The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 2, 1994 - 3
Problems require
global solutions,
Polish leader says
By TRACEY ROGERS
For the Daily
For Jacek Kuron, a prominent
member of the Polish Parliament, tak-
ing a stand against Communist rule in
his country was his destiny.
"Everyone looks at the world from
his own place, and every one of those
points of view has a place," Kuron
told an audience of about 100 people
Rackham Amphitheatre last night.
He described the Polish problem
of post-communist adjustment as a
world problem, and emphasized the
necessity of the global community to
work together to help get the world
back to an acceptable status quo.
Kuron dispelled notions that the
United States may have been strength-
ened by the collapse of communism,
nd instead said that the country has
een weakened.
Kuron compared the collapse of
communism and the end of the 50-
year Cold War to the downfall of the
Holy Roman Empire. "(Communism)
has collapsed as a system of the world
security," Kuron said. "Though it may
have been imperfect and failing, now
we are left with nothing."
The Cold War was more than two
Anflicting ideologies, he said. Aside
rom being a propelling force of
economy and revolution, it also set
the stage for the arms race. The two
nations had reached their peaks, and
now that they are falling down, there
is no place else to go, he said.
On the question of freedom vs.
security, meaning the freedom of the
individual versus the sense of belong-
ing, he contrasted the rich minority
with the poor majority, and said he
hoped to find a universal solution to
the problem of poverty.
Kuron said communities must
band together as a majority within
society and create change. "This prob-
lem must be solved on a global scale.
We must come up with a program on
the same scale as the arms race and
the conquest of space. If nothing is
done, the price the world must pay is
bigger than these, and the later a deci-
sion is made, the more we have to
pay.
During a question-and-answer
period, his future role in Polish poli-
tics was discussed. Kuron said he
wanted to be prime minister. "It is
easier to become a prime minister
than it is to govern," he said.
Kuron has been active in the anti-
Communist movement in Poland for
more than 30 years. In this time, he
has led an open attack on the govern-
ment through radical literature that
led to arrest by and expulsion from
the Communist Party and the Univer-
sity of Warsaw.
The event was sponsored by the
Copernicus Endowment in affiliation
with the Center for Russian and East
European Studies. This is one of many
events the center is sponsoring and
the office will continue to support
Polish cultural and humanitarian af-
fairs at the University.
Former Ann Arbor mayor and Democratic candidate for state House Liz Brater answers questions from students at
Hillel last night. To her right is retiring state Sen. Lana Pollack (D-Ann Arbor)
Local Uems discuss Student vote
U.S. ups
aid for
both Irish
republics
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON - In an effort to
encourage the peace process in North-
ern Ireland, the Clinton administra-
tion last night announced a modest
increase in U.S. financial aid to North-
ern Ireland and the Irish Republic and
said President Clinton will host an
Irish trade and development confer-
ence in April.
The economic-incentive package
is intended to be "the United States
response to the cease-fires declared
by both sides," that have brought a
fragile calm to Northern Ireland after
a quarter century of violence, a senior
White House official said.
The Catholic-dominated Irish Re-
publican Army, which seeks union
with the Irish Republic, and the Prot-
estant militant groups insisting on
remaining part of Britain have both
announced cease-fires, a development
for which the Clinton administration's
diplomatic efforts have been given
substantial credit by Irish leaders.
Though limited in scope, the eco-
nomic package is a logical extension
of a policy, which the aministration
has pursued for much of the past year,
of encouraging Northern Ireland's
suspicious factions to give up vio-
lence without taking an active role in
whatever negotiations may ensue.
The process began with the politi-
cally risky decision last spring to grant
a limited U.S. entry visa to Gerry
Adams, the leader of Sinn Fein, the
IRA's political wing, who had previ-
ously been banned as a terrorist.
Irish leaders of every stripe who
have visited Washington this year
have said economic development is
essential to redressing the real or imag-
ined grievances of the people of one
of most depressed areas of Western
Europe.
The Clinton administration's aim
is to "get in on the ground and show
both sides the benefits of peace as
soon as possible," a senior official
said. "These guys need jobs."
According to a White House an-
nouncement, the U.S. contribution to
the International Development Fund
for Ireland, an international seed-
money kitty aimed at stimulating eco-
nomic development, will increase by
$10 million a year, to nearly $30 mil-
lion, beginning in fiscal 1996.
Oevil's Night damage:
182 fires burn Detroit
By JOSHUA GINSBERG
Daily Staff Reporter
In an effort to increase the number
of students involved in local politics,
several Ann Arbor Democrats spoke at
Student Forum '94 last night at Hillel.
Outgoing state Sen. Lana Pollack
(D-Ann Arbor) and Liz Brater, a can-
didate for the state House and former
Ann Arbor mayor, discussed issues
important to students in the upcom-
ing elections.
David Stead, the Democratic can-
didate for mayor, did not attend the
panel discussion as scheduled.
