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September 26, 2002 - Image 4

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The Michigan Daily, 2002-09-26

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4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 26, 2002

OP/ED

G~lbe Ifitkci gg it

420 MAYNARD STREET
ANN ARBOR, MI 48109
letters@michigandaily.com

EDITED AND MANAGED BY
STUDENTS AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
SINCE 1890

JON SCHWARTZ
Editor in Chief
JOHANNA HANINK
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.

NOTABLE
QUOTABLE
Anyone can grow
up to be president.
We're just giving them
a forum to do that."
-- Peter Liguori, President of FX
entertainment on his plans for a reality
television gameshow in which contestants
would vie for the opportunity to run
for president of the United States,
as reported yesterday by CNN.

JENNIFER GREENE JENNS CORNER
It":cen it erWA 4- 6rcee n

The voice of endless summer
DAVID ENDERS WEIRD SCIENCE
he Detroit Tigers the Tigers clubhouse with players not Sunday, I will turn on the radio and listen
are scheduled to much older than myself. one last time. I'll smile when Harwell, in his
play the Toronto I was lost in the pregame confusion of that soft-spoken Georgian accent, throws out one
Blue Jays on Sunday in a clubhouse a couple years ago when Harwell of his timeworn similes. When he says the
game that doesn't matter. walked up and offered his hand. batter "stood there like the house by the side
It is the last game of the "Haven't seen you around here before. I'm of the road and watched that one go by," or
season for each team and Ernie." when he claims that a foul ball was "caught
both were statistically I'd like to say that moment led to a great by a man from Escanaba." (It was a long
eliminated from playoff friendship, but the truth is I don't make it to time before I figured out that wasn't a literal
contention long ago. Tigers games that often. The point is that Har- truth.)
Sunday's game is important for what hap-. well still introduces himself with a humility My childhood dreams of playing baseball
pens off the field. From the visitors broadcast unbefitting someone who has for so long been were long gone - though I still contend I
booth at the Toronto Skydome, Ernie Harwell all but untouchable. could have been a breakthrough left-handed
will make the final call of his 55-year career Teams, fans and colleagues have paid trib-' shortstop - by the time I first set foot in a
as a major league baseball radio announcer. ute to Harwell all season long as he made big league clubhouse, armed with pen and
It will be impossible for me not to feel as farewell trips to major league ballparks. He pad instead of bat and glove.
though a piece of my childhood (yeah, I know has insisted he doesn't deserve the fanfare. But Harwell brings it all back. I'm 10
I'm only 21) is slipping away when the 84- "I've always looked at myself as just a again, sneaking a portable radio to my room
year-old Harwell signs off for the last time. worker, a guy who shows up and just wants so I can listen to games after my parents tell
He represents a bygone era. A time before to do the job. ... This is something that is me to go to bed. Those were days when my
baseball alienated many of its fans with walk- very hard for me to understand" he said after friends and I still traded baseball cards, when
outs over already inflated contracts, before his final home game Sunday in Detroit. all I wanted to do when I grew up was turn
steroid use was an issue and when 70 home He does deserve it. He deserves it for double plays for the Tigers and darkness was
runs in a season was an impossibility. lending dignity to a sport that has been on a the only thing that stopped our pickup
Harwell's simple home run call of "long long, hard slide for some time. He deserves it games.
gone" is an anomaly in this ESPN era of bom- for sticking with a team that will finish its I ran into Harwell as I was leaving the
bastic commentary. With Harwell, everything ninth straight losing season Sunday. He ballpark Sunday. He was on his way across
receives the same gravitas. He has never con- deserves it because just turning on the radio the street to Ford Field, where he was sched-
sidered himself a color man, but instead a brings back a better time for baseball. He uled to be honored during halftime at the
reporter. His commentary comes from his ency- deserves it because he never tells the listen- Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers game. He
clopedic knowledge of the game and its players. ers anything, he just lets them know. looked tired; ready to go home. But when I
"Over the years there have been some He deserves it for not complaining when asked him what the ceremony at Ford Field
players who said, 'I'm not talking to the former Michigan football coach Bo Schem- involved, he smiled and answered with his
media.' They talked to Ernie," said Paul bechler fired him after the 1991 season. natural, self-effacing humor.
Carey, Harwell's former broadcasting partner. (Schembechler was the team's last president "Who knows? They'll probably throw
Harwell played cards with Jackie under former owner Tom Monaghan.) Har- something at me."
Robinson and Roy Campanella when his well was back in the booth by the 1993 sea-
career started with the Brooklyn Dodgers son, with an offer from new owner Mike David Enders can be reached at
in 1948 and he still looks natural mixing in Illitch to stay as long as he liked, denders@umich.edu.
LETTERSTOTHEEDITOR
MSAlutito words it is easy to gain a large following. How-
S resolution wrong o ever, this has nothing to do with tolerance or LETTERS POLICY
allow LGBT rainbow flag promoting a positive environment. This is about
our American flag and a proposal that wishes to The Michigan Daily welcomes letters from all
to fly below American one reduce it to an advertising vehicle. of its readers. Letters from University students,
The University needs to do nothing to show faculty, staff and administrators will be given
that it supports this lifestyle - it's quite clear to priority over others. Letters should include the
TO THE DAILY: every student on campus that this is an environ- writer's name, college and school year or other
According to the Daily (MSA approves ment that promotes tolerance of all lifestyles. University affiliation. The Daily will not print
proposal to fly LGBT rainbow flag, 9/25/02) By hanging the LGBT flag on the pole, the Uni- any letter containing statements that cannot be
the Michigan Student Assembly voted on versity is not promoting acceptance - it is sim- verified.
yesterday night to allow the LGBT commu- ply promoting. This is not right, no matter Letters should be kept to approximately 300
nity to fly its flag below the American flag where you stand politically, words. The Michigan Daily reserves the right to
during National Coming Out Week. If a Christian group wished to hang its flag edit for length, clarity and accuracy. Longer
Although I was present at that meeting, my on the pole, I'm positive that it would be met by "viewpoints" may be arranged with an editor. Let-
statement beforehand did not seem to do a wall of opposition. In the same way that the ters will be run according to order received and
much in deterring what was the inevitable majority of the campus does not unite under the the amount of space available.
conclusion - a 23-10-1 vote. This is a fairly Christian faith, we do not unite under a symbol Letters should be sent over e-mail to
overwhelming majority and I grant that this of the gay agenda. I encourage all readers to e- letters@michigandaily.com or mailed to the Daily at
is what MSA wants. But MSA approval of mail MSA and to e-mail the University, show- 420 Maynard St. Editors can be reached via e-
this action does not set it into action and the ing their disgust in this proposal and mail at editpage.editors@umich.edu. Letters e-
important question remains: Should we, as a discouraging the University from taking this mailed to the Daily will be given priority over
campus, approve of this? course of action.
Obviously the banner of tolerance and MIKE SALTSMAN those dropped off in person or sent via the U.S.
diversity is a popular one and by using those LSA sophomore postal Service.
VIEWPOINT
Mid-East Conflict The language of the dialogue

