i IIhe £iian iaili Eighty-one years of editorial freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Endless war dragson for Vietnamese s r 420 Maynard St.,,Ann Arbor, Mich. News Phone: 764-0552 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1972 elfake warfre and Nixon F7 . i r t - lygy \r_ ' 4 >t.= sir Jr,2, The R c. ""r end Tribune S .r :ncR - "'- ;t .c wSY+Ge its. By JOHN WHITMORE ON SEPTEMBER 1, 1945, the Vietna- mese proclaimed their independince and established a new regime entitled the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Within four weeks, the British had land- ed in southern Vietnam ostensibly to dis- arm the Japanese, but in fact to help reinstate the French in their colonial power. For twenty-seven years now, the Viet- namese have not been without a hostile Western intruder on their soil. For more than a quarter of a century, for more than the lifetime of most readers of this newspaper, Vietnam has been struggling to consolidate what she had long ago proclaimed. French intervention was, purely and simply, an attempt to maintain control. The American presence has, for two de- cades, been tied to the emotional and un- realistic anti-communist ideology of this country. We have not been able to leave the Vietnamese to their own decisions. We have insisted that our own national security preempts political stability in Vietnam. Never have we seriously con- sidered that the Vietnamese are a peo- ple quite capable of making up their own minds for themselves. THE RESULT has been what we all know: an ever widening area of insta- bility that has drawn larger and larger sections of Southeast Asia into it with each desperate American move. This goes directly against our own interests. Instead of a stable situation in a part of John Whitmore, assistant professor of history, is helping to organize "Vietnam, the Endless War" scheduled for Tues- day and Wednesday - David Dellinger, just returned from Hanoi, will be in at- tendance. the world not so crucial to us, we are creating conditions ever more conducive to the very rebellious elements our gov- ernment professes to be against. For us, then, this war has been "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." WHAT HAS this meant for the Viet- namese? For them, these decades have been full of war in support of very particular- istic elements within their own society. Maintained by an "international con- spiracy", these elements, most of which had gained status, wealth, or both under the French, sought to hold onto or in- crease their lucrative positions. In so doing, they have stood directly in oppo- sition to the regime which had gained independence for their country and to all political activity dedicated to social jus- tice for their countrymen. The vast majority of the Vietnamese people have suffered greatly as a conse- quence of the narrow and self-centered goals of the Saigon regimes since 1945. Backed by foreign wealth and power, these regimes have never had any inte- gral relationship with the people they governed. They have never had to rely on their people, since the U.S. govern- ment has shown no disposition to let the Saigon rulers prove themselves. With their sole goal being the maintenance of their own personal power, these men have provided nothing but rhetoric to- wards the fulfillment of any social jus- tice, towards the amelioration of the so- cial and economic problems of their country. ALMOST FROM the beginning of these artificial Saigon regimes, the cry of "Kill the Communists" has led to intol- erable pressure on any kind of political opposition within Vietnam. The newspa- pers are now almost gone. The student leaders are shot or rot in the Tiger Cages of Con-son Island. One-legged vet- erans curse the regime, and the number of refugees in the camps has grown from thousands to millions while graft, corruption, and Hondas flood Saigon. We have destroyed, but we have saved nothing, except perhaps the terror of the war itself. We have not preserved self-determina- tion, we have prevented it. We have saturated that country with technology, but nowhere have we grasp- ed the nature of the Vietnamese strug- gle. YET THE VIETNAMESE will contin- ue to fight for their full independence and for the unification of their land so long as we wish to fight. At the same time, they wish to negotiate, but their goals are clear and they will not accept the false historical suppositions of our position. That decision was made long ago. Our firepower and the bloodshed we cause, the social dislocation and the crumbling dikes, all the pain and agony that is the result of our childish preten- tions, will only serve to continue this endless war. Bomb craters for gold: Nouveau riche novelty Ia, "I'd like to report a runaway father.,." REFORM OF family welfare legislation has been "re-postponed" indefinite- ly. While the Senate passed numerous So- cial Security, Medicare, and other wel- fare benefits Thursday it shelved reform measures dealing with the problems of families with dependent children. In- stead, it voted to provide $400 million a year to test three principal plans. This testing process could take up to eight years. For three years, President Nixon has been vowing to reform the welfare fam- ily assistance program. Yet he has dog- matically declined to compromise with other, more comprehensive and expen- sive, plans offered on behalf of tole "guaranteed national income" principle he so "strongly" advocated. Inevitably, family assistance legislation lost out dur- ing a bitter three-way Senate battle. THE ORIGINAL Nixon plan guaranteed an annual income of only $2400 to a family of four, including those persons employed but receiving substandard wages. This plan was contested by Senate con- servatives who supported an alternative proposal providing guaranteed employ- ment and removing from the welfare rolls all able-bodied persons who refused to work. Nixon's plan was also opposed by most liberal Democrats who backed Sen. Ab- raham Ribicoff's (D-Conn.) compromise proposal to raise the guaranteed income to $2600 - much lower than Ribicoff had suggested originally. Ribicoff fur- ther proposed a pilot program