4 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 1, 1993 Uljz e[difan&tdlg 420 Maynard Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed - by students at the University of Michigan JOSH DuBow Editor in Chief ANDREW LEvY Editorial Page Editor AAL .. 4mo .. .r" : ; i f Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Daily editorial board. All other cartoons, articles and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. ...s A E e a 3iGN oc THE TMES, MEN= lntMAusions at the La-W. MONFAM I S .,_.. school' By JEREMY BOBY By passing Amendment Two, the people of Colorado have displayed a grotesque unwillingness to protect homosexuals from discrimination based on their exercise of a simple human right: the right to exercise their sexuality. The Queer Law Students Alliance has proposed that the University Law School boycott Colorado in order to convince the state to lift the amendment and also to show other states what can happen if they pass similar laws. The idea behind this boycott is just, and hopefully the law school will choose to do something. Although the basic premise of this proposal makes sense, the particular boycott proposed is somewhat problematic.They propose to boycott Colorado in two ways: first, the Law school would refuse to spend money for Law school employees to travel to Colorado or to buy educational supplies from any company based in Colorado; second, law firms from Colorado would not be allowed to interview Michigan law students, with very few exceptions. QLSA has gone to great lengths to convince the Law school that Amendment Two is unjust and that the Law school can do something about it. Currently the Law school is considering their proposal, and soon (perhaps before this letter is published) it will make its decision. Although the law school will be able to decide for itself how it expends it's resources, the students may not be lucky enough to make their own decision. If the law school accepts the second part of the boycott, Colorado firms, with very few exceptions, will not be allowed to interview at the Law Boby is a first-year Law student. Letter s Redskin racism To the Daily: This is a response to a letter, "Criticizing Redskins is simply ridiculous" (9/21/93.) If you made a quick check of your vast historical knowledge, you may find that Native-American Indians, unlike your Swedish ancestors, have been on the receiving end of abuse for many, many years. A quick check of your vast socioeconomic knowledge may reveal to you that these same Native-American Indians consistently rank among the highest in poverty and alcoholism, and among the lowest in education. Can the same be said for your Swedish-American brothers and sisters? The point is, Mr. Anderson, that Native-American Indians have traditionally had little say in how they are perceived- and even less to say about how they are treated. You seem to be convinced that because you are not offended-by a widely accepted image of your ethnicity that no one else should be offended by the use of their ethnicity either. Think for a minute, if possible, about who controls that image. For you and your ancestral Vikings, the portrayal is one of a school, which will make it all but impossible for law students to get jobs with Colorado firms. Although QLSA says students will still be allowed to interview on their own (I don't even think the Law school could legally restrict that right) the whole point of the second part of the boycott is to make it next to impossible for students to work in Colorado. If the Law school were to do this, it would be denying students the right to make their own moral decisions by forcing students to support the boycott. For an institution to force a moral decision on individuals is a violation of all of our rights to freedom and self determination. Discrimination against gays is wrong because it is an attempt to control a person's private decisions. But QLSA is advocating the same thing when they encourage the law school to force students to support a boycott.., The Daily rightly opposes this questionable second part of the boycott, and many law students appreciate this good sense. Although I firmly support QLSA's effort to convince the Law school as an institution to do the right thing, they ought to be ashamed of themselves for trying to strong arm students into joining a boycott they may not support. It is a contradiction to protect Colorado gays' freedom by depriving law students of their freedom. We may not like it, but there are probably at least some Law students who think Amendment Two is a good idea. These people are dead wrong, and there is nothing wrong with arguing with them. But to force them to join a boycott they don't agree with is a grotesque violation of their rights to make their own decisions. What is really frustrating about the whole boycott movement is that the QLSA has expended many, resources trying to explain why students shouldn't be allowed to interview with Colorado firms when they should have been trying to * explain why students should choose not to work with Colorado firms. QLSA would have shown more respect for individual autonomy if they made a list of firms in Colorado that were trying to fight Amendment Two and suggested that students work there. The boycott may have more student participation if students are forced. to participate, but such participation is meaningless, and is likely to produce a backlash. A more practical problem with QLSA's strategy is that it has unnecessarily made enemies of traditional allies. Civil libertarians, who hate Amendment Two, are rightly offended by the Big Brother mentality of practically forcing students to join the boycott. The * Daily came out against the boycott for its excessive restrictions, and it has caused much controversy here in the Law Quad. And from my conversations with law students it seems that at least some of them are so offended by the tactics QLSA has used that they want to oppose the whole boycott. This is the wrong way to respond. To oppose the Boycott because part of it is intrusive would be to throw the baby out with the politically correct bath water.There is a lot to be said for the law school choosing not to spend money on Colorado, and it would be perfectly appropriate for QLSA to convince students to choose not to interview with Colorado firms. But to force them is an unwarranted intrusion. 01 Western civ By DEANE BAKER Alleged discrimination is not the real issue, but rather the establish- ment in the Bylaw of the concept of "equivalency" of homosexual/lesbian sexual practices and lifestyle as equal to and acceptable as heterosexual sexual practices and lifestyle. A recent group effort to include "equivalency" in the curriculum, in all grades of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, included representatives from the University. Part of the pro- posed change was to teach children, including those in early grades. that and gays do they are today. The structure of the family is being crushed by crime, drugs, sexual permissiveness, abor- tion, denial of parental authority, por- nography and destruction of tradi- tional values. This discussion of the Bylaw change is only one aspect of that great decline. Dennis Prager, a prominent and respected California commentator, who writes from the Jewish perspec- tive, publishes a quarterly journal titled Ultimate Issues. In his April- June 1990 issue, he writes thought- n'tmix unit so much as it is a value that must be cultivated and protected. The Greeks assaulted the family in the name of beauty and Eros. The Marxists assaulted the family in the name of progress. And, today, gay liberation assaults it in the name of compassion and equality. I under- stand why gays would do this. Life has been miserable for many of them. What I have not understood was why Jews or Christians would join the assault. I do now. They do not know what is at stake. At stake .,, -.... Y..:: ..-- U ,s when Amos and Andy were the only images of African-Americans on television. Images and portrayals of Blacks within the popular media are now much different in a positive way. While Amos and Andy opened the door for such progress, we would never consider them representative of African- Americans today. Changing that image was slow to come and is still taking place as African Americans continue to gain control of how they are represented in our culture. The same may now be taking place with Native-Americans. It saddens me to think that you seem to care more about the name of your football team than about having respect for a person's culture. You say, "anyone named Richard should understand my plight." I think I do understand your plight, but it has more to do with your brain than your name.. JOHN BACOLOR LSA Sophomore Morality can indeed cure AIDS should also give guns to those who wish to commit murder. We have already seen that this logic doesn't work in the case of free vaccinations to low income families. When these families, in the area where I live, were given this opportunity,,less than five percent of them showed up to have their children vaccinated. This example shows that government funded programs are not the key to solving these issues. If people are going to use condoms during intercourse, they will use them whether they have to purchase them or the government provides them. The responsibility does lie within the individual to make this decision. It is lack of proper decision making by individuals that causes the AIDS epidemic to grow and not the lack of governmental legislation as the Daily would like you to believe. As soon as society chooses to turn back to morality, AIDS the social disease can be cured. JEANETIE LARNER LSA Senior == I