4 -The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 31, 2003
OP/ED
U* iod
420 MAYNARD STREET
ANN ARBOR, MI 48109
letters@michigandaily.com
NOTABLE
QUOTABLE
SAM BUTLER Tt wSOAPBOX
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.
It appears to be
an unusual set
of Halloween
circumstances.
^e~ W~
J
~r
40
x ll v V
- U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance
Gainer, about a weapons scare that shut
down the Capitol building Thursday
as reported on CNN.com.
'
"r
i
Y
't . i
... {
r '' i i
' [111\\\
\ o " e a
p' h J' -'
Hungry for understanding
SRAVYA CHIRUMAMILLA WEAVING THE HANDBASKET
ntering Angell fasts throughout my experimentation phas- you too have been fasting and offer you a
Hall, I thread my es, I did not expect this to be a particularly date or other fruit to break the fast.
way through the difficult feat. In order to include others in the event,
clusters of people, past Those whose stomachs grumble mid- the Muslim Students Association organized
the ever-inviting candy class understand the importance of and the a fast-a-thon last year for non-Muslim stu-
vending machines and urgency one feels for lunch. While most dents. Those who pledged to not eat during
to my classes. The most people observe Ramadan for deeply reli- one day were able to raise money from local
difficult part of the gious beliefs, I wanted to experience the businesses to help those in need. A friend of
now-routine journey up hunger. mine joined wholeheartedly as it was a
to the third floor is This option is not available for millions noble way to raise funds. He didn't realize,
restraining myself from of people worldwide. Not only' was I able to however, that for him to gain from the expe-
reaching for the water fountain. It is neither choose this, but I was also able to do no rience, he would have to give up smoking
the lack of projection of the water, which my hard labor, instead limiting the extent of my the daily quota of cigarettes. He obliged and
paranoia deems can spread meningococcal activity to sitting at a computer or in class. after a few hours of not smoking, under-
bacteria nor the water temperature, which In fact, what I have tried over the past three stood both his dependence on the habit and
could breed legionella bacteria, that prevents years is nothing like what Muslims in that smoking is an immense privilege.
me from taking a sip. It is the fifth day of Indonesia are going through, as it is the The reason I fast is simple: It offers me
Ramadan and I have decided to fast from early summer months for them. The days an understanding of what other people must
sunrise to sunset for a month this year. are much longer, the heat is more unbear- be going through. People live without food
Since I wasn't raised with the tenet that able and the thirst must be infinitely greater. or water for days while doing strenuous
curiosity killed the cat, I try novel and often There are of course many other times activity for the better part of the day.
uncharacteristic things. Though not a reli- during the year I could embark on this When we are nurtured within the leisures
gious person myself, I have experimented mission to greater understanding. I have of Ann Arbor, we ignore that our actions
with aspects of some religions. limited it to a month because at present I have a direct affect on many others' lives.
When I was younger, I would choose am not determined enough to try it for Not until we are aware of the hunger our-
something important to give up for Lent. To much longer. What I gain from. the month selves will we have any inclinations to
my mother's chagrin, I usually became a will hopefully make me aware of my change the current situation.
vegetarian for 40 days. Cooking for me actions throughout the year. All too often, when we get a bite to eat
became particularly unpleasant for her since Another, more selfish reason I choose to from Mr. Spot's or get a free slice of pizza
within my picky consumption habits lies an participate during this particular month is on the Diag, we fail to realize just how
aversion of most vegetables. because of the established community lucky we are. I am lucky enough to want
In a quest to try something else once I around the event. For every night of to experience hunger. I can state and do
came to college, I joined my Muslim friends Ramadan, someone usually organizes a what millions can not dream of: I can
in their observance of Ramadan. From sun- large dinner to break the fast, known as an choose not to eat.
rise to sunset, I would not eat, drink water ifthar. Even if you're just walking down the
or any other substance and learned through- street around this time, it is common for Chirumamilla can be reached
out the process. As I have done my share of someone in the community to recognize that atschiruma@umich.edu.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
I
Edwards relevant, presents
'clearest alternative' to Bush
To THE DAILY:
Jason Pesick is wrong to mischaracterize
John Edwards's candidacy for president as
"inconsistent" and "nonsensical," Edwards style
can't hide lack of substance (10/29/03). Edwards'
message has been clear since he first announced
his candidacy in January: He believes that
America works best when it works for all of us.
Edwards's priorities - rewarding work and cre-
ating opportunity - are the most rational, fun-
damental values espoused by any candidate
seeking the White House in 2004.
I was fortunate enough to join Edwards on
the campaign trail this weekend as he met with
churchgoers and union leaders in Detroit. Far
from "not clicking with voters," Edwards devel-
oped an instant rapport with members of UNITE
and Service Employees International Union
Local 79, all of whom enthusiastically supported
his real solutions for the problems facing our
nation. Edwards's unique proposals to provide
every American child with health insurance as a
birthright, cover the first year of college stu-
dents' tuition and take back our civil liberties
from U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft are
resonating with voters across the country.
