0 Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Wednesday, February 5, 1992 Editor in Chief rr rrwinrrrr r irirrr 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48 109 764 - 0552 MA'THEW D. R ENNIE Opinion Editors YAEL CITRO GEOFFREY EARLE 9 AMITAVA MAZUMDAR Edited and Managed by Students at the University of Michigan UIH/ 4 -rc-A [Z6'W-N -4T - NFe ARE ( C Pt EL. -rdA T CA N F'fyo ° ° ,Sf o PEo0PL ?'HA rWEtL aC1ILY- MAKE A 1 blF~FREN C F~ /jN'( ,mo?. QL4EST-ONS _ d'VL ! _..'-- ' Unsigned editorials represent a inajority of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. AbNORML and illegal Diag policy 0-mom" one would think that the Diag, a place that has served as a vehicle for protest and debate for years, would be open to all student groups. Appar- ently, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Mary Ann Swain disagrees. In a computer message that Swain sent to the Student Organizations De- velopment Center (SODC), which grants permits for Diag use, Swain ordered the center to deny the University branch of the National Orga- nization to Re- form Marijuana . Laws (U of M NORML) use of the Diag during this year's an- nual Hash Bash. Bydetermin- ing when and i. where this group is allowed to KR!STOFFER GILLETTE/Daily speak, the administration is denying U of M NORML its First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and assembly. This constitutes anew height of administrative meddling and intolerance. Un- fortunately, it is not without precedent. In 1989, the administration tried to keep NORMLoff the Diag during Hash Bash. This time, because of a temporary SODC employee's error, 'NORML was granted a permit. When the Univer- sity tried to revoke the permit, NORML took it to court, and was allowed to assemble during Hash Bash. Swain cited "problems of personal safety" and "problems with property distruction (sic)" as her reasons for denying use of the Diag to the group. More likely, however, is the embarrassment the annual dope-smoking extravaganza poses to the administration. However, to deny a student group use of the Diag because of the content of its program constitutes censorship. Swain did not deny NORML Diag use on a permanent basis. Her intention was merely to keep such "undesirables" off the Diag "anywhere around Hash Bash time." But to deny this group use of central campus during Hash Bash, the day when students are most aware of issues concerning mari- juana, stifles NORML agenda. Moreover, if Swain thinks keeping NORML off the Diag will put an end to Hash Bash, she has obviously never been to a Grateful Dead concert. NORMLis a recognized student group, and has followed the proper procedure for obtaining Diag use in the past. That the administration thinks it is justified in deciding what student groups get to use the Diag and when they can use it is despicable. The Diag is intended not just as a walkway through campus, but as a forum for debate and discussion of ideas. If the administration thinks it can influence just what ideas are discussed, then we know who's really smoking the dope. GSA AMT 'T"o ' V f 5t N - f r5rp0CU~~ 1 7 - s j- . * Y/EEqc."6,, 0 SAOp tr~yi increasing mixture of white men, pstereotypingen, Asian men and Jewish miren To the Dail-- Your editorial concerninm the purpose of fraternities ("Babes and Beer," 1/29/92) seemed to have a dtial purpose: to condemn Theta Delta Chi's rush flyers and to ridicule the entire reason for the existence of fraternities. Well, I can not possibly defend the actions of "Theta ID)elta Chi, but your description of general fraternity life was unbehlievably stereotypical. Youare correct in that fraternities are social orianiza- tions, but there is much more to it thanl that. 'i itrnities provide athletics. leadership, scholarship (fraternity men do have higher grade point ilVCI-,I"C tha1M]101 1,l ait ) t en), and mlost of all. bro her- hom. Brotherhood involves not only white men. but rather, an 19A . 3 I can speak from experience in saying that brotherhood is the strongest friendship that I have ever experienced. I know that I am not alone in making this claim, not only within my house, but also within other houses on campus. Fraternity men are also making a more concerned effort to live up to the ideals that were esta blished by our respective founders. This is increasingly evident here at the University. IFraternity men are often doing community-service fund raising on the Diag. Nobody forces us to do so. It is somethiig that we choose to do. In addition, has anyone lbrgotten about the BYOB policy that was recently passed by the Interfraternity Council (IF("C)'? According to the policy, not'even glass bottles are allowed into the parties. It seems to me that actions such as these bring us closer to the high standards that were set for our respective houses. It is more than just "babble." Fraternities on this campus are far from being perfect, but they do not. deserve the constant ridicule received from unifonned parties, such as some of those at the Daily who