TE
Michigan Daily
Edited and managed by Students at the
University of Michigan
Wednesday, May 29, 1974
News Phone: 764-0552
The sinking ship of state
GERALD FORD, WHO seems to be doing a lot of talk-
ing lately, made a rather interesting statement a
few days ago. He seems to feel that it would be in
President Nixon's best interest to cooperate fully with
all the assorted investigations of his alleged misdeeds.
This includes handing over subpoenaed tapes to the
House Judiciary Committee and the Special Prosecutor.
Normally, Gerald Ford's public statements are
among the more ignorable pieces of newsprint to be
found. Before becoming vice president, the highlight of
the man's life was starting at center for one of the
worst football teams Michigan has ever fielded, and he
seems fully capable of bringing the excellence he showed
on the gridiron to the highest office in the land.
But the context of this statement is interesting, in-
deed. Gerald Ford is as Republican as a cloth coat, and
one of the outstanding traits of a true Republican is his
loyalty to his superiors. Therefore, to find him criticizing
a decision of the All-Highest is an indication that some-
thing is wrong with the cosmic order of things.
And Gerry Ford is not alone. In the past few days
such GOP luminaries as Barry Goldwater and Hugh Scott
have urged their president to release the tapes.
WHY ARE THESE GOOD people so concerned about a
presidential decision? Well, they appear to have
heard the message sent to Washington by such congres-
sional elections as the recent one in the Thumb. Perhaps
they have also read the latest polls, which state that the
majority of the American people want Richard Nixon to
leave office prematurely.
To them, the message is obvious-the people want
Nixon out, and they blame the Reppblican party for
putting him in office in the first place. In fact, if Nixon
doesn't get out seen, there may not be a Republican party
left for them to lead after the November congressional
elections.
Unfortunately for these consciousness-stricken men,
Nixon has made it clear that no power will make him
relinquish anything. If Christ and Moses were to come
to Earth to tell Nixon to release the tapes, he would tell
them, "I will not make any decision that will hamper
the ability of future presidents to conduct the affairs
of this office."
With that attitude, the GOP leaders have no chance.
Nixon would drag down the country in his attempt to
stay in office. Why then should he care for the Repub-
lican party?
JOHN KAHLER
, ,
4.
IF'
. Yf
INFALLIBILITY CRISIS*
PapalBull released
By GARY THOMAS bug the Methodists, the Christian Scientists bug
KOME - POPE PAUL VI refused t. honor a Jehovah's Witnesses - everybody does it."
subpoena yePterday for 61 taped Vatioa conver- But public indignation rose higher when it
sations related to the bugging of Mormon head- was revxealed that the Vatican had hired a corps
quarters in Salt Lake City last June. of dirty tricksters' to disrupt opposition church
Citing Papal privilege, the Supreme Pontiff services. The team, known in Vatican circles as
claimed compliance with the subpoena by-Spec- the "Philistines," disrupted services through
ial Inquisitor Leone Cardinal Jaworskini stould streaking and other distracting methods. In one
"violate the principle of papal infallibility., celebrated incident, a "Philistines" team threw
"To honor such a subpoena would cause Catho- an Oral Roberts "Crusade for Decency" into
lics to question the doctrine of infallibilty," the chaos by handing out pornographic holy cards.
Pope said in a statement issued through Papal A former Vatican counsel for the Sacred
Press Secretary Renaldo Zucchini. "This'would Curia, Giovannio these events and had partci
clearlypekncripplese futurend Popes.ici
clearlyucripple future Pcomment on speculation pated in a coverup. Dino said he told the Pope
ZthatthChiefCtol icwasmmrepintosecton on March 21st that "there is a leprosy growing
that the Chief Catholic was preparing to excO - on the Papacy" and related the goverup to him.
municate Jaworskini forhis subpoena. s Dino said he got the impression Pope Paul al-
S Hight Vatican sources have said the tapes in rayke ftecvrp
question contain papal conversations with God ready knew of the coverup.
and other Vatican aides on the Waterlog affair. REVELATION OF THE Vatican taping system
SEVEN MEN, including five mercenary agnos- he r
tics, were caught inside the Mormon World ead-the Special Subcommittee on Papal Activities.
quarters June 17th. The burglers carried electron- The guard, Geraldo Fiat, revealed a 'apingsys.
ic' eavesdropping equipment and photographic teihabennslednPplofcstore
grThe men were in thep r ndof 'hotograph- serve the Pope's conversations for the secret
gear. Th e eemteprogess Vaicn ibar. etai tegwisapailwa
ing classified copies of the Book of Mormon and Vatican Library. He said the Swiss Guard was
other Mormon documents when apprehended by charged with maintainance of the system.
Since then, the Pope has steadfastly refused to
Salt Lake police, turn over tapes to the special inquisitor. Despite
Subsequent investigation revealed the burglers tunoe ae oteseca nustr ept
had been hired by B. R. "Bobo" Cardinal urgings by leading Catholics, includes U.S. Sen.
Machiavelli, Sacred Chief of Staff at the Vati- Edward Kennedy, that his credibility has plum-
can. The Pope ordered an immediate investigation meted among Catholics, he has held his ground.
and said, "There will be no whitewashtatSt. "If I can't believe the Pope, who can I be-
Peter's., "lieve," said one Catholic dejectedly. "Now I
But members of the College of Cardinals were don't even know 4f Mary is a virgin anymore."
skeptical of an investigation conducted by Vatican
aides. Bowing to pressure from the cardinals, 'a BULLETIN
special inquisitor, Archimedes Coxswain, w a s
appointed. He was subsequently excommunicated ROME - As we go to press, it was revealed
over the tapes controversy and Jawroskini was the Pope has decided to give Billy Graham a
appointed in his place. contract to publish transcripts of the tapes. The
Vatican said the transcripts would "fully ab-
VATICAN SPOKESMAN at first tried to dis- solve" the Pontiff.
miss the incident, claiming "everyone in religion
does it."
