4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 9, 1994 (IteC £ibinitt&ulg It's like a choice of being shot in the left ventricle or the right ventricle.' -Ann Arbor City Councilmember Larry Hunter (D-1st Ward), on Proposal A, the March 15 school finance ballot proposal 420 Maynard Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan JESSIE HALLADAY Editor in Chief SAM GooDSTEIN FLIr WANESs Editorial Page Editors t4LfTls t.oT LJE At C(>oQMo0 . 1 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. A vigi postponed Diag policy unfairly restricts freedom of expression /l -5- ~ FruIN N I O 7'I- 'A ast Friday night, the Arab American t u dent Assembly (ARAMSA) held a vigil in memory of the massacre of Moslems by a right-wing Jew which occurred last month in Hebron. ARAMSA had originally hoped to hold the vigil on the Monday directly follow- ing the massacre, but due to regulations of the University's "Diag Policy" the group had to postpone the vigil until Friday. The Diag Policy, which was put into effect in January of 1993, requires, among other things, that any group wishing to hold a demonstration in the Diag give at least seven days notice before their event. Because ARAMSA did not give this notice, they were not allowed to hold their vigil directly in the wake of the massacre, as they had hoped. This postponement is a clear example of how the Diag Policy cur- tails the opportunities students have to voice their beliefs. The reasoning behind the policy, as stated in the policy's preamble, is to "assure that all facilities operated by the University are main- tained in a safe and orderly manner that sup- ports the basic University functions of teach- ing, research and service." If the reasoning behind the policy is to provide a safe and orderly manner for service at the University, why would a peaceful night vigil to com- memorate lost lives be postponed? Is the Diag so crowdedwithstudents on a Monday evening that thevigil would have created problems for "order"? If the University is concerned with teaching the ideas of safe conduct on its campus, then what better example is there than a peaceful remembrance of the lives lost in Hebron? According to Walt Harrison, Vice Presi- dent for University Relations, the University would not "bust up" vigils or protests that need to be commenced immediately, and are Out of line on Ann Arbor City Councilmember Peter Nicolas had some errands to do, so he excused himself from part of a debate on whether to oppose Proposal A, the school- financing plan on next Tuesday's ballot. Councilmember Peter Fink also walked out of part of the debate, but for different reasons. "When you guys sort this out, I'll come back," Fink snapped at council mem- bers in the middle of an hour-long discussion Mondaynight onwhether to oppose the ballot plan. In the end, Fink and three other council Republicans voted against the resolution to urge voters to reject Proposal A. Nicolas did not vote on the resolution, but his vote would not have swayed the outcome. The six Demo- cratswho voted in favor of opposing Proposal A flexed their political muscles convincingly, in effect speaking for the whole council while ignoring many unresolved questions on the impact of the ballot plan. The most controversial provision of Pro- posal A would raise the state sales tax from four to six percent and trim the income tax rate from 4.6 to 4.4 percent, using the extra sales tax revenue to fund the state's schools. Failure of "A" would cause school funding to revert to a legislative plan that would raise the in- come tax to six percent, without changing the sales tax rate. While the ballot proposal was conceived by both Democrats and Republi- cans in the state legislature, it has become increasingly identified with Gov. John Engler's re-election campaign. Political wis- dom holds that approval of "A" would help carry the Republican governor to a second term. Councilmember Larry Hunter, who in- troduced the resolution against Proposal A, correctly argues that the legislative backup plan is fairer to low-income taxpayers, who he says would be most harmed by a sales-tax hike. not causing any damage. Fair enough, but this only reaffirms the inherent problems in the Diag Policy. First, the University cre- ated the policy simply in order to rid the campus of Hash Bash - evidenced by the selective enforcement of the policy that Harrison himself alludes to. Moreover, prior to the implementation of the policy, there had been no examples of classes having to close down because of noisy protests or weekday demonstrations that were extensively damaging University property. The Diag has a great history of peaceful protest; a history that stands endan- gered by a policy that forces students to either stay at home, or break the policy and hope that it is true that their demonstration won't be broken up. World events do not conform to a Univer- sity calendar, nor do emotions fit a seven-day waiting period. The University has a long history of student activism and involvement in the events going on around them. The right to protest is an integral part of that involve- ment, and the Diag has always been a place where students could have their voices heard. Now the University has taken that right, and that tradition, away. Although the policy directly states that its purpose is not to deny students their freedom of speech, the ultimate effect is just that. The fact that ARAMSA was eventually allowed to hold its vigil is not the point at hand. The fact of