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Eightytwo years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Brandt victory: A
break with the past
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.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1972
New ward bo uary plan
POLITICS IS A game played by those
who desire power, either, for them-
selves, for others, or for the people. One
of the tools that is employed to obtain
this power is redistricting - the altering
of political boundaries to favor those
setting the boundaries.
For nearly two years, the Ann Arbor
Ward Boundary Commission has been
attempting to set new ward lines in the
city. From the beginning, this effort has
been plagued by accusations, haggling,
and abortive settlements.
NiX011 'bombs'
LETTING US know what President Nix-
on's mandate means, Press Secre-
tary Ron Ziegler dropped word that Elliot
Richardson, who compiled a mediocre re-
cord at best as Secretary of Health, Edu-
cation, and Welfare, will become Secre-
tary of Defense. Richardson will succeed
Melvin Laird in that position..
Laird, who earned the nickname
"Bombs" while matriculating at Carleton
College, was best known for his shiny
forehead that resembled an anti-ballis-
tic missile and his beady eyes. His illogi-
cal defense of Vietnam involvement,
ABM, and defense spending remain the
pillars on which the American defense
temple is positioned.
In Richardson, the President gets the
kind of public servant that is quite able
to carry forward the "Bombs" tradition..
After his handling of the sensitive prob-
lems in health and welfare, one could
readily see that he was better fit for work
with machines anyway.
-DAN BORUS
A compromise has finally been reach-
ed between the Demicratic and Human
Rights members on the commission.
They have submitted a plan to City
Council for approval.
This plan should receive council sup-
port.
Councilmen Robert Faber and Nelson
Meade, both Democrats, oppose the com-
promise plan on the grounds that it was
drawn to satisfy political demands and
that the lines were gerrymandered.
They are mistaken, however, if they
feel that there has been any success-
ful previous attempt by the boundary
commission to draw a non-political, non-
gerrymandered system of wards in the
city.
From the nature of city ward govern-
ment, all that can come out of such
boundary commissions are partisan at-
tempts to garner political gains. In many
cities, the ward concept, a vestige of the
boss era, has been replaced by a city-
wide system of proportional representa-
tion.
SOME CLAIM that the compromise plan
favors the Republicans, and there
are thase who claim that the plan favors
the Democrats. They base their opinions
on the returns from last spring's elec-
tions.
It should be kept in mind that the
only way any party is going to receive
the share of votes it desires, is to win
voters, not twist boundaries. The only
statistics that matter are not last April's
election results but the return of future
elecions.
That is how the political game is won
or lost.
-DAVID BURHENN
By ALFRED GROSSER
WHAT A marvelous triumph! You
can quibble about it by argu-
ing that it was helped by a favour-
able economic and international
climate, that it was one m o r e
victory by an established leader.
But it is precisely everything that
Willy Brandt stands for which mak-
es his election victory last Sun-
day so magnificent.
At the heart of it all was a break
with the past. Or more exactly, a
past accepted, assimilated, over-
come. The Chancellor enhanced his
prestige when he went down on his
knees at the memorial in the War-
saw ghetto, his acceptance of the
consequences of the Nazi war work-
ed in his favour. A massive slan-
der campaign concentrating on the
"Norwegian" phase of his life did
not affect him at all. Bonn is quite
clearly not Weimar. Exorcised at
last is that old curse going back to
1923 which equated the Social Dem-
ocrats with inflation, and inflation
with the worst calamities possible.
And money was vanquished by
militant commitment. H e r r
Brandt's ruling coalition was not
exactly bereft of campaign funds,
but the opposition Christian Dem-
ocrat Union had truly vast resourc-
es at its disposal. It was only an
unprecedented mobilization which
allowed the voters to become poli-
tically aware in an intelligent way.
A MASSIVE vote is usually said
to be the result of a stampede to
the polling booths by a panic-strick-
en nonpolitical electorate. T h i s
time it was the age bracket in
which abstention from voting was
most marked in 1969 - y o u n g
people, that is, who were reached
by the campaigning of innumer-
able civic-minded militants, rang-
ing from celebrated writers down
to the anonymous distributors of
handbills, turned out overnight by
the million to answer opposition
arguments intthe pressrand on tele-
vision. Daring paid off, as did good
sense and honesty.
