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OPINION
Page 4
Friday, October 4, 1985
The Michigan Daily
Resolutions
abound over Bush visit
The last week has seen a three ring circus
of resolutions around Vice-President
George Bush's visit scheduled for next
Monday.
Three different student governments
passed three different resolutions on three
different days.
Rackham Student Government got the
ball rolling on Monday, when it passed a
resolution stating, "its firmest opposition to
the appearance of any representative of the
Reagan Administration on this campus un-
til such time as the aforementioned policies
The Week
i n Review
(in Central America, South Africa, and in
regard to international relation) are
changed to conform to the standards of in-
ternational law and moral conduct, unless
such appearance by a Reagan Ad-
ministration official is to debate in a public
forum a representative of opposing
viewpoints."
The resolution also endorses demon-
strations of Bush's speech by members of
the student body.
On Tuesday, the Michigan Student
Assembly, the all-campus student gover-
nment, debated on an almost identical
resolution, but instead passed an amended
form that opposed Bush's visit specifically.
The debate over the resolution was
heated, and in the end the resolution passed
by a slim 11-10 margin with one abstention.
Following the resolution's passage, two
representatives, Mary Ann Nemer from
LSA and Mike Sovel from Engineering, an-
nounced they were considering resigning
from the Assembly.
On Wednesday night, Engineering Coun-
cil, the student government for the school of
engineering, passed a resolution asking
MSA to concentrate on issues more relevant
to student concerns.
Bush will be speaking on Monday to honor
the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Peace
Corps.
MLB fire
The Modern Languages Building suffered
a total power outage early Wednesday mor-
ning forcing all classes to either cancel or
relocate. Most students were happy about
the news and some were pleasantly sur-
prised with more time to study for the test
they had been cramming for Tuesday night.
According to Ann Arbor Fire Department
Battalion Chief Bob Murphy, the lights went
out when a transformer caught fire due to a
short circuit. The fire was extinguished with
in an hour and did minimal damage, he
said.
Workers from the electrical shop
replaced the transformer on Wednesday.
Apparently, this type of occurence is
nothing new in the MLB. Said Slavic
languages professor, Ladislav Matejka,
"I'm not surprised, it's such a lemon - the
whole building."
Movin' up
On the gridiron, Michigan made major
leaps and bounds in the eyes of all the
bechler said Monday at his weekly press
luncheon. "I think it's important in that
standpoint.
"We would be a lot better football team if
people would not be so nice to us," he joked.
"That's really the kiss of death because you
start to think you're good and the next thing
you know you get knocked on your can. So
we would appreciate it if everyone would
continue to say that this team is not very
good, or say that even in spite of the three
wins, we're overrated."
Hopefully we won't have to find out just
how soft Bo's can is.
What's the rush?
After a frenzied month of dressing up and
acting nice for the women, and an
exhausting week of acting cool, calm, and
collected for the guys, rush officially ends
today. As the final bids come out, both the
rushees and those already in the Greek
system will get a better idea of who will be
involved in the coming year.
If you've wondered at all about the well-
dressed women who've been walking up and
down Hill Street virtually every Friday
night for the last month, they were only a
fraction of the almost 1400 girls who began
the sorority rush process four weeks ago.
As the women went from house to house,
the field narrowed to the approximately 600
who will receive bids today.
In contrast, the process for rushing a
fraternity is traditionally much less formal.
Rather than following a set program,
would-be fraternity brothers visit only the
houses they think they might be interested
in.
That process can be tougher than the
sorority's, though, because it means going
back to the houses each night this week.
It all might sound Greek to outsiders, but
it's clearer now to the hundreds involved in
the process than it has been in somhe time.
Thumbs up
The Research Policies Committee (RPC)
approved a proposal submitted by an
engineering college professor who
requested University support for a
classified conference that will plan resear-
ch for the Department of Defense.
The committee endorsed metallurgical'
engineering Prof. M.J. Sinnot's Materials
Research Council Project" by a 7-2 vote.
Citing University guidelines which
prohibit research "the probable result of
which...is to destroy human life," LSA
junior David Isaacson voted against the
proposal. Since the conference is classified,
Isaacson worried about "giving a carte
blanche to a series of workshops to develop
military projects."
Sinnot's supporters on the RPC em- 4
phasized that the conference's results will
be published. The RPC's Prof. Thomas
Schriber said, "It's my belief that the con-
ference involves the basic science of
metallurgy and does not have immediate
and direct military application."
