4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 19, 1998 c, E 1idtI4juu Puailg Films blur the line between 6 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan LAURIE MAYK Editor in Chief JACK SCHILLACI Editorial Page Editor Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. FROM T HE DAILY Hmistorylesson 'U' should acknowledge error of past actions 'Do these politicians have at least an ounce of creativity and imagination? Must they follow the warped, misguided path of others?' - Associate Provost for Academic and Multicural Affairs Lester Monts, on state Rep. Deborah Whymans attempt to end the use of race-based preferences in Michigan PURPLE HERRING CN N B/ N rs youg 8664F JV ST HI N K ON L Y7% OF ALL A alCVLTVAAL LA NO IN T1 U V. is (J SED FOOL RAS INC AC/OMA4s FA. F Fe. W Ii A i/crEPtse' IN TNAr rPCEN74rE g A CiEAPPWa OF MoKS LAND) PoSef LY 1W TH NAT oNA ForAETS, You C £oW 5 EC CRIAPf & DEEF P IcES Wihc f ?4eMEANS l~ oAE eLeF vA YoU f1K. UMOMAWATfA-CD AAV WoRk/WA RAIVAICAN. LETE R r o- t LETTERS TO THE EDITOR , he annual "Davis, Markert and Nickerson Lecture on Academic and Intellectual Freedom," given at Monday's faculty Senate Assembly meeting, should serve as a reminder to the University that an unfortunate page in its history remains is not yet officially acknowledged. The University owes a formal apology to former professors Chandler Davis, Clement Markert and Mark Nickerson for the unjust treatment they received after not cooperat- ing with former U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy's (R-Wisconsin) infamous com- munist witch hunt during the 1950s. In 1954, at the height of the Red Scare, this trio of University professors refused to testify about their political beliefs before Congress. Because of their defiant actions, the University suspended all three and fired two of them. At the time, a misled American public feared that sub- versive communist groups worked unno- ticed in a vast conspiracy to overthrow the government. Led mainly by McCarthy's wild accusations, Americans thought her most sensitive institutions were overrun with communists. Anyone challenging McCarthy's notions also faced being labeled a communist. The hearings on the matter smeared a great number of profes- sionals who simply chose not to follow the pathos of the rest of the panic-strick- en nation. Being labeled a communist was a very heavy cross to bear in the 1950s. Suspected communists often found themselves black- listed and unable to find work. McCarthy's hearings turned a great many people into criminals in the public eye. When America's most brilliant and influential minds should have risen to proclaim the folly of these hearings, too many silently stood and allowed the monster that was McCarthyism to grow. The University chose to be one of those that remained silent during McCarthy's reign of terror. As an institution of higher learning, the University's duty is to expose its students to many different viewpoints in all manners of academic contexts. When the halls of academia seek to silence those voic- es with the nerve to question the conven- tional school of thought, the integrity of education is lost. An apology would do more than simply acknowledge the wrongdoing that these three men endured; it would demostrate that the University learned from its past mis- take. New threats to the freedoms guaran- teed in the U.S. Constitution will continue to develop in the future. The University must be ready to stand against those who challenge the freedom this country so dear- ly prizes. University President Lee Bollinger gave the lecture to the faculty in 1992, while he was dean of the Law School. Also, Bollinger recently referred to the University's actions against the three pro- fessors as "unjust" before this year's lec- ture. The president's next action should be to take the matter to the University Board of Regents and work to have such an apol- ogy and statement acknowledging the mistake granted. This apology would not make up for the injustices done during McCarthy's brief rise to power. But the statement will set a stan- dard for the University to meet into the next century - one that could prevent such basic unconstitutional actions from occur- ring in the future. R epresse AP gives freelance photographers a bad deal R ecently, there has been renewed inter- est in monopolistic practices due to the ruling against Microsoft's inclusion of its Internet Explorer program with every copy of Windows '95 it sells. But one monopoly that is not likely to receive much negative press is the monopoly of wire ser- vices in the United States by the Associated Press. The AP, secure in its almost-unchal- lenged power, is now taking the misguided step so frequently taken by large corpora- tions - taking advantage of the very employees that assisted it in attaining its dominance. This is the case in the Associated Press' forcing of a new, unfair and harmful contract upon its freelance photographers. The new contract the Associated Press is forcing upon its non-staff photogra- phers - commonly known as stringers - is incredibly unfair. The cost of the expensive equipment of a professional photographer - cameras, film, develop- ing and processing equipment, etc. - is, under the new contract, to be covered entirely by the photographer. In essence, each individual photographer is expected to have the equipment, chemicals and computer resources of an entire newspa- per just to do their job. In addition, the AP claims the right to all of the stringers' photos and negatives once they are sold. These unworkable demands of the Associated Press have led AP stringers to strike. Yet it is because the Associated Press has a monopoly on wire services that newspapers nationwide cannot take action maintain the same level of quality and breadth of coverage if a boycott of the wire service was initiated. But this type of unethical