The pollution crisis of Europe iXlc Airdtgun Daily Eighty-Seven Years of Editorial Freedom 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 By ED GIRARDET Pacific News Service Saturday, October 2, 1976 News Phone: 764-0552j Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Sdfarewell w for Phil Hart THE ADJOURNMENT of Congress this week brings a sad and un- timely end to the distinguished leg- islative career of a giant on Capitol Hill: Michigan's retiring senior sena- tor, Philip Hart. Like the loss of a parent, Hart's absence will be un- questionably painful, for in place of the uncommon excellence, vision and sensitivity he brought to the upper body of Congress will be a void no other man can possibly fill. Few, if any, of Hart's colleagues would be embarrassed to admit that they love him. As the Senate's quint- essential gentleman, Hart drew re- spect and admiration from Demo- crats and Republicans alike. And in stark contrast to the bloated egos of most senators and representatives, Hart's style was characterized by hu- mility and even self-efficacy. Hart, it has often been said, rep- resented the conscience of the Sen- ate. He was the only senator to vote against the nomination of James Eastland for Senate President pro tem - because such a position put Eastland fourth in succession for the White House, and Hart considered him unfit for the job. He was an early and consistent critic of the Vietnam War, and seized the cause of civil rights as soon as anyone else. Hart also fought for consumers' interests, particularly in the area of antitrust legislation. He has worked long and hard for passage of a major antitrust enforcement bill, which, despite grumblings, President Ford saw fit to sign just yesterday. The legislation will allow state attorneys- general to file lawsuits against anti- trust violators on behalf of the citi- zens of their states - and consum- ers may benefit from such actions by checks through the mail. "GENATOR HART is a very rare per- (son," said his colleague from Washington, Sen. Henry Jackson, Thursday. "One without any flaws of character; in short, 'pure gold'." Similar emotional tributes have come from most of the Senate's other residents. Mike Mansfield called him "the noblest of us all." Robert Byrd of West Virginia said the Michigan Democrat is "a man of impeccable character and integrity, absolute fairness, and great compassion." Mis- souri's Thomas Eagleton called Hart "one of the most gentle and consid- erate men I have ever known." And yet these tributes seem like understatements. Hart's great work will make itself felt for years to come, in the daily lives of countless Ameri- cans. He leaves the Senate far too soon. TODAY'S STAFF: News: Mike Norton, Jeff Ristine, Tim Schick, Liz Slowik, Bill Turque. Editorial Page: Michael Beckman, Steve Kursman, Jon Pansius, Tom Stevens. Arts Page: Lois Josimovich. Photo Technician: Pauline Lubens. PRIOLO IS A SMALL, grimy town on the Italian island of Sicily. The few trees that survive bear dust-covered leaves, the air smells chemically foul and the fresh linen hanging on the balconies turns gray before it is even dry. For years, Priolo's 12,000 inhabitants have stoically accepted the bronchial and intestinal disorders caused by the town's sprawling petrochemical factory, cement works and chemical and magnesium refineries. But now Priolo is beginning to have second thoughts, in the wake of the disaster at Seveso - a town in northern Italy where the accidental escape of TCDD dioxin poison from a factory forced the evacuation of 1,500 inhabitants. Priolo's authorities are considering a mass evacu- ation of the town because of its "intolerable" pollu- tion rate. In the rest of Western Europe, the press has zeal- ously dramatized the Seveso disaster and examined in glossy detail the "danger industries" and anti-pollu- tion safeguards in their own countries, asking: can it happen here? .AND NO DOUBT a large part of the public has been shocked to learn that not only could it hap- pen "here," but it had been happening "here" for years. Western European countries like France, Italy, Por- tugal and Spain have never considered the environ- ment issue a high priority. Only in the Scandinavian countries, Great Britain, West Germany and Holland has there been a show of concern. But unlike concern, pollution knows no borders. Bri- tain's heavy industries in the south billow out toxic fumes causing acid rains to fall on the pine forests of Norway, retarding or destroying tree growth. Factories in Switzerland, West Germany and France pour tons of mercury wastes into the Rhine River, which carries pollution through Holland and into the North Sea. Threatened as well are