Page 4- The Michigan Daily- Wednesday, January 20, 1993
Editor in Chief
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420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
764-0552
MATTHEW D. RENNIE
Opinion Editors
YAEL CITRO
GEOFFREY EARLE
AMITAVA MAZUMDAR
Edited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
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.
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Whose Diag is it anyway?
Students need not worry that a sinister adminis-
tration is chipping away at their speech and
assembly rights. There comes a point when the
chipping has gone on for so long, and defeat upon
defeat has piled up, that their outrage and their will
to fight have eroded away along with their rights.
So much has been lost- from the code of conduct
to the deputized police - that it is difficult not to
be resigned to the newly compiled and stricter
Diag policy.
The University claims the rules are mere "time,
place and manner" restrictions, and not intended
to stifle speech. Perhaps. But there is no question
the rules are designed turn the Diag into a well-
regulated, single file, "keep off the grass" environ-
ment, with debate about as robust as golf course
chatter.
But while the administration could earn the J.
Edgar Hoover award for its cunning, the new Diag
policy is anything but subtle. To try and eliminate
the annual Hash Bash -the last remaining grand-
scale protest where thousands defy existing mari-
juana laws - the policy prohibits "threats to
health, safety or environment, or unlawful activ-
ity."
To crack down on shanties, the wooden struc-
tures students once constructed to protest every-
thing from the University police to the plight of the
Palestinians, the policy forbids "enclosures in
which assailants or others might hide ... and
displays that interfere with proper maintenance of
the campus." By preying on legitimate fears of
tape and assault on campus by conjuring up im-
ages of hidden assailants camping out in structures
of symbolic speech, the University has effectively
cast a right-wing, anti-speech policy as a left-wing
safety measure. It may be cynical, but it is unques-
tionably clever.
The time restrictions are not so sly, but will be
instrumental in keeping protesters off the Diag.
Only MSA-recognized groups may be granted per-
mits, and permit requests must be submitted 7 days
ahead of time. No protests are allowed during
exams, study days, residence hall moving days, or
even Martin Luther King's Birthday.
This one is especially amusing. It was student
protests that forced a foot-dragging administration
to recognize King's birthday in the first place. Now
students can't even hold up a sign on the day of the
civil rights activist's birth.
The seven-day clause will make life consider-
ably more convenient for administrators and re-
gents. Now, instead of voting on controversial
University policy during the summer, when stu-
dents are out of town, they can do so at any time.
Students will have to remain idle for a week. The
Diag should be something available when needed,
not something students need to book in advance.
But it remains unlikely there will be an outcry
over the new policy. The University has smartly
rolled back students' rights during a time of relative
calm. But perhaps some day students will be able to
reclaim their Diag and get the administration to
throw out its rules.
One word of advice for students who decide to
take action: be sure not to step on the grass.
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LETTERS r4'
Gun-of-the-month bill is a start
With Democrat Bill Clinton poised to move
into the White House, anticipation of an
atmosphere friendlier to gun control legislation
grows. Three members of Congress recently intro-
duced a bill that would make purchasing more
than one gun within
crime. Currently,
there are at least 250
million firearms in
the United States, and
because of varying
state laws, limiting
the distribution of
{.guns is nearly impos-
sible. While the pro-
posedlegislation will
not solve the prob-
lem of violence in
American society, it
is a promising first
-step in making our
streets safer.
The bill, which
appears to have
strong support in the
House, is an attempt
a 30-day period a federal
PEOPLE...
gun regulations in New York are virtually inconse-
quential because people merely drive to Virginia to
purchase their firearms.
Under the proposed bill, in order to buy a hand-
gun people would need to fill out a form testifying
that they are not convicted felons, illegal aliens, or
committed to a
mental institution,
and that they have
not bought a hand-
gun within the past
PG. 30 days. This form
would then be sent
tolocal law-enforc-
ers, who would
check it against
other forms, and
keep it on file for 30
days. Any person
nor caught purchasing
more than one
handgun within this
period could be
RICH CHOI/DaY fined up to $1,000
and imprisoned for
up to a year.
While these restrictions will still allow for the
sale of hundreds of thousands of handguns a year,
the effort to limit increased circulation of guns is
commendable, albeit late. With George Bush's
departure from the White House, many of the
National Rifle Association's powerful friends will
be gone as well. It is time for Congress to introduce
constraints on the handgun industry. Hopefully
stronger measures will be on the way.
