4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 10, 2001 OP/ED E c e 9U[irl rgtttt ttil 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 daily. letters@umich.edu EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 GEOFFREY GAGNON Editor in Chief MICHAEL GRASS NICHOLAS WOOMER 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. NOTABLE QUOTABLE I'm worried sick about what's going to happen with Supreme Court nominations, trade policy, the environment, if we get eight years of Bush ... But I'm also worried about the prospect that we could have four years of Bush and then four years of a DLC Democrat." - Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) in the Sept. 17, issue of The Nation. 14.w a? 1I r fir#* Pot 0 AI 4F. jJ kJ A $ s he e ±o t k,'a wev % p~ ih A flO1 *A 0 A i5 GlCir . W 4 ux lS t{' } o a [ J' qr and t . y r a / tuStRJK F il Hey Nike, this one's on me. JOHANNA HANINK IN THE PARLANCE OF OUR TIMES n mid May I sat in the common room of my hostel on the Isle of Skye watching a British Broadcasting Corporation segment on globalization. A cursory glance or a rea- sonable assumption would hardly lead to the conclu- sion that the Isle of Skye, an island that lies off the northwest coast of Scotland, seethes with the oft-touted destructive consequences of globalization: corporate influ-' ence in every cultural corner and a worldwide society that dresses, dines and perhaps thinks in a uniform way. Virginia Woolf, during her stay on the Isle, sent a postcard to a friend with a Spartan mes- sage - but a message that still encapsulated the island's distinct persona: "Skye is often raining, but also fine: hardly embodied; semi- transparent; like living in a jellyfish lit up with green light. Remote as Samoa; deserted, prehis- toric. No room for more." As for the BBC piece, it was a brief bio- graphical career sketch of Jose Bove, France's author of "The World Is Not for Sale," a book that has akeady been translated into dozens of languages and which outlines the negative effects of globalization as it is presently pro- ceeding. Bove, famous for both the philosophy of his anti-McDonald's campaign and the action behind that movement - he has led groups of farmers in physically destroying McDonald's restaurants - has quickly risen to the position of one of the world's premier anti- globalization activists. But what did Jose Bove have to do with my vacation destination? Granted, no yellow arches stood out in contrast to the sharp angles of the mountain tops - there are only two McDon- ald's restaurants in the Scottish highlands and the closest one from me would be more than a half-day drive. Even so, in spite of Skye's "Samoan" isolation, the shadow of corporate America still looms in the tiny villages and out- posts that dot the island. The day we arrived there, I took a walk by myself along a riverbed in search of the famed Skye otters. What I found instead was an empty Coca-Cola bottle and a serenity disturbed by the music of Michigan's own Eminem blaring from a thatched roof cottage just off the path. Sadly, this American and big business influ- ence in what is a primarily English-speaking corner of the western world comes as no sur- prise at this stage of the game. Even more than that, it is to be expected. So I had to ask myself what, then, really bothered me about it? It's admittedly easy for an American to become numb to an American presence abroad. The part that really worries me? I was kind of happy it was there. In almost every city that I visited during my trip, the friend I traveled with and I would aid each other in creating new justifications for our surrender to Extra Value Meals: the first time, we were only weaning ourselves off of Ameri- can food, the next time we found an Irish fast food chain - Super Mac's - and reasoned that our indulgence in indigenous fast food was a dive into Irish culture. When in Rome, right? By the time we'd hit the United Kingdom we were complacent with our lamest excuse yet: buying fast food left us time and money for the sights that we had really traveled across an ocean to see. Less time eating meant more time exploring, right? It's easy to be inspired by the work of activists like Bove who argue, correctly inemy mind, that there is something inherently wrong with buying a hamburger in the United States and buying a hamburger in Sri Lanka that tastes exactly the same. But it can be even easier to be persuaded, or to persuade yourself, that there is nothing wrong with searching American fast food restaurants in Edinburgh for a working milk shake machine while passing, and ignor- ing dozens of local businesses on the way. Which is not to say that avoiding local, tra- ditional delicacies like haggis (basically every internal organ of a sheep mashed into a block that resembles meatloaf) isn't sometimes justifi- able. But every time that we, as a society, walk into the McDonald's that we are philosophically against - but which is obviously the only "restaurant" in the area with acceptable french fries - a little part of our case against that cor- poration is destroyed. The same happens every time that we figure one pair of Nike