4A - The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 24, 1999

I1e digrni ud,
420 Maynard Street HEATHER KAMINS
Ann Arbor. MI 48109 .' Editor in Chief
daily.letters@umich.edu

Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan

JEFFREY KOSSEFF
DAVID WALLACE
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 ofThe Michigan Daily.
FROM THE DAILY
Joint parking venture with city benefits all

he never ending search for parking sumers and residents who wish
by students, faculty and city resi- business on South University but
dence could be recognized as Ann Arbor's inconvenient and almost impossi
most-hated, most-participated-in pastime. find parking.
The problem has become so apparent that Despite the diversity and uniq
the University and the city of Ann Arbor of merchants in the South Uni'
recently entered into a joint venture, area, consumers could be swayed to
agreeing to share the operating cost of the shopping areas like Briarwood
Forest Avenue-Willard Street parking because of its hassle-free, lots-of-p
structure once it is rebuilt. Construction alternative. A vibrant business en
is scheduled to finish by March of 2001. ment means a better environment f
Such a measure is a smart one for the dents.
University because it begins to alleviate The expanded structure alloy
the problem of access to the South about 400 additional spaces, perr
University/Central Campus area. 590 non-University cars to park. A
The selling point is that sharing the venture such as the one underway is
cost allows the University 32 percent of for the University, as well as benefi
the structure's capacity, adding a total of business owners and consumers.
277 spaces for University use. The Many students, administators an
increase improves parking options for officials tend to forget that a sizab.
University employees. Providing more tion of the student body relies on au
spaces for University employees keeps biles to get to and from campus. 7
open non-University spots, allowing more especially true for graduate student
room for students and city residents. often live farther away from C
The parking crisis affects both acade- Campus.
mic and civic life. Rebuilding the struc- Hopefully, the Forest Avenue-V
ture benefits South University Avenue- St. parking structure project will

to do
find it
ble to
ueness
versity
o other
Mall
arking
viron-
or stu-
ws for
mtting
A joint
smart
cial to
nd city
le por-
utomo-
This is
s, who
entral
Willard
set a

Soda vs. Pop: Politics for Dummies
T here\ ar ni thins that drive aged.
iTl m cz r s one of them. I'm There were about 50 people on th
sre Ou knew the scenario. A bunch of already, with some very opinioi
people are haneing out and someone gets responses.
ihirsst. She gesires towards a can of Diet "It's SODA.' said a girl from Wisco
Coke and asks the "GET IT STRAIGHT."
Host of Ie athetitg I guess they don't tell the kid
if she cat hase scume Wisconsin what we were told during
pop. Soecne else computer etiquette lesson at orienta
overhears and that we should not type in all-
instanty jumps i because it is SHOUTING and consii
usual ly with, "YOu RUDE.
mean soda The The "pop' side seemed to bei
thirsty person is mature in their responses. Jessica W
ttimmediately on the from Seattle, even offered a rational e
defenste. She nation. "That's what the bubbles do in
responds sharply mouth,' she wrote. "They pop!"
"No. actually, I The best rebuttal from the soda
meant what I said. I Jennifer came from no. 21 on the list - a girl
meant pop.Strausz California, who rationalized, "I c
I his sparks a stand the word pop.
debate, wshichi is I'm convinced. You'?
never shorter than ai In spite of the unnecessary hostility
hour long, and usua it causes, the biggest problem that I
ly lasts longer than tttwo. Eventually, every- with the "soda vs. pop" argument is si
one in the room takes a stand. Friends are the fact that there is nothing tot
div ided, tears are sited. thirst is ignored - about.
all oer the tre pence ttnie name for Diet I'll say it again: There is nothir
Cke. argue about!
I recently got a forwarded e-mail about There are some things to discussv
this es er-contros ersial dispute (I guess actually matter, like where to go for I
nni-i' / iinatititii du hadn't seen the Strong, convincing arguments can bi
posters i the fishbowl of the gusy being ulated: "We haven't been to Breug
burnt at the stake by mobs of angry mass in a while," or "Amer's has really goo
e-mail recipientsi 'is stated by its origina- ads." At the end of the discussion, a
tor, the purpose of this particular e-mail elusion is reached, and there's ev
chain iwas to "fi-itre out if it's soda or pop reward. Lunch.
just in certain States or anytlhing like that. " With soda and pop, nothing ca
I was instructed to add an entry to the resolved. No one is going to suddenly
rapidly-grosng list - to type my name, insight and change their mind. No o
where Im irom and what I call America's going to suddenly drop a term that
favorite bueiae. Other comments, I was have used their whole lives simply be
told were optional but strongly encour- someone convinces them that an
THOMAS KULJURGIS
National Guard
does not ensure
liberty

