4 - Friday, January 12, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com *
L71 [ e 41tICl igan wily
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the University of Michigan since 1890.
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DONN M. FRESARD
EDITOR IN CHIEF
EMILY BEAM
CHRISTOPHER ZBROZEK
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
JEFFREY BLOOMER
MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles
andillustrations representsolely the views of their authors.
. MT
A mistake to remember
Bush defies experts and common sense in escalating war
J the war in Iraq was cruel, wasteful and unnecessary before,
it seems that things are only getting worse. In Wednesday's
nationally televised address, President Bush made a reality
the worst fears of the vast majority of Americans by announcing an
escalation of the war. At a time when experts have begun consider-
ing a phased withdrawal, Bush confirmed that he intends to send
21,500 additional troops into the Iraq quagmire.
This is not the Carter Center or the Jimmy Carter we
came to respect and support."
- Advisory board of the Carter Center, a humanitarian organization in Atlanta, in a letter sent yesterday to
former PresidentJimmy Carter announcing the board's resignation over Carter's remarks about the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as reported yesterday by CNN.com.
RYAN JABERI. J AKESMUD
u/I
Tackling the diversity. dilemm"a
The majority of the troops will be sent
to Baghdad. Bush says the intention is to
aid Iraqi forces in the bloody task of retak-
ing neighborhoods currently brutalized by
militias. Never mind that a similar troop
surge last fall failed miserably. Never mind
thatvirtuallyevery politician onboth sides
of the aisle think this is the wrong way to
go. Never mind that even America's allies
are hesitant to support this surge. Never
mind that the American casualties in the
war in Iraq now outnumber those of Sept.
11. Bush needs a legacy. To get one of those
this late in the game, you have to gamble.
The president sees your 3,018, and he just
raised you 21,500.
While his proposal is clear, what remains
unclear is how Bush expects commanders
to effectively use these additional forces.
Many military leaders don't think more
soldiers on the ground will make a dif-
ference. Both of the leading American
generals in Iraq oppose throwing more
American troops into the fire, arguing that
more troops mean more targets for insur-
gents. But what do they know, they're just
the ones fighting the war.
Additionally, it's unlikely that adding
even 20,000 troops in Baghdad, a city
of some 6 million people, will make any
significant difference. Previous troop
increases in this highly volatile region not
only failed, but actually deepened animos-
ity and exacerbated the conflict. It will
also take several months to transport the
brigades to combat zones, and who knows
what the situation on the ground will be
like then? The president thinks he does
- and he's sure enough to put 21,500 of us
on the line.
The plan comes on heels of a recent poll
showing that only 12 percent of the Ameri-
can public favors an increase in troop lev-
els. Obviously the public favors a different
course of action than that of their "com-
mander in chief," but it's not just the public
that feels this way. Recent polls of Anleri-
can military personnel show that only 35
percent of them approve of the way Bush
has handled the war in Iraq, down from 54
percent a year ago.
The new Democratic Congress respond-
ed with skepticism to Bush's troop
increase, but even some Republicans have
jumped ship. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.)
called the plan "a dangerously wronghead-
ed strategy," and even Sen. John McCain
(R-Ariz.), one of the few politicians who
have pushed for additional troops, has
acknowledged that this small and short-
term surge is unlikely to produce positive
long-term results. Also, a recent poll found
that, despite the administration's. rheto-
ric, seven out of 10 Iraqis favor American
withdrawal. Unfortunately, it seems yet
again that the president has heard every-
one and listened to no one.
Congressional oversight is now the only
way to curb the president's lunacy and
salvage the few remnants of America's
reputation and moral capital. But some
Democrats claim Congress lacks the
authority to stop the troop surge. Now
isn't the time for the nascent Congress to
get cold feet. Speaker of the House Nancy
Pelosi recently suggested the possibility
of Congress refusing the entirety of the
president's funding request and authoriz-
ing only what is needed for the troops cur-
rently on the ground. She's right: Congress
has both the power and the responsibility
to override Bush's dangerously misguided
proposal and steer the nation toward a
more sensible strategy.
court recently decreed that
University admissions offi-
cers must go colorblind, and
do it now. Perhaps they saw the irony
in the University arguing that appli-
cants for admission shouldn't be judged
by two different sets of criteria when
the admissions policies it's defending
do precisely that. Perhaps they found
racial preferences themselves prob-
lematic, or felt_
that the voters
of Michigan had
spoken. Racial
preferences
remain uncon-
stitutional.
Thankfully,
the University
seems to have
taken the hint, JAMES
all but abandon-
ing a court bat- DICKSON
tle and turning
its attention away from defiant rheto-
ric and toward practical solutions.
Now, the University must somehow
ensure that qualified minorities apply
and matriculate here. The problem is
that the admissions office can't just
pull qualified minorities from thin air.
