Page 4-Tuesday, October 25, 1977-The Michigan Daily Eighty-Eight Years of Editorial Freedom 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Vol. LXXXVIII, No. 41 News Phone: 764-0552 Edfited and managed by students at the University of Michigan ToMSA:Don't evict ethnic political groups from Unio: I AM a T-HA~ic(Au. 0 o ,' Ir UtI. THW OIL, P FFUJ6. 0 40 R+:F c r a M ยข ~ ~ w I WI t Ga)T~aA t ,60 I PL% T~c~CRS . 1W, I'4O7 q-za- AST FRIDAY morning, President Robben Fleming summarized a 'discouraging outline of the student ac- tivities space problem by telling the 'Regents, "Students often get impatient with our speed of movement, but what they forget is that while they have one problem to solve, we may have fifty." President Fleming was only par- tially right: students are impatient, and rightfully so after years of over- 4 crowding and incompetent manage- ment and the construction and expan- (sion that have been discussed by student leaders and administrators is (complicated. To the President it may in fact represent fifty problems, and 'we cautiously applaud the first steps -.taken by administrators to work with students on the problem. But Fleming is poorly informed if. "he sees the space problem as a simple,' unified student cause the way they used to make causes. Tomorrow, the Michigan Student, Assembly (MSA), which has shown so much responsibility in planning for the future, may undo its careful work by turning on a number of political and ethnic organizations and deny them of- fice space in the Union. In a debate before his successful campaign for MSA president last week, senior John Lauer said that he wants to establish a rapport with stu- dents, to answer "questions about (MSA's) existence." HERE IS JOHN LAUER'S oppor- tunity; to build a solid student base for MSA. Office space is in short supply in the Union, but unless MSA, the group responsible for matching of- fices with activities, asks organiza- tions to divide up the space equally, the new MSA president may as well re- sign himself to the lackluster support MSA has received in the past. Then, if MSA decides to drop its dis- criminatory office selection process, students might be able to concentrate on some of the causes that President Fleming can easily recall from recent history. Students working together with "one problem to solve." c , ht hdiijan gf'a-IV BUSINESS STAFF DEBORAH DREYFUSS.....................Business Manager COLLEEN HOGAN.................Operations Manager ROD KOSANN ............................ Sales Manager NANCY GRAU......................Display Manager ROBERT CARPENTER ...............Finance Manager SHELLEY SEEGER.................... Classified Manager SUSAN BAIRY..................National Ad Manager PETE JPETERSEN ................ Advertising Coordinator STAFF MEMBERS: Steve Barany, Bob Bernstein, Richard Campbell, Joan Chartier, Fred Coale, Caren Collins, Pam Counen, Lisa Culberson, Kim Ford, Bob Friedman, Kathy Friedman,' Denise Gilardone, Nancy Granadier, Cindy Greer, Amy Hart- man, Susan Heiser, Larry, Juran, Carol Keller, Randy Kelley, Dough Kendall, Katie Klinkner, Jon Kottler, Lisa Krieger, Debbie Litwak, Deb Meadows, Art Meyers, John Niemisto, John O'Connor, Seth Petok, Dennis Ritter, Arlene Saryan, Carole Schults, Claudia Sills, Jim Tucker, Karen Urbani, Beth Warren Letters to The Daily YOU GONNA TELL YOUR PAP 1-AT YOU FAILED YOUR MAII 2TEST? I human rights Rod Kosann's article "Hypocrisy on Human Rights" published in the Michgan 'daily on October 19, 1977 deserves at- tention not so much for its aggressive and unbridled attack on the integrity of the American Chief Executive as it is for the lack of objectivity displayed by its standard of human rights across the African continent. This may be desirable, but it is so impossible to affect that a demand for it borders on the unrealistic. A uniform standard of human rights across Africa, or any other region for that matter is impossible for reasons that a universal standard of human rights is impossible to affect. First and foremost, Kosann ought to know that there is no common agreement along international lines as to what should constitute human rights and their violation. Nor is this surprising. In a world of several conflicting mores and values, one does not expect the situation to be otherwise. Secon- dly, even given that there is in- tuitive agreement on what con- stitutes fundamental human rights ability to protect same becomes a function of several variables. The following vari- ables deserve considerations. ONE DOES NOT have to stret- ch the imagination to realize that there is a-close tie between the economic health of a society and its ability to protect human righta. Take the case