4 - Friday, December 1, 2006
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890
413 E. Huron St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
tothedaily@umich.edu
EMILY BEAM
DONN M. FRESARD CHRISTOPHER ZBROZEK JEFFREY BLOOMER
EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles
and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Right idea, wrong solution
Resolve inequality, but don't reinstate draft
S ince Democrats emerged victorious on Nov. 7, members of
the majority party-elect have been chomping at the bit to
change the nation's course in the Iraq War. Rep. Charles
Rangel (D-N.Y.) is one lawmaker particularly vocal about change.
But while his concern that the burden of war is falling on the
nation's poor is legitimate, his solution - to reinstate the draft - is
It's like 'Ulysses,' except without the talent.
- PABLO FENJVES, a screenwriter whom publisher Judith Regan tapped to ghostwrite
OJ. Simpson's controversial book "If I Did It," on the merit of the unreleased
volume, as reported in the Dec. 4 issue of The New Yorker.
JOHN OQUIST |
I LOVE THESE COMPETITIVE YOU!? YESTERDAY FOR LUNCH
COOKING SHOWS LIKE "TOP CHEF." YOU MELTED CHEESE OVER OH MAN...THEY WERE
ID BE 50 GOOD IF I WAS ON FRUITY PEBBLES AND ATE $00000 GOOD.
ONE OF THEM... THEM WITH NACHOSI
not a good remedy.
There are no easy answers when it
comes to the difficulties our all-vol-
unteer military faces. At the root of
these problems is the military's struggle
to meet recruiting goals. Because of the
shortage of troops entering the service,
the military has instituted stop-loss poli-
cies that force soldiers to continue serving
on active duty after they are due to return
home. This unfair practice is an embar-
rassing reality of our "all-volunteer" mili-
tary, and it is a sneaky bait-and-switch for
troops already serving.
What is also deceptive is the military's.
method of recruiting in poor inner-city
and rural areas. Recruiters heavily target
economically depressed communities in
hopes of enticing financially desperate
people into military careers. The benefits
enlisting promises - a steady job and
money for a college education - can often
be too good to refuse for people living
in areas where unemployment rates are
high and opportunities are few. However,
some reports describe military recruiters
as being less than truthful when it comes
to the coverage of military health bene-
fits or the GI Bill. The practice of target-
ing recruiting in downtrodden areas is
worrisome in itself, but it becomes unac-
ceptable when military recruiters are
deceptive.
Rangel argues that reinstating the draft
will address inequality in military recruit-
ment by spreading out the burden of mili-
tary service among the rich as well as the
poor. He also argues that a draft will make
the government think twice before com-
mitting troops abroad because any military
action would more directly affect those in
the middle and upper classes. Addressing
the unfairness of military practices like
stop-loss policies - which essentially func-
tion as a backdoor draft - or cornering the
poor into military service is crucial, and
Rangel is right to press for change on those
issues. However, advocating conscription is
not the right tactic.
A better approach is to address under-
handed recruiting practices and inequality
directly. Inequality in America is severe and
growing, and Rangel and other Democratic
lawmakers will have the chance to fight this
disturbing trend, though it will take a long
time to fix.
For now, Democrats should call for great-
er transparency in recruiting. Additional
transparency might not prevent recruiters
from targeting economically depressed
areas, but at least potential recruits would
know the truth about the commitments
of their enlistment before it is too late to
change their minds. The military should
respect the commitment of troops already
serving by avoiding involuntary extension
of their tours of duty.
Then again, it might be an even better
idea to avoid unnecessary wars.
What we
The Bush Administration's house
of cards may be collapsing, but
it seems the chicken hawks are
holding their ground - and getting
ready to spill even more blood. While
it was front-page news when President
Bush announced Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld's resignation the day
after the Democrats won control of
Congress, few_
media out-
lets carried
the stories of
other promi-
nent hawks
who have
changed their
tune about ther
war.
Among the
most promi- JARED
nent was Iraq GOLDBERG
War architect
Richard Perle.
In the November issue of Vanity Fair,
Perle acknowledged that the war was
a mistake, given the realities of three
years of American occupation. "I think
if I had been delphic, and had seen
where we are today, and people had
said, 'Should we go into Iraq?' I think
now I probably would have said, 'No,
let's consider other strategies for deal-
ing with the thing that concerns us
most, which is Saddamsupplyingweap-
ons of mass destruction to terrorists,' "
Perle said. It was a little too late, but it
speaks volumes when one of the war's
biggest supporters does an about-face.
William F. Buckley Jr., the founder
of the conservative magazine The
National Review, admitted the same in
an article titled "It Didn't Work" pub-
lished Feb. 24 on the National Review
Online. He wrote: "The failure in Iraq
does not force us to generalize that vio-
lence and antidemocratic movements
always prevail. It does call on us to
adjust to the question, What do we do
when we see that the postulates do not
prevail - in the absence of interven-
tionist measures (we used these against
Hirohito and Hitler) which we simply
are not prepared to take? Itis healthier
for the disillusioned American to con-
cede that in one theater in the Mideast,
the postulates didn't work." America
haters or members of the reality-based
community? You be the judge.
