Page 4 -The Michigan Daily- Tuesday, March 3, 1992 Wbe Edil4Jan lianIQ Ed(Iior in Ciefc (RI, Esirs ' SS 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 764 - 0552 MAITHIEW D. RENNIE Opinion Editors YAEL CITRO GEOFFREY EARLE AMITAVA MAZUMDAR ( Hor Edited and Managed by Students at the University of Michigan Unsigned editorials represent a najority of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. TW~ £Th if riUiTi~ T~ A Yr '~J7 r frAE .cAN -CHE EeoNOMY ~l 1 i r Party's busted, 'U' cops are here " r' --+ ,' - T fj , F w. (THROLIGH SK) %" 'a-J .1 S * A RPA 1 rrCFECr Tj'he reasons against deputizing University po- lice through the regents are old news. Despite the array of evidence against deputization, includ- ing the testimonial anger expressed by scores of concerned students, the regents decided to go through with the process. There are, however, important issues that re- main. Now that the University has an armed police force, students and the community must figure out how to make the police accountable to them. This is in addition to the already existing student struggle of making the regents, who blindly deputized the police, more accountable. The regents' decision was disheartening, but not surprising. The vote to deputize was seven to one. Only one regent, Veronica Smith (R- Grosse Ile), who opposed deputization when the whole process began, voted against it. The final vote-count was no shock. Thanks to some clever administrative timing, it did not cause a big stir on campus. Most students were already, on their way out of town when the vote was taken.' Now that students are back in town, deputization may not be an issue. But in many ways it shouldn't be. If students can find a way to convince the regents to reverse their decision, the entire campus would benefit. But now that the decision has been made, students must move on and work to assert community control over the University police force. The best way to do that is through the oversight board. If Public Act 120, the legislation mandating the oversight board, is followed only to the printed letter, the oversight board will be a weak disciplin- ary body. But if the regents can be convinced to create a strong oversight board with teeth, it could become a vehicle for a community direction and control over the police force. During the "public" hearings held last month, the regents repeatedly touted University police as a kinder, gentler force that would be responsive to the community. If the regents were sincere in this, why not let the community forge police depart- ment policy, oversee hirings, and firings of indi- vidual officers, have full access to departmental records, and discipline officers who are a threat to the community? Student Rights Commission Vice Chair Robert Van Houweling has proposed forming two over- sight boards -one to make policy and one to issue discipline recommendations. Another alternative is to simply have the regents grant greater authority to the new oversight board. Either way, it is important to make the board both powerful and accountable. If the regents want to end their reputation of being deaf to student ears, then they will act to do so. "THE ~GREEN Human morality IAM* Who picks the candidates? The race for the Democratic presidential nomi- nee has been distorted by the media in a distinctly undemocratic way. Instead of pushing candidates to air their views, the media has unduly influenced the Democratic primaries by deciding which of the candidates are "credible" before the public has been allowed to choose for itself. The relationship between public exposure and subsequent success at the polls is clear. The candi- dates receiving the most coverage obviously have a greater chance of winning the presidential nomi- nation. However, in a field of candidates that initially lacked an obvious front-runner, the media has been too quick to choose sides fromthe begin- ning of this campaign. The most shocking ex- ample of this was the com- plete exclusion of George. McGovern from main- stream pressk coverage on. the grounds that he was not considered a serious candidate. What right do a bunch of TV executives and newspaper publishers have to decide such issues? The American public thought McGovern was serious enough in 1972 when it elected him as the democratic presidential nominee. Eugene McCarthy has suffered a similar fate. Similarly, Jerry Brown has received relatively little coverage. The coverage which he has re- ceived is often prefaced with terms like Governor "moonbeam." This dismissive attitude can only detract from his credibility in a manner that is irrelevant to both his message, and the issues. As former governor of California, the most