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OPINION
Wednesday, March 11,1987
Page 4
The Michigan Daily
4
e d mttgansit
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Misdirected
directions
Vol. XCVII, No. 109
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.
What'
S
Project Democracy, otherwise
known as the National Endowment
for Democracy, was set up in 1983
to give Federal money to
democratic institutions here and
abroad. At the inception of the
project Congress feared that the
administration would use Project
Democracy as a vehicle for covert
activities. Congress only agreed to
fund the program late in 1983 after
William J. Casey, the Director of
Central Intelligence, promised that
his agency would not be involved.
President Reagan, in 1982,
described Project Democracy as an
effort "to foster the infrastructure
of democracy, the system of free
press, unions, political parties,
universities, which allows a people
to choose their own way to develop
their own culture, to reconcile their
own differences through peaceful
means." It was understood that the
funds appropriated to Project
Democracy would be used to foster
Democratic ideas in authoritarian
regimes.
.Covert administration operations
that have recently come to light are
intimately connected with Project
Democracy. These operations do
not include unions, universities or
any of the other cited examples of
fundable projects. Instead, these
operations include soliciting allied
governrment to fund Contra rebels.
Saudi Arabia dep6sited $30 million
into so-called "Project Democracy
accounts" at the request of the
United States. The money was
earmarked for Nicaraguan rebels.
The administration also solicits
private funds for the same cause
under the Project Democracy name.
This may not sound like the
same program that Congress
appropriated funds for;
unfortunately it is. Congress'
emo cracy
suspicions were well founded. In
January of1983 President Reagan
signed National Security Council
Directive No.77 permitting the
N.S.C. to coordinate Project
Democracy activities. Oliver North
was chosen to head up the
operation. Robert McFarlane said
"Let's not be naive - if we have
the C.I.A. involved in this thing
we can call it off right off the bat."
Therefore, the administration chose
the National Security Council to
carry out covert operations.
Congress was never made aware of
the decision to establish a parallel
covert operation under the same
name and therefore funded by
those same monies appropriated for
the National Endowment for
Democracy.
Project Democracy has since
delivered weapons to contras,
charted companies to do the same,
and convinced other governments
to train the Nicaraguan rebels.
Project Democracy is yet another
example of the underhanded ways
irl which our current administration
has bypassed Congress (and
therefore the American people) and
managed to support unpopular
programs. The sheer volume of
stealth involved in administrative
policies clearly exemplifies that the
administration cannot be trusted.
The administration has shown that
in one wayor another it wilicarry
out any program it wants to. It is
particularly distressing to find that
the administration is diverting
Federal funds appropriated for
overt operations to unpopular
covert operations. That the
administration is supporting a rebel
group unpopular with its own
people in the name of Democracy is
odious. The administration's
policies are diametrically opposed
to democratic principles.
Certain laws like Prohibition or the 55
m.p.h. speed limit, some critics have
argued, are not only silly but harmful.
Because of their inanity, they encourage
people to violate them; and thus, the
establishment of these laws encourages
disrespect for the law in general.
I would like to argue in a similar vein
that there are certain directions (in
instruction booklets, recipes, on
medicine, etc.) which are never followed
and thus should be abolished.
Dov
Cohen
Barely anyone reads directions. This is
because the directions are so cluttered up
with worthless and never followed
instructions that reading a set of
directions in search of the rare worthwhile
ones becomes futile.
Directions writers would be far better
served if they eliminated all the useless
directions no one follows anyway.
A few I had in mind were:
" "Read all directions first." This is a
perennial favorite. No one has the
patience for this. Hell, they're lucky
we're reading the directions at all and not
just making it up as we go along.
- "Stir occasionally." Does anyone
really stir occasionally? The eye tends to
skim lightly over these two words in the
recipe. Somehow "Stirring occasionally"
becomes "Stirring optional." And - as a
friend said - if it's optional, why do it?
- "Read warning label on back first."