running shoes doesn't keep the sweatshops alive, that the purchase of one shirt made in China in the midst of gross human rights abuses doesn't directly hurt anybody, that your daily $4 frappuccino from Starbucks is never responsible for putting locally owned, independent coffee shops out of business; the list goes on ad infmitum. And although globalization of this sort is one of the last things that I'd personally want for the world, I have to stand up and say that I have directly funded it. Johanna Hanink can be reached via e-mail atjhanink@umich.edu. VIEWPOINT Condoms can't prove consent 0 Y IN PASSING LET GAY AND LESBIAN COUPLES ADOPT CHILDREN Last week in a Federal District Court in Florida, Judge James Lawrence King upheld a Florida law that bans lesbians and gay men from adopting children. He argued that gays "have not asserted that they can demonstrate that homosex- ual families are equivalently stable, are able to provide proper gender identification or are no more socially stigmatizing than married hetero- sexual families." This move not only affirms bigotry and is a slap in the face to gays and lesbians around the world, but it also will have extremely harmful consequences for the very children Florida is attempting to protect. First of all, there is no credible evidence proving children in gay and lesbian-headed households are any less well adjusted than those in heterosexual ones. In fact, a reputable study presented at American Psychological Associa- tion's annual conference last month concluded that the overwhelming majority of children raised in gay and lesbian households had clear and strong identities and did not experience any more problems in school than those with hetero- sexual parents. Even if someone could prove that homosex- ual parents are not "equivalent" to their hetero- sexual counterparts, it is still better for children to have some parents than none at all. It's not as if there is a surplus of parents who want to adopt children and Florida is simply weeding out those they see as least qualified. In reality there are many more children that need to be adopted than there are parents willing to adopt them, meaning children who would have otherwise been adopt- ed by loving and caring homosexual parents now simply won't have any parents at all. But it seems that the ruling has less to do with any scientific study than it does with simple intolerance and prejudice. Why else would Flori- da reject adoptions by gays and lesbians on the basis that "placing children in married homes (instead of with homosexual parents) is in the best interests of Florida's children," when about one-fourth of all adopted children go to unmar- ried heterosexual parents in the state? - Kevin Clune HIV MUTATIONS, CURES AND CAUSES A recent study shows that 20 percent of the HIV strains in existence today are resistant to today's medical treatments. Right now it is reported that there are 21 million cases of AIDS worldwide and 36 million more cases of HIV. It is obvious, with this new development, that the HIV/AIDS problem has just become more threatening. The question is, are world leaders taking these problems seriously? With President George W. Bush reluctant to fund stem-cell research and pharmaceutical companies only recently deciding to' drop a case against the South African government for distributing cheaper AIDS drugs to the poor, it isn't clear that the Western world is too concerned about this matter. Africa and the developing world are concerned, due to the high percentage of the population that is infected. It is in the Western countries' best interests to isolate the spread by any means necessary, even though it is not as large of a threat to their populations. Must we wait for it to be as large a crisis in Western Europe and the United States for the pharmaceutical companies and conserva- tive politicians to make it a national priority to find a cure? By that time it will be too late. --Ari Paul In Passing views are those of individual members of the Daily's editorial board and do not necessarily represent the opinion of The Michigan Daily. By SARAH PAYTON BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Wearing black pants, only a summer out of a high school full of prom queens and most-likely-to superlatives, some freshmen girls visit the frats, ready to find the perfect college guy that they are sure will be their boyfriend. While many freshmen probably don't have sex at any of these parties, and some don't even consider it, the facts from every resource from the Health Center to government awareness websites state that many teenagers do choose to have sex on nights like these - with partners whose last names will forever remain unknown. One of the newest gadgets on the market, the ultimate buzz kill for a couple's sex drive, is the Consent condom - a hot commodity in the British sex market that always pushes the enve- lope. The idea behind this new condom is that the partner removes an inner sleeve from the outside packaging. The sleeve that is removed then records the fingerprints of the partners, indicat- ing a mutual consent. According to Newsweek magazine, the inventor