Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Thursday, November 19,1992
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J be A itiau n+ i1l
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
764-0552
Editor in Chief
MAT'IIIEW D. RENNIE
Opinion Editors
YAEL CITRO
GEnoFFREY iARLE
AMITAVA MAZUMDAR
Edited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
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Unsigned editorials represent a matjority of the Daily's Editoriazl Board.
All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily.
Anti-Semitism strikes Ann Arbor
The Hillel Center, the primary resource for
Jewish students on campus, has been vandal-
ized six times in less than a month. In addition, a
local synagogue has also been attacked three times.
This almost certainly represents an attempt to
intimidate the Jewish community, and the Ann
Arbor communit y should mobilize to end the
intimidation.
These are not isolated incidents. While anti-
Semitic attitudes have declined somewhat, a re-
cent poll commissioned by the Anti-Defamation
League shows that a frightening number ofAmeri-
cans still subscribe to anti-Semitic myths. In the
survey, 30 percent of respondents feel that Jews
are more loyal to Israel than America, and 31
percent claimed Jews have too much power in the
United States today. The degree to which many
Americans remain fearful and ignorant of Jews is
worrisome.
The best way to combat anti-Jewish prejudice
is through active education. As with most preju-
dice, the more interaction that occurs between
groups, the greater the understanding and toler-
ance. It would be a mistake to sweep incidents
such as this under the carpet.
Anti-Semitism is a disease which cannot be
eradicated, but lies dormant under favorable con-
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ditions. Even in the United States, with a solid
tradition of democracy and a powerful legal sys-
tem, anti-Semitism remains a threat.
Fortunately, the Ann Arbor Police have appre-
hended a suspect who was caught attempting to
throw stones at Beth Israel, a synagogue. Hopefully
this arrest will stop the spate of vandalism.
The local manifestation of anti-Jewish senti-
ment is part of world-wide trend of surfacing rac-
ism, probably uncovered by recession, job insecu-
rity and poverty. According to the Anti-Defamation
League, the number of anti-Semitic hate crimes is
up by approximately one-third this year. The re-
ports of neo-Nazi and skin-head violence in Ger-
many, France, England and other European nations
fill American newspapers.
While national governments are responsible for
creating national environments friendly to diver-
sity and tolerance, local communities must make
clear that racism is unacceptable. Whether anti-
Semitic behavior occurs in Bonn or Ann Arbor, the
solution is the same - local unity against racism.
Even if the vandalism continues, the Jewish
community should respond by continuing to fre-
quent Hillel and places of worship, for staying
home for fear of attack would give the vandals the
victory they seek.
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Police brutality will not be tolerated any longer.
Hillary Clinton: a new first woman
H illary Clinton gave an impassioned speech
about the issues of the presidential election
when she spoke in the Law School last March.
When she returned in October, however, she gave
*a concise introduction for her husband and sat
down. Campaign photos of the once-fiery lawyer
were restricted to shots of her serving cake or
gazing up at her husband. What prompted Clinton
to play the quieter, gentler wife? She was the
product of the "General Election Project," a 14-
page memorandum geared to transform the
governor's "Slick Willie" image and his wife's
domineering reputation into the traditional, down-
home family that apparently appeals to the Ameri-
can electorate.
Hillary's muted role in the campaign was a
response to the American public's archaic view
that a first lady should be seen but rarely heard.
Voters cheered the many female Congressional
candidates, including Dianne Feinstein and Carol
Moseley Braun, while they vilified Hillary Clinton
for taking initiative to defy the female stereotype.
Clinton's aggressive advocacy of causes such as
children's rights - coupled with her harmless
comment chiding the idea that she ought to, "stay
home and bake cookies" - brought a negative
response. With 1992 touted as the "Year of the
Woman," voters viciously denied one woman the
respect she deserved.
Now that the election is over, the old Hillary
should return. As the first presidential spouse to
have a career independent of her husband, she has
the unique chance to redefine the role of the first
lady: someone who deserves respect in her own
fight. She is considered one of the top 100 lawyers
in the nation, and works actively with groups such
as the Legal Services Corp., the Children's Televi-
sion Workshop, and the National Women's Politi-
cal Caucus.
Though Clinton's impressive resume would
qualify her to be attorney general or earn her a
cabinet post, a little-known law forbids family
members of the president to serve on the adminis-
tration. However, this does not mean that she can-
not work out of the White House to make positive
changes in the country. Because first lady-elect
Clinton has created so much controversy, she has
the valuable recourse of the media's rapt attention.
Previous first ladies have chosen uncontroversial,
albeit noble, issues such as literacy or child abuse
as their focus.
As governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton charged
his wife with constructing his educational-reform
program. She went from town to town to scope out
the problems, and consulted experts on the solu-
tions. As first lady, Clinton should assume an equally
ambitious role.
Moreover, Clinton has the responsibility to serve
as a role model for a new generation of women. She
must challenge the public's assumptions of what a
woman must be and fulfill her potential, not cave in
to Neanderthal traditionalists that would prefer she
stay home and bake cookies.
To the Daily:
History often repeats itself
because people think they are
always doing the right thing.
Those in control of power don't
take responsibility for their
actions because they are too busy
trying to justify them as correct.
The status quo - as told to me
by my parents and that still exists
is - "If you're white, its alright,
if you're brown you're down, if
you're Black, step back!"
Changing the status quo does
not just happen by itself. It takes
a realization of consciousness by
those who take responsibility
upon themselves to eliminate
those stereotypes that serve to
perpetuate the status quo and
undermine progress. Police
harassment and brutality has been
serving to preserve this relation-
ship between those in power and
those who are not an integral part
of the system or for some reason
or another, refuse to accept it.
History has repeated itself
once again. Being a Black male
in America and a victim of police
brutality has made me realize that
there is no justice in America for
people who are stereotyped by
those in power.
My friends and I were driving
through Ohio when we were
pulled over for speeding. What
happened next was far from
proper procedure. I was told to
get out of the car, asked why I
was dressed the way I was (which
is how I dress everyday), repeat-
edly frisked, put in the back of
the police car and labeled as a
gang member. The other officer
told the rest of the "gang" to get
out of the car and brought a
police dog to sniff the bags and
the inside of the car. I wonder
what they were looking for?
While being patted down and
searched for guns or drugs, I
could not help feeling as if my
civil rights were being violated.
My integrity was abused and we
were treated like statistics and
stereotyped by the Caucasian
police. This is not an isolated
incident.
From Rodney King in L.A. to
Malice Green in Detroit to an
incident in Ohio, my patience is
worn and time is up. If I had a gun
for every time I have been stopped
by the police for bullshit, I would
have 30 empty shell casings. I
know this is not an isolated
thought, either. The system is
unjust and it is plaguing our
society. If history is to repeat itself
Listen to Gates, deal with facts
To the Daily:
In the article "Students
condemn Green beating" (11/10/
92), the Daily states "a police
officer meant a smile and protec-
tion ... as they grew older, they
felt reality." Yeah, it's about time
people started talking about
reality.
Where was this sense of
reality when the Rodney King
verdict came out? Nobody cared
about the facts; all people cared
about was a misleading eight-
second videotape.
It's a sad thing that the
majority of Americans are so
ignorant that they let their
emotions cloud their rationality,
and it is even sadder for Daryl
Gates who must sit back and take
the blame.
Never mind the fact that Gates
pioneered the concept of the
SWAT team. Never mind the fact
that he and his department
received international commenda-
tions for their job securing the
1984 Olympics. Never mind the
fact that he is the father of the
DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance
Education) program. His creden-
tials have been vastly unrecog-
nized. I applaud the UAC/
Viewpoints lectures for bringing
him to campus and giving him the
opportunity to set the record
straight.
For those of you who won't be
able to attend the debate, let me
just give you a few of the facts of
the Rodney King case. For those
of you who use racism as an
excuse for every injustice known
to mankind, let me warn you, this
dose of reality may be a little too
much for your stomachs to handle.
First, a lot of the baton blows
were non-connecting. Second,
there were two other Black men in
the car who did not rebel against
the police officers and were
therefore not even touched.
The reason King was repeat-
edly hit was because he was
thought to be under the influence
of PCP (which would give him
super-human strength) and he
repeatedly tried reaching for his
pants, where the police officers
suspected he was concealing a
gun.
The officers' response was to
curb a potentially fatal incident,
and let us not forget that King
started the entire incident by
leading the officers on an eight-
mile, high-speed chase through
Los Angeles.
My point is that the majority of
people have succumbed to their
initial emotions. Everybody, at
first, felt bad for King. But the
fact is that jurors went through
months of hearings and came to a
verdict based on real evidence.
The problem is evidence
doesn't mean a thing to most
people.
All that matters is the old logic
of white cops plus Black man
equals racism. Reality may not be
easy to swallow, but ignorance is
not the answer.
Snehal Amin
LSA first-year student
again, next time I shall be taking
the law into my own hands. That
seems to be proper procedure for
those who "serve and protect" so
I'll be following by example. It's
time to drop the bomb. This time
the revolution will not be tele-
vised. We won't take it anymore.
