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OPINION
Page 4 Friday, October 9, 1987 The Michigan Daily
danan manit
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Sever
South
African
ties
I
Vol. XCVIII, No. 22
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.
Open the gates
GLASNOST - THE POLICY OF
"openness" initiated by Soviet
Communist Party General Secretary
Mikhail Gorbachev - has led to
renewed expectations that human
rights restrictions in the Soviet
Union will be eased. One way for
Gorbachev to persuade the world of
his sincerity is to allow free
emigration of all Soviets, regardless
of religious or national orientation.
Recently, the Kremlin announced
modifications in certain laws
applying to the government's
consideration of Jewish refuseniks
(Jews whose applications to
emigrate have been refused) and
other religious dissidents. Many of
these "reforms" are merely cosmetic
and have in fact made the
emigration process more complex.
Until unconditional emigration is
renewed for all Soviet citizens,
euphoria over Gorbachev's
proposals is premature.
Last week, the Soviet government
announced it was allowing Svetlana
Braun to reunite with her husband,
a lawyer living in Southfield,
Michigan. This brings the number
of separated marriages down to ten;
still an unacceptably high number.
In addition, there are still over
11,000 remaining long-term
refuseniks and many thousands
more that have expressed a desire to
leave but are discouraged from even
beginning the formal emigration
process. Soviet law requires that
one must have an invitation from a
foreign relative to request
permission to leave. In effect, this
eliminates all hope for about 90
percent of those who wish to leave.
Even if one is allowed to apply,
dqing so puts him or her in the
vqlnerable position of openly
opposing the Soviet state. The
prpcess leading from application to
exit is typically long and painful,
and may never be successful. Those
who apply usually find themselves
demoted or fired from their jobs and
must tolerate constant surveillance.
Frequently, their children are told
they failed their college exams and
will be expelled.
The Soviet Union provides no
legal means to challenge these
decisions. In a promising move,
though, the government last week
proposed a grievance office of sorts
where refuseniks can lodge formal
complaints.
If Gorbachev wants to prove that
his glasnost campaign has been
translated into policy, then free
emigration must prevail. If a decent
respect for a citizen's natural right
of free movement has not been a
priority for the Soviet government,
perhaps a chance of improving its
world reputation will be.
Though emigration figures have
recently reached close to 800 a
month, the rate this year has been
inconsistent and nowhere close to
the number of exit visas promised
by the Soviet government to human
rights leaders at the beginning of the
year. This years figures still pale in
comparison to 1979 when over
51,000 were freed.
Better relations between the
United States and Soviet Union
may well lead to another increase in
emigration. Some argue that high
emigration in the 1970s was a result
of detente.
The movement of the United
States and the Soviet Union toward
an INF agreement should not be
impeded; the United States,
however, should make it clear to
Gorbachev that the issue of human
rights unequivocally remains a per-
manent item on its agenda for
negotiations.
By Pam Nadasen
This is the second of a two-part series.
Even Leon Sullivan, a long time
advocate of continued investment and
author of the Sullivan Principles, has
abandoned his old policy of internal
change. Even the Senate Subcommittee
on Africa declared in January, 1978, "The
net effect of American investment has
been to strengthen the economic and
military self-sufficiency of South Africa's
apartheid regime." The African National
Congress (ANC) and the Pan-Africanist
Congress (PAC), the two main resistance
organizations recognized by the United
Nations, have called for comprehensive,
mandatory sanctions as the most effective
means of international pressure.
The author's proposal that a future
president, truly dedicated to constructive
engagement, should use her/his global.
influence to bring about change in South
Africa is evidence of the ethnocentric
attitude that permeates our society:
believing that while we are hypocritically
supporting the military, police and secret
service, we can verbally pressure white S.
Pam Nadasen is a member of the Free
South Africa Coordinating Committee.
Africans to concede power. This is
simply unrealistic. The United Nations
has declared apartheid, "a crime against
humanity." It is obvious that no amount
of lip service or international focus will
result in humane policies in South Africa.
Jackson's anti-sanctions stand because
of the possibility of a future socialist
society is another ethnocentric and narrow
minded attitude. Who does Jackson think
he is to decide the economic system most
appropriate for Black South Africans?
