OPINION
Page 4 Wednesday, January 21, 1987 The Michigan Daily
01h 3idligan J4ai
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Socialism needs
Vol. XCVII, No. 80
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board
All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily.
Study and reject Moon
By A jit de Silva
I wish to comment on John
Silberman's defense of socialism featured
in the Daily (Daily, 1/9/87) entitled
"Socialism is Superior." While his
enthusiasm is appreciated, any economics
student must feel compelled to correct his
mistakes and not permit this work to
stand as any definitive understanding of
socialism.
John Silberman is trying to defend the
freedoms afforded to those who live under
socialism. These freedoms are not
exactly like the freedoms found in this
country. Silberman claims socialist
countries give people the freedom from
starvation, the freedom from
unemployment, the freedom from
homelessness, and in general, the freedom
from suffering economic disparity on a
classwide basis.
These freedoms are not particularly
socialist in nature. One might find a
liberal thinker, even a capitalist, quite in
agreement with him. One might also
contest whether the so-called socialist
countries can actually guarantee these
freedoms as strongly as constitutional
democracies guarantee their own
Ajit de Silva is a senior in the
Residential College.
freedoms. Finally why do
"superior" socialist countries g
the rights that are guaranteed
constitutional democracies in add
the more lofty moral freedoms t
already addressed?
The intuitive answer is alrea
For whatever reason, they can
insofar as this is a failure, the
failed to lead the world to a;
alternative.
Here is a traditional examp
introductory economics. Any e,
that can sustain a 7 percent gro
will double its GNP in ten years.
turn implies a double in the sta
living. If one compares as
country side by side with a c
country it seems as though the
country (with theoretically no g
at least less growth) can only gua
future of relative international po0
will surely only be able to 0
people less and less.
Silberman has made many mis
his understanding of soc
Socialism is not an alterna
capitalism, it is the latter's
Capitalism will, according
theorists, fall and make way for s
due to its own inherent flaws. O
not see socialism occurring in th
Union because they never went
explanation
on't the the prerequisite stage of capitalism. The
uarantee Soviet Revolution was not a socialist
by the revolution, made up of the workers
dition to prepared to offer a new classless society,
hey have but rather it was a bourgeois revolution
yielding a bourgeois state of state
dy clear. capitalism. It was Stalin that
not, and industrialized Russia, not capitalism.
,y have What happens when one man
superior industrializes a nation? The term police
state seems to have entered the vernacular.
?le from Similarly India failed to become a
conomy socialist state after its liberation from
This in England. It was true that they espoused
a Thisfin lofty social plans and goals, however, any
socialist attempt to reach a socialist society,
apitalist without the prerequisite stages, was fated
socialist to failure.
rowth or One must see that Silberman can be
grantee a proved wrong, on his own grounds, when
verty. It he claims so-called socialist societies
offer its today are to be considered superior. It is
unlikely they will be able to offer
stakes in anything, now or in the neartfuture,
:ialism. qualitatively superior to the guarantees
tive to found in constitutional democracies.
future. These observations should not be
to its considered a condemnation on the search
ocialism for qualitatively superior freedoms. These
)ne does freedoms, however, lie in a socialist
e Soviet revolutionary future, not a stagnant
through economy of today.
REVEREND MOON'S Unification
Church and its various front
groups have thrived on public
apathy and ignorance. At the local
level, MSA President Kurt
Muenchow admitted ignorance of
the University's branch of
CARP-a Moonie front group
recognized by MSA-and at the
national level, Senator Kennedy's
office admitted to the Daily
(Weekend Magazine, 1/16/87) that
it accidentally endorsed a CARP
event.
The Moonies have attempted to
gain respectability since the
conviction of Moon for tax
evasion. Their November, 1986
issue of World University Times
features prominent photos of
mainstream politicians and their
endorsements -"the Mayor 'of
New York City, the Governors of
New York and New Jersey, 17
members of-Congress, 8 Senators,
10 foreign ambassadors from 5
continents and 23 university
presidents." These endorsers in -
clude Governor Cuomo of New
York and Republican presidential
aspirant Jack Kemp.
On campus, CARP purchased
bulletin board space in the Union to
promote their views and advertise
for the conference.
In terms of religion, Moon
believes himself to be the second
Messiah. He expects world crisis
and moral degeneration, requiring
his leadership to destroy
communism internationally. After
the apocalypse, Moon expects to
unify the world under his religion,
all by the year 2000.
Moon's extreme right-wing
agenda does appeal to some people
and is covered up very well for the
rest of the general public. For
example, the Moonies are active in
the World Anti-Communist
League. They have continuously
provided material aid to the contras
fighting the Sandinista government
in Nicaragua. On tour with former
Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver,
the Moonies advocated the ex -
pulsion of all foreigners. In 1980,
CARP proposed war against the
Soviet Union for the invasion of
Afghanistan. On social issues, the
Moonies are puritanical-"Stop
Sex" is a popular slogan. The
famous Madison Square Garden
mass marriages are another typical
Moonie trademark.
