LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 21, 1998 - 5
'Tattered' flag on
,Central Campus
is disrespectful
To THE DAILY:
The United States flag flying on
Central Campus is tattered beyond the
point of normal wear and tear. This
does not speak well of the
University's respect for the Colours,
unless of course they mean it to be a
;living memorial to the Battle of Fort
Sumter (in which case, I believe that
Fort Sumter is doing a more than ade-
quate job). If money is the issue, then
I cannot believe that money is the
issue.
SANDE SCHLESINGER
LSA JUNIOR
Kleinbaum began
the 'apocalypse'
of Daily Sports
To THE DAILY:
When I first heard about the dis-
astrous effects of El Nino, I dis-
missed it as pure coincidence. But
4when I read John Gekas's startling
revelation on "(Daily Sports Writer
Josh) Kleinbaum's personal igno-
rance regarding the oldest sport in
intercollegiate athletics" (rowing),
everything fell into place in a flash
of lucidity ("Daily does not cover
all club sports," 4/10/98)! The apoc-
alypse is at hand! How dare a Daily
writer not write about the rowing
team as if the entire University were
familiar with them. After all, the
team is in the midst of its second
year as a varsity sport. Kleinbaum
had some nerve mocking the rowers
-as if not everyone knows they have
a team! Shame on you, Kleinbaum7
,Shame!
Furthermore, I am aghast at the
thought that the Daily does not devote
the same level of coverage to rowing
as the younger sports like football and
*basketball. After all, rowing is the
"oldest sport in intercollegiate athlet-
ics!" I can't emphasize that enough!
Gekas hit the nail on the head
when he dismissed Kleinbaum's arti-
cle as a "personal attack or merely the
product of the highest form of intel-
lectual incompetence." I happen to
think he was right on both accounts.
I'm sure that Kleinbaum does nothing
but conspire to ruin the lives of the
4rowers by patronizing them with any
chance he gets. He probably hates
I'owers.
Thank you John, for bringing this
to everyone's attention. Thank you for
lambasting a "paper clearly unable to
perceive neither a sense of responsi-
bility nor of competence regarding the
'craft it employs"
Kleinbaum is a disgrace. I'm
going to hide in my bomb shelter
*ow. The apocalypse is near!
CHRIS WALTON
LSA SOPHOMORE
Children can get
the death penalty
under Texas law
To THE DAILY:
I'm writing to tell the story of
recent events in the the State of Texas.
Texas state Rep. Jim Pitts. a
Republican, announced a legislative
plan to expand the death penalty to
include children. Until now, 16 years
of age was the youngest age that one
could get the death penalty. Already,
Texas executes more people than any
non-American nation in the western
world and commits a full half of the
executions in the United States.
Now, Pitts proposes that 11-year-
olds be condemned to death. This is
the youngest age to which the death
penalty has ever been proposed to
apply. Given the slothfulness and
neglect of the juvenile court system,
it's conceivable that a juvenile offend-
er who commits a crime at age 5 or 6
could be sentenced to death for the
same offense years later.
The recent emphasis on "fiscal
responsibility" has pared the juvenile
justice system down to a few over-
worked lawyers and judges who are
consistently without the resources they
need. In such a system, is it possible
for a kid who commits a crime to get a
fair shake? I think not. (Oh, incidental-
ly, when it comes to "fiscal responsibil-
ity," the U.S. Congress just appropriat-
ed $650 billion to the military a full
$10 billion more than the Pentagon
requested. I know I'm really stretching
the reasoning, but oh well ...)
Is this the way America and the
rest of the world is heading? lhe
majority of death penalty recipients
are people who live beneath the
poverty line, even without the aid of
Pitts. Are American children to
become fodder for the juggernaut of
globalization, like some Nike factory
worker?
This is the way it works in the
mind of our government: If you're
poor, you don't mean shit. So the
"War on the Poor" goes on ... welfare
cuts move forward, real wages decline
(for 85 percent of the American work-
force), and the rich get richer. The
new American ethic: Ignore what hor-
ror poverty brings to people. Cut the
safety net and blame the poor for
poverty - call it reform. Begin mass
executions and call it justice.
Now, thanks to Pitts, we've got the
opening we need to really gt the ball
rolling. set the slaughter begin.
