The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 25, 1992- Page 7 " : . ............. "...".. ... ... ... ...",.... ........ .. f II ]] ":r ..".t:l.:jl:}.':"':!:....:"!':::': l:!t:':'!:!:'!r!! ! !!J:!:!:'!:!:!::!:!:!:;:!:!'::! "!ti:":"::": ::": :':-:::":":": :::":":":"::":":::'::-:-:'::- :-:':::":.:.:.:.:':": :":::.:.':":,:': ":r. :.:: .. ... .: ": r. ri: rrrfvx .",": ... rir ............................................................. r... r....................................................................................... ....... ......, ......, .... ..... .... .. .... ........................ ............................. .. X : X . ........................ ............ (Continued from page 4.) War is dirty, people are victinis To the Daily: In his letter "Muslims suffer in Bosnia," (11/18/92) Mr. Ozdemir presents a one-sided view of the situation in Bosnia by talking about the atrocities against the Muslim population. Ozdemir forgets that it is war that is dirty, not Christians or Muslims. It is war that makes monsters out of people. Muslims rape and kill too. Take a look at Turkey's cleansing of Kurds - Turks are Muslims, Kurds are Muslims. It's all part of the "game." Ozdemir should call for a demonstration against the war in Bosnia, not for arms to be given to one or the other party. As far as the United States is concerned, Yugoslavia does not appear to produce any oil like Kuwait, so why bother? The United States did not intervene to stop Turkey's brutal 1974 invasion of Cyprus - internationally con- demned by numerous U.N. and Security Council resolutions, leaving 5,000 Cypriots dead and 2,700 missing - because Cyprus produces oranges, not oil. So, Ozdemir, let's try to get rid of war, not people. Constantine Kyriazis Business School graduate student Protect free speech To the Daily: While Edward Donnelly ("Ban Def Leppard," 11/16/92) worries that Def Leppard' s music will lead to the "diminishing morals of today's youth," letters like his make me worry more about the intellect of today's youth not their morals. How anyone can base an argument on something they have not heard is beyond comprehension. Mr. Donnelly claims to have read the lyrics but has no idea in what context they are used. He has ot even bothered to listen to the ;hdbum. Besides, where is the connection that this type of music leads to any deterioration of morals? Furthermore, once one starts banning a fairly mainstream and uncontroversial act such as Def Leppard, why not ban half of the songs on the radio? Maybe if we are lucky we will get to listen to Pat Boone all day on every station. What ever happened to free speech? My wish for Donnelly is that he wakes up one day and realizes what a wonderful thing our Constitution is. Although I may not agree on everything that goes to print or record, I still respect people's right to say what they want. People like Donnelly are the type that institute speech codes and student codes of conduct. It is up to the rest of us to make sure that these "morally enlightened people" do not infringe on our rights. Jason Mendelson LSA senior Friends, Romans To the Daily: I enjoyed Jonathan Chait's column on term limits ("Friends, Romans, countrymen," 11/12/92), as I do all his columns, but I believe there were a few misprints. Julius Caesar was murdered in 44 B.C.E., not 33 A.C.E., and his attackers used swords, not spears. (These were short swords, because the Vikings hadn't invented steel yet, and everybody had to hide them under their togas.) According to Plutarch, he was stabbed 23 times, not 57, but it was enough that many of his assailants inadvert- ently wounded each other through trying to stab one body so many times. Augustus was the first Roman Emperor; Caesar was a Dictator-for-Life. And, there wasn't really anything new about term limits for Dictators, since in the early years of the Republic, many Dictators were appointed to solve specific problems and stepped down when they had done so. Samuelsa Pollack Nuclear Engineering graduate student Phone call part of violence To the Daily: In a letter I wrote to the Daily ("Stop using language demeaning to women," 11/17/92), I questioned why men choose to insult other men by calling them slang and deroga- tory words for women or for sexual acts performed on men - such as pussy or cocksucker. The insult can be as simple as calling another man a woman. I quoted a man I had recently heard say to another man, among other things, "stop being such a fucking woman." I said that this behavior is destructive and hateful, and I urged men to speak out against misogyny. I stated that so often when women speak out they are attacked or ignored. The next day I received a phone call in response to my letter. The man, who chose not to leave his name, said he read my letter, and just wanted to say, "Stop complain- ing like such a fucking woman." This man felt threatened enough by my letter to take the time to look up my phone number and make the call, and in his attack, he confirmed some of what I had written. I spoke out against misogyny, and was attacked for it. Harassing phone calls like this are one very small part of the tremendous violence committed by men against women which intends to silence us, to stop our "complaining," and to keep us powerless and afraid. I will not stop speaking, and I urge all men and women who care about human rights to speak out with me. Eileen Nehme Public Health graduate student Basketball, special favors To the Daily: Once again, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has applied its double standard which favors traditional college football and basketball powerhouses. By allowing five U-M basket- ball players to maintain their eligibility in spite of a number of rules violations regarding summer camp appearances and compensa- tion for charity appearances, the NCAA has invoked its typical two- tiered approach to dealing with major college sports. While the Michigans and Notre Dames are permitted by the NCAA to play above the rim, the rest of the schools are repeatedly whistled for goaltending as they unsuccessfully attempt to follow the arcane NCAA regulations. Similar violations have been uncovered at a school which the NCAA considers less important to its economic well-being (such as the University of Illinois), not only would the NCAA have ruled the players ineligible for part or all of the season, it also would have unleashed a full investigation of the program in an effort to uncover other minor violations which could lead to major sanctions. The NCAA routinely conducts such witch hunts to maintain the image that it is properly policing major college sports programs. In fact, the NCAA is simply protecting the old guard from close scrutiny, at the expense of any school that dares to compete with the traditional collegiate powers. James LaFave Ann Arbor, Ml Judge not, lest ye be judged To the Daily: Chip Joyce's letter ("Can't have cake and eat it too," 11/17/92) demonstrates the very type of thinking it tries to criticize. If Joyce allows himself to make irrational, unsubstantiated assump- tions about what Christians believe and why, then why can't Christians base their beliefs on "feelings" as he feels they do? Christianity is based on histori- cal fact, and many of its claims can be and have been supported by well-reasoned argument. St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas are two well-known rational philoso- phers within the church, and the scientists Pascal and Gauss were both sincere Christians. Certainly none of these people can be seriously accused of not thinking critically. It is reasonable to believe that at least as many Christians think critically as do people of other religions. In response to Joyce's claim that Christianity's morality is arbitrary - it cannot be denied that people have committed amoral acts "in the name of God." However, it would be contradictory to say that a perfect God approves of such rebellious actions. Far more evil has been done without intent to please God or any claim to His blessing. God recog- nizes human rights - He made them. In seeking to follow God's will, Christians have spearheaded many movements forwarding human rights. They did so not just because they "felt" like it, but because God called them to think and reason about how His love should manifest itself in a fallen world. Sarah Harger LSA sophomore University leaves smokers in the cold To the Daily: Why doesn't the University provide easy chairs, infrared heating devices and ashtrays for the members of the staff who still smoke - out in the cold (i.e. on the steps of Angell Hall)? Maxwell Reade Mathematics Professor, Emeritus To the Daily: On the evening of Nov. 14 at approximately 11:00 p.m. I was waiting for my ride on the steps of the Union after getting off work at the Mug. I had put my book bag on the middle of the ledge between the streetlight and the building. Several Black men walked up the steps into the Union. Two of them stopped. The bald one stooped to tie his shoe and his friend in a white jacket waited for him. The one in the white jacket looked at me and held his stare. I looked back and then turned to look for my ride. When I looked back, he was still looking at me. I got the impression he was looking at my ill-fitting, bright green ski cap. The bald one got up and started for the Union, mum- bling something to his friend. He turned to me and said, "Isn't that right?" "I didn't hear what you said," I said. He smirked and continued. They both stopped at my book bag and looked at it, talking to each other. One of them asked, "Is that your bag?" I answered, "Yes it is." The one in the white jacket proceeded to kick my book bag into the wet grass. He then turned and proceeded towards the Union door. I said, "What the hell did you do Why did you start a fight? that for?" The bald one said, "You talking to me? I didn't do it." I said, "No, I'm talking to your friend." They both just walked into the building. The one in the white jacket never even turned around. My ride pulled up and I left. I just have one question: Why? Why the hell did you kick my book bag off the ledge? What the hell was your problem? I don't know who you are so I don't know what I did to piss you off. I don't remember saying anything other than "I didn't hear what you said," and that was to your friend. You had no right to pull a stunt like that. Was it the color of my hat? Was it the color of my skin? Many people think I look Italian. I'm actually Filipino Irish, if it makes a difference. I got no explanation from you. All I got was a wet book bag. I went home confused that night. I'm only annoyed that some jerk kicked my books off a ledge with seemingly no provocation. I'm angry because the jerk didn't have the decency to look at me and tell me why he did it. I think I deserve an answer buddy! Nicolas Baban Public Health gradaute student Defending Pro-life advocates To the Daily: I would like to defend the Pro- life letters that have been