behavior is not characteristic of the organization. The AP provides an invaluable service to the nation's newspa- pers, one that cannot be underestimated. For better or for worse, newspapers rely on the service's news and photo wires. But because it is one of the few sources for news and photos that so many publications need to stay afloat, the AP is, in many ways, free to behave in any manner it desires without fear of retaliation from the newspapers of the nation. The stringer strike, forced by the unfair practices of the misguided Associated Press' management, will inevitably have a negative impact on journalism nationwide. AP photos and wire articles appear in newspapers every day, and while there will inevitably be college students and new photographers willing to sacrifice their principles and their colleagues for the opportunity to gain valuable experience working for the AP, the years of experience that the striking photographers possess cannot be replaced. The workers hired to replace the striking workers will be young and relatively inexperienced photogra- phers for whom this strike will be a great opportunity and who will be willing to work for a smaller salary than more expe- rienced workers would demand. But the striking stringers, who may have families to support and mortgages to pay off, can- not afford this new contract. The Associated Press should reform its newly A student regent would bring tuition under control To THE DAILY: If students are seriously interested in having a direct say about the rate of tuition increases, they'll vote "yes" on the student regent ballot question. A temporary fee increase will allow the Michigan Student Assembly to hire a firm to collect the 400,000 signatures necessary to put the constitutional change for a student range on a statewide ballot. With 73- percent statewide support, according to a poll, we know that the measure will pass - the first hurdle is getting the funds to get the initiative on the ballot. There is no way to get a student regent without a state constitutional change. It's that simple. A student regent means direct, unimpeded access to the University Board of Regents, a student voice at every meeting behind closed doors. At other schools with student regents (including every public school in the Big Ten except for us), they have low tuition increases and improved student lobbying efforts. Five dollars per semester for three semesters is a small investment for the most direct form of student representation we can possibly have - a student who can speak at the table without bar, a student who can vote on regental decisions. We are pleased to see that the Daily supports the idea of a student regent. We would like to emphasize that the legislative route of getting the constitutional change on the ballot is extremely diffi- cult. Frankly, there is not much hope for success by waiting for the state Senate to act - now or in the future. The bottom line is that our only real option is getting the measure on the statewide bal- lot ourselves through a peti- tion drive. If we want a stu- dent regent, the only way we will get one is by voting "yes" on the temporary fee increases. MIKE NAGRANT LSA SENIOR MSA PRESIDENT OLGA SAVIC RACKHAM MSA VICE PRESIDENT Funding groups is one of MSA's jobs TO THE DAILY: Ac chir rnfthe.? Michman mittee to any inspection. We receive requests from more than 150 studentgroups every term, and in turn are forced to fund only those events with the most direct impact on our campus. Specifically, no funds are allocated for the purchase of food, capital goods or any other expenditure which would solely help the mem- bers of a group. Furthermore, we do not fund attempts by any group to proselytize or otherwise push their political or religious beliefs on others. I would ask that any stu- dent who wishes to end MSA's distribution of student fees first talk with me about how they are used (my e-mail is dburden engin.umich.edu). I am certainly a conservative both fiscally and otherwise, and I still believe our support of campus life to be govern- ment at its best. At least in my opinion. those who wish to crusade against excessive government would be better served in reforming social engineering projects such as afirmative action than in wasting their time over $5 a term. DAvID BURDEN ENGINEERING SENIOR Representation on board would benefit 'U' students To THE DAILY: I have thought a lot about the student regent issue. After much research, I real- ize now that there is reason- able ground to support this cause. As the University Board of Regents make very important decisions affecting all students and the University as a whole, the inclusion of a student on this powerful board introduces added advantage and voice to the student body. Many stu- dents may not be as caring about this issue partly, I believe, due to the gradual weakening and ineffective- ness of the Michigan Student Assembly, which, oddly enough, is supposed to be the epitome of student repre- sentation. But a student seat on the board would guaran- tee the strongest and most direct vehicle at students' disposal, a power for the regents and University presi- dents to reckon with. Students will be listened to by the very administration that has shown some level of insensitivity at times to the population it is to serve. Another advantage is fur- ther student representation at the state and national level. Tuition will increase by up to 9 percent far beond the the following generations of students. AFSHIN JADIDNOURI LSA SENIOR CANDIDATE FOR MSA REPRESENTATIVE Sex offenders do not deserve a second chance TO THE DAILY: We were very, very disap- pointed when we read the Daily's editorial saying that sex offenders have rights ("Injustice upheld," 3/9/98). Any law saying that a person who does something as horri- ble and scarring to an inno- cent child such as molesting them sexually should