Daily misrepresents
Republican party,
Religious Right
To the Daily:
I am both disgusted and
appalled by the amount of
ignorance found in your editorial
entitled "Split Emerges in
Republican party," (1/14/93).
You label the Religious Right as
"covertly racist, anti-Jewish and
anti-intellectual." What could be
more "anti-intellectual" than such
an assumption? As a Republican
and a supporter of the Religious
Right, I take personal issue with
such a character attack. How dare
you call me racist, anti-Jewish
and anti-intellectual. Your
editorial staff has once again
proven its inept journalistic
abilities and is nothing more than
a disgrace to the University
community.
Sean King
LSA sophomore
Witty Stump could
use some help in the
drawing department
To the Daily:
Top 10 nicknames for the
Daily's Greg Stump:
10. Gifted Gregory
9. Nutty Stump
8. Jerky
7. Psuedo-cartoonist
6. Mama's boy
5. Oh-so-witty-Greg
4. It-just-goes-to prove-that-you-
don't-need-to-know-how-to-
draw-or-to-be -humorous-to-
have-your-own-comic-strip-
Stump
3. "Mr. Controversial"
2. Daily space-filler
1. Never took a drawing class in
my life Stump
John Nomrettel
LSA senior
To the Daily:
In Wednesday's column
regarding the Michigan-Indiana
basketball game ("General's
plans have no edge over
Fisher's," 1/13/93), Andy De
Korte stated that Tuesday's game
did nothing to show that Bobby
Knight is a better coach than
Steve Fisher. This is absurd.
Michigan is clearly capable of
beating Indiana but did not
succeed in doing so, largely
because they were outcoached.
As evidence of this, we must
start in the front court. In Chris
Webber and Juwan Howard,
Michigan boasts two of the best.
Both are too big and strong to be
contained with the ball or on the
boards. Yet why were both
camping out close to the free-
throw line?
Webber, who seems to never
miss inside and boasts one of the
highest field goal percentages in
the country, was only 8 for 17
from the field. Four three-point
field goal tries, three of which
weren't close, should be inexcus-
able from a coach's point of
view. Furthermore, Webber's six
rebounds along with Howard's
five boards is quite sub-par.
Fisher must know that these two
are unstoppable down low. Why
not put them there?
This question leads into
another. Are roles defined on this
team? It doesn't seem so. Jalen
Rose, the "point guard," had just
four assists and never seems to
slow down the pace. His hurried
shots and lack of leadership on the
court don't suit him for the point.
It seems that everyone brings up
the ball and everyone does
whatever they want.
It is obvious that Fisher isn't a
good coach. A "good" coach calls
time out during the opposing
team's run, puts his big men down
low, and has his point guard use
his head.
Knight is this type of coach.
Screens and a slow tempo allow
for good shots. Indiana's big man,
Allan Henderson, was 10 for 15
from the field and had eight
rebounds. Indiana's point guard
Damon Bailey took only five
shots but had 10 assists.
Indiana plays within itself and
is well-disciplined - all the end
product of a good coach. Steve
Fisher should not be classified as
such.
David Krame
LSA sophomorE
Fisher simply outcoached
Deal with issues of today
I
To the Daily:
I am writing in response to the
letter from Natosha Morris
("Ignorance about racism hurts
all people," 1/13/93).
I agreed with her point on
Daryl Gates and the beating of
Rodney King. Gates' comments
showed inexcusable racism that is
hard to argue against. I was
appalled by his association and
his actions.
I was concerned, however,
with Morris' comments on the
oppression of Black people. I
agree, racism is omnipresent and
difficult to overcome. I try very
hard to do my part.and learn more
about the current feelings within
the Black culture. However,
Morris referred to every problem
that the African-American people
have had with the term "we." I
quote, "Our families were broken
up, we were denied an education,
awarded 40 acres and a mule and
then had it taken back." When did
this happen to Natosha Morris?
I don't associate my German
background or the fact that I am
white with every person who has
had those characteristics. It is
difficult to be subjective to their
experiences when I haven't had
them. Please, Natosha, concentrate
on the experiences of today, for
how can you include "we" in a
sentence about mule confiscation?
