4 -- The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, December 1, 1993 WbE £riiugn ?ailg 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 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. --,, -WOWr-wow- VIppjI-YtYpp(...'EAS., -MR Doc-, 6 CAN THAVE /u 01 S Since AIDS Awareness Week in mid-October, a debate has raged on this campus and on this page with regard to flyers posted by members of the U-M College Republicans. These flyers suggested, among other things, that "family values," can cure AIDS. Others on campus have rightfully pointed out that there is no cure for AIDS. But the truth of the matter is that AIDS is a disease that can be prevented. Here are the facts: AIDS is caused by a virus called Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This virus is spread through direct contact between cer- tain bodily fluids of two individuals. These fluids include blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. There is no other known way to contract the virus. Once the full-blown AIDS disease develops from the HIV virus, the human immune system is ren- dered incapable of fighting off other, "opportunis- tic" diseases that, in absence of an immune system, lead to death. So, if AIDS can only be contracted through those fluids, then by avoiding contact with other people's blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk, you can avoid getting AIDS. How can you avoid this? Not using intravenous drugs is one way. Not having sex is another. But for those people who choose to engage in these activi- ties, there are ways to protect yourselves as well. If you use intravenous drugs, use a needle once and throw it away. Don't share your needles. If you are sexually active, always use a condom and a spermicide. Condoms serve as a barrier for the fluids, and spermicides have been shown to kill the disease in laboratory tests. Many of you may know this already. But,judging from the statistics, many people either don't know these facts or don't act on them. That's where the "Time to Act" theme comes in. Action can be as simple as following the preven- tative guidelines listed above. But standing up and taking responsibility for other people is an equally valuable contribution toward the quest to do nothing more than potentially save their lives. The kind of action necessary is painfully simple. Read what was written above about preventing the disease and share it with a friend. Even if you're telling people what they already know, you are reinforcing that knowledge and giving them an Far too often in the debate with regard to AIDS, it has become evident that some people have forgot- ten the value of a human life. People with AIDS are people. A life is a life. These people, though stricken with a deadly disease, make a contribution to this society. Yet, in a manner uncharacteristic to most other deadly dis- eases, onlookers see fit to ignore their contributions to society and reduce AIDS patients to value judge- ments about how they contacted the disease. Point- ing fingers and labelling people cures nothing. Here are the facts: AIDS afflicts conservatives and liberals, children and adults, Black people and white people, men and women, heterosexuals and homosexuals. It may sound trite, but it's true: AIDS doesn't discriminate. U,. g For four years, art galleries, museums, and the- aters across the United States have commemorated World AIDS Day as "A Day Without Art." Today, in recognition of the contributions AIDS patients make to society, paintings will be covered or re- moved. A library in New York will be featuring works that were not completed because the artist or author died. These exhibits serve as proof that dying is not as simple as a value judgement, and that people with AIDS are people. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is a deadly disease. The people who have it, no matter what the circumstances, do not deserve it. But only sustained awareness and action - teamed with the diligent work of scientists scrambling for a cure - will finally end this growing nightmare. Indeed morality is an important issue in the fight against AIDS in one important way: It is immoral not to help fight against a disease that will afflict 40 million of your fellow human beings. Today is World AIDS Day.1, Now is the Time to Act. No such thing as 'reverse racism' To the Daily: I am writing in response to Matt Outlaw's recent letter "Reverse Racism in Los Angeles" (11/15/93). There is no such thing as reverse racism. This is a term coined by angry white people to express the contempt they feel when their racist system has backfired against them. Yes. The heinous crime the two men perpetrated against Reginald Denny was horrible and I agree they should be punished. However, please do not forget that the fact that they were not punished to the fullest extent of the law was not because of reverse racism, but because Denny refused to testify against them. As far as rioting is concerned, reverse racism carries no weight here either because there was no one physically preventing Denny supporters from expressing their anger on the streets of Los Angeles. You also point out that Reginald Denny received one of the "cruelest beatings in American history" because of his race. Well if you truly knew your American history you would know that there were millions of people, namely African Americans, that were beaten and tortured so bad by white people, that they are not even here to talk about it like Denny is today. I am not saying in any way Denny's plight is at all justified, but his situation could have been worse. I'd like to point out also that it was black people who risked their lives during the riot, to save Denny's life. Would you say that the fact the media didn't publicize the race of his rescuers in greater magnitude than they did his attackers was racist? Probably not. Racism is a systematic oppression of one race of people by another. It is extremely complex because it can be implemented not only on the physical level, but on mental, social and political levels as well. The atrocity America saw these black men commit against Denny was not racism, but anger. In order for reverse racism to exist the following would have to occur; Black people would have to leave their native land, travel across the Atlantic ocean to a huge continent inhabited totally by white people, kidnap them, force them to live in a foreign country and work against their will, beat them, rape their women, wipe out their history, culture and all other basic human necessities. Then after a few centuries of whites struggling for their rights, being lynched, tortured and experiencing other forms of legalized humiliation, black people finally allow them to exercise the rights that they were born with in an oppressive system black people created. This has never happened in America to date, therefore reverse racism is non