i Iihe £id$ian aitij Eighty-tivo years of editorial freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Swami Kirtanananda: Setting souls free 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. Y SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1972 By PETER LAFRENIERE "Religion, morality, and knowl- edge being necessary for good gov- ernment and the happiness of man- kind, schools and means of educa- tion shall forever be encouraged" S0 SAY THE words inscribed above the lofty pillars of our own Angell Hall, an explicit state- ment revealing the real function of this university, in theory at least. A week ago last Thursday, this theory was actualized as the University provided Swami Kirt- anananda (kirtan: congregational chanting, ananda: bliss) with a lecture room in which to hold an intimate discussion on the Bhag- avad Gita and the path it gives us; Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of love and devotion. Kirtanananda, the leading dis- ciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda (Master of Mas- Baton Rouge: The aftermath I ters) and the first American Swami, travelled by van from his rural ashram community in the hills of West Virginia to Detroit for the installation of the Radha Krishna Deities and the celebra- tion of an ancient Hindu festival, Govardhana Puja. The turnout at the Detroit temple reflected the growing interest Americans have for the Eastern philosophies and religions. There were about 500 guests and devotees from Cleve- land, Chicago, Bloomington, and W. Va. Here in Ann Arbor the word went out by the grapevine and a small ad in the Happenings col- umn in The Michigan Daily that Kirtanananda had decided to speak here. About 50 interested young adult listeners turned out to hear the Swami. He opened with a quote from one of our own great American transcendentalists, Henry David Thoreau, who said regarding the Gita, "Every morn- ing I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmological phil- osophy of the Bhagavad Gita, by which our modern world and liter- ature appears puny and trivial." AFTER ESTABLISHING t h e Gita as one of the world's fore- most and most widely Scriptures, the Maharaja went on to describe in general the process of acquiring knowledge. He said. "The bona- fide path cannot be concocted by mental speculation, but can only descend to us. There is no doubt about it. With our imperfect senses making limited observations how can we, with our tiny minds, ex- pect to reason out the absolute IN THE AFTERMATH of * the killings Thursday at Southern University in Baton Rouge, students around the coun- try are trying to decide how and if they are going to react. As this editorial is being written, members of our community are meeting to plan actions appropriate for Ann Arbor and the University. Whether local groups decide to support a national student strike, or some other action, we affirm that students must make clear our rejection of the police tactics that have led to the unwarranted deaths of two young blacks. Moreover, we, must vocally insist that there be no Kent Statish whitewash of the Baton Rouge affair. Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards has re- fused the students' academic demands and will not resume negotiations until the students renounce violence and re- turn to class. He has utilized the dema- gogue's trick of linking the peaceful demonstration and sit-in tactics used prior to the shootings with violence, and in that way deflecting criticism of the state's heavy-handed response. ALREADY EDWARDS and other Baton Rouge 'authorities have desperately released contradictory accounts of Thurs- day's tragedy. The East Baton Rouge Parish County sheriff suggested the two had been trampled, and insisted that the officers shot nothing but tear gas. He also noted that he did hear two pistol shots. The coroner announced the deaths were caused by buckshot wounds in the men's heads. And students and police differ on who released tear gas first. Then yesterday the governor specu- lated, "It's perfectly logical and reason- able that one of the officers could have, in all the excitement, fired the wrong kind of ammunition." The governor made sure to note, how- ever, that one of the dead men was still unidentified and therefore could have been an "outsider," whatever difference that makes. It is manifestly unclear how Edwards plans to quickly check if the alleged "outsider" was a student, since he has shut down the campus till after Thanksgiving, banned students from the dorms, and booted the student govern- ment out of the student union. NOW BOTH the governor and the FBI have announced pending investiga- tions. And we fear a dead end. We are doubtful that any concrete findings of responsibility for the shootings will be made public. Nor, frankly, do we trust the U.S. Department of Justice. The evidence, the governor and our hunch suggest that the police did fire the fatal shots. The evidence and our hunch also suggest that what for the average citizen would be manslaughter, may turn out to be, in the governor's own words, "perfectly logical and reason- able" for a trained law enforcement officer. N0 MATTER how unheeded are our cries, it is our responsibility to let our voices be heard. -THE SENIOR EDITORS SGC GROUP-Integrity bloc. A growing political monopoly? truth? How can we be so foolish to think that we can arrive