4
4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 13, 2002
OP/ED
ale Ntrb't*'oatt l3ailv
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
This is not fair.
Now is the time to
become equals. Just
like you kill us, we
will kill you."
- From a recently released audio-taped
statement, thought to be the voice of Osama
bin Laden, that praises recent terrorist attacks
in Bali, Kuwait, Moscow and Yemen and
refers to President Bush as "the pharoah of
the century," as quoted by CNN.
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SAM BUTLER THE SOAPBOX
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The politics of extremes
ZAC PESKOWITZ THE LOWER FREQUENCIES
iny groups of Sept. 11 or dumb luck. Countless analysts of progressivism, despite the radically differ-
people have have offered these explanations and they all ent motivations of groups.
shaken the bear kernels of truth. However, the problem The campus left has lost its teeth. This is
world. Rising from might be more fundamental than that. not to say that there isn't a panoply of radical
obscurity to orthodoxy The best advice for liberals is to avoid ideas floating around places like Ann Arbor,
with stunning speed, vituperative complaining and begin the but there is no critical assessment of what the
history has been process of critically examining the flaws of solidarity approach has achieved (very little).
marked with novel contemporary liberalism. One place to start Protests have become fetishes, serving to
ideas initiating tremen- is trying to find the ideas that are going to symbolize latent power, but providing no
dous change. Two Ger- shape the liberal edifice in the coming means to implement change. Too many let-
man economists examining the state of decades. This should be an easy task and the ters leftists are content singing Kumbaya or
Western Europe's laborers helped lead to the Democratic Party should boldly represent leading a drum circle.
Revolutions of 1848. Reaganism could be these initiatives, but this quickly proves more This is an inadequate environment to incu-
attributed to a few minds at the University of difficult than imagined. Where is the post- bate new ideas and approaches. There needs to
Chicago. And right now, the United States is industrial successor to the New Deal or the be an infusion of tension. As Martin Luther
about to pursue a radical foreign policy, Great Society? Prescription drug benefits, King, Jr. wrote in Letter from Birmingham Jail,
unimaginable 20 years ago, as the result of a despite their importance, will neither serve to "there is a type of nonviolent, constructive ten-
few influential thinkers who developed at advance the Democratic Party nor to amelio- sion that is necessary for growth."
Chicago. Miniscule collections of individuals rate the unique problems of the United There is a place for protest, there is a time
have altered government policies, social States' present situation. for coalition building, there are reasons for
mores and the general contours of history for Where are the new ideas? (Hint: Moving solidarity, but the radical ideas need to come
both good and bad. toward the center is not an idea, it's cow- first. The ideas need to be the primary focus
Would these cabals have enjoyed their ardice). Maybe ideas are generating among of a movement. These ideas cannot be tired
successes if a wide variety of circumstances the professoriate or perhaps grass roots move- rehashes of past beliefs, but need to address
had not conspired to allow their ideas to ments are swelling with radical initiatives. I'm the change inherent in a globalizing world.
reach the highest levels of power? No, but not sure if this is happening, but I can be So in a matter of decades the fertile
without the impetus of policies that cross much more certain that if anything new does realm of political opposition that was the
known bounds of decorum, politics becomes in fact emerge it will not have its origin campus has lost its potency. The entire lib-
a stagnant and decadent pursuit. Power, not among this country's student population. eral community is impoverished as a result
societal improvement, becomes the end of The general dynamic of student move- of these failures.
the political process. ments has served to hinder the development These developments are upsetting, maybe
The Democrats were slaughtered last of iconoclastic positions. Under the rubrics even tragic. As the world is engaged in pro-
week. No spin doctoring or punditry will alter of solidarity and coalition building, the bene- found permutations, we are stuck watching
that reality. This was an election that needed fits of extremists and their political positions on the sidelines, with nothing but the occa-
to be won and the entire Democratic apparatus vanish. In the well-intentioned effort to build sional cheer or hiss to punctuate our over-
was not equipped for this task. You can up grassroots support, all ideas, causes and whelming silence.
explain this disastrous performance through interests are deemed of equivalent impor-
shifting demographic trends, weak, pathetic, tance. Any belief that could be in someway Zac Peskowitz can be reached
quivering leadership from Terry McAuliffe, construed as liberal is united under the name atzpeskowi@umich.edu.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Time for 'U' to follow
Cornell, Tufts, Matthews
to sweeter, cleaner world
TO THE DAILY:
I thank the Daily for its coverage of the One
Sweet Whirled event (Dessert lures students into
awareness, 11/11/02). Students for Public Inter-
est Research Group In Michigan has worked
for the past two semesters to educate the stu-
dent body about climate change and to advocate
for cleaner sources of energy.
