a0 OPINION ~,Page 4 Tuesday, September 28, 1982 The Michigan Daily Hollow remorse for Beirut massacre 9c r - By Jeffrey Colman Local supporters of the Palestine Liberation Organization have once again shown their true face. They had the perfect chance to change their age, to win support for their cause, to ourn the loss of civilians in last ek's massacre in Beirut. They had e chance to show that their support r the PLO (and the Palestinians it ofesses to represent) was based on manitarian concerns for a leaguered people and not for political pnd ideological reasons. Instead of mourning for the senseless murder of civilians, however, they hose to exploit the tragedy for their gown political advantage. What was . illed as a silent march to memorialize Sthe Beirut dead-which we all could ;have and should have joined-the ecent rally on the Diag turned out to be the usual vocal pro-PLO, anti-Israel sdemonstration. RATHER THAN trying to earn sym- Zpathy for the plight of Palestinians and %Lebanese, the protesters decided to use' the tragedy as a pretext to advance their own shallow political statement: Israel does not have a right to exist. tTheir leaflets, speakers, and slogans revealed that the real issue to them was %not the murder of civilians but the legitimacy of the Jewish state. Even more offensive than their tperverse comparisons between Zionists and Nazis was the protesters' repeated chant of "Judaism, yes; Zionism, no." ' Do the Jewish people need someone's permission to practice their faith? The chanters (Jews among them) would, of course, argue that they were trying to make the distinction between Judaismj and Zionism to show that they are not! anti-Jewish, only anti-Zionist. The implications of this slogan, however, run far deeper and reek of classic anti-Semitism. The Jewish people are held to a different standard. Unlike other groups, Jews must earn the right to practice their religion let alone the right to have their own state. "Judaism, yes,"they shout. As a Jew, am I supposed to go over and thank them? Are we allowed by them to be Jewish just as long as we don't get any wild ideas about protecting ourselves or determining our future? CONTRAST THE opportunistic demonstration in Ann Arbor with the massive and emotional protests in Israel over the killings in Beirut. The Israeli people are accepting respon- sibility for the tragedy even though the Begin government indignantly is at- tempting to shirk it. Israelis are ashamed at having even the remotest connection to this massacre. To them, silence or mere msjudgment are suf- ficient grounds to implicate their army and government. Until now, Israelis have prided themselves on the discipline and high writes, "the standards of behavior are more exacting, the questions are more troubling." Fortunately, Israel is a vital democracy with a judicious press. The Israeli people demand accountability from their public servants. They are strong-willed and will not allow this un- precedented event in their history to be pushed aside by either Prime Minister Begin or Defense Minister Sharon. TO THE ISRAELIS, now experien- cing this crisis of introspection, the out- cry from the outside world must seen hypocritical. It seems that those who are screaming the loudest about sup- posed Israeli involvement in the Beirut massacre are those with the most blood on their hands: the PLO, the Syrians, the Soviets. Where were the international con- demnations when Yasser Arafat and his PLO terrorists were taking hostage and gunning down Israeli schoolchildren, athletes, kibbutz mem- bers, and diplomats? Where was the outrage following previous and even bloodier massacres of Lebanese Christian and Moslem civilians? WHY DIDN'T anyone care when earlier this year the Syrian army destroyed almost an entire Syrian city along with thousands of its innocent civilians? Where were the United Nations speeches and resolutions when Lebanon's President-elect Bashir Gemayel was murdered a few weeks, ago along with dozens of others? Taking notice of these atrocities does nothing to diminish or condone the most recent tragedy in Beirut. But aren't those who point a finger only at Israel confirming their double standards for dealing with thq Jewish state? Israel must act forthrightly to reestablish its credibility by openly dealing with the implications of recent events in Beirut-as its democratic system and values provide. When this tragedy is no longer headline news and the rest of the world forgets about it, Israelis will still be judging themselves harshly. "If we cling to (our) values," Israeli President Yitzhak Navon said, "I am sure that we will emerge from this far stronger." Israelis deserve credit for still having the capacity to feel ashamed of their transgressions. Do you think the PLO and its supporters will ever show theS slightest hint of remorse or anguish over their own misdeeds? Colman, a graduate student at the Institute of Public Policy Studies, is founder of the Coalition Against Terror in the Middle East. Placards of the silent march ethical standards demonstrated by their soldiers during wartime. For Israelis, under constant siege since 1948, how warfare is conducted has been just as