e list
nated
nsin.
Is in
g our
ation:
-caps
dered
more
Mirth,
xpla-
your
side
from
Iannot
y that
have
mply
argue
ng to
which
unch.
e for-
gger's
d sal-
con-
en a
an be
y gain
ne is
they
cause
other

word is better. It's like arguig an accent.
Imagine this cottersation taking place:
SOUTHERNER: You shouldn't speak
with a New York accent. I can't stand it.
NEW YORKER: I have an accent'? I
thought that tou had an accent. Silly mte!
Okay. I'll start talking like you.
fThe smile and ecr'hng a heartr
handshake.)
SOUTHERNER: I knew you'd see it my
way.
That just wouldn't happen, not even on
Sesame Street.
So why, then, is the "soda vs. pop" con-
versation so prevalent'? What's the attrac-
tion that makes people from all over the
world come together, and then be pulled
apart, at the heart of this important matter?
I think I've got it figured out.
It is the one issue that everyone has an
opinion about. I mean, you have to call it
something, so why not be adamant about
what you call it? "Soda vs. pop" is a won-
derful topic for people who are indecisise
about politics. It gives them something to
debate - something about which they
have a definite opinion.
Do you feel left out in political discus-
sions because you don't know which polit-
ical party you identify with? Well you
won't be left out now. Soda drinkers. band
together. Pop drinkers, you too. You inde-
pendent candidates, who call it something
like cola or soda-pop. be prepared for
some opposition. But don't be afraid to
speak your mind.
Just don't do it around me.
-Jennir Straus: would like to express
her sincere gratitude to Donna and the rest
ofthe stafft tiShattan Drumfor their help
and understanling when she fAinteil in the
textbook line. S h tun e reached oier e-
mail at jstriusi umih.edi.


Rfl/i
t 2'is

area merchants and teir customers andt
this in turn benefits the community as a
whole. The Ann Arbor Downtown
Development Authority commissioned a
study in 1997 to evaluate area-parking
demand and found that on average, South
University was at 102 percent of its park-
'ing capacity. This means that on average,
every legal spot was filled with an addi-
tional 2 percent of cars parked illegally.
Results like this are a reality for con-
n' '
Private financing is
hen the University Board of
Regents adopted a proposal to cre-
ate the Life Sciences Institute in May, it
was well aware of the extent of the pro-
ject. The Life Sciences Institute is funde-
mental to the University's continued
growth.
A report prepared for the regents stat-
ed that the goal of the institute, "Simply
stated ... is to place Michigan at the fore-
front, in a position of leadership, for
research and education in the life sci-
ences."
The final cost of the complex that will
house the LSI is $200 million. Portions of
state funds ($50 million split annually
among University of Michigan, Wayne
State and Michigan State University) will
also enable the construction of the facili-
ty. To help fund the project, Parke-Davis
recently donated $5 million to support a
bioinformatics program in the new insti-
tute.
This form of fundraising is an out-
standing way to augment the development
of the LSI, as well as other future
University ventures. The University
should actively seek out more donators to
facilitate such works.
But this does not mean selling adver-
tising space on every inch of University
grounds. Rather, the University should
remain on the lookout for philanthropists
or companies seeking public admiration
for furthering education in sciences such
has bioinformatics.
Bioinformatics is an expanding field
within the life sciences that the
University cannot afford to ignore. The
field involves microbiological data that
can be stored and analyzed using comput-

