4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 21, 2006 OPINION able ltkbtgun"&zlgu DoNN M. FRESARD Editor in Chief EMILY BEAM CHRISTOPHER ZBROZEK Editorial Page Editors ASHLEY DINGES Managing Editor EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com NOTABLE QUOTABLE 44' If a believer demands that I, as a nonbeliever, observe his taboos in the public domain, he is not asking for my respect, but for my submission. And that is incompatible with a secular democracy." - Jyllands-Posten culture editor Flemming Rose, in an essay published Sunday in The Washington Post. COLIN DALY "I 3 M C'1:i W vD i. fE ~ pt ~ V $N Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their author. Not as free as we think SUHAEL MOMIN N SURREDER 40 hose inflamed masses chanting in the streets of Islamabad, Riyadh and Baghdad are angry - really angry. But why? It's just a cartoon! I know - it's because they're backward. You see, they don't get the most fun- damental, unequivocal, un-underminable right there is in an advanced society: freedom of speech. If only those rampag- ing hordes put down their flaming Israeli flags and tasted a good dose of Enlightenment. I mean, we already have ... right? Not really. Freedom of speech, if you listen to talking TV heads, is supposedly the bedrock of our free and open society. Because we're willing to think criti- cally and voice all opinions in the public sphere, we ensure that the marketplace of ideas functions. By openly and honestly debating every issue out in the proverbial town square, we ensure the triumph of democracy, the downfall of terrorism and the everlasting survival of humanity. It's easy to see why freedom of speech has become a rallying cry in this clash of cultures. A convenient, easy-to-understand point of dis- tinction, freedom of speech symbolizes the gap between our society and their society - our civilized world and their Middle Ages. That's why you see so many commentators, liberal and con- servative, from here to Jerusalem, touting freedom of speech as a fundamental difference between Western society and Islamic society. The problem with this elegant dichotomy is that, for all practical purposes, Western society doesn't actually place freedom of speech upon an altar. We think we do - that is, we believe that we believe in freedom of speech - but when push comes to shove, freedom of speech is not an end- all, be-all value. Western governments impose speech restric- tions and criticize the free press routinely. You can't deny the Holocaust in some European countries. Almost every year, Congress consid- ers a Constitutional amendment to criminalize flag burning.President Bush and Vice President Cheney routinely lash out at the media for publish- ing confidential information; the administration pressured The New York Times to cancel its story on the domestic surveillance program for more than a year. Nongovernmental interest groups continually pressure media outlets to restrict content. The Uni- versity's Student Relations Advisory Committee wrote a letter to the Daily's editors suggesting that the Fourteenth Amendment might override the First (An open letter to the Daily, 02/03/2006). The campus chapter of the NAACP almost boycotted this paper because it thought we should not have published certain cartoons. The American Family Association has threatened to boycott Ford Motor Company if it doesn't cancel advertisements tar- geted at the gay community. Conservative action groups forced ABC to cancel its Memorial Day broadcast of "Saving Private Ryan." Even among American citizens, respect for freedom of speech is far from universal. An early 2005 survey of 112,003 American high school students found that 36 percent of stu- dents believe newspapers should seek "govern- ment approval" of stories; the same poll found 32 percent thought the press had "too much freedom." It may be romantic to pretend freedom of speech is the cornerstone of Western civilization. It puts us in a tremendous position of power - we can condemn those roving Muslim masses as the product of a closed and intellectually backward society. It makes us feel good about ourselves; it allows us to wax poetic about the fundamental dif- ferences between them and us. But that's a bunch of nonsense - Western soci- ety has no moral pulpit from which to preach. We don't actually value freedom of speech as much as we pretend to; we condemn the Muslim rioters for not understanding our values when we don't understand them either. Of course, there is a lot to condemn. Violent, deadly riots are never excusable, never justifi- able. Peaceful leaders have broken empires and overturned decades of institutionalized repression without firing a shot. Insofar as Western leaders are condemning the violence that has captured, they're fully justified. But it's pure hypocrisy to lecture the Muslim world on the integral role of free speech in our society. If an American newspaper published an equally inflammatory cartoon defaming Chris- tianity, there'd be an outpouring of rage. Maybe not violent rage, but rage - conservative groups worked themselves into a tizzy last year because SpongeBob SquarePants might be gay. Just imagine if The Washington Post ran a car- toon of Moses killing a Muslim child, or if The New York Times ran one of Jesus bombing an abortion clinic. How large would the "it's freedom of the press" crowd be? Momin can be reached at smomin@umich.edu VIEWPOINT Student Conservative Party: The right choice THE BOONDOCKS BY RYAN FANTUZZI I am writing to announce the creation of the Student Conservative Party at the University, as well as my candidacy for Michigan Student Assembly president. I am running for MSA president because University students deserve real choice in the next election. As a conservative, I felt disen- franchised in previous years. I was voting for the lesser of two evils. In my case, I voted for whatever party was running against the Defend Affirmative Action Party, which I believe exem- plifies everything wrong with a political party: It is overreaching, misguided and radical. I was never satisfied with voting along those lines. I believe that voter apathy has been high in recent years because there were no differences between candidates. As long as I have been at the University, MSA has been a one-party sys- tem. It is time for change. The Student Conservative Party is the party of choice. We believe our Creator endowed us with the gift of free will. We believe that, instead of creating a "crowded" election, our party's entry onto the political scene has only expanded student choice. Our first priority is to givestudents a choice in funding. We will cut discretionary spending in half and give the savings to student groups. Every student who