4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 24, 2003
OP/ED
41F
tuala Batild
ol le wtjch , p
420 MAYNARD STREET
ANN ARBOR, MI 48109
letters@michigandaily.com
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JOHANNA HANINK
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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.
" For us, war is always
the proof of failure and
the worst of solutions, so
everything must be done
to avoid it."
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- French President Jacques Chirac at a joint
session of the French and German Parliaments,
as quoted yesterday by the Associated Press.
Mall rats, strollers and the answer I needed
JOHN HONKALA TOo EARLY IN THE SUN
went to last week- Remarkably, it seems no one did. I saw Francisco that drew another estimated
end's anti-war nary a spirit dampened nor an optimistic face 200,000 demonstrators. It is likely that these
rally in Washing- trampled. On the contrary, when the rally rallies will only draw more people in the
ton and forgot to bring ended and'the march started, I saw nothing future, that the movement will only become
my "Finnish-Ameri- but envigorated people. more vocal and more visible.
cans against the War" In fact, as the rally ended, and after the Much of the debate surrounding a war in
sign, which, in retro- ANSWER people childishly blamed the Iraq centers on whether or not the United
spect, is fine because "cops" for the demonstration's not being Nations will back an invasion. But if the
I'd have looked a bit allowed a PA system at the march's Naval Bush administration cannot manage a clear
foolish promoting my Scandanavian heritage Yard endpoint, we - all 200,000-plus of us mandate from the American people, a
and shivering at the same time. - began what became one of my life's thumbs up from the U.N. becomes a moot
' I did remember to layer my clothes, most inspiring afternoons. endorsement. By no stretch of the imagina-
though, which didn't help all that much The march was everything the rally wasn't. tion have we accomplished this, but we are
anyway. Which is to say that D.C. was No one dominated the dialogue, only a handful well on our way to making just that case.
frigid and I shook at least as violently as the of people got angry, demonstrators exchanged Getting out to D.C. required very little
PA system did whenever the backpacked ideas and contact information, drumlines of me. I hopped a ride in a friend's van,
ANSWER organizer shrieked into the drummed, we all chanted and laughed and never had to take a turn driving and stayed
microphone. Which is to say I shook. sang, "War, what is it good for?" Puppeteers with an ex-Ann Arborite turned D.C. tour
Shook like the wagging fingers of the puppeted, stilt-walking Uncle Sams careened guide. I spent about as much money on the
shrillest of the rally's speakers - the Free through elaborately decorated placards and trip as I would have had I stayed home for
Palestine bloc, the Bush-is-a-liar coalition - religious groups sang hymns. the weekend and was able to sleep in on
who used their turns at the podium to pepper And the best part? I was surrounded by Sunday before returning home in the wee
their cries to stop the war with their personal nuns, strollers, punks, fathers, yuppies, septe- hours of Monday morning. Because I am a
and sometimes venomous rhetoric. genarians, students, the middle aged. This student, I was able to do these things. But
Thank goodness for Jesse Jackson's and wasn't a collection of young fringe radicals most people can't afford to head to D.C. or
U.S. Rep. John Conyers' (D-Detroit) humble and their washed-up predecessors from a few San Francisco on a whim. Most people can't
speeches. At least the rally's biggest names generations ago. It was an ageless, colorful act on their wanderlust.
figured out that this was an anti-war rally coalition willing to spend all day in subfreez- Which is why the number of demonstrators
aimed at stopping the war - not alienating the ing temperatures to protest an unjust war. The that filled the central streets of cities across the
movement. I'm sure Bush is a liar and I'd love kind of gathering that makes a very persua- country last weekend is so impressive. Which
to see Palestine a state, but I have my doubts sive argument for the existence of a broad- is why, when I stood in the late afternoon
that those sentiments resonate with or are even based anti-war movement in this country. frozen footed and shoulder to shoulder with
believable to a good portion of the people we And the kind of civilized mob that the Bush two middle-aged Virginia housewives laugh-
are trying to convince to join our movement. administration must take very seriously. ing at clever placards , I shook like the PA sys-
So, I spent much of the first few hours at the There can be little doubt now that that the tem and the wagging fingers - I'd found the
rally craning my neck, trying to read other anti-war movement is to be reckoned with. demonstration I'd wanted to find.
demonstrators' eyes-- Are these people being The D.C. rally garnered most of the media's
turned off by some of these speeches? Are attention, but there were demonstrations John Honkala can be reached at
they going to walk away disgusted? across the country, including one in San jhonkala@umich.edu.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
No common ground can be
reached with BAMN
TO THE DAILY:
On Monday, I was spat at because I sup-
port racial equality. On Monday, I was threat-
ened with violence because I support racial
equality. On Monday, I was called a "racist
pig" because I support racial equality.
On Monday, I attended my first affirmative
action rally at the University. I stood with the
College Republicans and Young Americans
For Freedom because I support racial equality,
not racial preferences. I held a sign that read,
"Affirmative Action is State-Sponsored
Racism" because I feel that it is state-sponsored
racism. I believe that we should be judged
more by content of character, merit and accom-
plishments than the color of our skin.
