Page 4-The Michigan Daily - Thursday, December 3,1992 1 E , it igttn+ ttYl , 7- 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 764-0552 Editor in Chief MATUHIEW D. RENNIE Opinion-Editors YAEL CITRO GEOFFREY EARLE AMITAVA MAZUMDAR / IrUTF f1 LL 7THEaCHARES OF &Ad iS'Ml 3ouGHAG AAW S-rME ANYONE kvHO KNOkV-' /MJ K,'/OWS 1"H,4TSofv1EfOF MfY 6CS7T FgiENDWS ~ hWHAT MrDD rSAY ? Edited and Managed by Students at the University of Michigan ,yiCN GAN PALLY 9Z ; 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. AIDS day: educational opportunity A bout 100 students gathered on the private morality. It merely serves the very moral Diag Tuesday to raise awareness of the AIDS purpose of keeping children alive and healthy, no crisis, which shows no signs of abating. Their matter what behavior choices they make. message - that AIDS is everybody's problem - According to University Health Services (UHS), is an important one, since many people would like increased awareness of the disease and improved to believe that AIDS affects only homosexuals or access to'free, confidential testing have resulted in drug users. World AIDS Day en- a dramatic rise in the number of couraged the University commu- people tested for HIV on cam- nity and the world to understand A pus. While only 604 people the importance of safety, educa- were tested in 1990, last yeir tion and compassion. Moreover, 1,035 people underwent the membersof this community should screening. This year's figures take advantage of the events sur-q promise to be even higher, since rounding World AIDS Day to edu- UHS this fall changed its test- cate themselves about HIV and ing procedure to accommodate AIDS. the rising demand for the test. Worldwide, 11.8 million adults 2,,Testing may also be facilitated are now infected with HIV. Pro- by a new screening procedure jections indicate that by 1995 that which yields results in as little number will have risen to more as 10minutes. than 17 million. The deadly virus 1990 HIV testing at UHS is now spreading most rapidly found nine HIV-positive re- among heterosexual women, teen- suits, and 1991 statistics found agers, and people of color. Re- seven. However, these statis- search continues, but researches tics may include people who have not yet found a cure forAIDS. test again to confirm their HIV- For the present, the best solu- NTER/Da * tions to this public health crisis DOUGLAS KANTER/a iy Various University offices entail limiting sex partners, not The metal sculpture in front of the Mu- and community groups have sharing intravenous drug needles, seum of Art was covered by a white sheet endeavored to bring AIDS practicing safer sex, and regular as part of World AIDS Day activities, education activities to theAnn testing of at-risk individuals. On _sprt__f Wor d __D _____ivtis Arbor area. the social level, it is important not Next Tuesday, the Wizard to stigmatize people with HIV and AIDS. of AIDS troupe from Chicago will be performing People with HIV/AIDS should not be ostra- free at Bursley at 8 p.m. cized by those who falsely believe that they can AIDS posters from around the world are exhib- contract the virus through casual contact, nor ited at North Campus Commons through the 17th, should they be denied health care coverage by and the AIDS memorial quilt will be on display at stingy insurance companies and discriminatory Eastern Michigan University through tomorrow government policies. and at Washtenaw Community College on the 7th In addition, we need comprehensive sex edu- and 8th. cation at all levels, beginning with schoolchildren. The only way to stop the AIDS epidemic is to This imperative has been too long stalled by those keep this issue in the forefront. We must make it a who fear that their children will get the "wrong concern in our personal life, social interactions and message" about sex from such programs. But public policy. providing information about HIV/AIDS and other Otherwise, the loss of human life will continue sexually-transmitted diseases need not replace at an unacceptable rate. lf ' I S ::!-e .r w" ,r:" .- L o am 16 I X ,iN~ri 0 0 I I. .. .... . .. . .................. . .................................... ...1.. ;..:: .': :" ".1 .'.:::.:::::: :":::: :: '::::.'.":. .1 11 :" Y::.'::..................... ...... .............,.:::::::.x.1':.1".1" ::": ::".:...... ::. . r :":.i :::::. ::...... {'.1":..11:.......: ..1 ..1 ......... ....1 ......:: '.'.' ".'.":.1".".1'.':: f: :.1 : 1: "::: .1V: ":': ": ..1': :1111': i i :.'.1"::........ .11 .11". "."::.".'::. :. :::::. .':: .'.' ..1 . :.1":.1' ..1. II [rr +'11 %II ['I j i.1 .'i 'i.1 ..1" \' IFM ; A1.M1Rf' ..1. '.'i'i .. ....^.1" ... .. ... ..... .. .............x ........ . titi"1 ........ ...... ... . .... . .. .....1'::. .. ....... .. .. . .. .. Code must not stand To the Daily: I am outraged at the passage of the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities. It is appalling and, quite frankly, frightening, that the University Board of Regents can enact a code that affects us so profoundly when over 80 percent of students oppose it. If the student body supported a code, I would be content with the regents' deci- sion, even though I personally oppose the code. I oppose the code because it is an unjustifiable infringement of students' rights. Students, like all citizens, should be subject only to the laws of the state. The sections of the code that deal with illegal acts are unnecessary because the law already covers these acts. The sections that deal with acts within the bounds of the law must not stand because the University has no business regulating students' lives outside the classroom. Allen Oh Engineering senior Clinton support begis to waiver To the Daily: I found a common theme in Monday's Daily: President-elect Clinton cannot and will not be able to keep his campaign promises. Clinton's pledge for a middle-class tax cut will now only occur, "If we can work it out " Even the Daily, which so vehemently supported Clinton in the election, stated in an editorial that "The President-elect has already shown his ability to temper his views as a result of new pressures: His stances on Where Daily does not belong To the Daily: Your article "Illinois mascot offends..." (11/13/92) was a clear and well-written summary of the main arguments against the half- time dancing of Chief Illiniwek. As an alumnus of the Univer- sity of Illinois, I am familiar with the controversy surrounding the Chief - I was a student there when the protests began four years ago. I agree that some may consider the Chief to be offen- sive, and that the controversy does not directly affect the U-M, and so I was left wondering why this article should be in the Daily at all, much less the headline and the longest news article of the day. The only reason why the Daily might possibly be justified in running a story and editorial was if the Chief were coming here to perform with the band, which some on campus might consider inappropriate. The writer of the article states that "Chief Illiniwek, will not perform tomorrow ... because the band will not be here. The UI band (and hence the Chief) travels to only one away game each year." The implication is why does the Daily feel an obligation to comment on the internal affairs of the University of Illinois when they in no way affect the U-M campus? The answer is that those affairs and controversies should not be an issue here, and the article and editorial were irrel- evant and unnecessary. The Chief does not affect the U-M, and the Daily should not pretend that it does. The Daily made a poor choice and stepped out of bounds by commenting on the internal affairs of another campus. It would be more appropriate of the Daily contented itself with reporting on issues that directly affect the U-M. Brian Meyer Biology department staff 0 Court right to refuse Guam case China, Haiti and homosexuals in the military have been clearly watered-down or intentionally marginalized." I find it ironic that the same "trust" ads run by Bush questionirg Clinton's integrity were seen a month ago as trash - and today as truth. Steve Kuiper Engineering junior Kennedy ramblings To the Daily: Your editorial "Release the Kennedy Files," (11/30/92) was . very disappointing. You wrote that "the incoming President can put a lot of minds at ease by ... removing the veil from the Kennedy mystery." Frankly, Clinton could put my mind at ease a lot more effectively with decisive action on the economy, the German problem, education and crime in 1993, not 1963. While I agree that it is important to open up the CIA more, I do not understand how you could possibly consider this one, of the most pressing issues facing our troubled nation. While I agree that Clinton's broken promises should be watched closely, I think that his recent backpedaling on the Guaranteed College Tuition Plan is of more concern to students than Oliver Stone's ramblings. Brian Kalt LSA junior 01 Trhe Supreme Court this week denied an appeal . to uphold a Guam law which would outlaw virtually all abortions. This was the first time it refused a major abortion case since Roe v. Wade 20 years ago. The court's close decision to uphold Roe in the Pennsylvania case last June, while allowing for specific restrictions, apparently did as much damage as the Court wished. The Court's ,refusal to accept this case reaffirmed its commit- ment to a woman's basic abortion rights. This decision was the latest in a series of failures by the anti-abortion rights forces to pum- mel the court until it eventually overturned Roe v. Wade. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor explained in her majority opinion on the Pennsylvania case, "The United States, as it has done in five other cases in this decade, again asks us to overturn Roe..." This was a rebuke to the administration's repeated attempts to challenge abortion rights. This feeling prevailed in the court's refusal to hear the Guam case. The court justly upsets prece- dent only in the face of a major societal change. According to the Pennsylvania decision, "No evo- lution of legal principle has left Roe's doctrinal footings weaker than they were in 1973." The commitment to consistency in this case was posi- tive, proving that the court, unlike the legislature, should not flip-flop on policy with every change in its members. If it did, each time presidential power changed hands, the court could reverse every deci- sion of the previous one. The courts are not like the legislature, and cannot change policy every time the vote count changes. Though the court's conservative ideology was apparently strong enough to overturn Roe v. Wade, it balked, citing its responsibility to uphold prece- dent. It is ironic that justices appointed by the Reagan and Bush administrations to overturn Roe are using decisions based on judicial conservatism to uphold it. The