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'Bomb drops-back to you, Bill'

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INTERVIEW
Seth Kiukoff
Editor of conservative campus paper
is more moderate than right-wing
As editor of The Michigan Review, LSA junior Seth Klukoff has
presided over the publication's evolution from "a mouthpiece for Reagan
policies" to a moderate, or "neo-conservative" journal. Klukoff, a
political science major from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, was interviewed by
Daily staffer Michael Lustig.
Daily: When did you first become politically active?
Klukoff: About five or six years ago. My parents were Democrats and
I was fairly liberal on most issues. Between my junior and senior years
in high school I went to the New Jersey Governor's School of Global
Affairs. The program was taught from a radical left-wing slant aimed at
"bashing America first." There was no room for discussion. I began to
change my mindset. I did some reading of conservative and neo-
conservative journals and found that I identified closer to these views. I
don't like to play party politics.
D: Do you think you will eventually go into politics?
K: I thought about politics but I'm shying away from it now.
Politicians are not the kind of people I like to be around. I will probably
go to law school or journalism school.
D: When did you first get involved with The Michigan Review?
K: I was a freshman and was looking for an outlet to do political essays
and such. At the time, The Review was floundering financially. A core
group of us basically took over, got donations and writers and got
ourselves back on track. I became editor the second semester of my
freshman year. That core group is still there.
D: The Review started out as a right-wing journal, but recently it has
become more moderate. Why is this?
K: The Review was actually founded in response to a Daily article. It
has moved to the center for many different reasons. For us to survive on
a liberal campus, we can't just act as a mouthpiece for Reagan policies.
We've moved from 'the right to a moderate or even neo-conservative
journal. We're much more to the center than most conservative journals,
and we have earned respect for that. We have to be diverse and appeal to
others as well.
D: Does The Review work with the College Republicans?
K: I'm a member of the College Republicans, but The Review is not
affiliated with them in any way-that's a big myth on campus. We are
much more to the center than they are.
D: Some specific issues-how do you feel about abortion?
K: Honestly, I'm pro-choice. I think it's a woman's right to make
decisions regarding her own body.
D: Would you write this in The Review?
K: We ran a pro-con forum in The Review last spring. As editor I stay
Continued on page 9

DESPITE THE FACT THAT
the Chernobyl disaster occurred in
The Soviet Union, it was still
subject to an American media blitz.
Every magazine from Time to Teen
Beat made a big deal out of the
meltdown. A good nuclear accident,
no matter where it happens, sells
magazines, newspapers, and boosts
sagging Nielsen ratings.
Imagine then, if you will, what
the American media might do if
there was a limited nuclear attack
on the United States. Even as the
bombs were dropping experts in the
field would be analyzing what sort
of programming might appeal to
people with seared flesh or radiation
poisoning.
On the "Donahue" show they'd
probably grapple with a question
like: "Mutants-Should I give birth
to one?" On "Good Morning
America" David Hartman could do
a segment entitled, "America's
newest fad-baldness." "Life-
styles of the Rich and Famous"
would tour Olivia Newton John's
Malibu fallout shelter.
I figure the 6 O'clock News
would sound something like this:
JEAN: "I really don't think I can
go on with this broadcast, Bill.
There are people dying out there."
OFF THE WALL
Graffiti is the window to the soul,
the Voice of America, the reality
behind the bullshit.
-Graduate Library
IDEALISM IS A THREAT TO
THE RATIONALIST
(replies)
Isn't it a little idealistic for a
rationalist to hope he or she can be
perfectly rational?
I disagree. What's the use of
being rational without ideals?
HOW CAN YOU BE IDEALISTIC
WITHOUT REASON?
Easy-you don't dream of
money, power, and war. -
WHICH IS VERY EASY TO DO
WHEN THOSE WHO DO THOSE
THINGS PROVIDE A SOCIETY
THAT IS . RICH AND SE-
CURE-ENABLING LIMITED
THINKING PEOPLE TO QUESTION
SOCIETY. IN OTHER WORDS,
WHERE DID YOUR CAR, YOUR
CHEAP AND PLENTIFUL FOOD,
CLOTHES AND HOUSING COME
FROM? FROM THOSE WHO
DREAM OF MONEY, POWER AND
WAR.
-Graduate Library
RUSH ABU-NIDAL
-West Quad
Is it a lust for life or a life for lust?
-Graduate Library

MIKE
FISCH
BILL (coolly): "You're so right,
Jean. A terrible tragedy, terrible.
Things don't seem to be going so
well for the Tigers, either. Here's
Jim with an update... Jim?"
JIM: "One thing's for sure, Bill,
it's been a crazy day in the world of
sports. Let's start with the bad
news. The Tigers lost to the
Yankees. The good news is that
the Tigers have, despite the loss,
been given a new lease on life-a
chance to capture the pennant now
that the first-place Red Sox are
dead. I'll be back later with some
shots of today's game, and don't
forget sports blunders. I've seen
lots of baseball games, but never
before in my life have I seen a
pitcher's whole arm fall off.
Incredible! We'll see that and much
more later. Not the greatest time to
be a weatherman, eh Dave?"
DAVE: You can say that again,
Jim. Tonight's forecast is more of
the same. Muggy, muggy, muggy.