existent. NATOSHA MORRIS LSA senior Amino acids can be stored To the Daily: I am writing to you regarding the Daily article entitled "Vegetarian students eat their greens and smile" haven't complemented their proteins ... If you like your hormones you might want to learn it". Herzog is referring to the idea that all amino acids must be eaten at the same time to form complete proteins. This notion was popularized by Francis Moore Lappe's "Diet for a Small Planet" and was based on erroneous conclusions from scientific studies of that day. We now know that incomplete proteins can be stored in the body for many days to be combined with other incomplete proteins. As long as all essential amino acids are in the diet, it does not matter if the proteins are complete or incomplete. A varied diet consisting of grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables is sufficient to meet the USRDA for protein, without having to worry about careful protein complementation. It is also prudent to ensure that there is a source of vitamin B-12 in the diet which can be obtained through fortified cereals, nutritional yeast or vitamin supplementation. NELSON MARTINEZ Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research Cable workers are an unnecessary intrusion To the Daily: I wish to complain about the installation of cable services currently going on in residence halls. This is my second year in East Quad, and for the second time in the last six months residents have been inconvenienced by the intrusion of cable servicemen in their rooms. In addition to the constant noise from the corridors, the necessity of clearing one's closet for several days upon the request of Columbia Cable (the exact date and time of entry not being specified) is a further annoyance. To make matters worse, members of the residents' association have passed on reports of servicemen going through residents' personal property and similar unprofessional behavior. This work has been going on since February. My question is: Why wasn't the work completed during the four month period over the summer when the dorms were empty? Why inconvenience residents twice (so far)? The Housing Division is already charging top dollar, and we residents are hardly getting our money's worth. If this is the University's way of making a fast buck by making endless reruns of the "Police Academy" films available in a supposedly intellectual environment, I wonder what further "services" are in store for dorm residents and students in general. JOHN MORGAN LSA junior Irony in free speech debate To the Daily: This Friday afternoon, a small group of emotionally-charged speakers held a march, trying to recruit people in their attack of another small group. Their speech attracted a small crowd, and it appeared that they were winning rums enr .anrfn ..h i nvtnm, the "No Free Speech For Fascists" group. I find it ironic that the anti- fascists are using the very techniques -including denial of freedoms - that the group which they wish to smash uses to oppress. I have no respect for either group. Both are driven by hate, yet both have the right to speak what is on their underdeveloped minds. I wonder if the "No Free Speech For Fascists" realize that, should they succeed in 0 wooing anyone important, they will be setting a precedent that would allow any individual or group to be silenced solely on the basis of an arbitrary judgement system - including themselves. WARREN LAPHAM LSA sophomore Arts Chorale is good even though it's free To the Daily: While I am grateful that the Arts Chorale fall concert was featured in the "Who What Where When" column in the Daily (11/8/93), I did not appreciate the insinuation that the Arts Chorale is not a good choir ("If you don't want to shell out the dough to go to a good choir concert..) This may not have been intentional, but I think the implication was obvious. Arts Chorale may not have the same following, nor the same backing from the School of Music, as the glee clubs, but we work hard to make our concerts enjoyable. We deserve the same level of respect the Daily has 0 given the other campus choirs. Our concert may be free, but that doesn't mean we aren't worth paying to see. MAGGIE LA PIETRA Arts Chorale Publicity Manager Daily forgets Veterans Day anniversary To the Daily: I'm writing this letter to let you know that I cannot believe that the Daily printed a picture on the front page of two representatives of the Y- chromosome engaged in a horizontal liplock (isn't this position considered sexual assault in the new bylaws?) and yet the 75th anniversary of Veterans Day goes by without so much as passing thought. The issue that I'm bringing up isn't that of homosexuality vs. God, country and Corps; it's the fact that hundreds of thousands men and women (gay and straight) paid the utmost price for your freedom and you can't even bring yourself remember them. Yet Veterans Day isn't just for remembering the dead, it's for payin tribute to all who have served their country, in peace and in war. Get with the program! There's more to life than promoting the liberal agenda. I hate to think that I, and even the homosexuals that I knew and served with, would have graciously given our lives so that you could have the freedom to forget about us. MICHAEL SCHUILIN LSA junior THE DAILY WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU Pageants exploit; protest was wrong Setting standards of beauty drew many types of protesters recently at the Miss East Lansing Teen of the Nation and Ms. East Lansing American Woman contests inside the Lansing Civic Arena. ASMSU's Women's Council mem- bers protested peacefully outside the arena. Some members wore evening gowns to draw attention to the objecti- fication of women occurring inside. Another group, affiliated with Sisters to Overthrow Patriarchy, charged the itage and displayed a banner stating 'Pot-ant Hurt All Women." members interrupted a completely le- gal, albeit hypocritical, competition, to grandstand and seek publicity. Beauty pageants as a whole have come a long way from their inception during the 1950s. Today, they are sup- posed to showcase personality, talent and intelligence. But they still exploit women. Although the East Lansing pag- eants offered an option not to partici- pate in the bathing suit competitions, the concept of showcasing beauty per- petuates the wrong idea of what women shnuld he natural beauty. Many pageants provide an op- portunity for sponsors to showcase their products. It is true that some pageants give scholarships and offer a vehicle for models to start their careers. Many contestants, who feel it necessary to artificially alter their looks for the competition, invest so much time and money in these trans- formations, it offsets the monetary reward of a scholarship. And only a small percentage even attain the ul- timate goal of supermodel. The Women's Council members