4 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 3, 1994 (Tije Lirbigmrti ig 420 Maynard JEsstE HALLAAY Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editor in Chief Edited and managed SrM GOODs TWN by students at the F ,NT WAINEss University of Michigan Editorial Page Editors Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of a majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters, and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. Enoug is enough No more appeals of the illegal 1988 hiring of the Dude 'Once you play it the first time, that's where all the feeling and everything is ... after that it starts going downhill.' -Theloniu Afonk, Jazz trusician WFHA I I- 0- M a i b-i V Massacre i Hebron -various Views Take " The University Board of Regents, faced with an extraordinarily difficult decision, correctly bowed to pragmatic concerns by taking a final step toward putting a painful chapter of the University's history behind it -- the 1988 presidential search. Tomorrow, the regents are expected to announce their decision not to appeal a Washtenaw Circuit Court decision requir- ing them to hand over all documents, min- utes, notes and papers pertaining to their botched and illegal presidential search of 1988. The search resulted in the hiring of James J. Duderstadt as the University's chief executive - and a lawsuit by two Michigan newspapers over the secrecy of the search process. The decision is a small victory for stu- dents' wallets and the reputation of the Uni- versity, which was severely tarnished by this now-infamous search. The University spent nearly $300,000 of student money to support an opinion that the courts have roundly dismissed as a direct and willful violation of the Open Meetings Act. In releasing a wealth of documents, stu- dents and others will finally get a list of the more than 100 names of candidates consid- ered for the position. In addition, this will shed light on the still-clandestine search process, shrouded in secrecy by the regents, who are more concerned with protecting their reputations than in following the law. It will also show whether the University truly considered minorities and women for the position - the public has a right to know who applied for the job and who were the finalists. Anything less is an affront to the Michigan Constitution. The only sticking point is a batch of com- promising notes the regents recorded, notes which are among the documents to be re- leased. The process in 1988 worked some- thing like this: 0 Anyone could nominate someone to be president without the candidate's knowl- edge. The regents then ask colleagues of the candidate questions. Their candid responses are then listed. So people, who did not ask to be nomi- nated, may have damaging and embarrassing statements made about them released to the media. There are genuine concerns that the re- gents have struggled with in closed meetings -pending litigation or personal matters, for instance. And the Open Meetings Act does allow governmental bodies to hold closed meetings in certain narrow instances. But the regents have, as many observers have noted, little chance of winning another appeal - having been repeatedly rebuffed. Their decision not to appeal the court's ruling shows a measure of good sense. The regents, however, have steadfastly refused to concede that their policies were misguided. Perhaps that is most troubling. But if any good is to come out of this, it is that the Detroit Free Press is donating the money received from the suit to minority scholarships for University students. Hopefully, this decision will mean more than just avoiding another losing day in court. Now that this sordid chapter finally seems to be ending, we hope that the University will take these lessons to heart in its next presiden- tial search. We must demand disarmament To the Daily: I was very disheartened, though not surprised, by the absence in the Daily of a prompt and appropriate editorial response to the massacre of nearly 50 Palestinians on Feb. 25 in Hebron, Israel, by a militant American-Jewish immigrant. That this outrageously horrific act, committed in a place of worship and on the Jewish holiday of Purim, went undenounced in the immediate days following its perpetration is a discredit to the,editgrial integrity of the Daily. The failure of the Daily to quickly condemn this public slaughter, along with the group which funded and trained its perpetrator, is inexcusable. It is shameful indeed that it took a mass murder of innocents to draw the attention of both the Israeli government and the U.S. administration to the grave danger that armed settlers, many of whom are immigrants from America, pose to the very survival of Palestinian residents in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and the whole of Israel. Just as Palestinians are not allowed to bear arms, all Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories must not be permitted to freely and legally possess any weapons whatsoever; otherwise, the destruction of the Palestinian people will. continue unabated. The mass murder at Hebron was only one testament to the myriad of injustices and wrongs that the Palestinian people struggle against under Israeli- occupation every single day. In light of this massacre, it is incumbent upon all of us - Arab-Americans, Jewish- Americans and all other Americans - to demand the disarmament of all Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. That is only the first small step in a series of many which will begin to make real safety and security possible for all living in the land of Palestine. SUZY SALIB LSA senior