Page 4- The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 22, 1991 20 Maynard Street 4 Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 s ANDREW GOTTESMAN 747-2814 Editor in Chief Edited and Managed . STEPHEN HENDERSON by Students at the Opinion Editor University of Michigan 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. iS :":":: : . r... .... ...... .. . . . . .."*****................"...."w: b{.":::L:::}..."r........ . . . . Duke-ing it out Louisiana voters should drop David Duke ~ oo t O/Sa pwH OHt~ A - M CAN T 1 N O F K I L f- -T 8 Otd r ettr I4 91 The race for governor in the state of Louisiana is down to two men, one of whom is David Duke. Duke, a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) finished second in last Sunday's open primary. Running on the Republican ticket, Duke won 32 percent of the vote, despite being de- nounced by both George Bush and the Republican party. After the vote, Duke declared himself as the new leader of the Republican party's mainstream. He said, 'The rank-and-file Republicans of this state voted for me, and the rank-and-file Republi- cans in this country believe the way I believe." Duke's involvement in the KKK is no secret. Many people say that Duke should not be con- demned for his past, and that he is a changed man. However, Duke was not merely affiliated with the KKK, he was second in command. In addition, Duke ran a campaign that played on the economic fears and racial biases of white working class voters. In a televised debate, Duke said, "We have a massive welfare underclass committing a great deal of crime, overloading our educational system our whole social welfare apparatus." Duke even had a slick campaign song with lyrics like, "You may not like my party affiliation/ But I hope you can recognize me without my sheet." Although Duke says that a religious conversion led him to denounce his hate-filled past, it seems clear that his past is not far removed from his present. Duke does not see his ideologies as being contained within the boundaries of Louisiana. "What we are doing down here in Louisiana is going to have a lot of impact all over the United States ofAmerica," he has said. "I think the working class in this country are ready for a real change in government." Duke approves of being referred to as the Boris Yeltsin of American politics. He has no shame in his past and is making no secret of his future agenda. The fact that a man like David Duke can reach great political heights is discouraging. However, what is more discouraging is the 484,923 people (or 32 percent) who voted for him. Duke is one man. Alone, he has no power. What gives men like David Duke power is the thousands of people who vote for him. Men like Duke are also made strong by his opponents who stay silent. It is naive to think that Duke cannot reach the highest peaks of political life. It is naive to think that his racist views could never extend beyond Louisiana. Only 45 years ago Adolf Hitler - a man whose birthday Duke has been known to celebrate - was elected by popular vote. It seems that as a society, we care more about what politicians do between the sheets than what men like David Duke do when they are wearing them. *I Advice & consent Bush should include Senate in all confirmation process stages Following last week's narrow Senate confirma- tion vote of Judge Clarence Thomas, the public and the media zeroed in on what was wrong with "the process," and what could be done to change it. President Bush jumped on the band wagon Friday, saying he would also come up with suggestions to avoid the "messy situations" apparent during Tho- mas' hearings. Before Bush demands any changes from Con- gress, the President could help tidy up the process with some changes of his own. Specifically, he should follow the words of the Constitution and seek the advice as well as the consent of the Senate when nominating candidates for the high court. Doing so would go a long way toward ridding the process of the bitter partisanship that has made the country so angry these past few weeks. Given today's reality of a divided government, it should come as no surprise that the Congress and the White House fail to see eye to eye on the future makeup of the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, President Bush makes the pro- cess more difficult than it has to be, choosing candidates from the far right and leaving the Sen- ate out of the nominating process altogether. As long as the Democrats and Republicans share power in this process, the President must employ the expertise and opinions of both parties in the Senate when choosing a nominee. Doing so would hinder the administration's strategy to make the Court even more conservative in addition to sparing the country the problems incurred during the Thomas hearings. The Senate's advisory rolehas beenused before, playing apartinthe confirmationofJusticeAnthony Kennedy in 1987, as well as that of Benjamin Cardozo in 