4 - Tuesday, November 20, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom 0 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. T 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 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. The Daily's public editor, Paul H. Johnson, acts as the readers' representative and takes a critical look at coverage and content in every section of the paper. Readers are encouragedto contact the public editor with questions andcomments. He canbe reached at publiceditor@umich.edu. A kller system Flaws illuminate tragic finality of capital punishment There was an execution in Texas on Sept. 25. While that's nothing unusual on its own - Texas has carried out almost two-thirds of all executions in the country this year - this one was especially questionable and highlights specifically why capital punishment is a dangerously faulty institution. The prisoner, Michael Wayne Richard, was convicted of raping and murdering a nurse in 1986. He was a terrible man with little remorse. Howev- er, the many things that went wrong in his execution process have sparked debate and controversy. If this is truly how the process works, then it can easily swallow up innocent people, and it is a dis- grace that such a system still exists in our country. NABLEQ TAE On this week of Thanksgiving, nobody has more to be thankful for than I do." - Michigan head football coach Lloyd Carr during a press conference yesterday in which he announced his retirement after 13 seasons. The Daily's liberal bias 0 In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to execute a pris- oner who is mentally retarded. Richard had a documented IQ of 64 - any number less than 70 typically legally denotes mental retardation. Since the 2002 ruling, repeated attempts by the defense team to suspend the execution on grounds of Richard's mental retardation have been denied. Then, on Sept. 25, just hours before Rich- ard's execution, the defense team thought it had caught a break. The Supreme Court announced that it would review a Kentucky case about whether using a particular three- drug cocktail for lethal injection causes pain and should be classified as "cruel and unusual punishment." The defense raced to file an appeal to suspend the execution until the Kentucky case was decided, but it was delayed by glitches in its computer system. The defense notified the Texas attorney general of its computer problems and plead- ed for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to stay open a little past 5 p.m. to allow the team to submit the appeal. That request was denied, and the defense was given just six minutes to file its final appeal to the Supreme Court. The judge responsible for denying the extension is now being sued, but that would be little consolation if an innocent person was executed because of such arbi- trary decisions. Texas overlooked court precedent on executing a mentally retarded person, and it chose to discount a pending court case that could make Richards's execution unconsti- tutional on other grounds. This should come as no surprise for a state that mass produces executions, to the tune of more than 400 since 1976. Regardless of whether Richard was guilty or innocent, a judicial system with this many problems cannot be trusted to condemn anyone to death. The criminal justice system is a human institution, and it will make mistakes. Thus, no sentence should be as final as death. In 2000, then-Illinois Gov. George Ryan recognized the fallibility of the death pen- alty, suspending executions in his state indefinitely after he noticed that more death sentences were overturned than carried out in the state. But the problem doesn't only exist in Illinois. From 1973 to 2007, 124 people have been released from death row nationwide after being acquitted, having their charges dropped or receiving a pardon based on new evidence. These were 124 peo- ple wrongfully waiting to die. What about all of the other people who didn't get released at the last minute? The Richard case shows that the flaws in our court systems could very well lead to sen- tencing a wrongly convicted prisoner to death. With even one wrongful execution, our courts have undeniably committed mur- der. Exactly who can we hang for that? I s the Daily a liberal newspaper? This is a question that's raised reg- ularly by readers who criticize the paper. The charge is usually leveled against a news story or an editorial that the reader feels unfairly maligns his or her view of the world or doesn't even acknowledge that another point PAUL H. ofview might estJOHNSON The "liberal" JON N tag is also part of a broader indictment of the mainstream press in general. There are many who see newspapers as an arm of the elite whoworkinlocksteptobrowbeatthose who disagree with them to ensure widespread support of the pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, anti-global warming agenda and scoff or belittle those who disagree with them. Or worse, they see newspapers merely as an arm of the Democratic Party. It's also a way to discount news they see in the newspa- per by saying it's just not fair