Page 4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, April 25, 1990 EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 ".h(- ). 5 .irs 7RY ,4 ei c~ o4s. MicrAU to . 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,. sigwnd artucles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. From the Daily Lithuania Moscow's embargo fuels drive for independence a. '. .O y a ,. i - I - I .{ff ' '+;'.": ¢%:> .y'3,f,^:.C f4:,"fY;%%:;: +... r fr " : . ' .A <' ,,vvvu*rac 9.F.' ;.'+ r':'r.fl-:;.;;""5 U "I i i }ir"':. "3, ;r, .". - .,..4.:s United States should cease broadcasts to Cuba THERE HAS RECENTLY BEEN A marked increase of unprovoked U.S. hostility toward Cuba, deliberately- heightening the tension between the countries. During the Panama invasion, U.S. troops laid siege to the Cuban embassy in a total denial of their diplomatic rights. To compliment these events, TV Marti, a state department-sponsored television channel, is now being beamed to Cuba. Disowned by the U.S. National Association of Broad- casters, TV Marti is being run by the U.S. Information Agency. Ironically claiming a commitment to the free flow of ideas between the countries, this flow is intended to be strictly one-way; the U.S. 30-year blockade on Cuba continues, U.S. citi- zens still face restrictions hampering their right to travel there, and any sup- ply of informational materials to Cuba remains illegal. Furthermore, the im- plicit suggestion that Cubans are living in an informational vacuum is grossly inaccurate, and disregards the strong international flavor of the Cuban media; for example, 40 percent of films shown in Cuba are Hollywood-made, while 50 percent of radio broadcasts come from privately owned stations in Mi- ami. More important is TV Marti's gross violation of international telecommuni- cation laws, which grant every sovereign country the right to control its own broadcasting network. The at- tempt of the U.S. government to broadcast its own propaganda to Cuba is an underhanded attempt to infiltrate a sovereign nation. It was for this reason that Ernesto Betancourt, former direc- tor of Radio Marti, resigned from the TV Marti project. The first broadcast of TV Marti was quickly jammed by Cuban transmitters which have the power to significantly disrupt radio broadcasts in the United States as far from Cuba as Utah. How- ever, this kind of retaliation would only fuel the fire between the two nations. What should be encouraged is some form of exchange of ideas and expres- sions between the U.S. and Cuba in order to promote better relations be- tween the two. TV Marti has fallen quite short of this objective and has served only to incense President Castro further. The violation of international laws and infringement upon a nation's sovereignty is hardly the way to freely exchange ideas. If there is a genuine concern in Washington for bettering this relationship, then TV Marti would be discontinued. More male sensitivity To the Daily: I would like to dedicate this letter to the fraternity men and the football players that we passed during the "Take Back the Night" march on Saturday night (4/21/90), though it wasn't just the men of Alpha Delta Phi and Sigma Epsilon that were unsympathetic to our cause. It was men all over campus that could have lent support but did not. It was very discouraging for the women taking part in the march to be fighting for change and to be confronted with chants of "Date rape, date rape," sneers, and calls of "bitch" from the sidewalks. It was hostile, unnec- essary and completely the opposite from what should be expected of college stu- dents - the upper class, the educated, the future elites of our country. The "Take Back the Night" rally and march was not meant to be a hostile act, and the idea was not to attack men. Rather, we were trying to stress the fact that only when women are together can they walk the streets without fear. A woman alone must always be afraid, and a man cannot easily understand that. Some- thing must be done about rape, and while may people are trying to make changes, we need some support, some commitment from the men on this campus and every- where. It is not the women who rape, it is the men. Not every man becomes a rapist, but every man that helps perpetuate the beliefs that women want, need and deserve to be raped helps to create a rapist. Every man that ignores or ridicules the problem shows another that he will somehow be less of a man for caring. There were many women on the march who were survivors of rape, and many of these were raped by friends, co-workers, and dates -not strangers. Date rape is not a joke. Violent rape is not a joke. And rape is not sex. It is very painful to be surrounded by men who cannot seem to tell the difference, who do not want there to be a difference. There were many men who did support us that night, who rallied for men's in- volvement in stopping rape. It is men like these who give rape victims hope, who keep them from hating and distrusting all men. Change does not have to emerge from a battle of the sexes. We need to work together because we all have to change. Rape and violence against women affects all of us, and men who cannot find it in themselves to support us in our en- deavor are short-changing themselves, de- priving themselves of one of the most fundamental of human emotions - caring about other people. Jamie Armistead Engineering junior Lisa Murawski LSA junior Pick up your Ensian To the Daily: The 1990 Michiganensian yearbook has arrived. I realize that it is probably the last thing on your mind as finals approach but if you ordered a yearbook, please come in and pick it up. The yearbook has experienced many innovative things this year, such as com- plete desktop publishing production, in- creased color, and more articles on the is- sues and events important to Michigan students. In fact, we chronicle the 1989 basketball team's victorious road to Seat- tle and have added a North Campus sec- tion. Ninety-seven pages were