I1t Ur4i4ttUn Da4ly Eighty-two years of editorial freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan 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. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1972 Dem: Division or solidarity. YESTERDAY'S DEMONSTRATION pro- testing the killing of two black stu- dents in Louisiana last week was, for the most part, what one would have expected, although not hoped for-about 300 people, some speeches, and the usual faces pressed against the insides of Ad- ministration Bldg. windows. It is unsettling that the crowd num- bered only 300-the issue related to, or should have related to, every member of this community. Blacks demanded that the University wake up and "react" to the shootings; that the University organize an exchange program with Southern University; that the Southern University president and vice president resign, as the Louisiana protesters had demanded; and that com- munity members "sensitize" themselves to the issues and act accordingly. These demands are valid and should be supported wholeheartedly, as should the aim of yesterday's action-to strongly protest the events at Southern University. HOWEVER, THERE was one noteworthy factor which set this demonstration off from others in quite a disturbing manner. That was the all-black march to the North Main Street Community Center, which began at the predom- inantly white People's Plaza rally. Black speakers, both before and after the split, explained the reasons for the segregated march. But the explanations seemed to gloss over the tragedy those killings were for the whole community, both black and white, and the need for solidarity within the entire community- not just among those with the same racial background. The killings, said the black leaders, were the result of racism, and were typical of an oppression which is becom- ing "both traditional and rampant." This is perhaps true, but others besides blacks are fighting racism, although it is blacks who must and should lead that struggle. Moreover, not only were blacks shot at Southern University-they were black students, and it must not be only blacks who are appalled at what happened. The 'black speakers at the People's Plaza rally appeared to realize this. But to realize it and not to arrange for a joint demonstration, a show of people-solidarity, is disturbing. If blacks felt it necessary to act as a bloc, perhaps a black section in a joint march, a black faction marching alongside white broth- ers and sisters, would have been a moving demonstration of a stricken subset of the stricken whole. THE KILLINGS were an attack on everyone who believes in the Bill of Rights, with special relevance to students and to blacks. It is disturbing, and some- how very depressing, that yesterday's re- action could not represent that unified emotional horror. -TAMMY JACOBS Managing Editor Nixon and amnesty: Leader or panderer? By JAMES A. WECHSLER Tf HE HARSH, intransigent campaign words on amnesty spoken by President Nixon and Vice President Agnew will swiftly haunt the Nixon second term. They may well have produced some easy (and, as things turned out, unneeded) dividends at the polls. But if and when peace, or some semblance thereof, is finally achieved, the amnesty issue will assume new dimenstns. The beginnings of the debate could be heard this week - and the voices raised can hardly be dismissed as suspect or extremist. Thus the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, meetixig in Washington, adopted a resolution declaring that "all possible consid- eration must be given to those young men who, because of conscientious belief, refused to participate in the war." It added: "This war will leave a residue of bitterness which could poison our national life for years to come. This must not be allowed to happen. We must instead seek to resolve our differences in a spirit of mutual understanding and respect." LEADERS OF other religious denominations have issued comparable appeals. It is grotesque to visualize a president brought up in the Quaker faith engaged in an uncompromising, last-ditch conflict with those imploring respect for young men whose crime was principled adherence to conscience. Yet that is exactly what is in prospect if Mr. Nixon remains faith- ful to the text and spirit of his campaign verbiage, rather than to the more moderate view he had expressed earlier in the year. Because of his previous remarks, one is tempted to hope that his strident autumn statements reflected a cold political thrust at George McGovern's vul- nerable jugular rather than an irretrievable'commitment. It must also be sadly noted, however, that in his exclusive Election Eve interview with the Washington. Star-News (to be held for release until after the balloting) he included proposals for amnesty as a symp- tom of the "permissiveness" he vowed to combat during his second administration. He sounded like a man who had been overwhelmed by the passion of his campaign rhetoric. Nevertheless, once any peace arrangement is sealed, he will have to confront the problem anew.. Even minimal statesmanship would suggest that the aftermath of the war - in the words of the Catholic bishops - "could poison our national life for years to come" unless /our leadership is capable of inspiring magnanimity and reconciliation. And the treatment of the war objectors will be a crucial test. UNFORTUNATELY, through much of the first four years, Mr. Nixon has exhibited a larger gift for appealing to the less attractive and more aggressive instincts of the country in domestic matters than for invoking those "better angels of our nature" of which he spoke in his 1969 inaugural. The amnesty debate will offer ample chance for inciting vindictiveness and discord, and many demagogues will join the hard-line chorus. If the President continues to lend his own voice to the punitive cry, a long, cruel and clamorous battle is assured. Mr.tNixon may argue, of course, that a more tolerant view will also precipitate sustainedrargument, and