because it only represents one point of view. I think part of this criticism arises because newspapers tend to be critical of those in power. Ask Al Gore about his treatment during the 2000 campaign, and I doubt he'd say it was universally fair. Or ask Hillary Clinton - who said in the 1990s that there was a vast right- wing conspiracy out to get her husband during the Monica Lewinsky scandal - and see if she believes there's a liber- al bias. Another problem is that readers often don't see the difference between editorials, which express a point of view, and news stories, which are sup- posed toube objective. At the Daily, like almost every major newspaper, there is a wallbetween edi- torial policy and news coverage. Edito- rial board members meet twice a week to propose and discuss editorial top- ics and vote on what positions to take. Leade T he last contact most students had with Michigan Student Assembly President Zack Yost was his Nov. 13 e- mail callingon us to pack the Big House forthegameagainst " Ohio State. Howev- er noble his senti- ments, perhaps his one monthly e-mail could have focused on the mess in his ROBERT own house, MSA. S MSA Rep. Anton SOAVE Vuljaj, former chair of the Budget Priorities Committee, is facing felony charges for allegedly criminal behavior in the 2006 MSA election. Vuljaj, then a supporter of the Students 4 Michigan party, is charged with intentionally crashing the website of the opposing Michigan Progressive Party during the election. In the face of overwhelmingevidence,Vuljaj stepped down from his position on LSA Stu- dent Government, but he ran for MSA a year later with the Michigan Action Party, an offshoot of S4M. He stepped down from his leadership position on the Budget Priorities Committee after being charged last month, but he remains an assembly representative. Even as another student implicated in the attack pled guilty in recent days, there's no chance that MSA as an orga- nization will do anything to hold Vul- jaj accountable for the damage he has done to MSA's reputation. Obviously, Vuljaj is legally innocent until found guilty in a court, but senior S4M offi- cials admitted in 2006 that their party was behind the attack: If the culprit is not Vuljaj, then someone else is in the News reporters do occasionally come to editorial board meetings, but gener- ally only to explain their stories, and they do not vote on editorials. Editorials do not drive news cover- age. "News stories always come first," said Editorial Page Editor Imran Syed. The editorial staff usually waits to write about campus issues until the news staff has published a story. ,Are the Daily's editorial opinions liberal? "Yes they are," says Editor in Chief Karl Stampfl. "I don't think anyone would deny that," Syed said. But that doesn't diminish the paper's commitment to fairness in its news pages. "We're really careful to make sure the major viewpoints are rep- resented," Stampfl said. This doesn't mean every story has to have a perfect balance of every side of an issue that would lead to wooden news report- ing. Instead, it means that every effort should be made to ensure thatthe story is fair. Sometimes when a story appears unbalanced and seems to support the ideas championed by the newspaper's editorial page, it can fuel the criticism that the newspaper's news stories only work to reinforce its political agenda. In the Nov. 6th news story written by reporter Mara Gay (Courtset to hear benefits case: Same-sex couples say they might leave 'U' if court doesn't overturn decision), a reader might get the feeling that there is no one who disagrees that the Michigan Supreme Court should overturn a ruling denying the Univer- sity the ability to grant domestic part- nership benefits. This was followed by an editorial Nov. 12 calling for the Michigan Supreme Court to restore benefits for gay couples. The Nov. 6 story didn't include com- ments from people at the University who supported the idea that the state should ban public universities and municipalities from providing domes- tic partner benefits, and some readers ,rs, not polio party is guilty. MSA must either take action against Vuljaj or actively work to find the real culprit, not simply try to gloss over the whole situation. When he spoke to the Daily's edi- trial board"earlier this month, Yost didn't give a clear answer when asked if he would ask Vuljaj to resign - even ifaguiltyverdictisreached.Yost'snon- chalant attitude, even in the face of one of his guys facing criminal charges, is quite revealing of MSA as a whole. The assembly is a closed-door club that looks out for itself before looking out for the students. This calls into ques- tion the relevance and necessity of having such a governing body at all. Yost's responses to questions from the Daily's editorialboardwereincom- plete and insincere: He couldn't even say where he was during the night of the 2006 election, insisting that he simply could not recall. Yost's inability to answer even this simple question raises doubts about him where none should exist. I don't think Yost was actually involvedinthescandal.Afarmorelike- ly explanation for his dodgy