4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 7, 2003 OP/ED Ule Ittn hrI 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 letters@michigandaily.com 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. NOTABLE QUOTABLE The law was intended for activities related to terrorism and not to naked women." - Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on using the PATRIOT Act in a Las Vegas public corruption probe of strip clubs, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Wednesday. SAM BUTLER THE SOAPBOX ~ ~ 'I s4 N -J 't t M .A 11 Conspiracy theory DANIEL ADAMS I WIN hen Hillary According to the network, the series was spared the Reagan legacy from being tar- C 1 i n t o n pulled because it didn't, "present a bal- nished at the hands of CBS. By all f a m o u s 1 y anced portrayal of the Reagans." accounts, the Right can destroy, create and blamed her husband's Balance? Television, fictional or other- save a presidency at the push of the but- legal problems on a wise, doesn't have to be even remotely com- ton. At this point, the Left can't even pro- "vast right-wing con- passionate, much less balanced. The gram a VCR. spiracy," the collective miniseries wasn't inaccurate (according to Second - fight back. Something has boos from conservative CBS, the producers have sources to corrobo- got to give, lest the Right continue to rule pundits resonated rate every scene), but accuracy wasn't even the playground. When Sen. Rick Santorum across the land. its aim. This wasn't a documentary, and was (R-Pa.) picks Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) last William F. Buckley of intended to take some artistic liberties with in two-hand touch, Daschle should get his the New York Post wondered, "How did its portrayal of Reagan and his family. boys, punch Santorum in the face, then the American right conspire successfully No, the series was pulled because, after take his sack lunch. to cause Bill Clinton to engage in illegal weeks of attack from Conservatives, CBS Third - form vast left wing conspira- fund-raising practices, wrongful adulter- buckled under the pressure. They got cy. When the chips are down, the Left ous acts and subversive attempts to sup- responses in the form of thousands of letters should be able to get just as fired up as the press testimony?" I suppose he has a point and criticism from dozens of conservative Right over significant issues. More impor- - Monica didn't just fall on that cigar. media personalities that gasped at the thought tantly, it should be able to bring to bear But that doesn't mean Hillary was of Ronald Reagan being presented in a less enough political clout to bolster liberal wrong. While "conspiracy" may be the than positive light on national television. causes. And the next time a Republican wrong word to describe it, there can be no The vast right wing conspiracy strikes president dips his pen in the company ink, denying the powerful forces that allied to again! Has Rush Limbaugh taken over said left wing conspiracy should be able to bring down the 42nd president and his first Viacom? Anyone else getting the feeling see that every stained dress, every cigar lady. The brand of partisan politics made that the Left is being pushed around like a and every spent condom is pulled out of infamous during Andrew Johnson's high school quiz bowl team? A few sug- the trash and made into front page news. administration reached new heights with gestions for the Democrats: You see, politics isn't a game, and the Bill Clinton, as his personal indiscretions First - politics isn't fair. Did you hon- fact that CBS buckled under pressure is fur- became fair game for a bitter Republican estly expect the Reaganites to allow their ther proof that no one should expect equity in Congress. Republicans across the land ailing deity to be made to look even the system. There are no rules, and no refer- took righteous satisfaction in the destruc- remotely flawed? Not a chance in hell, for ees. It is the responsibility of the left to see tion of the Clintons, and, right or wrong, it while there may not be a right wing con- that it gets some punches in, because no one seemed at the time to set a new standard spiracy per se, there can be no doubt that on the right is going to give them a free shot. for how we are to treat past, present and as of now, the Right is pulling all the As the saying goes, "The strong do what they future presidents: no holds barred. important strings. For example, three years will - the weak suffer what they must." It is Democrats hoping for the tables to turn ago, the Right got a man posted to the time for there to be two parties again in were disappointed on Tuesday, when CBS highest position in the land, without any America, not just 1.5. announced that it would be pulling its experience, intelligence or even the popu- miniseries on Ronald Reagan, choosing lar vote. Five years ago, it cut the legs out Adams can be reached instead to broadcast it on Showtime. from under Clinton. And this week, it at dnadams@umich.edu. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 0H g Art school should broaden curriculum, increase appreciation by students To THE DAILY: In response to the article in the Daily on Nov. 5 entitled, One year later, Art School still adjusting to new curriculum (11/05/03) it seems the "new" curriculum is not the real problem for students. Rather, the fault lies in the overall philosophy of the School of Art and Design which continues to focus on the goal of produc- ing professional artists. Given the fickle nature of the art world, the odds of becoming a profes- sional artist are extremely low, as opposed to becoming a doctor, for example. The prescrip- tive nature of the SOAD's curriculum is trying to match that of other professional schools on campus, however unlike nursing or law, there is no set curriculum that has been proven to produce a professional artist. Instead, the SOAD