allocated to Fen..4 -r.i. .ntrit. T . « n- t All are free to choose To the Daily: I would like to respond to the article "U outreach group tries to 'cure' gay men and lesbians" (4/23/90). I need to say two things right away: 1) I support the ideas behind Hope Outreach, and 2) I am not homophobic. I feel that I need to say the latter up front and explicitly, because I truly have no irrational fear or hatred of homosexuals. And those that do have not matured to an adequate understanding of humanity. I need to say the former because I am very concerned about the attacks that the group has already sustained. Hope Outreach's statement of purpose makes it clear that the group is not target- ing those who are satisfied with their ho- mosexuality. I am sure that those who feel insulted by the group's purposes are not those same people who might consider seeking help from Hope Outreach. How could it be otherwise? Unfortunately, pro- ponents of the "If you think you're gay, you can never be anything but" mentality seem to feel confident in their gross gener- alizations. "We don't feel [homosexuality] is something you can change," says Brian Durrance. I challenge the University community to provide conclusive evidence that this statement can be applied to everyone hav- ing homosexual tendencies. On the other side of the coin, both Brian Durrance and Mike Peterson claim that Hope Outreach has no credible evidence to back up their claims, and that Hope Outreach is unaware of the causes of homosexuality. Is that their professional opinion, or have they sought to find out just how much research the members of Hope Outreach have done? I find it disappointing that a campus which prides itself with diversity and lib- erality has decided that homosexuals can- not have a choice. Hope Outreach is not bent on "curing" anyone, and is not inter- ested in "recruiting." If it is true, as many on this campus believe, that all people are free to choose to practice their sexual ori- entation as they wish, it must be just as wrong to teach someone who is not happy about their homosexuality that homosexu- ality is good, as it would be to teach someone who is satisfied with their ho- mosexual lifestyle that homosexuality is bad. I agree with Hope Outreach's purpose because I believe that the freedom to choose between alternatives is the basis from which this campus will become truly diversified, and that acceptance of different. points of view begins with our ability to recognize generalizations as such. David Korotney, Rackham graduate student Paternalism To the Daily: Setting aside the fact that Rosea Karadsheh and Todd Fuqua's comments iW the April 23 Daily article about Hope Outreach are uninformed and offensive, the overall tone of their remarks deserve comment. Their attitude, as presented in the article, is a fine example of the- condescension and unwarranted" paternalism. Examples of this include Karadsheh's likening of homosexuality to a disease or Fuqua's statement that he wanted "to educate Christians on campus...to have more compassion (for homosexuals)." Ultimately, it must be recognized that the paternalistic help and condescending, attitudes expressed by groups such as. Hope Outreach are couched it homophobia. Though they claim to not be homophobic, their actions speak otherwise. Karadsheh and Fuqua dislike and misunderstand gay men and lesbianr enough, or at least their perceivel lifestyle, to create an organization which will help them "get out." Imagine the reaction that would face a group of gay men and lesbians who set up an organization to help heterosexuals leave a lifestyle that they are not happy with. They would be derided as foolish, and rightly so. The same should, but unfortunately does not apply to Hope Outreach. Society accepts their absurd pretense, and in turn helps promote it. If Karadsheh and Fuqua really wish to help gay men and lesbians they should establish an organization that helps build self respect and a sense of worth for people who are continually told they are evil, dis- eased, or not worthy of consideration. The gay community does not need Fuqua's pa- tronizing "compassion." Rather, it requires recognition as a diverse group of people from diverse backgrounds with diverse needs. r 9 I' Keep ROTC around To the Daily: ROTC should remain on the University of Michigan campus. I have read the various articles and letters concerning the debate and after mulling over the information presented, I'd like to contribute a few points that were not brought to light. Lt. Col. Gregor said that allowing homosexuals into the armed forces would "invite disorder." This is true. Those that are opposed to ROTC because of the gov- ernment's policy on homosexuals in the military should also take into considera- tion the amount of homophobia still pre- sent in our time. Yes, the gay male and lesbian movements have made progress here at the University, but let's face it, the world does not end at the borders of our campus. I believe that the induction of homosexuals into the armed forces at this point in their fight for equal rights might Timothy Woodward School of Information and Library Studies Kicking ROTC off of the University campus will not solve any of the atrocities inflicted on homosexuals. ROTC will still be training cadets on or off campus. If W people really want to get results, maybe they should go to their U.S. Representatives and Senators and get the policy changed where it was born, in Congress. Michelle Lynn Engin. first-year student SAR'fN GREAT DAIY was V. t .+:a ,. t ., ,; A WlONDERFUL AMOEW FOR US "VROHMStaLsts Daily is inconsistent To the Daily: I find it ironic that the Daily has seen fit to ridicule University President James Duderstadt for trampling First Amendment values by stifling dissenting opinions ("Free Expression," 3/26/90). This is the same Daily that repeatedly warns its read- ers that it will not print alternative opin- ions that it finds sexist, racist, homopho- bic or otherwise offensive. 0 I