4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, Match 8, 1999 1w l hdjigrn &tig 420 Maynard Street HEATHER KAMINS Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editor in Chief daily.letters@umich.edu3 3. V Edited and managed by JEFFREY KOSSEFF students at the DAVID WALLACE University of Michigan Editorial Page Editors 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. Monica and Barbara: Too hot for TV, the outtakes Hsh bashing Bill would restrict municipalities' rights Barbara Walters: Thank you, Monica, for inviting us into your lovely home for this important ratings-grabbing interview. Monica Lewinsky: Oh, no problem, Barbara. I want to do anything I can to make you feel comfortable. Can I offer you a cigar? BW: Why, yes, cer- tainly ... Do you have a light? ML (bewildered): A light? For what? BW: Anyway, Monica, you've been through quite an ordealH during this last year to SCOtt Hunter say the least. Besides Roll Th ugh losing every shred of the Soul your dignity, you have been ridiculed, teased, threatened and basical- ly screwed. ML: Hee hee. BW: So, it seems to me that the last thing you would ever want to do is appear in front of a camera before millions of people and talk about your affair with the president. Why did you agree to do this interview? ML: Well, Barbara, I wanted a chance to set the record straight about this situation. Plus, I wanted the public to see that I am a real person - not just an infamous pair of lips. BW: (under her breath) Harlot! Tramp! Heifer! Strumpet! ML: What?!? Listen, Babs, I don't have to do this interview with you! I can have Ricki Lake or Jenny Jones over here with a snap of my fingers. BW: I'm sorry, I'm sorry ... Now, Monica, I don't know if you've been reading the head- lines. But your story has received the most media attention of any story during the last year - that's more than the Arab-Israeli con- flict, more than the dragging death of the guy in Texas and more than the African embassy bombings. ML: Yes, Iknow. BW: So, how do you feel about all these serious journalists and shameless Michigan Daily columnists wasting valuable newsprint on your story when there are more important things going on? ML: I think they all need to go out and get lives ... seriously. BW: I agree. Well, Monica, you've received quite a bit of flak over this past year from all sides. And, truthfully, it's not very surprising. You're only 24, yet this is not the first affair you've had with a married man. You were dat- ing another man during your affair with the president. Plus, you aborted this "other man's" child. ML: Yes. So? BW: So, how do you respond to all those people who say that you are morally depraved and that you have stomped all over every shred of "family values?" ML: This is just not true! I really recognize the importance of family. In fact, if it weren't for my parents and friends, I could not have made it through this past year. I completely respect the importance of families. BW: Just not the president's family? ML: Um ... BW: Let's move on ... Now, your life has completely changed since this whole ordeal began. You've lost all sense of privacy in your life, haven't you, Monica? ML: Yes. BW: How has it felt to go from Monica Lewinsky, meek White House intern, to Monica Lewinsky, the First Tramp, in a matter of months? ML: Well, Barbara, it's been just awful. The life of the First Tramp is a hard one. Just look: It killed Marilyn Monroe. BW: I know. ML: My biggest problem is this: Before I had ever said a word on camera, America had made up its mind that I was a total depraved airhead. Now, I admit, I made a big mistake, being young and naive. But no person should ever have to go through what I went through. 'And, anyway, why does Bill get high approval ratings while I get ridiculed? Double standard, maybe? BW: True. Now, Monica, let's talk about Bill Clinton for awhile. ML: Yeah, let's. BW: How do you feel about Bill Clinton? ML: Well, I'd like to say one thing about him. It's really not fair that he will go down in history as being this horrible lecherous man. BW: Um, and why not? ML: Well, look at the other presidents. If Abe Lincoln, George Washington, JFK and Dwight Eisenhower can have affairs and still go down in history as being great leaders, why should Bill Clinton be any different? BW: So, what you're trying to say is that his romps with a 23-year-old intern should not in any way overshadow the good job he's done as president? ML: Exactly. BW: So, Monica, the story's just about over. The President is on his way out of office, and the country's worn out the Starr report. What's next for Monica Lewinsky? ML: Well, Barbara, between the interviews and the tawdry book, I don't think I'll ever have to work another day in my life. But, when all's said and done, I'd like to go back to the White House. BW:HYou want to go back there?! In the same capacity? ML: Hell, yeah! Have you ever checked out Al Gore? - Scott Hunter practices sensational st journalism. He can be reached over e-mail at sehunterdjumich.edu. A LOOK B.sRACK T he city of Ann Arbor - a liberal play- ground in the otherwise staunchly con- servative state of Michigan - is being specifically targeted by a recently proposed bill that would crack down on the city's lenient marijuana laws. Home of the notori- ous Hash Bash, Ann Arbor's $25 fine for marijuana possession is not nearly as strin- gent as the $100 fine - and up to 90 days in jail - that other offenders around the state face. The proposed bill, introduced by state Sen. Beverly Hammerstrom (R- Temperance) would prohibit local govern- ments from enforcing lesser penalties than those mandated by state laws. Senators, always eager to make easy political gains by cracking down on drugs, are overreaching. TAe bill would take legislative control out of the hands of the city and