Or stop it.
CHAD BAILEY
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Daily should
continue to
support gay
community
TO THE DAILY:
As the term ends, let me again
thank the Daily for its supportive cov-
erage of l:sbian/gay/bisexual concerns
in its news articles and editorials.
Since we founded Gay Liberation
here in 1970 and what is now the
Office of LGBT ATairs in 1971, the
Daily has consistently spoken out for
our human and civil liberties.
I ask the Daily to continue this
support. On May 5, we are faced with
a possible defeat of the Ypsilanti
nondiscrimination ordinance. A
majonty of the Michigan legislature
opposes civil liberties for members of
our constituency. 'Ihe Daily's voice on
our behalf must continue to be heard
- and that voice must also speak out
on behalf of transgendered people,
whose needs are oten confused in the
public mind with sexual-orientation
issues and minimized accordingly.
My appreciation and admiration to
all of you at the Daily. Continue your
good work.
JiM TOY
CO-FOUNDER AND FORMER
CO-COORDINATOR, LGBPO
Town Hall was an
'inclusive
dialogue'
TO THE DAILY:
I can appreciate Kenneth Jones'
concerns on the issue of not having
formal support or communication
with certain student groups.
However, I think it is ludicrous and
hollow spouting to say, "(Brian)
Reich failed at securing an inclusive
dialogue that would truly encompass
the entire University campus"
("Town hall lacked 'U' minority
input," 4/13/98). I attended the town
hall meeting. It was an open event in
which anyone in the audience had
the opportunity to be included in the
dialogue. Thus, it was an inclusive
dialogue. I think the walk out was a
strong statement. But, those that
walked out have no ground to claim
they were not included in the discus-
sion. The truth is that the dialogue
was inclusive of anyone interested in
attending. ''he process of organizing
the event was inclusive, I do not
know. We should however be accu-
rate in what our gripes are.
CARLOS HERNANDEZ FORD
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Greek system
raised money for
Children's
Hospital
TO THE DAILY:
As I write this, we are in the mid-
dIe ofTri Delt and Chi Psi's 15th-
annual teeter-totter-a-thon. All of the
money we raise goes to Mott's
Childrens Hospital. I am not here to
be all gung-ho greek system, because
I believe "to each his own." I just
wanted to relay a message to the guy
who walked by me Wednesday morn-
ing at 9 a.m. and said (in a rude tone
of voice) "Why don't you cancel a
formal and donate all the money?"
Your statement was really mean. I like
going to formals, but I also enjoy rais-
ing money for 'ri-I)elt's national phil-
anthropy, Children's ( ancer Charities.
I stood in the cold for an hour today,
not to rub in your face how I feel
about my sorority, but rather, to raise
money for sick kids. It's fine if you
don't want to donate, but I think you
should brush up on the golden rule:
"If you don't have anyhing nice to
say, don't say anything at all ."
EMMA JONES
LSA SOPHOMORE
Race initiative
should include
Native Americans
TO THE DAILY:
I'm disappointed in the statement
of Michigan Student Assembly Rep.
Brian Reich, if the I)aily quoted him
correctly ("Dialogue addresses race,"
4/8/98). But it probably did, since it
seems to parrot the basic excuse of
President Clinton's initiative itself. It
shows Reich's limited grasp of the
issue. The Daily quotes Reich as say-
ing, "You cannot represent every sin-
gle group on this campus - in this
nation - in one pane"
True enough, but Reich and the
White House seem to have over-
looked, or ignored, the fact that there
are only four groups identified in fed-
eral law as minorities in this country.
One of those, of course, is Native
Americans.
One would expect the president,
the top federal officer in the nation, to
include in his "initiative on race" rep-
resentatives from each of those four
federally designated groups, if no oth-
ers. To not do so lends very strong
impetus to Natives American's under-
standing of their own non-status in
the U.S. government's view.
JIM BECK
UNIVERSITY STAFF
Easter, Passover
have historical,
symbolic links
TO THE DAILY:
Thank you for your coverage of
the celebrations of the Faster and
Passover holidays. I would like to
point out that there are two significant
links between the two holidays: The
first is historical, the second symbol-
ic.