that the election returns have up- held his stand. There may well be a measure of truth in that claim. But it is precisely in such realms that the Presidency can be decisive in shaping the moral - or amoral - climate of the country. Indeed, for once it might be a welcome note to hear the President say (as he has so often) he was taking a position that "I know may be politically unpopular" - and mean it. He might even discover he had underestimated his capacity to elevate the national discourse, to lead rather than to pander. * * * THERE IS no simple amnesty formula that resolves all dilemmas. But Mr. Nixon and his vice president have denied - at least during the campaign season - the existence of any distinctions. The epithets "deserters and draft-dodgers" have been applied with equal fury to those who have gone to jail in affirmation of their beliefs and those who fled under fire to those who have gone into self-imposed exile and those who became fugitives after committing crimes. The highest priority of concern should be extended to those who have been willing to risk prison as the price of their principles; in a sense, they were exhibiting the courage of what have become the con- victions of millions of Americans. But whatever scales of compassion may. be deemed fairest, it is time to begin determining them. One might even audaciously - or wistfully - suggeet that a commission headed by former Chief Justice Warren should be entrusted with the task. The alternative is drift, rancor and new alienation - assuming, of course, that when Henry Kissinger said "peace is at hand," he was not talking in terms of years. James Wechsler is the editorial page editor of the New York Post. Copyright 1972, New York Post Corporation. Reckon nost .?verybody believes in amnesty for deserters from the war on poverty.' Letters to The Daily If -ur 1 -40 - ToIilitcal purge' at UD STUDENTS AND faculty at the Univer- sity of Detroit (UD) are experiencing administrative action strikingly similar to the Mark Green suspension. A week ago four faculty members in the UD sociology department were fired, and the department chairman demoted. Concerned faculty and students, who are staging a marathon sit-in to protest the dismissals, consider the discharges an obvious political purge. The UD, case serves to point out a num- ber of differences between the political climates within a large state university like ours and within a smaller, Catholic institution. The UD administration is clearly on the offensive, the deans of faculty and of the College of Arts and Sciences have steadfastly refused to reveal reasons for the firings. The issues that have sur- faced revolve around "substance" (course material treating racism, for example) and "style" (sociology faculty members were sometimes addressed by their first names). Student response appears rather mild- mannered, but is persistent. Protesters Toda y's staff: News: Robert Barkin, Pat Bauer, Laura Berman, Dan Blugerman, Sue Steph- enson, David Stoll, Rebecca Warner. Editorial Page: Arthur Lerner Arts Page: Gloria Jane Smith, Jeff Soren- son Photo technician: Denny Gainer Photography Staff TERRY MCARTHY .......... Chief Photographer ROLFE TESSEM .................... Picture Editor DENNY GAINER ................ Staff Photographer TOM GOTTLIEB ............. Staff Photographer KAREN KASMAUSKI .........Sttaff Photographer DAVID MARGOLICK ....,... Staff Photographer have restricted their sit-in at the admin- istration building to regular office hours, avoiding any confrontation with uni- versity officials. Meanwhile the UD student newspaper, the Varsity News, is reluctant to come out against the dismissals, remarking that the sociology department was "way out of line with the rest of,the University". HERE IN ANN ARBOR it may seem quaint that a neighboring university should still be firing faculty members for wearing their hair long, fraternizing with students, "talking liberal," or act- ing generally like "hippy professors." A more basic issue in the UD case, how- ever, is the complete lack of due process involved in the dismissals. The five UD teachers were not allowed to respond to the accusations made against them; they weren't even told what they were. Perhaps universities are not as en- lightened as we and our faculty would like to think when professors are subject to dismissal actions prohibited by the most basic labor protection principles. UD STUDENT protesters believe their own purge is indicative of a national trend. Since the wave of student activism has subsided, students all over the coun- try are finding out that gains are in fact dependent on continued activism; much change in the universities was never in- situtionalized, but only tolerated by ad- ministrators. Before we separate the UD case from our own situation, we should consider the shaky ground on which we stand as ad- ministrators everywhere observe a dis- couraged and passive student population. -REBECCA WARNER Shocked by Southern To The Daily: THE MURDERS at Southern Un- iversity have shocked, disgusted, and terriblysaddened me. I am shocked and disgusted that an in- cident all too similar to Jackson and Kent States could occur again and that the authorities involved could make so blatant an effort to whitewash it. More important, however, I am sad. Sad that two black students lost their lives so brutally, and yet I am mad, even sadded at another loss .. the conscience of t h i s University. For years the University of Michigan was recognized as a cen- ter not so much of radicalism, but rather of great student involve- ment and concern. What has hap- pened here? Why does a massive leaf-letting campaign fail to bring about even a ripple of response at the Purdue game? Why is it that the students throw snowballs at the one lone student playing taps during the time the peaceful chant- ing of "Stop Student Murders" was to have taken place? Why is it that the once liberal administration of this University could not even make a token effort of recognition for the