populous state in the union, Brown has enough experience to make him a legitimate candidate. Fortunately for the former governor, he performed impressively in the Maine caucus despite the popular press. The main beneficiary of these distortions, how- ever, has been Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, who has been consistently pushed by the media as the only Democrat capable of challenging George Bush. Early in the campaign, lead stories consis- tently focused on Clinton. These stories covered everything from his economic plan to his sex life, but they always covered him. Now that former Senator Paul Tsongas (D- Mass.) has taken a leading place in the polls, he, too, has become a beneficiary of the media spot- light. But, the press similarly dismissed Tsongas ear- lier in the cam- paign process. The fact that Gov. Brown and Sen. Tsongas have managed to gain support while being continually dismissed is a credit to their campaign or- ganizations. Now that they have pushed them- selves into the spotlight, the press happily printed their messages. This type of selective coverage is dangerous. If the public is persistently told who is winning, not why they're winning, this may become a self fulfilling prophecy. The perpetual focus on the polls and "horse race" coverage is another problem. When the me- dia focuses on margins of victory and percentage points, the issues are frequently swept under the carpet. Instead the media should concentrate on the issues and leave the public to decide who is elect- able, without imposing its own views of which candidates have credibility. To the Daily: Several people have reacted to To the D Bennett Seacrist's letter regarding "Alm homosexual activity by pointing chimpan out that members of various vigorous species of the animal kingdom other fer also engage in homosexual acts. orgasmi These writers fail to realize the Bangerte critical difference between "To ourselves and the so-called lower the (whi animals. lesbian s The fact is that these animals 92) are amoral species, while humans Alth possess morality. The fact that to be ter many people deny these morals or winnersf twist them to serve their own starters,l desires does not refute their relevanc existence or nature. sexual b Incidentally, this is a primary Cont point that refutes any claim to an human b evolutionary relationship with the lizards o lower animals. Humans possess a Therefon unique morality, given to us by a ridiculou unique Creator, which could not use thes have arisen as a result of evolu- a founda tion or happenstance. our sexu So when gay-rights activists humans, accuse Christians of pushing their lizards, n morals on the general populace, before G remember that the activists, too, our bodi advocate their own ideas of The L morality, have anu As human beings, it is mankind impossible to divorce our moral- boundar ity from our socio-political gender." agendas. God's w Howard Scully accepted Business School junior any way d e for it, he W tetheD y before y' The The Daily encourages responses from Th from its readers. Due to a backlog "So God of letters, the Daily cannot accept every so letters longer than 150 words. whatever Send all letters to: The Michigan vile ands Daily, 420 Maynard, Ann Arbor, other's bl MI148109. Or via MTS: The "That Michigan Daily, Letters to the them an Editor, things so !'4/ mA N'T MTe T1 TIrWIW 7 rnTh ATVF_ mY IM mals don't prove morality Daily: turned against God's natural plan nost daily, female (pygmy for them and indulged in sex sin zees) are observed to with each other (Romans 1:27). sly rub their genitals with "And the men instead of males until they reach an having normal sexual relationship c state..." (Michael with women, burned with lust for et. al. 2/5/92) each other, men doing shameful stimulate egg production, things with other men and, as a ptail lizards) engage in result, getting paid within their ex." (Sarah Hauck, 2/4/ own souls with the penalty they so richly deserved (Romans ough I found these tidbits 1:28). ribly fascinating and sure "So it was when they gave for casual conversation God up and would not even I failed to see their acknowledge Him, God gave e in regard to human them up to doing everything their ehavior. evil minds could think of rary to popular belief, (Romans 1:29). eings are not whiptail "Being filled with all r pygmy chimpanzees. unrighteousness, fornication, re, it is absolutely wickedness, covetousness, us and rather insulting to maliciousness; full of envy, e animals as a standard, or murder, debate, deceit, malignity; tion upon which to base whisperers (Romans 1:30). al activity. We, as "Backbiters, hater of God, unlike the whiptail despiteful, proud, boasters, must