of the prisons for example where it is generally alleged that human rights violations are rampant. It is not hard to appreciate the fact that the more affluent societies of the world should be able to provide better living con- ditions for inmates. What may be considered a basic human need in these prisons may constitute luxuries for people in the free world in poorer sccieties. I am noe suggesting that poorer societies should stubbornly resist prison reforms. All I am trying to underscore is the fact that in a world of competing demands and scarcve resources, poorer societies would often view prison reform as low in national priorities. To every right there is a responsibility, is a well known cliche. Education is no panacea for the world's ills, but education helps to inform people absorb their social responsibilities. Un- fortunately, the level of education varies from society to society. Consequently, for practical pur- poses, the numbers of rights and freedoms vary from society to society. For some societies, cur- tailing of freedoms is counted upon to'insure the good behavior, of some people dangerously irresponsible both to themselves and to society at large. Law makers in the different societies are fearful about the several clandestine activities of the big powers. To the extent that this fear exists, law makers are bound to be cautious about the freedoms they permit in their societies. The poorer nations of the world have often been frequent victims of big powers' conspiracies. Often overlooked, this, however, is one of the major causes of human rights violation in developing nations. Chile and Uganda are cases in point. AN AIM OF all normal human societies is to achieve state security. This goal is common, the method and instruments for achieving same may vary from society to society. In the final analysis, what freedoms in a given society represents a trade off between state security without having to inconvenience the citizens or give the im- pression of a police state. Unfor- tunately, again, technological advances are different from society to society. Some societies must rely not on electronic devices but rather on armed personnel to monitor state security. This is quite true of the developing nations. This state of affairs sometimes results in a brush between security offices and citizens. But this is not a rule; at least not in Great Nigeria. Often these developing nations are labelled police state by visitors from more affluent societies. But this label is wrong for these nations are no more. policed than the more affluent ones are. It is only that their methods and instruments are dif- ferent. In the more advanced nations policing is performed by wire tapping, bugging, and probably by secret assassination of activists. In the developing nations the policing is done by armed personnels in the open. HAVING EXAMINED some of these variables, can Kosann in all good conscience and intelligence still demand a uniform standard for human rights across the American continent? As if this demand were not unfortunate enough, Kosann, in my view, sought to enlist the sympathy of white readers by suggesting that Carter cared for human rights only when it involved the racs. This is simply not supported by the record. I sincerely hope and pray that whites do not get misled by Kosann and his likes. No where has Carter decided human rights violation with the same boldness he showed in the alleged Ugandan case. I think the President laid waste diplomatic protocols when in public he men- tioned Idi Amin by name. Yet in Uganda the issue of human rights is one between black and blacks and not. between blacks and whites. Furthermore, in Brazil and the Soviet Union, the human rights issue is not one necessarily one between races. What else can Kosann be driving at ether than to sow the seeds of misgiving between the races? And to charge Carter with hypocrisy as Kosann did because the chief executive praised the Nigerian, head of state for promising to return his country to civilian rule by 1979, is to exhibit diplomatic naivete. In my view, such praises from Carter were a subtle and diplomatic way' of telling the Nigerian head of state that the U.S. would like to see and end to military rule in Nigeria. AND AGAIN to consider Nigeria's Olusejun Obasanjo a hypocrite and violator of human rights simply because he is head of the military regime is to suggest that every country shouls be fashioned after the image and likeness of America. This is not only impossible, but also it is un- desirable. Realistically speaking, in some countries military intervention in politics becomes necessary to restore peace and order. Secon- dly, Obasanjo happens to be a