4 OPINION I Page 4 Wednesday, October 7, 1987 The Michigan Daily Eie atue ant an Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Fat Al doesn't Vol. XCVIII, No. 20 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, Mt 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. Sign the petition The People's Campaign for Choice (PCC) is collecting signatures to put the question on the state election ballot of whether Medicaid should pay for poor women's abortions. The PCC is trying to repeal a law eliminating abortion funding which was enacted through a successful petition drive by anti-abortion advocates. Anti-abortion groups manipulated a seldom-used clause in the state Constitution which allowed them to bring legislation directly to the legislature by obtaining a certain amount of signatures. When State House of Representatives and Senate passed the legislation banning medicaid abortions it became law. Because the Right-to- Lifers had collected the required number of signatures, the governor could not veto the proposal as he has in the past. It is easy to understand why the Right-to-Lifers circumvented used the petitioned the legislature rather than going directly on the ballot. Since 1978, when similar efforts to cut Medicaid funding have been put on the ballot in other states, they failed 21 out of 22 times. Abortion opponents believe they are getting closer to ending abortion through this measure. In reality, they are cutting off the ability of one class of women to obtain an abortion. Abortion is standard medical pro- cedure, it is unfair to limit its. accessibility to middle and upper income women. Another danger ignored by the pro-lifers is that women will seek back alley abortions. Since abor- tions were legalized, deaths of women undergoing the procedure decreased 75 percent. Women are still receiving Medicaid funds for their abortions because there has been some confusion over when the law will go into effect. Still unless the PCC is successful, poor women may soon lose the ability to receive abortions. The PCC needs 120,000 signatures to put their proposal before the voters in November 1988. They have collected almost half the needed signatures. Many more are needed if this question is to be decided by the people rather than the legislature. Those who haven't yet signed, should. I don't care what's on your mind. But please write and abuse me so I don't have to write my own column next week. There's lots of things I don't care about. Things that others seem to care a great deal about, judging by the amount of media attention they receive. I'd like to take this here opportunity to tell all y'all faithful readers what some of these things are. I'm right sure that plenty of you don't care about these things neither. Drop me a line and let me know how you feel. FAT A L -The Al thing I don't care about right now has got to be the NFL Players Strike. These steroid headed, thick necked, pituatary cases make an average of a quarter million beans a year. That buys a lot of Red Man. Then they go out and walk the picket lines, asking for sympathy from all of us red blooded Americans who just want to see them bash their big fat heads together once a week so we can work out our agressions voyeuristically and not bash heads ourselves. I don't care about free agency, even if the present system is an abuse of these guys constitutional rights. I don't believe for a country minute that they care about these here rights themselves. They just want more beans so they can buy more Red Man or six inch thick gold chains or something. Don't they know that if they get a raise, the owners, them big fat guys who chomp cigars and work those poor players like slaves, are not about to lose any money. They're going to pass them extra expenses on to us, the fans. And there ain't many of us that make a quarter million buckaroos a year. -Oh yeah, the Tigers' glory makes the NFL strike a double who cares. And by the time the World Series is over November 1, the Red Wings season will be well under way and the Pistons' just beginning. Heh-heh. NFL Strike. Who cares? *Another thing I don't care about is the sex lives of celebrities. I am so damn sick and tired of hearing about the sordid details of somebody's bedroom activites. I could puke on Donna Rice. -I'm even more sick of sleazeball, two bit perverts gaining national prominence. Who are these people and how did they get so far in