9
Page 4 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 1, 1990
j1iE 3rdrgat nazil
EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
ARTS
NEWS
OPINION
763 0379
764 0552
747 2814
PHOTO
SPORTS
WEEKEND
764 0552
747 3336
747 4630
Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons,
signed articles, and letters do not neces
From tl
.Bush 's del
':'he Cold War's over, so
BECAUSE OF DRAMATIC POLITI-
cal changes in Eastern Europe and the
Soviet Union, the Pentagon is now
gearing up for a projected $180 billion
cumulative drop in funding in the next
two years, and many of the big-ticket
projects initiated during Reagan's mili-
tary buildup are finding themselves
r doomed to the chopping block. How-
ever, the picture is not as rosy as it
,seems; a potent combination of short-
sighted congressional pork-barreling,
procedural bureaucratic foot-dragging,
: and heavy lobbying by defense
contractors used to living high off the
Reagan hog is putting the kabash on
rpfforts to cut the defense budget and
reduce the deficit.
Members of Congress have widely
fhailed American "victory" in the Cold
" War and the subsequent need to ag-
gressively scale back defense expendi-
tures. Yet when cuts which might affect
their own district are proposed,
enthusiasm suddenly wanes. This
hypocrisy was never more glaringly
exposed than last fall, when Defense
Secretary Dick Cheney was rebuffed in
his plan to cut 10 big defense programs
out of the 1991 budget.
One of these programs, the Grum-
man F-14D Tomcat fighter, was on the
list because the Navy had explicitly
recommended its cancellation. But the
New York congressional delegation
and its party whips in the House went
to bat for Long Island-based Grumman
Corporation and managed to secure a
token contract for a measly 18 addi-
tional planes. To get this ludicrous ap-
propriation past the Senate, the pro-
Grumman forces had to abandon their
opposition to increased SDI funding,
the B-2 Stealth bomber, and the rail-
way-launched MX missile. Billions of
dollars in potential defense cuts were
traded away in a political gambit for 18
planes that the Navy does not even
want.
But the F-14 is only one example
- among many. The Michigan delegation
is gathering its strength to block cancel-
lation of the M-1 tank because it will
further hurt the declining economy in
Warren, where the vehicle is assem-
bled. Though jobs would be lost, $6
sarily represent the opinion of the Daily.
U.
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icit
cut defense spending
billion would be saved in the next five
years by cutting the M-1. The list goes
on.
One of the biggest pills the Ameri-
can taxpayers may be asked to swal-
low, the B-2 Stealth bomber at $532
million a dose, could be dropped alto-
gether if it were not for bureaucratic
obsolescence in the Air Force. Instead
of developing relatively inexpensive
cruise-missiles designed to be fired by
an aircraft outside the enemy's air
space (the so-called "stand-off' strat-
egy), the Air Force has locked itself
into spending billions on aircraft which
can penetrate enemy air defenses, drop
ordinance, and return to safer waters.
This more traditional "penetration"
strategy will guarantee the Air Force
huge budgets for years to come, and is
thus the only one pushed on Congress.
To ease acceptance of this outmoded
system, the Air Force and the B-2's
primary contractor, Northrop, have
staged a publicity campaign to rival Lee
Iacocca's. The roll-out ceremony of the
super secret weapon was aired on news
broadcasts nationwide, and pictures of
the plane were distributed to all the
major news agencies. "The B-2. We
take it personally," proclaims a two-
page Northrop advertisement in Air
Force magazine. "A good plane is hard
to find," says another, referring to the
bomber's questionable ability to avoid
detection by radar.
In hopes of a big appropriation,
Secretary of the Air Force Donald Rice
has proclaimed the bomber "the top
priority in strategic modernization." All
this for a plane that has made little more
than a dozen test flights and which is
stealth-like only in its ability to sidle
past congressional opposition to its
roost deep within the deficit.
The changing world situation de-
mands reassessment of U.S. defense
expenditures, and the deficit requires
slashing of flabby programs. If the
deficit is to be reduced at all without
further cuts to social programs, pre-
cious funds wasted because of pork-
barrelling, bureaucratic inefficiency,
and K-Mart-style advertising must be
conserved.
