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April 05, 2007 - Image 4

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The Michigan Daily, 2007-04-05

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4A - Thursday, April 5, 2007

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

l Iidligan Bil
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
413 E. Huron St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
tothedaily@umich.edu
KARL STAMPFL IMRAN SYED JEFFREY BLOOMER
EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR 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.
Just getting warmed up
Congress should seize High Court's landmark opportunity
Environmentalists can finally chalk up a long-awaited vic-
tory in the fight against global warming. In one split and
one unanimous decision on Monday, the U.S. Supreme
Court appropriately interpreted the Clean Air Act to include car-
bon dioxide emissions as a pollutant that can be federally regu-
lated. While the landmark decisions show that at least five people
of prominence believe that the government should have a hand
in fighting global warming, it is up to the 535 men and women in
Congress to translate the momentum into results.

That was an assault ... and I will press charges."
- Joyce Giles, vice president of the Detroit School Board, after being hit by what was likely grapes during a vote to
close 34 schools at the school board meeting last night, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.
JACK DOEHRING
v PNSPON -Ty s to u5 N
t 166AII V II<M A 3 AD 5fe,(TZ'M
LI .o
O C

Lovable losers

The two decisions handed down by the
court on Monday, Massachusetts v. Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency and the Envi-
ronmental Defense v. Duke Energy Corp., are
two of the most important in decades. In the
EPA decision, the court ruled that the state
of Massachusetts has legal standing to sue
because of inherent damages - a backdoor
recognition of global warming. The court
also found that the EPA has the authority
to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from
automobiles under the Clean Air Act.
If the agency wants to continue to side-
step its legal duties, it must now prove that
carbon dioxide should not be classified as
an air pollutant and does not contribute to
global warming. The agency has already
admitted a link between carbon emissions
and global warming.
The second decision continues an expan-
sion of the agency's authority to control new
sources of emissions under the Clean Air
Act. More specifically, the ruling allows the
EPA to require approval from all factories
and power plants that want to make renova-
tions that might increase carbon emissions,
making it more difficult to skirt regulation.
These two rulings give the EPA exactly
what it needs: a more broad and autonomous
role in environmental regulation. As an enti-
ty of the Executive Branch, the agency has
always been at the whim of the Oval Office
- as though scientific facts change with
approval ratings. This has especially been
a problem with the current administra-

tion, whose abuses in environmental policy
stretch right up to letting energy companies
actually write the law.
But Monday's decisions go beyond simply
giving the EPA more authority to regulate
automobile emissions and fulfill its obli-
gations under the Clean Air Act. These
decisions are a wake-up call to lawmakers
who have been dragging their feet on this
important issue.
Since the Democrats took control of Con-
gress, promises have been made repeatedly
to bring America to the international fore-
front in fighting global warming, but there is
still little to show for the efforts. To be fair,
Congress has been stonewalled by the Bush
administration, which still has trouble even
saying the words "global warming."
With a green light from the Supreme
Court, lawmakers on Capitol Hill - Demo-
crats and Republicans alike - now have
ample reason to act more aggressively.
Because automobile emissions contribute
more than a quarter of America's total emis-
sions and 6 percent of the world total, fed-
eral regulation can put a big dent in global
warming. If lawmakers start with automo-
bile emissions, they can use that reform as a
springboard to greater action.
Believe it or not, global warming is not a
partisan hoax. Even Chief Justice John Rob-
erts conceded in his dissenting opinion that
global warming might be "the most pressing
environmental issue of our time." It's time
we started treating it accordingly.

Write for Daily Opinion this summer.
Columnist spots available.
(You don't even have to be in Ann Arbor.)
Email editpage.editors@umich.edu for more information.
GAVIN STERN
Courage, valor, lght bulbs

