4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 25, 2000
14be Litbigun & gilu
A bastardly attempt to make Oscar go @#*! himself
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
daily. letters@umich.edu
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan
MIKE SPAHN
Editor in Chief
EMILY ACHENBAUM
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.
Primary pinch
Candidates unfairly
T hroughout the campus hoopla sur-
rounding last Tuesday's Republican
primary, one event was noticeably absent
within the city limits of Ann Arbor.
Despite a record voter turnout and an out-
pouring of student activism, no Republican
candidate held campaign events in the city.
Many Republicans may cringe at the
liberal connotation the city of Ann Arbor
brings, but candidates may have glossed
over the area's Republican qualities. Tom
Monaghan, former owner and CEO of
Domino's Pizza Inc., is a long time Ann
Arbor resident and staunch conservative.
Monaghan recently founded a conservative
law school in the area named Ave Maria,
which he calls a "West Point for
Catholicism and law." Many University
alumni, like former President Gerald Ford
and State Senator John Schwartz, have
held high governmental positions under
the Republican banner. In addition, Ann
Arbor's mayor Ingrid Sheldon is a
Republican, although a moderate one at
that. These elements could have created a
support base for those candidates cam-
paigning in Michigan while their endorse-
ments would have held at least some
weight in the minds of area voters.
Candidates also failed to acknowledge
the full power of University students.
Though young adults historically vote less
snubbed University
than middle age and older adults, dedicat-
ed students are often the ones with the time
and energy to volunteer to help a candi-
date's campaign. Michigan's history of
activism and protest may traditionally take
a liberal spin, but this does not means the
campus lacks a conservative constituency.
The organization Students for McCain
posted an overwhelming number of signs
in supporting their candidate, and all
Republican candidates saw representation
at tables in Angel Hall.
Since the nation has more registered
Democrats than Republicans, candidates
seeking the presidency must appeal to a
wide range of voters. McCain, who has
made recruitment of Independents and
crossover Democrats a focal point of his
campaign, could have demonstrated his
ability to appeal to non-Republican voters
with a stop in Ann Arbor.
Maybe Republican candidates have a
right to fear town with as liberal a reputa-
tion as Ann Arbor, but by avoiding the
University community, George Bush, Alan
Keyes and John McCain may have alienat-
ed many potential supporters. If the candi-
dates wish to win the general election in
November, they must appeal to a diversity
of voters - Democrats, Independents and
Republicans - including the people of
Ann Arbor.
B ond. James bloody Bond. They say
he died with the Cold War, that
Brosnan chump is wasting his time. But
what the bloody hell do they know? Bond
has been the father I never had, the shrink
I never opened up
to, the messiah I
never believed in.
He emancipated me
from the ranks of
that horribly doctri-
nal romantic school
of thought where
young quasi-Wolves
like myself live
engulfed in Right
Guard and
edate.com, flinging
me into the greener Waj
pastures of striking Syed
reality: covert oper-
ations and overt
cleavages.3 ama s. 3
News Flash-
Fight Club, the super-casted
superthriller ras a chilling look into
schizophrenia and its imposing dimen-
sions, alongside a retrograde plot of cyn-
ical criticism against the artificiality of
the materialistic and capitalistic nineties
- Not Flashed On News Flash - That it
took Fox Pictures Sl00 million movie,
two of the biggest names in Tinsel Town
and a marketing campaign smart and
sexy enough to inspire a perennial bum
like moi to drive to the theatre in his
S229/imonth VU buy an eight dollar
movie ticket, complemented by a S3
Coke and a S5 tub of popcorn, and thus
become an ardent proponent of the war
against the Evil Globali-ed Economy.
O Yes, Commander Bond, my very own
Dalai Lama, unflustered defender of the
Crown, clad in his Seville Row suit that
never wrinkles and tie that never lets him
down, showed me the path. You too can
see the light. Just look at the signs
around you - Car and Driver has been
running James' BMW's ad for a couple of
centuries now. CNN takes cares of his
Nokia commercials. That Fortune mag
handles his Omega chronometer, and I
know for a fact the Mt. Holyoke News
ran an extensive piece on his briefs sanc-
tioned by Lizzy II. So, do you feel igno-
rant'?
News Flash - The Cider House Rules,
Golden Globe close call and Oscar
prodigy, is a beautifuidly subtle challenge
of abortion and racism issues - Not
Flashed On News Flash - Indeed, the
movie is so beautifully subtle that many
low spirited individuals who are not sat-
isfied with lifegodloveJbodmoneysex have
confessed that if given a chance of being
reborn, they would choose to be orphans
in the 1940s, preferably placed in the
rural Northeast. When and where else
could orphans be the Princes of Maine
and the Kings of New England, and not
the starving, horrid wretches which
orphans from other places are bound to
be.
i'll stop on that note. For those of you
who are (still around?) reading this
through your last Sammy Adams
enhanced afternoon before the Big Break
and could not deduce aptly, this whole
column has been a bastardly, half-hearted
attempt at thwarting the annals and rites
of contemporary cinema. Bond has gone
from noble to global. The schizophrenics
at Fight Club preach, bitch and command
us about the absolute nothingness which
accompanies our pursuit of marvellous
middle-class modality, only at the
expense of our greenback patronage.
