4 OPINION Friday, October 21, 1988 Page 4 Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan r Ait'; ' n DailyR Vietnam 4 Punishing Vol. IC, No.32 420 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. Stop secret searches JAMES DUDERSTADT'S ascension to the University presidency this fall left vacant his former position of provost and vice president for academic affairs. Selecting a successor is Duderstadt's first important decision, and, pre- dictably, he is using the same clandes- tine and illegitimate process that carried him to power. The search for the new provost is being conducted through unannounced, closed meetings. Duderstadt created a committee of 13 non-voting members to advise him on his search - ten fac- ulty, two administrators, and, thank you, one student. The provost's key responsibilities - setting tuition rates and allocating funds to academic programs - pro- foundly effect student's lives. Students have the least input on the provost se- lection, but are the most affected by the provost's decisions. This is unfair and unacceptable. One token student advi- sor on the search committee cannot ef- fectively research candidates - even if the student's recommendation was taken seriously. The procedure for selecting the provost is testimony to Duderstadt's hypocrisy of promising diversity while delivering unilateral decisions and per- petuating student disempowerment. Because the provost controls the budget and shapes curriculum through funding, it is considered the number two position here. As provost, Duder- stadt exacerbated the research-oriented focus of the University by flooding the engineering and business schools with money while siphoning funds from many arts and humanities programs alien to his understanding and contrary to his aims. Students in non-empirical concentrations pay ever-increasing tu- ition for shrinking curricula. It is not surprising that Duderstadt's top choices to fill the University's number two position are Engineering School Dean Charles Vest and Busi- ness School Dean Gilber Whitaker. While Duderstadt was provost, the business school enjoyed a 43 percent funding increase, barely edging out the engineering school's 41 percent hike. Vest, Duderstadt's shadow, became engineering school dean when Duder- stadt became provost in 1986. Duderstadt, chair of the provost search committee, will recommend a successor to the University's Board of Regents in either November or December. If he is sincere about diversity and student input, he must suspend the search until a student committee, with voting power, is created to ensure that the voice of the overwhelming majority of people on By appointing either Vest or Whitaker, Duderstadt would send a message to the campus and the state that he plans to continue the Univer- sity's skewed priorities while main- taining a front that he wants a diversi- fied campus. By Hong Le And there is a school of thought which says: The Government of Vietnam must be punished for what it did in the war. -U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield, The Congressional Record S6699, May 26, 1988 The United States won the Vietnam War. The devastation wrought upon Viet- nam's agricultural and industrial sectors by the United States' saturation bombing campaigns and defoliation with carcino- genic Agent Orange compound, combined with the United States' present embargo against this country, has left Vietnam one of the poorest countries on earth. Indeed, due to the underdevelopment of Viet- namese agriculture, the average Viet- namese citizen consumes, on average, 400 calories less per day than that needed to remain healthy. Current U.S. policy to- ward Vietnam, and its effects, reflects a craven brutality toward Third-World peo- ples, as well as the cynical, amoral phi- losophy of realpolitik that has guided U.S. foreign policy for the past half-century. Taking the the issue of the inhumanity of U.S. policy toward Vietnam first, the United States' economic stranglehold on this poor country is largely responsible for the crisis of hunger there. Under the Trad- ing With the Enemy Act, all transactions between anyone in the United States and any person in Vietnam must receive prior licensing from the U.S. State Department, and the Reagan State Department licenses virtually nothing. Taking measures in ad- dition to the Trading With the Enemy Act, the United States has bullied its allies in Southeast Asia into following its eco- nomic embargo, at one point even coerc- ing Japan into scrapping plans to build a Honda plant there. The United States' western European allies have followed suit as well. As a result of Vietnam's inability to obtain spare parts for the American-made equipment constituting much of its indus- trial and transportation infrastructure, Vietnam's per capita agricultural output Hong Le is a member of the World Hunger Education Action Committee has continued to decline. The crisis has deteriorated to the point where begging is now seen for the first time on the streets of some of the cities, and the growth of a whole generation of children is being stunted. Judging from Hatfield's state- ment, along with the U.S. government's reneging on Nixon's pledge to provide billions of dollars in reconstruction aid, these are the intended effects of U.S. pol- icy. Although U.S. politicians extol the virtues of the private property system and minimal governmental intervention in it, they have a double standard in the case of Vietnam-they won't even let Vietnamese refugees here in the United States send money back to their poverty-stricken rela- tives. The United States even balked at al- lowing a group of school children in Kansas to send educational supplies they blockade of Vietnam reflects a sincere commitment to returning the Khmer; Rouge to power, or is merely