would be inef- fective in taming its allegedly rebellious action. the same class as harder drugs such as LSD, heroin and cocaine. Gang wars are not fought over the drug; people do not commit violent crimes after smoking it. Classifying marijuana as a hard drug overshadows the drug's positive aspects. Shown to have med- ical benefits, marijuana has been used as an antinauseant for cancer and AIDS patients and to relieve intraocular pressure in glau- coma patients, as well as to treat people suf- fering from anorexia, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, paraplegia and quadriplegia. But despite the fact that it helps alleviate these patients' suffering, most states outlaw even medicinal use. It is unfair and illogical to punish the sick for therapeutic use of a drug because of the over-moralization of the issue by legislators. Many marijuana offenders receive stiffer sentences than those arrested for violent crimes. This is a waste of taxpayers' dollars Lotter to the MATT WIMSATT Editor Policy For starters, the law would have little and shows a misdirection of the govern effect on the way the Ann Arbor Police ment's priorities. Otherwise law-abidin Department and Department of Public citizens who choose to use marijuan Safety officers patrol the Hash Bash, as the should not be punished so severely for suc event takes place on University property, a minor offense, particularly when violen which already follows state laws on man- crime plagues the nation. juana possession. Ann Arbor has done a In addition, legalizing marijuana woul fine job regulating marijuana as its public take away some of the risks involved wit officials, elected by citizens, see fit - even its use. It would decrease the likelihood tha though it has drawn disapproval from the people will smoke marijuana tainted wit state. Focusing negative attention on mari- more harmful substances. Legalizatio juana use is a waste of legislators' time - would also take away the thrill of using a the drug has not been proven to be physi- illegal substance, one element that no doul cally addictive, unlike nicotine and alcohol, draws many adolescents to marijuan both of which are legal. Also, there are no Marijuana use is a matter of person recorded cases of a fatal marijuana over- choice, and the government should n dose. Marijuana should not even be put in interfere if adults choose to use it. Practice as you preach Engler must reveal expense account charges i- g a h nt d h at h n n bt a. al otf *The Michigart Daily wel tmes ees frioif all of its readers. Letters frotn University students, faculty, staff and administrators will be given priority over oUhers. AU letters mxusV inlde tbe wr{er's name, phone number and school ~year or University affiliation. The Daily will not Print any letter that cannot be verified Ad howinemn attucks wdtl not be: toerare4 Letters should' be kept to approxi-~ mnately 300 words. The Michigan Daily *ser*'es th dgbt t*edit or length, etadi- ,ty and a cctracy. Longer' 'Mewponts'~ or 'oint..conerpoints may be arranged akha editur. Letters and viewp~oints will be rtn according to order received *Lesand m viewpoints shod be sent *nver e-mail to da ylesteinC4)unch~edu or mrnited to tbe Daily at 420 Maynard SL. Editors *can be reached at 764-O552 or by sending e-mai1 to the above address. F k9q All p o/C9 0 0 U.S. sanctions against Iraq must end G ov. John Engler is a frugal man. He prides himself on slashing state expenditures, which leads to income tax cuts for the state's citizens. But there is one area in which Engler has not yet dis- played such such parsimony - his $50,000-a-year expense account. The Lansing State Journal reported Friday that 63 percent of the $106,478 taken from the account during the past three years was charged to credit cards, and most of that was simply attributed to "hospitality," without any more descrip- tion of the charges. Engler's office refuses to release the receipts. Engler spokesperson John Truscott told the Associated Press that "once everything is paid, after a couple of months, (the receipts are) tossed." As governor of the nation's eighth largest state, he has a responsibility to entertain visiting dignitaries, and the expense account is intended to help him pay for those costs. An expense account of $50,000 a year is reasonable for the chief executive of Michigan. But his lack of willingness to disclose his expenses is unacceptable. For a man who prides himself on fiscal conservatism, Engler should be ashamed. Out of respect to the state's taxpayers, our governor should let everyone know where their money has been spent. That is not -w -~ w m ..w-- a - asking too much. In Engler's introduction of his budget proposal for fiscal year 2000, he boasted that the state has "exercised fiscal disci- pline and kept our state budgets in line." It appears that Engler has had trouble keeping his own budgets in line, so it is difficult to believe his claims about the state's budget. In his fiscal year 2000 budget propos- al, which the state House and Senate must amend and approve by July 1, Engler applied his conservatism to many other parts of the state government, including higher education funding. The University, under Engler's propos- al, would receive a 1.5-percent funding increase - a rise that is likely to be lower that the Consumer Price Index of infla- tion. That would cause the University to either raise tuition or cut valuable pro- grams that give the University its world- class reputation. Engler's budget proposal seems to sug- gest that all state agencies - except the Department of Corrections - must exer- cise fiscal discipline and conservatism. Unfortunately, Engler is not personally showing the state his commitment to responsible spending. By obnoxiously refusing to disclose his expenditures, he is placing himself at a higher level than everyone else in the state. For more than a century, student move- ments have had an important place among the agents of social change. Students have a his- tory of fighting for peace and justice. In the 1960s, students spurred debates in Congress about the war in Vietnam and led the protests for peace. Students also struggled against discrimi- nation and racism - both in the civil rights movement in the U.S. and in the fight to end apartheid in South Africa. Now, in the 1990s, there is another war we must end; another struggle for peace and justice in which we, as students, must make our voices heard. For more than eight years our government has been waging a silent war against the peo- ple of Iraq. This month, the U.S.