4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 4, 2000 i E S it1gu &ziIg Thoughts on Columbine and Americas youth 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 dailyletters@umich.edu Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan MYIKE 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. Alternative fuels must not be forgotten « ife is like a ride on thefreeway, dodg- eing bullets whileyou're trying to find your way." - The Qffspring I'm not really a big basketball fan, but when I do watch basketball, I root for the Sacramento Kings. I lived in Sacramento for six years as a kid and was there when the Kings first moved into Arco Arena (the. old one.) I suffered through losing season' after losing season for years, so I guess it's> pretty understandable > why I'm excited about ' the Kings' recent turn- 2 a around. Branden Recently, I came Sant across a story that, Chris Webber had ... paid for a Michigan m e fan who survived the Columbine tragedy to watch the Kings battle the Philadelphia 76ers in Sacramento. Apparently, C-Webb got the young man a seat behind the Kings bench dur- ing the game and later introduced him to members of the media. This, along with the recent elementary-school shooting in Mt. Morris, got me thinking about the Columbine incident, and the rash of school shootings that have plagued America over the last few years, and basically served to piss me off anew. Why do these things happen? Or, more to the point, why have they suddenly started happening? Well, I think the answer to this is fourfold. The first point is that this is not real- ly a new phenomenon, just an extension of an old one. What do I mean? Well, ever since the idea of "school" began (i.e. placing young people together in an learning environment) there have been "haves" and "have-nots." Every school in America has, to some extent or another, its cliques - cool kids, jocks, hip- pies, stoners, preppies, geeks, nerds and other undesirables. For these undesirables, life can be hell. Being a kid is tough, and for some reason or another, some kids just don't handle it as well as others. The difference between now and 30 years ago is that, back in the '60's and '70's, when these kids snapped, they just killed themselves. Now, they are taking other people with them. But why? Well, we only have our- selves to blame. The pop culture of young people in Ameri- ca today is one of rawness and aggression unprecedented in modern history. Television and movies are more violent and sexually explicit than ever; music that glamorizes gang violence, pornography, suicide and murder is not only acceptable - it has become main- stream; there is now an "extreme" sport for everything, from skiing to surfing, to mountain biking. Sports heroes are no longer clean-cut, all-American guys but rather tattoo-clad, trash- talking bad boys. So it really any wonder the lonely, the hopeless, the dejected are now. deciding to go out with a bang rather than going softly into that goodnight? Not really. Second, parenting skills have hit an all- time low in America. I understand that folks have to earn a living, but if you're so wrapped up with your job you can't take the time to notice your kids have built a goddamn bomb factory in your garage, you probably should have been chemically sterilized at puberty. Third, the media. At all of these school shootings, I've seen cameras flying about in the aftermath, trying to record the drama, pain and suffering, attempting to imprint the event into our collective psyche. But what Since the end of the Gulf War, America has been riding a tidal wave of cheap oil. We have seen SUV's take over the road and we have watched environmental- ly conscious vehicles like GM's electric EV1 fail to make an impact. But after a short decrease in oil production and the obvious recent rise in gasoline costs that followed, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has announced increased oil exports to combat higher prices at the pump. This decision was not made in a vacu- um or out of goodwill toward gas guzzling motorists. After months of pressure to increase production, OPEC began pump- ing out more oil to appease the United States and prevent alternative fuel sources from gaining ground in the energy market. Despite bolstering the economy by keep- ing transportation costs at manageable levels, this oil increase comes as a detri- ment to environmental efforts and alterna- tive fuel research. The long-term effects of oil depen- dence are beginning to show. Global warming, oil spills, pollution and acid rain are serious threats that cannot overshadow the short-term economic gain of oil dependence. Automakers are poised to usher in a new era of alternative energy sources, such as the Honda Insight hybrid diesel/electric vehicle which reaches upwards of 60 miles per gallon or hydro- gen fuel cells. Such fuel cells could be on the market within five years. Hydrogen does not pollute the air with harmful gases when combusted, but leaves only water. It can be made using solar power, an alterna- tive energy source that was put on the back (gas) burner after the first OPEC oil embargo was lifted in the 70's. OPEC has learned from its mistakes. With so many alternative fuel sources becoming poised to replace oil, keeping gas cheap and plentiful is the only way to keep oil markets viable. Fuel cell stocks had even seen major surges recently, as investors became weary of oil futures. These alternative fuels could be pushed back again unless the government, indus- try and citizens make concerted efforts to look beyond America's dependence on oil. Right now, conservative lawmakers, headed by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, are pushing for a 4.3-cent rollback in the federal gas tax. While reducing the price of gas will boost the economy by quieting citizens, promoting summer trav- el and lowering transportation expenses, the truth is that oil is a non-renewable resource with extremely detrimental effects on the environment. We cannot remain blindly dependent on it. What we need is a