1932, during another period of divided government. Opponents of the Senate's advisory role claim that the President has a mandate from the electorate to carry out his program, which includes nominating conservative justices. But giving the people what they want isn't as simple as this. The Senate also has a mandate, from the voters, and the Democrats who control the body have quite different objectives for the high court. Dur- ing a time of divided government, these views can only be balanced by recognizing that both branches have a say, and that the Senate is not simply a rubber stamp for the President. Reaffirming the Senate's advisory role would defuse the partisanship so painfully obvious dur- ing the Thomas hearings, and would show that the confirmation process can still work. To Daily: This is in response to Peter Davidson's letter on Oct. 7 regarding the Daily's report on the Taiwanese students' protest on Sept. 26. We had staged the protest not against the Center for Chinese Studies, but aimed at an official of the Kuomintang (KMT) who was speaking at the Center. As the Daily had correctly reported, we protested about the recent arrest of two Taiwanese scholars and to support Taiwan's indepen- dence. However, we must point out some facts that were not clear from Davidson's letter. While Davidson's letter was mostly correct, it may mislead people in thinking that Taiwan belongs to China when he stated that the KMT "retreated" to Taiwan, and that only "some" people in Taiwan do notswant reunification with China. In fact, Taiwan does not belong to China, and that 87 percent of the people in Taiwan are native Taiwanese. In Taiwan's 400 year history, it had always been under foreign colonial occupation. The occupation began with the Dutch, and then the Koxinga pirate regime, Manchu Ching Dynasty, Japanese, and since 1945, by the KMT forces. As the Daily had correctly reported, we protested about the recent arrest of two Taiwanese scholars and to support Taiwan's independence. At the end of World War II in 1945, General MacArthur sent the KMT to "occupy" Taiwan and Vietnam, just as he sent the Soviet to "occupy" Manchuria.'' With the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951, Japan renounced sovereignty over Taiwan, but Taiwan was NOT returned to China. The status of Taiwan should have been decided by the people in Taiwan. At that time, the "occupying forces" left Manchuria and Vietnam. However, the KMT forces massacred and brutally suppressed people in Taiwan, and after losing the civil war in China, the KMT never left Taiwan. Nobody believes the KMT can rule China again, and the Taiwanese people do not want to be ruled by China. Unfortu- nately, when people work for a democratic and independent Taiwan, they are jailed in Taiwan. or are blacklisted and banned from returning from overseas. A former University Ph. D. graduate, Prof. Chen of Carnegie-Mellon University was murdered upon returning to Taiwan in 1981. In May 1991, four activists were arrested, including a Taiwan history graduate student and a UCLA Social Science student who returned to Taiwan. In September 1991, two NC State graduates, Dr. Kuo and Prof. Lee (S. Dakota Univer- sity), who founded "Taiwanese Collegian", were arrested in Taiwan. All were charged with sedition. Taiwanese students who speak out are spied upon here, and their families in Taiwan are harassed. They can be black- listed and banned from return- ing, or even arrested when they return. But rather than being silent and tolerate KMT's suppression, we as Taiwanese students feel that we must take action. We hope to help create an independent and democratic Taiwan where our children can live a better life. Gwun-Jin Lin Michigan Taiwanese Student Association O Mid-East peace Conference date set, U.S. should now step back n Oct. 30, Israel and its neighboring Arab VOnations will meet in Madrid in a attempt to iron-out their age-old differences into a lasting peace. The eight-month quest by Secretary of State James Baker to bring the warring nations to the peace table was finally completed when the Israeli cabinet announced its approval of the upcoming peace talks. No Arab nation has met with Israel since the Camp David Accords in 1979, when Egypt and Israel were on the verge of another war. Hopefully, this peace process can produce similar results, ending the continual slaughter of Palestinians and the perpetual terrorist activities by the Palestine Leberation Organization. While the United States is responsible for bringing the nations together, the success should not be used as a mandate to interfere in the actual peace process in Madrid. The only way the chasms that divide the Middle-Eastern nations can be bridged, is if the the concerned parties - Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon - are able to conduct their negotiations without having to ac- commodate additional demands from the Ameri- can goverment. It can be argued thatthe United States is, in