Curiously enough, defections by
Liberal and Social Democrat depu-
ties appear to have voted in Herr
Brandt's favour by prompting the
coalition to close ranks behind a
4
A w /\
N4fl
Britain are at the center, and the
no)itilian who moves too far to the
right or the left loses the elections.
This adroitness is going to cause
a lot of problems for the Chancellor
with the leading faction of his own
party, and render his social and
economic policies ambigious.
At the same time, his kind atti-
tude towards the Liberals (FDP)
is going to make then forget that
they owe much of their revival to
the intelligent determination of
thousands of voters not to let the
poll drop below the fateful S per
cent mark, which would have elim-
inated them from Parliament and
given the Christian Democrats an
absolute majority.
At least, that was what w a s
thought. For Social Democrats
alone were :expected to gain more
seats than their opponents. The
SPD has in fact emerged, a n d
quite handsomely, from the un-
hapy situation they had been in of
iever-ending minority governments.
Like the Labour Party in Britain,
and its fellow parties in Scandin-
avia and Austria, the SPD has
succeeded in giving the Federal Re-
public something it lacked in Ade-
nauer's time to become a real
democracy: the possibility of a
genuine alternation of power.
A HEAVY turn-out, respect for
the voter, an incitement to whole-
hearted commitment rather than
passion, to a determination to
build rather than hate and bit-
terness: yes, the Federal Ger-
man Republic has just witnessed
the triumph of democracy, a tri-
umph which leaves people in
France with mixed feelings. It
makes them a bit envious, for the
comparison with France is inevit-
able. But also rather satisfied,
since all those who for the 1 a s t
quarter century have been bet-
ting on the democratic future of
the new West German State now
find themselves amply rewarded
for their steadfastness.
Alfred Grosser is a writer for
Le Monde. Reprinted with per-
mission.
Super Beetle
man victimised treachery. A pre-
liminary analysis of the results
shows that women voters were
grateful to a government w h i c h
was begining to tackle frankly a
problem as tragic as abortion.
The big loser here is the Ger-
man episcopate, which in the last
two years had been moving in a
direction diametrically opposite to
that of its French counterpart.
Whereas the major political p r o -
nouncements of the French episco-
pate stress both pluralism and the
demands of social justice, t h e
German Church took a direct part
in the election campaign to fight
on behalf of the most entrenched
principles of private life.
So, for instance, the pre-election
Sunday sermon was not merely sat-
isfied with severely condemning
any tinkering with the Penal Code's
article 118, prohibiting abortion,
but went on to declare that it was
proof that old people would short-
ly be sacrificed in the name of
economic efficiency. Such state-
ments would have had a capital
effect a few years ago, but today
their impact is quite limited.
Adroitness, no doubt, a 1 s o had
something to do with it. But then,
must honesty necessarily be mala-
droit? Herr Brandt understood far
better than Senator McGovern the
humdrum realities which limit soc-
ial change. The bulk of voters in
Germany as well as in the US and
Letters: AAUP
clarifies Green stand'
Now, the 'real issues'
GORGE ROMNEY has resigned from
the Nixon cabinet and announced
plans to head a "non-partisan ... body
of truth seekers and communicators ...
on life and death issues . . . in a coali-
tion of concerned citizens."
The emphasis on non-partisanship was
striking, since President-elect Nixon
stressed in 1968 that his would be an in-
elusive, "bring us together" administra-
tion with Democrats at the highest lev-
els. When Sen. Henry Jackson declined
the. defense cabinet post, all the Presi-
dent got was John Connally.
Romney slammed the failure of both
Nixon and McGovern to discuss the "real
Editorial Staff
SARA FITZGERALD
Editor
PAT BAUER..........Associate Managing Editor
LINDSAY CHANEY ................Editorial Director
MARR DILLEN.................. Magazine Editor
LINDA DREEBEN........Associate Managing Editor
TAMMY JACOBS.................Managing Editor
ARTHUR LERNER............... Editorial Director
ROBERT SCHREINER ...........Editorial Director
GWRIA JANE SMITH ................. Arta Editor
ED SUROVELL........... .... ......Books Editor
PAUL TRAVIS...........Associate Managing Editor
NIGHT EDITORS: Robert Barkin, Jan Benedetti, Di-
ane Levick, Jim O'Brien, Chris Parks, Charles
Stein, Ted Stein.
