>., 4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, January 24, 2000 1 m _ I Qipje Sti|g &{ifg e ": Hate mail and other treasured Daily memories I *4 420 Maynard Street HEATHER KAMINS Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editor in Chief daily.letters@umich.edu 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. H ate mail has become a regular fact of life for us who work on the opin- ion page. Just about every one of us has, at one time or another, written something that has elicited the And when this hap- pens, readers are quick to let us know. This is because nowadays, in the electronic age, e- mail has made it quick and easy for people on campus to express their feel- ings about the arti- cles printed in the Daily. Once in a while (read: every decade or so) an e-mail will be complimentary. But, more often than not, people write letters because we anger of a reader. Show us the money Clinton tax cut proposal is a good start Scott Hunter R Through the Soule writers have done what you guys don't get to see. So, I thought that a great way to wrap up my years at the Daily would be to pub- lish for you some of the funniest and most disturbing excerpts from the mes- sages - some venomous and some praiseful - that I have received from readers over the years. Believe it or not, I've kept just about all of these e-mails because many of them are really enter- taining. Just a few notes on the things you are about to read: (1) I am not making any of these up; (2) none of these spelling and grammatical errors are mine - these excerpts were cut and pasted directly from the original e-mails; and (3) you actually go to school with most of these people. Enjoy... "If you're going to write a column about new age activists, be sure to include the ones who riot in downtown Ann Arbor and the long-winded Arabs and Jews.." "God, every time I check in on old michigandaily.com your breaking my heart again, saying these dumb-ass things." "To be perfectly honest Scott, I couldn't help from touching myself as I read your words... Waiting with only one hand on the keyboard, Harriet." (Name changed to protect the innocent) "I just had one question about your column today...you're Black?" "Incidentally, my favorite part was the bit about Jessica Curtin... ;)" "Like Chris Rock said, 'If OJ drove a bus, he wouldn't be OJ... he'd be Orenthal the bus-driving murderer."' "We're you raised as cattle, or something? YOur mother teach you any manners?" "I just wanted to send out a sincere thanks on behalf of Nekkid Mile Safety Patrol for your column today." "I have videotaped, 'The Nude Mile,' since 1996... Putting your hand between some runner's arm and breast - and making the breast flat in 1/10 see- ond, is quite a feat!" "I cannot comprehend the idea of any person regarding Hunter as an affi- cionado of love and relationships. My experiences with relationships lead me to believe that most women value men with humility and not those with immodest and disrespectable taste... The women I know would deny him faster than a fresh- man at Scorekeepers." So, as I finish up three-and-a-half years of writing for this paper, I have to say it's been fun to mouth off in the paper all the time, despite the criticism and that pesky racist Daily conspiracy. But leaving the paper might be even more enjoyable: No more hate, no more deadlines. And, best of all, I won't have to hear the word "token" come up quite so often. Thanks for reading. - Random shout out: I want to say thanks to a few people who have always impressed me with their work on this campus. All of you are really on-point: Sabrina Charles, Rupal Patel, JuJuan Buford, Peter Romer-Friedman, Lamont Jones, Brian Babb, Neftara Clark, Trevor Gardner, Elena ; Gimenez, Aisha Smartt and, of course, Brandy Johnson (BVN! Fire it up!). This is Scott Hunter's final column. He can be reached over e-mail at sehunter@umich.edu. 'President Clinton announced his adminis- tration's education initiative this week. The plan aims at making higher education more affordable, easier to complete and a more realistic dream for the college students of the future. The centerpiece of the strategy is the bipartisan Schumer-Snowe plan, a $31.4 billion investment over 10 years in the form of targeted tax credits, federal grants and a program to encourage and facilitate the collegiate goals of younger students. This ini- tiative will help make college education more affordable to everyone. Thirty billion dollars come in the form of the College Opportunity Tax Cut. Under the proposal, families would have the option to claim a tax deduction or a tax credit of 28 percent on up to $10,000 of tuition and fees. Households with incomes of up to $120,000 would be eligible, and single filers could make up to $60,000. The tax credit would apply to all levels of higher education. This scenario would apply to every student within a household and there would be no limit on how many times students could take advan- tage of this tax credit. { Another $400 million would fund Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) This national program encourages disadvantaged youths to pursue higher education. GEAR UP students receive information about assistance programs that can make a college degree a feasible goal. GEAR UP advises them on what classes they should take to prepare them for post-secondary education. The cost of a higher education has quadru- pled over the past 20 years, nearly twice the rate of inflation. This means that the price of education has increased at a rate faster than that of any other major consumer item, including healthcare. Year after year, the rates keep rising. It is no wonder, then, that 37 per- cent of students who go on to college drop out before they get a degree. While the Clinton plan would not lower the