4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 28, 1998
N N13Eir
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 THE DAILY
Vote Rivers
Re-electing representative is best for A2
'It Is not enough to be supportive.
You have to be active.'
- Sexual assault survivor; speaking at Sunday night's Speak Out
sponsored by the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center
KAAMRAN HAFEEZ A S T HAPPENS
*r
Ir
s56
n a year in which people are torn over the
dismal gubernatorial race, voters should
not lose hope because of the fellows at the
top of the ballot. A few spots down on the
ballot, running for Congress, is a solid,
dynamic incumbent: U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers
(D-Ann Arbor). Voters should jump at the
chance to re-elect Rivers to yet another term
in Washington. Rivers is well educated, pro-
fessional and dedicated to public service.
When she speaks, she radiates authority and
confidence, without an
ounce of pretentiousness.
In her endorsement inter-
view with The Michigan
Daily, Rivers displayed a
rare and striking openness
about her personal life, as
well as true grit and sheer
determination.-Rivers
Married in her teens,
Rivers became anything but a statistic. She
was treated for manic depression and man-
aged against all odds to put herself through
college. She has earned respect and recog-
nition in Congress for her dedicated, hard-
nosed nature. She and her staff have
observed a strict "no meals, no trips, no
gifts" policy. Rivers is clearly not a stereo-
typical politician taking money and gifts
from special interest groups. Her integrity
is refreshing in a nation where much
deserved cynicism is directed at politicians.
Not only did Rivers vote against a pay raise
for Congress, she actually writes a check to
give back the increase to which others agree.
In addition, she has trimmed $600,000 from
her office budget during her time in Congress.
A product of a non-traditional college
education, Rivers understands the impor-
tance of making financial aid available to
students seeking to further their studies. In
1978, she recalled, there many grants avail-
able to students in college - in contrast,
students are now expected to finance their
education through heavy borrowing. She
spoke of the need to increase the number of
grants available to prevent college gradu-
ates from facing years of loan repayment,
especially for those with less-than-lucrative
incomes.
Rivers already sits on several important
committees in Congress and is an advocate
for the environment, mental health, educa-
tion, Social Security and Medicare. Her
selflessness and dedication to her district
are incredibly admirable. Rivers has also
proven how important her constituents are
to her. She comes home to Ann Arbor every
weekend and regularly hosts public coffee
hours and town hall meetings.
River's opponent, Republican Tom Hickey,
does not have the breadth of experience that
would be required of him. Hickey said his
involvement in business eventually interested
him in running for office, and during his
endorsement interview, he talked a great deal
about his own health-care supply business and
the importance of the patient-clinician rela-
tionship. While he had a reasonably good
grasp on many important issues facing
Congress, he lacked the depth on all issues
that his job as a representative would require.
In addition, he lacked foresight on some spe-
cific topics, stating that the time after the Nov.
3 election is "way out there."
Hickey's platform tends to contradict itself
- while he has called for Bill Clinton's resig-
nation to get the scandal "out of the way," he
was in favor of the broad lengthy inquiry
passed by the House. Conversely, River's plat-
form is solid, smart and relevant. She is sig-
nificantly better qualified than her opponent.
Vote Lynn Rivers for Congress.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
A breath of fresh air
EPA and manufacturers settle fuel dispute
The notion of clean air has become
increasingly important to people in the
United States over the past few decades.
Numerous standards and regulations have'
been imposed as a result of the heightened
awareness concerning pollution. The
Environmental Protection Agency is at the
forefront of the constant battle against lead-
ing sources of air contamination. This week
should mark another step forward in that
battle.
The current progress consists of a giant
settlement between the EPA and various
manufacturers of diesel truck engines that
should be finalized this week. The cost to
the companies involved is $1 billion dollars,
which includes fines - and more impor-
tantly to the EPA - the cost of speeding up
the introduction of cleaner engines. The
diesel engines used in trucks currently are a
major source of smog and acid rain.