With some of the war's biggest
cheerleaders finally admitting their
mistakes, you would think this presi-
dent might have learned from his
blunders. But the cup of suicidal Kool-
Aid is still half-full, and delusional
neoconservatives have found their
next target: Iran.
The encore presentation of the neo-
cons' vision for a new Middle East is
redoing the same methods that led the
so-called "Coalition of the Willing"
into Iraq in the first place - when the
intelligence doesn't agree with you,
you get your own intelligence.
While the administration has taken
the recent statements by Iranian Presi-
dent MahmoudAhmadinejadregarding
Iran's nuclear policy to their "logical"
conclusion, the Central Intelligence
Agency has found otherwise. Writing
recently in The New Yorker, Seymour
Hersh explains: "The CIA found no
conclusive evidence, as yet, of a secret
Iranian nuclear-weapons programrun-
ning parallel to the civilian operations
that Iran has declared to the Interna-
tional Atomic Energy Agency."
This is not to say that no such pro-
gram exists, as Israeli intelligence
agents claimtohave seentrigger devic-
es and other such machinery being
constructed in Iran. Nevertheless, the
administration has been unreceptive
to the CIA's findings. Indeed, many in
the administration are looking instead
to the Israelis' findings, which have
yet to be proven, as proof of an Irani-
an nuclear threat. If we have learned
anything from Iraq, it is not to jump
the gun when the intelligence is ques-
can learn from Iraq
tionable. At this point, it is.
In any case, bombing Iran and occu-
pying it (not that we could occupy it,
given our already stretched military)
would be a serious mistake. The move-
ment for reform in Iran may prove to
be a substantial medium for change in
the Islamic Republic. Despite promis-
ing to free people from the tyranny of
the Shah - even some Iranian Jews
supported the Islamic Revolution
- the rule of the ayatollahs has proven
just as despotic, if not more so, than its
predecessor.
One need only look to Lebanon to
see how disastrous bombing could be.
Many in Lebanon rejected the oppres-
Invading Iran
is a very,
very bad idea
sive presence of Hezbollah there.
However, even some of its fiercest
critics rallied to its side once Israel's
bombing started. Bombing Iran could
drive those who oppose the Islamic
regime to support it. To believe after
Iraq that American bombers and sol-
diers will be welcomed in Tehran as
liberators is a fantasy.
With the occupation of Iraq as
bloody and violent as it is, it's scary to
think what could happen if we decide
to bomb Iran and there aren't enough
troops to keep the peace. The Demo-
crats, with their mandate in Congress,
need to ensure that the White House's
plans for Iran are not made reality.
Otherwise it will be our generation
that will pay for it - not just with our
wallets but with our blood.
Jared Goldberg can be reached
at jaredgo@umich.edu.
Editorial Board Members: Reggie Brown, Kevin Bunkley, Amanda Burns,
Sam Butler, Ben Caleca, Devika Daga, Milly Dick, James David Dickson, Jesse
Forester, Gary Graca, Jared Goldberg, Jessi Holler, Rafi Martina, Toby Mitch-
ell, Rajiv Prabhakar, David Russell, Katherine Seid,Elizabeth Stanley, Jennifer
Sussex, John Stiglich, Neil Tambe, Rachel Wagner.
Stop the Britney-bashing:
Spears is an examplefor us all
TO THE DAILY:
I would like to call out Punit Mattoo for his anti-
Britney political agenda(Intoxication,sexand divorce,
11/29/2006). What right does he have to call Britney
Spears trashy and undignified? After all, who has not
made a fool of himself once or twice in his lifetime?
Is it not the goal of our public icons to inspire and
influence youth by making mistakes and then prov-
ingtheirresilience bysuccessfullyrebounding? If so,
Britney has fulfilled her public duties. Furthermore,
it is ludicrous to call Britney Spears a has-been. She
holds the record for top female sales in an opening
week, and she is the only artist to have four consecu-
tive studio albums go number one in their opening
week. So stop spearing Spears.
Zak Fishman
RCfreshman
Zingerman's overrated, has
surprisingly small sandwiches
TO THE DAILY:
I went to the Zingerman's deli for the first time
this week after hearing a lot about the quality of
the food: the brilliant bread, the excellent ingredi-
ents and the overall mouth-watering experience
that is eating a sandwich at Zingerman's. I went on
a Wednesday evening with two friends. I ordered a
large #32 and a bottleof cream soda.
The total for my order was $14.70.
An entire half-hour after I paid, someone walked
out with our surprisingly small-looking sandwich-
es, which were not warm..
My suspicions about the sandwiches' size came
true when I unwrapped my sandwich less than ten
minutes later. The ingredients weren't supreme, the
bread was mediocre, the roasted cheese was under-
roasted - though, yes, the dressing was pretty tasty.
Let's just say I could have had four sandwiches at
Jimmy John's if I had a couple of spare bucks in my
pocket. So I ask: Why so much money?