01

0
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S

BY YULA DERNOVSKY
AND RACHEL ROTH
After reading yet another riveting view-
point on the conflict in the Middle East this
week (Campaign for divestment is not anti-
Semitic, 9/24/02), we decided that it is time to
go back to square one and understand the ter-
minology of the debate that is being thrown
around carelessly and irresponsibly.
First, let's take a look at the anti-Semi-
tism versus Zionism arguments. Within the
context of the debate on the Middle East,
there have been accusations from the advo-
cates of the Palestinian side that they cannot
argue effectively for Palestine and be anti-
Zionist without having to hear the accusation
of anti-Semitism being thrown back in their
faces. To address that, we will use Webster's
Dictionary to define both anti-Semitism and
Zionism. Anti-Semitism: Hostility toward or
prejudice against Jews or discrimination
against Jews. Zionism: A policy for estab-
lishing and developing a national homeland
for Jews in Palestine. Anti-Zionism therefore

right to be there is denied on a daily basis. To
summarize the argument: Palestinians
deserve a national homeland and Jews don't.
This is in fact, a clear discrimination against
the Jewish people. This then is a clear form
of anti-Semitism.
To add further instances of unfair treat-
ment, the Palestine advocates, in their zeal to
make the world a better place, forget to ask
U.S. to divest from autocratic, oppressive
regimes such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran,
Syria. Jews are not allowed to even enter Syri-
an territory, women have no right to vote in
most places across the Middle East, and reli-
gious intolerance is outrageous. But of course,
whatever goes on in the world outside of
Israel is not important. Let's just attack Israel
and not hold anybody else accountable.
This is prejudice and bigotry in the most
irresponsible form. As a sidenote, just to be
clear, we are not opposed to criticizing some
of Israel's policies; what we do oppose is
singling her out and attacking her right to
exist, while advocating that for other nations.
Let's also take a look at the frequently
abused term "apartheid" in the dialogue on

Israel, as well as the Jews, are allowed to
freely criticize the acts of the government
(with restrictions on violence, of course) and
act against them through state institutions.
Nothing like that happens anywhere else in
the Middle East, where minorities are con-
stantly in fear for their lives and dissenters
are in prisons. Israel allows all of its citizens
to exercise their civil right and enjoy their
civil liberties. Israel is not an apartheid state.
So after looking at the language of the
debate, we also need -to address the issue of
how to make this debate more constructive,
where to look for a solution to the neverend-
ing arguments. The debate mostly focuses on
human rights, so let's address the humanitari-
an effort. Let's stop trying to cut the ties with
a tiny, struggling democratic state, but
instead promote its humanitarian efforts.
Let's stop accusing and focus more on pro-
viding humanitarian blame. Israel's humani-
tarian record is outstanding.
From accepting Vietnamese refugees,
helping Ethiopian Jews escape persecutions,
to forming the Magen David Adom, Israel's
equivalent of the Red Cross, whether it's an

0

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