4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, March 8, 2004 OPINION 0 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 opinion. michigandaily. com tothedaily@michigandaily.com EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 JORDAN SCHRADER Editor in Chief JASON Z. PESICK 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 t I recreate the events without actually traveling there. ... It went beyond cutting corners." - Former New York Times reporter Jayson Blair, in an interview with "Dateline NBC" Friday. SAM BUTLER THE SOAPBOX \ B~.A-le.N -I 1 ,° 4 Where am I? JOEL HOARD OH YEAH a here exists a mag- ical place in this nation of ours where a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline costs y $3.10. It's called Gorda, Calif. Situated along scenic Highway One along California's Cen- tral Coast, Gorda is at least 30 miles from anything resembling civilization. The population of Gorda is exactly one. He owns and operates the gas station, the town's solitary building. He's the kind of guy who wears bright yellow waders pulled up to his armpits even when he's on dry land. I'm guessing he was at one time a pirate. My girlfriend and I were driving down the Pacific Coast on Spring Break, but I didn't bother to stop for gas in Big Sur, a much larger town about 40 miles north of Gorda. About an hour later, we were dangerously low on gas. Relief finally came in the form of Gorda and its lonely gas station, just as the gas gauge was edging to the left of "E." Why didn't I just stop in Big Sur? Because it was no big deal, I told myself. This is America - there's a gas station every 10 feet. You see, I never imagined there could be a stretch of highway along the coastline of the nation's most populated state where it was possible to drive for an hour without seeing a gas station. I relate this tale not as a precaution to those who may make a similar journey in the future, nor as a way of criticizing soar- ing gas prices. Instead, I tell this story as a means of highlighting one of the major themes of my 5,000-mile trek across the country: When it comes to America, I don't know a goddamn thing these days. But my ignorance doesn't stem from a lack of education or effort - I do my best to keep up with the times. The real problem is, I don't know what America stands for any- more, and neither does America. We can no longer say "United we stand" and mean it. During times of strife we expect our president to step in and rally the country. But here in the 21st century, in the face of terrorist attacks and constant criticism from abroad, we've been divided into two distinct groups. The first does indeed rally behind the president and says, "God bless America and George W. Bush." The second points at the president and says, "It's not our fault. He did it." Of course the nation has been divided along party lines since nearly the begin- ning. In the past, at least one side would tolerate the other. But with our last two presidents, one a liar and the other a liar and a warmonger, things have changed. Five years ago, Republicans rebuked Clin- ton as the most sinful and despicable man in America, a shining example of every- thing that's wrong in America. Today, Democrats label Bush as the devil incar- nate, a man who strips away freedoms and kills innocent people all in the name of fighting terror. What kind of country is it where half the nation is not only embar- rassed by its leader, but it downright hates him? It's modern-day America. If we can't count on our leader or our politics to define the nation, then perhaps there's some moral code or common values that unite us. Nope. A quick look at two cities I visited on my trip - Las Vegas and St. George, Utah, which are just 120 miles apart - proves otherwise. The cities are diametrically opposed. Everyone knows Las Vegas as a center of gaudiness and depravity, and everyone is right. But few know St. George. I think St. George is best defined by a video rental store that was sit- uated in a strip mall near our hotel. It was- n't a Blockbuster Video as you'd find here. No, this was a store that would take feature films, censor them, and then market them to conservative Christian families. These two cities couldn't possibly be in the same country, could they? But they are - they're in America. I visited many other places on my trip, and few of them were even remotely alike. I saw rich and vibrant cities like San Francis- co, as well as small prairie towns like Ogal- lala, Neb., one of those places where everyone knows everyone else. Some may tout what I am describing as diversity. I suppose it fits a loose definition, but diversity as a concept is only useful when describing cultures that intersect and blend together. Here, differing groups are separated and scattered. Little intersection and even less blending occurs. The liberal, progressive views of San Francisco rarely cross paths with the conservative, heartland values of Ogallala. But for some reason, we're all still grouped together under this banner that reads, "The United States of America." So now, I sit here and wonder, how can we expect the rest of the world to like us when we don't even know who we are anymore? Hoard can be reached at hoardl@umich.edu LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 4 Headscarf ban shows France is actually 'culturally progressive' TO THE DAILY: I for one support the actions of the French government, and I respect its right to protect its culture as it interprets it. I couldn't help but disagree when