Move Nuts and Bolts
to the Opinion Page
To the Daily:
I was surprised to find within the Daily
- a publication so quick to point its fin-
ger at remarks hovering near the stereotyp-
ical and among the first to damn anyone
making a generalization - a cartoon,
Nuts and Bolts (perhaps accidentally dis-
placed from the editorial page), that does
exactly that regarding those heavy individ-
uals who are pro-life.
Is the anti-life argument so weak that
its supporters must stoop to inaccurate
generalizations crossing the borders of
both consideration and good taste? Is the
situation so bleak for those in support of
abortion that they need resort to the verbal
degradation of a misjudged physical charac-
teristic?
Really! It may just be time to gently
remind those holding such maligned views
to follow their own advice: If one should
come across an individual with whom he
does not agree, he should maintain a cer-
tain level of open-mindedness. Simply be-
cause viewpoints conflict does not indicate
a decrease in the value of the individuals
holding the opposite view of one's own.
To not agree with this is to support the
very evils which the Daily continually
purports to eradicate. Such insulting car-
toons and strong anti-anything sentiments
belong nowhere but the editorial page.
Emily Metzgar
LSA first-year student
Wrong man attacked
To the Daily:
As a Jewish American and a woman, I
was extremely appalled, but not surprised,
to read Wednesday's Daily, featuring an ar-
ticle glorifying avowed anti-Semite Steve
Cokely, and an editorial condemning Re-
publican gubernatorial candidate John En-
gler with the trumped up and empty charge
of sexism (2/21/90).
Cokely, while an employee of the City
of Chicago, accused the Jews of infecting
Black babies with the AIDS virus and
spouted a plethora of other vicious anti-
Semitic canards in several famed lectures
throughout the Chicago area. This story
was covered heavily by the national media.
Yet, when covering Cokely, the Daily,
which claims to be against bigotry, some-
how forgot to mention this aspect of
Cokely's views, choosing to portray
Cokely as some great fighter for the civil
rights of Blacks. Civil rights, indeed!
Instead, the Daily chose to write an
"editorial" on the trivial matter of Engler's
use of the word "man" instead of "person"
in an innocent campaign commercial. In
an age when there are many more impor-
twnt issues of concern to women, I am of-
fended that the Daily cries wolf in this
stupid debate over linguistics.
Today, in a state where more than fifty
percent of registered voters are women, no
candidate - even if he or she came from
the ranks of the Daily - would deliber-
ately say things that were even marginally
sexist, if he or she hoped to win. Engler's
case is no exception, and the Daily knows
this.
This is not the first time that the Daily
has decided to become a tool for ludicrous
partisan Democratic charges tailored to
win in an election year. This is not jour-
nalism, but rather, it is all a bunch of ver-
bal manure. I hope, but doubt,that the
Daily will clean up its act. Just think
what the right journalism could do!
Debbie K. Schiussel
National Jewish Coalition member
The BSU should not
defend Steve Cokely
To the Daily:
The Daily quoted Stephanie Johnson,
an executive board member of the Black
Student Union, as saying, "[Steve]
Cokely's message is one of love. He is a
man of God" (2/22/90). Johnson empha-
sized that Jews are "misled and misedu-9
cated."
Perhaps she would like us to turn to
Cokely to "educate" us with pearls of wis-
dom like the following:
-AIDS is a plot by Jewish doctors to
kill blacks;
-There is an international Jewish con-
spiracy to control the world;
-Jews conspired with Hitler to achievri
ethnic purity through self-Genocide, and;
-Jesse Jackson (who Cokely calls "the
nigger") and former Chicago Mayor Harold
Washington must be attacked for having
Jewish advisers.
While the overwhelming majority of
the American Black community denounced
Cokely for these remarks, the BSU is
apparently endorsing Cokely's venomous
hatred.
Perhaps they would like us to turn to
other spouters of hate like David Duke and
Minister Louis Farrakhan, who share
Cokely's hatred of Jews. But the color of
one's skin does not justify such hatred or
tolerance of it against Jews and other mi-
norities.