at the perfection of perfection by piling on imperfections one after anoth- er? No, it must come to use from an already perfect source, Krishna or God, who is residing in the heart of every living entity.", The Bhagavad Gita (Beautiful Song of God) was spoken directly by Krishna himself to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra 5000 years ago. This was the first dis- ciple - Master relationship. Yet it was not spoken for Arjuna, but for all men who desire to free them- selves from the nescience of ma- terial entanglement. Basically, the Gita can be described as dealing with five topics and their interre- lationships: Isvara (supreme), jiva (living entities), prakriti (na- ture), kala (time) and karma (ac- tivity). That about covers it. As Gandhi said about it "If it is not found in the Gita, it does not ex- ist." IT IS THE inquiry into spiritual science that distinguishes man from the animals. Kirtanananda went on to say that "human life begins when we turn from the il- lusory problems of material exist- ence (eating, sleeping, mating, de- fending) to the real problems of life (birth, diseaise, old age and finally death). To begin we must understand that we are not these bodies, we are actually spirit, part, and parcel.of the One." Immediately the question arises that if we are indeed spiritual, with the qualities of Sat Chit An- anda (eternity, knowledge, and bliss), why do we think we are suffering? This is the illusion that George Harrison -(who is another of A. C. Bhaktivedanta's disci- ples) is speaking of when he sings "Beware of darkness." IT IS OUR illusion that causes our suffering and when it is re- placed with knowledge we natur- ally bc ;ome eternally blissful. That is our birthright, our true na- tire. In our own body everything is dependent on being connected with the rest of the body: if a mem- ber is separated it is useless. That is the function of Yoga; to link or unite. Yoga can be defined as a systematic discipline which aims to unite us with the absolute by disentangling us from the relative. The culmination then of Yoga is liberation from the wheel of Sam- sara (birth and death). The Swami further said, "that the only favorable connection with Krishna is through love, there is no other way." Yet there are many ways to develop this uial- loyed love of God, what is import- ant is that it is being developed, that is the true test of adreligion. Basically this love is developed by associating with those who are overflowing with love. Meditation is also effective in this age of Kali. Kirtanananda then answered ques- tions about the actual practiceof Yoga. He stated firmly that A- tanga Yoga is much too difficult to practice in this particular time, In response to a question about steadying the mind and eventually controlling it, the Swami replied, "Chant Hare Krishna and hear it." OTHERS WISHING to enquire further about how to make ad- vancement were told "There is nothing else, no other way. You must take to this chanting (medi- tation) of the Lord's names - He has many. That is the recommend- ed process in this age of Kali. It will purify all your desires and set your soul free." Peter LaFreniere is a local resi- dent who will be teaching a Course Mart course on Indian philosophy next term. .}/ 'I, 4. 4 A nearsighted review By BOB BLACK PAUL TRAVIS' article (Daily, Nov. 15), on the new S G C marks a welcome change from re- cent Daily neglect of campus poli- tics. His 'analysis, though, is hope- lessly at variance with the real political situation - and its de- fects play right into the hands of the spurious "leftists" who still control SGC. Essentially, he argues that there is a "new left-wing coalition on Council" consisting of Sandy Green, Bill Dobbs. Dave Hernstein and the GROUP/Integrity bloc. At leasttthere will be, he says, if mem- bers "vote their politics rather than their emotions." The issues dividing the "leftists," such as the conduct of Treasurer Dave Schap- er, are just a problem of "dis- trust,"ethat is, of the "emotions" previously mentioned. By implica- tion, few differences of principle divide GROUP/Integrity from the others. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is no left-wing ma- jority on SGC because most of the GROUP/Integrity members are in fact "moderates," moderate liber- als, fiscal-responsibility conserva- tives or simple hypocrites. The is- sue in the last election was not whether GROUP/Integrity had a liberal platform, but whether their platform ever had or ever would bear any relation to their behav- ior on SGC. The issue was n o t GROUP/Integrity's principles but their lack of principle. It is probably true that on many issues the real democratic leftists will succeed in shaming GROUP! Integrity into supporting progres- sive measures. But the crucial po- litical struggle of SGC is likely to be on more fundamental questions than money for a grocery co-op: In the election just past, GROUP! Integrity ran 21 candidates and distributed 100,000 leaflets. FROM THEIR position in control of the SGCadministration, t h e y turned the Elections issue of the Michigan Student News into their private propaganda vehicle. They have rewritten the rules to make voting more difficult than it has ever been, practically disenfran- chising the disenchanted majority Bob Black, class of '73, was a los- ing candidate on the Community Coalition slate in the