could offer a broader curriculum that helps people enrich their lives through art, with a wider variety of self-select- ed courses and scheduling options and plentiful offerings for non-art majors as well. And yes, perhaps a small percentage of these students will go on to have careers in art, but all of them will have a greater appreciation and under- standing of the critical importance of art in their lives and in society. In making the art courses more accessible to all by eliminating the prescriptive nature of the curriculum, the SOAD could teach more students on their own terms and help transform generations of students who will become admirers, supporters and patrons of the arts for the rest of their lives. What better gift to give a larger number of students rather than perpetuat- ing the art career myth to a relatively small group of art majors. MARK TUCKER Art instructor, Lloyd Hall Scholars Program Muslim terrorists greater threat to free world than India-Israel alliance To THE DAILY: In yesterday's viewpoint, Aliya Chowdhri, Rahul Saksena and Irfan Shuttari criticize the emerging alliance between Israel and India (With blood on their hands, 11/06/03). According head of state, is also a Muslim. One only needs to look at the Freedom House map that measures countries' economic and political freedoms to discern the reality of the situation. Both Israel and India are complete- ly free while every single neighbor of these two countries is not. Perhaps Chowdhri, Saksena and Shuttari should instead focus on the gross negli- gence of women's rights, the targeting of inno- cent civilians, the hatred taught in Islamic madrassas and the lack of basic political and economic rights that takes place in Pakistan and the Middle East. There is already an existing alliance that is far more dangerous than the emerging Israeli- Indian one. This alliance, which stretches from Palestinian-controlled areas to Pakistan, breeds terrorism, marginalizes the voices of moderate Muslims and disrespects fundamental human rights. Such an alliance has already shown itself to be a threat not only in the Middle East and South Asia but tothe entire free world. NucHIL SUDAME LSA senior Reader upset Pakistani opined about Israel To THE DAILY: When someone asked me this morning if I had seen the viewpoint about Israel in the paper With blood on their hands, (11/06/03), my first thought was "Oh no, here we go again." After a year and a half here at Michigan, I have grown used to the tiresome back and forth that takes place on the Daily's editorial page. As an avowed moderate and advocate of peace, I rarely bother to write back. I usually find that I want to remain as far removed from the vitriol that flies back and forth as possible, so I often don't even bother to read the pieces. Today is different. Today's viewpoint lit a fire under me, and I feel compelled to step up and shout out my now- boiling over frustration and anger. What was so different about today's article? Let me tell you, it certainly wasn't the accusa- tion that "the governing coalition ... (is) dominat- ed by right-wing religious nationalists who use tactics of fear" to rule, or the nonsensical asser- tion that "it is the policies, statements and beliefs of Israel ... that generate terrorism." Those and similar statements are old hat. It's not the what that was different, but the who! At first I thought it was written by an unhap- py minority at the Indian American Students Association, and I considered asking one of my TnrlnAt. C4,..Ar +ntorwrita,- inand omnw ornnnrt very complex and cut very deeply through one's political and emotional consciousness. But please, can't we recognize that we are all decent, caring human beings. At the very least, can't we be mature enough not to go out of our way to pick a fight with others? Please? CHAIM SCHRAW LSA sophomore Co-chair, Hillel Religious Life Pakistan oppresses women, uwse than India To THE DAILY: Ignorance is not bliss. To pretend that any issue is one sided and that blame for a conflict can be assigned to any one side of a problem is not only ignorant but dangerous. In response to the fairly one-sided viewpoint featured in the Daily Thursday I would like to point out a few things (With blood on their hands, 11/06/03). First, India is not Israel, Pakistan is not Palestine and to make this blanket analogy with meager, underdeveloped reasoning is to perpetuate igno- rance. While the actions of Hindus in Gujarat in early 2002 were indefensible it is equally inex- cusable to condemn these acts without placing them right next to the list of atrocities committed against Hindus by Muslims in India. In the last fifteen years Pakistani insurgents have driven 400,000 Hindus from the state of Kashmir through murder, kidnappings and intimidation. Since 1989 more than 20,000 people both Hindu and Muslim have been killed in this insurgency by these terrorists. Every month Hindu pilgrims are murdered while trekking to Amarnath. Yet through all of this Muslims in India continue to participate and excel in every facet of the so called "right-wing Hindu" state. Muslims have held every high office possible in India from president to Supreme Court jus- tice, not to mention numerous cabinet posi- tions. While the events of early 2002 were tragic, to label them as a sign of the systemat- ic oppression of Muslims in India is simply wrong. Could relations be better between Hin- dus and Muslims in India? Of course. Is the problem a one-sided case of oppression? Most certainly not. If one were to start making com- parisons based on such specious reasoning let me make my own comparison. I would like to point out that it is neither India nor Israel that oppresses its populations, but Pakistan that oppresses its population in a much worse manner, one truly deserving of divestment. Only in this country the apartheid is not prac- 0 6 6 I '4' W~ I.JIJA' I iTA M. i liloil;iR. .'yri" ::1'Y iuix ai 1W ur; imw