Historically, Passion week (the
week leading up to Easter) has its roots
in the Passover celebration. Remember
that Jesus was Jewish, and the Last
Supper, which was the first institution
of the Eucharist (holy communion),
was a Passover celebration (Matthew
26). Ihe entire story of Jesus' death
and resurrection took place against the
backdrop of the Passover.
Secondly, Passover is a celebra-
tion and a medium of redemption
and freedom, and sanctification is its
result. As the story goes in Fxodus
12 and 13, God severely judges
ancient Egypt for its persecution of
His people by killing the firstborn
children in the land. He passed over
those houses whose door was marked
by the blood of an unadulterated
lamb. The families were to eat of that
lamb, and their sons were unharmed.
For Christians, Jesus represents that
lamb without blemish, because
through his blood we are passed
over from suffering in the next
world; aster is our celebration of
this. Through IHim, we receive our
freedom and redemption, and by
Ilim, we are sanctified (made holy).
I encourage any feedback on my
stance here.
Feel free to e-mail me at mr-
ro i 1[hw4' 'ich/.
JOBY MORROW
LSA SENIOR
Affi rmative action
should be revised
TO THE DAILY:
Ihere I was, walking out of
Dennison, and something made me
grab a copy of Ilie Michigan Daily.
As usual, another headline proclaim-
ing somebody else was trying to
destroy affirmative action screamed at
me from the front page !s this really
news? 'here have been people and
organizations trying to stop affirma-
tive action since before it became a
policy. To all those that read the Daily,
or any newspaper, you must under-
stand that there are equally valid rea-
sons to support or oppose the affirma-
live action policies of both the
University and the state of Michigan,
Affirmative action policies were
born with the purpose of ending seg-
regation and diluting ethnic prejudices
among the citizens of the United
States. Some people will say that it
has fulfilled its purpose and that it is
becoming an obnoxious plot to give
preferences to minorities. Any person
who believes that ethnic prejudices
have been eliminated in this country
is kidding themselves, and they are
the fools for believing in their own
biases. Each one of us is different and
because of this, we will create person-
al prejudices. Nothing can tell anyone
how to think, which is why affirma-
tive action is simply a way to dilute
these prejudices and see each other as
unique instead of a lesser human
being. We have affirmative action
policies as a tool to encourage people
to see and amend their own prejudices
by throwing us all together in our own
little piece of this world. After all,
nobody wants to be a party to dis-
crimination.
Others will argue that affirma-
tive action has done so much good
for our society. Make a list and I'll
believe it. In reality, what incredible
good has it done if we're all still
arguing about it'? The policies, as
they are written, obviously don't
conform to the needs of our society.
These policies need to be rewritten,
not revoked. Not to get picky, but it
seems as though the members of
3AMN want to defend affirmative
action as though it is a religious or
moral belief. It's not. It is a policy
that encourages the acceptance of
others, which is a moral value that
each and every one of us should
already practice. From the stand-
point of admissions to the
University, affirmative action is
unnecessary. The sole purpose of
the admissions process, as it was
explained to me, is to accept those
students that the admissions board
believes can survive and excel in a
college environment. If the admis-
sions board did their job, they
would be doing just that and the
ethnicity of a person would not even
become an issue.
To those readers that believe who
I am not taking a stand by refuting
my own argument, you have not been
paying attention. The debate should
not be whether or not affirmative
action is appropriate or unjust at the
University. Rather, it has become
blatantly obvious that everyone has
their own feelings on the issue and
that both sides have equally valid
arguments. This only supports the
fact that the affirmative action poli-
cies here do not work to the satisfac
tion of the people and, should there-
fore, be revised.
MICHAEL RUGNETTA
ENGINEERING SOPHOMORE
Error in editorial
about Bragdon
case was
'pathetic'
TO THE DAILY:
TheD aily's editorial on the A bbo vi.:
BMrgdon case (Discriminatory
Practice, 4/3/98) was a pathetic exam-
ple of a total lack of research in editori-
al journalism. Dentist Randon Bragdon
did not refuse to treat the I TVinfected
Sidney Abbott, as the editorial claims;
Bragdon was willing to fill Abbott's
cavity, but wished to do it in a hospital
instead of his office, with extra cost to
the patient. With this central point
cleared up, the arguments in the rest of
the editorial are rendered moot, as the
Daily is essentially discussing a case
that does not exist. I am appalled that
one would be as irresponsible as to
write an opinionated editorial without
apparently, reading a single coherent
article on the issue at hand. Perhaps if
the Daily spent more time researching
the case instead of comng up with
irrelevant references to Magic Johnson,
it would have be able to produce a more
worthwhile article.