recent Stu- dent Government Council elec. tions. which would probably have voted them out. They have created a genuine machine. GROUP/Integrity has systema- tically subverted the other student institutions that might have hamp- ered their power drive. An exam- ple is the Credentials & R u 1 e s Court which conducts elections. Three SGC officers previously ap- pointed by the GROUP/Integrity majority on SGC serve on this court, including the famous Mr. Schaper (disqualified for bias on one pending case). PIRGIM se- lects a fourth member, and PIR- GIM cannot exist without SGC's recognition of 'it as a student or- ganization. UAC provides a mem- ber, and UAC is under SGC pres- sure because ofiSGC's partial con- trol of the policy board for t h e Michigan Union. And GROUP/In- tegrity is well-represented on UHC and on the Rackham and LSA Stu- dent Governments which provide the other members. What GROUP/Integrity cannot control, it bullies or buys. The Tenants Union was expelled from a part of its office on avowedly po- litical grounds: Bill Jacobs t o 1 d them that they should stay out of student politics. Central S t u d e n t Judiciary, whose members are ap- pointed by SGC, no longer at- tempts to justify its repeated vio- lations of its own binding Manual of Procedure. GROUP President David Smith has told Daily s t a f f members that "if you destroy us we'll take you down with us." THE AMBITIOUS Lee Gill is al- ready being groomed by GROUP' Integrity as their next presidential candidate: minority and black or- ganizations cannot gain SGC fund- ing except channeled through Gill's Minority Affairs Committee. Both Dave Hernstein and myself were offered places on the last GROUP/ Integrity SGC ticket in return for our cooperation. On the fundamental question of re-democratizing SGCand break- ing up this formidable political monopoly, the real democratic left may well have to work with the conservative RAP group instead of the undemocratic Center. No sin- cere "leftist" or "liberal" or "radi- cal" would support the kind of moves, like the elimination of dis- sent from the Michigan Student News, which the entire GROUP/ Integrity bloc has consistently sup- ported. It is a serious disservice to the students for The Daily to leave the impression that, after all, GROUP/Integrity really is just another right-on left-liberal ballot party. IF IN FUTURE issues of The Daily people read of struggles be- tween GROUP/Integrity and a 11 comers, this should not be stig- matizedias "emotions" overcom- ing "politics." They will probably involve questions of basic political principle, as well as straightfor- ward attempts to remove the en- trenched incompetents in and around SGC. The Daily should cov- er these controversies more thor- oughly that it has in the past, since the only other all-campus student publication is (at least for the time being) under GROUP/Intergity con- trol. :t I -t THE REGENTS yesterday took a re- freshing turn from their usual policy of rubber-stamping executive officer de- cisions. And though the vote to approve an annual membership in a nationwide organization of nursing deans was not a crucial one, it showed what might hap- pen if the Regents were asked to approve every dollar the University spent. Regent Gerald Dunn (D-Livonia), who has made spending such funds a person- al pet peeve in recent months said, "Since I have been keeping track, the University Today's staff: News: Angela Balk, Jan Benedetti, Dave Burhenn, Beth Egnater, T a m my Jacobs, Sue Stevenson Ediotorial Page: Bill Heenan, Martin Stern Arts Page: Gloria Jane Smith Photo technician: David Margolick Sports Staff JOHN PAPANEK Sports Editor ELLIOT LEGOW Executive Sports Editor BILL ALTERMAN ............Associate Sports Editor BOB ANDREWS ....... ....Assistant Sports Editor SANDI GENIS............Assistant Sports Editor MICHAEL OLIN ..........Contributing Sports Editor RANDY PHILLIPS ........Contributing Sports Editor NIGHT EDITORS: Chuck Bloom, Dan Borus, Chuck Drukis, Joel Greer, George Hastings Bob Heuer' Frank Longo, Bob McGinn, Rich Stuck. has spent $5,000 on memberships in pro- fessional organizations. In this time of tight budgets, isn't that $5,000 we could devote to something more worthwhile?" President Fleming and other executive officers eventually convinced Dunn and the other Regents of the propriety of this expenditure, and the membership was approved in an unanimous vote. But that isn't the point. THE REAL MESSAGE is that the Re- gents now seem prepared to do some budgetary winnowing-to question on what the University is spending money and whether it should be. This was seen in their decision two months ago to cut back the University's request for state funds for salary increases, and it was seen again yesterday. Regrettably, the Regents only try to come to grips with the problem of prior- ities when they are asked to make a de- cision on a single item such as profes- sional memberships. And unfortunately they never get a real chance to consider whether the University needs as many frills and features as it has. For when they are handed a volume at the beginning of the year entitled "Budget" and shouting "Approve Me!", what else can they do? -SARA FITZGERALD Editor i 1 c ST 1 7 . , ,, f WW *NT r *# "With every passing day, peace comes perceptibly nearer." -Win. Porter, Chief* US Negotiator Le tters: Redist(nc ting comprom ise needed, IT