Meghan Roekie
LSA first-year student
--I- - -- - v -I- -IL- - !- i- -I T-.' -A
to curb the growing number of deaths in the United
States caused by handguns. The bill's sponsors
point to states with lenient gun regulations and
poor enforcement of existing laws as propagators
of the nationwide problem. The representatives
specifically cited Virginia, which is responsible
for approximately 25 percent of the illegal fire-
arms confiscated in New York City, as evidence
that federal restrictions are necessary. Right now
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Health care starts with education
... but U.S. needs stricter laws
-While the debate lingers over whether to dis-
arm the murderous Somalian warlords, vio-
lence continues to plague American cities. Each
year handguns are used in 9,000 homicides and
12,000 suicides, but only 200 homicides are com-
mitted in self defense. Yet promising gun control
legislation, until just recently, has been held hos-
tage by the powerful National Rifle Association
:(NRA).
The NRA grounds its argument in two basic
premises: (1) The Second Amendment protects
the citizens' right to bear arms; and (2) the ap-
proximately 20,000 gun control laws in existence
today prove that gun control can't work.
However, in the 1939 Supreme Court case U.S.
v. Miller, the Court held that the right to bear arms
was contingent upon "some reasonable relation-
ship to the preservation or efficiency of a well-
regulated militia." Clearly, a "reasonable relation-
ship" between the unrestricted right of a private
individual to bear arms and the right of a commu-
nity to maintain an armed militia cannot be estab-
lished.
gun control modeled along the lines of Mark
Udulutch's 1989 proposal in the "American Jour-
nal of Criminal Law."
Licensing and Registration. Before obtaining
a gun license, all applicants would be subject to a
seven-day waiting period. The police department
would run a background check to make sure that
applicants are not felons, illegal aliens and fugi-
tives from justice.
This week would also serve as a "cooling off'
period, in which individuals who seek to commit a
crime in the heat of passion would have time to
reconsider.
Furthermore, all gun owners would be required
to register their arms. All transfers of guns would be
investigated by the secretary ofthe Treasury, allow-
ing any firearm to be traced at any time.
Banning all automatic and military-style semi-
automatic Weapons. These weapons are designed
to kill with the maximum efficiency possible, as
was shockingly demonstrated in the California
schoolyard massacre in 1989. Moreover, it is ex-
tremely easy to convert a semi-automatic weapon
by Ted Sherman
Rapidly increasing health care
costs are making our economy sick.
This year, more than 14 cents out of
every dollar will be spent on health
care, as costs continue to rise at
more than double the rate of infla-
tion. If this trend continues, our
entire Gross National Product
(GNP) will be spent on health care
in less than 70 years. We will spend
more than $800 billion on health
care this year, more than $3,000 for
every man, woman and child in this
country. Yet we are not signifi-
cantly healthier than we were 30
years ago, when health care costs
consumed only 6 percent of our
GNP. For all our spending, we do
not keep people as healthy as the
Japanese, the Canadians, or the
Western Europeans, all of whom
spend much less. We are simply
paying more but getting less.
The huge sums o money we
spend in the nam snarkling new
rectly into health. This is simply
not true. Over the years, human
health has improved and life ex-
pectancy increased mainly because
of improved standards of living,
particularly improved nutrition and
public health measures such as sani-
tation, refrigeration, chlorination
and vaccination - these measures
have saved more people than doc-
tors and hospitals. Soap is probably
one of the most powerful health
weapons of all time.
We are healthier because we are
occurred, while we spend less than 5
percent of our health budget on at-
tempting to prevent these diseases
and injuries from occurring.
An ounce of prevention is worth
a pound of cure. Prevention and
health promotion should be high
priorities, both because of the inher-
ent logic of using available technol-
ogy to prevent illnesses and injuries
before they occur and because of the
expectation that in the long-run the
continued growth of health care de-
mand and costs can be retarded
through cost-effective preventive
The costly wonders of modern medicine have
not lengthened our lives or cured our sick-
nesses.
more educated, more sanitary, eat
better, exercise more and have a
higher standard of living. The mar-
ginal contribution of medical care
to health is likely very small. The
main reasons American die early
care. Yet our health care system
skews its focus by its emphasis on
sick care. A system of perverse in-
centives is inherent in our current
situation - players in the health
care market have little reason to
I