-led sanctions will kill 4,500 infants and toddlers, according to UNICEF reports. Today, this policy will kill 250 people in Iraq, as it did yesterday ... and as it will tomorrow. Since 1991, more than one million people have died due to the scarcity of food and medicine and the spread of water-borne diseases - all direct conse- quences of the sanctions. Since 1991, United Nations agencies and independent human rights organizations have been reporting on the devastating impact of the sanctions on human life in Iraq. Four years ago, UNICEF reported that "Sanctions are inhibiting the importation of spare parts, chemicals, reagents and the means of trans- portation required to provide water and sani- tation services to the civilian population of Iraq. What has become increasingly clear is that no significant movement towards food security can be achieved so long as the embar- go remains in place." And what is our government's response? When asked on "60 Minutes" about the death of half a million children in Iraq - more chil- dren than died in Hiroshima, Madeleine Albright responded "we think the price is worth it." We say NO! The death of one child is a death too many. As Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Edward Herman and Edward Said recently stated in their national call for action, "The time has come for a call to action to people of conscience. We are past the point where silence is passive consent - when a crime reaches these proportions, silence is complic- ity." We refuse to be silent in the face of this war. We denounce the trade sanctions against the people of Iraq as immoral, illegitimate and contrary to fundamental principles of human- ity and human rights. We demand that Congress and the President immediately end the ongoing sanctions war against the people of Iraq. We support the Michigan Student Assembly, which passed a resolution in January condemning the sanctions against the people of Iraq. We call upon all students dedicated to peace to join the growing movement to end the war against Iraq. Get more information on how you can help end the war by sending an e-mail to studentinfo@leb.net. Check our Website at at http://leb.net/iac/students.html. It was the collective voice of the students that woke our nation to the horror of the Vietnam War. We must once again issue the wake up call to the conscience of our nation. - This viewpoint was submitted by Business junior Will Youmans, Rackham stu- dent Jessica Curtin, LSA senior Amer Ardati, LSA senior Micah Holmquist, LSA sophomore Jenny Schlanser, LSA junior Aiman Mackie, LSA junior Michael Mosallam, LSA senior Rahul Shah, LSA junior Anuj ohm, LSA junior Neha Singhal, Rackham student Stephanie Lindemann, SNRE senior Deana Rabiah, Rackham student Andrew Freeman, Engineering sophomore Nadia Salibi, LSA sophomore Nasreen Syed, LSA sophomore Christna Guirguis, Rackham student Salih Mahameed, Student Adviser Dahlia Petrus, SNRE sophomore Norah Rabiah, LSA senior SaladinAhmed, Rackham studentAnnemarie Toebosch, LSA junior Sairah Saeed, LSA senior Tyler Currie, BusinessjuniorAmi Patel, LSA senior Eric Pbttenger and LSA junior Khaled Beydoun. Monica's interview was like Bill's trial - empty* By Jeffrey Kosseff Daily Editorial Page Editor Along with 70 million other Americans, I tuned into ABC Wednesday night to watch everyone's favorite cigar aficionado discuss her sexcapades with the nation's 42nd presi- dent. I knew this would not provide any important new information on the scandal that led to President Clinton's impeachment. Like many of my fellow Americans, howev- er, I wanted the dirt on the world's most famous intern. As I watched Monica Lewinsky discuss Clinton's sensuality and her laundry habits, I realized the great trivi- ality of the scandal that almost caused the removal of our president. Clinton's Senate trial and Lewinsky's interview were about sex and television ratings - and not much else. Clinton and Lewinsky that amounted to no more than a poorly written Harlequin romance novel. But most romance novels don't cost $40 million. Clinton was not innocent in the scandal. His misunderstandings of the definitions of "is" and "sexual relations" were embarrass- ing to the nation. I was shocked to hear that he was engaged in "improper" relations with Lewinsky as he spoke to a Congress member about Bosnia. But that was something I wish I didn't know. Unfortunately, it was spoon- fed to me by Starr, Hyde and the national mate" with the commander in chief (Like, oh my god, that's so cool). While Lewinsky spoke about her "affinity" with Chelsea, I gawked at her choice of lipstick shade. While Walters bombarded Lewinsky with her trademark dull and unoriginal questions, I wondered what new dirt would be unveiled in Lewinsky's book. But throughout the whole interview, I wondered why our Congress was at a standstill for months to investigate this affair. The nation was not harmed by Clinton's sexual encounters with the woman who JOHN ENGLER MICHIGAN GOVERNOR P.O. Box 30013 LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 (517) 335-7858