Puge 4
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Vol. XCIII, No. 110
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board
s An agency t
HE UGLY SPECTER of scandal is
hanging over the Environmental
Protection Agency. The deepening
quagmire that EPA Director Anne
Gorsuch and her agency has gotten in-
to reminds one of the arrogance and
disregard for the law that marked the
Nixon administration during
Watergate.
Gorsuch and her agency employees
have been mired in controversy ever
since Gorsuch refused to give a House
committee documents concerning the
agency's $1.6 billion for superfund
toxic waste cleanup in December. The
director has since been cited for con-
tempt of Congress and this week her
top aid in charge of the superfund was
fired. As if that wasn't enough, depar-
tment officials have admitted
destroying duplications of key EPA
documents subpoenaed by the House.
Shades of corruption, obstruction of
k justice, perjury and conflict of interest
abound. Rita Lavelle, the woman in
charge of the superfund who was fired
this week, appears to be one of the big
oft herconfirmation hearings she
claimed her former with with Aerojet-;
General Corporation in California
I
"
inaer siege
would not conflict with her duties
EPA. It turns out that Aeroj
dumped toxic wastes at as
California which the EPA has
cleanup.
In another incident, she denied
oath that she tried to force an
employee out of his job after he
plained of the agencies inaction.
New York Representative J
Scheuer, the agency "dumpe
because she got caught in perjury
All the while, Gorsuch an
cohorts are trying to cover up
tracks.
The duplicate documents th
ficials said they shredded were
that Gorsuch had refused to turf
to the House committee investi
the superfund. Only the on
remain under guard at the agenc
fices.
All this activity has led the Ho
issue new subpoenas to 37 memb
the EPA, including Gorsuc
Lavelle. Yet EPA officials conti
evade a congressional inquirie
the operations of the superfund.
The smoke of a cover-up is g
pretty heavy. The last time theE
was this thick, a president resig
disgrace.
Cancel chenn
AT A TIME when some nations are
actively beginning to get into the
chemical warfare business again, the
,United States has come forward with a
bold new proposal to verifiably
eliminate the obnoxious weapons.
Clearly, the plan is long overdue.
The very mention of chemical war-
fare evokes images of World War I
soldiers languishing under the
debilitating fumes of mustard gas. In
the wake of that experience,
a multinational conference held in
Geneva in 1925 banned all testing of the
weapons. Unfortunately, the ban was
ineffective and now the United States
and the Soviet Union have huge stock-
piles of gas bombs.
Ironically, it was in Geneva again,
that the Reagan administration in-
troduced a plan to ban the weapons.
This time, however, the proposal con-
tains methods on how to verify the ban
by having international on-site inspec-
tions.
The Soviet Union has enough
chemical weapons to blanket all
Western Europe with lethal gas, ac-
cording to one study. The Soviet Union
tical weapoi
and its allies have shown no q
about using chemical weapo
Afghanistan and Southeast Asi
produced slow, agonizing d
among innocent civilians.
Not to be outdone, the Reag
ministration refueled the
chemical weapon industry, whi
been dormant since President
imposed a moratorium in 1969.
year Congress appropriated mor
$54 million for a new U.S. buildup
At last, after three yea
wrangling over procedure, the
ference has gotten into the meat
issue. Unless it acts on the1
States' proposal, the rac
superiority in chemical weapoi
likely rival the proliferation of n
weapons. Already, Chile ha
barked on its own production
weapons, with its South Am
neighbors probably not far behin
Such prospects are threat
because chemical weapons are
easier to build than nuclear one
just as deadly. But this time, the
has a chance to stop a weapon
before it gets out of control.
OPINION
Saturday, February 12, 1983 The Michigan Daily
Sinclair
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By A. M. Babu allows no means to effect peaceful change. the American people as "terrorists" for
What should be the position of the daring to resort to violence against the
A debate now is raging inside the World humanitarian in he event of a people revolting Crown. Yet his American counterpart would
Council of Churches and several other against such oppression? have upheld the violence as a justifiable
religious organizations over whether or not to The same question arises in South America means of establishing freedom an self-
ualms support-morally or materially-national and Namibia, where, as is well-known by respect. that was an American, moreover,
ins in liberations movements that are committed to now, a racist regime inflicts intolerable pain which was settled by people of strong moral
a that the use of violence. Clearly, it is a worthy on black people, ranging from forced labor, convictions - including religious fugitives
Deaths debate, since violence is abhorrent to forced removal from their habitat and enfor- who had escaped from intolerance and
anybody who upholds humanitarian prin- ced poverty, to unjust laws, prison and even repressionin their own homelands.