suffer for it for the rest of their lives is wonderful. If someone does something this awful and cruel to a child, they don't deserve a second chance at a normal life. Why should the offender be allowed to move on after a few short years when the child has to live with what was done to him or her for the rest of their life? Parents have the right to pro- tect their children and if this means a little inconvenience for a sex offender then we're sorry. We think that it is important information that needs to be shared with the community that this person chooses to reside in. We are shocked and horrified that a staff of newspaper reporters such as the Daily would dis- agree with laws protecting children, such as Megan's Law, is designed to do. The bottom line is that most sex offenders are repeat offenders. They should have to carry some mark that lets peo- ple know exactly what they are and what they have done. In the Bible, we even see signs of this thought process. In the Old Testament, when Cain killed his brother, hewas marked so that everyone who saw him knew he had killed. "The Scarlet Letter"'s Hester Prynne was forced to don the letter A' on her chest so all knew what she had done. People that commit such hor- rifying acts deserve the disre- spect and any other treatment they receive. For people such as sex offenders, jail isn't enough. Time served is not enough of a punishment, for they have given up their right to a normal life and they don't deserve the basic human rights the we believe in here in the United States such as life, lib- erty and the pursuit of happi- ness.- If someone does some- thing so awful, then they do not deserve the right to ever put it behind them. They should be forced to live with political ffiction and realiy I 'lladmit, I was one of the people who wished Harrison Ford really could have been the president after he stepped off "Air Force One." But that doesn't mean I wanted the president in the movie. Unfortunately, though, that's approximatate what happens when "Primary Colors" opens nationwide tomorrow. Amid new revelations, old scandals and MEGAN renewed denials SCHIMPF in the real world, .}.:r .0T\,N a movie about a "fictional" character named Jack Stanton, a Southern governor campaigning for the presidency, comes to theaters. It's the biggest thing to hit the political scene since, oh, Monica Lewinsky. To promote the release, John Travoltas - who gained 17 pounds and whitened' his hair to play the starring role - has been on the cover of news magazines and interviewed as if his character was the president. Yet Travolta isn't playing Clinton, only a man named Stanton who admit- tedly bears a striking resemblance to our real-life president. Magazine photo comparisons juxtapose actors and real people from Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. As new allegations surfaces almost daily and rounds of denials circle upon themselves, somewhere we forgot' that there is 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, and then there is the 32-screen multiplex. Just like that, the presidency has offi- cially become a movie. Now showing, and rapidly slipping, into a farcical cartoon. Movie presidents used to be strong- looking, faith-inspiring, presidential men. .Idyllic conglomerates of voter dreams and the best traits of those who have held the office, there never were, skeletons in their closets. They had, names like John, James and Robert, and they commanded respect. As "Primary Colors" opens, soon, after "Wag The Dog," we are left with only a name that separates the real pres- ident from the movie president - and even that is remarkably similar. "Primary Colors" is infamous for name games - its fame began with the hunt for the author's name. Joe Klein, who covered the campaign for Newsweek and wrote the book, was at first "Anonymous." Yet this is not a game. This is not a fea- ture movie. This is a sitting president reduced to a movie character. As if he was starring in a surreal movie of the week usually reserved for those who hav already exploited their 15 minutes o fame three times over. Perhaps Clinton could go on Jerry Springer to explain. Except Bill Clinton is not Tonya Harding or O.J. Simpson, both of whom' freewheeled into mere caricatures.wHe is not a three-headed Martian who landed in your neighbor's backyard and impregnated their dog. He is one of 42 men who have held the office of President of the United States. True, Clinton has reached new level. of embarrassment for the office. We have learned more than most care to know about Clinton's opinions about adultery technicalities, present-buying preferences and choice of rooms near the Oval Office since Jan. 21 when the Lewinsky hurricane began. Some f theallegations presented against Clinton are very serious. Perjury, obstruction of justice and sexu- al assault should never be brusher aside. None of those issues deserves to be trivialized by this endless stream of guffawing and exploitation. He should not be held above criticism or parody for his actions, as public scrutiny comes with the job. But there is a line between that and filming a movie so closely and deliberately patterned after the president. On Friday's "Nightline," printed excerpts from documents released by Paula Jones' lawyers were tantalizingte watch, even without sound. That's the beautiful part about this latest tour of Clinton Scandal Land - it involves extra- money phrases like "Kiss it" and "Could you feel his erection?" No drab Whitewater or travel documents here. We're talking about sex, baby. And power. The cartooning of Clinton's presiden- cy will do more damage to the institu- tion than to him. Already, we'vV watched his approval ratings skyrocket. Yet we've also watched several world leaders virtually ignored at press con- ferences so Clinton can decline once more to discuss (insert name here). Aides reportedly considered the plot of I