4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 8, 2004 ____ OPINION 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 eSkWau Dm1 tothedaily@michigandaily.com EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITYOFMICHIGAN 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 pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. NOTABLE QUOTABLE I don't want to take away from the other nominees and the attention that they richly deserve." - Filmmaker and author Michael Moore, referring to his decision not to pursue the Academy Award for Best Documentary for his film, "Fahrenheit 911," as reported yesterday by The Washington Post. SAM BUTLER TH >OAPB ? mud westlK9 TO0N I~a. . c 3,,c - m as Fli... f , ' Ride The Ride SRAVYA CHIRUMAMILLA WEAV ING T'H A N DBASKE:T or the past three years, I have been a resident of Ann Arbor's student ghettos, but for my last semester, I am commuting to classes. Finding parking is quite a task, as the University does not allow parking permits for freshmen and sophomores, and offers only distant paid lots for juniors and seniors. Earning a parking spot at some apartment complexes can cost upwards of $100 per month. Students are thus forced to become less reliant on their own vehicles and more dependent on public transportation. It would be disastrous to have such limited parking without the numerous bus systems the city and University offer. The University and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority have had a partnership to provide faculty and students free access on The Ride so that they can reach some businesses and parking lots around town. Since Aug. 1, faculty, students and employees are able to ride all fixed routes for free. The Mride program is a $1.8 million per year venture that is in place for the next five years using mostly federal grants and with- out increasing student fees. Members of the University community can reach their desti- nations without the hassles of traffic and find- ing parking. The city will benefit from less congested roads as well as from the federal funds. These funds will make current routes free as well as help the AATA expand ser- vices beginning in January. Similar innovative plans brought The Link to the city last year, allowing for a low-fare route that linked Central Campus, Kerrytown and the Main Street area. The AATA helps create a cosmopolitan city simply by offering efficient bus routes, which are mostly nonex- istent elsewhere in this state. Ann Arbor leads other communities by focusing on public transportation: During the Aug. 3 elections, 13 cities voted to increase millages to support public transit. Still, few students explore the city's many parks, stores and eateries beyond walking distance. A travesty, considering the eclec- tic choices the city offers further away from campus. Students now have the opportunity to experience local recreational facilities instead of being limited to the corporate behemoths taking over the city's main streets. They can dine at the many diverse venues, such as the Aut Bar, a cafe and bar directed toward the gay community. The surrounding commu- nity offers a wide variety of nightlife besides Scorekeepers, be it the Wooden Nickel's Greek night to Good Night Gracie's martinis and live music. Museums such as the Yankee Air Museum are unique to the area and allow resi- dents rides in historic aircrafts. Besides the opportunity for students to explore the city, this partnership between the AATA and the University gives hope for a more intelligent conversation about the issues affecting young adults. City officials are recognizing that without students and the University, Ann Arbor would not be the intellectual center it is today. The University is the most important aspect of the city and students infuse it with novel and diverse ideas: enterprises such as Big Ten Burrito and Euphoria Oxygen Bar are great additions to the city. They add more to the city's quirky charac- ter than expanding franchises, such as Potbelly's Sandwich Works and Noodles & Company, whose bland foods have infiltrated State Street just within the last year and a half. Michigan has failed to maintain educated young adults after graduation, leading to many economic, social and political troubles. Gov. Jennifer Granholm's cool cities initiatives, announced in 2003, concentrate on Prof. Rich- ard Florida's ideas of creating lively centers by promoting technology, talent and tolerance. The University utilizes student voices to help make cities throughout Michigan cool. Sponsored by several real estate and law firms, the University and the Urban Land Institute Real Estate Forum have created five $2,000 scholarships for gradu- ate students. The state is also doing its part by appropriating $2 million in grants for 20 cities to stimulate ideas for the state. Granholm's pro- posals, voters' decision to increase funding for transportation and the University's support of student ideas provide a viable means to improve the current exodus of skilled youth. Chirumamilla can be reached at schiruma@umich.edu. We will win, and someone will lose JORDAN SCHRADER PORT HURON STATEMENT *1 resident Bush and John Kerry both affirmed last week that the United States will win the war on