Page Four
THE MCHIGAN DAILY.
Wednesday, May 19, 1976
Page Four THE MICHIGAN DAILY\ Wednesday, May 19, 1976
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74
Ford sans Kissinger
hENRY KISSINGER has announced that he probably
will not stay on as Secretary of State after Novem-
ber's national election, even if Gerald Ford remains in
office. After much speculation and controversy, Kis-
singer's stormy career as global architect will soon come
to a close.
Kissinger's place in history textbooks is uncertain.
While his "shuttle diplomacy" is probably at least part-
ly responsible for the lack of a further outbreak of war
in the Middle East, while negotiating talents were prob-
ably at least partly responsible for the withdrawal of
Americans from Vietnam, and while he has led the move
toward relaxation of tensions with the U.S.S.R. and the
Peoples' Republic of China, he has also deceived Con-
gress and the American people on the issues of Turkey,
Cyprus, and Chile. Besides these transgressions, Kis-
singer fought to involve us in Angola and reinvolve us in
Southeast Asia.
A brilliant man, condemned by many and praised
by many others, Kissinger has become a major issue of
the 1976 presidential campaign; Democrats and Repub-
licans alike have called for his resignation. He will be
out of the limelight now, and it is time to evaluate the
foreign policy of Gerald Ford sans his guiding light.
But does he have one? Ford's yfirst important an-
nouncement on the even of Richard Nixon's resignation
was that Kissinger would stay on. Since then the Har-
vard professor has piloted the ship of state alone. Stormy
as the voyage has been, Kissinger was at least an astute
diplomat: without him Gerald Ford's weakness as a lead-
er of state becomes even more outstanding. The loss of
Kissinger is not to be mourned; the loss of Gerald Ford
is to be absolutely applauded.
Politics and the
Soviet Jewry issue
By STEPHEN KURSMAN
Before this year's presidential campaign hit
the front pages, the Soviets were confidently
predicting the election of Gerald Ford. They are
no longer so sure. The Russians are in not-so-
infrequent contact with the Carter camp; They
feel they might be dealing with him as Presi-
dent come January.
It is interesting that the Russians are mak-
ing an issue of Jewish emigration from the
Soviet state. They emphatically claim that the
Jews do not want to leave.
OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS UNTRUE. It is per-
haps safe to assume that there are some Jew-
ish Soviets who would rather put up with dis-
crimination than embark for a tiny land on the
brink of war.
But it is folly to deny that substantial num-
bers of Jews want to leave. The Soviets con-
tacting Carter are attempting to play on ig-
norance. It is hoped that the Carter camp is
not ignorant.
The importance of all this is the Soviet
anxiety. The Jewish Soviets are more or less
powerless. But their American brethren are free
to politically organize, and together with repre-
sentatives of other ethnic groups, they are pro-
viding a voice for those who live in repres-
sion and cannot speak. This voice has become
loud enough to make the Soviets uneasy. They
are so uneasy that they have made emigration
a prime issue with an individual who might well
be the next president.
AMERICANS OF Ukranian, Jewish, Lithu-
anian and other backgrounds can take pride in
this Soviet uneasiness. It is a sign of their or-
ganizational success.
'The Jewish Soviets are more or
less powerless. But their Ameri-
can brethren are free to politically
organize, and together with repre-
sentatives of other ethnic groups,
they are providing a voice for
those who live in repression and
cannot speak.'
This achievement should serve as a torch of
hope for those who have felt frustrated at their
efforts to organize. It is not easy. It takes hard
work as well as a diplomatic approach to obtain
funding from those with money. But it can be
done. The Soviet government is uptight. And
it is one of the two most powerful organiza-
tions in the world.
Stephen Kursman writes frequently for ^ the
Daily's Editorial Page.
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Mailbox:
On rape
and grade
inflation
To The Daily:
I am under the impression there are few
if any rape attacks in Ann Arbor. Since
winter I have found little evidence of this
crime in area newspapers or in the Uni-
versity Record. If this is true and there
really is no significant rape rate, I feel
greatly relieved and will courageously
walk the streets.
However, my suspicions tell me that
this impression is wrong. After all, this is
the largest campus in Michigan and uni-
versities with thousands of women at-
tract rapists. I have also heard rumors in
the dorms that there is an average of one
rape per day in Ann Arbor, and the City's
Woman's Crisis Center indicates a rela-
tively high rape rate.
If rape is a major problem here, I feel
it should be covered in the newspapers for
the following reasons:
* First, women new to Ann Arbor deserve
to know how safe they are (or aren't)
particularly because they would be un-
familiar with this city. Such coverage
could prevent careless actions and acci-
dents caused by their ignorance.
* Second, if women knew the kinds of
situations more likely to result in attacks
we would be better able to decide what
places are safe and at which hours.
* Third, coverage would prevent women
from pretending the problem does not ex-
ist, an attitude which results in a lack of
taking appropriate precautions. That in-
formation could also give guidelines in be-
havior to the overly fearful.
I am not asking for the humiliation of
the victims - names do not have to be
publicized to drive a message home --
but I am asking for a realistic coverage of
local news. If the crime runs so rampant
that reporters cannot keep up with it then
I definitely deserve to know that for my
own safety!
Betsy Johnson
May 16
To The Daily:
Responding to Michael Routh's article,
"Grade inflation: Making someone of every-
one," (May 5), I feel the goal of educa-
tion should determine whether or not grade
inflation is harmful. If education is the
learning of certain facts and concepts that
the average student is capable of learning
then grades should be in the A and B
range. If education is to prepare students
to be useful in society then education
should prepare the bulk of tpe students
if we are to take a pragmatic approach.
But if we wish to define education
as a way of stretching the mind by
broadening outlooks and motivating furth-
er investigations, then grade inflation could
be harmful. It would reward mediocrity
instead of encouraging exceptional work
which could have a deadening effect on
a culture's creativity.
Susan McRoberts
grades
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