Unless the BSU wishes to promote
bigotry and intolerance on this campus;,
they should be forthcoming in condemn*
ing the anti-Semitism of Cokely, Far-
rakhan, and other Black leaders.
Harry Nelson
LSA sernior
Sororities should discontinue guaranteed bids
Imagine the men on campus getting
dressed up and being led around from fra-
ternity to fraternity in small groups during
Rush.
Imagine men on campus being guaran-
teed a spot in a fraternity so that their feel-
ings won't be hurt.
The recent decision by the Intersorority
Council to get rid of the guaranteed bid
" system for Sorority Rush on this campus is
long overdue. Women on this campus are
just as strong and capable of dealing with
rejection as men. They are not little chil-
dren who have to be led around by the
hand.
It is true that no one likes to be ex-
cluded from a group. But that's life. No
one likes it when someone is picked over
them. But it happens.
- The Stanford Daily
Stanford University
January 26
Students should support Ann Arbor's $5 pot law
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To the Daily:
In response to first-year engineering
student Scott Chupack's naive editorial
advocating the raising of the $5 pot law
(2/19/90), I'd. like to enlighten him on a
few of his righteous arguments.
Chupack audaciously and erroneously
bases his position on the assumption that
a higher fine will deter potential new
users. Drug use is a socialized behavior;
never in this country has there been a rele-
vant correlation between drug laws and
drug use - just look at Bush's dismal
drug war today, or better yet, prohibition.
Drug use will wane if and when our cul-
ture's interest in drugs wanes, and the law
will have little to do with it.
Yet, as National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)
suggested, raising the fine could actually
increase interest in marijuana. Chupack
finds this ridiculous when he asks, "...
who in their right mind would be more
likely to commit a crime now that the fine
has increased?" Perhaps the same people
whose lust for buying and being served al-
cohol suddenly disappears on their 21st
birthdays, that's who.
Chupack displays ignorance with the
statement: "Imagine going through high
school in an environment in which you
could get 'busted big time' for having al-
cohol at a party, but only get a $5 ticket if
you were smoking pot." As if this is such
an outrageous thing to imagine, as if pot
gal - the fact is that all drugs have some
negative effect on the body. There is just
as much horrific data on the effects of al-
cohol and cigarettes.
The vote April 2nd will hopefully
prove again that the people of Ann Arbor
are an intelligent, aware, and progressive
community that has the guts to stand up
to the Bush administration's drug war hys-
teria that is ruining our country and much
of the world.
It looks like Chupack is another will-
ing victim of this hysteria. I strongly
suggest he take himself up on his own ad-
vice: do a little research before concluding
that marijuana is the satanic cigarette from
hell. Maybe all Chupack really needs is
some good toke at the hash bash - see
you April 1st.
Joe Hasselwander
University graduate '89
Writers' dope debate
goes up in smoke
To the Daily:
With its IssuesForum on the $5 Pot
Law (2/19/90), the Daily has proven that
the "two sides to every issue" mentality is
inappropriate for the Opinion page. The
authors are given the better part of the
I
local and state police agencies in order to
"... get those troublemakers off the streets
at all costs." Ann Arbor's history of buck-
ing centralized state rule goes all the way
back to the days of the Underground Rail-
road. Ann Arborites were familiar with J.
Edgar Hoover's and Richard Daley's Big
Brother methods for dealing with political
dissent. Ann Arborites decided they would
have none of it here.
In 1983, a Republican Mayor and City
Council decided times had changed and
spearheaded an effort to repeal the $5 Pot
Law (aka: "The John Sinclair Law"). They
were wrong! The repeal lost in a landslide
and Kathy Edgren and Jeff Epton, two of
the most progressive councilpeople this
city has been served by since the heyday of
the Human Rights Party in the mid-seven-
ties, rode the wave of grass roots activism
into City Hall.
Now, another Republican Mayor and
City Council have decided times have
changed and are clamoring for more Big
Brother authority. But times haven't
changed. People of color are persistently
singled out and harassed by local police
departments. National TV shows such as
William Buckley's Firing Line feature
"thinkers" who advocate the use of drug
laws to crack down on political dissidents.
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