That is the solution.
Senanu Asamoah
LSA senior
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Gay Christians remain excluded
What would you do for $1.41?
he National Council of Churches (N.C.C.)
had the chance last week to accept a homo-
sexual Christian sect as a fellow congregation, but
balked. By failing to recognize the Christian gay
and lesbian organization, the Council missed the
opportunity to lead the way toward an open and
understanding religion, and instead pandered to
age-old prejudices.
In an attempt to provide religious support for
homosexuals who do not feel accepted by Chris-
tian congregations, gay and lesbian Christians
formed the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan
Churches, which now boasts more than 50,000
members. The Fellowship petitioned in 1981 to
become a member communion of the National
council of Churches, an organization of Protes-
tant and Eastern Orthodox churches.
: At the time, the Council tabled the petition
-indefinitely, and opted for 10 years of dialogue,
which it then discontinued in May. Thinking the
:dialogue produced some progress, the Fellowship
optimistically applied for observer status. This
'would allow the Fellowship to attend Council
conferences and speak on religious issues, but not
vote as full members. Last week, the Council
again stood in the way of progress by refusing to
the homosexual church as it was before - ostra-
cized by fellow Christians.
As Reverend Kittredge Cherry, an official in the
Fellowship, commented, "The N.C.C. doesn'teven
want us there observing ... They are supposed to be
following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ with love
and justice. How can they not want us to observe
that?"
The opposition to allowing gays and lesbians
into the Christian establishment stems from an
interpretation of the Bible which deems homosexu-
ality as sinful. Some member communions feel that
allowing the Fellowship into the Council, even as
mere observers, would be an affirmation of this sin.
Yet, representatives of member churches did not
concentrate on religious arguments concerning
homosexuality. Rather, the two-hour debate con-
sisted primarily of arguments that homosexuals
destroy the family and that such allegedly immoral
behavior is ruining society. The decision rendered
was not out of faith, but out of fear.
The Catholic Church, in contrast, announced
this week that discrimination against homosexuals
is now a sin. Although the Vatican did not declare
homosexuality acceptable, the move was a wel-
come first step. The N.C.C. failed to even denounce
The fastest growing career op-
portunity for young people in the
United States today is the lucrative
field of "Eating Really Gross Things
for Money." It's true. There are
millions of people out there, includ-
ing large corporations, who are will-
ing to pay young, idealistic college
students to eat really gross things.
I first realized this when I found
out from
my brother,
Dan, that
Bur g e r NA AN
King (not
the actualC"
King, I'm
sure, but
one of his
subordi-
nates) is willing to pay members of
the general public to eat their ba-
con.
This finding was purely acci-
dental.Dan walked into BurgerKing
the other day for the 99-cent spe-
cial. That day, the special was the
Bacon Double Cheeseburger. The
following is the actual conversation
double cheeseburger is full price."
"Fine. Give me aBacon Double
Cheeseburger, hold the bacon."
. "OK." [speaking into micro-
phone] "Bacon Double Cheesebur-
ger, no bacon."
At this point the burger assem-
blers began laughing uncontrolla-
bly. The manager walked over and
informed the cashier that he could
not allow this.
MANAGER: "He's trying to
get the special. Don't let him get
away with that shit."
DAN: "Wait asecond. IfI order
the Bacon Double Cheeseburger,
hold the lettuce, how much would
that be?"
"99 cents."
"Then why can't I hold the ba-
con?"
"Because then it's a double
cheeseburger, which is $2.40"
"So instead of ordering adouble
cheeseburger for $2.40, I can order
the exact same thing, plus bacon,
for 99 cents."
"Right."
"So essentially, you're willing
have its drawbacks - double by-
passsurgery every week would grow
tiresome - but at the rate of 70
cents per strip, say 200 strips per
hour, eight hours a day (no lunch
breaks would be necessary), five
days a week, 50 weeks a year - it
comes out to millions.
You may think that this was sim-
ply an isolated incident. But con-
sider the following:
Three nights ago, at 2:00 a.m., I
was in my room studying. Suddenly,
my housemate sprinted up the stairs
and burst into my room and an-
nounced, "[anonymous housemate]
is willing to drink a glass of his own
warm urine for [embarrassingly low
sum of money.]"
"How much do I have to contrib-
ute?" I asked.
"Just [one-third of embarrass-
ingly low sum of money]!"
"You got it!"
Now, [anonymous housemate]
was not drunk. He simply recog-
nized that he had a marketable skill,
and was seeking to capitalize on it.
The deal was this: He had to pee into