U 4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 5, 2002 OP/ED aloe 9 420 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 HAN INK 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 It's probably the most popular thing that I've ever introduced." - New York City Councilman Philip Reed, on a bill that would fine anyone $50 who dials up or fails to turn off a mobile phone's ringer during an indoor per formance, as reported in yesterday's USA Today. BONNIE KELLMAN Mt;sf3D NT Evo Lation o-C an E4mtxoex y" . " I~y y l~r} " " ',."!y ' SL1""y '* y " " a00 o ~an ,. -- 41 4 6onkdf Qmi cA.G. , o, .uc. , le mov ,; cam. Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right AUBREY HENRETTY NEURoTC:A 4 he most depress- ing aspect of election season is not, as is the common misconception, voter apathy. It's also not the coddled college kids who think Condoleezza Rice is a daytime talk show host. It's not the smear campaigns or the "debates," the ignorant masses or the syrupy speeches. It's not even the George Carlins of the world, the brilliant peo- ple who've been known use their charisma and humor and wit to convince other intelligent people that voting doesn't matter. While any of the above might be enough to knock my faith in humanity down a notch or two, what really gets me down this time of year is the way human beings get lost in the process, the way candidates who don't spew their sponsoring political parties' jar- gon to the letter have the carpet of credibili- ty yanked out from under them by friend and foe alike. Consider the fate of Attorney General Jennifer Granholm, the Democratic guberna- torial nominee who had the gall to opine honestly about abortion. To Granholm's left is a Democratic party that officially equates being opposed to abortion - even if only in theory - with being anti-woman, anti-pro- gressive, anti-rape victim, pro-poverty, elitist scum. To her right is a Church whose official position is that abortion equals murder, peri- od. To be in favor of legal abortion, then - even if only in the most severe and devastat- ing circumstances - is to be anti-life, pro- slaughter-of-innocent-babies and quite literally damned. Naturally, there is a greater variety of opinions on both sides than the rhetoric sug- gests, including Catholics who think abor- tion should be legal, Democrats who think it shouldn't be and everything in between, but neither set of leadership seems particularly interested in hearing out dissenters from within; the retort of choice on both sides usually involves indignant policy makers sticking their fingers in their ears and hum- ming loudly. Surrounded by ferocious, ballot-wielding ideologues in what promised to be a tight race, Granholm did what few others in simi- lar predicaments have the courage to do: She set her jaw, shrugged her shoulders and (gasp) told us what she really thought. In a September interview with the Detroit Free Press, Granholm identified herself as a Catholic morally opposed to abortion, but said she wouldn't "second guess the medical and personal and moral and religious deci- sions of others." Granholm's flagrant display of individual thought garnered fiery criticism from both ends of the political spectrum. Everyone freaked out. "Fence-sitter!" they cried. "Slimeball! Manipulative wench! Vacillating villainess!" Could such a person exist? Was it possible to think abortion was wrong and still fight for its legality? To be a good Catholic and not speak out against the prac- tice across the board? To be a good Democ- rat and not conceive of abortion solely in terms of a woman and her body and her pri- vacy? The conclusion many critics reached was "No." If Granholm was, as many claimed, sim- ply trying. to pacify as many people as possi- ble, then she failed miserably. The abortion debate, like most hot-button political issues, is structured such that there are two and only two acceptable positions; nobody who falls anywhere in between can hope to get either side's vote. Take one step to the left or to the right and you're done for. You're brain- washed by an antiquated religious belief or you have no soul. As a politician, Granholm had to know that. Her decision to publicize a more com- plex view of abortion than is generally allowed politicians wasn't hypocritical; it was heroic. Revolutionary. Imagine what would happen if this caught on: politicians. expressing opinions that differed from the standard pre-packaged, party-line fare and fully prepared to suffer the consequences. They would have to think carefully about issues rather than consult the Party X Hand- book Cliff's Notes for the correct summary and analysis just minutes before speaking. My head is not buried so deeply in the clouds that I think Granholm's minor depar- ture from traditional liberalism will actually open the floodgates, freeing millions of would-be independent thinkers, but I hope that on this extremely important (Sorry, Mr. Carlin - I respect you, I really do) election day, voters will shut their ears to pundits and open their minds. I hope no voter seeks to elect the best Catholic or the best Democrat, the best Republican or the best saxophone player simply because he or she is an ideal member of that group. I a Aubrev Henretty can be reached at ahenrett@umich.edu. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Fight apathy and voters' indifference at the polls TO THE DAILY: With election day today, some students can be heard enthusiastically commenting on the political candidates. For many students, however, the election of these representatives seems unimportant, as some feel politicians do not care about their issues or that the deci- sions these elected officials make do not affect their lives. This is surprising on a cam- pus where so many students are enrolled in political science classes that continually illustrate how voting stands as an integral role in the democratic process. In regards to the belief that politicians do not care about young adults' issues, I urge those people to take a look at the percent of young adults ages 18-25 who voted in the 1998 election; it was 18 percent of registered voters, not to mention the many young peo- ple not even registered. As our classes have taught us, politicians serve as representatives to their constituents, thus if less than 18 per- cent of young adults are voting, how do we expect politicians to recognize or represent our issues? Further, if students feel that the decisions politicians make do not affect their lives, they have not realized that the University Board of Regents are up for election this year. These officials serve eight-year terms and determine tuition prices, as they were responsible for the recent 7.9 percent tuition increase. Thus, their decisions influence our daily lives on campus. So, I offer students a way to remedy the indifference politicians feel towards our age group: go to the polls today and vote. It will prove to the candidates that our issues matter and that they must take us seriously and rep- resent us accordingly. Go and vote for the Board of Regents candidates that you believe will keep tuition down and make your years at the University the best they can be, for the officials' decisions really do affect our lives. Hence, I urge you to vote today and exercise your democratic right that you have written about so many times in those countless polit- ical science papers. SHANNON NOBLE LSA sophomore Member of Youthvote coalition Cnr A di _Aonnr tir one need look at the definition Neuman pro- vides for terrorism: Terrorism is just one form of political extremism, extremists being those people who are willing to make others suffer in order that their message is heard. A terror- ist, then, is an extremist whose publicity is achieved through senseless violence -against innocents, often in the form of a suicide attack. This is not sufficient for a thorough dis- cussion of the topic. Literally, a terrorist is one who attempts to obtain something through terror. The terror really comes from the threat of attack. In order for the fear to be real and intense, these groups are compelled to demonstrate the willingness and desire to destroy in as brutal or destructive manner as possible. The reference to suicide attacks is limited because they have only been used to any extent by terrorist groups within the last 20 years (excluding kamikaze and similar references), and they still comprise a spmall. percentage of terrorist attacks globally.t This necessity for violence, regardless of motive, manifestly demonstrates two distinct characteristics of terrorism: the willingness to kill for the sake of some cause; and an unwillingness to negotiate. For these groups to generate terror, they must attack. The fun- damental conflict within terrorism is the question whether to attack military targets or civilians. If civilians are attacked, the chance for a successful attack increases because the tar- gets are unarmed and not equipped to combat the attack. The problem is that any assault against civilians reinforces a people resolve against the attack and requires the military to try to restore security by combating the ter- rorist groups. Conversely, engaging military targets gains slightly less publicity, a low- ered sensation of fear is instilled in the civil- ians than if they were the targets, with a much lower probability of a successful attack; however, successful attacks are more likely to yield successful policy changes because of the cost of military losses and political interest. The recent trend for terrorist groups is to obtain support from a nation who shares similar interest as the organization, to an extent, but which is unwilling to accept governmental responsibility for the attack. In the summer of 2000, Iraq sent over 3,000 commandos through Jordan into the Gaza Strip to help fight the Israel Defense Forces as well as providing arms for local groups needs to establish more democracies to com- bat terrorism is moot. In fact, should the United States attempt regime changes, we would be vulnerable to just as many attacks. The only real way to combat terrorism is just that - combat. Historically, the only method to deal with terrorism is to confront it for what it is rather than the motivations of it. Whenever any ter- rorist group is granted any legitimacy, Ter- rorism has been justified. Unfortunately, it has been. The political aspirations for terror- ist groups are distinct even of the supportive governments; they are fringe elements. Here it is necessary to separate those with "hostile feelings" and "hostile intentions." Establishing democracy likely won't con- vince those with hostile feelings, but those with the intention are prepared and willing to wreak havoc. If they are designed for the destruction of others for their own conve- nience already, then nothing will hinder them other than force to keep them from those who would be peaceful. Unfortunately, the promise of democracy and self-rule has not even changed those who have experienced democracy. The refugees in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have had the chance for peace since 1967 when Israel offered land for the refugees. The offer was refused as the local leaders rightly knew that radical elements would destroy and chance. The same occurs now. Peace with democracy could be pre- sent, but has been cast aside for destructive means. Liberalism, admirably, prays for an end to conflict without the need for force. This, though, is not realistic as there are some peo- ple who are not going to be persuaded by anything other than a stopped pulse, theirs or that of their enemy. STEVE BENJAMIN LSA junior It's time to show Oakland County politicos who's boss To THE DAILY: Tuesday's election is extremely important for residents of the metro Detroit area (a large population of the University). We have the chance to blow away the image of a Republi- can Oakland County, and bring some fresh new faces into Congress who will really repre- sent our values in Washington and Lansing. If you're registered at home. go home on Tues- I 4 I tc zz e rcazz ry zNw. rwsuza uz: 1 b----L1 --- V.4L1 M;t.YAV]/.R i11 Vitdl IRWii :