life? Who in the hell sends money to Jim and Tammy Bakker? If anyone out there is offended and really feels the need to send cash to some jackass, then send your money to me, Fat Al, c/o The Michigan Daily. The address is in the staff box. Now, the Bakkers are televangelists and we expect them to be slimey worms, but what about the likes of Gary Hart and Joe Biden? Yeah, they got struck down for silly reasons and you could argue the point all day but the real question is how did they get as far as they got? Why didn't anyone realize them for the' two bit, lying, sleazy fools they are long ago? Or were these traits what got them elected? I'm getting off track here. The point is things I don't care about and I don't care about Gary Hart's sex life. It's bad enough that we have to suffer care through these mini-scandals, which, by the way, make real scandals look bad, but do we have to put up with making stars out of Donna Rice and Jessica Hahn? "I don't care why Hahn had sex with Bakker, though millions of Playboy readers evidently do. She says that having sex with Bakker was the most painful and disgusting thing she's ever done. (Or something like that.) Where I come from, we've got a name for people who willfully have sex for money with someone even when it's emotionally painful and disgusting. It starts with a w. Y'all with me? "I don't care about Gary Hart's views on I am so damn sick and tired of hearing about the sordid details of somebody's bedroom activities. I could puke on Donna Rice.' "Democracy in America." Then again, neither does he. The guy can't even stick to a topic. After he sleazed his way out of the election, sleeping with what's-her-name just days after inviting the press to follow him and see - for themselves if he was screwing around, letting down a few million people who were supporting him with time and/or money. So how can this irresponsible sleazebag come to this here fine campus of ours and charge students five to eight beans a head to hear his opinion about anything? Oh yeah, he also left behind a few million in campaign debts. Is this your way of paying off that debt, Gary? LETTERS: Daily's conservatism hurt L h i s. . .C;.}?ss , \ti"'" ':?i"' :r " j 4';;??"} s'+ .s'": f""r ;'}}i? f'ti i j: : ;{ },?;: "r:"ti }:"'s}} y s{"s,. ". .f" r :":36!: +?'} C% '.? ,; ^sxs 'ss ,.} ;."s :}.:. ,! f . . ' +?? ?} ;i "."?'¢"s°.ti :,ti :":"}:?r}fr}\.,.};"Yr.;;":"'s:'? ";"'.'"" Y?",:+" sss'{ ". f "?}f .". 1. s...:.. .iy . tiv::L .:.. ti4. ." . iv}:vS . .. i. ,1,,.. ".. s}.'}}i..ks ?.:? .'}.1%k ::"}:v:::?."i:}? ;:tiw''::F:::::...v...L.tv.":w:' $ ..9+:::ti 1ss.. :?,. i:" .w"S :.SM.:.... .r..?ri?: . The Daily Opinion page is starting a watchdog column on housing issues such as Landlord-tenant problems and the University dormatories. Anyone with an interesting problem or insight is encouraged to call the Opinion page at 747-2814, ask for Cale. .S . V.V'**%...AA.' ::; }.. ;{{ 1 {?{2~tiWy ". 55!' fi "'{":"4. F ' '."; 'Svx.v." f :";.y ?S. .{,.; 1. .1.:.".:: T{ .{., . "f . v... " Zinn ;$ OOOIP- ,You Sm, I A1-weebi TO RS Do M4I AgJ 64T TO AN @F WErT ,IU z ,~ ILL 'v A1out W6 (J*4MoT GAVE No' 4" N I '4: '0 1. ~rI o1 UAV~ Ir top D Y To the Daily: It must have been a slow day in the news room, right? Earth Festival '87 was a three day event devoted to environ- mental, social, and economic awareness, and direct action preparation. Sponsored by the Michigan Student Assembly (MSA), SANE, The School of Natural Resources, and Green- peace, this event drew approx- imately 3500 people for the three days in which it was held. From Hawaii, California, New York, New Hampshire, Ver- mont, Pennsylvania, Quebec, and the Upper Peninsula, people came to participate in the festivities and workshops. How did these people from so far away find out about Earth Festival? They sure did not read it in the Daily. Earth Festival was an inter- national event, therefore publi- city was not solely targeted towards University students. Once again the Daily's conservatism does not allow it to look beyond State Street, and participate with the rest of society.In the beginning, the organizers of Earth Festival hoped to .achieve one goal, that being to reach out to at least one person and involve them directly in one of the issues. Undoubtedly, Earth Festival succeeded in reaching at least 3500 people, the energy and consciousness created during those three days will go a long way in improving the