Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Friday, November 20, 1992
Sbe M~idigau B&uIy '(7
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
764-0552
Editor in Chief
MATTHEW D. RENNIE
Opinion Editors
YAEL CITRO
GEOFFREY EARLE
AMITAVA MAZUMDAR
Edited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
K't
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.
EXCUSE tME, SIR...
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Pity the hapless Buckeyes
Tjnmorrow is the annual Michigan-Ohio State
(OSU) football game. As is tradition, the
Daily and the Ohio State Lantern exchange edito-
rials explaining why our respective team is going
to win. This year, we have one major question:
Why?
Michigan, which destroyed OSU 31-3 last year,
has defeated the Buckeyes four straight years and
and six out of the last seven. The Michigan-Ohio
State game has become an annual year-ending
anticlimactic cakewalk for a powerful Wolverine
squad which has long since clinched the Big Ten
Championship. This year, Ohio State was offi-
, cially eliminated from contention shortly after its
spring intrasquad scrimmage.
In fact, Michigan versus OSU is no more of a
"rivalry" than the United States military versus
Grenada. The game has less impact on who will go
to the Rose Bowl than whether or not the team
plane crashes.
We do not mean to rub it in. That would be
tasteless, like taunting the losers in the Special
Olympics, or the Dream Team running up the
score against Angola. Buckeye fans are generally
very friendly, in a pathetic sort of way. Every year,
they stick around after the game to graciously
wish our team well in the Rose Bowl, and we, in
turn, wish them well in the Poulan Weed Eater
Independence Bowl. Ohio State is the Jan Brady of
the Big Ten - always finishing second and ex-
pressing jealously toward its perpetual superior.
OSU fans have, as of late, turned to blaming
coach John Cooper for their embarrassing inad-
equacy. We would like to point out that Cooper is in
no way to blame. Give him a few more decades -
he's bound to beat Michigan, Illinois, or any bowl
opponent one of these years.
In fact, we feel that Cooper is one of the nation's
finest coaches. He should be awarded a lifetime
contract. We'll even pay for it with our tuition
dollars.
The point is, maybe it's time that the Daily start
exchanging editorials the day before a game which
has at least theoretical meaning. It's nothing per-
sonal. It's just that it would be easier to stir a
genuine rivalry with a more competitive team, such
as Notre Dame or Northwestern.
. So in conclusion, we hope that the Wolverines
put in the second string reasonably early and avoid
completely humiliating our Buckeye friends. And
OSU fans: please don't feel jealous about the Rose
Bowl. We go every year, and it's not that big of a
deal. But if you really want to see the Rose Bowl,
you can fly out to Pasadena and serve drinks at our
tailgate parties. After all, what are friendly rivals
for?
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Waking AZto the homeless problem
So a funny thing happened on
the way to Pasadena, huh?
You people up there in Michi-
gan must really like kissin' your
sister - you seem to be doing a lot
of that this year. Thankfully though,
you won't have to worry about giv-
ing sis another smooch this Satur-
day - we plan to send you all back
to Michigan with a notch in the loss
column.
Boy, that doesn't sound like a
very pleasant trip at all. Not only
will you all be cryin' your little
maize and blue eyes out, you'll also
be headed for that cesspool you
guys call home, Michigan.
Jeez, just the sound of it makes
us want to retch. Say it out loud:
Michigan. Or say it the way Bob
Ufer used to say it: Meesheegan.
Either way, there's that "sshhh"
sound in there - it reminds us of
another word that begins with that
same sound. But we don't want to
stoop to scatological puns, we'll
leave that to you Meesheegan
people.
Speaking of scatology - if you
know what the word means - you
know how you guys looked last
Saturday against Illinois, don't you?
You guys smelled up that big toilet
you call a stadium. We thought you
TX .. . ... . .. ... ... ... ..
Meesheeganders were supposed to
be a hearty breed - able to deal
with the harsh winter elements up
north. But a little breeze blows
through that sewer of a stadium of
yours, dropping the temperature a
few degrees, and suddenly you
bozos can't hold on to the football.
But, we just remembered, most
of your guys don't even come from
Michigan, they come from Ohio
where they couldn't cut it at a good
football school. Like that quarter-
back of yours, what's his name?
Elvis Grabass? He's from Ohio,
but after he was shown the door by
just about every school in the state,
he tucked his tail between his legs,
followed the foul stench north and
landed at Meesheegan. We hear
Grbac is majoring in communica-
tions. Hey Elvis, communicate this
to your running backs: "Hold on to
the ball!"