the matter is that free speech is a right every single day of the week. While the University obviously needs to have some sort of authority on what activities take place on campus, in situations like these not only is there no need for the University's interven- tion, that intervention serves to deny students basic rights of expression. The University must abolish this oppressive policy, which serves only to interfere with the peaceful monstrations it suppo dly ndones. shows that the 1st Ward Democrat clearly does not speak for all of council. And by making his resolution against "A," Hunter dragged the council into a debate in which it has no legitimate part. City Council is an elected body whose job is to make laws regarding the City of Ann Arbor, not to tell its constituents how to vote. Furthermore, city officials still are in the dark about the only relevant portion of the debate - how much either plan would cost Ann Arbor. This fact, which Hunter refused to acknowledge when he asserted that Pro- posal A is worse than its alternative, reduces the council's debate on the ballot proposal to nothing more than partisan posturing. Nicolas and the four council Republicans urged the city's legislative body not to be drawn into the fray over Proposal A. They urged that, as interest groups on both sides of the issue mount expensive publicity cam- paigns to win a majority of the vote, the council should try to clear the smokescreens. In place of Hunter's resolution to oppose "A," Nicolas suggested - in a proposal that was ultimately rejected by the council-that the city use its cable television service to provide unbiased information about the pro- posal. Nicolas' intention is laudable but un- workable. With less than a week before the election, and a lack of objective information about the ballot issue, Ann Arbor officials would be hard-pressed to inform voters about an issue that is less a city question than a statewide controversy. Hunter - the Democrat who introduced the resolution in the first place - accused council Republicans of playing partisan poli- tics, saying that Fink would not oppose Pro- posal A regardless of its merits because Gov. Engler, his fellow Republican, supports it. Hunter then blasted the debate as "charades" and a "three-ring circus." 7- r - I ________________________ Grad students defend Prof. Goldberg To the Daly: We, the undersigned graduate students, enrolled in and completed Prof. David Goldberg's Fall 1993 introductory statistics course (Sociology 510). As The Michigan Daily and other periodicals have reported, a year ago a number of students accused Dr. Goldberg of creating an uncomfortable learning environment for female and minority students by making racist and sexist statements in class. The accusation wasamade anonymously, and, apparently, was based upon hearsay. In contrast, our comments regarding Dr. Goldberg are based upon first- hand experience, and we choose to publicly identify ourselves. Prof. Goldberg impressed us as a teacher passionately committed both to social justice and to cultivation among his students the skills and habits of critical thinking. In the classroom as well as during office hours, he consistently solicited and was receptive to our questions, patiently and supportively explained difficult course concepts, and make the effort to relate statistical theory to students' concerns regarding class, gender and race inequities. He also brought a much appreciated element of playfulness to the learning process. In short, Prof. Goldberg seemed to us not only free of prejudice, but also deeply and sincerely caring about studentsand about teaching. We have no doubt that he felt particularly hurt by the accusations of sexism and racism. We, of course, have no way of knowing what actually was done or said in his class during the fall of 1992. Based, however, upon our experience of his teaching, we can find no grounds for the accusations against him. Dr. Goldberg's class was a valuable part of our graduate education, and we unreservedly recommend his courses to other students. DAVID SCHWARTZ SNRE graduate student CHRISTY LEMAK HSOP/Public Health graduatie student AND OTHERS Society must treat death process openly To the Daily: Rather than deal with the controversial subject of physician-assisted medicide, society tends to sweep the controversy under the carpet. Society has prolonged life through artificial means. Now, the terminally ill are accelerating the process of death by artificial means. Can society have it both ways? If a patient has an incurable illness, exhausted all other options, decides on no further treatment and goes home, who is liable for the decision? Permission granted to go home and wait to die, but permission denied to accelerate the inevitable. Some claim that assisted medicide violates religious tenants. Maybe, maybe not. According to Ronald Dworkin, a law professor at Oxford, life is sacred, but is unbearable pain and suffering more respectful of the sacredness of life, or is it more respectful to assist that person to end his or her life with dignity and peace? Which side of this seesaw is more humane and compassionate? By their own actions, the terminally ill are trying to establish laws and guidelines for physician assisted medicide. Instead, society confuses the message with the messenger. What brought this topic into the limelight was not Dr. Jack Kevorkian solely but also those people who chose to end their lives rather than live with a terminal illness. The state of