It's obvious why no one does this:
warning labels are depressing. All they
talk about is vomiting, brain
hemorrhages, painful swelling and
inflammation, nervousness, fever,
dizziness, drowsiness, diarrhea, drug
addictions, pregnancy complications,
burning, electric shock, upset stomachs,
and - in the case of one decongestant -
"increase of nasal discharge."
- "Make sure circuits are not
overloaded." Pshaw! Underloaded circuits
are for wimps. In our house, electrical
outlets look like multi-arm monsters.
Special adapters can be bought that allow
you to tap four plugs into one electrical
outlet. However, four in one is not
always enough. For real power, we add
adapters onto our adapters.
Once, we had up to eight plugs in one
circuit. Until we blew a fuse and sat in
darkness for the next two hours.
- "Have ID and cash ready while
waiting in line." It never fails; no one
ahead of you follows this.
- "If sore throat of cough persists for
more than two days, contact physician
immediately." I don't know anyone
whose colds last only two days. Why do
they want us to run to the doctor
everytime we have - what they would
call - "excess nasal discharge?" They
may be in cahoots with the AMA.
- "Careful. Radioactive waste." A
favorite.
- "For best results, squeeze tube from
the bottom." If you follow this, it's a
sure bet your roommate doesn't.
- "Do not remove card from pocket."
Why is this there? In most cases, the
library doesn't even use cards anymore.
And even when libraries do use cards, I
know people who violate this rule out of
spite.
" "Read each question thoroughly."
This is a favorite on exams and it's
probably good advice, too. But people
ignore it just as frequently as they ignore
the next one...
" "Do not b. s."
" "Use #2 pencil only." Unless the
teacher hands out a #2 pencil, no one is
going to follow this direction. This is
simply because no one has a #2 pencil.
If you take notes with a #2, they'll smear
within a week. So #2s are totally
useless, except for filling out those
computerized forms. If #2 pencils aren't
provided, it's just too bad - that
computer is going to have to suck down
some #2.5 graphite, whether it wants to
or not.
The list above is by no means
exhaustive. There are many useless
directions that we face in our life for the
simplest and most intuitive things. I am
reminded of the barf bag that has
directions printed on the side.
By continuing to bombard us with
useless instructions, directions writers are
numbing us to their instructions. Useful,
meaningful directions are lost in a sea of
"stirring occasionally"'s and "excess nasal
discharge."
For our sake and the sake of future
generations, we need to purge our society
of these destructive, mind-deadening
instructions once and for all.
LETTERS
Blow
the
whistle
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fans
4
To the Daily:
Please allow
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II
I was at the Michigan-
Illinois basketball game
Wednesday night cheering my
heart out for our team. We had
to beat Illinois! We had to
make the NCAA tournament!
We were coming off tough
losses. We were hungry to
prove ourselves and play
spoilers in the stretch of the
Big Ten race. It was depressing
to see us lose so soundly. We
blew it, and I don't mean just
our team. I left Crisler almost
more mad at our fans than
because we lost the game. I
was furious!
A real basketball fan with
any class comes early to the
games. Crisler was empty at
7:00, the time Coach Frieder
dared for students to show up.
By game time attendance
looked almost as sparse as in
pre-season as if we were
playing Ball State again. He
issued a challenge and we sure
proved him right.
A real basketball fan with a
shred of class applauds his
team on both offense and
defense throughout the game.
This means don't fall asleep
after Gary Grant finger rolls an
incredible fast break layup over
two defenders or when Garde
Thompson buries one for three
from 25 feet. Don't have a
coronary Mr. & Mrs. Visiting
Joe Schmoe if someone stands
up in front of you to clap and
yell fanatically for the
Michigan "D". The action is
at both ends of the court or
didn't you know? Get some
damn exercise or don't sit in
the student section.
A real basketball fan with
an ounce of class doesn't quit
when his team is down. Yes,
the game was pathetic at times.