costs, it cer- tainly would help Americans pay them. This package is of particular merit because it lessens the burden on middle class households, which might not qualify for other longstanding federal aid programs such as Pell Grants and student loans. Currently, these families often face the false choice of serious long-term debt or no college. The federal government has a clear inter- est in facilitating the post-secondary level education of its citizens. In the service-based economy of the 21st century, our nation's greatest resource is its people. Just as the gov- ernment provides tax relief incentives for cor- porations to research and develop new tech- nologies, it makes sense for the country to invest in the brainpower of future America. The importance of this package to University students cannot be overstated. While the full benefits of the proposed plan gradually take effect over 10 years, it would prompt many changes in the coming year. The Opportunity Tax Cuts would total $5,000 in 2001, as would the Pell Grant increase. Passage of this plan could mean the ability to graduate for some students. The administration's higher education proposal is a decisive step forward that will help millions of Americans who seek a col- lege degree. It has benefits that could make a real difference in the lives of University stu- dents. But we hope the road to equal educa- tion doesn't stop with this plan. Money alone will not solve inequality. something to tick them off. This may mean that we printed something incor- rectly, failed to prooofreed* our articels*, or expressed an opinion that someone contests. For columnists, hate mail is pretty frequent. It is not at all uncommon to open the paper to find an angry letter from a student challenging our stance or, occasionally, threatening our lives. But the worst of these attacks do not neces- sarily appear in the newspaper. As you have probably noticed, our e- mail addresses are printed in big italic letters at the end of each piece we write. So, we invariably receive gazillions of letters from the University community. These personally addressed c-mails are i 4 5 t 4 i { i S I { I t 4 t X i } Y F C THOMAS KULJURGIS TENTATIVELY SPEAKING YOu KNOW WH4AT S1)m $rv--E'T RCALL'i NEEDD? j It's called diplomacy' Helms' U.N. speech was inappropriate L ast week, North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms had the honor of being the first U.S. legislator to address the United Nations Security Council. The occasion could have been an opportunity for con- structive discussions and criticisms between the United Nations and the man who is most responsible for making the United States the world body's biggest debtor. But instead of using the opportunity for dialogue with an organization he frequent- ly criticizes, he hurled accusations and threats at the assembled ambassadors of more than 100 nations. After opening his speech by stating, "It is my intent to extend to you my hand of friendship," Helms demanded the immedi- ate adoption of reforms to the United Nations. He accused the United Nations of trying to undermine U.S. sovereignty and of trying to form a "central authority of a new international order of global laws and global governance." Helms, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, lashed out at those who com- plain about the United States' multi-bil- lion-dollar debt to the organization, call- ing them ungrateful. Helms harmed not only U.S. foreign policy but also the diplomacy of every country trying to work with the United Nations. His central role in stopping approval of treaties, banning landmines, protecting the environment and ending all testing of nuclear weapons brought scorn upon the United States from around the world. Helms's statements indicate he sees Why a person elected by 53 percent of the voters of North Carolina has been allowed to get a stranglehold on the nation's foreign policy is completely unexplainable. Helms has put an insular, domineering and spiteful face on the United States' foreign policy and exacer- bated already widespread mistrust and hostility towards the United States. Despite what Helms believes, working well with other countries and the United Nations is important. The organization does not have a perfect record, but its mistakes have drawn much more attention than its successes. The United Nations has proven an effective provider of humanitarian assistance to many of the world's most needy people, is a strong advocate for human rights and takes a leading role in promoting economic and social development. Helms's intransigence harms this important work and ultimately the United States by worsening our relations with other countries. His demands for reform in exchange for money are also explicit violations of the U.N. charter, which the United States ratified. The charter makes it clear that countries cannot attach conditions to the payment of their assessed dues. Helms may disagree with this provision, but it is still surprising that he would force the United States into the untenable position of violating an international agreement. If reforms of the United Nations are to be conducted, they should accord with the charter its 187 members have agreed to, Pro-lifers don't understand the difficult choice TO THE DAILY: I must agree with Josh Breitzer ("Abortion is concern for a woman and her doctor alone;' 1/20/00) and comment on the vigil held by students for dictatorship, err . life. What a woman wishes to do with her pregnancy should be her decision and her decision alone. This should not be a political issue. Against abortion? Don't have one. It's that simple. And I am against sentiments that state being pro choice means being pro-abor- tion. I don't agree with abortion; I think it is wrong for me were I to be in that position (and