to test the guaranteed income and wage supple- ments for the working poor. Although Urged by Health, Education and Welfare officials to consider Ribi- coff's proposal, Nixon refused. It was not the right time to enter negotiations, he said. SUCH A REFUSAL reduced his vow to achieve real welfare reform to rhe- toric. "Poor mothers and children" serv- ed well as political footballs; the right- eous appeal for reform on their behalf was noble, downright heroic. But when the time came, Nixon denied them aid. His rigidity prevented decisive over- haul 'of the long-lamented, broken down existing program which, in effect, en- courages a poor father to leave his fam- ily. The President's role must be acknowl- edged. Because of his unrealistic ap- proach to reform, he bears prime respon- sibility for the present sorry situation. -MARCIA ZOSLAW By GORDON ATCHESON CURRENTLY THE 124 nation International Monetary Fund (IMF) is looking for a new medi- um of international exchange. The gold standard has become unac- ceptable to many nations. "Any creation of international reserves in the future . . . should not de- pend on gold," according to the finance minister of the Nether- lands. One medium of exchange would, in addition to eliminating the gold standard, end all warfare in the world. Each country's internation- al wealth ought to be determined by the number of bomb craters it has within its borders. The ramifications of this pro- gram on the world's crises is ob- vious. For instance, Israel would stop bombing the Arab guerrilla settlements because for every bomb, the richer the commandoes would become. Needless to say, Nixon would have to cease bomb- ing North Vietnam. With bomb cra- ters as the measure of wealth, North and South Vietnam would by now be the two richest nations in the world. NOT ONLY should a bomb crater standard eliminate relatively small wars, but it would also prevent a nuclear war. The "aggressor" na- tion would so enrich, its enemy that any military gain would be more than offset by economic gain on the part of the nation attacked. The monetary value of each cra- ter ought to be proportional to the amount of land it displaces. Of course, the IMF would not allow any country to self-destruct-bomb its own land-to increase its pro- perty value. Many powerful nations, like the United States, have no bomb cra- ters, so economic hardships would ensue immediately after adoption of the bomb crater (B.C.) stand- ard. But because the internal eco- nomies of these countries are so dynamic, they undoubtedly could receive unlimited credit. A TYPICAL international pur- chase using the B.C. standard would be carried out thusly: If South Vietnam wants to buy 20,000 army surplus parkas from the United States, they just fill in the appropriate number of bomb craters (with which we have al- ready generously supplied them). After the Vietnamese receive their parkas, the IMF allows the United States to dig, some bomb craters- or bomb itself-equivalent to the purchase price of the parkas-con- clusion of deal. The United States now has a supply of bomb craters to proffer on the international market. The B.C. standard is not, how- ever, problem free. Some small countries might have a difficult time finding a place to store their bomb craters. Where the hell is Luxembourg going to establish' its bomb crater reserve? The United States has no problem in that res- pect, since it can establish the na- tional bomb crater reserve in Death Valley, or Butte, Montana, or maybe even on the front lawn of the White House. Of course, the bomb craters must be guarded, for though it is difficult to steal a bomb crater, it is relatively easy to fill one in. Guarding the bomb craters in a country like Vietnam would be a complex operation. THE MOST SERIOUS shortcom- ing of the bomb crater standard is, that by mutual consent, two na- tions might declare war on one another to bolster their economic status in the world community. This practice can be discouraged by the IMF if it refuses to count, for financial purposes, bomb cra- ters "gained" by the "aggressor" nation. Therefore there could be no profit in starting any war-even though the attacking nation might pick up a few bomb craters. ' The foreign aid program of the 1980's, true to the B.C. standard, would of course be . . . Bomb 'em back to the Stone Age. Gordon Atcheson is a Daily as- sis(ant night editor. " " Comic strips are nolaughing matter By GERALD NANNINGA NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the power of the comic strip. History has shown the comic strip to be a motivating force, reaching far beyond the simple ability to make one laugh. The strip has enhanced our lives by stimulating our emotions, -contributing to our vocabulary, and even affecting our economy. The economy?, one might ask. Sere. Qne obvious example is in ad- vertising. Most breakfast cereals have used at least one comic charac- ter to promote their prodgct. On television, Dennis the Menace advertises Dairy Queen products, Peanuts charactersrendorse Dolly Madison baked goods, and B.C. cavemen "fill up" with Marathon gasoline. Cartoons subtly affect outr buying habits. Studies have shown a direct correlation between the popularity of Popeye and the sale of spinach. The U.S. government has employed cartoon characters, even Superman, to help past war efforts by promoting the sale of war bonds. WE HAVE seen comics increase our vocabulary. Along with their educational value, they have added new words and phrases into our language. Slang expressions, such as "23 skidoo," first appeared in comic strips. Who ever heard of "goon" before meeting Alice the Goon in Popeye, or of Dagwood sandwiches before reading of his monstrous epicurean eating habits in Blondie? "We have met the enemy and he is us," is not a quotation by a famous general; rather 'one of Pogo's. The most abundant area of lan- guage expansion, however, is in the field of onomatopoeia-sound words. Remember "wham," "kerpow," and "bonk"? The stimulation of emotions is an important aspect of any type of fiction. The cliffhanger gets people hysterical anticipating a new chap- ter or installment. Many adventure comic strips