historic towns like Venice, whose buildings and statues are menaced not so much by the rising tides of the Adriatic as by atmospheric pollution from the industrial complexes at nearby Mestre and Marghera. AND IN BASEL, northern Switzerland, the town- folk have suddenly become worried by a meterologi- cal office report warning that their medieval town could turn into the "filthiest in the world." The vil- lain: sulfur dioxide waste products from local indus- try and excess heat from the nearby Kaiseraugst nuclear power station, Switzerland's largest. What angered the Swiss most of all was the sup- pression of the report by authorities for more than three years, while environmentalists fought fruitless- ly to halt the opening of the nuclear plant. Among Europe's major pollution problems is the Mediterranean, where the dumping of DDT, mercury, cadmium, crude oil and high-level radioactive wastes is threatening to turn a great sea into a dead mass of water - much like some of America's Great Lakes. With more than 30 million tourists visiting the Mediterranean every year, its death would be an eco- nomic blow to the 18 European, Arab and African states bordering it. Tourists are already feeling the effects of pollution on their holidays. SHORELINE WATERS in Greece are devoid of life, polluted by the massive, uncontrolled industrial complexes outside Athens. Beaches along the Italian Riviera are littered with plastic and petrol wastage. And fishermen in France are bringing in fewer fish. In February of this year, 16 of the 18 Mediter- ranean states agreed at a United Nations Environ- ment Program (UNEP) conference in Barcelona, Spain, to take constructive steps toward halting the pollution before it is too late. And in order to help the experts and the public prevent further Sevesos, says Hans Mollenhauer, UNEP director in Geneva, they are now preparing a special register of toxic chemicals and ways to cope with them. But although the scientists may agree, it will be up to politicians to apply the controls. And in the wake of Seveso, environmentalists are still wonder- ing if the public is aware or aroused enough to make sufficient demands on its representatives. For until Seveso, the public in countries like France suffered, as a journalist at the Nouvelle Observateur put it, "from 'he m'en foutisme' " (literally, "I couldn't give a damn-ism). ENVIRONMENTALISTS have tended to be scien- tists, left-wing university and political groups or lone crusaders such as Switzerland's Franz Weber, an en- ergetic journalist often compared to Ralph Nader. And with few votes at stake on pollution issues, government officials regard environmentalists, especi- ally the "non-qualified" ones like students, as little more than a nuisance. But a few groups have managed to overcome gov- ernment or industry resistance and scored environ- mental victories. Last July, youthful demonstrators joined the farm- ers of Lannenmezan - in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France - to blockade a factory for al- most two weeks and force the management to halt the fluoride waste rejection that was ruining crops and contaminating farm animals. Similarly, despite the promise of newly-created jobs, the people of Marcholsheim in the Alsace, in eastern France, opposed the construction of a German chemi- Waking n factory which threatened to release dangerous wastes into the atmosphere. nd in 1975, the French Minister of Living Condi- made a move to slow industrial pollution in popu- areas by closing eight factories until they com- with anti-pollution regulations. N THE OTHER HAND, despite severe protest thousands of French scientists, massive public >nstrations and even opposition from neighboring erland, the French government has chosen to ue construction of a new "Super Phoenix" atomic or 40 miles southwest of Geneva. all environmental issues, nuclear power is the controversial in Western Europe. In fact, oppo- to the Social Democrats' ambitious nuclear pro- in Sweden was one of the key elements in recent electoral defeat. t pollution is not a phenomenon that normally the pocketbook as does inflation, the hottest for most Europeans. And against the backdrop erall apathy, many environmentalists fear their will slip back to its former dormant state-at until another two kilograms of TCDD escape from unknown factory in some unknown town n north- taly. Or France. Or Germany. Girardet is a freelance journalist based in Paris. e tightrope in1 Galilee of coexistence By MARCUS ELIASON Associated Press Writer TrEL AVIV, Israel - Galilee, a Biblical land of hills and verdant valleys, is becoming a bas- tion of Palestinian nationalism inside Israel's borders. Many of