4 OPINION Pge Friday, January 21, 1983 The Michigan Daily Who'll speak for the trees? a / / /1' >> 1 >> ( ,:: 1 . ti 4 By Lani Wiegand LANSING (UPI) - Who will speak for environmental causes? Michigan groups that have pushed for stricter pollution laws and more statutes governing hazardous waste handling and disposal have to be won- dering that right now. WHEN 1982 became 1983, the four people they had counted on to champion such issues through the House and Seiate and into law disappeared from the'face of state government. Former Gov. William Milliken, an outspoken supporter of careful controls on ; Michigan's environment, retired from office. Although Michigan faced its worst environmental problems du'ing his tenure, Milliken's legacy in- cludles landmark hazardous and solid waste disposal, restrictions on oil drilling both on land and in the Great Lakes and greater protection for state air and water. New Gov. James Blanchard's voting record on such issues has made en- vironmental groups and conservation organizations optimistic that he will follow in Milliken's footsteps when it comes to their concerns. BUT BLANCHARD is facing other problems which may make it difficult for him to take the lead on new laws protecting the environment. He has made ,Michigan's budget and sagging business climate his first priority. Those issues do not always mesh with environmental legislation, particularly at a time when businesses are blaming part of Michigan's troubles on excess regulation. Even if Blanchard initiates work on environmental laws, there may not be anyone who can push such measures through the Legislature. SEN. JOHN HERTEL (D-Harper Woods) and Rep. Thomas Anderson (D- Southgate), for years led the charge on tough environmental issues as the chiefs of the Senate Environmental Committee. Both have now retired. Also leaving the Legislature was Sen. Kerry Kammer (D-Pontiac), who while tending to take a more conservative outlook and represent the interests of sportsmen, consistently supported strong environmental laws. While a handful of vetersan lawmakers who endorsed such causes remain, there appear to be none in either the House or Senate who would pursue those issues with the zest of Her- tel, Anderson and Kammer. While no announcement has been made, there remains the possibility that anti-environmentalist Sen. Joseph Mack (D-Ironwood), may assume the position once held by Hertel. To be sure, some of the freshmen in the House and Senate may begin to move into the slots left empty by the departed pro-environment lawmakers. However, it generally takes three or four years in office before a legislator can move into a position of influence in either chamber. In the interim, environmentalists may have to resign themselves to protecting the. laws enacted in the last decade instead of pursuing new programs. Wiegand wrote this story for UPI. t , r X11 , , i'i'i ; i i , . , I I / L/ __ . , l% ,t t I J f i - "'" I 4 I h\ rt i6a Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Sinclair SFNR ,\JWE FQ\\J- A SAM>{N-EEN M 1CAW NTh/.. B ORR~OW WAWWU H AWNPQ/ E tos, Vol. XCIII, No. 91 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board Asane idea N THE aftermath of John Hinckley's successful insanity defense, numerous calls - most of them un- Workable - went up for reform of the insanity defense. But this week, the American Psychiatric Association recommended a new set of guidelines that areas praiseworthy for what they don't say as for what they do. The association asked that the in- s nity defense be allowed only in cases of serious mental illness, that psychiatrists not be called upon to make definite judgments as to whether d defendant is legally sane or insane, and that standards for the release of those found insane be tightened. While these proposals are wise reforms, the association was also smart enough not to delve into areas where it does not have any expertise. The group said the legal community should decide if a defendant is legally insane. The group also would not say whether the burden of proof rests with the defendant or the state in these cases. These are legal questions and need to be answered by those in the legal field. It makes sense for the association to leave those decisions up to the "exper- ts." The rest of the proposal merits close consideration. The use of the insanity defense is on the verge of making a mockery of our criminal justice t on insanity system - particularly in cases of violent crime. Many feel that when criminals are caught red-handed, they almost automatically reach for the in- sanity plea. If the lawyer can get a psychiatrist or two to say the defen- dant was "temporarily" insane, and the jury or judge