you never know until you're there). But I will defend a woman's right to do what is best for her and her situation. For those that were in the article that aren't aware of Planned Parenthood v. Casey, women seeking abortions are given graphic information of abortion and fetal development. If the past is to teach us anything, we should know that making abortions illegal leads to "back-alley," unsafe and unsterile abortions. Many women die from these. I wonder what the pro "life" ( must put that in quotes as I am a firm believer in the slo- gan "what's life without a choice") move- ment would like poor women to do who face unexpected pregnancies. The Republicans in government - who are basicallytthe anti-choice people, are also adamantly anti-welfare (although its less than 1 percent of the budget). So they say, "You must have this child, but you're on your own for paying to raise it." And with all these programs saying one must work to receive benefits, how is the single mom to raise her infant - not to mention the high cost of child care. All this in a world where fathers just turn around and leave. It's ironic that a party that preaches less government control is trying to control what we can do with our bodies. Aren't our bodies the one thing we should sovereign reign over? I also don't know why religious special interests have so much impact on law makers. Isn't there a separation of church and state? It's also interesting to note how many women seeking abortions are black. If they are to give their child up for adoption, the child is usually not in a very good situa- tion. Most children available for adoption are black, and most families willing to adopt are white. And the foster care system basically will not put a black child with a white family. So what happens? This child is shuffled from foster home to foster home, soon learning not to make any ties as they will be broken soon. I understand why many women would be reluctant to put children through that. When will the quest to save "prospec- tive life" stop? As a woman, I release an egg every month -- a prospective life every month. Do you want to harness that to make sure it becomes a new person? Harness the millions of sperm a man makes every day, and hey, we're in busi- nece It cemc 're tint far off from tht Letter on abortion contained 'flawed argument' TO THE DAILY: In a letter to the editor printed in Friday's edition ("God's opinion on abor- tion unclear," 1/21/00), Jesse Herzog writes that God created everything, but that He would not create anything He con- siders evil. Regardless of your views on monotheism, abortion and other related issues, the argument put forth by Herzog is nonsensical - that is, unless you consider genocide, rape and similar atrocities to be benevolent acts. According to Herzog's reasoning, God created these things, so they simply cannot be evil. This, of course, is absurd and the result of a flawed argu- ment. I emphasize that I am commenting on neither the morality of abortion nor God and religion, but rather the means by which they were addressed in this partic- ular instance. Abortion is an important issue that cannot be clouded by irrational arguments if we hope to ever arrive at a resolution. GLENDON BULTER LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT Bible clarifies God's opinion on abortion TO THE DAILY: In the three and a half years I've spent on this campus, I've heard a lot of people say a lot of things against God, but never anything so blasphemous as this. In response to Jesse Herzog's letter ("God's opinion on abortion unclear," 1/21/00), I would first encourage everyone who actu- ally believes in God to read Rev 10:6, along with Gen 1:31, James 1:17 and a host of other verses to see that what God creates is good and perfect. Note also that Satan, although limited also create your own heaven and transport yourself there after you die while simulta- neously avoiding God's judgement. Then you will have accomplished something. But until then, you accept God's will on his terms or not at all. This goes for abor- tion as well as every other facet of life. So you want a choice? Your choice is stated in Joshua 24:15. God is a pro- choice God, but not when it comes to pregnancy termination. It's completely up to you. Good or evil? Light or darkness? God's will or Satan's? This is the ultimate choice. Great column, Mike! It takes a lot of courage to stand for what's right! JENNIFER PRICE LSA SENIOR Article did good job of examining complex issue TO THE DAILY: Overall, Marta Brill's article in Friday's Daily on institutionalized torture in Israel did a good job explaining the complex facts and history of the issue ("Israeli human rights activist speaks at 'U,"' 1/21/00). Very rarely do mainstream Western media acknowledge the injustices that are and have been committed against Palestinians on a daily basis in Israel due to Israeli policy and law. It's important that such social injustices - whether committed against Palestinians, Jews, Muslims or Christians - are docu- mented and not forgotten and ignored. There are, however, a few points that should be clarified and corrected in the arti- cle. First, the founder of the group Physicians for Human Rights in Israel is Ruchama Marton, not Ruchama Maron, as the Daily reported. Second, the article men- tions "the torture of Israeli prisoners" as the subject of Marton's talk. While Israeli prisoners have in the past been subjected to torturous methods of interrogation, this is a rare occurrence com- pared to the frequent torture of Palestinian prisoners, most of whom do not possess Israeli citizenshin. d l . A zCOFFEE SHOP, A~ _____ f7 , IP x IFIGAL ; IT NEE-e 7j A SAV.SvcA.". 1~~ c TNIHK NATS9 t+ Y } I6 t } } i k } } a Y Y } } } Y .r } d i ' f t i s0 r A, ' f h i a i .A 3 ,1 . 4. -p