Page 4-Wednesday, July 19, 1978-The Michigan Daily
michigen DAILY
Eighty-eight Years of Editorial Freedom
420 Mnvnord St.. Ann Arbor, M1. 48109
Vol. LXXXVIII, NO. 46-S News Phone: 764-0552

L

Wednesday, July 19, 1978
Edited and managed by students
at the University of Michigan

Must swap Soviets
D AY BEFORE yesterday Rep. Robert
Drinan (D-Mass.), chairman of an ad hoc
committee seeking the release of Soviet
dissidents Anatoli Shcharansky and Alexandr
Ginzburg, reportedly said that the most effective
action the United States could take against the
Soviets would be to refuse to send an American
team to compete in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
He was right in spirit, but inadequate in tactics.
Not only would our failure to compete in the
Olympics have woefully little effect on the
Russians, but the games are too far off. Who
knows what will happen to these two heroic men
if they have to spend even two years in Soviet
prison camps?
A few months ago the U.S. captured two
alleged Soviet spies whom the Russians would
like to retrieve. Were Carter to offer these two in
exchange for allowing Shcharansky and Gin-
zburg to go to Israel, Brezhenev would likely ac-
cept. There was talk of such an exchange before
the trial, but it was rightly downplayed since it
would have been tantamount to a tacit admission
that the two dissidents were spies. Now that the
men have been sentenced, however, there is
nothing to be gained by righteous indignation,
denial of the charges, or even by diplomatic
solutions such as the Olympic suggestion.
The only goal now is to free these two innocent
men as quickly as possible. What good are the
two alleged Soviet spies to us anyway? If they
are spies they have undoubtedly already been
replaced.
President Carter has espoused with eloquence
the protection of human rights in all nations this
past year, but the time for rhetoric has passed.
Shcharansky and Ginzburg are marked men in
the Soviet Union and a high priority for the coun-
try must be their immediate release. After they
are free and on Israeli soil, then it will be time to
consider diplomatic sanctions, like the games,
against Russia in an attempt to prevent such an
injustice from occurring again.
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Jews shouldn't give
up freedom ~llstruggle
pressing anger with the Soviets'
By Semitic fears. Germans fervently actions, I felt grateful and proud
'Next year in Jerusalem," has held that a Jewish conspiracy that an American president had
en the prayer and he dream of was coming to dominate the become a spokesman for human
usands of Jews. It has been world. rights.
ended endlessly by oppressed Jimmy Carter, though, could
d persecuted Jews who yearn OF COURSE, I've only touched do little more than talk. I didn't
live in the promised land. But the surface of the major Jewish feel anything pragmatic could be
st of them never fulfilled their catastrophes and certainly sim- done to help those two dissidents
eam because they weren't plified their complex circum- and other Russian Jews who want
owed to leave their native stances. The list is endless. The only to leave the Sovet Union and
d. history of Anti-Semitism spans defend their fundamental human
Throughout my Hebrew the globe .and is as long as the rights.
ucation, I grew to admire the history of the Hebraw people. Sure, I would be ecstatic if a
usands of Jews who were when I first heard of the stiff swap could be arranged, ex-
sperately trying to attain sentences given to Russian changing Russian spies for the
edom in Palestine. Their dissidents Anatoli: Shcharansky two dissenters. But what about
ams were consistently shat- and Alexandr . Ginzburg by a all the other activists? Yuri
ed by arrogant despots who Soviet court last week, I im- Orlov, A ilexander Slepak-and
ed them as scapegoats for the mediately recalled the ancient others have also been sentenced
tion's problems. struggles of the Jewish people. to many long winters in Siberia.

