The Michigan Daily- Thursday, April 16,1992- Page 5 .......... ............ ..h.... Fair-weather fans A doctor's view of homosexuality To the Daily: I would submit to you that the deepest expression of love between two women or two men is no less valid than that found betweena man and a woman. Few would agree that sexual promiscuity without love serves either party or society well in the short or long run. In fact, as a physician, I have frequently seen the ill effects of multiple, unpro- tected and ill-conceived sexual encounters. However, I and several of my colleagues may attest to that we have yet to see the effects of a monogamous same-sex relation- ship in which mutual love and respect plays an active role. This is, by definition, a healthy relationship - healthy for both the individuals and society at large because it fosters productive lives for both individuals con- cerned, which ultimately benefits the society and enhances the culture in which they exist. Mr. Styles, I applaud you for not being "frightened by homo- sexuality." Further, I would submit that "a higher pleateau of moral conduct" is one in which all our human interactions are characterized by love (see I Corinthians 12:31-73.) Paul Kilgore, M.P.H., M.D. House Officer, University of Michigan Hospital Pro-Life often unfair, * doesn't see big picture To the Daily: The people who call them- selves "Pro-life" find it easy to make emotional arguments about "saving babies," but they appear not to really care about children after they are born. In the Michigan legislature, the conservative politicians who support legislation to restrict or abolish women's reproductive rights are the same conservative legislators who would like to see a welfare cap for mothers who have additional children while on welfare. Their message is: you have to have a baby, but we don't care whether or not you can feed it. In national politics, many of the anti-choice legislators are the same ones who voted against the Family Responsibility Act, which would require employers to grant unpaid maternity/paternity leaves, and leaves for family emergen- cies. Their message is: you have to have the baby, but we don't care if you get fired when you try to take care of it. The pro-choice people, on the other hand, are pro-child and pro- family. They support legislation that make life a little easier for women who choose to have a child, as well as supporting the rights of those who don't. Mary Meyer Rackham graduate student AATU and SLS serve students To the Daily: If the Ann Arbor Tenants Union (AATU) is defunded, University students will lose a valuable service that is provided nowhere else. The proposals to require the AATU to ask for funding "just like other student groups" or "like other community groups" are disguised attempts to kill the AATU. Unlike other student groups, the AATU has a full-time staff person, four work-study positions and a budget to print and mail out education materials. That's why the AATU is ready when students have a problem. University students have understood that an organization that helps over 2,000 students each year must have continuity and stability if it is to function. Combined with the fee cap that would strangle Student Legal Services (SLS), cuts to the AATU reveal the conservative attempt to undermind student- initiated protections. Both SLS and the AATU were created by students and funded through MSA because they represent students in areas where the administration took no initiative. Over the years, many administra- tors and regents have been landlords. Do you think they really want a strong tenants' union? SLS represents student protestors and people arrested or charged by the new campus cops. Do you really believe the administration wants a strong, independent SLS? If you support organizations that protect student rights, you must protect those organizations. The current MSA administration has already caused the AATU to lose one staff person and reduce services to students. Now it wants to eliminate the AATU altogether. In my four years as a student. I have worked at the AATU, served on the Boards of both the AATU and SLS and am the out-going president of the AATU board. University students will lose many valuable services if MSA contin- ues to undercut SLS and the AATU. Annette Law LSA senior Constitution protects gay rights To the Daily: My friends and I traveled to Minneapolis for the Final Four. Like other Michigan fans, we too were disappointed by our loss to. Duke, but we were still very proud of our team. Many people doubted Michi- gan would make it to the Final Four, but when it did, everyone jumped on the Fab Five band- wagon, praising them when they won. Yet, when they lost to Duke, these fair-weather fans turned their backs on the team. When the team needed the support of its fans the most, the fans couldn't take a few minutes to show them that they were proud of them and all of their accomplishments. While not everyone had the opportunity to go to Minneapolis, they still could have shown their support of the basketball team by welcoming them at Crisler Arena. It disgusts me that only 2,000 fans showed up at Michigan's welcome celebration, yet 6,000 plus people were celebrating on South University on Saturday night when Michigan beat Cincinnati. Michigan students need to learn what it means to be a true fan. Had Duke lost on Monday, its fans would not have deserted its team. Alice Shin LSA sophomore Stereotyping Perot To the Daily: In your editorial ("Perot shakes up the election game," 4/7/ 92) you state that H. Ross Perot "wants to abolish the North American Free Trade Agree- ment," which you call a "tradi- tionally conservative position." In fact, in the late 20th century, opposition to free trade comes traditionally from Demo- crats pandering to the labor vote. Of course, Pat Buchanan and Jerry Brown show how this short- sightedness crosses party lines. Add this to the support Dill Clinton and Paul Tsongas have shown for North American free trade and the quiet support Bush has given to important restric- tions, and you have a mess, but not a "traditionally conservative" position. Jon Grantham LSA senior Bias broadcasting To the Daily: Yes, I am a Michigan fan and I might be just a little biased on this subject, but were those announcers that called the championship game Duke alumni?" Christian and Bobby, this Hill or the other one!" That's all they talked about. When Christian did finally show up for the game in the second half, the announcers started to actually cheer for him and for the whole Duke team. This wasn't a coincidence either. Dvring the Cincinnati game, they made it sound like we were trailing by a lot more than 10 points in the second half. Then, when the tide turned toward us, they started to praise us a little more. In these games that are nationally televised, they should show some restraint toward which team they prefer. Neutrality is the key word here guys! Just