precedent for more joint ventures. Recent
TO THE DAILY:
assaults near campus brought attention to The Daily editorial ("Right to Bear
unresolved issues that should be Armsr 9 22 99) is an attack on the Bill of
addressed by city and University alike. Rights and the s ey foundations of our coon-
Parking has always been a problem in try and our behies \tth no proof. merely
Ann Arbor, and the lack of it hurts both overused rhetoric. the Daily only besmirches
University students and local businesses. tspreetense as a legitimate soice Of the Stu-
Ample parking will ensure the continued The purpose ofthesecond Amendment is
success of the city's inner core and be a not for the people to bear arms in a setting
welcome convenience for University fac- controlled by the government. as is stated in
ulty and students. your editoriali but the exact opposite. The
Second Amendment provides for a check on
the power of the government and the army by
the people. if the government controls this
h e f u tu re check on their own power. then there is in fact
nothtg impedig any chosen action of the
cs ruoiernme.T lhe Nautional Guard cannot be
necessary for LSI cnsidered i 'h s "ellregdated militia? as
they are dependant upon the gocernment for
er technology. A chief project, entitled the their supply of weapons. their trainiing facii-
Human Genome Project, expects to ties. their instrucors and nearly eery other
determine the sequence of DNA in the facet of ther eistence as a coherent unit.
human genome, and is on pace to be com- The editorial stes that the National
pleted by 2003 - the same year in which Guard "is still composed of civilians who the
the University intends to complete the government trusts to bear arms." It is not
LSI those that the government trusts who the
founding fathers wanted to make up this safe-
With the information gathered from guard against governmental tyranny, but
the Human Genome Project, huge med- rather those who the government does not
ical breakthroughs are expected. Such trust. If the colonial militias were made up of
cutting edge progress is the reason why so those colonists trusted by the British Crown,
many students and staff devote their time instead of those who the Crown distrusted
and money to the life sciences. With fur- and sought to arrest, the American
ther funding and an elite staff, the Revolution could never have happened.
in regards to the supposed benefits of the
University could be a worldwide leader in eiiati cf pt/sate gun ownership in other
research and education in the field within countries, the editorial asserts the benefits,
a few years. yet offers no proof no government studies,
Naturally, some may claim that private reports or other evidence that your claims are
grants could negatively influence true. other than a vague statement about a UN
research. This is a legitimate complaint study. The editorial points out that other
and the University should prevent private countries consider our gun control laws
p laughable. The Daily seems to have forgot-
interests from guiding or manipulating ten. however. that these are the same couin-
research. tries who laughed at the idea of an indepen-
In this specific case there appears to dent, democratic nation. where the people
be no plan by Parke-Davis to interfere controlled the goernment rather than the
with research. In fact, the company, with gosernment controIhtng the people. Yet this
one facility in Ann Arbor and another in idea was so successful that sitce its inception
Holland, Mich., has previously donated it has been the model on which these same
money to University projects, and no such developed countr/es have based their new
govertments.
problems have arisen. As long as the W hile icidents such as Columbine are
donors remain impartial to research con- itdeed tragic. they are not preventable by the
ducted at the LSI, no conflicts should banning of weapons. The weapons that were
materialize. used in this icident were obtained illegally,
Alumni, current students and staff as are o'er 75 percent of guns used in crimes.
have many reasons to take pride in Critinals will hae guns no matter what the
University facilities. By adapting to the law. The Daily's response is that there are
other ways to defend oneself. How? If an
times, there can be many more reasons to armed tniruder has a gun, are you expected to
be proud. Ignoring valuable sources of defend yourself with rhetoric on the dangers
money for significant undertakings is an of guns?
option, but not one that should be consid- Finally, the Second Amendment does pro-
ered. de for priate firearm ownership.as it must.
If it does not, then how is the formation of the
"well-regulated Militia" to be formed? Does
the Daily deny that such a body is necessary
UX t - a to the security of a free State? If so, leave the
country. you do not believe in the
Constitution or the ideas behind it. If not, then
1 your entire line of reasoning and logic is not
r only convoluted. but tragically flawed. I beg
ou to keep in mind the old adage: "When
- v nguns are outhswed only outlaws will have

ic~ /i.