COPY EDITORS: Meryl Gordon, Debra Thai.
EDITORIAL NIGHT EDITORS: Fred Shell Martin
Stern.
DAY EDITORS: Dave Burhenn, Jim Kentch, Marilyn
Riley, Judy Ruskin, Eric Schoch, Sue Stephen-
son, Ralph Vartabedian, Becky Warner.
TELEGRAPH/ASSOCIATE NIGHT EDITORS: Prakash
Awani, Gordon Atcheson, Laura Berman, Penny
Blank, Dan Blugerman, Bob Burakoff, Beth Eg-
nater, Ted Evanoff, Cindy Hill, Debbie Knox,
David Stoll, Terri Terrell.
issues" - including problems of the
cities, U. S. industry in world competi-
tion and the growing power of trade
unions and business corporations.
"I'm a living example of the fact that
you can't afford to be right too soon and
win. If you go back to my record on
Vietnam you will see I was right. But
even the press didn't understand my po-
sitions well enough to report them so I
was washed out," he remarked (empha-
sis not Romney's).
ROMNEY SHOULD be welcomed to the
field of "real issue" discussion. He
might start out by saying why he didn't
straighten out both the press and the
President on his Vietnam position over
the last four years, or what he thinks
and what he has done for or against a
graduated income tax in this state.
The ex-governor condemned the poli-
ticians' "fear of offending uninformed
voters and thus losing votes." So true,
George, they fear offending the unin-
formed, but have no scruples when it
comes to the informed.
-ARTHUR LERNER
Today's staff:
News: Debbie Allen, Jan Benedetti, Pot
Bauer, Terry Martin, Jerry Nanninga,
Judy Ruskin
Editorial Page: Lindsay Chaney, K a t h y l
Ricke
Arts Page: Herb Bowie
Photo technician: Rolfe Tessem
To The Daily:
LET ME amplify The Daily's re-
port of Wed., Nov. 22, that the
American Association of Univer-
sity Profesors (AAUP) has "re-
fused to back" Prof. Mark Green's
request that a chemistry depart-
mental committee's findings of 'in-
appropriate" use of class time be
overturned.
Both the executive committee of,
the local chapter and the Wash-
ingtoncoffice are studying the case
and will continue to do so. The
local chapter's executive commit-
tee recently decided to take a neu-
tral stand, for the present, to avoid
any pre-judgment of an issue not,
yet resolved.
AAUP procedures call for fur-
ther investigation, if any, only by
the Washington office to ensure the
utmost objectivity. The local chap-
ter's role is basically that of in-
termediary and aid in communica-
tion.
-Sheridan Baker
President, Michigan Chap-
ter AAUP
Nov. 25
Black plan'
To The Daily:
CITY COUNCIL will vote Wed-
nesday night on a proposed plan
to redraw Ann Arbor's five wards.
The plan is known as the "Black
Plan" and, while it has been de-
scribed as a compromise that
would assure liberal-radical c o n-
trol of city council, it in no way
guarantees this. In fact, it is more
likely to produce a Republican ma-
jority.
Based on last April's vote, t h i s
plan's first ward is a Democratic-
HRP tossup. The second ward has
HRP about three-to-two over Demo-
crats with Republicans far behind.
The third ward is sixty percent
Republican.
Republicans get about fifty per-
cent in the fifth ward, with Demo-
crats about einght percent (about
600 votes) behind. The fourth ward
gives Republicans about a f i v e
percent margin over the Demo-
crats. HRP is far behind in bath
wards.
Considering the unusually srong
races run last year by Democrats
Franz Mogdis and Mona W a i z
and a low Republican turnout in
those areas, the Republican lead
in the fifth ward will be very hard
to overcome. The fourth ward is
more hopeful, but is not at all
certain.
What this demonstrates is a
strong possibility of a Republican
majority on council: HRP h a s
stated that, if the "Black Plan".
which it supports, is defeated, their
council people will vote for the
Republican "Green Plan" 'vhich
assuresGOP control.aIt sems aw-
fully strange that a left-ra dical
party should be so wiliing to en-
hance the fortunes of conservative
Republicans.
-Tom Wieder
Nov. 28
Poison water
To The Daily:
WHILE THE United States fed-
eral and most state and local gov-
ernments pretend to be concerned
about the pollution of our nation's
air, water and land, many of these
governments deliberately poison
the drinking water of millions of
people by the deadliest most wick-
ed and illegal method of pollution
ever devised by man.
