in these areas: medi-
cal practices, public relations and
information, fundraising, and or-
ganization. Much progress is being
made and we hope for even more
inpuit on Sunday. Representatives
xill be chosen from these task forces
and others at large to serve on
the coordinating committee. It will
be their responsibility to arrange
publicity for meetings as well as
communicating about activities be-
twen the Sunday meetings.
It's time we started moving for-
ward faster, but we need your help
to do it. All women who want high
quality, sympathetic health care
at a reasonable cost, and don't
think we can get that without a con-
sumer-controlled clinic, are urged
to come.
-Beth Brunton
April 12
Book burning
To The Daily:
The AMI's protest of Dr. .1. R,
Willson's Obstetrics and Gynecol-
ogy (1971) by burning is more than
just a moral affront. It is inef-
fectual idiocy. Even if Willsron's
"description of women's minds" is
somewhat atavistic does the AMI
really believe that all medical stu-
dents believe everything they read?
Perhaps the AMI would concede
that ontside of ten pages, te text-
book has some redeeming s o'c i c 1
value. No matter . . . for medical
stiidetns from this university (and
others) will still be required to be

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