large part, responsible for the continual deterioration of the Middle-Eastern situation. By providing mili- tary support to both sides of the ancient conflict, the United States has only succeeded in increasing regional tensions. By bringing the nations together, the United States has met its obligations and should leave the rest up to the Arabs and Israelis. Skepticism about any chances of this peace conference producing any concrete results is wide spread. The many Arab governments and the Israeli leadership aren't even really interested in attend- ing a peace process. So, the conference won't necessarily begin on the right foot. This skepticism, however, cannot be allowed to interfere in peace negotiations. There are already too many seem- ingly insurmountable barriers. With much hope, a lot of patience, and even more effort, this millen- nia-old war which has cost far too many thousands of lives can be simmered down by this conference until a lasting peace can be created. The tensions and violence in the Middle-East continue to threaten innocents all over the world. The conference in Madrid is our first step to reduce that threat. What's normal? To the Daily: I just wish to express my disgust with Jeff Luther and his bigoted views about the gay and lesbian community ("Gays not normal," Daily, Oct. 14, 1991). Normal or not, homosexual people are human beings, and they should be treated as such. May be Mr. Luther is not "homophobic," but he certainly holds a narrow-minded, bigoted attitude. Popular opinion that homosexuality is not normal is prevalent because people are homophobic - they are afraid to get to know or get close to people they know are homosexual. In my experience with gay and lesbian people, I feel they are some of the most sensitive, considerate, and amiable people I have ever known. Maybe Luther should get to know some of the gay and lesbian people on campus (if he might be so bold), and then judge whether or not these people are normal. Michaela Petermann LSA senior Germany isn't yielding to racism To the Daily: I am writing this letter as a response to the Daily's article'in last Thursday's issue of the Daily condemning Germany's restric- tions on immigration laws. As a German, I am personally outraged and in many ways afraid about the latest developments of Most of these refugees do not leave their countries because of political suppression or but rather because of the higher living standard they expect in Germany. This fact confronts Germany with massive economic and social problems. Even without this massive influx of refugees, Germany is facing a severe housing shortage. In the harbor of Hamburg, for example, ships have been chartered to house new immigrants to Germany. Other problems are connected to an increased burden on our extensive welfare system. Germany will not be able to finance her new Bundeslaender - the Soviet Union and refugee waves experienced all over the world - for much longer. Besides that, the new immigration laws are still far more relaxed than the immigration laws of the United States. I am certainly not defending hate crimes, but to claim that the German government yields to racist pressure is absolutely not true. With the new immigration laws, the German government tries to target to target economic and social problems rather than "racism." Henrik Bodenstab LSA junior Religion article omitted key facts To the Daily: Being a representative of one of the largest groups of Muslim students at the University. the close to 1 billion (about 20 percent of the total world popula- tion). In addition, it was not mentioned that there are about 46 Islamic countries in the world, spread over Asia, Africa, and part of Europe. Also, the article does contain some very glaring mistakes. For example, when the author says that "Islam is a dominating religion in the Middle East, and North Africa, parts of Southeast Asia, and the South Asian countries of Afghanistan and Bangladesh," she forgets to mention Pakistan, whose popula- tion is much larger than Afghani- stan and about equal to Bangladesh. Similarly, the number of Muslims in India is also equal to the Muslim population of Bangladesh. Together, the number of Muslims in South Asia is about 360 million. The omission of Pakistan shows the ignorance of the author of Islamic world as Pakistan is the only country in the world which was founded on the basis of Islam. Another noticeable omission was the fact that the largest Muslim country is Indonesia. We expect in the future that such mistakes will not be repeated in the esteemed Daily and its readers will receive correct and accurate information, which is their right. Ghazanfar Ali Khan Executive Committee, Pakistani Students Association The Daily encourages reader Nuts and Bolts (oWs OW. PROJSeCr$ rog THe SCIEJUce FmAIRCOMING? 2'M MAKINC Cc A YIOsELS OF by Judd Winick HOW~ ABOUT Yto MELANI~ SNiLUt~ppy 7ATE1 PNOTOYNl1. GOING? ONT:~C I EAL( p1pEE WH-AT ARE THESE? IN7~E HpMRw~