man whom circumstances made king. Those who have followed political events in Nigeria (and Kosann does not seem to be one of them) would have known that Obasanjo was appointed head of state after his superior officer, General Mohammad, was assassinated in an abortive coup, which some have blamed on foreign meddling. Therefore, Lt. Gen. Obisegan Obasanjo should be judged not on being the head of a military regime but rather on how he. manages the military in- tervention in politics to give the Nigerian people the necessary basis for a strong constitutional rule. At the moment many would give his integrity and performan- ce a clean bill of health: a new constitution is being debated by a cross section of the Nigerian population, the econony is per- forming well and education is no longer a privilege for the few but a right for many. And finally Kosann strikes me as being more than a Michigan Daily Sales Manager. He strikes me as a salesman to the American public the views of the apoloists of the status quo in South Africa. How else should he have asserted that the problems in South Africa should be settled in Johannesburg and not in Washington? True, a 'country's domestic problem should be set- tled within a country. But the problem of South Africa is no longer a domestic problem or at least it should no longer be viewed as one. WHEN OBASANJO spoke about the highly "volatile" state of that part of Africa, the general was not simply shouting "wolf". South Africa has the frightful potential to touch off a world- wide racial blood bath. Further- more, the state of things there may bring the super powers to a confrontation with the frightful possibilities of a nuclear -holocaust. Hence South Africa calls for a collective world action, and for Kosann's information this is a real role of the U.N. of which the U.S. is a key member. However, if Kosann is not satisfied with this explanation, he does not have very much to worry about. Increasingly African problems would be solved in Africa. The Nyereres and Obasanjos will not forever have to carry African problems to Washington or Moscow or New York. The Africa of tomorrow would be a place where African problems racial or otherwise, would be solved by Africans, for Africans and in Africa, and probably by any means necessary. -Riase Jakpor BLt I'LL BE FOUND1 NNOCENT BECAUSE OF THE INFLUENCE OF TELEVI10N A A I Students deserve office spac On October 14 most foreign student groups and all leftist political organizations were in- formed by the Michigan Stu- dent Assembly (MSA) that they were to be thrown out oJ their offices in the Michigan Union. The groups include the Sparta- cus Youth League, the Revolu- tionary Student Brigade, the Young Socialist Alliance, and the Organization of Arab Stu- dents, many of which have maintained offices for years. The proposed evictions are a direct attack on the democratic right of political expression and must be vigorously protested. The action was certainly not prepared arbitrarily. Michele Spraregen of the Student Or- ganizations Board (SOB) open- ly admitted that office space was deliberately denied to most political and foreign student organizations. Jasper DiGiu- raise their politics on college campuses. Beginning with the Berkeley Free Speech Move- ment, the radicals won the right to set up display tables, distribute literature, hold ral- lies and actively organize on campus. These rights are im- portant gains of the student movement that are now threat- ened by the MSA's action. For organizations attempting to disseminate political ideas These "guidelines" make clear the administration's intention to clamp down on campus radi- cals. According to the guide- lines, students will not be able to demonstrate their outrage at imperialist butchers such as Richard Nixon or Henry Kissin- ger on campus without facing, the threat of physical removal. Surely the University adminis- tration is pleased that the MSA is doing the dirty work of decision; the Supreme Court's . refusal to allow abortion to the poor; Anita Bryant's anti- homosexual "Save Our Chil- dren" crusade and Jimmy Carter's anti-Soviet "Human Rights" campaign. This assault on the democrat- ic rights of leftist groups is a threat to the freedom of expres- sion of all students. As in the past, the curtailing of demo- cratic rights on the population as a whole. We strongly protest this harrassment and urge students, professors, campus organizations and unions to demand: no evictions! No po- litical or racial discrimination by the MSA in allocation of office space! From the Spartacus Youth League on campus, office space is necessary for the storage of harrassing radicals and foreign student groups on campus with-