Writers like John Irving defile the
reality of their own book to pen out
caloric screenplays, pre-cooked for the
censors, making underage couples hold
hands and sniffle in the back rows of
Showcase. Pepsi tries to sell the abstrac-
tion that the force will be with us every
time we purchase 32 ounces of Jar Jar's
favorite thirst quencher. Even the critics,
the old guard of art and literature, rave in
treason in their glossy weeklies. And it
all comes tumbling down, right onto that
laser-printed love letter from Visa or
MasterGod which reassures me that the
riches I am allocating in the quest for self
assuring theatrical entertainment are
good for my credit, the endangered three-
eyed vogapoga bird and Lev KamanevI
portrait in the Politburo, just as long as I
don't miss my minimum payment dead-
line.
So then. It's a Ten-Four. The crisis is
under control. The American mo-Oie
industry has initiated the new world
order, defining passages of rite for
moviegoers who are willing to live, eat,
breathe and maybe sleep with the films
they watch. Decrees of society and better
living have been printed on celluloid. 8-
mm has not only gone digital, its become
a bloody delicacy. They're drinking cline-
ma with caviar, seducing it in casinos,
mining it with diamonds, dressing it in
fur (no one dares to say that they are also
pimping it on the Strip -- that's against
the Cider House Rules).
Film, my friends, is not just the toast of
the town; it's also the first course.. And
the beautiful people need not fret. It's all
low-cal.
- faj Sved can be reached via e-mail
at tajsyeda umh.edu.
4 ENATE YPEKG
..-. -"
THOMAS KULJURGIS
I
Tee wt cr!twMt pF+ '
Identification please
Caller ID a positive addition to dorm life
University students are quick to criti-
cize University housing. Be it com-
plaints about the meal service, construction
at odd hours, or another problem, the dorm
system is a constant target of student deri-
sion. But with the proposal and trial of
Caller ID in dorms next year, it seems that
University Housing is taking a step in the
right direction. By providing dorm resi-
dents with a Caller ID service, University
Housing shows students that they are lis-
tening to their complaints and making an
effort to meet them.
The University Housing Mission
Statement states that, "The Mission of
University Housing is to create and sustain
diverse learning centered residential com-
munities that further the goals of the
University. Through partnership with oth-
ers (University Housing) provide(s) quality
programs, services and facilities for those
we serve in a caring, responsible and effec-
tive manner." By offering Caller ID to res-
idents in the dorm, University Housing is
providing students with added conve-
nience, and, more importantly, a higher
level of safety.
Although Caller ID is a positive addi-
tion to dorm-living, University Housing
should have considered spending the
money on other areas. Specifically, besides
any necessary physical construction on
dorm structure, University housing money
would be best spent offering a more flexi-
ble meal schedule.
But provided University Housing can
offer Caller ID to dorm residents for the
estimated 90-cent additional cost, or for a
few more dollars than that, Caller ID is a
positive proposal.
Administration fails
to address
concerns
TO THE DAILY:
It has been over 15 days, and the admin-
istration has not adequately addressed the
concerns of over 400 students of color on
our campus. The four-page petition did not
center around Michigamua, but rather
included it as one part. Several other
extremely important issues have been
ignored.
If our University claims to be diverse
and sensitive to the needs of all students,
including minority students, then why in
the world does it take so long to get a
decent response to a wide-ranging peti-
tion? The fact that it is taking so much
time and energy just to address
Michigamua and the other tower societies
is disgusting - and it's not even close to
being resolved! If adequate response to
student concerns is not on the administra-
tion's agenda, then what is?
CHITHRA PERUMALSWAMI
LSA SENIOR
Faculty, staff call
for consideration of
SCC's demands
TO THE DAILY:
This is a request that University
President Lee Bollinger consider the
issue put forth by the Students of Color
Coalition regarding the 5th, 6th, and 7th
floor spaces to be of utmost priority to
this institution. We, as staff and adminis-
trators at the University of Michigan,
have been working around the clock with
all of the students involved in this issue
and believe that this has gone on far too
long. We are very frustrated and disap-
pointed about the leadership demonstrat-
ed on this matter. It appears to us that it
is you who has the ultimate authority in
helping this situation come to a resolu-
tion immediately.
You have indicated that you will not
negotiate with students who are occupy-
ing a space, yet. you have negotiated with
students who haveoccupied spaces in the
past. Hence.,xwhat we ask is that you
change your mind on this issue. Please
have the conversations with SCC,
Michigamua, staff, and everyone who is
being severely affected by this matter.