a smoke- screen to punish Vietnam for successfully establishing its independence during the, Vietnam War. We certainly can't immedi- ately rule out the former possibility, since: the United States vigorously supports; gangs of murderers elsewhere in the Third-} World, such as the Contras in Nicaragua and the death squads in El Salvador and; Guatemala. However, it seems the latter is' more likely the case, since the Khmer Rouge has been known to act in-y dependently of U.S. interests, unlike the: Contras, the death squads, etc.. Finally, to note two characteristics shared by all countries subjected to eco- nomic embargoes by the United States re- veals much about the character of U.S. foreign policy, both past and present: One, 'The United States even balked at allowing a group of school children in Kansas to send educational supplies they had collected to children in Kampuchea (Cambodia).' had collected to children in Kampuchea (Cambodia,) another Third-World country blockaded by the United States. U.S. policy toward Vietnam would be shocking enough, were it not the case that this policy is also tied in with U.S. sup- port of the brutal Khmer Rouge guerillas in Kampuchea, which is presently occu- pied by Vietnamese troops to keep Pol Pot from returning to power there. (The Khmer Rouge murdered over 2 million Kampucheans when they were in power during the late 1970s and were the topic of the film, "The Killing Fields.') The United States has used the Vietnamese oc- cupation of Kampuchea as an excuse for the embargo and has even given political support to the Khmer Rouge, by demand- ing that they, rather than the Vietnamese- backed government, be seated as Kam- puchea's official representative to the U.N. in 1979. The United States also supports the delivery of weapons to Pol Pot's thugs through Thailand. Now, we can ask ourselves whether United States' using the occupation of Kampuchea as a justification for the each of them-North Korea, Vietnam; Kampuchea, Cuba and Nicaragua -suc- cessfully established their independence from the United States through armed conflict. Secondly, the inhabitants of each are people of color. One of the primary impediments toward changing U.S. policy toward Vietnam, as well as Indochina in general, is a lack of awareness among the U.S. electorate about U.S. wrongdoing there-few here in the United States are even aware of the various embargoes the United States has slapped against Third-World countries, and if they did know, they certainly wouldn't like its To help rectify this problem, the World Hunger Education-Action Committe& (WHE-AC) has organized a speaking event on this important topic. At 7:30 p.m. n Monday, October 24 in the Pendletdc Room of the Michigan Union, the Rev; erend Barbara Fuller, a founding member of the Interfaith Council for Peace and fre- quent traveler to Vietnam, and Rav Khanna of Oxfam America will discuss U.S. policy toward Vietnam and Kam- puchea and its devastating consequences. Cleaning is denial I If- AMIEI1WC&IS bOQ4& iTo coMAE ,I n i R Rttit1@iGtv TWO WEEKS AGO, 70 brave women painted signs saying "A Woman Was Raped Here" at over 280 locations around town. Each sign was within one block of the site of a reported rape (which may have occurred in a car or home rather than on the street). People have been discussing these signs for two weeks now, but the me- dia has either ignored the action or fo- cused on whether the signs were at ac- tual rape sites. This has obscured the facts and issues behind them. The media response ignores the im- portant message of the action: that rape pervades our lives, and that we must acknowledge its presence and its meaning to fight it. Since the action, many women have become afraid to go by these sites. This was not the intent of the action. Rapes are not typically committed by a stranger on a dark street, but rather by an acquaintance in a residence. Four out of five rapes are by an acquain- tance; half are in a residence, with only 20 percent outside and the rest in cars and public buildings. So the men who rape are often the men you know. The signs represent reported rapes, which are only 10 percent of all rapes (1987 FBI statistics). This means that, for the 141 rapes reported in Ann Ar- bor last year, there were really about 1400 rapes committed. So about 1 woman in 35 is raped each year in this town, usually by someone she knows. In a survey done at the University of California, over half of the male re- spondents said it was all right for a man to hold a woman down and force her to engage in sexual intercourse, if. she "gets him sexually excited," "has led him on," or says yes and then changes her mind. Over half also said that they would rape a woman if they knew they wouldn't be caught and punished. Clearly, many men learn that rape is OK. Men get this twisted message in many ways. They are raised to .see power, including power over others, as an important part of their manhood. They've also been exposed, along with women, to years of TV messages which encourage violence (from the Three Stooges and Popeye to Mr.T and Miami Vice), show sexuality as a power game between men and women (from Three's Company to Dallas), and trivialize women's concerns in myriad ways (The Golden Girls). If they do not learn a basic respect for women elsewhere, they are prone to an attitude which will allow them to rationalize forcing a women to have sex. Men must work against rape by countering the myths and stereotypes inherent in these media messages. They can object to anti-woman jokes, and remarks by friends which indicate a disrespect for women. They can name coercive sexual behavior for what it is. It is rape or attempted rape. They can also redefine the ideal of masculine power in terms which respect all peo- ple. Women's socialization contributes to their victimization by encouraging pas- sivity and concern for others above self. Although rape is never a women's fault, women can protect themselves by learning to be assertive. The effective- ness of self-defense training is more in the attitude changes it fosters than in specific fighting skills. Rape is an ugly part of the world, and hard to face. But people must con- sider its causes if they are to fight it. The women who risked arrest to paint the "A Woman Was Raped Here" signs deserve our praise and support. The University, by obliterating any of these signs, contributes to denial and the continued violence and fear of our rape-accepting culture. "" col~y&HR I.SCENCE, MR 4ioW CON WEt AFFORD IT ? H1OLD WOVN10 ............ ................................ : ..: .:..............: ..........:.......................:: " .:":..:::::: >: :::...:';'"i >>:.:. «:::>::. ::2; .......... .. >::">: r>::>::: .,_::...:;;::: :: i5:5;>: :: >:: : iii>: > sa: : : ::: :iii;;:;:;% :=:>:?: >i i :; 5> :; : >: > :; i :'"i; ..::..:...: i 2 F d' lux } t . No to nuclear waste To the Daily: Is it because New Mexico is the birthplace of the atomic bomb that the state was chosen to bury the nation's nuclear bomb waste? Residents won- der and watch as the ten-year- old WIPP project near Carlsbad prepares to receive mountains of radioactive debris from ten sites. Trucks are scheduled to move plutonium 238 and a lot of other dangerous materials over Interstate highways thru twenty-eight stats. Vehicles plan to depart daily for at least twenty-five years. As yet no permanent nuclear waste burial place exists any- where on the earth. WIPP is the first of its kind. The De- partment of Energy has already dug tunnels 2,150 feet into the salt beds. But no shipments can arrive until the land there is withdrawn from public use by Congress, Called to Land Withdrawal bill, 1 this legisla- tion gives away far more land than is needed to handle exist- ing bomb wastes. Moreover, the project is not safe. Saltwater in the under- pen, but say th geology of the area will prevent the plutonium from spreading. Independent research shows the site is full of fractures and a body of highly-pressurized water lies just beneath the storage cham- bers. Under these conditions it is only a matter of time until plutonium enters the drinking water, finds its way to the nearby Pecos River and flows to the Gulf of Mexico. Lobbying against WIPP has begun. Letters are going to House and Senate members telling them to vote against the Land Withdrawal bill. Con- gressional field hearing are ur- gently requested so that evi- dence which shows how the project is unsafe can be pre- sented. Congressman Mike Synar, 2441 Rayburn Building, is receiving mail directing him to bring his Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment to New Mexico. Please join us. Write your Congress members and Con- gressman Synar about the Land Withdrawal bill now. Let them know that you, too, refuse to allow the earth to be poisoned because you value your life and cherish your chil- dren's future. -Silvi Solomon October 6 -- " , 7 " agree with the opinions of Michael Fischer in his review of "the Last Temptation of Christ" Christianity is not a philo- sophical collection of abstract concepts but the belief in an historical figure, his life, death, and resurrection. This histori- cal but controversial Jesus Christ is not in the least bit similar to Martin Scorceses' "Jesus," except for those who fail to understand the impor- tance and message of Christ. A Christian's faith is not in a fictional storybook character who guides our lives, because this would be impossible and foolish. Because of this fact, Scorceses' "Jesus" has no merit except as entertainment. It is an easier and sweeter pill for us to swallow than the call for personal repentance and re- demption that a Christian's Je- sus offers. (Romans 1: 23) It is because God became man, not because of a man who became God, that re- demption is possible. It is be- cause God became flesh (a man), and was tempted like a man, and yet set a moral ex- ample that we can put our confidence in him as our savior for eternity. (Hebrews 2: 17, 4: 15) If Jesus was life us, and entertained sin, then we cannot rely on him to hep us becausel he would be equally frail, and in this way, the film betrays, our greatest trust. The grace which helps us to obtain faith in the on perfect man who walked the earth is not 'earned through contem- plation.' (Ephesians 2: 8, 9). "We do not make friends with God. God makes friends with us, " J. I. Packer says in Knowing God. How con we humans, who consistently re- sort to betrayal, bloodshed, crime, and self-destruction find God in our actions or contem- plations? We cannot, and God has found us in our need. Now, I do realize that there are those who believe in the "inherent" goodness of man, and would reject my view. However, I offer them as one who opposes the movie and accepts the basic doctrines of Christianity. If someone is actively searching for Jesus Christ, and a Jesus who stands tall above human frailty and evil, he or she would be better off to look in the Bible and personal prayer, then to seek the chracter of Scorceses' fic- tional, character "Jesus." -Glenn Moots September 27 ge letter policy "f 4 A"Xx::. :" :ti"'.:iiY :ti"} :;:',:};:};:ti {:i$: isi{:'." :'."?:j::i r:y;?i}{ :vti::}}?Cii?:<%1:i iiiirii s i:{:;:^v:J:"i:"i i$ i"'iiiSY:"'ri:ti : ;"iii. {:{". }r ... .. :. ".:::: }......v:{4:"}i:St:4:{":t" {".......".. .. h::'":{"?:": "iiiG::"ii: i}i}is"}:"}:i{{!{4:"ii::ti{{v:"}?}:"}: }i:4.::vi:;}"?"L:i"{:;i . +iv:."Y.,".vhm a::.vh.}"h"."S:va::::r:":::.+:4.:v: r:.:;?;:;:::.tea>xr:::::::::: ;"}.v. .v.v..v::::. a:{::"::::.: . . ::..":. ::._. .:................................................................. .................... Daily Opinion Pa