The best minorities want to go to Har-
vard or Yale. Others might not merit
"qualification," no matter how holis-
tic our admissions process becomes.
Statistically significant disparities
between applicants of different races
are going to draw the attention of our
University's watchdogs - the Center
for Individual Rights and the Pacific
Legal Foundation.
The University has always worked
to protect its image as awarm and wel-
coming environment for minorities.
From lawsuits to college preparation
to public rhetoric, it has exerted itself
in pursuit of diversity. But to achieve
diversity in a post-Proposal 2 world,
the University must cloak the pursuit of
racial heterogeneity in the achievement
of social justice that only tangentially
creates it. At long last, the University
must attack its diversity dilemma at
its roots rather than its stems. And the
root of this dilemma is the poor state
of public education, which leaves the
impoverished at a severe disadvan-
tage in terms of educational and career
opportunities.
Our University has fought proud-
ly on the front lines of the diversity
wars, but away from the spotlights, the
hardest work remains: ensuring that
equality of opportunity in Michigan is
more than a slogan. In its effort to find
productive solutions to its diversity
dilemma, the University has instituted
programs like the Diversity Blueprints
Task Force to suggest directions for it
to focus its energies. I'd like to throw
one in the hat: The University should
start a charter school. Whatbetterway
to improve K-12 educationinMichigan
than by providing it? If the University
will achieve a critical mass of minor-
ity students, it may well have to create
them.
To pursue this, the University
would first pick a disadvantaged area
in Michigan, one whose schools could
send more students to the University
if they had better resources. Jackson,
Benton Harbor and Inkster are all pos-
sibilities. In collaboration with local
leaders and corporate sponsorship,
the University would establish a mag-
net K-12 school, The University Open
School. It would be open to all resi-
dents who attend underperforming
schools. Students will achieve admis-
sion through a competitive admissions
process in which things like personal
commitment, parental involvement,
capacity for learning and need factor
into admissions decisions more than
grades or test scores.
The University Open School would
be staffed by graduates of our schools
of education and social work, along
with other innovative, committed
teachers who believe in the charter
school's mission. Administered by
University faculty, the Open School
would give Michigan graduates the
opportunity to give back to the state
by increasing its economic viability
through improving public education.
Every teacher who works for the open
School would live in and pay taxes in
Michigan, while churning out bright,
motivated students. As Donn M. Fre-
sard recently opined (Straight talking
on taxes, 01/09/2007), southern states
have struggled to attract top compa-
nies because their populations lack the
skills to do the work needed. Recent
history has proven corporations will-
ing to bear the brunt of higher taxes
and low incentives so long as the
working public is smart enough to be
trained to do necessary work. Anoth-
er top-quality school in the state of
The 'U' must
build diversity from
the ground up.
Michigan certainly wouldn't hurt our
economy.
Regardless of how fast the Uni-
versity acts and what course it takes,
minority numbers will surely drop in
the interim; critical mass will wilt.
Whether or not the numbers stay low
is how the University will be judged
- a fate to which the University
has doomed itself by placing racial
diversity on a pedestal. Lawsuits
and speeches won't be remembered
if minority numbers are abysmal 10
years from now. The University could
take a defiant approach, garner plen-
ty of attention and have no effect on
minority representation, or it could
take an approach with fruits that are
sustainable and enduring. The future
of diversity is yet to be written, but
the clock is ticking.
James Dickson can be reached
at davidjam@umich.edu.
EE E ( T SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU
Students hear anti-Semitic racism; there's no other way of putting it.
language in Ann Arbor
TO THE DAILY:
I applaud Jared Goldberg's column high-
lighting the current existence and prevalence of
anti-Semitism in America (The war on Hanuk-
kah, 01/11/2007). Too often, people forget that
Jews are a minority, not only in America, but
in the world. Furthermore, as a minority that
has achieved success in many areas of Ameri-
can life, Jews are a prime target for undeserved
criticism and hatred. The "old" anti-Semitism is
alive and well, not only in America but here in
Ann Arbor, too.
This year, while walking to Yom Kippur
services, the holiest of the year in the Jewish
faith, my friends and I were suddenly accosted
by a man driving his car down South Univer-
sity Avenue. The man started screaming at
us, "Take those silly hats off your heads." At
first, we weren't exactly sure what this guy
was talking about or if he was even talking to
us. But then he repeated, "Take those fascist
hats off your (expletive) heads," we realized
he was referring to our yarmulke, the skullcap
worn as a marker of a Jew's deference to God.
My friends and I realized that engaging and
debating some guy driving his car on the eve
of the holiest day of the Jewish year wasn't in
our best interests, so we wished him a "lshana
tova" (happy new year) and continued on.
Although this incident was quick, it had a last-
ing impact not only on my holiday but also on my
attitude toward the Ann Arbor community in
general. The anti-Semitism on this campus is not
some creation of right-wing Jews in some proto-
cols of the elders of Zion's propagandist agenda.