Jews and Arabs must cooperate To the Daily: As a Jew, I am disgraced and appalled at the murder of nearly 40 worshippers at the hands of a fellow Jew. Dr. Baruch Goldstein may have believed that he was acting with G-d's grace and favor and on behalf of the Jewish people, but he ignored and violated one of the highest precepts of the Jewish people and faith: the sanctity of life. While I do not follow the logic that Goldstein was some lonely psycho, his heinous crime against humanity and G-d was not one of a rational religious scholar or political operative. More than in G-d, Goldstein believed he was a victim, and in many ways he was. Living as an armed settler in the West Bank, he saw bodies pile up as part of the normal course of the political process; some bodies were those of his close friends. And no doubt, those Arabs who had killed his friends, and those Arabs whom he himself murdered, were equally angry and frustrated by their helplessness as they watched neighbors and loved ones die. But because he led the life of a religious and political extremist and was sheltered in a world that did not teach him the language of patience, dialogue and reconciliation, he saw no other choice, no other outlet for his anger. So we, the living, are only left with the bodies and the hate, the anger and the fear. The cycle continues. Peace will only come when Jews and Arabs are both convinced that the other is not the enemy, and they no longer need to be victims. Apologizing is the first step, but forgiving is harder and more important. Why should Arabs forgive Jews? Why should Jews forgive Arabs? Because if they do not forgive each other, there will only be more blood. Furthermore, both sides must think about minimizing confrontation between the two groups and maximizing the opportunity to work together. By creating common goals, both sides will slowly see that they need each other to live peacefully. It is both a Jewish and an Arab responsibility to maintain peace, and to see that massacres like the one last Friday do not happen again. As for the dead, may their memory be for a blessing. BILL PLEVAN LSA Sophomore Who bought the bullets? To the Daily: When Baruch Goldstein killed worshipping Muslims in Hebron, he used bullets and a gun financed indirectly by America's unconditional $6 billion yearly gift to Israel. Every American taxpayer helped to kill those people, and the Palestinians know it. By our silence and unconditional funding of Israel, we are all dragged into a war that has nothing to do with America. Funding for Israel should be stopped until the Israelis leave the West Bank and make peace with the Arabs. PATRICK KILLELEA Engineering senior pride in your University Unlike most of you, I stayed at the University during Spring Break. This was because I had too much work to catch up on prior to the return of classes (i.e. I was broke, but that's not the point I'm trying to make). How much work I finished is debatable. Let's just say that I probably would have completed more work while lying on the sands of Cancun or the Bahamas than I did while twiddling my thumbs here. (But that's not my point either.) By now you're probably asking yourself exactly what point I'm trying to make. I'm glad you asked, because there is one. During Spring Break I had the opportunity to observe this University, soon to be my alma mater, in an entirely different light - one I have come to cherish. Even dorm life was pleasant. I slept unawakened by false fire alarms pulled by some idiotic prankster or the sound of some drunkard coming home to pass out. I awoke and went to take a shower unafraid that my no-singing- ability-having neighbor, with a voice remarkably similar to Chris Rock's, would scare me away. I was able to brush my teeth in a hair-free sink; the water didn't even have its usual urine-colored hue. Also, there were no pictures torn out of Penthouse taped to the bathroom walls. Walking outside, I was unconcerned, for the firsttime ever, that Iwould be run over or rammed into by some blockhead on a bike or wearing rollerblades. When in a rush to get somewhere I wasn't held upby some lovey dovey couple which decides that the whole world must slow down and watch them make google eyes at each other. Every person I passed smiled and greeted me with a "hi," even as early as 7 a.m.; I didn't see the blank stares and frowns I'd become so used to seeing throughout the school year. I saw a friendliness among strangers that I had begun to feel didn't exist here. Walking around late at night I wasn't once confronted with DPS officers or their "Uh-oh it's the Black guy; I wonder what he's up to" look. The Union, onweekends, was suspiciously free of I.D.- demanding security. During Spring Break no regents raised tuition or dorm prices, or gave administrators unfair raises. No excellent professors were denied tenure due to the institution ofpublishorperish. The University didn't involve itself in any stupid lawsuits. No letters were written to the Daily criticizing Jim Lasser. Studentsweren'tforcedtodisenroll due to financial problems. Nobody was ripped off by the outlandish prices of everything here from textbooks to a can of pop. In short, during Spring Break I was absolutely, unequivocally, without a doubt proud to proclaim myself a Michigan Wolverine. I was drawn to the University by the proclamations of students, faculty and others who stated the University was a large family. The very thought of racism and discrimination was supposedly nonexistent here. Although I've made many new friends, I don't feel that open friendliness can be found in the general atmosphere of this campus. Discrimination