people who were involved. "PIRGIM (Public Interest Research Group in Michigan) didn't show up," in reality, PIRGIM missed the boat. The real reason PIRGM failed to take an active role in Earth Festival was because they had no personnel available over the summer to participate in the planning meetings. The Daily's accusation that a MSA/ PIRGIM feud drove PIRGIM away is ludicrous. Where was the Daily? If the Daily is now so concerned page article. Also just in case your radio was on the wrong station, WIQB broadcast free public service announcements, plus an interview, for two months preceding the Festival. Unfortunately, the student Students si ink news paper failed to live up to its duties, and report an important issue. Where was the Daily? Maybe in its old age the Daily is slipping, hopefully that's not right. To the Daily: I found it very disturbing- yet somewhat typical-that a group of incoming freshmen were recently forced to move into converted dormitory loun- ges (Daily, 9/16). It seems to be part of the same campus- wide movement I have noticed and come to term the "sardine effect." Basically, it runs as follows: "The more people that are placed in any given space, the less room-and hence the less importance each receives." Simple, yes. But why then do we continually see more and more cramming of students into already overcrowded sit- uations? 112% dormitory oc- cupancy rate? 40-student "dis- cussion" sections? Wait lists that are longer than the initial class sizes? The bubble is growing larger... "Why not leave then if you don't like it?" But the truth is I do like it here. I feel t h e university, like the city, has much to offer. I feel lucky to have studied here and believe I have received an excellent education. Only now, when I read about such incidents as the lounge room conversions, I question the future of this type of experience. I wonder whether the incoming class will be able to look back, as I am doing now, and feel the same satisfaction with the uni- versity. I truly hope they can in the face of the current (and surely there are more to come) problems. I don't have a quick cure for. this dilemma; that is not the purpose of this letter. I only mean to bring to the attention of the university that students are not fish, and that if it wants to continue to produce well- educated graduates more room, and consideration, should be given to all. -David Wysack October 6 Daily sucks To the Daily: After reading two of the three titles of letters to the editor today (Daily, 10/2), one stating "Daily picks wrong remedy for rents," the other saying "Daily prints one-sided rape stories," I immediately searched the page for a title saying "Michigan Daily, as a newspaper, sucks." Face it, Daily, you suck. The paper is a joke. There are so many spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and typos that it's -impossible to take the Daily seriously, especially anything you might attempt to say in the editorials. The liberally biased reporting is enough to make one puke. Why should I respect the opinion of the editoral staff when the rest of the paper only proves to me that a bunch of bozos are running the paper? To close on a positive note, I like the Bloom County comic strip. Perhaps you should devote the entire paper to comics. The way the Daily is now, it wouldn't be too drastic a move. --Sean O'Connor October 2 arthfest -Mike Phillips, Chair Student Rights Committee Michigan Student Assembly October ,2 I I in University ocean Make sports a major To the Daily: Regarding Scott Shugar's "Semester in PE402" (Ann Arbor Observer, 9/87) and your reaction to it, I note that nobody accused him of falsifying observations. I also find it refreshing to see such problems brought to light for a change, rather than left hidden behind the wall of incredulity which devides many of our schools and pervades the public perception of scholastic athletics. Athletes generally do not get an education comparable to other students. Since antiquity, the value of education of body as well as mind has been an imnnrtant the~me.In cuirrent general), I suggest we follow the School of Music's model and create the degree of Bachelor of Athletics, overseen separately from Literature, Science and the Arts, to clarify the distinct needs a n d requirements of these students. --Matthew H. Fields September 30. I ,i ,- _.... . Wasserman, THE NEXT INSTALLMENT Daily Press p55r. waiT rI A