Even your coach, Gary Moeller,
is from Ohio. And what's the deal
with him and that butt-ugly sweater
of his? Did some blind Wolverine
fan knit it for him? Hey Gary, those
vertical stripes do not hide your
beer belly. What are you trying to
do? Form some sort of brotherly
bond with the officials?
Think they'll be more willing to
listen to your whining if you dress
like them? But we shouldn't expect
much of a fashion statement from
people who go in for maize and
blue. Yech.
But we digress. We just wanted
all of you to know we hope you have
a good time at the Rose Bowl this
year. Heck, we hope you do almost
as well as you did last year. By the
way, have the bruises healed? Hey,
you guys might want to think about
recruiting a new kicker. The one
you have couldn't kick a ball over
that overgrown Rubik's cube pass-
ing itself off as art up there at your
campus.
Maybe Meesheegan should give
up football altogether. Perhaps a
program in slam dunk contest judg-
ing would be more appropriate. Oh,
sorry. You get paid for that.
We know it's going to be tough
heading to California with a tie and
a loss in your last two regular season
games, so our advice to you
Meesheeganders is: party your butts
off Friday night and start real early
again Saturday morning. You should
drink till you're maize and blue in
the face. It should make the game a
lot less painful to watch.
But save a few beers - you'll
need some to cry in.
few dozen University students braved the
cold on Wednesday to take part in the Na-
tional Sleep Out demonstration. This nationally-
organized protest highlightes the inequities and
failures of government to respond to the pressing
problem ofhomelessness. The National Sleep Out
should remind students that homelessness is a
problem not being addressed effectively, espe-
cially at the city level.
According to the last census report issued this
year, there are 3 to 4 million homeless people in
the United States. Since 1980, the federal govern-
ment has cut the amount of money to create
housing by 40 percent. Creating and maintaining
low-income housing has not been a federal prior-
ity.
The report also stated that at least 30 percent of
the homeless have "serious mental health prob-
lems." The ongoing budget cuts of the Engler
administration and the closing of state mental
hospitals have exacerbated the problem. Last year,
the Ypsilanti mental hospital closed; last month
Livingston's followed. As hospital after hospital
closes, the judicial system is often left with little
alternative than incarceration because treatment is
no longer available. At a time when the federal
government has been cutting back on its
committment to mental health, the state has al-
most completely eroded Michigan's mental health
system.
Nor is the city of AnnArbor effectively working
toward solving the problem of homelessness. City
officials continue to ignore the real possibility -
and benefical option - of converting the old Ann
Arbor Inn into low-income housing. Abandoned
malls (like Liberty Square), office buildings, and
parking structures litter the Ann Arbor lanscape as
relics of a policy of failed priorities.
The University is tearing down several homes
on Division St. to build its latest parking structure.
At the same time, the city has budgeted millions in
renovations of sidewalks and parking structures
while not funding any new low-income housing.
Homelessness is an ongoing problem that has
slipped the national conscience. It is a problem that
the federal government has been unwilling to tackle
for the past decade.
State and local governments have pointed fin-
gers at the federal government, themselves doing
little to solve the problem.
But this is an issue where students can make a
difference. The homeless shelter is in need of
volunteers, meals need to be served every night,
and the City Council will soon decide the fate of the
Ann Arbor Inn. If the National Sleep Out wakes
Ann Arbor to the ever-increasing problem of
homelessness, it will have accomplished its mis-
sion.
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Editors' note: Due to the Ohio
State-Michigan game tomorrow,
Issues Forum will not be appear-
ing today. The Ohio State Lantern
gave it their best shot, however it
is clear they have a lot to learn
when it comes to humor - and
football. Good luck to the
Wolverines tomorrow in Colum-
bus. Go Blue.
RSG condems UAC, Gates
Malcolm X brings racism to light
Spike Lee's epic film "Malcolm X" has brought
to the public's attention the explosive career
of one of history's most fascinating and compel-
ling African-American leaders. In recent years,
the issue of race relations has been conspicuously
absent from the national agenda. Hopefully,
Malcolm X will reinvigorate the public debate and
spur our nation's leaders to once again work
toward closing the great gulf that divides our
country.
Before the Civil Rights Movement, racism was
America's great unspoken curse. WhiteAmerica's
conscience was tweaked, albeit briefly, in the
1960's, culminating in sweeping civil rights legis-
lation and the Great Society. The race problem
proved to be thorny, however, and a conservative
backlash, led by Presidents Richard Nixon and
Ronald Reagan, halted any hopes of further
progress. The Great Society, which provided a
brief hope to the underprivileged, gave way to the
fear and divisiveness of the Reagan-Bush era.
Yet the tragedy of the inner cities persists. The
Rodney King verdict seemed to legitimize the
brutalization of African-Americans by police, and
this month, a Black man in Detroit was beaten to
death by a mostly white contingent of police
officers.