call the game, no biased opinions, please.' . But remember, I might be biased myself. Kara Pawlowski Music school first-year student Daily analysis superficial ., l Wouldn't it be cool? To the Daily: - Wouldn't it be cool if every kid in America had to take acid in kindergarten. Start them off with one hit a week for the first few weeks, then, periodically increase the dosages. It could be government- sponsored, with Timothy Leary as the president of the Kids On Acid Coalition (KOAC). KOAC would distribute acid sheets to each elementary school, then let them trip away. This would be a tool to promote drug usage among the new generation. Who needs education? It would eliminate discrimina- tion in schooling. Who cares about SAT scores, little kids want acid, plain and simple. They want to trip until they die. They know that the world sucks and acid is more fun than math anyway. KOAC would promote peace and har- mony among all people. Nothing else has worked so why not give acid a chance. Dave Corbett LSA first-year student To the Daily: I am a bisexual woman. I am not Christian. The arguments against homosexuality and bisexuality that have appeared in recent letters to the editor and that are based on restrictions in the Bible have no bearing on my behavior. Because the Constitu- tion maintains the separation of church and state, my behavfor cannot be regulated, nor can my civil rights be denied, on the basis of the ideals of any particular religion. The First Amendment right to freedom of religion allows Christians, based on their own religious beliefs, to choose not to express homosexual or bisexual behavior. They cannot force their personal decisions on me. Biblical opinions should be dropped from discussions of homosexuality. Others' religions should be kept out of my sex life. Kirsten Erin Anderson Rackham graduate student Re-examining responsibilities To the Daily: Unfortunately, those who wrote the editorial concerning the City Council's decision to privatize the parking system failed to analyze any facts before complaining. The City's parking system is in dire need of restruc- turing. I know because I spent part of my summer is a finance intern with the city of Ann Arbor analyzing the problem. The Daily assumes that the city will only save "some money" At the present time, the parking system is losing over $2 million a year. It hasn't broken even in almost nine years and the situation is getting worse. Because it hasn't been profitable, the city has been unable to make needed repairs to the various structures or provided for added spaces. The quality of service, which the Daily writers assume will decrease because of profit- minded entrepreneurs, can only go up due to privatization. A more profitable system means that more money can be reinvested in capital improvements. The Daily also bemoans the loss of union jobs. If the Daily had investigated the Council's decision at all, it would have found that all union employees currently in the parking gystgm will be transferred to new jobs: nobody is going to be laid off. Finally, The Daily assumes that a private firm will raise rates because it has a monopoly on the parking market. Unfortunately, the pressure to keep rates low is great. Businesses in the city, in order to keep their customers from going to Briarwood and elsewhere, need to have cheap parking. Any company brought in to run the system will have to face this reality. There will be no lack of competitive pressure. The Daily's analysis of this complex problem was superficial and will do nothing except keep the public ill-informed. It's fine not to support a privatized parking system, there are good arguments against it. But if you're going to do it, please do it logically instead of trying to appeal to emotions. When push comes to shove, logic wins every time. F. D. Clanciolo Rackham graduate student To the Daily: I, Dyann Logwood, being of sound African-American mind and body, wish to enclose in this letter a few things to the editor of the Daily, and the cartoonist (I use that term loosely) Greg Stump, who "graced" us with his humor. Even though both of you have made apologies for the cartoon in the March issue of the Daily, which depicted a black monkey as a representative of South Africa, that is not enough. Since other groups have been negatively depicted in the past, this obviously shows a lack of leadership on the part of the editor and others who have the last say-so on what is to be printed. It is your responsibility to make sure that racist connotations are not connected with what you print. It is a problem that has been addressed in the past, and obvi- ously has been tabled, because nothing has been done to insure that this will not happen again. If you must create a cartoon about a situation in the media or on campus, please represent each character true to scale. In your cartoon you did not accurately express reality. If you had, you would not have used a black monkey to represent South Arica and Caucasian bystanders as innocence. You would have correctly depicted the oppressors in their true light and showed how South Aricans have been kept down by the minority Caucasian govern- ment that existed, and still does. The cartoon, meant to entertain, only brought anger and outcry in the community. It causes me to wonder about the ethics of the editor and the cartoonist. I think that you should strongly revaluate your positions and examine your responsibilities. And to set the record straight, if anything, the people of South Africa have been treated like animals, but that does not make them monkeys. m And if you would like to learn how to properly classify human beings I suggest that you take Biological Anthropology 161 and leaf through Jane Goodall's book "Through a Window" on chimpan- zees. Maybe you will learn some- thing that will allow you to see who is truly on the mentality level of a primate. Dyann C. Logwood LSA sophomore x C The Daily encourages its readers to respond. All letters should be 150 words or less and mailed to: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109. Or via MTS to: The Michigan Daily, Letters to the Editor: The Opinion editors reserve the right to edit all letters for style and space. s ti_ s 4 MOVING TO NEW YORK? "DELICIOUSLY FUNNY, ROMANTIC WONDERFULLY FRESH AND BEAUTWILLVACTED. DOUGLAS ELLIMAN will provide you with the Insider's Advantage to apartment hunting in the BIG APPLE. Our professional and experienced rental agents specialize in the renting of New York apartments including a wide selection with NO FEE to tenants. Fried Green Tomatoes' will carry your heart away and leave you with a wonderful glow. Mary Stuart Masterson is superb and Mary-Louise Parker is excellent. It's one of the most heartfelt movies of the year. - PeterStack..SANFRANCISCO CHRONICLE "SURELY ONE OF THE BEST PICTURES OF THE YEAR. 'Fried Green Tomatoes' makes you feel good about life. 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