cause this peaking of emotions. There have been times when faithful readers could not sleep at night, worrying about how detective Dick Tracy was going to get out of his latest predicament. Al Capp married off his characters Li'lAbner and Daisy Mae after a lengthy courtship, after mail from readers beg- ging for the marriage finally became too much for him. Similarly, many newspapers have buckled under public pressure, such as the Detroit News, which revived its discontinued Pogo strip after many people wrote in, demanding its return. The addition of a particular comic has quite often caused a substan- tial boost in circulation for a newspaper. Perhaps the most famous ex- ample is that of William Randolph Hearst's acquisition of the Yellow Kid for -his New York Journal back at the turn of the century. FINALLY, ONE cannot neglect to take note of how cartoons have en- hanced our lives. Culturally, the comic strip is an art form. Several art museums in Europe have had special comic strip exhibits. And sev- eral years ago pop art-a comics cousin-was popular. Several books have been written discussing the importance of com- ics in our society. One book examines the theological and psychological implications of Peanuts. By examining old cartoons, one is able to better understand how people in the past lived, dreamed, and thought. In addition, one cartoon, by simple word translation, can reach millions of people all over the world. Many of these readers, of different social and cultural back- grounds, can learn of our culture through the strips. (which means they are well acquainted with, the henpecked husbands and neurotic children of the comic tradition.) So, the next time some overbred, plebeian sophisticate sneers at you for reading the comics, just sneer right back. He doesn't know what he's missing. ;erald Nanninga is a Daily staff writer. 'I -l _, Congress' consumer cop-out HEN THE Senate failed to end debate Thursday on the proposed Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) is was yet an- other indication of the lack of interest by our representatives in protection of the public interest. The bill would have established the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) to serve the public interest in regulating commerce in tle country. The vote fell a mere three votes short of the required two-thirds needed for cloture and the bill is now dead for the session. "It was an all or nothing question," said Sen. Jacob Javits (R-NY) "and the consumer got nothing." The consumer did indeed gettthe short end, The CPA would have acted as an ombudsman representing consumer in- terests. It would have been able to inter- vene in any case and become a party to the action. Thus it would be able to use its expertise to present the public's case Photography Staff TERRY McCARTHY........C....Chief Photographer ROLFE TESSEM .....................Picture Editor before any regulatory agency. "No agency means no voice in consum- er protection," said Javits. And right now there is no agency. For three years in a row, Congress has block- ed its establishment. The proceedings of such a regulatory agency would lie between government and the private interests it would be de- signed to control. All too often, as in the wheat sale to Russia and in loans to Lockheed, the relationship is a little too close for the public good. The bill would have authorized the CPA to intervene in any case it wished. This was opposed byethe Nixon adminis- tration which wanted the CPA to be- come involved only when invited by an- other government agency. "PRESIDENT NIXON is directly re- sponsible for defeating of this bill," said Ralph Nader. "He has once again chosen corporations over consumers.'' The White House is at fault more for what it did not do, than for what it did. Despite pleas from supporters of the bill, Nixon did not use his influence to break the filibuster. This came after the bill's supporters promised to consider amend- mnnte sldeirbi hv the Presidepnt. even 'Enriching' the American countryside I" Letters:'Abortion vs. Adoption' reaction * To The Daily: I WANT to take issue with Ms. Dixon and her statements about Adoption vs. Abortion (Daily, Oct. 4). It is a cruel hoax to deprive women of abortions and to tell them instead to have that baby be- cause there are so many eager couples waiting to adopt. S h e should have been more realistic and finished the sentence with "a white baby in perfect health with the thousands of homeless child- ren (not just babies) who are now in foster homes and institutions. If the U.S. runs low on adoptable children, let's not prohibit abor- tions, let's encourage worldwide adoptions, since an inexhaustible supply exists. The new slogan is: "Homes for children" not "child- ren for homes" as it was in the past. Two parting remarks for Ms. Dixon: Th Pill is not medically .:atnha fr rxr- - - ra Atinntnn i I. She suggests better birth con- troi. However, there are in a n y women who can't take the pill be- cause of the side effects it has on them (I am one of these women). At the time I found myself with an unwanted pregnancy I was using an IUD and vaginal foam - the statistical risks are less than 2 per cent with this combination, ac- cording to my gynecologist. 2. She suggests vasectomies and tubal ligations for those who al- child up for adoption. However, there are many women (like my- self) who find themselves unwill- ingly pregnant who are married and already have a couple of wanted children. Does Ms. Dixon really think it's a good idea for children already born to watch their mother go through a pregnancy and then give the baby away? As- suming that the mother was cal- lous enough to submit them to such an experience, what terrible V 1- - le . - - ., . - t . anti-abortion nuts rave, a large number of women will get abor- tions every year. I borrowed money and flew to Mexico for mine, not knowing who would per- form it or in what surroundings, and not speaking any Spanish, either (this was before the New York law was passed). I knew that I was risking my life but - and I believe I'm not unusual in this - I would rather have died than carry that fetus full term. 0