"You know how it is," said one Vatican aide. Gary Thonias is a Daily staff writer and for-
"The Lutherans bug the Baptists, the Baptists mer esinarian.
SUMMERLIN'S DISEASE
cientist yields ,to ambition
By BETH NISSEN
IN THE EARLY morning hours
of March 26, cancer re-
searcher Dr. William Summer-
hn entered his Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center laboratory and
carefully inked patches a-r the
skin of two mice used in cancer
and immunology research.
On March 30 of this year,
Summerlin reported to an Amer-
ican Cancer Society seminar
that his technique of storing
tissue in a common laooratory
culture solution made it possisle
to successfully transplant or-
gans without using dangerous
immunity-suppressing drugs.
As proof of his successhe of-
fered his two mice, seeming
survivors of his break-through
technique. By artifically color-
ing the patches on the two mice,
Summerline made it sesr he
had successfully transplanted
skin patches between animals
that were genetically nconpat-
ible. If Summerlin's r,'sults had,
been valid, they would have
greatly contributed to the known
data on cancer and immunology.
Summerlin's pen .darkened
more than a few hairs on two
white mice; it indelibly marked
his reputation, blar-mened h s
future and smudged the, sterile
pure image of Scienc'.
WHAT MOTIVE w- reasoning
passed throu h Sumer' is
brain to prompt or justify ht:,s
pre-dawn forgery? Perhaps ithe
impetus to take a Itic or Flair
to his two rodent subjects was
not so much the i esut of his
"serious emotional distuhate"
as his colleagues clara, uit a
result of the values o the socie-
ty in which Suinn-eel'n sworkcd
as an identified scuett and-
liv'ed as a man.
With 200 million indivduas
crowding elbows for a space of
their own and graJcata.n. ini ong -
capped ahd gos ecd aisembly
lines from university factories,
there is limited oppsrt-.nity for
a body to distinguish itself and
push its head one successful mil-
limeter above the skulls of :heir
contemporaries.
We as a society value the end
accomplishments of a human
life far more han the amount
of integrity involved in the pro-
cess of living.
PUBLIC recognition, is not
given to those who do the best
they can as realily as it is giv-
en to those who successfully get
the most they can. Fame seen's
more based in public envy of
the possessions of others than
in public admiration for t h e
standards and :haracters of oth-
ers. Living a generours ansi lo-
ing life may 'win the hearrts and
respect of a handful, but it
takes muh more than that to
warrant a few minutes of light
chatter with Johnny Carson and
alphabetized paragraph in the
annual edition of Who's Who in
America. We value stch eypo-
sure and public notice and we
elevate our apinions it those
who have obtained it.
Scrambling through life with
a "name-in-lights" goal is ac-
cepted and even admired as
healthy ambition by most of us,
except when we chanoe to fall
into the path ct a spice-i iroed
scrambler.
YET EVEN 'th sir .:ontdon-
ing nods to personal y'- getting,
a deception such -as Saea.,er-
lin's is shocking. We hae a
different set of rules an I a'low-
ances for the cora :-ate asieiass
world than for the unconta mi-
nated sciemiic stheres. Wliat
is at stake in basiress is iee-
° ly a shifting of a fc v titles,
a few tremors insales grtphs
or the det ' aon cit a fete per-
sonal careers.
Yet in scientfic resi-e:i, the
man with the .ii cse and
the Petrie dish is the sclfless
servant of scientific orogress
and the crusader for the better-
ment of humanity. The s ientist
who has the slightest hint of
Watergatian morals toys more
with the qua-y of all life than
the public ca-s accept.
In the eyes of a betrayed pub-
lic, Summerlin has committed a
grievous sin. One wonde s whe-
ther the sin in the eyes of the
public is more in the action of
the scientist itself, or in the dis-
covery of his deception.
TBE PATHETIC image rf a
white-coated Sutnaeriin scnb-
bling on a writhing tnotuse
seems to give us more of a
glimpsetof the 'an than the
scientist. Surely at researcher.of
Summerlin's ability and exper-
ience could not have deluded
himself into thinking he c o u Id
successfully claim his oenned
doodle as a sci.'tetific advance
in skin transplants. Summerlin
must have realized he was risk-
ing his career and reputation by
such childish disanuest'. Y e t
Summerlin lid obtain public
prestige and honor however
fleeting, before he w'ss caught
with his hand in the scientific
cookie jar.
The fact that an intelligent
human would risk os'racisn by
shocked and offended an I un-
comprehending colleagues and
the distrust and scare of the
public for a fete dazzling se-
conds of limelight and a smat-
tering of pats on his lab- toated
back does not speak well for our
society's priorities.
WE GIVE atte stion to eas-
honor and scandal as welt as
genius and gifted talent. For
Summerlin, it may have b e e n
worth it to risk all for some at-
tention and notice whether nega-
tive or positive. there is no
distinction in tie pucgatorial
Ozone of normality anl common
ordinariness. The unfortaisate
artistry of the unnoticed and
perhaps neglected researcher
may be a warning t us all to
re-examine our priorities, and
stand as an example of the de-
gree to which a person will con-
gree to which a person w i ll
.compromise thenselves te vrin
the applause of others.