participates, even occasion- ally, in any group will benefit from this real- location of funds. Our reallocation will not be political in nature; it will simply reflect our belief that MSA's primary role is not to help itself, but to help on-campus groups thrive. Even though we promise to cut discretion- ary spending, we do not plan to cut discretion in spending. The Student Conservative Party will be accountable for every dollar - unlike the incumbent party, which lost $20,000 last semester in one night. We will also help student groups manage their finances responsibly. We believe that every individual matters. We believe that every person has the right to decide what kind of cola they drink. We will lobby successfully to bring back the contract with the Coca-Cola Company. Students have the per- sonal right to boycott companies, but a line is crossed when every student is forced to follow the-opinions of a few. It is up to the individual to make a choice on whether or not to boycott Coke. Moreover, when MSA speaks on political issues, MSA does not speak for everyone. MSA is not a political body.. It does not control the actions of foreign governments. Thus, it should not pretend it stands for the whole student body on contentious political issues. Each of us has the ability to make our own decisions. We are responsible enough to decide where our money is spent, which cola we wish to drink and what party we wish to vote for. Apathy is easy. We, as students, usually don't get much of a choice. But this can change - it has changed. The Student Conservative Party values your choice. Our future will be deter- mined in next month's election. Your choice is between the party that stands for nothing, the party that stands for the wrong thing and the party that stands for the right thing. If you want a party that is going to help you make your own decisions, then vote for the Stu- dent Conservative Party. 0 easX t ha vIw f :JL r. Fantuzzi is an LSA sophomore and MSA presidential candidate for the Student Conservative Party. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send all letters to the editor to tothedaily@michigandaily. com. Mainstream media misses the full story behind Haiti TO THE DAILY: The Associated Press is promoting twisted truths. It refers to Haiti's first democratically elect- ed president as "the slum priest (who) fled Haiti as the United Sates withdrew support for its gov- ernment" (Haiti chooses new leader, 02/17/2006). Other sources say U.S. diplomats told Aristide if he didn't leave Haiti, paramilitaries would kill him or many Haitians until he left. Aristide was flown to the Central African Republic and was basically imprisoned in a hotel on Feb. 29,2004 after a coup d'etat led by the paramilitary Revolutionary Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti finan- cially supported by U.S. intelligence agencies. Meanwhile, the United States publicly withdrew Artistide's U.S. security. The mainstream media rntime to rennrt ta Aiside ef v nar.; ments" to abolish people's control and public own- ership by allowing U.S. multinational corporations to privatize. The U.S. government wouldn't want to limit corporations' profits; who would fund their candidates' campaigns in elections? Although I'm oversimplifying, it is no coincidence that Aristide was against privatization. Jesse Singal's column Our dirty big secrets (02/17/2006) read: "we don't know. what's being done in our name" regarding the American gov- ernment. Equally terrifying, and not coinciden- tal, is the hegemonic position the media has in the American information hierarchy, while citi- zens remain at the blind bottom. Alternative and independent media sources such as Democracy NOW!, Z-Magazine, Mother Jones, indymedia. org and Ann Arbor's own Black Box Radio and Critical Moment are exceedingly undervalued as tools of self-empowerment. We can no longer rely on mainstream corporate news sources; the only way to reclaim control and find any truth about our with Jesus himself; it is the Catholic belief that Mary was born without original sin and thus could bear the baby Jesus. The idea of Mary birthing a child as a virgin is called, oddly enough, a virgin birth. He also mentions that "God can immaculately conceive any child he wants to, whenever he wants." Yet, Mary had a clear choice in the matter. God wouldn't just go in; she had to accept his offer. If you're going to use religious references, at least make them accurate. Bravo to Rachel King (Abstinence the only sure way to prevent pregnancy, 02/16/2006), who real- izes the simplest and most obvious way to avoid pregnancy and STDs - not having sex! Peter Keros Engineering freshman Nuclear energy is 'safe, carbon-free energy source' the amount of radiation released (which was veri- fied by multiple independent organizations) was only enough to statistically cause one extra case of cancer. That's pretty innocuous compared to the dozens of people who die in coal mines each year. It should also be noted that, like most indus- tries, the nuclear industry has learned from its past mistakes. Compared to reactors currently operat- ing, new designs have a much smaller probability of having an accident, improving upon an already stellar safety record. Nuclear power is the only carbon free-energy source that is both economical and can provide the nation with a large portion of its energy needs. Until renewable energy advocates can devise a way to store large amounts of energy for night- time use, solar power cAn never satisfy the energy needs of this country. Therefore, environmentalists should stop erroneously attacking nuclear power as "unsafe" and should give this safe, carbon-free energy source another look. have any ties to Michigamua. Although individual University students and alumni are members, it is not a registered student organization, is not eligible for funding or fundraising through the University and does not have any dedicated space on campus. A few facts related to Michigamua and its relation ship to Michigan can be found on the Student Mat- ters website at www.studentmatters.umich.edu. Student organizations that are recognized by the University must adhere to our rules and require- ments, including transparency regarding mission, membership, and membership criteria and selection. The University does not have any power to regulate how students choose to affiliate with organizations that are outside of our boundaries and processes. The use of Native American culture, rituals and artifacts by Michigamua in the past was wrong, and I understand why that history continues to cause hurt in the Native community. However, the lawsuit filed against the University is destructive and does not serve to advance our understanding a