Yes, it is hard to be positive
when you are down by twenty
plus points. But, this went on
in the first half! Ever heard of
a comeback? Remember
Indiana ... to no credit of the
crowd. And what about our
conquest of Purdue? On any
oiven danv anv team e n win
Tech or the Bloomington snake
pit, but I had hoped Wolverines
had a little more class than
that. I guess not. A true fan
realizes sweet plays on both
sides I was disgusted hearing
fans beg for Michigan to "trip,
hurt, and cripple the Illini." I
swear if you have no
conscience to applaud and ask
for more when Blackwell was
pounded in the face, you are the
loser and fool that you make of
yourself. Maybe you think it is
fun, but it definitely shows no
class. Go live in an alley! A
real basketball fan with an iota
of class stays until the clock
says 0:00 and the horn goes
off. To all you wimpy alumni
who left just after halftime,
GOOD RIDDANCE! I hoped
you enjoyed Reagan's pathetic
response to the Tower
Commission or squeezed your
Lincoln Town Car out of your
permit paid space. No one
needs fans like you!
A real basketball fan with a
smidgen of class supports his
team's bench players. I don't
care how many mistakes Mike
Griffin made against Indiana.
Your words will come back to
haunt you when they are red
hot the next game. These guys
bust their butts all season to
get in occasional minutes on
the floor that by season end
may add up to a few complete
games if they are lucky. They
make up the difference when it
counts.
Most of all, a real basket -
ball fan with a clue as to what
class is would NEVER rip on
his own players. Why are you
there if that's what you want to
do? WHO THE HELL DO
YOU THINK YOU ARE??!!!
You sit up there safe away
from the action ragging on
countless plays as if you could
do better. 99% of the guys on
this campus couldn't hold their
own against any of our players
for five minutes. Don't you
dare condemn their performance
until you play under the same
pressure and conditions they
do. Go soak your ego!
I hope every time Antione
Joubert buried a bucket for
three ag-inst Purdnup he
Ministers are concerned4
To the Daily:
We, the Minister's Alliance
of Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor &
Vicinity, representing local
church congregations from
both areas, wish to go on
record as expressing concern
over the recent course of racial
jokes, and incidents that have
taken place on the campus of
the University of Michigan.
Many of us admire and
support the University of
Michigan. We look to it for
academic excellence and quality
of leadership. However, we are
alarmed, distressed, and
appalled to learn that such
blatant racism and bigotry
could take place in our
community, least of all, at the
University of Michigan.
We cannot sit idle, and
allow this to continue for this
is not a laughing matter!! It
concerns all decent and peace
loving people.
We call upon the state
legislators, the University of
Michigan regents and its
executive officers to
thoroughly address the reported
racial incidents and the
testimonies presented before
the House Appropriations
Subcom-mittee on Higher
Education. We ask that you
exert whatever influence, ways,
or means, you have at your
disposal to rectify and alter the
campus environment -- to
conform to a wholesome,
peaceful, and harmonious
learning environment for all
persons, regardless of color.
To this end, the Minister's
Alliance of Ypsilanti, Ann
Arbor & Vicinity stands
willing to assist in any way
possible.
-Rev. B.T. Hopkins,
President
-Rev. G. Roberson,
Secretary
March 5
I am obviously not in the
majority here since this kind of
tactless undedicated fan is
commonplace in Ann Arbor.
But, I will keep being the way!
I am. You see, I will be in?
Charlotte, North Carolina
backing the team to the bitter
end. I only pray I none of you
guys show up. The Wolverines
are better off without you.
I am not saying that all
Michigan fans lack class. The
sacred impenetrable alumni
hide much of the blame. Most
students do, however, fit some
of these descriptions. I just
hope that the true fans will.
stand out.
Michigan will never be a
true powerhouse basketball
program until they have more
fierce, devoted fans. We can
help start that by making Gene
Keady choke on his words.
Michigan does have character
and pride, at least more than a
man who abandons poise in
defeat and says "f------" three
times in one sentence: GET
SOME CLASS BLUE!
-Ann-Nora Hirami
March 10
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