It is real, it may be prevalent and it's something
our community has to confront. Anti-Semitism is
Jeremy Borovitz
LSA sophomore
Every Three Weekly doesn't
want goodpress
TO THE DAILY:
When we read your story in Wednesday's
paper (B-school takes on humor rag, 01/10/2007),
we were shocked at the slant toward the utter filth
known as The Michigan Every Three Weekly.
This paper - which feigns satirical prowess
- deserves no leeway or credibility, and we are
incensed that you missed your opportunity to
expose it for the racist, homophobic, misogynis-
tic publicationitis. Meanwhile,youcompromised
the esteem of the hard-working, honest admin-
istrators, associate deans and faculty who break
their backs every day threatening to dump this
scandalous newspaper into the garbage where it
belongs. We, too, can barely get by the "fake front
page" stories when we read it.
We're sorry that this "Onion-like parody
newspaper" is held in such high regard, while
the Daily is discarded on the floors of bathroom
stalls, awaiting possibly nefarious usage by the
next stall patron.
We certainly hope that the Business school
will dispose of the next issue, which might even
contain an apology to these veritable fiends when
it hits newsstands on Jan. 22.
Justin Wynn, Andy Braaksma, Bryan Kelly
and Mike Ravenscroft
Wynn and Braaksma are LSA seniors.. Kelly and
Ravenscroft are LSA juniors. They are editorsfor The
Michigan Every Three Weekly.
JONATHAN CHANG
I am America's brother
Editorial Board Members: Kevin Bunkley, Amanda Burns, Sam Butler, Ben
Caleca, Devika Daga, Milly Dick, James Dickson, Jesse Forester, Gary Graca,
Jared Goldberg, Jessi Holler, Rafi Martina, Toby Mitchell, Rajiv Prabhakar,
David Russell, Katherine Seid, Elizabeth Stanley, Gavin Stern, Jennifer Sussex,
John Stiglich, Neil Tambe, Rachel Wagner.
JOHN OQUIST I LVE} / Y E
I, too, singAmerica.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow, I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," then.
Besides,
They'll see how beautiful Iam
And be ashamed-
I, too, am America.
- "I, Too" by Langston Hughes
Those words sum up much of the festering discontent
many minorities in America felt towards the system of
segregation and Jim Crow laws prior to the Civil Rights
Act of 1965. This Martin Luther King Day, let's not for-
get who put the D in American democracy. No, it wasn't
Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman or Ronald Reagan. It
was none other than the preeminent Dr. King.
Without King's work spearheading the Civil Rights
Movement, America couldn't call itself a great liberal
democracy or promote its core values and way of life to
other nations. For that reason, America celebrates MLK
Day as a national holiday.
Who would think that just 40 years ago, a large por-
tion of America's black population could not be served
food with a smile and a little bit of respect? Imagine an
America with segregated toilets, drinking fountains and
schools with playgrounds determined by color. If it sounds
a bit like South Africa's infamous apartheid system, it was
America before the Civil Rights Movement. Could we
really call ourselves a liberal democracy prior to this ref-
ormation of conscience and social justice?
My mother, a young Chinese immigrant in the early
1960s, who was neither black nor white, felt consternation
and fear at having to choose between white or black drink-
ing fountains. She dreaded making a wrong choice - and
getting a beating. A white man once told her that she could
drink at the white fountain, but later, she was unsure and
simply drank from the sink inside.
The Civil Rights Act did not instantly sweep away years
of segregation and the mentality behind it. A black room-
mate in college told me his parents said, "Just hold it. They
won't serve us!" in the early 1970s while traveling by car
through west Texas. Some gas stations still didn't allow
blacks to use their toilets years after 1965.
This MLK Day, let's not forget the alliances that all
great leaders must forge. Some are bonds of friendships
while others are intellectual bonds. In regard to the latter,
one of King's inspirations was Mahatma Gandhi. Much of
the American Civil Rights Movement and its tactics were
based on non-violent, social protest movements similar
to the ones Gandhi successfully led in South Africa and
India.
Gandhi's precepts built the foundation of non-violent
social protest movementslike those ledby AungSanSuuKyi
in Burma, Steve Biko and Nelson Mandela in South Africa.
Likewise, in Gandhi's journal notes, he beams with admi-
ration and respect for two of his great role models, Henry
David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Gandhi states
that their writings led him to focus on non-violence and the
credo, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
As the saying goes, "Gold always shines." Great minds
borrow from like souls. Thus, let's remember the contri-
butions of both King and Gandhi towards making America
what it is today. King was the musician, Gandhi the piano
and Thoreau and Emerson were two of the keys. Let your
gold be the ability to think independently, borrow from
great minds without preconceptions and forge alliances
that unite all brothers in America and beyond.
Jonathan Chang is a freelance writer and an alum
of the University of California at Los Angeles.
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