Shabina Khatri wrote in Friday's column (Forget freedom fries, let's talk scarfheads, 03/05/04) that France had "lost its way" with its ban on the wearing of certain reli- gious symbols in public schools, which include the Muslim headscarf. France has had a long and proud histo- ry of state protection for the most impor- tant components of its culture, such as the French language, French films and the country's distinctive cuisine. The legal and social elements of French culture and tra- dition (such as the institution of official state secularism) are no less sacred. If the French government interprets this to mean that "conspicuous" religious symbols are inappropriate in public schools, it is fully within its rights to legislate it. In fact, France is as justified in requiring "respect" for its culture as any other state. In many states and regions around the world, tolerance and respect for the norms of the nation are codified in law and appli- cable to people of all cultures and reli- gions who choose to reside there. For instance, Saudi Arabia requires that all residents obey its particular interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. Similar codes of law exist in other places, such as Iran, tribally controlled Afghanistan and Pakistan and northern Nigeria. The U.S. armed services, for years, encouraged female service members serving in Saudi Arabia to show "toleration and respect" for local culture when off base by wearing the head-to-foot abaya covering, refraining from driving automobiles and entering buses and build- ings from back entrances. Saudi culture and religion is so important that the state has its own police force dedicated to the preservation of these norms - the Mutawa - who have been known to enforce the law by beating with sticks those who fail to properly show tolerance or respect for we "stop criticizing third-world countries for their "backwards" ways" and start showing respect for the culture and norms of all states and peoples - Eastern and Western. France has shown that first- world, freedom- and liberty-loving states too, can be on the leading edge of this kind of culturally progressive legislating. If those pupils who wear headscarves are indeed a tiny minority in France, per- haps the actual effect of the new rule on the Muslim population will be small, ren- dering it only a "symbolic snub" - but a culturally important one nonetheless. All I can say is: What goes around, comes around. BEN JULIAN LSA senior 'U' spokeswoman did not intend to make accusations TO THE DAILY: In my interview with the Daily regard- ing the anonymous flyers posted in Angell Hall (DPS investigates campus flyers as harassment case, 03/05/04), I said clearly that we do not know the truth of the alle- gations in the flyer. I was very careful not to lend credence to the accusations. Separately, in response to additional questions from the reporter, I shared infor- mation about the University's policies regarding faculty-student relationships and sexual harassment. Unfortunately, the jux- taposition of those remarks in the same sentence as a discussion of the flyer makes it sound as if I have accused a faculty member of improper behavior. I have no reason to do so, and I never intended to leave this impression. JULIE PETERSON University spokeswoman Bush's campaign ads exploit events of Sept. 11 TO THE DAILY: I would just like to commend the staff at the Daily for its editorial (Tragic offens- es: New series of Bush advertisements are OA JAr%0A t ron art.i,- n Editorial based on the wrong argument TO THE DAILY: I am responding to the Daily's stance on the gun makers' protection bill that failed in the U.S. Senate (Tort reform: DOA: Protection of gun makers from law- suits a bad idea, 03/04/04). The bill would have protected U.S. gun makers from friv- olous law suits brought by a concerted effort of anti-gun interests in this country. It did not prevent legitimate suits address- ing liability as the Daily suggested. The reason it was killed was because amendments were .attached by anti-gun interests that had far more reaching effects than the feel-good, reasonable-sounding explanations they give for these laws: 1) The gun show loophole is not a loophole. All transactions are governed under all laws pertaining to all of our citizenry; 2) The assault weapons ban is another dis- guised law. It is an almost comical attempt to define certain aspects of certain guns as making them more lethal. It should be allowed to sunset in September. But further, and more sinister, is an idea that rears its ugly head in the last paragraph. The Daily sets the stage for the issue to be a Republican versus Democrat issue. This is an attack on individual rights - inalienable rights. Not a political party issue. If the right of speech or freedom of press were being attacked, I wonder what the Daily's editorial would say. This is a house of cards, this Constitution that gov- erns us. The Daily should be ashamed. EARL MILTON University staff LETTERS POLICY The Michigan Daily welcomes letters from all of its readers. Letters from Univer- sity students, faculty, staff and administra- tors will be given priority over others. Letters should include the writer's name, college and school year or other University affiliation. The Daily will not print any let- ter containing statements that cannot be verified. Letters should be kept to approximately 300 words. The Michigan Daily reserves the -,t - 1 ' .A>%.'A.A t'&3 * ,2A.# %J..'1. A ,X 2 ' "S t. ')J L ,\~iif:: LI I il.kf 1ZkV1 : . .8'