Page 4-Thursday, October 27, 1977-The Michigan Daily
ibe St baan aiIs
Eighty-Eight Years of Editorial Freedom
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Vol. LXXXVIII, No. 43 News Phone: 764-0552 j
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan*B r
Tr iue to AnitaBrant is
" " 1a *
BEST OPTION IS NUCLEAR POWER:
Energy need not
be limited
not a joke-
HILE WE weren't looking, it
seems, the Michigan State Leg-
. islature has been conspiring to insult
us.
Members ofthe Michigan House of
Representatives are considering a
resolution of tribute to anti-gay activist
Anita Bryant, for her "brave and
righteous campaign" against
M homosexuals in Dade County, Florida
this summer.
That a single House representative
would even write a commendation for
Bryant is shocking, but the fact that 50
other Michigan representatives are co-
sponsoring the resolution is downright
frightening.
The tribute, which now sits before
the Committee on House Policy in Lan-
sing, applauds the singer for her
strength against what is termed "a
nonrepresentative national media,"
and a "massive, biased and shameful
attack" against her.
The resolution goes on to happily
point out the defeat of Dade County's
Homosexual Rights Ordinance by a 40
it's an insult
Is Congres
save energy
TT HAS BEEN made evident these
blast few months that the Carter ad-
ministration's energy policy is in trou-
ble. Both houses of Congress have
shown no haste in dismantling the
plan; adding some of their own pro-
visions there and deleting others here.
Washington representatives have
been under constant heavy pressure
from both the oil lobbies and from the
White House. The President has made
it clear that his plan is the centerpiece
of his administration's domestic policy
objectives.
One provision of the energy plan as
proposed by President Carter was a
series of taxes to be levied on owners'of
"gas-guzzling" cars. These taxes
would have been gradually increased
over a period of years, as would be the
gas mileage standards on all cars.
When the Senate Finance Commit-
tee got hold of the tax, however, it was
drastically altered. In place of the
initial plan, Senator Howard Metzen-
i baum (D-Ohio) asked for and received
g Senate support for a proposal to ban
, production of all gas-guzzling cars af-
Ster 1980.
Of course, this plan was decried by
auto manufacturers. They let loose
their own lobbyists on Washington, in
an attempt to convince Congressmen
to reject the Metzenbaum proposal. It
per cent margin, primarily as a result
of a campaign by Bryant. The com-
mendation conveniently avoids
characterizing the inflated and archaic
arguments she used to secure such a
defeat.
What is perhaps more enraging
than the wording of the resolution itself
is the attitude of its primary sponsor,
Mark Siljander (R-Three Rivers), who
says he didn't introduce it "to make an
issue." Getting the State House to take
a stand against gay rights apparently
doesn't qualify as an issue.
It is at least a small relief to learn
that a few members of the Committee
are not seriously considering the
tribute. As the chairman rightly points
out, such a bill would honor a person
"who favors taking away the rights of
others." Any threat that such
legislation could be approved is a step
backward for human rights.
Needless to say, the State
Legislature has no right to commend
Anita Bryant, nor has it any business
to be considering such a bill.
s trying to
or waste it?
was hard enough to conform to present
government safety and gas mileage
regulations, the companies claimed,
and the newest proposal was an attem-
pt by the administration to control
their entire operations.
Thus, under these circumstances,
news came from the capital Tuesday
that a House-Senate committee
debating the Carter energy plan voted
23-1 to oppose the Metzenbaum plan.
The' committee's decision has all but
killed any chance of a final domestic
energy plan including a ban on gas-
guzzling cars.
The Congress is running out of time
to pass a meaningful new energy
policy. Recent moves at chopping up
the Carter policy are totally out of step
with the directions this country will
have to take in order to save itself from
becoming an energy vaccuum.
The Metzenbaum ban on gas-
guzzling cars represented a construc-
tive compromise. It would have helped
persuade automakers to stop fighting
energy conservation and start contrib-
uting to it.
After Tuesday's action, there is
only one question to be asked of Con-
gress: Which direction are you going
in; are you attempting to conserve en-
ergy or waste it?