As I stood in a packed auditorium, I was
respectful in the spirit of civil objection. I
did not boo. I did not heckle the speaker. I
wanted to-be the bigger person in this fight.
As I stood there, a young woman attempted
to squeeze by. She did not say "Excuse
Me" or "May I." She shoved me aside and
said "Out of my way, racist pig!"
The Coalition to Defend Affirmative
Action By Any Means Necessary is not a
studept group. It is an angry, violent group
unwilling to engage in constructive, civil or
logical dialogue. I came because I hoped to
see some sort of common ground between
the two sides in this argument. That dream
of mine is impossible.
CHRIS METCALF
Engineering senior
Residential Dining Service
keeps 'U' students healthy
TO THE DAILY:
The article on food allergies in the Daily on
Jan. 17 (Report shows most students do not seek
treatment for allergic reactions) contained a lot of
important information about the need for stu-
dents to pay more attention to managing their
food allergies. However, we would like to sup-
plement this with some additional information.
Staff members from the Housing Information
Office and Residential Dining Services have
been working closely with Dr. Andrew Singer,
who was quoted in the article, over the past year.
Last spring and summer, we began asking
incoming students with food allergies to identi-
application specifies severe food allergies
as a situation that may require special place-
ment and ensures that the incoming student
will have advance contact with Residential
Dining Services staff. Helping students deal
with their food allergies is an ongoing
process. We at University Housing continue
to work closely with these students to help
them avoid life-threatening exposures. We
encourage students to visit the Nutrition
Services section of University Housing's
web site at www.housing.umich.edu/ser-
vices/dining/nutrition, html.
DOUG WHITE
Senior Housing Advisor,
Housing Information Office, University Housing
RUTH BLACKBURN
Residential Dining Services Nutrition Specialist,
University Housing
Henretty's column went
too far; MLK Day more
than 'feel good' holiday
TO THE DAILY:
Aubrey Henretty's column, Think MLK
Day solves anything? Dream on, (1/21/03) ques-
tioning the need for a Martin Luther King Day
justly wonders whether we should remember
King and his ideals only on one day of the year,
but the column goes too far by its condemning
of "MLK Day, Women's History Month,
Black History Month ..." as "feel-good calen-
dar designations." Somewhat as King might
have liked a change in people's hearts (Barry
Goldwater and other ultra-conservatives
claimed they wanted a "change of hearts"
instead of a change in, or disposal of, racially
segregative Jim Crow-type laws), but was will-
ing to settle for "mere changes in law" suchas
the Civil Rights Act, etc., since King knew that
a mass "change of heart" among white racists
wasn't going to happen any time soon: having
a legally appointed day for MLK, a month for
women and for African Americans, etc., is bet-
ter than having no designated time at all. (If
MLK Day was so insignificant, then how come
former president Ronald Reagan resisted sign-
ing it into law for so long, even slandering
King at first by calling him a "communist?")
MLK Day is not in itself hypocritical.
Neither is the idea of reparations for slav-
ery; though Henretty mocks pro-reparationists
by saying they would balk at giving repara-
tions to Native Americans for the long-ago
Christopher Columbus-led conquest, it seems
quite the opposite; many of those who have
championed reparations to Native Americans,
to Japanese Americans interned during World
Americans, who remember, say, speaking with
grandparents who were slaves or brought up
by parents who were slaves.
In sum, Henretty is right to question
whether we should do more for justice, but
that does not mean that we should do less.
"Her/his/its-story," however anyone might
call the study of the past, teaches us that
much, no doubt.
DAVID BOYLE
Alumnus
Scrutiny of adminssions policies
should extend beyond race
To THE DAILY:
Affirmative action! Affirmative action!
These words are fast becoming the two most
controversial on campus and soon in the
nation. As everyone at the University and most
of the nation is aware, the University is being
sued because of its affirmative action/race-
conscious admissions policies. While I believe
that affirmative action is a good way to pro-
mote racial diversity in higher education, I can
understand the angst others (mostly non-
minorities) experience towards the issue. But
in the University lawsuit, I feel too much
emphasis is being placed on the race-conscious
inequalities and not the rest of them.
If we are going to succeed in tackling our
admissions policies, we need to consider all
its flaws, not just the "racist undertones." My
point: I feel we have taken one unfair piece of
the University's admissions policies and exac-
erbated, poked, beat and bickered about its
unfairness. But no one seems to be talking
about the rest of the 'admissions policy - the
entire system is unfair. If you went to a presti-
gious high school, or took rigorous courses,
10 points will be added to your score. What if
you weren't lucky enough to attend a Country
Day school or an academy? Or if your cur-
riculum didn't include Advanced Placement,
International Baccalaureate nor honors class-
es? And what about parent/family lineage?
These applicants get a few more points if their
father or mother went here. Is that fair? Oh,
and what about people from underrepresented
counties and states? Don't they get extra
points, too? What about the athletes? I hear
they get an extra 20 (same as minorities) to
come here and be "All the Wolverine they can
be." Can we protest that?
The bottom line: if we are going to
challenge the admissions policies and bick-
er about the unfairness which exist within
it, we need to look at the big picture and
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THE BOONDOCKS AARON MCG.rE
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