renewed effort to break the dependence' on oil. We need to support alternative fuel research and deny our votes to government officials who are slopping at the big oil soft money trough. George W Bush is in support of the gas tax rollback, calling it the "Gore tax" because Gore cast the final vote to estab- lish the tax in 1993. Citizens must educate themselves about alternative fuels and make efforts to conserve and reserve. We must leave the environment intact. This can be done without detriment to the economy if we make efforts to research alternative fuels now. OPEC is yanking motorists by the chain. Alternative fuels are the long-ignored path to a sustainable future. does that really accomplish? Basically, other kids who are toying around with the idea of offing themselves see how a nobody can become a somebody simply by squeezing a trigger. The media turns these young killers into heroes among their disenfranchised brethren, but nobody ever bothers to state what fucking cowards they are. That's right - cowards. Being a kid is tough, but it's how kids deal with the adversity that turns them into the men and women they will be - if they ever make it that far. Last, political correctness. Yes, I see some of you shaking your heads, wondering how political correctness could possibly be respon- sible for any of this. Well, gentle reader, let me explain. The "kinder, gentler" society we are becoming (in theory, anyway - see above) promotes the idea that nothing is anyone's fault. Blame the gun manufacturers, blame the video games, blame music, blame television. Just, whatever you do, don't blame the perpe- trator. Don't say: "This person was wrong. He was fucked-up. He was evil." Some of you are going to graduate in a few weeks and start families of your own, maybe even in the near future. Just please be careful. I know some people who say they would never bring a child into this world, and while I respect their opinions, I can't agree. Some people say it's harder to raise a child than ever before, but I don't believe that either. I think our concept of what raising a child actually is just differs greatly from what it used to be. And that, to me, is the sad thing. Nothing exists in a vacuum. Kids can't raise themselves - only parents can. If you choose to take on that burden, understand the joy that can come out of it, but please recog nize what an awesome responsibility it really is. The future of America depends on it. -Branden Sanz can be reached v' e-mail at hamrhead@umich.edu GRINDING THE NIB CHIP CULLEN ,. Vacciantion Military should investigate anthrax vaccine Release of student information clarified TO THE DAILY: This letter is to clarify two important aspects of the Magistrate's ruling on the release of student information (reported in the Michigan Daily on March 31, 2000). First, with respect to the small number of application files of enrolled students that have been requested, the University will be removing all information that could identify a student, such as name, address, Social Security number or other identifying infor- mation. Second the University will be send- ing a notice in advance to all the' students whose names and telephone numbers have been requested. If the student objects to our releasing their information, we will not release it. The notice will tell students how to inform us if they do not wish their infor- mation released. ELIZABETH BARRY UNIVERSITY DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL Menus overwhelm Stockwell residents TO THE DAI.Y: I am a resident of the fourth floor of Stockwell Hall. My fellow hallmates and I are sick and tired of the Pizza House menus we keep receiving in theamiddle ofthe day. The past two days we have come home to these menus sticking out from underneath our doors and we know that the Pizza House fairy has visited us once again. We love Pizza House, don't get me wrong. However, we already have at least three menus each. Most of us have the entire menu memorized or at least know our favorites. One would think that by the number of orders received from our floor, that Pizza House would realize that us hungry girls are not the ones to whom they need to advertise. 4u 1 I4. / ,.. 't4'- ' ~ffi* j h .p yr > -.., e . ° '/7 r' a . 9 - / " flV ~ ( 4 IL ast Thursday, Air Force Major Sonnie Bates was discharged from the mili- tary for refusing the controversial anthrax vaccine. He was one of the highest-rank- ing officials in the military to decline the unproven and unsafe vaccine. By letting Bates go, the Department of Defense has wasted an opportunity to seriously reeval- uate its decision to vaccinate all military personal against the biological agent. It must stop these forced vaccinations and instead work to find better way to safe- guard our military. Anthrax is an extremely deadly bacteri- um used in biological warfare. Infection can be treated after exposure to the biolog- ical agent, but only if treatment is given before symptoms appear. Once illness sets in, the patient will almost certainly die. Accordingly, the Defense Department has looked for more preventative measures, such as vaccines, to treat infection. While it is generally a good idea to protect our troops against biological weapons, the way in which the military has implemented its anthrax vaccination program is not. In 1998, Defense Secre- tary William Cohen ordered the military's entire 2.4 million active. and reserve uni- formed personnel to take vaccine. Anyone who refused the inoculation was subject to possible court marshal and dishonorable discharge from the military. Approximate- ly 200-300 people have refused the inocu- lation so far. Several of them are currently facing disciplinary action. The main reason people should not be forced to take the vaccine is its negative side effects. It has been blamed for caus- ing fevers, muscle pains and dizziness for those who take it. Of the 400,000 people already vaccinated, there have been 620 adverse reactions to the shot, some of which required hospitalization. While the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Defense