But there is an end in sight, ladies
and gentleman. According to the
Sky Eye Weather Lab, we won't be
putting up with the muggies for
too much longer. A cold front is
moving its way over the U.S. and
things are going to get chilly.
Better get your longjohns out of the
bottom drawer. I'll be back with
tomorrow's forecast after these
messages."
The commercial would go
something like this:
"Life got tougher, so we got
stronger. New Extra Stength
Tylenol, with 10,000 milligrams
more pain reliever than the the
average pain reliever. Don't let
cancer get you down-use the pain
relievers doctors recommend most."
I figure my favorite show would
be "ABC News Nightline" with Ted
Koppel. The beginning of the show
would sound something like this:
TED: "Nuclear Armageddon.
The end of human life as we know
it. Why? We're talking to Dr.
Theodore Kravitz, from the Union
of Concerned Scientists. Dr.
Kravitz is a professor of applied
physics at Harvard University.
We'll also hear from Miles
Richardson, a top Pentagon
Continued on Page 9

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Romance blooms between Alida (Gail Youngs) and Belizaire (Armand Assante), despite Alida's marriage.
Pass Up the usual commercial

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PRINT FROM THE PAST

trash for 'I
By Kurt Serbus
"BELIZAIRE THE CAJUN" IS
the type of wild-card movie that
could only be released in the fall.
Set in Louisiana in the 1860s, it's
the story of a happy-go-lucky
Cajun faith healer who unwittingly
gets caught in the middle when
bands of marauding vigilantes set
out to drive his people from their
land. It stars Armand Assante in the
title role, and the only other "name"
in the cast is Robert Duvall, who
appears onscreen for a grand total of
about thirty seconds. It's the first
feature of writer-director Glen Pitre,
who's been hailed by American
Film magazine as "the father of
Cajun language film." Despite all.
these box-office strikes against it,
however, "Belizaire" should not be
missed, even by audiences looking
for nothing heavier than a good
time. Neither commercial nor pre -
tentious, it's going to be a de-
lightful suprise to filmgoers who
are into pigeonholing.
The plot goes something like
this: Belizaire, a rougish rascal
everyone seems to like, wants
nothing more than to drink, sing,
heal the natives and marry Alida,
the Cajun girl who's won his heart.
Alida, however, is already married
(sort of) to Matthew, who is not a
Cajun. In fact, he's the leader of a

3elizaire .the Cajun'

DAILY FILE PHOTO
Homecoming 1971 was a chiefly political event (see Almanac below).
THE DAILY ALMANAC

terrorist gang attempting to banish
the Cajuns, or at least a select few
of them, to Texas. When Belizaire's
best friend gets accused of murder,
the reluctant hero tries to smooth
things out with an elaborate series
of bargains that pull the plot
through more twists than a good
murder mystery (which in some
ways it is). A hilarious climax at
the gallows wraps everything up in
a manner that seems both brilliant
and effortless.
That effortlessness is part of the
reason "Belizaire" works so well.
Pitre has a background in doc-
umentary films, and he infuses his
work with a realism that affects
every aspect of the movie. He
refuses to black-and-white his
characters: Matthew, the obvious
Bad Guy, is really a pretty
righteous dude who's been forced by
familial obligations to carry on his
crusade against the Cajuns; on the
other hand, Hypolite, the friend
Belizaire must protect, comes off as
a greasy little hustler with a big
chip on his shoulder. Even Belizaire
is no bayou White Knight-true,
he turns out to be quietly smarter
than anyone else in the picture, but
he's not above wimping out of a
fight or scamming on another
man's wife. The script is likewise a
paragon of realism and naturalness.
Viewed as a whole, the pro-

gressively built plot looks
extremely clever, but not to clever
for it's own good. Pitre lets his wit
sneak up on you from behind,
rather than flaunting it in your face.
Pitre gets a lot of help in this
area from the brilliantly laid-back
performances of his cast. There's
not a bad apple in the bunch, but
the real standout is Assante, who
overcomes his intense good looks
to play Belizaire as an eternally
mellow medicine man, even with a
noose around his neck. Like the
characters and the script, Assante
and the other actors blend flawlessly
into the production, bringing a
sense of unity and ease that is rare
in period films.
Well, there you have it. Either
you'll see "Belizaire the Cajun" or
you won't-and chances are you
won't, because movies like this
weren't made to break box-office
records. Movies like this were made
as a happy middle ground between
the stupidity of formulaic
"commercial films" and the pre -
tentions of High Art. It's good
ground to be on for a couple of
hours, and if you're not doing
anything some night this week,
you might want to check it out.
You'll probably have to sit through
a lot of "Rambos" before you get
the chance to stand on that ground
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10 years ago-September
28, 1976: Two students filed a
complaint with the U.S.
Department of Health, Education
and Welfare against Michigamua,
the secret, all-male honorary society
housed in the Michigan Union. The
suit alleged that Michigamua
members got preferential treatment
concerning football tickets and job
information as well as access to
University facilities not available to
other groups-violations of Title

XI, a law which prohibits sex
discrimination in federally funded
institutions.
15 years ago-September
29, 1971: It was announced that
Michigan's homecoming was to
have an official anti-war theme:
"Let's work together to bring the
troops- home now." Over 1,000
student signatures were collected in
support of the idea, and the Student
Government Council (SGC) ap-
proved the plan.

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PAGE 8

WEEKEND/SEPTEMBER 26, 1986

WEEKEND/SEPTEMBER 26, 1986