feels that the partner's consent is proven by the removal of this sleeve and can substantiate any actions that might transpire once the sleeve is removed. The partner can then tear numbers on the side of the sleeve to indicate the date of usage and after doing so can put it back in the package and give it to their partner to keep for proof, should anything go amiss when the morning comes. Sounds wonderful to many partners who could fear potential rape charges, right? While this might be the latest fad overseas, it appears to be just another excuse for sex that shouldn't be happening in the first place. VWhile random situations mixed with alcohol or drugs could wind up with one more willing partner than another, in which case the condom might come in handy, it is doubtful that two wasted people could even tear out the right date or remember to make sure that both sets of prints cover the sleeve. Rapists never have con- sent, even with protection, so the fingerprints of a victim don't guarantee a victim's willingness, in any situation. The Consent condom seems to provide a false sense of security for a sexual world that is not so secure. Rape doesn't stop for condom cases that can hold fingerprints just as it hasn't stopped at the word "no" for decades. Alcohol impairment won't instantly end when the sleeve is removed either, forcing eager freshman or college seniors to take it slow. What will probably happen with or without this Consent condom is what would have hap- pened with a regular condom or without any protection at all. Those who would have jumped into the game of sexuality, willingly or unwill- ingly, will do so and the need for fingerprint proof that slows down the intimacy of the moment seems silly and doubtful. Although the idea for proof of consent seems like a good one, the true proof of consent should come from two willing people in love or with a mutual desire, who understand the reper- cussions of their sexuality and engage in it knowingly, understanding any and all conse- quences. Any sex other than that shouldn't exist. And rapists, even with some flimsy condom that can hold prints, know that they will never have con- sent, as that is implied by the word "rape" just as it is with the word "no." Sarah Payton is a writer for the Indiana Daily Student, the student newspaper at the Indiana University at Bloomington. This piece was distributed via U-WIRE. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Reproductive rights are under assault TO THE DAILY: The world's crowded population doubles approximately every 40 years and still, while there are pitiful abstinence-only campaigns to prevent teen pregnancy, there are no other cam- paigns to limit population growth, to encourage sustainable growth. Today it seems it is every adult's right to possess children. Once, adoption agencies served to find homes for orphaned chil- dren. Now, black market criminals, individual entrepreneurs, fertility clinics, adoption agencies and even religious organizations find (or pro- duce) children for lonely couples, often to great profit. What then happens to those inadequately clothed, fed, sheltered, and educated children living, when that line in which they stand wait- ing for assistance becomes increasingly crowd- ed? Where are the roving billboards of those children? But, I guess "life" is enough, quality global gag order, bills that propose to deny funding to clinics that perform abortion services are an attempt to coerce physicians and hospital administrators to remove abortion from the list of their services performed, effectively making a legal alternative increasingly unavailable to the country's population, and therefore invalidating the Supreme Court order. It is imperative that we fight for a wide range of reproductive choices. KATRINA MANN Rackham The letter writer is a member of Students for Choice. Commentary full of 'half-truths and lies' TO THE DAILY: I was absolutely appalled to open up The Michigan Daily and read what is essentially an anti-Israel diatribe written by Fadi Kiblawi ("U.S. should not have backed out of U.N. con- that the United States should "work with the rest of the world in condemning Israel." Which is quite ironic as the European Union threatened to leave the conference if the language bashing Israel was not changed. The eastern European States along with many Latin American states were expected to follow the EU's lead. This is the truth. The final draft of the deceleration does make mention of the Palestinians, and yet it has all of the hateful language removed. This is the only way that the EU would stay. Kiblawi goes further to compare the United .States walking out of this ridiculous conference to their lack of action during World War II. I will not even dignify this absurd notion with a response. In closing Kiblawi talks of how the U.N. Conference on Racism is the perfect place to condemn Israel. This is backwards. I'm no expert on racism, but I think that singling out one country and one people whose national aspirations have led to founding of a movement called Zionism and subsequently the founding of the. nnlv democratic rniintrv amidst a seanf.