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 0 0 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 .fh * *r t~f~ct~~c~ XItt~l hj~ inftr~diit... LLVUSI~UU4PII4LL~WI1 3 L .. f 1