maintain that it is safe, these statistics provide ample justifi- cation for giving people the right to refuse inoculation. ' But even these figures do not tell the full story. A congressional report recently stated that side effects are underreported because of an "institutional culture that is hostile, even resistant, to reports." This lack of reporting is indicative of an agency that refuses accountability for its actions. Not only is the Department of Defense unwilling to believe that its vac- cine is unsafe, but it won't even examine the possibility seriously. The vaccine should not be forcibly administered until the military proves its effectiveness. It is an extremely old vac- cine developed to counter anthrax infec- tion in cases where bacteria have penetrated the skin. It was not developed to stop infection when the biological agent is inhaled (this would occur if anthrax was ever used as a biological weapon). Even the Journal of the American Medical Association concludes that there is insuffi- cient evidence to prove the effectiveness of the vaccine against inhalational anthrax. This is because there have been strikingly few studies to determine the vaccines effectiveness on humans. The military must stop using its employees as guinea pigs for this experi- mental vaccine and end its program to inoculate all active and reserve uniformed soldiers. At the very least, they should adequately test the vaccine before they inoculate "America's Finest." While mandatory inoculations of tried-and-true vaccines such as those required for chil- dren may be necessary public health ini- tiatives, administration of unsafe and experimental vaccines are not. Vaccines, after all, are intended to prevent illness, not cause it. In my belief, most everyone knows about Pizza House and usually considers it when coming home from a party at 3 a.m. So Pizza House, if you're reading, the girls of Stock- well 4-0 have enough menus to last us a life- time. You already have our business. Please, please, stop wasting this paper and use it on someone more useful. In the meantime, we'll just eat our pizza. ERIN HARTL LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT Wolverines were disqualified unfairly TO THE DAILY: I am writing this letter in reference to the disqualification of the MSA Wolverine candidates. I consider myself a part of the Wolverine Party and there are a few things that I would like the students to know The publication of the disqualification of these candidates led to the tarnishing of the names of all of the candidates that ran with the MSA Wolverine party. Although students may think that the entire party cheated to earn votes, this is an untrue and unfair assessment. No MSA candidate of this party had any knowledge of the actions that led to the disqualification. Yet they were held accountable for the actions of a non-candidate that committed a violation. This is unprecedented and extremely unfair. The MSA candidates put their hearts into a clean campaign and should not have been disqualified from the elec- tion. Students voted seven Wolverine can- didates into nine of the available LSA seats and elected the Kinesiology Wolverine Rep. I spent hours campaigning with these people and feel that they are among the most dedicated, hard-working and honest students I have ever encountered at the University. Running on low sleep and tremendous pressure, they continued their 24-hour campaigning because they believed in their abilities to make a differ- ence at the University. It is a shame to me that the student body of the University will not be represented by those eight candi- dates they fairly elected. JULIE NEUBERT LSA SOPHOMOR E 0 Seniors. Go to a movie, don 't worry about thatfinal 've been on this campus a long time. As an undergraduate and graduate stu- dent, I've been through twelve semesters of exams. And what I've learned from them is this - that it doesn't really matter what you got on that last exam, but that you appreciated those last days with your friends and took care of your physical and mental health. Will that grade on your Chem exam really matter in 10 years? One of the biggest regrets I have is that I spent_ too much time '> stressing out over school and not enough time relax- Michelle ing and enjoying the last semester of my Bolek when I was up really late finishing a paper and felt tired and crabby the next day. There were times when I declined invitations to go out because I had too much work to do. There were times when I felt really stressed out and had a moun- tain of work. But overall, my priorities changed tremendously. Now that I'm graduating from graduate school, I can honestly look back at the last two years and say that I had a fantastic experience. It's hard to take care of yourself in col- lege, though. There is so much pressure to do well coming from your parents, your friends, yourself. A lot of us based a sig- nificant part of our worth on being A stu- dents in high school and expect the same in college. Going to school here is a tremendous pressure in itself, especially if you are planning to go on to a competitive graduate school. Grades matter - I'm not trying to say that they don't - but they distanced from my friends and family, I started to take care of myself and rebuild those relationships. I came to the conclu- sion that the number on the scale and the grades on my report card had nothing to do with my worth as a person. I also made a decision to never again sacrifice build- ing a strong friendship for an academic achievement. You learn much more out- side of the classroom that you ever will inside one. It took a long time for me to put myself and my priorities first. Some peo- ple think I'm crazy when I tell them that I went to graduate school for a Maste's degree that will probably not earn me any more money than I could get with my BS. But I don't care about that. I care that I will love my job. I will get the job I want with those B's on my report card. The couple of C's I got as an undergrad didn't finish me off either.