What ever happened to one of the basic
founding principles of this country--self
determination? Sanctions are the most
effective means of bringing about change
in South Africa.
To disregard this in the face of the
starvation, detention, torture and op-
pression that occurs daily for fear of a
possible socialist government is the usual,
comfortable, American response to social
revolution throughout the world and
explains the usual fall into red-baiting
carried out by the Pretoria regime and the
U.S. government. It may be of interest to
those like Mr. Jackson who think they
must protect South Africa from socialism
that the ANC originated in 1912, 5 years
before the Bolshevik revolution. The
ANC has spent 75 years on the question
of what kind of society is possible in
South Africa Why not listen to the
ANC's opinions instead of falling into the
Cold War rhetoric about saving South
Africa for capitalism. Jackson implies
"we" need to save South Africa for the
"free market system," if he would spend
some time studying the history of the S.
A. economy it would become clear just
how much the market system is controlled
by the state and white industrialists in'
order to continue the exploitation of cheap
Black labor.
To be anti-sanctions is diametrically
opposed to being anti-apartheid. An anti-
sanctions stand means moral and economic
support for the Pretoria government.
Sanctions are the most effective means for
the international community to pressure
South Africa. But Jackson is correct that
the frontline states would suffer in the
imposition of sanctions and I fully
support him that we push for economic
aid to these countries so they become
economically independent of South Africa.
Jackson fails to understand that
economic oppression is the major barrier
of the freedom of Black South Africans.
He would be wise to acknowledge that the
ANC, COSATU, and nearly every other
Black South African organization or leader
has called for sanctions and we are in no
position to put ourselves above their right
to self-determination.
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BUUIDNGSARWAS?
LETTERS:
A SHILD IN fla SKY". BR i' IAMA
IAMe WE S kuo SAV
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First Amendment doesn't protect PLO
Syphilis on the rise
ONCE AGAIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAS
s'uffered a significant setback and,
as :with the failing federal fight
against AIDS, much of the onus lies
with the Reagan Administration.
On Saturday, the Federal Centers
for Disease Control reported an
alarming increase in the incidence of
the venereal disease syphilis, the
largest such increase in percentage
terms in twenty years. Thus far in
1987, the number of cases has
increased to 25,514 cases from the
18,886 in 1986. This represents an
annual increase of 35 percent.
The three most affected areas
were Los Angeles, Florida, and
New York City, with 97, 86, and
54 percent increases, respectively.
While some of this increase may be
attributed to better reporting, health
officials assert that most of the
increase is a legitimate growth in the
number of cases.
The abrupt rise in cases i s
dismaying not only in sheer
numbers, but also for its impli-
cations. Several studies have sug-
gested that venereal diseases, such
as syphilis, which cause genital ul-
cers are particularly dangerous be-
cause the sores are a prime pathway
for the AIDS virus. Thus, this
significant rise in syphilis cases
may foretell a large increase in the
number of AIDS cases, especially
among the largely unaffected
heterosexual population.
Further, symptoms a r e
intensifying which indicates that
more potent, treatment-resistant
forms of syphilis may be appear.
Most disturbing, however, are the
administration's plans to reduce the
funds by $4 million available for
sexual health programs. In terms of
the federal budget, this amount is
miniscule, but it can accomplish a
great deal.
These cuts seem a repetition of the
Reagan administration's pattern of
ignoring essential human needs.
The benefits of Reagan's profligate
deficit spending have failed to
"trickle down" to the needy, placing
many more below the poverty line
and without adequate, or often any,
health care.
To the Daily:
This letter is in response to
the Opinion Page article de-
nouncing the closing of the
PLO office in Washington. I
am writing to say that the
liberalism of your Opinion
Page has gone too far. It is
clearly irresponsible, blind
liberalism.
Maybe while you self-
righteously claim to defend the
liberty of all citizens, you
should stop and take a look at
whom it is you are defending.
Did you notice?! You are
defending the rights of the
PLO, an organization that is
responsible for acts of terror-
ism around the globe, that
victimize innumerable innocent
people, and whose stated
purpose is to destroy the only
democratic state in the Middle
East, Israel. Well, hurray for
your liberalism!