Pollack addressed the importance
of electing intelligent candidates who
are not ideologically bound, while
maintaining the middle class and la-
bor unions.
"Republicans are out to destroy
the labor unions," Pollack asserted.
She noted major contribution of the
unions, like working to prevent trag-
edies like the Triangle Shirt Factory
fire from being repeated.
Pollack acknowledged that the is-
sue of labor unions does not directly
effect most University students, ex-
cept in terms of education.
"Most graduates will not be in
jobs represented by a labor union
but what they have to understand
is that education depends on a
strong middle class," Pollack said.
She said that if 95 percent of the
population is making $5.50 an
hour, universities such as Michi-
gan may have hard times ahead of
them.
Pollack also focused on social is-
sues of importance to students with
regard to the rise of the radical right,
particularly freedom of religion and
reproductive freedom.
Pollack asserted that Republican
candidates have to espouse anti-gay
views and pass the "creationism test,"
which means candidates have to ad-
vocate teaching both creationism and
evolutionism.
"That's the litmus test," she said,
adding that not all Republicans nec-
essarily believe those views.
Brater mentioned health care re-
form, sexual assault and security con-
cerns while stressing her attachment
to the University community.
She said one of her reasons for
running for a seat in state House was
to make sure that the state continues
to invest in the University. "It's a
public university and it would be a
shame not to keep it that way," she
said. Brater said she has witnessed a
trend - a decrease in the diversity of
the socioeconomic backgrounds of
University students.
There has been an agenda to pre-
vent students from becoming politi-
cally active, she said, recognizing the
value of such organizations as the
College Democrats, College Repub-
licans and Israel Michigan Public
Affairs Committee, which hosted the
event.
Both Brater and Pollack asserted
dishonest politicians are part of a self-
fulfilling, media-created prophesy.
"The more the press paints politicians
as evil, the more it deters honest people
from involvement," Pollack said.
While Brater doesn't feel that po-
litical apathy is a problem on campus,
Pollack observed that the phenom-
enon is common with students being
concerned with their classes and so-
cial lives.
"If students are going to live in
this country, their futures will depend
on who gets elected whether they
vote or not," Pollack said, adding that
they might as well use their vote rather
than pass the responsibility on to
someone else.
"The Republican party will change
when people stop voting for it," Brater
said.
DETROIT (AP) - Mayor Dennis
Archer said yesterday that Detroit
recorded 182 fires on the night known
as "Devil's Night," an annual Hal-
oween eve arson spree.
That was up from 65 reported last
year.
Detroit averages about 60 fires a
day.
Archer earlier said warm, dry
weather contributed to Sunday's out-
break of fires, most in trash or aban-
doned buildings. Devil's Night 1993
was cold, with a mixture of rain and
.Snow.
& But at a news conference yester-
day, he also acknowledged that his
new administration had failed to fol-
low all the steps used by his predeces-
sor, Coleman Young, to suppress the
arson spree.
"We know today that we did not
have the same effort that the mayor
did in 1993," Archer said.
In particular, he said the city will
,ke steps to get more volunteer fire-
atchers on the street. The city re-
ported having 8,000 volunteers this
year, compared with 40,000 reported
in 1993.
"This is rather painful going
through this process," Archer said.
"We will take what we learned this
year and apply it in the coming year."
Of the 182 fires reported on Oct.
30, 33 were in occupied dwellings, 37
S vacant structures, 18 in garages, 25
in vehicles and 69 in refuse contain-
ers or brush, he said.
Archer said he suspects some fires
that occurred on Devil's Night 1993
'This is rather painful
going through this
process. We will take
what we learned this
year and apply it ...'
- Dennis Archer
mayor of Detroit
weren't included in the official count.
Firefighters say non-structure fires
put out by public works employees
may not have been included in the
1993 count, he said.
The official 1993 count included
17 occupied dwellings, 22 vacant,
nine garages, six vehicles and 11
refuse or brush. From now on, the city
will fully report on Halloween-period
fires, he said.
"This is a benchmark for the fu-
ture," Archer said.
Asked what steps the city may
have missed this year, Archer said he
learned that the Young administra-
tion took more elaborate steps to re-
cruit volunteers, including holding
mass meetings in advance of Devil's
Night.
In addition, officials in past years
went around to neighbors of aban-
doned structures and asked them to be
on guard for arsonists, he said.
The city is sharply stepping up its
program to demolish vacant,
unsalvageable buildings, Archer said.
Archer inherited a $9.6 million
demolition budget for the 12 months
ending Sept. 30.
Sources: D.C.