Week in Review was compiled by
Daily editors Joseph Kraus, associate
editor Joe Ewing and staff writers
Henry Park, Kysa Connett and Rebecca
Blumenstein.
Schembecler warns of "...the kiss of
death..."
national pollsters and prognosticators this
week after going 3-0 to open the season.
The Wolverines made it all the way up to
number four in the CNN USA Today poll,
jumped from ninth to fifth in the United
Press International rankings, and climbed
from 12th to seventh in a poll conducted by
the Associated Press. Then to top things off,
CBS and Brent Musberger named Michigan
the top team in the land.
While fans loved the ascension of the
Wolverines in the rankings, Michigan head
coach Bo Schembechler had different
feelings about the polls.
"The primary purpose of the polls is to
create interest in college football," Schem-
i
ie mdyets tgant oa ng
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Fans' reaction is un-American
Vol. XCVI, No. 22
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board
If you care
T HE REGENTS' preemptive
endorsement of President
Reagan's controversial "Star
Wars" defense program is all the
more reason to welcome the
national conference on the issue to
be held today and Saturday at
Rackham Auditorium.
The conference, sponsored by
the Michigan Student Assembly of-
fice of Student Services and Cam-
puses Against Weapons in Space
will feature a panel of six experts
in the fields of science, economics,
weapons research and develop-
ment and political science -
evenly balanced between those
who oppose the defense initiative
and those who support the program
It is just this sort of vital
discussion that the Regents denied
in passing their September 20
"Star Wars resolution" without in-
put from the University com-
munity.
Over the past several weeks,
petitions circulating among
University faculty and staff have
garnered over 600 signatures in
opposition to the initiation of Star
Wars" research here.
As the University becomes in-
creasingly polarized over the issue
of SDI research in the academic
arena, the opportunity to hear the
experts clarify the project and its
ramifications becomes invaluable.
Particularly compelling is the
issue of research classification. In
recent years the Pentagon has
managed to circumvent the
restrictions on classified research
at academic institutions by par-
celling out defense contracts in-
such specified projects that the
ultimate weapons .applicability is
unclear.
Many who oppose the Univer-
sity's acceptance of Star Wars
money claim that the research
may be initially acceptable as un-
classified, but become
progressively more sensitive, and
ultimately classifiable. Such cir-
cumstances would clearly result in
a violation of the University's
research guidelines.
While the civilian applications of
SDI relate research have been
called "insignificant" by Dr. E.
Joseph Wampler, a professor of
Astronomy at the University of
California, and opposition to the
weapons systems applicability
grows, this weekend's conference
is most fortuitous.
All memebers of the University
community are being presented
with an opportunity to become
educated on the Star Wars issue
with the benefit of expert insight;
be there if you care.
By Henryk
Skolimo wsky
I was amused and per-
plexed by the Daily's inter-
pretation ("Fans don't recognize
founding doctrine," Sept. 30) of
what actually happened before a
football game on Saturday, Sept.
28.
Four students of mine came up
with a bright idea of asking
people, ordinary people who go to
Saturday games and enjoy them,
to sign a document. This
document (typed on a typewriter)
was in fact the Declaration of In-
dependence. But people presen-
ted with it did not know that.
The results were devastating.
About 90% of those asked refused
to sign it. They have (in their
mind and hearts) rejected those
articles on which these United St-
ates are founded. One of the per-
sons said in indignation to one of
the young men who was soliciting
the signatures: "You should be
ashamed of yourself for doing
this in America."
The situation calls for com-
ment. If this small survey is
right, then we are in deep
trouble as a society, and as sup-
posedly enlightened people. We
are ready to abandon the grounds
from which sprang what is most
valuable in this nation.
It would seem that we have
become illiterate as a nation, that
we have become) gnorant, that
we have become intolerant; at
best that we have becom
hypocritical. Let me explain.
We read so much and yet do not
seem to read what is truely im-
portant to us. We think we are so
knowledgeable and yet we don't
seem to know the basic articles
on which this nation is founded.
We think that we are free and
tolerant whereas when caught off
guard we show ourselves in-
tolerant to views of others. At
best we are hypocritical for even
if we know (somehow deep down
in our minds and hearts) what are
the premises on which this nation
rests, in our daily actions we are
prepared to act against them.
