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 ARE VU WKON'? 1 COM w GNP° D BUT A PURN ..r SKE LETO N I-- at the et has i h site in 4{ yet to Mi F4, under iEPA r com- .Said ames , JI))f d her ' y. d her >their at of--- those n over tn ginals .y's of- use to " ersndf ers ofWenmustmhuman itarians nue to s into support the use fviolence? smoke teus'f e ned in that of the state oppressive regime - which a'British clergyman at that time describing 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 100 KNOW SOMEONE StW EOR 'OLD POOR' AND NE FO TiKq ON ET 6Uw PER.OF ~ 1 JE) R WAS I Vi 1 I i.