They do not seem to know the an-
swer.
By R. L. MARSH
Recently, the Daily featured an
article on the protest of some 100
misguided environmentalists
against nuclear power. It is time
to put this issue into its proper
perspective.
Despite the hysteria and at-
tempted obfuscation, the stub-
born fact persists: nuclear en-
ergy remains the safest and most
desirable form of large scale
power generation. The opposition
is not really based on considera-
tions of safety, waste disposal,
terrorism, etc. - as these have
all been investigatedtand dealt
with by competent individuals
and groups worldwide. The oppo-
sition is instead grounded in a
more fundamental dislike of
large-scale centralized energy
conversion. However, consider
the oft-cited alternatives of solar,
wind, geothermal energy and
others out - all of which are
grossly inefficient by compari-
son. These are so unsuited to the
needs of a modern industrial'
society that any attempt to base
an energy policy upon them
would mean a near irrevocable
collapse of the economy (and the
ecology!)
IN FACT, as has been noted by
many observers, there is a close
correlation between the rate of
energy consumption and the
economic well-being of a country.
It is a neo-Malthusian folly to
think that this process is con-
strained by some chimerical
"limits to growth." Every society
has been faced by resource or
energy crises. There is really
nothing surprising in this. Society
at any point finds an existing lev-
el of technology which defines a
certain resource base. Such re-
sources are, of course, exhausti-
ble over time. The unique feature
of human history is man's
creative capacity to generate
solutions (e.g. new technologies
which define new resources) to
such problems. That is, man de-
velops more advanced scientific
ceptable standard of living. In the
face of such enormous challeng-
es, one is left wondering how any-
one can seriously propose cutting
back energy consumption.
That this point has not been lost
on other nations is evidenced by
the recent undertaking between
west Germany and Brazil con-
cerning the transfer of nuclear
technology. Similar deals involv-
ing France, the Soviet Union, Ja-
"Despite the hysteria and attempt-
ed obfuscation, the stubborn fact
persists: nuclear energy remains the
safest and most desirable form of
large scle, power
generation.
and cultural conceptions which
transform the society.
It should be clear that exactly
such progress is what is needed
today. Present economic realities
feature vast idle capacity, obso-
lescence and shutdown in basic
industry, collapsed exports, and
a shrinkage of the skilled labor
pool. when one looks at the Third
World, the situation is even more
staggering. It is an urgent neces-
sity to eliminate the labor-inten-
sity and low productivity of ag-
riculture and to accelerate indus-
trialization in order to bring the
majority of humanity to an ac-
pan, and Mexico have just been
concluded.
THE SITUATION in the U.S. is
somewhat different, but equally
promising. Congressional activi-
ties have left Carter's conserva-
tion-oriented energy policy in a
shambles. In this context the U.S.
Labor Party and the conserva-
tive National Coalition of Inde-
pendents on Issues have been ac-
tively organizing political, indus-
trial, and trade-union forces
around a program of industrial
growth, as outlined in the Labor
Party's Nuclear Energy Develop-
i
ment Act. The critical features of
this act include:
* an immediate increase inth
number of fission reactors.
* full funding for the Clinch
River Breeder project with the
aim of late 1980s commercial
production of the Liquid Metal
Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR).
* perhaps most importantly,
the gearing up of research and
development, and the infrastruc-
tural work required to make nu-
clear fusion realizable by the end
of the century.
Over the last few weeks, vari-
ous political figures have ex-
pressed an interest in or a com-
mitment to such a policy. A num-
ber of state legislatures and
trade-union locals havetalready
gone on record supporting the
Labor Party's earlier call for the
rapid development of fusion and
the expansion of the fusion pro-
gram by the earliest possible
date.
What is needed to realize this
potential is appropriate action by
persons in positions of responsi-
bility and good old-fashioned
grass roots pressure to force such
action. Let Congress know,-
nuclear energy is needed now!
R. L. Marsh is a member ol
the U.S. Labor Party, as well
as the student chapter of the
American Nuclear Society.