Although the engines passed emissions
tests, it appears that they were designed to
decrease emissions when running for a short
period of time, as in laboratory tests. When
they run for more time on the open highway,
however, the engines adjust to save fuel,
emitting a great deal more nitrogen oxide.
As a result, the quality of the air is affected,
as is public health. Cancer, among other ill-
nesses, is caused in some cases by the types
of fumes emitted by these engines.
Clearly, this settlement will cause a sig-
nificant financial setback for the manufac-
turers involved. More important, a major
pollution problem that has thus far gone
unchecked will finally be remedied.
Although none of the trucks already in use
will be recalled, every new diesel engine
manufactured will have to meet heightened
standards - an issue the companies did not
expect to see arise until years from now.
The next few decades will see the slow but
promising shift from the current diesel
engines to the newer, more environment-
friendly ones. While immediate changes in
the air quality will not be visible, this set-
tlement is providing for what will surely be
a large impact on pollution. It also shows
that agencies are not losing focus as far as
protecting the condition of surroundings
and personal health.
But it is somewhat deplorable that the
case had to be brought about at all. The
engines in question were designed specifi-
cally to pass emissions tests, yet notably
contaminate the air in an effort to save fuel.
Apparently, clean air standards were, to cer-
tain manufacturers, merely obstacles to be
avoided in order to create the most econom-
ically efficient engine possible. The results
- namely, acid rain, smog and cancer -
were nothing but afterthoughts when it
came to inexpensive cargo transport.
Ideally, this billion-dollar settlement
would provoke a realization among all
U.S. corporations that the condition of the
environment and public health take prece-
dence over slight financial augmenta-
tions. EPA guidelines should be followed
to such a meticulous degree that they
would eventually be unnecessary; sincere
concern for the environment would
become second nature for all members of
society. More realistically, this settlement
is a step in the. right direction. While
resulting in decreases in pollution, it
should also catch the attention of a few
wary corporations that do not wish to
yield large sums of money as a result of
air pollution. It is a victory for those who
enjoy breathing clean air.
Misleading
racism is still
prevalent
TO THE DAILY:
As I sat in the Mary
Markley Residence Hall
library Wed. Oct. 21, trying
to do some homework, three
people behind me were hav-
ing an interesting conversa-
tion, It started with degrading
blacks and after stopping
briefly to belittle a few other
races, it worked its way to
Jews. Apparently we, the
Jews, (I say "we" since I am
a Jew) control the world and
the country. Before leaving, I
gave them some not-so-nice
words to ponder.
Today, I was approached by
one of them. He told me he
was not a racist, even though
he believes Jews control the
country and the world. So this
is just an F.Y.I for all people
out there like him.
If you think Jews control
the world and the country,
you are racist.
First, if we control the
world, then when something
bad happens you are going to
blame it on us. Second, to say
that the roughly six million
Jews in the United States con-
trol a country of 260 milion is
accusing us of undermining
democracy. That is why state-
ments like these are not com-
pliments (as the gentlemen
making these comments
thought they were) and is in
fact racism.
Now to tackle the issue of
control. If we control the
world, how come during the
Second World War not one, let
me emphasize that, not one
county would except Jewish
immigants, and as a result six
million of us died. If we con-
trol the world, how did one
third of the population perish?
It was also raised that
America favors Israel.
Assuming (though I do not
agree) that it does, it is because
it is the only democracy in the
Middle East. It is the only
country (besides occasionally
Saudi Arabia) in which the
United States can station mili-
tary bases, and it is the only
country in the Middle East that
is allied with the United States.
But the United States does not
favor Israel. During the Six
Day war, the United Nations
withdrew troops from the area
under pressure from Egypt, not
Israel, who would have liked to
see them stay.
Now do we (the Jews)
control the United States? I
asked the gentlemen to name
a few CEOs who are Jewish,
since he claimed that they all
were. He apparently had
thinker's block, but I'm sure
the names were on the tip of
his tongue. I then brought it
to his attention that none of
the 50 governors of the
United States are Jewish.