Los Angeles Times sault rifl
WASHINGTON - A note day afte
scrawled on a map and statements by White H
a former co-worker have led investi- ing a fo
gators to believe that Francisco Mar- was nev
tin Duran, the Colorado man accused The n
of spraying bullets at the White House, inside Dt
may have come to Washington to try to say "k
to assassinate President Clinton, fed- word wa
eral sources said yesterday. referenc
As a result of the new evidence, close to
federal prosecutors are considering a It wa
new and more serious charge of at- from Du
tempted assassination of the presi- Sunday
dent, the sources said. If filed, the "semi-su
charge would be in addition to the tain spe
four felony charges he already faces The c
in federal court. came fro
Until the new evidence surfaced, 20, who
investigators had been reluctant to the Broa
attribute a motive to Duran, who fired rado Spr
20 to 30 rounds from a Chinese as- terviews
gu1nman
e at the White House Satur-
ernoon. Clinton was in the
ouse private residence watch-
otball game at the time and
er at risk.
note, scrawled on a map found
uran's pickup truck, appeared
kill the president" but the last
as unclear and may not be a
e to the president, a source
the case said.
as the second note to surface
uran's truck. Federal sources
described the first one as a
uicide" letter that did not con-
cific threats toward Clinton.
other new evidence yesterday
m statements by David Millis,
once worked with Duran at
admoor resort hotel in Colo-
ings, Colo. Millis said in in-
yesterday with The Associ-
ss and television's "A Cur-
air" that he heard Duran say
ed to shoot the president.
n said he wanted "to take out
ident," Millis said in a paid
:w on the television show.
plotted assassination
Millis added that he had volunteered
the information to the FBI after
Saturday's incident.
Also yesterday, Eric H. Holder
Jr., U.S. attorney for the District of
Columbia, designated the FBI as the
lead agency in the case. The move is
significant because the FBI has juris-
diction in such matters only if they
involve an attempted assassination.
Otherwise, the Secret Service, which
is responsible for protecting the presi-
dent, would be the investigating
agency.
A Clinton administration official
said last night that the Duran case is
caught in a turf battle between the
Secret Service and the FBI. Each
agency is emphasizing evidence that
would give it jurisdiction, the official
said.
The official went on to say that he
believes the exact charges may matter
little in the end because Duran ap-
pears to have mental problems and
could be judged incompetent to stand
trial. If so, he would be committed to
a mental institution.
A federal judge has ordered Duran
to undergo a mental evaluation to
determine his competency. But the
defendant refused to proceed with the
evaluation yesterday after his attor-
ney began filing motions trying to
stop it.
Leigh Kenny, Duran's public de-
fender, asked U.S. Magistrate
Deborah Robinson to delay the evalu-
ation until after Duran's preliminary
hearing. Robinson denied the motion.
Kenny immediately appealed to Chief
Judge John Garrett Penn of the U.S.
District Court, who also denied it.
At the hearing before Penn, Assis-
tant U.S. Attorney John Facciola said
Duran had told a psychiatrist trying to
conduct the evaluation that "in light
of the action by his counsel he would
not speak to her."
A source close to the case said that
the preliminary competency exam is
expected to take place today. The
purpose of the examination is to de-
termine if Duran is mentally capable
of understanding the charges against
him and of aiding in his defense.
Correction
Belinda Biggs' name was misspelled
in a letter to the editor in yesterday's Daily.
ated Pre
rent Affa
he plann
Dura
the presi
interview
------ -----------------
G 04le:
Group Meetings
U Discussion Group for Lesbian,
Gay and Bisexual People, 763-
4186, Michigan Union, LGBPO
Lounge, 5:15-7 p.m.
U Hindu Student Council, 764-
0604, Michigan Union, Pond
Room, 8 p.m.
Q Rainforest Action Movement,
662-0232, Dana Building,
Room 1040, 7:30 p.m.
" Reform Chavurah, open meet-
ing, 769-0500, Hillel, 7 p.m.
U U-M Taekwondo Club, begin-
G 04ble!
guages Building, Room B 116,
5-6 p.m.
Events
Q "Israeli Society Through its
Music," sponsored by Progres-
sive Zionist Caucus, Hillel,
Uper Lecture Hall, 7 p.m.
Q "Music in Leonardo's," acous-
tic guitarist Paula Denton per-
forms, North Campus Com-
mons, 8-10 p.m.
Q "Managing Group Projects,"
workshop, sponsored by LS&A
Humanities and British Studies
Program, Clements Library, 909
S. University, 4:30 p.m.
U "The Circulation of Elites in
Post-communist Transition,"
Ivan Szelenyi, brown bag lec-
ture, sponsored by CREES, Lane
Hall Commons Room, 12 noon
Student services
U 76-GUIDE, peer counseling
phone line, ,a7 p.m.-8 a.m.
U Campus Information Center,
Michigan Union, 763-INFO;
Food Gatherers is the food rescue program serving
It distributes roughly a ton of food every day to 70,
serving people experiencing hunger.
Washtenaw county since 1988.
different community agencies
1 Show your suPbort and help make this holiday season a habbv one for all
I