What is the explanation of this
dilemma which is more a plight
than a dilemma? The explanation
is not far to seek. It would seem
that we have been brainwashed
by the propaganda and ideology
of the Radical Right. The reac-
tion of the people who did not sign
the document was a stereotype
reaction of the people who adhere
to the philosophy of the right:
how dare you ask me to sign such
a document which is in sympathy
with altruism, spirituality, big
ideas, while my sympathies are
with selfishness, competition, in-
tolerance-which I disguise as
"the right views of mainstream
America." The reaction of the
woman who said: "Yousbould be
ashamed of yourself doing this in
America," is not so much highly
ironic but highly tragic. What has
become of us as people? What has
become of us as a great nation
which has always inspired other
nations with its idealism and
tolerance?
Actually we are a bit lucky that
we have those great documents
and ideals as a part of the foun-
dation of this nation. Without
them in the background the
selfishness and thoughtlessness
would have been more rampant.
Selfishness is an aspect of
thoughtlessness. Thoughtless-
ness, on the other hand, is a sure
way leading to selfishness and in-
tolerance.
People and nations are as great
as their aspirations are. Judging
by the reaction of most people to
the Declaration of Independence
we have become small people. It
is time to pull ourselves up by our
bootstraps, return to the drawing
board, do some thinking, re-read
those great documents on which
this - nation has been founded.
When we read those great
documents with undertstanding,
we shall find the philosophy of the
Radical Right to be profounly un-
American.
Skolimowsky is a professor
of humanities in the School of
Engineering.
LETTERS
Solicit diversity. Only better is better.'
To the Daily:
I do not see the reason for thet
Daily to publish such ridiculoust
nonsense as the letter by Seth t
Klukoff, editor of the Michigan
Review, on the imaginary merits
of Star Wars. It is nonsense, even
on its face, and to publish it is to
give it a bit of undeserved
credibility.
Anyone who has read Robert
Scheer's brilliant investigative
book With Enough Shovels:I
Reagan, Bush, and Nuclear War,
knows that Reagan does not even
want to "Make nuclear war ob-
solete" (which is a misnomer1
because it is not currently being
practiced, "weapons", notI
""war") rather, Reagan would -
like to be able to fight and win a
nuclear war.
Klukoff himself is the fascist
dog here. His idea has been t
examined and unanimously
rejected by those who have beent
objective. To those fascist dogs,
like Klukoff, however, who are;
more sensitive to dreams and
ideology than reality, systems
like Star Wars still appear.
The Dail wnuld do less tn onn-
at least the Daily should insist
that the contrary opinions it prin-
ts share the appearance of being
founded on facts rather than on
desires. At best, the SDI
argument is a bald, unproven
assertion that "It can be done."
Well, if the best the SDI folks can
say is a care "we can," why even
listen to them? Why even give
their argument a touch of
credibility by printing it?
If you want diversity of opinion,
solicit it. But don't just take
whatever comes, because it
carries the label of "different".
Different is not better. Only bet-
ter is better.
-Mark Graham
September 24
Students repress beliefs
4
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- ~'(
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To the Daily;
We can guess that Michael
Penskar ("Strategic Defense?
Just Ask Bo," Daily, Sept. 25)
only read, or at least only
retained, the last paragraph of our
letter on SDI, ("SDI might make
nuclear weapons obsolete,"
Daily, Sept. 23). having focused
in on the words, "fascist" and
"closed-mindedness." However,
in the second paragraph we
wrote, "At present SDI is only in
the research stage and as such,
we do not know what may be
done." We are not approaching
SDI with "blind faith," as Pen-
skar wrote. Rather, we are ap-
proaching it as a possible solution
to a tough problem.
In any case , our use of the
word, "fascist" does, perhaps,
deserve an explanation. There
are many good reasons for not
studying SDI, such as other
projects, and even the belief that
it will not work. However, having
a belief does not mean that it can
be imposed on others. When this
is attempted, as Ingrid Kock and
company have attempted to im-
pose their anti-SDI beliefs on the
faculty and students of the
University, they are acting As
fascists. As history has shown,
such repression of others' beliefs
can often lead to dictatorships.
-Seth B. Klukoff
Charles D. Lipsig
September2
sp
No
Letters to the Daily should by typed, triple-
aced, and signed by the individual authors.
ames will be withheld only in unusual circum-
stances. Letters may be
mar, and spelling.
edited for clarity, gram-,
by Berke Breathed
BLOOM COUNTY
_-I