There has never been a
Jewish president. He then
informed me that Jerry
Seinfeld had gotten his show
because he was Jewish. I
him to do - he did not offer
any, primarily because there
are none.
One more thing, we don't
control 50 percent of the
stock market.
JEFF BERMAN
LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT
Raju
overstated
'M' victory
To THE DAILY:
This letteris in response
to the Daily sports story
("Michigan bottles up Randle
El in victory," 10/26/98) by
Sharat Raju.
I cannot seem to under-
stand how giving up 110 rush-
ing yards to Randle El is "bot-
tling him up.' It is true that the
defense shut down the passing
attack of Indiana, but I hardly
believe that Michigan "shut
him down" when he out-
rushed our entire team.
Don't get me wrong, I am
happy that we won, and I am
excited that we have gone five
in a row, but give credit where
credit is due. We won the game
because we contained Randle
El and didn't give up the big
play. The defense pressured
him well, and the defensive
backs had good coverage.
Having Ian Gold back
was also a boost, and he real-
ly had an excellent game and
kept the defense excited
throughout the game.
The defense needs to be
commended for their overall
defensive play, but let us
remember that Randle El did
run well and that Indiana out-
rushed us almost two to one.
severe reactions as well.
Again, she is correct in stating
that animal testing did not
catch the teratogenic effects of
thalidomide. Unfortunately,
this is because testing on preg-
nant animals was not required
at that time as it now is. When
testing on pregnant animals,
including rats, mice, rabbits,
dogs and monkeys, thalido-
mide does cause birth defects.
The lack of sufficient ani-
mal testing was the reason
that thalidomide was never
available in this country.
As far as having no reason
to suspect animal-rights
activists in the break in, history
tells us differently. In 1997, the
Animal Liberation Front
claimed credit for 22 raids on
mink and fox ranches in ten
states. The Justice Department
reports 313 incidents of ani-
mal-rights terrorism from 1977
to 1993, with ALF as the lead-
ing instigator in crimes such as
break ins, vandalism, theft and
arson. According to Brandon
Millett, director of special pro-
grams for Americans for
Medical Progress, "The effect
the animal rights movement
has had is to add 10 to 15 per-
cent to the cost of biomedical
research in increased security"
Although space limitations
do not permit me to go further
into detail, I encourage every-
one to visit the Foundation for
Biomedical Research home-
page at http://www.bre-
search.org for more informa-
tion on animal research.
MATTHEW BIRCK
RACKHAM
Women
wL~w 1A Co'
All myfriends
are marned;
every Tom and
Dick and Harry
Special thanks to the Reverend T
Waits, for the research and writing of
this sermon.
W 7hen we last spoke about items of
sion, it was gradu-
ate school. This
time, we 'll be
shooting at larger
game. Yes, it's time
to look at marriage. ~
This a very se-
ous matter among
people at my age.
It's something we
like to worry about
ja lot. Sometimes it A~f
feels like being the ILLER
wartime infantry.
"Did you hear _________
about Dan? He was just walking
through the mall with his girlfriend,
looking at khaki pants and Bam!
Married. In broad daylight, too."
More common, that is just an expres-
sion of dazed disbelief, bordering on
horror.
"Oh my God. It's, like, so weird. E
mean, Dan's my age. He's too young to
get married. It's just scary'
Marriage, as far as my colleagues are
concerned, is an institution as popular
and inviting as Central American death
squads and athletic shoe makers. Part of
it comes from seeing how well our par-
ents did at marriage at our age. It's easy
to see how a person can be altar-shy
after being put through the joint-cus-
tody wringer.
A marriage announcement is greeted
in our circles, like a death in the family.
And whys Think of the things that mar-
riage gets you:
You can stop dating. It's worth it just
for that. Can you imagine being 35
years old and still having to do this?
"So, where did you go to school? Oh
wow, my sister's friend Jeff went to
Dartmouth. Yep. Are you sufficiently
afraid of dying alone so that we can ge*
it on, or should I try someone with a
worse job?"