Israel's 440,000 Arab citizens live in Gali- lee. Their number is multiplying at twice the Jewish birthrate, and some Israelis fear Jewish political con- trol of the 2,000-square-mile area - a quarter of Is- rael's territory - may ultimately be lost. In the absence of peace in the Middle East, Is- raeli Arabs are turning more and more to extremism. A report published recently in Israeli newspapers and written by the state director of Galilee affairs, predicts that by 1978 Arabs will outnumber Jews in the zone. The author, Israel Koenig, triggered a storm by urg- ing the government to encourage emigration of Arabs and curb their social and economic advancement. KOENIG'S SUPERIORS in the Interior Ministry minimized the report's significance, calling it a lone opinion with little influence on government policy. But Koenig's memorandum has reopened the pain- ful question of whether Arabs and Jews can coexist in Israel. Jewish mayors in Galilee voiced support for Koe- nig. Galilee rabbis chanted special blessings for him. Israeli liberals and leftists accused him of racism and demanded his resignation. The Arab question blew up five months ago with riots in the Galilee protesting a state takeover of Arab-owned land. Six Arabs were killed by Israeli gunfire. Last December an Arab mayor was elected by a landslide majority in the Galilee town of Nazareth, on a platform of Palestinian nationalism and pro-Mos- cow communism. Simultaneously, Arab students at Hebrew University dramatized their split loyalties by refusing to do anti-terrorist guard duty on campus. ISRAEL'S PALESTINIANS - those who refrained from joining the Arab exodus from this country with the establishment of Israel in 1948 - have always been in a sensitive position. They have full civil rights, including the vote, but their loyalty to Israel exposes them to charges of trea- son from their Arab brethren across the borders. Mate- rially, their situation has improved greatly. Virtually all are literate compared with S per c'ent in 1948. Farm output, their main income, has grown sixfold in 28 years. Koenig's report contends that the era of coopera- tion is ending. This poses a major strategic problem for Israel. Galilee borders on Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, and a prime goal of Arab strategy against Israel has been to reach the Mediterranean and sever Galilee from the rest of the Jewish state. There is also the fear, says one Galilee official, "that one day the Arab states will claim Galilee is Palestinian, with an Arab majority, and that Israel should give it up, just as they say Israel should give up the West Bank" which it has occupied since 1967. Grand schemes to "Judaize the Galilee" so that Jews will outnumber Arabs 442,000 to 360,000 in 1992 are expensive and move slowly. In western Galilee, 67 per cent of the population is Arab. "WE ALWAYS KNEW Koenig wanted Jews in Gali- lee," says Arab journalist Attallah Mansour of Naza- reth. "Now we know he also wants fewer Arabs there, and he would cut services and encourage us to emi- grate to achieve that goal." Government officials insist, however, their policy is not to encourage a fresh Arab exodus but "to integrate Arabs into Jewish government and society as much as possible." d* y. "ft r j_ ' > Y' h., MR. pR sipsw ... 1 iARNEt7 ''CRUST" t, USt' 96 Letters should be typed and limited to 400 words. The Daily reserves the right to editrletters for length and grammar. (F)p 1 ,. I s# , F I ,r - _ 4 I- Letters to The Daily prison 'holes' To The Daily: "THE ONLY CERTAINTY is that conventional commitment programs usually fail." 'From The Shame of the Prisons, by Ben Bagdikian.' A recent poll revealed that 65% of the respondents did not believe this and favored tough- er prison sentences and execu- tion of certain offenders. King _ ~Ah.mss Y-O'%IA.) o , - - .T i (I1N Wt"c 4CASE . 1 n1 ...Howty R "tm ttS NOT WART I ME T r e So .tSTE1+t to wmi You wARI To N_ EA_ & AN4 NOT To wl1AZ t .r ... UNLEfS ,of COMES$ pi.~'s W NAT 'foW W~ANED To E.R4 . 