give an account inventors of evil things, disobedi- 3od for the deeds done in ent to parents (Romans 1:31). es. Without understanding, covenant- Lord Jesus Christ does breakers, without natural affec- unconditional love for tion, implacable, unmerciful; J which "transcends all Who knowing the judgment of ies of race, class and God, that they which commit However, nowhere in such things are worthy of death, ord is homosexuality not only do the same, but have 3, condoned or tolerated in pleasure in them that do them . But, don't take my word (Romans 1:32) ." re it is frankly stated God is a God of love and ou: mercy, but he's also a God of following quotes are taken wrath. The truth lies plainly e Living New Testament. before us, and the choices are Ilet them go ahead into ours to make. We have a free rt of sex sin, and do will; God will not make us love r they wanted to - yes, Him or obey His word, but know sinful things with each this ... Jesus will be your savior bodies (Romans 1:26). and Lord, or your judge, the t is why God let go of decision is yours to make. d let them do all these evil Charis Hunt ithat even their women RCsenior Nature fascists take on logging trucks Nuts and Bolts please stand by for this special announcement. Due to situations beyond our control NUTS and BOLTS will not be appearing today, We are unable to contact our principal players. We apologize for this interuption and will continue the comic as soon as possible. by Judd Winick COIF TL T THOUGHT WE "JBNNTINW tFOR A tWxK? by Tom Bergemann On March 16, the United States will reach a major turning point in the history of wildlife protection. Less than a month from now, the seven members of the Endangered Species Commit- tee will decide the fate of the northern spotted owl and its ancient forest home. Even more importantly, the aptly named "God Squad" will be setting a precedent that may be used to dictate the protection of endangered species well into the future. Specifically, the decisionon March 16 involves 44 proposed timber sales comprising 4,570 acres of federally-owned timber- land, a large portion of the last remnants of ancient forest in Oregon. Instead of adjusting these logging plans to protect the owl's home, as dictated by law in the Endangered Species Act of 1973, George Bush's Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan has called a rare meeting of the "God Squad" to consider exempting these sales. The Committee will determine whether the cutting of these 4,570 acres is more important than ipnrvdina the ,rentinninn resources to be exploited for profit and the large environmen- tal movement which is fed up with the increased logging, oil drilling, and grazing on our public lands. The spotted owl's existence is intricately linked to the health of the ancient forest ecosystem. If a creature at the top of the food chain is in decline, it is a warning that the whole forest ecosystem is threatened. Fifty years of excessive logging in the Pacific Northwest has permanently changed these forests and, as a result, the region's timber industry. Tens of thousands of timber jobs have disappeared in the last 15 years and will continue to decline due to drastic clear cutting, automa- tion, and the export of raw, unprocessed logs. These factors have cost more jobs than any conservation efforts, though there is a new anti-environmentalist movement that would have you believe otherwise. In the past year or so, the "Wise Use" movement, made up of ranchers, loggers, miners, hunters, oil workers, off-road vehicle owners, and funded by large corporations (notably the Japanese ORV manufacturers) goals is to allow mining and oil- exploration in all national parks, forests, refuges and wilderness areas; the systematic logging and replanting of all ancient forests; and gutting the Endangered Species Act to exclude the protection of "non-adaptive species; and endemic species lacking the vigor to spread in range." This well-funded and well-organized group is dedicated to the survival of industries and ways of life which threaten the health and existence of endan- gered species, ecosystems, and humans. So what should we do? If the Wise Use movement has its way, we should keep our mouths shut and leave the major decisions on the use of public lands in ques- tionable hands (Secretary Lujan has already called the Endangered Species Act "too tough"). On the other hand, we can speak out to our elected officials, and demand that they follow established laws as written. Write to the Endangered Species Committee: ESC, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC, 20240, and tell it to deny the exemptions in Oregon. Let them know that you want 01 --..i AMt4l\L fYCMES )YUO- I