4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 3, 2003 OP/ED 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 letters@michigandaily.com * EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 LOUIE MEIZLISH Editor in Chief AUBREY HENRETTY ZAC PESKOWITZ 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 "The president believes very strongly, the bigger the tax cut, the more jobs that will be created for the American people." - White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, explaining yesterday why President George W. Bush continues to push for his $726 billion tax cut. JOEL HOARD & SCOTT SERILLA STICK FiT REs AR AwEsoMt 4 . w kl..4 - I - 0 Joel couldn't think of anything funny, so Scott drew this kick-ass monster fight scene. While it's awesome as a stand alone, pretend it's about Iraq or affirmative action or something if it makes you feel better. It's pretty sweet. Attack of the squares JOHN HONKALA Too EARLY IN THE SUN stole some rabbit one grinned stupidly and I changed the because everybody knows smoking is bad, a ears from the channel. few smokers dress up in funny cigar cos- Daily the other At first, I was pleased - we can make tumes to protest outside city hall, shrill anti- day so I could actual- drug references (or whatever) in our songs smoking groups cackle about the dangers of ly tease a few chan- nowadays without some network hack ham- second-hand smoke and the bill passes with nels out of my mering down on the bleep-out button. Per- little resistance from anyone who doesn't television. Little did I haps most Americans realize now that own a bar; everyone's happy. Except, of know that when I cutting out the cursing and drug references course, those of us who smoke. r9, turned the on televi- in popular songs is a bigger waste of time I could go on and on about how interest sion, Carson Daly than actually listening to most of them. But groups greatly exaggerate the effects of sec- would appear on my screen. Oh, the hor- then I got to thinking about how rarely I ond hand smoke in bars and restaurants. And ror, the shock and awe. hear people get riled about these sorts of about how people are usually not in contact Daly was interviewing someone named things anymore. People don't really seem at long enough with second-hand smoke to Connie Nielson, who was following a still each other's throats about culture. actually suffer the effects. Or that many bars couched Ringo Starr. Who despite the fact Bipartisanship is a nice word and all, but are already non-smoking and restaurants' that he was in a television studio, on perhaps I'd rather have Pat Buchanan rail against smoking sections are usually tucked away in the lamest talk show I have ever seen, was drug references in popular songs than plod a corner and/or ventilated. The point, still wearing those damned Ringo Starr sun- along in a culture that emphasizes consen- though, is that by instinctively accepting glasses. And performing songs from his lat- sus over vigorously preserving a nuanced lame Americanisms like "smoking is for est album, Ringorama. culture. At least at the height of the culture losers," Americans are gradually purging It was not worth it, the thievery. Except wars we picked sides. Today, much of the their culture of everything that isn't rated for Roseanne, everything I watched that stuff of censorship and lifestyle legislation PG, flag-related or shaped like a crayon. night made me nostalgic for four days ago is ignored by nearly everyone except those Americans like to talk about freedom. So when I stared wistfully at the television's with a direct stake in it or those who seek to much so that it's beginning to get really aggra- blue screen for more than 15 minutes. bronze their morality in the law. All too vating, actually. Freedom allows us our culture; Starr closed Daly's show with a smug often, Democrats and Republicans alike nod it shouldn't be it's foundation. We should con- version of the Beatles hit "A Little Help in agreement, Yes, that Eminem fellow is struct our culture around the very human inter- From My Friends," which contains the just too damn noisy. Increasingly, it seems actions we have with one another. And like it now innocuous lyric "I get high with a lit- Americans envision one big happy sterilized on not, tobacco (which is, by the way, native to tle help from my friends." Granted Daly's culture for themselves. this continent) has been an integral part of show is on late at night and presumably not Case in point: the slew of municipalities American interaction for hundreds of years. a whole lot of people watch it, but it still across the country that are beginning to uni- Get people to quit smoking. if you're con- struck me that the weed reference elicited laterally ban smoking in bars, restaurants cerned about their health, but those of us very little response from those present, and bowling alleys. There's very little that's who smoke have chosen to do so and ban- save for the mostly polo-T-shirted crowd's partisan about this issue. The way I under- ning smoking in bars, bowling alleys and Pinocchian swaying and clapping. This stand it, some overzealous legislator who's restaurants won't make us quit. It'll only wasn't the Doors on the Ed Sullivan Show. quit smoking and found his new crusade or make those places more boring. It wasn't even Drew Barrymore flashing who thinks smoking makes her jacket stinky David Letterman. Instead, Ringo safely simply introduces a bill to ban smoking Honkala can be reached at warbled right through the reference, every- throughout a city, everybody gets on board jhonkala@umich.edu. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Purpose of campustruth ads is to vilify and incite hatred TO THE DAILY: I am deeply disappointed in your decision to publish more of these campustruth.org ads. They are very offensive and hurtful to members of the community including myself. They perpetuate a stereotype that Arabs and Muslims condone ter- rorism and this is not only false but also racist. These ads were made with the intention of vili- fying Arabs and Muslims on campus. Their purpose is not to open a dialog or to work to analyze the problems in the Middle East so that we can find solutions to them as many students and faculty members here at the University work to do everyday. Their purpose is to create an environment of hate and fear here at the University. If you go to campustruth's website they have links to other websites such ascampus- watch.org which openly takes part in the spying on and blacklisting of professors and students. These organizations not only have no place here at the University, they are not even associated with students at this University in any way. They are national organizations with the sole purpose of spreading hate-filled propaganda and rhetoric in an attempt to create more hate and more division on this topic which does not need more division but needs more understanding and work together. Through their actions, these organizations have made it clear that they do not intend to work in a productive manner to find solutions to the problems in the Middle East. Instead, they are attempting to make the debate one- sided thorough propaganda and the threat of having your life and livelihood ruined by end- ing up on a blacklist. By publishing these ads you are actively aiding these organizations in their low-handed and unethical tactics. I hope that in the future, the Daily will reconsider its decision to publish these ads. ASHRAF ZAHR Engineering senior Return of campustruth ads to Daily brings with it risk of renewed protest TO THE DAILY: I _ x _n.m.m 4-.. _, m . +..._ .m Even many members of the pro-Israel movement have spoken out against the bigotry expressed in the campustruth.org ad campaign, ostracizing those in their own community who, like Rick Dorfman, claim the ads "tell it like it is." There is no excuse for your decision to publish these extremely offensive, racist ads once again. I call on the Daily to permanently stop the printing of this disgusting ad campaign and to promptly print a public apology for knowingly propagating messages of anti-Arab bigotry. Failure to do so will result in a renewed wave of protest against The Michigan Daily and its editors as racists. TED MCTAGGART RCjunior Vice chair, Students Allied for Freedom and Equality Shiekh wrongly sees only two sides of the media To THE DAILY: In his column, Choking on the fog of war, (04/02/03) Kashif Sheikh criticizes the media for narrowing "the spectrum of acceptable opinion." He then attacks the media for hav- ing "failed miserably to help avert an unjusti- fied war." So Sheikh lambastes the media first for taking a political stance, and then for not taking a left-wing political stance. This is hypocrisy. It seems Sheikh sees only two sides of the story: the conservative view, and the truth. Even my incredibly nice friend Luke Williams says he's writing like a fool. JOSH MANDLEBAUM LSA junior University admissions policies accomplish goals; beneft soci- ety by creating skilled citizens TO THE DAILY: The staff of the Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning supports the University's affirmative action admissions policy. This policy creates a win-win situation for students, faculty and staff at the university and ultimately the communities in which Uni- versity graduates will live and work. By mind- -F1nn;" nio. -;on- rr ir~ b- Current world challenges demand a skillful and engaged citizenry that is equipped to think critically. The world needs citizens who can imagine a better world, citizens who are equipped to work for a better world. We at the center perceive that the University's affirmative action is one important dimension in the educa- tion for such a citizenry. LAURA L. STAUDACHER Administrative Assistant Writing on behalf of the Staff of the Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning RadiCal SAFE shoulddfollow lead of Michigan Student Zionists and re-evaluate itself To THE DAILY: I applaud Rick Dorfnan's resignation from the radical Zionist group Michigan Student Zionists. Not only did this group falsely repre- sent the ideals of most Jews on this campus, but also to the nation as he appeared on CNN as a "representative" of Jews on this campus. How- ever, I propose a challenge to the leader of what can only be described as the radically pro- Palestinian group Students Allied for Freedom and Equality. Either step down as Dorfman did, or begin encouraging debate with both sides. Instead of holding one sided events like last fall's Divestment Conference whose featured speaker is now being charged by the govern- ment as a known terrorist, have more publi- cized two sided conferences. Fadi Kiblawi and the leaders of his group have only allowed hate and propaganda to filter through his organiza- tion as Dorfman did. Straying away from intel- ligent debate only furthers the hate and tolerance surrounding this issue. BENJAMIN GERBER LSA sophomore LETTERS POLICY The Michigan Daily welcomes letters from all of its readers. Letters from University students, faculty, staff and administrators will be given priority over others. Letters should include the writer's name, college and school year or other University affiliation. The Daily will not print any letter containing statements that cannot be verified. Letters should be kept to approximately 300 word The Mnchian lDilv reserves the right to S I THE BOONDOCKS AxRON ~.cGR.'LI)ER r