Federalist Papers
indicate purpose of
Second Amendment
TO THE DAILY:
The editorial ("Right to bear arms'?"
9/22/99) is the best I've read on this topic. I
congratulate you on your logic and on your
recomendation. It is surprising to me that
other people with this point of view do not
reference and quote from "The Federalist
Papers" more often. My reading of the
Papers tells me that the founding fathers
feared a standing army and wrote the
Second Amendment to facilitate militias.
The Second Amendment is unusual in form,
but clear.
Even if it wasn't clear, times have
changed. We don't have 10 million people
living on farms in our country, but have 270
million living mostly close together in
cities. And we don't have only single shot
musket rifles now. Unfortunately, as long as
political campaigns are financed by our
"bribe" system as they are now, we will not
get rid of guns. Thank you again for your
ideas.
G.E. PAVUK
UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS
Editorial's rationale
leads to absurd
conclusions
TO THE DAILY:
The editorial ("Right to bear arms?"
9/22/99) was poorly investigated and an
even more poorly defended argument.
I've never seen a reliable publication pub-
lish such rubbish on an important issue.
The editorial clearly acknowledged
the original reason and interpretation of
the Second Amendment; it exists to pro-
vide the citizens of the United States a
means to revolt against an oppressive
government. It then proceeded to claim
that the National Guard is a suitable
replacement for private militias to meet
that purpose. The fundamental point it is
failing to grasp is that the National Guard
is still a government-controlled organiza-
tion. If the citizens of the United States
were to begin a revolt, the National Guard
would be useless to those who are driving
the revolt, and will instead be mobilized
by the state and federal governments to
suppress the revolt.
The editorial also states that "Hunting
and target shooting are popular sports,
attracting many responsible gun owners.
But the safety of the majority should not
be compromised by a pastime. The gov-

ernment should not allow guns simply to
preserve hunting." Was the entire editori-
al staff born and raised in some metropol-
itan area where it took eight hours to get
to the nearest woodlands? Hunting is a
way of life for many, many people in rural@
areas. When you look at the demograph-
ics in states like Maine, New Hampshire.
Montana and others, you'll find that hunt-
ing is a part of people's lives. It allows
them to earn money, to protect their crops
from varmints and other animals and to
gather food for eating. If the Daily
believes that hunting is purely a "pas-
time," it's deluding itself, and bringing its
readers with it.
The editorial also raised the figure oft
healthcare expenditures for firearm relat-
ed injuries. Try looking at the figures for
automobile accidents. Car accidents are
the number one cause of death for the 15-
24-year-old age group, which is also the
age group with the highest incidence of
firearm homicide. Take a look at
http: //wsw.traiima/dn.orginjuries/Omal
e25.html for more information. Now,
according to the rationale of the editorial,@
we should ban all motorvehicles, and
make everyone ride a bicycle.
Finally, the editorial claims that one of
the Daily's primary reasons for writing it
was the shooting in Columbine, Colo. The
problem is that a ban against guns simply
wouldn't have helped at all in that situa-
tion. Even if, by some magical feat, all
firearms were eliminated from the hands
of Americans, those students would still
have massacred their classmates.
Building bombs is a simple and easy task
for any person with basic chemistry
knowledge and access to a library. Had
those students used explosives instead of
firearms, it's likely that the death toll
would have been much, much higher.
Imagine if there were bombs placed up
the sides of a staircase leading to the front
door of the school, or along the sides of a
hallway. When a large number of students
would be leaving, they would have been
blown to bits by high explosive charges.
So, what's the solution? Ban all com-
bustible liquids! No sale of metal pipe to
people under 25 years of age! Lighters
and matches are no longer permitted!
Hopefully, the Daily will see the
absurdity of this argument. The Daily's
editorial staff has used the editorial page
as an open venue to spread their owi .
political agenda and useless rhetoric to a
large audience. What the Daily should be
advocating is the concept of tolerance and
acceptance of others, because without
that, violence will always be a part of
society.
ANDREW KNUTSON
LSA SOPHOMORE
0

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