A marriage should be treated like a
victory. They get to quit the game and
leave the rest of world to the single
bozos. It should be a celebration.
So I'm going to make a few sugges-
tions that might make your upcoming
wedding (or someone's you know) into
the good time it should be.
1) A brief ceremony. I know that
wedding is supposed to be about thW
bride and the groom expressing their
feelings for each other in whatever
way they choose. But a long self-
indulgent ceremony isn't goodsfor
anybody. I realize that Catholics are
hamstrung here. Everyone else, how-
ever, has a bit more freedom.
It may not be necessary to incorpo-
rate every one of your favorite songs
from "Titanic" in the service. And a
your family members don 't need to b
in the wedding party. The aunts may
think it's adorable for the tiny rela-
tions to be the flower girls and ring
bearers, but for everyone else, it's just
a short person picking their nose in
clothes they hate.
While we're talking about the cere-
mony: Please, please - if you are of
below average intelligence (or worse),
do not write your own vows. The
church can do that for you for fre
You may think you are Byron when
comes to expressing your love to your
betrothed.
But they are supposed to like you,
so they probably pretend to be
swooned over your honey-dripped
words. They also probably tell you
your gut looks fine.
There is nothing quite so embar-
rassing and painful as listening to two
sales reps compare their love to a.
unbroken circle or a blooming tulip or
something. Just put the rings on each
other's fingers and let the mailman
deliver the mail.
And no Disney. Ever. I'm serious.
Don't make me come over there.
S2) Two words: Open bar. This falls
under the category of "moral impera-
tive."
A huge family wedding is one of the
last places and times in our culture
where it's acceptable to get thre
(sometimes four) sheets to the wind in
public, with dozens of your relatives.-*
I'm not sure where this custom start--,
ed, I like to think it was the Irish, but
it's one worth hanging onto. .
There are few warmer and more
fondly recollected memories than i
stolen beer or glass of champagne at a
cousin's wedding with your loony
bachelor uncle. The two words tha:
follow "I do" are "gimme 'nother."
3) Know which traditions to kee -:
and which ones to chuck. The dance
with the father of the bride and moth-
er of the groom are sweet, if you like
that sort of thing. The throwing out of
the bride's garter is creepy and implies
that the groom has never seen her
Im AHMAD g ,
LSA SENIOR out to Vote'
Animal rights
letter was
incorrect
To THE DAILY:
I write this in response to
Allison Hess's letter ("Letter
distorted animal rights
cause," 10/26/98). Although I
fully uphold the right of Hess
and others to support causes
they deem worthy, I feel that
some of the facts presented
in her letter were incomplete,
if not actually false.
First, as to the statement
that "many prominent medical
professionals ... have called
vivisection into question,"
many more have fully support-
ed animal testing including
Charles Darwin and Albert
Schweitzer. Schweitzer, when
asked a question about the use
of animals in laboratory
research, replied (translated
from German), "It is necessary
for the advancement of med-
ical understanding." In a 1989
survey of doctors, 99 percent
agreed that animal research
has contributed to medical
TO THE DAILY:
We believe that one of the
best things you can do for the
environment is vote. Ann
Arbor is fortunate to be repre-
sented by truly incredible
women who work hard to pro-
tect our environment. The
League of Conservation Voters
on its latest scorecard gave
U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers (U-Ann
Arbor) a mark of 93, repre-
senting a strong voting record
safeguarding our environmen-
tal regulations. Recent polls
have shown that women are
the most uninterested segment
of the population in the present
election. If women do not go
out to vote on Nov. 3, the envi-
ronment will lose its biggest
group of supporters. The
Michigan Student Assembly's
Environmental Issues
Commission and Women's
Issues Commission, The
League of Conservation
Voters, the Sierra Club, EnAct,
and the Undergraduate
Women's Studies Association
warmly invite you to join us on
the Diag today at noon to cele-
brate the environmental
records of three truly outstand-
ing women: Rep. Lynn Rivers,