Not everyone in Moon's front
groups are hypnotized or
brainwashed. Mark Siljander, a far
right Republican who had the
dubious honor of being the only
losing incumbent Republican in
Michigan in 1986's congressional
races, spoke at Moon's October
convention. Siljander was moti-
vated by ideological sympathy, not
hypnotically induced obedience.
The Moonies have a distinct
political point of view, which is
important to understand. MSA has
re-recognized CARP after a 5 year
hiatus and has given it access to
previously unavailable resources.
MSA should also devote resources
to expose exactly what the Moonies
stand for.
In addition to CARP, HARP
(High School Association for the
Research of Principles), CAUSA,
Project Voltxfeb, Wrld Family
Movement, Jewish Friendship
League, the American Council for
World Freedom, the Children's
Relief Fund, World Relief
Friendship Foundation, the
Washington Times, the New York
Tribune and the movie Inchon, are
all associated with Reverend
Moon. Michigan businesses owned
by Moon's church include Sky
Valley Ranch, Sunny Food for
Thought, Sunny Floral and I1 Hwa
Ginseng Center of Detroit.
Ultimately, the Moon network is
so large that only an inquisitive
public and a responsible civic
leadership willing to devote energy
and resources to exposing Moon
can prevent the growth of this
pernicious cult.
Lucas
IN RESPONSE TO A POLITICAL COMMENTARY
/MADE BY THE PRESIDENT'S COFFEE
CUP, WE WOULt LDKE TO PRESENT
AN OPPOSING R-OINT-OFVIEW BY THE
OFFICIAL RABBIT'S FOOT OF VICE
PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH.
: ... "
-
PIF"--
Thank You.
A
I MUST SAY THAT I FOUND
MR. MUGG'S PHEM TO 8E BIASED,
ONE= SIDEb, COUNTERPRODUCTIVE,
AND UH,... STUFF LIKE THAT.
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MAKLING H ERE AT THE WRITE
HOUSE AND HAVE PROVEN TO 1E
LUCKY FOR OUR GOVERNMENT PEOPLE.
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Baker and Weisbrot, work at home
To The Daily:
I have never written a letter
to a newspaper in my life. The
letter from Dean Baker and
Mark Weisbrot which appeared
in the Daily (Daily, 1/19/87)
compels me to write my first. I
single them out because they
represent the views of a good
many people on this campus
and also this area. Like Dr.
Martin L. King I also have a
dream. I dream of a nation
where local activists are just
that; active locally! Why don't
you direct your activism and
energy towards ends where you
can have an immediate impact?
Why don't you campaign for
the homeless in Ann Arbor?
Will there not be enough media
cameras to catch you with that
smug look of self-
righteousness upon your faces?
I dream of a City of Detroit
where children and teenagers
have a vision and hope for the
future. Where crack is
something that happens to the
sidewalk and guns are left to
the soldiers. Where schools are
rh A.- ... 1.- -
preach idly about what should
be done than it is to actually
get your hands dirty doing it.
I too have dream. I dream of
the day all the pseudo activists
in this community stop
preaching about what ails the
world, get down off their
soapbox and get their hands
dirty helping the people who
need you most, your brothers
and sisters. Dr. King would
have wanted it that way.
Come on Mr. Baker and Mr.
Weisbrot. Get your hands dirty.
-Michael A. Bean
January 20
U.S. military strength prevents world war
To the Daily:
Quiz time! What is the
greatest social problem facing
mankind? Of course, there are
many: famine, poverty, crime,
drugs, unemployment, disease,
death, all largely derived from
three of the Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse: starvation,
pestilence and death. So it
may be difficult to choose.
But what' about War, the
Fourth Horseman? Isn't that
the greatest social problem of
all? The testimony of those
who have experienced war
(mostly its participants and
victims) is clearly that war
brings widespread hunger,
while still preserving freedom.
How then are wars
prevented? By signing
agreements with sworn
enemies who have a record of
violating virtually every
agreement they have ever
made? That- seems unpro-
ductive even to a casual
observer. Are wars prevented
by world forums such as the
United Nations? What is its
record? More "small" wars
have occurred under this format
during the past 40 years that in
any similar period in history.
Another unproductive app-
roach. By disarmament? Look
at the history of such attempts
over the last 400 years and
especially true of the power of
the U.S. military and a
succession of U.S. presidents
who have understood its
significance in the "real" world.
And recently, the U.S. has
proposed a revolutionary new
space system that could provide
an important defense against
the offensive missiles of any
aggressor, thus reducing,
perhaps eliminating, the need
to threaten the world with
destruction to avoid
destruction.
Do you seek to demonstrate
"social responsibility"? If so,
first give support, in spirit and
f substance, to maintaining U.S.
military strength and the
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