buys the testimony, the defendant can get off. The APA proposal makes this scheme tougher to sell, because psychiatrists would no longer be forced to make absolute determinations on a defendant's sanity. The proposal would also set up something like parole boards to decide when an insane criminal can be released from psychiatric care. Currently, psychiatrists make such decisions virtually by themselves. Psychiatry is not an exact science. Many of its questionscan never be set- tled absolutely. Increasingly, however, the criminal justice system has asked psychiatrists to provide opinions in the areas most open to doubt. The American Psychiatric Association proposal might not provide all the answers to the questions raised by the recent rash of insanity defenses. Nevertheless, the group has set forth a reasonable set of guidelines which, at the very least, deserves close con- sideration in Congress and state legislatures. n{ ,. f 't( 1 $A j w 1, rf AN\D VE BANK OWN 4vUTJ.L tXoc 'I . / Kf -PE BANK r,. 1 f 4 LETTERS TO THE DAILY: De fending Mormon charity 14 r' CAN KICK OUT WIESTERN QORRES1'OMPENTS BUT WHAT PO IPO A809J ALL THESE PAIANEP POLES?" f 11 F i+ I "fr9 4- E'Vs To the Daily: I am writing in response to the editorial page article on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) welfare system. ("Mormons find charity, and guilt, begins at home," Daily, Jan. 16). Bob Gottlieb and Peter Wiley either did a poor job of research and anaylsis or they simply had an ax to grind. As a Mormon, I have par- ticipated in the Mormon church welfare system for over fifteen years. As a boy of twelve, my friends and I spend every other Saturday morning hiking across town and doing chores such as filling a coal bin or shoveling sidewalks for a widow. None of us were angels and we wanted to be home watching cartoons like any normal kid. We did it because we had to; it was our church assignment. But gradually I became used to the idea and looked forward to doing chores because it made us feel good afterward. Only later did I realize that teaching youth to be aware of, and active in, the needs of the poor and elderly was one of the reasons I was given the task. Over the years I have remained active in the welfare activities of my church. The last project I was a part of was delivering free fur- niture to needy non-Mormon families here in Ann Arbor on the day before you printed Gottlieb and Wiley's anti-Mormon blurb. Actually, this project is part of a local government program, a. fact that would no doubt astonish Gottlieb and Wiley since they assert the Mormons are hostile toward such programs. The article went further, though. It insinuated that Mor- mons judge the worthiness of people on the size of their respec- tive bank accounts. As far as their examples go, I suppose I could list counter ones, but for the sake of argument, let's assume that Mormon's really are as dastardly as they say when it comes to thinking about the poor. Isn't then the Mormon welfare program even more remarkable? It serves the poor so well (as Got- tlieb and Wiley admit) despite our imperfections. Mormons are just human beings like the rest of the world and don't feel any desire to disparage anyone, especially those experiencing hard times. Yes, Krell has afan I To the Daily: C. E. Krell, fighting, biting, review-writing, giving 'em hell; son of Kerouac on a vision quest? Give 'em your best. The fans verdict? Send him on the first train to Clarksville where Rich Williams will leave him at the station and make all the mind-parasites happy. The McDonaldvores choke on their second-hand condem- nations. Rats fleeing a sinking nation. Dan Pelekoudas gets more respect. Yet all great prophets are con- demned at first. Is C. E. the new Christ? Not on your wafer, but he's a refreshing change from Greek Week and Mohammed Ali Agca. Krell on drugs? Fine him $5 or $50 and give him a typewriter. Make your condemnations but madness is quite close to genius, as anyone who has ever had their Ready-Teller card eaten will tell you. Krell, the Daily's mutant man, gamma rays on the brain thrust him from the Big M's suction cesspool. Grasping, clawing he is met by pre-programmed adver- sity at every turn: from East Quad's guilty rich kids to the father-hating prelaw boys. Do not gentle into that good cesspool. Fight, fight, against the death of innovation. -Roy Zornow January 20 Take a Mormon out to lunch and get to know him or her. If you do, maybe next time you won't be as willing to print the next anti- Mormon drivel that comes down the wire. J. Ward Moody January 19 I Wasserman SUMMITA~ NO FIRST USE AND tMSIE CUT OFr 5 N-P66bCSSoWP~cT ANDU WRHEAD RCGAoN I I I I I I q YOUR S tv , oof I i ii I (I