Three Wayne University profes-
sors found bone damage in r a t s
who were fed 1 part per million
sodium fluoride for six months.
They presented their evidence to
the Wayne County Medical Society.
No qualified doctor prescribes
the same medicine for all of his
patients, yet lay people, who have
no knowledge of medicine, a r e
forcing everyone in many cities to
take a deadly poison in uncontrol-
lable doses every day for a life-
time. This procedure probably has
some relation to the behavior of
many people. Fluoridation of public
water supplied denies human free-
dom, the freedom of a doctor to
treat his patient as he thinks best
and the freedom of the patient to
choose whether to accept or reject
the medication advised.
There is evidence that flourida-
tion does not prevent tooth decay,
and that it makes conservative
dentistry more difficult. The only
safe and effective way to prevent
tooth decay is by not using white
sugar and foods containing t h i s
sugar. Any doctor should know that
refined sugar combines with cal-
cium in the body - thus robbing it
of necesary calcium for teeth and
bones.
The treatment of tooth decay,
like that of other non-contagious
diseases is not a matter of public
health, but it is one of individual
health and freedom.
-Louise2Waldon
Nov. 20
Rep blicans
To The Daily:
IT IS WITH great sorrow that
we note that The Daily failed to
acknowledge more than one of the
many possible Republicanbcandi-
dates for mayor of Ann Arbor. Al-
though James Stephenson is most
certainly the front runner, we know
of at least three other potential
candidates - Louis Ernst, J o h n
Hathaway, and Bowen Alpern.
While we would find any of these
three highly preferable to M r.
Stephenson, we feel that Mr. Al-
pern most embodies the principles
and policies of Radical Republi-
cans. It is for this reason that the
Ann Arbor Chapter of Radical Re-
publicans urges the candidacy of
Mr. Alpern.
We also feel that the candidacy
of Bowen Alpern would be a first
step towards removing the stigma
of Richard Nixon from the Repub-
lican party.
-Steve Gurevitz, '76
Thomas Jefferson Penn III,
'74
Co-chairpersons, Radical
Republicans
Nov. 27
"All right, you can rinse out your mouth now
..as long as you don't use water."
ABOlUT QV6R AAAl
A STR~O GJ
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OF CIVW p. RGHT.
Family planning
To The Daily:
AN ARTICLE published in t h e
Sunday, November 5 issue of the
Ann Arbor News announced the
plans of the new Family Planning
Medical Service, Inc., to open a
clinic serving people in Washtenaw
County. This non-profit clinic would
replace the present Planned Parent-
hood facility in Ann Arbor, and it
would be run by a seven-member
board controlled by physicians.
Planned Parenthood officers, a
philanthropist, and other high stat-
us people.
In response to these develop-
ments, community women have or-
ganized the Coordinating Commit-
tee for Representation of Women
in Health Planning. The group,
whose aim is to secure consumer
power in all health services, has
written a position statement and is
negotiating for increased con-
sumer representation on the soon-
to-be-established Board of Family
Planning Medical Service, Inc.
The Service's planers have re-
sponded positively thus far, and we
are anticipating a real first in
health care for Washtenaw Coun-
ty - a privately operated clinic
which, by incorporating consumer
power at the policy making level,
recognizes that health care is a
basic right and a public good.
The Coordinating Committee for
ning Medical Service Board. All
concerned women are invited to
work on this proposal at 8 p.m. on
Wednesday, Nov. 29, at St. An-
drew's Church, 306 North Division,
Ann Arbor (lower entrance on Divi-
sion St.). Everyone who is new
to the work will be brought up to
date by a review at the beginning
of the meeting. So please attend -
we must have a good cross-section
of women in the community!
Health care for people - not for
profit!
-Jan BenDor
Coordinating Committee
for the Representation
of Women in
Health Planning
Nov. 21
Get involved-
write your reps!
Sen. Philip Hart (Dem), Rm.
253, Old Senate Bldg., Capitoi
Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515.
Sen. Robert Griffin (Rep),
Rm. 353 Old Senate Bldg., Cape
itol Hill, Washington, D.C.
20515.
Rep. Marvin Eseh (Rep), Rm.
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