The business model behind Zingerman's is also
interesting. A presentation sponsored by BOSS, a
student group at the University, invited a managing
partner from the deli, Grace Singleton. Showing a
surprising lack of business management knowledge,
she proudly proclaimed Zingerman's future plans of
staying in Ann Arbor.
If you've duped one city, why not more? Is it
because the management at Zingerman's has real-
ized that for half the price of a Zingerman's sand-
wich, I could get a larger and tastier sandwich
at a real deli in New York City? Or is it because
the original management of Zingerman's just got
extremely lucky in finding a city that would pay
for a sandwich what is a good daily income in
many third-world countries and didn't want to
test its good fortune further? I can't remember
who called Zingerman's the "coolest" small busi-
ness in America, but I think "crafty" or "shrewd"
are better adjectives.
Avinash Vora
Engineering sophomore
Coleman sJob is to respond to
U' community, not voters
Christian, let alo
the intellectual n
ence. Please spet
nent social and I
offending for offe
Michael Katz
Engineeringgradua
Higher ed
starts in K
TO THE DAILY: TO THE DAILY:
In response to Wednesday's story, Coleman Recently, the
ripped on defiance of Prop 2 (11/29/2006), those concerns over t
attacking University President Mary Sue Coleman low-income stud
have ignored an important fact about Coleman's grade, 11/28/200(
job. It is not her job to alter the direction of the Uni- talented people 1
versity based on what Michigan voters say. Rather, excellent educati
her job is to run the University in a way she believes economic status?
will benefit the employees, students and everyone The crisis, ho
else the most. Coleman believes, as do most people tower. Nine-year
at this University, that diversity benefits everyone, across the count
and a ban on affirmative action does not. She is sim- levels behind thei
ply acting in the interests of the majority of those that when fourth
directly affiliated with the University. reading The Ha
We wouldn't object to such action against other Detroit counterp
policies, so why is Prop 2 an exception? For exam- their names and;
ple, it is in our interest to embrace modern theories of these nine-ye
of science as fact. If the voters of Michigan decided school. Those wh
to ban the teaching of evolution this November, it
is doubtful that many students would want her to
throw on a NASCAR shirt and run around yelling RYAN JABER
"My grandma wasn't a monkey!" As University
president, it is not only her right but her responsi-
bility to work around Proposal 2.
ne Catholic, but I was offended by
aivet6 Oquist assumes of his audi-
rd more energy on raising perti-
political commentary and less on
ense's sake.
te student
ucation accessibility
-12 schools
Daily's editorial board voiced its
the University's accessibility to
ents (From the Daily: Raising the
6). Indeed, why should intelligent,
be denied the opportunity for an
ion simply because of their socio-
wever, extends beyond the ivory
r-olds in low-income communities
ry are already three to four grade
ir higher-income peers. This means
i-graders in Bloomfield Hills were
rdy Boys and Nancy Drew, their
'arts were having trouble spelling
adding single-digit numbers. Half
ar-olds won't graduate from high
ho do will average an eighth-grade
Send letters to tothedaily@umich.edu
math and reading level, making it extremely dif-
ficult to gain admission into a university, let alone
succeed when they arrive.
Nationwide, students from low-income areas
are seven times less likely to graduate from college
than their wealthier peers. These students are no
less capable and have no less potential than those
of us who are privileged enough to be here reading
the Daily, but many of them are far less equipped
to navigate the world around them. Without a solid
foundation, people struggle to find good jobs, to
understand complex political issues and to be active
participants in their communities.
So many societal issues are rooted in misun-
derstandings and profound inequities, and it's our
responsibility to act. Teach for America has placed
more than 17,000 high-achieving college gradu-
ates in low-income school districts to fight this
achievement gap. Members experience firsthand
the rewards of creating equal-opportunity edu-
cation for our nation's children. After two years,
corps members continue to make a difference in
education, business, public health, law and other
fields, armed with the credibility and conviction
necessary to change our society for the better. We
need to make this crisis our priority. I urge you to
explore Teach for America as an opportunity to
ensure that all children have equal access to an
excellent education.
Grace Chen
LSA senior
I
I
I
Abraham Hiatt and Daniel Pesick
LSA sophonmores
Oquist's cartoon offensive,
shows 'intellectual naivete'
TO THE DAILY:
I am writing in response to John Oquist's car-
toon about the pope (Live on your feet, 11/29/2006)
and the Daily cartoons in general. Over the five
years I've been at the University, I've seen a gen-
eral decline in the intelligence and meaningfulness
of the cartoons. Of late, they seem to be primarily
directed at offending as wide an audience as pos-
sible instead of raising valid concerns or criticisms
of current events. I was particularly struck by
Oquist's blithely ignorant characterization of Pope
Benedict's previous speech and his current visit to
Turkey as a sort of apologetic event.
Further, the language used in the pope's "quota-
tion" indicates that the aim of this cartoon is not
to criticize the hypocrisies of the Catholic Church
or its leader, but simply to offend readers. I am not
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