tragedy that took place at Southern University? Couldn't there have been at least a moment of silence at the foot- Te r By MICKEY MATUS ONCE UPON A time, in a place called Asu, there lived a people of many heights. They were named according to their heights, and their names were the smallest peo- ple, the little people, the average people, the tall people and t h e giants. The majority of the people were the little and average people, but the leader of Asu was one of the tall people. He was known as King Dick, and his period of rule began in the year nineteen hundred and sixty.. eight. The people liked it when King Dick became ruler because he told them many things that they liked. The country of,Asu had been in turmoil and King Dick promised to return the country to stability and that through him, all the peo- ball game and certainly the flag should have been at half-staff? Admittedly these are nominal efforts, but there were millions of people watching that game w h o could have seen that the University of Michigan cares about two mar- tyred students and the cause for which they died. And what of that cause? Why is it that a demand by so called rad- icals for greater representation should be received so poorly? Why is it that student murders only gain notoriety when they oc- cur at a white middle class school like Kent State? Why it is that the students of this University are simply so goddammed complacent? Yes, I am sad. I grieve for two lost souls, and I grieve for a far greater loss . . . the conscience of this once great University. -Jed Mandel, '74 Rob Fields, '76 Nov. 20 Sad song To The Daily: I MUST take exception to a careless statement made by your reviewer in the Nov. 15 article about Christopher Parkening's re- cital, that Debussy and ;navel ?'overlooked" the guitar, which would have supposedly been better suited to their music than the "percussive and mechanistic" piano. This, I think, betrays a common misconception about both the "Sm- pressionist" musical style and she nature of the piano itself. Though the piano indeed contains an ela- borate playingmechanism, t h i s mechanism must be activated and controlled by a human being. Me does not have direct contact with the source of sound, but he is able to manipulate an almost limitless range of dynamics, tone colors, and sound combinations. It is this multi-faceted quality that intrigued Debussy and Ravel to write their greatest works for the instrument, rather than employ- ing the more restricted dynamic and sonorous range of the guitar. Indeed, they often relied on many of the piano's percussive qualities which Mr. Chernus apparently re- gards as deficiencies. Anybody who really thinks this music is supposed to be "haunting" and "dreamy" is dreaming! -Lawrence Goldman Nov. 16 The Editorial Page of The Michigan Daily is open to any- one who w i s hes to submit articles. Generally speaking, all articles should be less than 1,000 words. z_ I *1 reign of King DOick: Asu s saga 4 ple would once again be happy. King Dick stated that his rule would be one of democracy, and that all the people would be heard, even the smallest people and t h e little people. This made the people rejoice even more. They had heard of democracy be- cause this is what the battle across the river was about. The people didn't know too much about the battle across the river, but they had been told that the battle was necessary, and that without it the coutnry would be swept off the map by the enemy, and that the world would laugh and laugh at Asu if it became peaceful. King Dick had made the people happy. Living didn't change much, though. The giants continued in their greedy and self-centered life l -- style, and the smallest and little people had not yet become accus- tomed to their new privileges. The average and tall people were not affected by King Dick's policy, and they remained quiet. All in all, Asu had only changed in one way .. . the people were now happy. THIS HAPPINESS didn't 1 a s t long. The battle across the river was still the same. Until this time, the people had accepted the bat- tle, but now they could voice their opinions. So they started asking for the reasons behind the battle across the river. King Dick continued to run Asu as he wanted. When the smallest and little people complained, they were ignored. And the battle across the river continued. The number of smallest and little people dying in the battle was becoming too great for the smallest and little people to take. They started gath- ering in large groups and telling the average and tall people what was happening. They didn't tell the giants . . . the giants never listen- ed. NOW KING DICK started to take notice of what was going on in Asu. He told the people not to wor- ry, that he had everything under control and that Asu was return- ing to stability. Once again t h e average and tall people were satis- fied, but this time the smallest and little people were angry and mad, and they felt that they had been cheated. "We'll have to show him that we have a large number and are very concerned." This the small- est, little and even average people set out to do. They started organiz- ing, not into small, local groups, but into large national groups. Then they agreed on a date to I you CA'NMTC A t3W6 T~fR'U- ALUMSr E3 W&AR-. IN6 L-L- AL-&)A, Y' e r V(otfMC6E TUE-CL-cALYC BE CORkUPB(OKY D 0 in- AVI1MG Lc'RV T0 I 1 J THE GIANTS could make things very unpleasant for King Dick. They knew this, and so did King Dick . . . His armor rusted a bit, ... but he kept the giants happy. W&~C ~bl, A WA 5 AU PATh C T Cl/cX) 66i0R t..- MRR1gor! smiled. They knew that King Dick wouldn't dare upset them. They had too much invested in the bat- tle. They had too much power for King Dick to fight. They could make things very unpleasant f o r Kming Dick. Thev knew this .aI bolic coffins in protest of the bat- tle. They came and after three days, they went home, hoping for a change. They were confident that King Dick would :have to follow his N \/ -7 kINT. E IN 1