Recently, I heard that incandescent light
bulbs produce carbon emissions equivalent to
millions of cars and that a major industrialized
nation like Australia even outlawed them. The
great state of California is considering passing
a similar law (the How Many Legislators Does
It Take to Change a Light Bulb Act) because
such emissions maim innocent polar bear
cubs. I consider myself to be a pretty practical
person, so the whole situation got me wonder-
ing about workable alternatives.
And I mean workable. The last thing I need is
for the bulb-stapo to kick in my door and smash
all my light bulbs with little hammers. I heard it
happened somewhere - San Francisco maybe?
Just imagine cleaningup allthatglass. And who
knows, the "soft-white scare" may eventually
spread even closer to home. Ontario, for exam-
ple, is another rogue government bent on out-
lawing the bulb of our forefathers. I don't need
that kind of stress, I've gotcexams coming up.
Thinking: "Wait, compact florescent bulbs
last up to ten times longer?" Yeah, but -
"They'll save money on my electric bill?" Sure,
well - "They're on sale? Hold on, buy-one-get-
one-free? Dude, I'm so there!"
Convinced, I hopped into my EPA-certi-
fied 39 miles-per-gallon Toyota Corolla to
valorously save the planet Earth from thermo-
apocalyptic annihilation.
Have you ever looked at a compact flores-
cent bulb before? I mean, really looked at
it? The spiral tubing is so postmodern, like a
North Campus building. And with the "natu-
ral sunlight" coating, I can bask in 800-lumen
environmental gloriousness and do it in style. I
bought four, screwed in my bulb-messiah and
flipped the switch.
"What the hell is this?" my retina cried. That

really surprised me, because I never knew reti-
nas had feelings. And it wasn't kidding, either,
because there were some pretty strange photons
emanating from that thing. Did I accidentally
pick the Kryptonian light bulb? Nope, the pack-
age claims natural sunlight. Naturally. Maybe
the alien light rays gave me superpowers. No?
Damn. OK, I'm still dedicated to the cause. I'll
just drive back and pick out another brand.
The next light-liberator I picked actually
claimed to have a "soft white" color. No cool
coiling, and it's only supposed to last six times
longer than my old bulb-- but it's still buy-one-
get-one-free. Maybe this is what the Austra-
lians are using. If it's good enough for them, no
reason why it can't work in this hemisphere. I
screwed in the bulb and got my roommate to
flip the switch.
"Uh - how many watts is it supposed to be?"
he said, scowling.
"Should be 60. Pretty dim, though."
"Wait, it's getting brighter."
Indeed, the large cross-sectional area of the
non-coiled florescent bulb meant that the gas-
ses inside take a bit longer to heat up. And the
color still wasn't that great, kind of like a ware-
house glow. At this point, I lacked the courage
to face the store manager again. But I couldn't
give up completely. I still can't. Somebody has
to save the polar bear cubs.
"Where the hell are we gonna put all these
bulbs?"
Then after dinner I got a bright and practi-
cal idea. The bathroom, where no one cares
about the lights.
I tried. I really tried.
Gavin Stern is an LSA junior and a
member of the Daily's editorial board.

ith spring in full bloom,
eager fans are coming out
of the woodwork to wel-
come the return of America's pastime.
Throughout spring training, players
have whipped themselves into shape
with the hopes that a big win might be
just around the corner. But the glory
will remain up for grabs until the fall
chill sets in.
As I peruse the a
current standings,4
it appears that Hill-'
ary Clinton is ahead
with $26 million,
Barack Obama is hot'
on her heels with
$25 million and
Rudy Giuliani turns WHITNEY
in a cool $23.5 mil- DIBO
lion. Let the cam-
paign finance games begin.
OK, so the 2008 presidential election
is not America's favorite pastime, but
following the candidates' fundraising
is starting to feel more like watching
ESPN on a Sunday night in May than a
political campaign.
I don't know much about baseball,
but one aspect of the game I really like
is the Cinderella story. After all is said
and done and all the staggeringly high-
priced contracts doled out, the World
Series is still anyone's for the taking.
Take the Tigers last season. Against all
odds, the team that historically couldn't
win a game pulled ahead in the Ameri-
can League while richer teams like the
New York Yankees and the Boston Red
Sox dropped the ball.
But in the game of politics, the Cin-
derella story is a retired fairytale. The
candidates who can't raise the mil-
lions necessary to remain competitive
get stuck doing chores while the rich
stepsisters go off to the ball - er, con-
vention. Forget one, two, three strikes
you're out, because candidates are
Criticism of Israeli
policy isperfectlyfair
TO THEEDAILY:
Josh Goldstein's letter (Students
must start dialogue on Mideast,
04/02/2007) claims that in my earli-
er letter, I misinterpreted Dov Weis-
glass's comments in Haaretz (Gaza
pullout not all it's cracked up to be,
03/27/07). That just isn't true.
Certainly the pretext for "freezing"
the peace plan was partially, as Gold-
stein shamefully repeats, the strictly
anti-democratic notion that the Pales-
tinians have to elect officials favorable
to Israel if Israel is to follow its own
agreements. Nevertheless, Weisglass's
comments were meant to assure the
Israeli Right and illegal settlers in the
West Bank of Israel's commitment to
expanding its efforts and strengthen-
ing settlements there. That is precisely
what has been happening.
Goldstein lauds Israeli Prime Min-
ister Ehud Olmert for the West Bank
disengagement plan he backed out
on. But he glosses over the fact that
Olmert is a supporter of expansions
like the El project, a project designed
to create the West Bank's largest set-
tlement and connect it to Jerusalem.
This might explain why Sharon's dis-
engagement plan was simultaneous
with the construction of 3,500 settler
units. Is that a commitment to a fair
peace, or does it demonstrate exactly
what I said in my previous letter?
This expansion has been under-
stood to obstruct the potential for a
viable Palestinian state by blocking
West Bank Palestinians' access to
the Arab sector of East Jerusalem. I
agree with Goldstein that it's good to
"talk about the situation in a peace-
ful manner." But I also think that we
should be critical of the state of Israel
on humanitarian grounds, especially
as Jewish people.