written by other Pro-lifers as well as myself. In the letter "Our rights, our bodies," (11/17/92), the authors talk about "simplistic regurgitation of previous opinions." I cannot see the biological fact that a pre-born child's heart begins to beat as early as seven weeks as a simplistic regurgitation, or the fact that at three months all organ systems are present and functioning. Pro-lifers do not want rights to your bodies. Is it so hard for you to see that your freedom to swing your arms ends when you hit me in the face? We want to protect the rights of the pre-born child. The letter also says, " ... and a lifetime taking care of an unwanted baby with no support from the consenting partner." This totally contradicts what the authors talked Libertarians know politics about in the paragraph above. The authors said, "Nonetheless, abortion is a women's issue." With this contradiction, the authors clearly point out that the care of a pre-born child, as well as the care of the child after birth, is a responsibility that should be in the hands of both parents. The authors also talked about "an unwanted baby." It is a well- known fact that the most important purpose of sexual intercourse is reproduction. I do not see how two so-called consenting partners could call a result of their action as an unwanted thing. It is also a fact that no contraceptives are 100 percent effective, so two consenting partners should be thinking more about the life they could be creating and be prepared to take responsibil- ity for their actions. Mike Suhy LSA first-year student To the Daily: After a couple years of silent membership, I attended a meeting of the Ann Arbor Libertarian League. There was the intellectual type with round glasses, the small business owner with social senti- ment left over from the 1960s and a few crazy types who just seemed to be looking for direction to their anarchy. People often laugh when I tell them my belief in this theory. This laughter is often the product of misconceptions about Libertarians that must be rectified if they are ever to succeed as a third party. The popular perception of a Libertarian is someone who supports the overthrow of the government and society based on total anarchy. Sure the party contains Anarchists but that is the extreme wing of the party. This is no different than having radical and reactionary extremes in the two party system. The philosophy of the party contains all the altruism and social justice of liberalism with the conservative reality that capitalism is the most efficient means of creating wealth. Certain aspects of capitalism must be curbed to protect certain individual rights from its indifference. The fundamental purpose of government should be to provide essential elements of life that wouldn't be produced by private industry otherwise. Education would be the foremost provision of the government. From here it is up to each individual how and where to run with the ball. The Libertarian party is the third largest party through the last election. The answer lies in cutting back governments social and economic control of liberty. The Democrats and Republicans subsist on providing people half a loaf of freedom. The former guarantees social equality at the cost of free enterprise, the latter guarantees free enterprise at the cost of social equality. The time has finally come for both social equality and free enterprise to recreate the power and prestige of America. Kreg Nichols LSA sophomore I . _______________________ _..I Dear new assistant account executives, WAL&O I TO TAlE MCHIGr QIW1.. Take street harassment seriously To the Daily: Thank you so much for printing Natosha Morris' letter ("Street harassment is serious," 11/10/92). It perfectly summed up many feelings that I had myself upon reading Michelle Thompson's letter ("Don't speak for all women," 10/19/92) - however I had been too mad to even respond. I had gotten a lot of feedback from my letter ("A letter to a tall blond guy," 9/29/92) consisting mostly of appreciation from friends, a few prank phone calls and a personal letter from the true "blond guy" explaining what had really been a case of bad timing on his part. He asked me why I had directed my anger at him and not at the men who had said the infamous line "Mmm... they's some nice looking shorts you have on." I explained to him, girls growing up in today's society learn about street harassment quickly. At first, one is flattered to get any attention, however it quickly becomes a nuisance and at other times seems very threatening and never complimentary, as Thompson suggested. To clear the air once and for all, I was very angry at the "blond guy" and less at the other men because I have learned to ignore such sexist comments and to proceed with whatever I am doing. The comments are usually not worth retort. The blond guy then came by with a smile, which I misunder- stood as laughter since I had just noticed the position of my shorts. Comments I can deal with, but no one had ever laughed at me - thus my attack on him and not the other more deserving culprits. Let me take this opportunity to apologize to Thompson for includ- ing her in the very large group of women who do not appreciate degrading leers and jeers when we are going about our daily business. I, like Natosha, am a young lady who doesn't appreciate these comments and if Thompson considers the objection of it as "feminism," then I carry that label with pride. 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