terrorism. So how will we know when we win it? Can we declare victory when we kill or capture all the Islamist extremists who threaten our country? Or do we need to keep going until the Rus- sians, the Israelis and our other allies plagued by terrorists are also satisfied? Will it be over when our official Homeland Security Threat Condition sinks to green? That sure would be a load off my mind; being vigilant is hard work. Or will we know it's done when civil-lib- erties safeguards are returned to their peace- time levels? Will there be a parade? Bush briefly suggested that the war on terror- ism is unwinnable. "I don't think you can win it," he said. "But I think you can create condi- tions so that the - those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world." But don't worry. The next day he reas- sured Americans: "We are winning and we will win." The gaffe gave his Democratic opponent a unique opportunity to challenge Bush on the very basis of his campaign as a war presi- dent, rather than the peripheral issues like troop realignments that have dominated his attacks. Kerry could have argued that behind the mis- take was a fundamental confusion about what the war on terrorism really means. He could have posed that critical question: How will we know when we win? By hearing Kerry's answer to this ques- tion, voters might have learned a lot about the senator. And there are other questions. If we're at war, do the normal rules and restric- tions of war apply? During a global war, should Americans at home be shouldering a greater burden, or is the government already asking too much? Is Iraq a front in the war on terrorism, as Bush says? Just as importantly, does Kerry think it was appropriate to declare a broad war on terror, or should his country have specifically gone to war with al-Qaida? (You remember those guys - the ones who actually attacked us.) Instead of speaking his mind on these critical issues, John Kerry did what he always does: He fought on Bush's terms. He derided Bush for his "flip-flop," as if to say "There's more than one waffler in this race." He even put out a press release titled "Bush: Against Winning the War on Terror Before He Was For It," alluding to Kerry's own muddled statements about his support for and then opposition to spending $87 bil- lion on the Iraq war. Kerry and running mate John Edwards rushed to say that the United States can and will achieve victory in the war on terror. Take that, Mr. President. You're wrong - America is going to win the war that you made up. Hard to argue with that. When it comes to national security, Kerry harries the president on little issues, but never shows the voters where they differ on the big ones. Kerry thinks we should have found more allies for the Iraq war and planned better for the war's aftermath, but he accepts the need for the war, saying he would have authorized the invasion even if he knew that it would turn up no weapons of mass destruction. He won't say Americans were systematically deceived into believing an imminent threat loomed. Kerry doesn't challenge Bush on first princi- ples. And he doesn't give undecided voters with national security at the forefront of their minds much of a reason to pick him over Bush. It all plays into the president's brilliant strat- egy of declaring a war on terror, not a war on al-Qaida. By taking on terror instead of Osama bin Laden's group, the president opened the door for a war in Iraq. For although links between Saddam Hussein and bin Laden have been debunked, there's no question Saddam used to support terror abroad and even terrorized his own people. That makes him a terrorist. So see, we were already at war with him before we ever invaded. The vague language also paves the way for plenty of future wars, of course, along with the corresponding restrictions at home. Kerry should think seriously about whether terrorism is really the enemy or just the weapon our enemies use. How do you win a war against a tactic? If the Founding Fathers had declared war against unreasonable taxes instead of against England, we'd still be fighting the Revolution today. Then again, if we'd declared war on geno- cide instead of Germany and Japan in 1941, maybe our troops today would be in Sudan - not Iraq. Schrader can be reached at jtschrad@umich.edu. LETTER TO THE EDITOR * Democrats unfairly targeting Ralph Nader TO THE DAILY: The Democratic Party is always telling the American electorate that it represents the little man, and the hardworking people of the United States. Now that party attacks the little man in the presidential race, Ralph Nader. Nader doesn't have a private plane, or a lot of cam- paign cash. His campaign relies on passing out Democrats are shutting out voices and taking away choices from the electorate makes our democracy and our country stronger doesn't make sense. DAVID RUSSELL LSA freshman INTERESTED IN SHARING YOUR VIEWS IN AN IMPORTANT ELECTION YEAR? DAILY OPINION MAY BE JUST TUG f Af tM Vf 1 LETTERS POLICY U The Michigan Daily welcomes letters from all of its readers. Letters from University students, faculty, staff and administrators 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 letter containing statements that cannot be verified. F m :_ yM > ,