Joshua Blanchard
LSA junior
Conservation is a
solution to consider
TO THE DAILY:
How many of us always leave our
computer or laptop running even
though we know we're not going

booted before the ump even yells "play
ball!" if they aren't swinging with the
right amount of cash.
Thatisexactlywhathappenedtofor-
mer President Bill Clinton's preferred
candidate, two-term Indiana sena-
tor and former governor, Evan Bayh.
Clinton famously said in 2000, "I hope
and expect some day I'll be voting for
Evan Bayh for president of the United
States." Not a bad stamp of approval.
So whatever happened to Bayh's
presidential bid? Despite his moderate
views and homerun qualifications, he
dropped out of the race in December
2006. Turns out it was too costly to
tackle giants like Hillary Clinton and
Barack Obama. Likening himself to
David and Hillary/Obama to Goliath,
he quietly stepped aside and let the big
kids play the game. No Tigers-like Cin-
derella story here.
By this point, Bayh and the other
dropouts are forgotten. With the first
quarter fundraising figures published
last week, only the candidates playing
to win are left standing. And the num-
bers are truly staggering. Aside from
Clinton and Obama's record-breaking
stats, John Edwards has raised $14
million and Sen. John McCain (R-
Ariz.) a disappointing $12.5 million.
The underdogs are promptly getting
crushed; Sen. Sam Brownback (R-
Kan..) came in under $2 million and
Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) had only $3
million. Get serious, guys, if you can't
play in the double digits, you might as
well not play at all. It is estimated that
any candidate who wants to remain
competitive needs to raise at least $25
million for the primaries alone.
The importance placed on these
first quarter numbers is almost as
inane as the numbers themselves.
Just a few weeks ago, McCain was the
Republican candidate to beat, but now,
with only $12.5 million under his belt,

he has plenty of second guessers. And
Clintonthe senatorwhoAmericaloves
to hate, is suddenly thanking donors
for their support as if she's already
declaring victory. While it would be
naive to suggest money isn't correlated
with success, it's certainly no guaran-
tee. Just look at the fate of Michigan's
defeated gubernatorial candidate Dick
DeVos. Or that of my hometown Chi-
cago Cubs, who spent more than $300
million this winter, but are still likely
to fail in their quest for World Series
- like they have for the past 99 years.
Money can buy a
presidency -
watch for it.
The real irony, though, lies in the
connection political pundits make
between ability to fundraise and the
ability to eventually lead the country.
Didn't we learn in 2004 that this is
faulty logic? Two rich guys ran against
each other, and we all know how well
that turned out. Yes, the numbers are
illustrative of nationwide support, but
the emphasis being placed on cash is
making a mockery of the entire presi-
dential campaign.
While it might be a challenge to
look past the money and toward the
message, we owe it to ourselves to see
these candidates for who they really
are - not for their bank statements.
Following the money might be a great
strategy for uncovering scandals and
catching crooks. But it's not a smart
play in selecting a president.
Whitney Dibo is an associate
editorial page editor. She can be
reached at wdibo@umich.edu.