wrote this particular edito- rial. Theta Delta Chi was wrong. But, it should not be used to generalize everybody else. It is stereotypes such as these that Ann Arbor City Council members used to try and keep Delta Zeta Sorority and Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity out of the homes that they purchased. We are trying to improve our system, and the least that people can do is to recognize this. LSA sophomore Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Just following orders? T his February marks the third anniversary of T Chris Gueffroy's failed attempt to escape Communist bondage. In 1989, Gueffroy was a young, idealistic East Berliner. Like many before him, Gueffroy sought his freedom by making a mad dash towards West Berlin across the "death strip" which divided the city. In 1989, Ingo Heinrich was an East German border guard at the Berlin Wall. Heinrich fired the fatal shots which halted Chris Gueffroy's escape attempt, and ended Gueffroy's life at the tender age of 20. Recently, a German court convicted Heinrich of manslaughter and sentenced him to three and a half years in prison. Heinrich's defense was the classic "good sol- dier" appeal. He told the court, "at the time I was following the laws and commands of the German Democratic Republic." Nevertheless, the court asserted emphatically and correctly that everything which is legal is not necessarily right. Despite the shoot-to-kill orders which East German border guards had received from their superiors, there is no justification for killing a person whose only crime is his attempt to emigrate. The precedent for this landmark ruling comes from the Nuremberg trials. During these trials of Nazi war criminals, West German courts estab- lished the doctrine in international law that there are moral principles which can never be violated, regardless of orders from higher-ups. This doctrine applies to the merciless slaughter of people whose only crime is their race, and has now been extended to include people whose only crime is their desire to leave their country. This doctrine of individual responsibility is tremendously important to world peace. In a sense, it decreases the likelihood that crimes of the nature committed during the Holocaust will recur. An entire nation responsible for genocide can never blame a single despot for its collective guilt. Theodor Seidel, the judge in the Heinrich mur- der trial, should be praised for his decision. Hope- fully, the prosecution of the criminals responsible for the deaths of the estimated 200 East Germans killed trying to cross the border to West Germany will not end with the conviction of the men who pulled the triggers. Many former East German officials share in this responsibility. Perhaps the most guilty is de- posed East German leader Erick Honecker, who now enjoys diplomatic sanctuary in the Chilean embassy in Moscow. Honecker, and everyone else who ordered the death of East German emigres, must be brought to justice. Loretta and Louise meet Adam and Ernie ro the Daily: In re ferince to Bennett Seacrist's letter (0/28/92), aside f'rom his questionable moral argument, we would like to clarify a factual misconception about homosexualit y in the animal kingdom. Contrary to Mr. Seacrist's assertion that humans are "the only animal on eal-th that has homosexual acts within its own species," one does not have to look far amoing the birds and bees to find many examaples of' hom11osexual Ibeh~lior..I For' instace, let us look at both of 'ur closest living relat iveS, chimpan- zees and bolobos (pygmy chimpanzees). Aio li C'hllpan- cees, males frequent l stroke the genitals of other nm nk's and excite them to orgasm. Si ilarly. bonobos, which are considered to be the most sexualy, active primate (humnins included). frequently engage in both male/ male and l'emale/female sexual relationships. Almost daily, Females are observed to vis.,or- ously rub their'genitals with other l'emaies until they reach an orgasmic state. Before making such sweeping generalizations about the unique- ness of human behavior, perhaps one should better understand the wide diversity of behaviors exhibited by other animals nel uding our primate relatives. Michael Bangert Richard Sosis Susan McDonald Black Charles Keckler Biological Anthropology No business with China eoMMNviTi Y INSIGHT Homeless get shut out by new University policies P resident Bush met with Chinese Premier Li Peng last Friday. This marks the first time these two leaders have gathered since Li imposed martial law after the massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators in 1989. Much time has passed since the June 1989 massacre of hundreds of pro-democracy student demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, but China's lack of commitment to human rights has yet to improve. Only one hour before Bush met with Premier Li the State Department released its annual human rights report, which was highly critical of China. Bush has no business lending credence to Li's regime by