True, we have the First
Amendment to protect our
right to free speech and a free
press. But if you look closely
at the laws of our land, they do
not allow for illegal, murder-
ous and inhumane activity,
even at the price of free speech.
To allow such a pernicious and
vile organization to espouse
their philosophies and dis-
seminate their propaganda in
this country is criminal. Their
actions cannot coexist with our
A memorial
service
To the Daily:
On Wednesday, September
30th, the Men of Alpha Tau
Omega lost a brother and a
friend. Mitchell Fischer was a
leader in both his community
and his fraternity, and he will
be greatly missed by all who
were fortunate enough to know
him. We would like to thank
all of the thoughtful friends
who have extended their sym-
inalienable
liberty, and
happiness.
An organization that places
so little value on human life
and has inflicted such pain,
rights to life,
the pursuit of
Try out for homecoming monarchy
To the Daily:
The UAC Homecoming
committee would like to
announce that there will be
open nominations for this
year's Halloween Homecoming
1987 King and Queen election,
beginning October 5. Deadline
for the nomination process will
be Friday, October 16. At that
time, 10 semi-finalists will be
chosen to appear at Rick's
American Cafe on October 25
at 9:00 for a Halloween
Homecoming Kick Off
Bash; ALL UNIVERSITY
STUDENTS INVITED. Here a
panel of University judges,
made up of students, faculty,
and/or administrators. will
narrow the field down to 3 men
and women. On October 26,27
& 28 the university will get a
chance to vote on whom they
feel is most qualified to act as a
symbol of scholarship, leader-
ship and character; qualities
that our university represents.
After all the votes are tallied,
on Thursday, October 29 at
5:00 at The University Club,
the King and Queen will
crowned during a Happy Hour
Celebration; ONLY UNIVER-
SITY STUDENTS A N D
GUESTS INVITED.
Winners will receive various
gifts and prizes and will be
presented on the football field
during the pre-game show
when the University of
Michigan plays Northwestern
on October 31.
In order to be considered a
candidate, please answer the
following questions. A11
applications are due into the
UAC office in the Michigan
three finalists.
Questions:
1) What event or class has
influenced you most here at the
University? Why?
2) Much of a students' life is
spent studying in the library.
But there is more to college
than just books. What acti-
vities and organizations are you
involved with when you are
Rape is bad
To the Daily:
In American society, there
is an overemphasis on using
sex as a status symbol, a
"score,"' rather than as an
expression of tender emotion
between two human beings.
Add to this the added pressures
of the undergraduate social
scene, and some drinks, and we
have a scenario ripe for the
blurry area of "date rape."
We have heard mostly
about rape being perpetrated by
men on women, but the
attitude, if not the act, of many
women to men falls along the
same lines. In either case, the
desire for ego satisfaction and
status may drive an individual
to push harder for a sexual
relationship than he or she
should.
For the men the resu may
be so-called date rape; for
women, the disappointment of
rejection may be translated into
verbal slurs on the male's
sexuality or even worse, into
false accusation of rape in
retaliation against the male.
not "buried in biology?"
3) What advice would you
give to an incoming student-on
how to make the most of
his/her years here at U of M?
GOOD LUCK TO ALL
WHO APPLY.
-David Sternlicht
For the UAC
Homecoming Committee
October 8
for everyone
Current law provides for a
woman to file a charge of rape
against a man, but it is
somewhat asymmetric in that
defamation of the male's
character is ,.automatically
wrought by the charge and can't
be completely reversed. Even
when an innocent male is
successful in a civil suit for
libel, in the eyes of many there
will likely remain a stain on
his character.
However, the solution to
the overall problem is not so
much to alter the laws but to
alter attitudes. Education that
emphasizes a sexual rela-
tionship as the natural conse-
quence of a fruitful and loving
relationship, rather than a
"score" on the opposite sex,
and the encouragement of
genuine respect and commun-
ication between genders is the
ultimate way to prevent the
twin sins of rape and false rape
accusation.
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terror, and sadness upon the
world should not even be in
existence, let alone publishing
and proselytizing in the United
States of America. The U.S.
should be commended on its
closing of the PLO offices, and
the Michigan Daily should be
deeply embarrassed that it
defended such a deplorable
group of people.
-Sandra Rosenthal
October 8
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-Paul Mellas
October 6
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