Economic racism is persistent - particularly
in banking and real estate - and millions of Black
children languish in a classist public school sys-
tem which rewards the wealthy and punishes the
poor.
This summer, following the riot's wake-up
call, it appeared Congress would finally mobilize
to pass an urban aid bill. All of its efforts proved to
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1492: the truth
To the Daily:
Let's get the whole Columbus
story straight. Christopher
Columbus was indeed a devout
Catholic, not a Jew. It's also true
that he could not have worked for
any Zionist conspiracy, as the
Zionist movement began in 1897.
We Jews did, however,
"finance" Columbus's trip. 1492
marked the end of a long period
of dire persecution against
Spanish Jewry. The marriage of
Queen Isabella and King
Ferdinand united Christian Spain.
Spain had fought a 500-year-long
war against Muslim Spain, which
had now fallen. With this victory,
the goal was now to rid Spain of
all who were not Christian. Jews
faced mobs, massacres, martyr-
dom and conversions. Many were
Conversos, converts who were
secret Jews. In 1476, they were
deprived the right of criminal
jurisdiction. By the year 1492,
more than 13,000 Jews had been
put to death by fire, and finally,
on July 31 of that year, the last
Jew was expelled. 170,000 Jews
were left to wander once again.
Spanish royalty did use the
wealth - which once belonged to
the Jews - to finance Columbus.
Damn those Jews, eh? The only
Jewish conspiracy of which I have
ever been aware is one of a united
attempt to survive.
Yael Hoffman
LSA senior
'We gotta be us'
Tn ham nai..s
To the Daily:
As members of Rackham
Student Government,,we wish to
publicly oppose UAC's decision
to bring Daryl Gates to campus.
We do not believe Gates deserves
a prestigious platform at the
University; we certainly do not
believe he is worthy of a cent of
student tuition money. Gates was
the leader of a police department
that is notorious throughout the
world for its persistent abuses of
human rights - particularly
against African Americans and
Latinos. Gates' well documented
comments make it clear that such
behavior is not only condoned by
him, but has been actively
encouraged. We, as graduate
students, believe that paying
someone thousands of dollars to
justify what amounts to torture is
hardly likely to educate.
Debate about the criminal
justice system is clearly neces-
sary. But UAC's decision to fund
Gates seems to us to be much
more an attempt to stage a
sensationalized, and ultimately
profit-making event, than a
serious attempt to deal with the
many iniquities of the system. We
hardly need more people justify-
ing the beating of Rodney King.
Rather, we need to start construc-
tive discussion about how to end
racist violence.
We wish to underline that we
do not object to Gates speaking
here in and of itself. He should be
allowed to speak on the Diag, or
even try to persuade some extreme
right-wing sect to sponsor his
'message.' But it is not the role of
representative student organiza-
tions to sponsor the sort of
'debate' that can only help
legitimize Gates' views - and
ultimately the violence against
poor people and people of color.
Rackham Student
Government
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6
that? Were you trying to be
funny? First of all, we do not
want to have 12 members; we are
quite happy with eight:Secondly,
we are not into music that was
written during the Renaissance.
Or were U2, the Village People,
Disney and Queen influenced by
Renaissance music? Do you
know something that we don't?
Furthermore, we enjoy smiling
and having fun when we sing.
Sorry.-
We in no way wish to
diminish the talent and quality of
Chanticleer. They are excellent
- but they are professionals. We
are college students. Of course,
we would love to make as much
money as they do, but we'll get
over it. People seem to like us
just the way we are. Can you say
that about your fine newspaper?
Thanks for the plug, but that
is about all for which we can
thank you.
Robert Kleber
92). If saying that African
Americans can expect to be
harassed by police is not preju-
dice, then I don't know what is.
People in different professions all
over the world commit crimes
every day. Psychiatrists, day-care
providers and clergy members
have all been known to sexually
abuse their clients. So why don't
we find the news media attacking
these professions?
Why are we so quick to judge
the police? Yes, there are police
officers who abuse their authority
but does that warrant attacking
them as a whole?
As for Cedric Small - "It
happens everyday on campus.
Police pull you over every other
day for no reason. It happens to
me twice a month on this cam-
pus." Can you spell exaggeration?
Is this someone who merely wants
their name to appear in the
newspaper?
If this is still America, then
thrnnlr -nffn e rPinnm
American people before they can lead them.
Now, the time has come to renewthe fight
against racism and poverty. Certainiy, the national
debt and the economic slowdown cripple any pros-
pect of launching another effort on the scale of the
Great Society. But the anger, desperation, and pain
of the inner cities mandates that action he taken.
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