Contrary to Pesick's assertion that Edwards's
candidacy is "tanking," Edwards is enjoying
overwhelming support from voters in key prima-
ry states who recognize Edwards as the clearest
alternative to George W. Bush. Recent polls
show Edwards gaining ground in Iowa and New
Hampshire while leading the potentially decisive
South Carolina primary by double digits.
Edwards will be a president who not only
represents the interests of working- and middle-
class Americans but also inspires and empowers
young people to achieve. And after four years of
Bush, isn't that what this country really needs?
JEREMY KRESS
Business school junior
Chair, Students for John Edwards
A2 built to attract homeless,
student nawve about situation
To THE DAILY:
I must first apologize, as I would be the
"paramedic" in the picture, All in a Days
Work (10/21/03). I am in actuality a Depart-
ment of Public Safety Officer in its hospital
division. I didn't bother to inform you of this
oversight because I didn't think it was that
big of a deal. Unfortunately while reading the
him a penny. Yes, me and the rest of the good
taxpayers of Ann Arbor picked up the tab.
Unfortunately, Danny and several of his com-
panions are well known to me and the rest of
my fellow officers. Danny and his friends
believe that alcohol and drugs are more
important than food, shelter, bathing and
underwear. Several nights my colleges and I
have literally fought with the highly intoxi-
cated members of his clan - I guess this is
how they show their appreciation for close to
$2,000 worth of medical care received at no
cost to them. Perhaps all the times they defe-
cate and urinate their pants or projectile vomit
is just a sign of affection towards our emer-
gency room staff.
I see that Peterson is a student. Well
here's a lesson your parents don't have to pay
for. I have years of experience in hospital
operations as well as law enforcement, so I
believe I speak from knowledge gained over
these years. Guys like Danny are not from
here. They flock here because the "benefits"
of being homeless are lucrative, such as sev-
eral free food kitchens, University students
naive enough to believe that the money they
give them actually goes to food and not liquor,
and of course, free health care - the prover-
bial "If you build it they will come" syn-
drome. Well, nobody builds it better than Ann
Arbor.
I don't want to belittle Peterson's argu-
ment, but lets face it, the propaganda that
has been force fed to young impressionable
minds by an institution with an agenda that
includes socialized medicine will only be
extracted from you when you actually get
out into the real world and get your "real"
education.
As for Danny, I know him and his friends
well, I wonder how well Peterson knows them.
If she'd like to find out, I suggest she go and
visit them. They live under the bridge that I'm
standing in front of in the picture. I recom-
mend Peterson go there in the daytime and not
by herself. These, of course, are my opinions
and not that of University hospital or DPS.
As for the smirk on my face and the
"horns" on my head, well, I never said I was
an angel.
OFFICER TROY SCHUH
Department of Public Safety, Hospital division
Greenbelt will make housing
inaccessible, buildings rise
To THE DAILY:
Jack Zuckerman's letter regarding Proposal
B was uninformed on several counts, (Ann
A..,. ..,; ..1,, .'.,+, ,, -1 ,,,
Yorker imagination. As a matter of historical
fact, Central Park has been a model that city
planners have followed for over 100 years. New
York prides itself very much on its green spaces
within a dynamic city environment.
What is certain is that Proposal B will hurt
opportunities to build more housing in Ann
Arbor, and that rents within the greenbelt will go
up. Lots within the belt will be further subdivid-
ed, and building height will increase. Fewer Uni-
versity, Pfizer, and other employees of local
industry will be able to afford to live near their
jobs, and traffic on U.S.-23 and Interstate-94 will
worsen as a result - as will air quality. The real
goal of Proposal B is to keep affluent Ann Arbor
for the affluent and to extend the city's reach
outside the city limits.
The debate on Proposal B seems to be large-
ly emotive. Economic and historical models are
more effective tools of analysis than misin-
formed, romantic appeals about Sunday strolls in
the park. Zuckerman's letter only added to mis-
information based on erroneous assumptions.
DANIEL ROTHsCHImD
School ofPublic Policy
Greenbelt not without faults,
should still vote for Prop. B
To THE DAILY:
I am writing in response to a letter from Jack
Zuckerman in regard to Proposal B, which eval-
uated Mayor John Hieftje's Greenbelt plan in
rather simplistic terms, (Ann Arbor residents
should vote 'yes' on Proposal B, 10/28/03). I agree
that Proposal B will have a generally positive
effect on the preservation of open space, but it
has many shortcomings. The very process
through which it reached the ballot, without any
input from the city's professional planning staff,
for instance, is questionable. The amount of
land that can be preserved, the characteristics of
the parcels that would be included, and neigh-
boring townships' commitment to cooperation
are all unknown.
What is known, is that despite the termi-
nology, a "green patchwork" rather than a
continuous "Greenbelt" is all that can result
from this plan, as so much of the land sur-
rounding Ann Arbor is already developed. In
the end, Proposal B's effect on sprawl will be
limited without a more comprehensive
growth-management program in cooperation
with surrounding municipalities that would
place an emphasis on redeveloping and infill-
ing existing developed areas, directing green-
field development to areas directly proximate
to to Ann Arbor and other local cities and
designing mixed-use, higher-density neigh-
.
i