Michigan has the opportunity to devise laws and guidelines for physician assisted medicide. Michigan must focus on freedom of choice. The only thing that should be swept under the carpet regarding the death process is superstition. VIVIAN WALCZESKY LSA senior Ten Myths About Vietnam "Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam, we'ye all been there" wrote Michael Herr. and we all have. For those who lived through it in their youth, and now for their kids who see it on the screen, Vietnam is history - but history obscured by myths. Myths are not all that bad, but they are not all that true, either. As the trade embargo lifts and we mark an- other of the many "endings" of the Vietnam War (Note well: it will never "end"; human memory does not work that way), let us look over some of the myths of that war. Most were created, were in fact insisted upon, by our presi- dents, priests and professors dur- ing the war; some have grown up since. None were innocent; all served somebody's agenda for power. All were believed at the time by many Americans, in- cluding their creators. And none seem true anymore in the hind- sight of almost half a century. Here are my own Top 10 Viet- nam Myths, roughly in order of their creation. I used to believe some of them. Communism will conquer the world by force or subversion unless America stops it, every- where and anywhere. The war in French Indochina is being fought to stop Commu- nism. The French are losing, it, and Americans must help them or watch the dominoes of South- east Asia fall. The French lost the war in Indochina because they are - well, you know - French: lov- ers, losers, hated colonialists. But Communism may still be stopped if the Americans-fighters, win- ners, champions of freedom - intervene in Vietnam to stop it. There are now two countries in Vietnam, North/Communist Vietnam and South/Democratic Vietnam. The North is an ag- gressor, and will invade the South. America must aid and advise the South. The government of South Vietnam works, and its army fights well against the Commu- nist invasion from the North. America must increase its aid and advice, particularly military aid and advice, to the South. The problems of South Viet- nam can be solved by American military power. Strategic bomb- ing of the North and search and destroy operations in the South will bring victory. The problems of South Viet- nam can be solved by "Vietnamization" of the war. America must massively in- crease its military aid to the South while withdrawing its own ground troops. American airpower will stand by to clob- ber the North as needed. American strategic bombing won the war over Christmas, gain- ing peace with honor. We could have won the war, but "they" tied one hand behind our back. "They" include the me- dia, rock and roll, liberals, hippies, peace creeps, Democrats like LBJ, Republicans like Kissinger and traitors like Jane Fonda. Hundreds of American POWs were kept in North Vietnam after thear ndme nthm re sil i a4 .. Hebron coverage displays Daily's anti-Semitism By ARYEH M. CAROLINE Since my youth, I have learned to both expect and accept the double standard that the media has imposed on the Jews throughout their struggle in the Middle East with their Arab neighbors. However, prior to recent events, I attributed it to a higher moral standard expected of Jews, a standard which I impose on myself. Now, after following the media coverage since the Hebron massacre, I am more inclined to attribute the double standard to ignorance and anti-Semitism. In fact, I can find no other rationalization for the media's attempt to extrapolate the deeds of one mad man and impose them upon an entire nation which is so fundamentally opposed to his or any other terrorist's actions. Most particularly, I am disturbed by the media's attempt to equate Jewish and Arh P.r.mr IT frt th. disproportionately quoted this minority, leaving the impression that Kach accurately represents popular Jewish opinion on the matter. Hamas, which is basically the Arab version of the Kach party, represents the views of over 50 percent of the Palestinians living on the West Bank according to recent polls. Another basic difference between the Jews and the Arabs is the attitude of their religious leaders. After the Hebron massacre, a vast majority of even the most right-wing rabbis condemned the act as sacrilegious. On the other hand, Arab terrorism is not only accepted but is promoted by Islamic clerics from the West Bank to Syria and even as far as Iran. It is not uncommon to hear chants of "Kill the Jews" come from the loudspeakers of clerics blasted over the Temple Mount as well as all over the Middle East. Jewish control over any part of Israel. My Muslim friends tell me that such violence also violates the Qur'an. Perhaps the Arabs have a different version of the Qur'an than the other Muslims. Recent events have led me to believe that anti-Semitism in the Daily far surpasses that of the rest of the media. During the past week, the Daily found it important to have five straight days of headlines concerning the repercussions of the Hebron massacre. However, they did not consider an attack on American students, on American soil, by an Arab terrorist worthy of as much mention. (For those of you who use the Daily as their source of information, last Tuesday, a van full of American Jewish students returning home from a visit to their rabbi in the hospital was attacked on the Brooklyn Bridge by an Arab terrorist. A 16-year-old boy now lays i