WOULD BE unfortunate if the members of the city's Ward Bound- ary Commission launched into a series of written attacks of each other, prior to making a decision on a recommendation for new ward boundaries. This letter is only writ- ten to clear up several misleading impressions left by Frank Shoich- et and Dave Cahill in the Nov. 16th Daily. The "tentative approval" vote and the vote for a public hearing came only after vigorous objections by the Democratic members to the proposal by Republicans and sup- ported by HRP megbers to "vote now"' on approval ' of the GOP plan to go to council for passage last Monday, Nov. 13. The HRP members were influenced by the arguments that a public hearing was necessary prior to any re- commendation to City Council and that approval of a plan before the public hearing was the type of maneuver in the tradition of the GOP and not those who are seek ing meaningful citizen participa- tion. The Democrats have not chang- ed their position that the plan re- commended by the commission must meet the requirements of state law and the city charter. The commission plan has been the only Democrat's refusal to accept a plan which does not meet the charter's requirements did help establish each of our positions. I believe a plan is possible which fits the HRP and Democratic position. The public should not, however, be mis- led to believe that such a plan exists now. We are working hard towards such a solution. -Ted Beals Chairman, Ward Boundary Commission Nov. 17 Intramurals To The Daily: IT WAS a pleasure to see The Daily focus its attention on the plight of the Intramural and re- creation program. I hope that your interest will not end with the pre- sent series because there are many questions about the relationships between intercollegiate sports and intramurals that ought to be ex- plored. Why, for example, shouldn't we expect intercollegiate sports to pay for the Intramural program? I for one would feel a good deal better about buying football tick- ets if these funds were eventually used to improve the facilities for the vast majority of students and stadium to the Intramurals and re- creation program on a second pr- iority basis. We were told that if we contri- buted by building one field we would get two and that the two fields could be used for recreation save only when needed by the foot- ball team. That is, no other inter- collegiate sport would have prior- ity over their intramural use. At that time we were critically short of fields that could be used by intramural teams. The ones that we had were mud holes during a good portion of the spring and fall. Neither Ferry field nor t h e stadium could be used by non-var- sity sports groups. The intramural staff urged our support of Mr. Can- ham's request, and so far as I know continue to see the decision as a positive one for the intramural and recreation program. We may have decided unwisely but we were genuinely trying to do something positive for the intra- mural program. It is unfortunate that the terms of the agreement between ACRICS and the Athletic director have not been made ex- plicit before now. Students h a v e every right to use both of the Tartan turfed fields on a regular basis when they are not being us- finity with the views of HRP. It seems obvious to me that there are common goals that the HRP and Democratic Party should and can work together to achieve; an end to racism, tenant rights, and abol- ishment of discrimination because of sex, among others. However, it appears obvious to me, as I am sure it does to other members of the University com- munity that HRP and the Demo- cratic Party are in a power strug- gle. One of the two parties may win, but the loser will be the citi- zens of Ann Arbor, who want to see' progressive change occur. The IRP is justly concerned about their perpetuation as a via- ble 3rd party, but this concern should nol be put above their strong ideological base. If they fail with that base, so be it. The Democratic Party is obvious- ly worried about losing the con- trol of a major constituency, b u t the Democrats must remember it is service, not power plays that enlarge your appeal at the polls. The fall elections were a good ex- ample of this. Therefore, before the spring campaigns are upon us, how about the HRP and Democrats growing up to serve the community, and not more important: How is he going to end the political football of dan- gerous reactionary politicians? Remember the powerful motion picture "Z"? Remember why the colonels seized control of t h e Greek government? To save t h e people. To restore the great order of "Christian" Greece. And now we have Richard Mil- hous Nixon predicting an end to social (r)evolution. To restore a "great order"! To strengthen the family! To bring authority back to where it belongs. But more and more brothers and sisters are realizing the "sick" character of Richard Nixon's America. There's no turning back history. People are realizing that Nixon can't be trusted. Unfortun- ately, the election showed that two- thirds still trust him. But beware! The rights that we still have will slowly and ulti- mately die unless the people are aware of the Nixon tyrany. Again I emphasize the slowness of our rights' erosion. Grand juries, no- knock, wire-taping, secrecy, and lies. We all know what they mean. Seize the power before it seizes t,. -Bob Firth '75 Nov. 15 L4