I

SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU

to use it for a while? I have done it
many times. Making excuses, I con-
tinue to do so.
Even when I go to dinner, I leave
my laptop running. I know I am not
going to use it. Yet, I leave it on, letting
the energy drain away. I just think to
myself, "I am not going to pay for it
anyway, so why should I care?"
But this is the attitude that is get-
ting our Earth into trouble. Energy,
greenhouse gases and climate change
are all correlated. The more energy we
waste, the more greenhouse gases we
release and the faster climate change
occurs. In addition, the effect of not
conserving energy is larger than what
have I described. So while we are try-
ing to find our way to clean energy, we
should sit down and think about how
much energy we are wasting.
Wei Chieh Wong
LSA freshman
Daily should run Iraqi
civilian death count
TO THE DAILY:
The Michigan Daily began listing
the number of fallen Americans in
the war in Iraq a few weeks ago. That
number yesterday was 3,250 Ameri-
can lives lost in the war. In the most
respectful way as possible to those
who have given their livesthose now
fighting and those who have family
and friends in Iraq, I have a problem
with the Daily reporting this number
every day.
It is important to make sure that
Americans are aware that a war
is going on that America is deeply
invested in, whether you agree with
it or not. We shouldn't forget that
many U.S. soldiers have been killed
or injured in this war. But, what
about the number of Iraqi civilians
who have died duringthe war?
The Iraqi people cannot escape
this war. These are people who are
just trying to live as best they can
amid gunfire and bombings. They
have families, children and dreams
just like us. Do not forget them.
I applaud the Daily for keeping
the war in Iraq on people's minds by
reporting the number of fallen Ameri-
cans. But I challenge the Daily to
report the other side of the war too.
Most reports, from places like www.
iraqbodycount.org, place the number

of civilian causalities between 60,000
and 66,000. Another study in The
Lancelet, a British medical journal,
estimated the total to be more than
650,000. These estimates dwarf the
number of Americans lost in the war.
The cost of this war is much higher
than just the American soldiers lost.
The Iraqi people are suffering more
than Americans are. They may not
have a voice to speak out, but I do. I
urge the Daily not to forget the Iraqi
people.
PaulaPriebe
LSA freshman
Jazz review uncovers
overlooked genre
TO THE DAILY:
I am very glad to see that jazz,
an often-overlooked genre, finally
received acclaim in The Michigan
Daily's arts section. Rachel Com-
mon's review (Seamless jazz from
two generations, 04/02/2007) of Pat
Metheny and Brad Mehldau's new
album "Quartet" was right on.
Having seen Metheny live five
times, I can say that he is truly in a
league of his own. With regards to
outstanding guitar players, all too
often people overlook the genres
with the most talented musicians
(including jazz and blues).
A strong parallel can be drawn
between microcosmic (college) and
macrocosmic (greater society) music
appreciation. For instance, musicians
like John Mayer and Derek Trucks,
though talented, do not even com-
pare to the likes of Larry Carlton, who
played with Steely Dan, Robben Ford,
who played with Miles Davis and Joni
Mitchell or even Metheny. Although
Metheny has won 17 Grammy awards
(including "Best Rock Instrumental
Performance" in 1998), the vast major-
ity of students cannot not name a sin-
gle album or tune by Metheny.
Before hastily subscribing to Roll-
ing Stone Magazine's bogus top gui-
tarist countdowns, students should
look to genres besides rock 'n' roll
when establishing their own lists. I
think they will find that jazz has a lot
more to offer than readily accepted
pop music.
Jesse Bean
LSA sophomore

A

4

ERIN RUSSELL
Welcome to With wigsinspired by American Our wigs are so amazingthey
Saniava Wigs.cemn Idol's bey wonder, have caught theInterestof
Tired of beingcalled a Sanlaya Malakar,you can make Britney Spears and President
failure or a tone deaf leserP your biggest flopsfabulousl Bush. Get yours todavl (Crying
fan girl not included.)
Editorial Board Members: Emily Beam, Kevin Bunkley, Amanda Burns, Sam Butler,
Ben Caleca, Mike Eber, Brian Flaherty, Mara Gay, Jared Goldberg, Emmarie Huetteman,
Toby Mitchell, David Russell, Gavin Stern, John Stiglich, Jennifer Sussex, Neil Tambe,
Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Wagner, Christopher Zbrozek

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