The university climate and our ability to
get on with the work we are committed to
doing is being disrupted by your unwill-
ingness to involve yourself and make this
a priority at the University of Michigan.
- This letter was written by Jackie
Simpson and over 40 other faculty and
staff members.
I Ptter ignored
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Click to save
Visiting website will help save the rainforest
ers who made sure that the new world
being built would be one worth living in.
If history can teach us anything, it is that
progressive social action will be as neces-
sary in the age of globalization as it was
in the age of industrialization.
Janego is thinking too small to see the
alternatives as being either miserable
unemployment or miserable sweatshop
labor. There is a third possibility: Decent
labor, at a decent wage, in a decent facto-
ry. And with University President Lee
Bollinger's decision to join the Worker
Rights Consortium following SOLE's sit-
in, that third possibility may soon become
a reality for the many workers helping to
fund our educations by making University
apparel.
BILL ABRESCH
LSA JUNIOR
SCC occupation
based on flawed
argument
TO THE DAILY:
The Students of Color Coalition have
made a mockery of the University. No
organization no matter how "grand" the
cause has the. right to break the law. Yet
the SCC has committed several acts that
are illegal; breaking and entering, theft of
private property and slander against
Michigamua. The SCC claims theseventh
floor is public space, but it has been
reported the University gave an unlimited
lease on the seventh floor to Michigamua.
Even if the space is in fact public, that
doesn't give the SCC the right to break in.
Protesters don't storm the White House or
the Capital building when they feel they
have a worthy cause.
The most amazing thing about the SCC
attack on Michigamua is how the University
is coddling groups like SCC and SOLE.
Leaders should not give in to terrorist orga-
nizations, or else a small group of extrem-
ists will always be able to force their opin-
ions over the rest of the student body.
The SCC argument really comes down
,o Mehiria'.c n-e of Ntive Americann
along with drums and daincing.
PAUL LANKHEET
ENGINEERING FIRST-YEAR STUDENT
SOLE's actions an
embarrassment to
the University
Every day, more than 100 species
become extinct. The single greatest
cause of species extinction in the next
century will be tropical deforestation.
Scientists estimate that roughly five to ten
percent of tropical rainforest species will
be destroyed per decade if current rates of
tropical forest loss and disturbance con-
tinue. So what can we do to help? Simple
- click a button.
Visit http://rainforest.care2.com, run-
ning until Earth Day on April 22. You can
go once a day and, with the click of a but-
ton, make a donation to protect rainforest
land free of charge. Supervised by Care2,
an organization dedicated to the improve-
ment and preservation of the environment,
every day that you click on the site button
each of their sponsors donates five cents.
Each person's individual impact is charted
and students should also trv to get their
..-, -,
Following Earth Day the names of the
top 100 rainforest saving participants will
be disclosed on Care2.com and an addi-
tional 1,000 acres will be donated for their
efforts. All of the money raised by the
Website will go directly to the Nature
Conservancy's Adopt An Acre program,
which focuses on preserving two to three
imperiled forest sites each year. Currently
this program is working to protect Brazil's
largest wetland, covering more than
68,000 square miles.
Over the last decade, 113 million rain-
forest acres have been destroyed. Of the
3,000 plants that have anti-cancer proper-
ties, 70 percent grow in rainforests. More
than 50 percent of species live in tropical
rainforests. By making the minimal effort
to go to this site each day for the next few
months, you can save lives, preserve
species and guard valuable ecosystems for
TO THE DAILY:
To the members of SOLE:
Have any of you been to Washington,
D.C. lately? There are thousands of groups
lobbying for ideals, which arguably, may be,.
more crucial to our nation than your cause.
But what do these groups do when the rep-
resentatives don't do what they want? They°
send letters, talk to their politicians, and get
support from their fellow constituents. But
they never trespass the office of anyone on-
Capital Hill and refuse to leave until their
demands are left.
Your idea of taking over an adminis- *
trative office is childish. I thoughtaI
woald just ignore this and let it go by as°
one of the daily protests that students
hold at the University. But when I heard
that you were preenting the Dean of LSA
from accomplisching their job I was
appalled. There are 30,000 plus other stu-
dents here who are focused on their edu-
cation. How ignorant are you to prevent
their access to to an administration that is
able to work effectively and in the stu-
dents' best interest?
I doubt may of you have been to class
lately to see this but there are many prob-
lems with this University that need to be
addressed imnvediately: Lack of new tech-
nological resources, GSI shortages, affir-
mative action/racial issues, and much
more. Sadly, but obviously (to everyone but
you), the Urniversity does not have time
right now to deal with global problems. I
realize that sweatshop labor is important to
you and if you'd look around you would
find many channels at the University for.2'
expressing that concern.
. That was a lovely picture in last
Friday's Daily of you guys reading about
yourselves in USA Today. Here you are
nooiinpte ,nffice f o eone who has
I