two administrations' attempts to stack the Court against Roe failed. Unexpectedly, Justice Clarence Thomas broke his record of voting with conservative justices William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, and Byron White. His apparent belief in consistency took precedence over his opposition to abortion. A similarly restrictive abortion law in the state of Louisiana will soon be reviewed by the court. It must hold firm in its resolve to leave Roe in place. Nothing has changed in the last 20 years but the makeup of the court-the 1973 decisionis one that must hold. .. i. ".. .that good people do nothing" See no evil in Guantanamo Bay A few weeks ago, a man was beaten to death in Detroit by a group of seven police officers. Some of the officers participated in the beat- ing, and some stood by and watched as a fellow human was murdered., Many were struck at the violent act, and the fact that white police officers murdered a Black man. But what interested me was not the of- ficers who actually killed Malice Green, but rather those who stood by and did nothing. I at- t e nd ed JONKTHAN su mmer c a m p:C H A ' when I was 13. Like al- most ev- ery summer camp, ours had a vic- tim. His name was Steve. Steve endured unconscionable abuse daily. I never picked on him, butI didn't defend him either. In'my thinking, that was enough. I knew it was unfair, but it wasn't my prob- lem. Besides, I was friends with many of the kids who bullied Steve. One night, as I was reading in bed, the door of my cabin suddenly flew open. A gang of boys burst in, grabbed Steve and ran out. I hurried outside to see what was going on. I followed along and saw Steve kicking and screaming. Somebody body heard. I ran back to my cabin and tried to forget about Steve. I should have told the scum that did this what I thoughtof them. But I wanted to stay friends. So I pre- tended that it never happened. I believe that people who are evil enough to beat another human being are incapable of knowing that they did wrong. So their conscience was clear. But I still wake up in the middle of thenightand hear Steve's cries. U.. Honors English, high school. Our teacher often discussed his- torical events in class with a right- wing slant. For instance the Span- ish Civil War, according to her, was a fight between the democrats, led by Franco, against the commu- nists. She wasn't particularly knowledgeable about history, which is why she taught English. I often challenged 'ier inaccura- cies in class, and she hinted that I was acommunist. It was completely untrue, of course, but it was a way to discredit me without having to discredit my ideas. I heard this ac- cusation daily. Once, while analyz- ing "Animal Farm," she explained how the Soviet Union broke the Nonaggression Pact with Germany during World War II. I raised my hand: "Um, I think it was Hitler that hwrj, th~ e nr'~ ei in ,Part '" here?" No answer. "Come on! You know this! Hitler invaded Russia, not vice versa!" They knew it. But this was one of the most high pressure classes in the school. Ev- erybody wanted to get an "A." They looked down at their notebooks, as the teacher continued: "So after Stalin broke the Nonaggression Pact..." Some of the students in that class were my friends, and some merely acquaintances. "It wasn't my place to argue with the teacher," some later explained. Or: "It really wasn't that important. It wasn't worth it." The worst lie was: "I wasn't really sure if you were right. I still don't know whether it's true." Perhaps a few of them really were that ignorant, but most were lying. They were the smartest stu- dents in the school, they had taken history and at least a few knew that I wasn't a communist. But they sat silent. I know what motivated them. It was fear and greed. They could have stood up for me, but it would have pitted them against prevailing senti- ment, however slanderous and false that sentiment may have been. At summer camp, I could have stood up for Steve and maybe even" pre- vented him from being beat up. But that would have jeopardized my T he U.S. government has banned any media from observing the situation in Guantanamo Naval Base, where 290 Haitian refugees are being detained - 230 of which have tested HIV posi- tive. Reportedly, the conditions are abhorrent, but because of the ban, rumors can be neither refuted nor confirmed. On Nov. 9, a group of journalists and publications filed a lawsuit against the federal government, claiming that the ban is both uncon- stitutional and violates pertinent laws and regula- tions. Exclusion of the press in Guantanamo is a clear violation oftheFirstAmendment, and should not go unchecked. Moreover, the reports of gross violations of constitutional rights must be ad- dressed. charges, Amnesty International has not been al- lowed to enter and make its own decision. If the reports of poor living conditions and human rights violations are inaccurate, then the government would do itself a favor, while uphold- ing the First Amendment, by allowing international media and humanitarian groups access. But Guantanamo Naval Base remains illegally under lock and key. The lawsuit alleges that the Navy placed the ban to cover up a previous order preventing lawyers seeking to represent the Haitians from entering the base. Wanting to avoid accusations of a discrimina- tory policy against lawyers, the Justice Department encouraged the ban to be extended to all outside I l