IN 1492, many Jews were for-
cibly converted to Christianity by
the Spaniards, whocalled them
infidels. Jews who failed to con-
vert were either expelled or
executed.
In the early 1900s, numerous
Jewish villages in Russia were
destroyed by Russian citizens,
executing orders from the Czar.
The Czar, blaming the Jews for
the country's backwardness and
economic troubles, ordered
Russians to burn and rob the
homes of the "dirty, sick and
hopeless Jews."
Undoubtedly the most tragic
example of racial persecution
was the atrocious systematic an-
nihilation of Jews perpetrated by
the Nazi regime. Six million Jews
were killed because Hitler
blamed them for the German
World War I defeat. He also saw
in his programs an opportunity to
unify the German people and
satisfy their racial and anti-

Everything Id ever hearb about
the Holocaust, the inhumane
terrorist attacks and the other
Jewish tragedies ran through my
mind.
I found it difficult to adequately
express my emotions in words.
More than anything else, I felt
completely frustrated because
there was nothing I could do.
Sure, I could send another
telegram to President Carter or
sign a petition asking the U.S. to
put an end to all cultural ties with
the Soviet Union. But I'd been
doing that for years and nothing
had ever happened. Dissidents
are still sent to labor camps and
Jews are still denied emigration
visas.
I FELT happy when Carter,
Vance and a host of
Congressional leaders spoke with
apparent concern on behalf of the
dissidents. When I saw Jimmy
Carter's solemn face on the
evening news telecast, ex-

I ALMOST decided to give
writing telegrams, signing
petitions and attending rallies
because it just doesn't seem to
make any difference. But then it
occurred to me that as long as
there are Jews praying to reach
Israel and seeking religious
freedom, I should try to do
anything - regardless of the
seeming futility of the cause - to
help them.
As long as there are Jews
shouting, "Next year in
Jerusalem", those uttered by Sh-
charansky in his final message to
the court, there must be Jews like
myself to help him and others at-
tain that precious goal, the
promised land.
"
Michael Arkush is a staff
writer for the Daily and has
beet active in the campus
Action for Soviet Jewry and
Human Rights group.

LETTERS TO THE DAILY
Energy alternatives needed

To The Daily:
According to the latest Harris survey, Americ-
sns favor solar above all other forms of energy
development. The Harris survey also showed that a
clear majority of Americans do not want to relax
clear air standards.
This public support for solar, coupled with the in-
deniable and technical need for our society to con-
vert to viable non-polluting energy sources such as
the sun, make it clear that our state and local
governments should do everything possible to
enhance the development of alternative energy
sources.
In Michigan, State Representative Perry Bullard
(D-Ann Arbor) has clearly become the leading
alternative energy advocate in the State
Legislature. Bullard's House Bill 6112 (passed
unanimously by the House of Representatives) will
give a 40 per cent tax break for the installation of
solar, wind and water energy conversion devices.
His House Bills 4493 and 4494 (also recently passed
by the House) will prohibit local and county or-
dinances which would interfere with solar develop-
ment. All indications are that we will see even more
energy initiatiyes from Bullard this fall - and next
year.
Other solar leaders in Lansing include state
Representative Lynn Jondahl, whose "solar bank"
proposal would ensure the availability of solar

Bullard, who were working for alternative energy
sources before other politicians "jumped on the
bandwagon" deserve our support. I, for one, will
work to ensure that they get it.
--Sylvia Schatz
E RA opposition
To The Daily:
I was very disappointed to see Representative
Pursell oppose the Congressional resolution to ex-
tend ratification of the deadline for the Equal
Rights Amendment (ERA). The current
authorizing resolution requires ratification by
three-quarters of the tates by March of 1979.
Major women's rights groups are urging exten-
sion of ratification now because of the entrenched
strength of backward-looking opponents in fiteen
states which have not yet ratified the amendment. I
know the legislative process is easily and often
doomed to defeat through delaying tactics. We
should not allow fearful naysayers in a handful of
states to successfully use legislative delaying
methods to "run out the time" on equal rights for
women. Equal rights for women is not a game, con-
trary to Representative Pursell's "90-yard line"
story.
It is unfortunate that the Representative from
Ann Arbor in Congress is effectively opposing the
ERA ! He should change his position - or the voters
should change him!

1 I