OPINION Page 4 Friday, January 24, 1986 The Michigan Daily, Eit adCbatTheUivy Migal Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Discrimination still exists Vol. XCVI, No. 81 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board A woman WEDNESDAY MARKED the thirteenth anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized the right of women to have abortions. This decision should stand. The philosophical debate over abortion will never end. "Right-to- lifers" will continue to believe that human life begins at conception, and that abortion is therefore murder. "Pro-choice" advocates will continue to maintain that a fetus is still part of the mother's body, and that abortion is a per- sonal decision. No medical findings can determine when "life" begins, this is a matter of philosophical or religious belief. Since the metaphysical question is moot, one should consider the practical arguments for abortion rights. Abortion is often the only reasonable choice. Pregnancies that result from rape, incest - or in which the mother is too young, too poor, or otherwise incapable of caring for a child - should be ter- minated. Opponents of abortion rights advocate the "right to life," but they say nothing about the quality of that life. When a woman (or a girl) wishes to abort a fetus, she is saying something about her ability to take care of a child. 's cho ice Society should not second-guess her. Right-to-lifers claim that a woman in dire circumstances should bear the child and give it up for adoption. However, in many cases, such as the one of a twelve- year-old who has been raped, the psychological and physical effects of completing the pregnancy would be ruinous. Abortion is a reality. Regardless of the law, women determined to end their pregnancies will have abortions. Wealthy women will always be able to find a competent physician and sanitary conditions, even if they have to travel abroad. Poor women cannot afford that luxury, and in desperation will ac- cept life-threatening, back-alley, coathanger abortions. If abortion is illegal, the government has no way of enforcing safe standards. Making abortions illegal does not stop them; it just makes them more dangerous. Opposition to abortion rights is vehement, and President Reagan serves as the vanguard. As Reagan promised a crowd of right-to-lifers, "We will continue to work together with members of Congress to over- turn the tragedy of Roe v. Wade." Hopefully this statement is just the quacking of a lame duck. By Ken Berman According to the present administration, racism - a problem that hasstouched vir- tually every political, social, and economic aspect of American growth and life since the signing of the constitution - no longer exists. Attorney General Edwin Meese along with cohorts Brad Reynolds and Clarence Pendleton is attempting to destroy over two decades of civil rights progress with a proposal that would negate the executive order signed by Lyndon John- son in 1965. This order mandated that federal contractors promote the hiring and advancement of blacks, hispanics and women in reasonable proportion to their numbers in each local labor market. The same plan also seeks to wipe out affirmative action for good. The Meese-Reynolds- Pendleton bill is stated under the two premises that 1) racial and sexual discrimination no longer exist in America, and 2) the intent of the founding fathers was that the constitution be color blind. In the past few months various local, state and national incidents of discrimination arising from racism haveoccurred.aLess than ten weeks ago a black couple and a biracial couple in a predominantly white Philadelphia neighborhood were slandered, harassed and insulted merely because they became residents there. Charles and Marietta Williams and their seven year old son lost their home for being black in a town of whites. They moved in on November 16 and within three days became the focus of white crowds gathering outside their house chanting "we want them out!" Similarly, Ken Berman is an Honors freshman in LSA. the biracial couple, Gerald and Carol Fox, sufferred from racist hostility and van- dalism. It became so violent that Mayor Wilson Goode had to declare a state of emergency to quiet the racists. The Williams' still decided to leave. These law abiding citizens who exercised their rights without infringing on others, became victims of discrimination because of their color. This harassment is not uncommon. Last year, at least two black families were buried out of their homes in Chicago due to racist violence. Less than two months ago, black homeowners in Maplewood New Jer- sey became the target of racist vandalism. This week, four real estate companies in Nassau County, New York are being sued and investigated for promoting housing segregation by steering black home buyers to areas with large black populations while showing whites of similar incomes homes in virtually all white areas. The University it- self is a victim of racist vandalism. The closing of the parks in Dearborn to non- residents is another example of racism existing in our society today. As for the first premise of the Meese-Reynolds-Pendleton proposal: "You don't need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows." The second premise (that the Constitution was meant to be colorblind) is blatantly false. The Constitution of the United States was everything but colorblind when it legitimized slavery in half the nation while counting a black slave as three-fifths of a human being. Many of the creators of the constitution were slaveholders. It was not until 1870, with the ratification of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments that slavery was reversed in principle by the Constitution. However, only with the civil rights movement over twenty years ago did the real change finally begin to take place. Lyn- ching of blacks didn't officially terminate until 1956. "Seperate but equal" social status was backed by the Supreme Court un- til 1964. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the r Voting Rights Act of 1965 finally legalized and affirmed black humanity, U.S. citizen- N ship, and rights as citizens. It took America, 9 "land of the free," almost two hundred years to allow all men to be treated as equals under law. Yet blacks were still victims of racism and physically and psychologically damaging white discrimination. Blacks are disproportionately concentrated at the bot tom of the social and economic ladder in American society, with little upward' mobility. Now, the Reagan administration is striving to take that ladder out from their hands, turning the calendar back thirty years. The federal government is ignoring the active racism in America. This is inex- cusable. If this bill is passed it will mark a return to the ignorant prejudice of pre-civil rights America. However, we no longer have the excuse of ignorance. The gover- nment can no longer hide from this obvious problem. The irrationality of racism was brought to the world's attention with the civil rights movement over twenty years ago. This issue must be confronted rather than avoided. Racism is an issue which in volves all mankind. Color does not seperate humanness. Color is merely skin deep, bait humanity transcends the skin. It is the link which allows man to coexist with each other in a civil, humane and rational manner. Why must men strive to break this precious link? -- . Wasserman ;~P A~ srv~~~ m~i WN N Do P 2R "YOU FINAL1LY CGING&'Co SOM A-TRINC& AFOO~TACID RrANN 2 Fv\OP$ YOU DY. A5 fiN I-' 17 $EW A STDYll SUDY 11C- FU SRSUD Poor tax plol Li 6i .rs " r _ r.:...... .... IN GEORGE Orwell's nightmare vision of the future the state runs a lottery for the working class proles which no one ever wins. In a similar manner many states now run lotteries which instill in their citizens a false, fatalistic hope for easy wealth. A major problem with the lottery is the extent to which it preys upon the desperation of the people who, because their futures are bleak turn to gambling as their only hope. A Maryland survey found that the poorest one-third of the state's households bought half of .all weekly lottery tickets sold there. Advertisements which promote the lottery contribute to an illusion about the system leading many people to become addicted to it. Through the lottery the state is sponsoring an insidious form of regressive taxation. By linking success with easy money the lottery perpetuates materialistic values instead of promoting self worth through job training programs which have decreased with recent budget cuts. A truly progressive tax could fund such work programs. Instead, the state self-righteously condemns vice while making itself the largest bookie. Being against the lottery does not imply taking a paternalistic at- titude to society or to the poor in particular. The lottery harms people who have become addicted to it from the middle as well as the lower classes. The poor are most likely to see themselves as having a bleak future.' As members of society they have a right to expect help in their efforts to pull them- selves out of poverty. A supporter of the lottery recently said that "unlike life, in the lottery everyone has the same chance." Offering everyone in the six and a half million odds is not a blow for social justice. Despite the injustice of the lot- tery, states often justify its existence by the fact that it in- creases revenues at a time when the public is unwilling to accept tax hikes. However, 40 percent of lot- tery revenues go back into the system for prizes and promotions. The money which does go into education does not increase education expenditures but replaces money which gets diver- ted elsewhere. Also, money received through lottery ticket sales replaces money which could have been raised through sales tax. If the state was interested in making money by any means available it could sell narcotics or other addictive drugs. This, however, like the lottery, would be wrong. you O5vIou5L YVAT DOES tT 11t\VFN'T SGC-N OUP-.(ALL FoR ? NEW' PC-oTOR v / ReSEN96q q i Yj F c LETTERS: More on the Palestinians and Israel To the Daily: At the risk of sparking an en- dless literary "point Counter- point," I would like to counter Hilary Shadroui's response "Zionism is Racist in Israel," (1/20/86). It seemssthat Shadroui needs a bit of a history lesson herself before she asserts that others are spreading propagan- da. First of all, and contrary to Shadroui, Palestine was primarily a barren wasteland before the Jews settled it. The en- tire Huleh Valley in upper Israel, once a malaria-ridden swamp, is nw one of the most agriculturally productive areas in the world. The hills around Safed, once totally barren, are now heavily forested. The Israelies are considered the foremost experts in desert agriculture and land relamatinn .and the notion that tlers this land only because it was so infertile, they assumed the Jews would quickly give up the notion of ever growing anything worthwhile and would leave Palestine. Even though this new Jewish state was logistically im- possible to defend from its in- creasingly belligerent Arab neighbors, the Yishuv Central, the official Jewish government, agreed to the partition. It was the Arab states and the Palestinian leaders (i.e. Haj Amin Husseini, Fawzi Kawjuki, etc.) who did not accept the partition plan, vowing to "drive the Jews into the sea." The Israelis begged the Palestinian fellaheen to stay out of the ensuing battle. Some did, most didn't. As everyone knows, the Israelis won their war of in- dependence, indeed capturing land not allocated to them by the U.N. partition plan. However, considering the belligerence of its irresponsible and unfair. It was the Arab leaders who sold out their Palestinian "brethren" by promising them the land of their Jewishneighbors if they would fight the Israelis. It was Jordan that annexed the West Bank, which was supposed to comprise most of the Palestinian state, yet the PLO never declared war on the Jordanian people. Shadroui contends that the PLO is not anti-Semitic, but an anti-Zionist organization. Tell that to Mrs. Bernard Klinghoffer, to the relatives of the Jews mur- dered in cold blood on the Maltese jetliner, or to the Jews standing at the Rome and Vienna El Al counters who were targeted just because they were Jewish. The PLO, by reason of its actions has declared war on the entire Jewish people, not just the Israelis. Palestinians claim that the PLO is fighting a legitimate bat- Olympic athletes, and people worshipping in synagogues? Why does the PLO place its militar basestin the midst of civilian when it knows tht innocents will inadvertantly become targets, literally hostages to the PLO? The PLO is a ruthless organization of murderers that indiscriminately kills Jews of all ages, nationalities, and political persuasions, yet the Palestinians have chosen this organization to be theirhspokesman. Is it any wonder that the Israelis requir Palestinians to carry I.D.cards,r submit to searches? The Israelis are scared. The PLO has shown that every Jew is a potential targeteso the Israeli government is reacting in the only way it can. This unfortunately results in the loss of civil rights for many in- nocent Palestinians. However, until the Palestinian people renounce the PLO as its leader- chi thaw wll n__ _ rui 41 ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...:::::.....