I1 H
PUP~rnCRO UG iT TO
'Ai. k
Letters to
The Daily
r____. .. _- _. .
ANYODY
WHO HATE-S OIL. AND C-AS PRICE REGULA'notAS
CAt" r BE ALL. BA,
9
" III ^ t ,
gyn. an"
Sports advice
To The Daily:
Well, the University of Michigan finally
lost their first game. While the season is cer-
tainly not over, Bo would be wise to learn
from his lesson. Now is the time to develop a
passing attack to compliment his well bal-
anced running. Certainly the weak passing at-
tack against Minnesota showed that Michigan
could use much improvement in that depart-
ment. Every season finale, Michigan is
caught by surprise when they play a well bal-
anced team, be it USC or Ohio State.
Michigan should begin to open up their attack
so when the "big" games do come, they will
be ready.
- Todd Menenberg
"
defacing posters
To The Daily:
The practice of defacing publicity posters
for campus events by the people who commis-
sion them in order to discourage rip-offs is
causing increasing uproar among those of us
who work very hard to design them.
In addition to their informational purpose
the posters are designed to be'pieces of art
and should be respected as such.
Alternative means of distribution or dis-
play may be in order such as the printing of
more posters or even flyers so that the infor-
mation reaches its intended audience before
being ripped-off, without incurring too much
added expense.
Rip-off is preferable to defacement in our
minds, however such poster collecting is en-
couraged to take place after the publicized
event has occurred.
- The Graphic Design
Production Workshop
cern felt by those involved. I do agree that a
more appropriate location for the gym annex
could have been selected, but I question the
allegations that the site near the scene of the
1970 shootings was deliberately chosen to
cloud any further investigations into the mat-
ter. I do believe that the interests of the KSU
Board of Trustees are narrowly directed. Cer-
tainly it is not the choice of the townspeople of
Kent for such conflict to occur over the
situation. Once before were their businesses
defaced and their security threatened. It is
not pleasant to live within the confines of
National Guardsmen.
I do appreciate your efforts to improve the
situation at Kent State. So continue with your
information meetings, flyers, and speeches,
your petitions and armbands. Educate people
about the progression of your goals in Kent.
Be supportive, show concern. But please stay
here. Neither the university nor the town
deserve the anxiety and defamation induced
by mass rallies on the KSU campus. The repu-
tation of an educational institution is at stake.
I am thankful that my diploma will bear the
name of the University of Michigan, for I fear
that Kent State University may be regarded
in the future only by the light of this tumult.
Continue your support, but please consider
those primarily influenced by your impetu-
ousness.
- Ann Snyder
south africa
To The Daily:
The admirably lucid article by Rod
Kosann on the situation in South Africa
provokes certain reflections. We must grant
that it is difficult at best to secure racial har-
mony and justice in a land where two
European elements - the Dutch and the
English - and four non-European elements
Some form of literacy test, applied equally to
allraces, would perhaps meet the needs of the
moment.
A racial test is always unjust. There is no
race under the sun that does not contain many
able people, quite competent to govern them-
selves. There is also no race, unfortunately,
which has not some individuals unfit to
govern themselves or others.
Moreover, the present South African
government is not only undemocratic but
highly illiberal as well. Arbitrary arrests,
imprisonments, "house arrests," and censor-
ships under the so-called "anti-Communist
laws" reproduce the worst features of Com-
munism. Tyrannical measures to "save civ-
ilization" is "to commit suicide from fear of
death."
- Preston Slosson,
professor emeritus
"
israel questio
To The Daily:
Dr. Zvi Gitelman, University of Michiga
professor of political science, spoke on th
Jewish-Palestinian question. His knowledg
of the question was the knowledge that i
necessary for anyone to reach a fair an
honest judgment of the solution of this im
portant question which must be solved t
prevent a world wide and possibly an atomi
war.
He agrees that Israel is certainly entitle
to a country of its own 'in Jerusalem an
equally agrees that the Palestinians are en
titled to a country of their own established o
the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Both sides should agree to this becaus
they both want peace, not war. And all th
world should help both of them get it by en
couraging both sides to get together and bot