Even more disturbing is the line
above the editorial section of the Daily,
"Unless otherwise noted. unsigned arti-
cles reflect the opinion of the majority
of the Daily's editorial board." Since
this editorial was unsigned, this means
that either the majority of the Daily's
editorial board is as ignorant of the
facts in this case as the person who
wrote the article, and yet still feel
themselves capable of developing a
stance on it, or the majority of the
Daily's editorial staff didn't actually
read the editorial, but blindly allowed
this blanket statement to lend the edito-
rial their endorsement. Either way, The
fact that this editorial was able to make
it to print without someone catching
the misinformation central to the issue
is a prime example of why the Daily
does not have the credibility to go
along with its "one hundred seven
years of editorial freedom."
'U' should
provide better
athletic facilities
than the CCRB
To THE DAILY:
I have long had problems with the
building we all know and love as the
Central Campus Recreation Building.
Call it the CCRB, the Crib, whatever
... it's terrible. First of all, as an asjd
basketball enthusiast, there are not'
even close to enough courts there.
Most of the time, you wind up wait-
ing for two or three games just to
play. This takes anywhere from half.
an hour to an hour or more. If you
lose the first game you play, the
whole excursion was a waste because
you don't want to wait another hour tor#
play again. At a school of this size%"
and esteem, don't you think that we
should have a building a little bit
more modern than the 1970s-esque
CCRB? I have seen facilities at other
schools comparable to the University,
and they almost always are 10 times
better. Indiana and Emory recently
made new, state-of-the-art facilities
for their students. I feel like the
University could definitely spare the
cash. Maybe they could use the
money that you have to pay to get a
new M-Card.
Which brings me to my second
problem with the CCRB. I just
returned from the Student Activities
building after paying $15 for my ~
fourth M-Card. Why'? My wallet was
stolen at the CCRB. I was playing
basketball (only had to wait 15 min-
utes!), and I put my wallet in the
inside, zippered pocket of my jacket. I
folded my jacket up and placed it
under one of the benches on the edge
of the court, as I have done every
time I go to the CCRB.Three ganes"
later, when I went to go get my jacket,
it was unfolded, with the inside pock-
et's zipper open. One of my fellow
Wolverines had taken my wallet. Well"
to whoever you are, I hope you enjoy
the $9 that was in there.
Soon after realizing my wallet was
gone, I filled out a report with the
CCRB I must say the statT was help-
ful and event told the Department oC
Public Safety to come out. When the'
officers arrived, they basically told nei
what happened, since they had seen
this type of thing so many times
before. I was surprised to find out
that the CCRB has the highest amounri
of larceny of any building on campus.
In their infinite wisdom, the officers.
told me to bring a quarter for a locker
next time.
It seems to me that if this type of
thing happens so often, then the
CCRB is not dealing with a problem
of huge proportions. This facility is
showing negligence. It obviously
knows there is a problem with theft
and is choosing to not deal with it at
all. Sure, they do put a "gym moni-
tor" in there at some hours, but what
are they going to do, ask me for my.
hall pass'? All I have seen them do is
stare oft into space and obviously not
help when my wallet was being
stolen.
I believe that the CCRB owes the
students of this University the safety'
that they deserve when playing bas-
ketball, running on the track or just
waiting an hour to play a game.
Furthermore, I think this school can
do a lot better than the CCRB as an
"athletic facility." My tuition has .
already paid for a first-rate football
team, why not use it for something
directly for the students?
So I sit here now, with my new
$15 M-Card as my only piece of pic-
ture I.D. and a larger cynicism for the
world, wondering, why I even went to
the CCRB in the first place.
ELISABETH MARIE JAY KUPERSTEIN
LSA SOPHOMORE KINESIOLOGY JUNIOR
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