much of a concern as its results. For a people who have been victims throughout much of history, David Shipler of The New York Times Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Sinclair 0 0 Vol. XCIII, No. 17 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board Poisoned minds in Carolina S North Carolina malicious or merely stupid? In 1978, to cut corners, North Carolina sprayed PCB waste alongside rural roads. The move was economical, simple, and blatantly illegal. Now in 1982, to clear its roadsides of toxic wastes, North Carolina plans to transfer contaminated soil to a landfill in predominantly poor, black Warren County. The move is costly, com- plicated, and blatantly unfair. The state's first error - the roadside dumping- was made with the full knowledge of the devastating effects of PCB. The toxic waste, which is linked to cancer, birth defects, and liver disease, was pulled from the market in 1976 - a good two years before the North Carolina roadshow. And now, in the backlash against the dumping, the state plans to cart off the despoiled land and give it to one of its least vocal constituencies. In other words, the mess is being dumped into the lap of voters that count least at election time - minorities and low- income voters, for example. In fact, the state's entire system for getting rid of its waste follows a callous logic - dump it on a road, in a poor county, anywhere it might not attract attention. North Carolina's actions will not be checked at the state level. Gov. James Hunt claims that no health hazards exist and that the Warren County dumpsite is a "Cadillac of landfills." The federal government also is unlikely to step and investigate the matter - both toxic wastes and poor people are low on the list of the Reagan administration's favorite topics. Fortunately, North Carolina's citizens are willing to fight state ignorance and federal insensitivity. Large groups have gathered at the Raleigh capitol building to protest the Warren County landfill. They are ready to oppose a waste disposal plan based on neither safety nor responsiblity, but on convenience. The protesters, however, must be getting discouraged. Go away, the governor has blandly told them. All you're doing, he said, is wasting the time of state troopers, whose job is to save lives, not control protests. Given a recent study which showed that several female residents of North Carolina have traces of PCB in their breast milk, Hunt's words ring hollow. Researchers admit that the most severe effects of the toxic waste won't show up for another ten or twenty years. Instead of saving lives, Gov. Hunt is well on his way to destroying many in Warren County. LETTERS TO THE DAILY: Daily should wash its mouth with soap To the Daily: While reading the September 21 edition of The Michigan Daily, I was appalled at the quality or rather the lack of quality evident. In two separate articles, each in- volving quotes, the Daily printed the words "bullshit" and "screw- up". "Bullshit" appeared in a story on the front page ("Program defenders to voice objections to 'U' cuts") and ''screw-up" was included in the headline of an article dealing with the Michigan football team ("Schembechler baffled by 'screw-ups' "). The Daily is published by and for the students. Most students want and expect a high quality student newspaper. How often are the words "bullshit" or "screw-up" or similar profane words found in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, or other high auality the Daily is a direct insult to its readers-University students. It undermines, criticizes, and demeans our intellect, morale, and sophistication. Such jour- nalism is sophomoric and inap- propriate in a University student newspaper. The majority of the news ar- ticles in the Daily come from the two major wire services. The number of articles written by the students themselves therefore is significantly reduced, thus the standard of quality should be higher. Unfortunately, it is not. This letter is not from a mem ber of the Moral Majority, but from a student who wants the quality of his University paper raised. -Randall Lending, Sept. 27 Mutual respect lacking in Diag rally Ftt To the Daily: A small group of Palestinians and Lebanese professed their loathing against violence in the Middle East on campus Friday. Yet, I was surprised and shocked that these same people had no reservations about verbally threatening and physically assaulting those who differed with them. During the demonstration march around campus, I was passing out literature with a dif- passed out leaflets undistur- bed, I was appalled that such a courtesy was not reciprocated. While USI does not agree with many Arab contentions, we do Herpes ad misleading have the decency to respect their opinions. I am saddened that the respect was not mutual. -Steve Belkin Sept. 24 To the Daily: Herpes Simplex has been in the news of late-on the cover of Time as well as in numerous news features elsewhere. This has led to increased awareness laboratory-such as certain dyes, ether, and other chemicals-none has been effective in stopping relapses of these lesions. Only one medicine-Acyclovir, which wa recentlv released by the i