1, Henry VIII put eight thousand persons to death with little ef- fect on the crime rate more than four hundred years ago. Sixyears ago I circulated a petition in Ppsilanti city to abol- ish "the hole" in the county jail. None of the men approach- ed would sign, but most women endorsed the effort. Reading the Shame of the Prisons, I learned that all the prisons of this country had such "holes." Often male prisoners are confined in cells without heat or clothing as punishment for conduct. SUCH TREATMENT is inef- fective and is often combined with beating, for many civilian police have been recruited from former Marines and ex-military policemen. Governor Ronald Reagan of California dropped the program for building ten new prisons and turned to keeping many crim- inals in their communities with jobs there. In this way one-third of the annual cost per prisoner, six-thousand, five-hundred dol- lars, was saved. California saved almost two hundred mil- lion dollars the first year. (Page Governor Milliken!) Many wardens thought two- thirds, or more, of their pri- soners "did not need to be be- hind locked walls." In South Carolina "Resident Centers," or half-way houses, in seven years had only fourteen per cent returned to state pri- sons of those selected for the dormitories. In Washtenaw County by 1976, comparison for three years c,hnwA tn nr rennt raltrno court race To The Daily: I WAS GLAD to read in The Daily that the 2 candidates run- ning for Circuit Court judge have vastly differing views about howthetCourtdshould be run. Usually the judge candi- dates sing the same tune. It's no secret that the Circuit Court has failed miserably in helping families through a stressful and oftentimes painful divorce. The Friend of the Court is terribly overburdened; and the Circuit Court judges seem to show lit- tle compassion for children who are used as pawns in a cus- tody fight. The judges have not, in the past, acknowledged the "trade-offs" in divorce settle- ments. For instance, if the wife wants to have custody of her children, she may have to "set- tle" for less than her fair share of marital property in order to prevent a custody fight. And of course, there's the continuing scandel where the Courts turn their back when financially se- cure fathers fail to make child support payments. Candidate Conlin doesn't be- lieve that the new Fifth Circuit Court should address itself pri- marily to family relations and divorce cases, although these are the most commonly seen cases. This is a shame. We need a better, more humane way of dealing with families in the process of divorce. At- torney Burgoyne would like to create a special family division, if she is elected judge. Conlin, who opposes this, stated in The Daily that such a plan has been proposed in the past but that aan se --.L.. :a - MICHAEL BECKMAN HE CAME FROM THE NORTHLANDS, from the land between the lakes. In his youth, he was educated in the land's finest learning center, where he engaged in games of the gridiron when the sun was in its autumn solstice. From there he went east to the land of ivy to become learned in barristership. He trav- eled back to the northlands to soon sacrifice himself to a ca- reer in the domains of the public, and so he came to the capi- tal city. He remained in the capital city as the guardian of his people for many years, always as the loyal supporter of his party. As the century moved into the second half of its third score, his party came to be in power. But the philosophy of Lord Acton held true, and the choice of the people came upon hard times. The man a heartbeat away from the presidency was sacrificed to the altar of the masses, and as a result of his loyal support to the party, the man from the northlands was chosen to be the new assistant. When the power base of the choice of the people began to crumble, and collapse was emminent, the party turned to the loyal assistant and proclaimed him to be the guiding light through the darkness. AND WHEN THE choice of the people was deposed, the choice of the party addressed the land. He would bring back trust in the rulers. He would heal the schisms racking the land. Unity and honesty, those were his watchwords. And it came to be that his first act was to pardon the man who had caused the dis-unity and the dishonesty. And the light began to dim. The man from the northlands knew not how to handle deal- ings with foreign lands, as had the choice of the people. So he kept the deposed ruler's envoy to foreign lands to maintain the present policies, the man who had been accused of plot- ting against kings. And the light dimmed more. And the finances of the land were blighted. And the man from the northlands devised a plan. And he spread word of his plan to the people by way of little round inscriptions, to be attached to their hearts. But the people's currency was be- ing exchanged for less, and jobs were not to be found. And the light dimmed further. AND THE LAND WAS STILL suffering from the effects of the great war. Many would not kill for their rulers so they became exiles in foreign lands. The choice of the party offered them the chance to return to their native land to repent their sins. He told the youthhood of the land that they had sinned and would not be allowed back to the birthplace until they had recanted And the light dimmed still further. .. Aut 7'R(ATl M'lE I L L .. i