ciples.the gallows. Should humanitarians deny sup- The World Council of Churches, which is
an ad- Very often, however, the subject of violence port to these people if they resort to counter- most publicly experiencing moral disgust on
U.S. is given narrow interpretation, and this leads violence? this issue, is composed of people from poor
ch had to serious confusion in its discussion. Religious leaders who refuse to support and oppressed countries as well as from rich,
Nixon Sometimes the confusion is introduced such revolts doubtlessly do so from serious democratic ones. The former, in fact, often
Last deliberately for political ends; the word moral disgust at the use of force. Indeed, no are recipients of aid from the latter. While
"terrorism," for example, often is introduced normal human being likes violence, if only these gestures of Christian charity may be
e than merely to describe the violence of the side to because it so often proves double-edged. morally satisfying to the givers, they
. which one is opposed. Nevertheless, we must be prepared to sometimes can be morally disgusting to the
rs of IN MANY Third World countries today, distinguish between different kinds of violen- receivers, if they also give the impression of
e con- violence is inflicted primarily by tyrannical ce, even in our own lives. When one is faced condoning poverty and oppression.
of the states on the defenseless populations they with the threat of violence to oneself or to To put conditions on aid which paralyze the
govern. Particularly in Latin America, which those who are dear, one feels perfectly struggle against state violence is to give just
United is a central concern of religious Americans, justified in resorting to self-defense. In other that impression.
e for violence is the tool by which governments words, we distinguish between predatory
ns will force their people to endure a poverty in- violence and the violence of resistance. Babu wrote this article for Pacific News
uclear duced largely by extensive exploitation. In ef- TWO HUNDRED years ago, Americans rte
s em- feet, we are confronted there with people sub- fought for their own independence from the Service.
of the ject to a double violence - that of poverty and British by violent means. It is easy to imagine
erican
d. LETTERS TO THE DAILY:
tening
much "
s, and
world Te Nazis are coming; So what.?
is race
To the Daily: But never fear. We can hear Suppose they offered hate and ched; suppose they gave a war...
The Nazis are coming! The the thunder now of the great nobody hated; suppose the Nazis -Glenn Mensching
Nazis are coming! But, so what? allies of the Nazis in world demonstrated and nobody wat- February Y1
At bottom, they are publicity slavery, the fractious lunatic
seekers. They are also parasites fringe of the far left. With their
who thrive on or even get off on help, a splendid time is guaran- M orris or m avor
the counter demonstrations and teed for all. They shall assure
confrontations. media attention, great distruc-
During the height of the Viet- tion of property, and most impor- To the Daily: willingness to work for the rights
nam war there was a phrase tantly, they will assure that the The Lesbian-Gay Politican of gay people, within a context of
coined and used as the title of a white-power bunch are made out Caucus of Washtenaw County has supporting the rights of all
revue: "Suppose they gave a war to be innocent martyrs. interviewed the two persons people.
and nobody came." Think of it; Suppression has never worked, seeking the Democratic mayoral In the opinion of the Caucu~s,
suppose the National Socialists whether it is suppression of a nomination for the Ann Arbor Morris, because of her years as a
showed up and nobody else came substance, a people or an idea. general election April 4. member of City Council, has
out to see them. The ultimate in- Suppression is in fact counter- Both Tom Blessing and Leslie more experience in city gover-
sult, the action that says best that productive. In the case of Morris indicated some under- nmental arenas than Blessing
civilization rejects fascism and Nazism, education and the of- standing of the societal op- and, consequently, a better grasp
racism. No publicity, no jeering fering if viable rational alter- pression visited upon lesbians on practical ways of helping gay
crowds, just silent streets. Ann natives is the key to countering and gay men and some people secure and maintain their
Arbor would become the least this vile stain on human world awareness of specific instances rights.
favorite place to hold a rally history. But instead, we will be of discrimination that have oc-
dedicated to hatred and in- only offered thuggery and bar- curred in Ann Arbor. Morris and FMb
tolerance. barity to match the same. Blessing spoke as well of their ruary 4
Wasserman
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