Global climate change is a serious issue that
both the university and individuals must take
action against. The United States has not rati-
fied the Kyoto Protocol, making individual
action by states, cities and schools crucial. New
Jersey has set a goal of reducing greenhouse
gas emissions by 3.5 percent below 1990 levels
by the year 2005.
Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County are
part of an international program called
Cities for Climate Protection, whose 400
local governments, representing nearly
300 million people worldwide, are work-
ing to reduce their impact on global cli-
mate change. The goals of the Kyoto
Protocol - a 7 percent reduction of green-
house gas emissions by 2012 - have been
adopted by many leading universities,
such as Cornell and Tufts. It is time for
the University to to take a similar, if not
stronger, stance on the issue of global cli-
mate change. The University needs to sub-
stitute energy derived from coal and
nuclear power with renewable energy such
as wind and solar power. Although the
One Sweet Whirled event strove to edu-
cate students about how they as individu-
als can reduce their impact, the University
needs to set a strong example on the issue
of climate change to prove their commit-
ment to environmental stewardship.
ELLEN KOLASKY
RCjunior
The letter writer is a co-chair
of Students for PIRGIM
Taylor's allegations of
NCAA hypocrisy disgusting,
though not surprising
ond, that you got it at all. On the second
point, I don't mean to insinuate that you
aren't a smart guy, but can you honestly
look at yourself in the mirror and say that
you would have even gotten accepted to the
University, let alone finished, if you
couldn't play basketball? And given that
you are making millions of dollars a year
for playing a game, I would call your time
here the gift that keeps on giving!
Those of us who don't live in sports star
fantasy land and actually use our college
degrees for what they were intended often
have things called "internships" or
"externiships," in which we bestow a bene-
fit on a large organization without being
paid. The only benefit we receive from
these jobs is something called "experi-
ence." In this regard, the college sports star
is just like the rest of us.
Except that we aren't getting paid six figure
stipends on the side and crying about the
hypocrisy of it all.
JIM KNAPP
Law student
'M' postseason sanctions
unnecessarily hurt fans,
current team members
TO THE DAILY:
Upon reading the headline Coleman works
toward benefits for U' students, (11/11/02), I
became a bit irritated. While I realize Univer-
sity President has only been here for 100
days, and I'm sure she will become a great
leader for our University, I find it hard to
believe that everything she does "is ultimately
for the benefit of students."
Over the past week, the top story at the Uni-
versity has been the sanctions on the men's bas-
ketball program. Mary Sue Coleman played a
large role in prohibiting this year's team from
playing in any post-season tournament. I don't
see how that "benefits" any current student. Not
only are the team members, especially the three
tri-captain seniors, greatly hurt by these sanc-
tions, but also the hundreds of student fans who
shelled out $114 for season tickets. While I per-
sonally would have purchased tickets anyway, I
highly doubt many would have, and doubt
many will in the upcoming weeks. The season
has basically become meaningless, since the
goals of any team should be to play and win in
Fab Five owes 'U' apologies,
not excuses for actions
TO THE DAILY:
An open letter to the Fab Five:
I hope you take a moment to stop and per-
haps reflect on how your selfish actions have
not only had a negative impact on your charac-
ter, but on the school for which you played.
And I hope you stop to think about the family
that you have betrayed and hurt and start to
think about how you can rectify this situation.
There is a way to make this right; now is the
time to start. By admitting your errors, accept-
ing your punishment and showing the sports
world and your University family you are sorry,
you will finally "Shock The World."
I attended the University during the era of
the Fab Five. You are such a big part of my
memories and feelings when I think of col-
lege. I can remember watching you stroll
around campus, dance around the court and
bring all of us to our feet and our knees with-
in minutes. I will never forget the dull pain of
standing in Crisler arena and watching Chris
called the now infamous time out. I think I
was the last one to leave Crisler that night. I
just couldn't believe it had happened. I
remember going to the welcome back rally
the University threw for you after that fateful
game. I was in ear shot of you as you took
the podium and I kept yelling to Webber,
"You owe us another year." I didn't think
you understood then what it meant to be a
Wolverine, and I still don't think you do.
The integrity of our school is more important
that a few W's in a win column. You owe us
apologies, not excuses. I don't want to hear that
you were young; I want to hear that you are sorry.
JOSIE ANN LEE
Alumna
ISAC withdraws from
'uncalled for' Daily boycott
after 'great deliberation'
TO THE DAILY:
On behalf of the International Students
Affairs Commission, I would like to offi-
cially withdraw our support of the boycott.
After great deliberation, I (we) think that
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