meeting with him. Last week, American intelligence reports dis- covered that China has been violating a 1987 international agreement which restricts the export of missiles and missile technology to developing countries. By proliferating nuclear weapons to Third World countries, China has demonstrated its disregard for global safety. Last spring, after China secretly delivered missile launchers to Pakistan, the United States imposed trade sanctions. Despite this information, Bush favors lifting the sanctions on the sale ofAmerican satellite parts and high-speed computers to China. In supporting the removal of trade barriers between the United States and China, Bush is displaying his lack of sympathy for those op- pressed by the Chinese regime. Perhaps he has forgotten the events of 1989. Apparently, a month after the Tiananmen Square massacre, Premier Li told a Chinese-American visitor that the army had opened fire on civilians because there was not enough tear gas or rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Meanwhile, many of the student leaders of the pro-democracy move- ment have been tried and jailed. After the massacre, Bush refused to extend student visas to Chinese students remaining in the United States. He supports unqualified most-fa- vored-nation trade status for China, which obvi- ously ignores China's human rights violations. While the world celebrates the end of the cold war and the "fall" of communism, one-fifth of the world's population lives under a repressive com- munist dictatorship. With the further evidence of China's arms proliferation, the United States should not even consider lifting the sanctions. by Corey Dolgon and Michael Kline Newspapers first used the term "homelessness" in 1992. as journalists tried to descmiebe an economic situation where m nor)e and more people were livimg in cars, cardboard boxes and su bwy iv stations. With terms like the "feminization of poverty," he "working poor," and the "c'hron i- cally unemployed," they sought to explain why homelessness was on the rise. Yet, they never mentioned that povert y, ahhough increasing, was as Amncricat as apple pie. Two characteristics of poverty have not changed: 1) it is an inherent result of alflieice: amid 2) beig poor means no access to basic resources like food, shelter and health care. In the past, poor people found cheap spaces to live, like single-room occupancy (SRO) apartments, shalit y towns, railroad yards and "skid-row hotels. New Deal era social spending provided some lhousin kfor low- income people, but since 98( the dismantling of" the social safety net and urban gentrification along with changes in the labor market have created the current crisis. Whereas Lyndon .lohns()n waged auitomobiles, and working women and men seeking shelter. The public responded with compas- sion and moral outrage. What the media omitted was an explanation of the real roots of poverty and homelessness. Not surprisingly, outrage was channeled into soup kitchens, shelters and other social service "hand-aids." Many people 'elt that by pulling together, communities could get through temporary hard times. But, 12 years of cutting basic services (sold to the public through the 'T'rojan horse of' trickle-down economics) have iamde the situation worse. As hard times have begun trickling up and knocking on the door of "middle America," the public outcry to help homeless people has quieted. The cost of compassion became too high. Recent stiudies show that people, especially those strug- gling to maintain middle-income status, are now less sympathetic toward homeless people. And the upper-middle class, who benefited most from gentrification and displacement, has grown tired of reininders that their affluence caine on the backs of the poor, who sleep in their lobbies. Engler's cuts only culminated the assault? Emnler claims that social services threaten our economy more than deindustrialization and the unilateral power of General Motors. When the economy fails, politicians need scapegoats; in hard times, the politics of com- passion easily becomes the politics of aggression. We give money to business: we take it away from the poor. In addition to the violence of- "Eng ler I lood" (steals from the poor and gives to the rich) homeless people also face violence from the reorganization of public space which accompa- iiies increased economic aggres- sion. Here in Ann Arbor, the U Jniversity has taken drastic steps to seal o'f' the campus from the presence of the poor. New security forces, architectural designs and admission policies have limited access t o the resources and buildings of a public university. Even more disturbing is that the ignorance, fear and violence behind such measures are echoed in student leaders who call for stricter policies and more security. Few voices are heard arguing for the need to address the roots of 1 R Nuts and Bolts IL.K, INOW -AT-w VGM~k PA11c EiveMhL W RT Y't'OG4I)STUH iya 5 ME OPu'.iiC~ALrnt TzI. 0 O.K. WHO 00 )YOU flJINK by Judd Winick TERE WE GO.HEt