and other forms of hate are rampant here; just look at the writing on bathroom stalls. I love my University. However, I'm sure that everyone who was here during Spring Break will agree that last week the University was as it should be - the campus that 0 From Russia with love Ames case prompts irrational response in D.C. 101 W ith the cold war over, one does not expect to see frequent headline stories about CIA double agents and KGB spy mis- sions. However it seems that the arrest of Russian double agent Aldrich Ames last week has all of Washington talking. What is so disturbing about this case is the way Mr. Ames has been paraded around in handcuffs and the absolute disbelief of Capitol Hill legislators. In what is an absolutely ridiculous double standard, many officials are blowing this whole thing out of proportion - asking Russia to end all intelligence work in the United States, while refusing to discuss Ameri- can intelligence work in Russia. Ames, a former CIA officer, has been arrested and accused by the FBI of being a double agent for the Soviet Union and, more recently, Russia, since 1983. A great deal of damage, the extent of which is still unknown, has been done to American intelligence and it is a foregone conclusion that he will be tried. However, it is strange that so many members of Congress, notably Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan), have called for a total suspension of aid to Russia. Itwould be irresponsible to considerAmeri- can aid to Russia a guarantee regardless of the political course the Kremlin takes. But in these times, aid to Russia is necessary to ward off the influence of hardliners who would like to see their country abandon efforts at democ- racy and a free market. Furthermore, some of the money is designed for humanitarian ef- forts and the dismantling of Soviet missiles- something clearly in the United States best interest. It is extremely hypocritical of the United' States to think that Russia's continuation of intelligence gathering in the United States is reprehensible, when the CIA is one of the most active and meddlesome intelligence ered that one of their highest KGB officers was an American double agent in December 1990, and despite their anger, took care of the situation quietly. It is acceptable for U.S. officials to be deeply concerned, but making this case a media circus and expelling Rus- sian diplomats, as the United States did last week, will do nothing but make the Russians respond tit-for-tat. And it did just that, as the CIA liaison at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow has now been expelled. There is no reason to start a diplomatic temper tantrum when it is painfully obvious that both countries spy on each other as a means of gaining information. Russian officials seem equally surprised that such a furor should arise. In a New York Times interview, Oleg D. Kalugan, a former KGB agent, was quoted as saying," [recently] there have been several such arrests, includ- ing KGBofficers, but the Security Ministry did not make a public scandal. This is the correct way... What is important to note is the fact that both Americans and Russians have abandoned any goals of subversion." President Clinton, moving quickly to con- trol any damage, walkgd a fine line by issuing the customary warnings but stressing that suspending aid to Russia was clearly not in the United States' best interest. The president's stance is much more responsible than that of the odd assortment of legislators that would lead the public to believe that such an act by a foreign country is an unmistakable act of belligerence. The way the United Sates has handled this case has caused more strain than was neces- sary. Of course the government has the right to be angry and ask questions, but not demand Russia cease all intelligence activity when the CIA continues its missions unabated, and not cut off Russian aid -which is obviously in the best interest ofthe United States, aswell Sl Residence hall price increase ridiculous, To the Daily: I wholeheartedly agree with the opinion of the Daily on the recent inflation in the cost of residence hall housing. I am now living in Mary Markley Hall, which many of the residents refer to as the "cells" for the 12-by-12 foot living space. How the administration can see raising the rent to more that $4,600 for a double room is ridiculous. In my search for an apartment, I found an apartment much closer to the Diag for two-thirds of the price of the residence halls. Given, this doesn't include division wants to see a spiraling down figure of occupancy and a spiraling up figure of cost, they better shape up their programs and offerings to students. MICHAEL CASTINE LSA first-year student An apology to Kentucky residents To the Daily: I understand that I offended people from the state of Kentucky last month when I began seeking Michigan Student Assembly candidates for the then-Mighty Ducks of the Ann Arbor party. A poster that I posted copies of in Angell/Mason Hall and the East Engineering Building either." I want to stress that none of the other members of my party, now known as the Protest Party, put up any of these posters, nor did they create or use the phrase. I did. I targeted the phrase at MSA President Craig Greenberg, who is from Louisville, Ky., mainly for his handling of the Ann Arbor Tenants Union Board of Directors appointments fiasco. Nevertheless, the phrase was a poor choice of words, to say the least. I apologize to all. University community members from Kentucky for offending them when I knew I risked offending them. And to the people of the State of Kentucky. 1 sincerely S