answers is this: He is already a seasoned, conniv- ing politician. Unfortunately, it seems that the wordy and disingenuous man- ner of speaking that so plagues the members of our state and national gov- ernments might also be afflicting our student government. If this is MSA, do we really need it at all? Investigating what MSA actually accomplishes is a difficult task. Its website lists numerous committees and commissions, which would sug- gestavery active role in campus affairs. Some commissions give a promising summary of what they would ideally thought that it seemed like a willful omission designed to show there was unanimity of support for restoring domestic partnership benefits. Reporter Mara Gay said the Nov. 6 story was more of a feature story about those affected by the pending court decision rather than a traditional news story about the pros and cons of the domestic partnership benefits case now facing the Michigan Supreme Court. She said that all of the people who would be affected by the law were gay, lesbian, bisexual ortransgender. Understanding the difference between news and opinion The net result is that no opposing views were featured in the story. This could have been cured either by having a separate news story that captured the diversity of views on the subject or by incorporating opposing views into the Daily's story. But that's not main reason why I think it's important that both sides of an issue should get aired in a news story. I'm pretty sure even supporters of reinstating domestic partnership benefits would like to know how their opponents justifyusing an amendment that purports to ban marriage between people of the same gender as a vehicle to deny health care. I think it's important that the Daily ensure that all viewpoints are heard in a news story, not just because that's the right thing to do, but also because both sides deserve to hear and understand each other's arguments. Paul H. Johnson is the Daily's public editor. He can be reached at publiceditor@umich.edu. ticians like to do, and then a "news" section for that commission that is seemingly always blank. There is another, much shorter list of projects that MSA has completed. Tlie biggetproblem with this list is that it names accomplishments from fall 2004. Has MSA not done anything since then? or it is too lazy to update its website so that students may read up on what the assembly is doing? Perhaps MSA has done substan- tive things in the past three years, but regular students have little chance of knowing about them. MSA clearly MSA is becoming an inept, useless governing body. suffers from an inability to be trans- parent, as evidenced by Yost's vague answers and the website's outdated information. As residents of Michigan and citi- zens of America, we have all too often been subjected to governments that are disdainfully unaccountable to us. If what we see today in MSA is indica- tive of what is happening at other col- lege campuses and what the future holds for this country, we really have no need for such organizations. The University should be able to produce a student governing body that breeds leaders, not politicians. Robert Soave can be reached at rsoave@umich.edu. WYMAN KHUU YOU tart U EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Emad Ansari, Anindya Bhadra, Kevin Bunkley, Ben Caleca, Jon Cohen, Milly Dick, Mike Eber, Gary Graca, Emmarie Huetteman, Theresa Kennelly, Emily Michels, Robert Soave, Jennifer Sussex, Neil Tambe, Matt Trecha, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder, Rachel Wagner, Patrick Zabawa SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU 'U'should practice the tolerance itpreaches TO THE DAILY: As a proud alum of the University, a former Michigan athlete (varsity hock- ey, 1995-98), a military veteran and an aspiring military doctor, I have become increasingly concerned by the Universi- ty's position regarding Michigan Stadi- um's inaccessibility for disabled veterans: The belief thatthe stadium need not com- ply with the Americans With Disability Act's requirements because the project constitutes repairs and not renovations. The University strives to maintain its position as the leader and the best in all that it undertakes. These endeavors have always included offering top-notch aca- demic and research programs, fielding national championship caliber athletic teams and being an institution where all people, no matter their background, feel welcome. Historically, the University has also been a societal leader in accommo- dating people that are disadvantaged. Thus, I find the University's position regarding the claims made by the Michi- gan Paralyzed Veterans of America about compliance with the ADA particularly troubling. A place that deems itself a lead- er in advancing the ideal that all people are equal and deserve equal opportuni- V* *jit ties should not shield itself with an atten-VLwpo/ uated and debatable legal position. ever-per As much as University President Mary FO Sue Coleman vowed to do after the pas- sage of Michigan's race-based affirmative TO THE DAIL' action ban, the University should attempt I would lik to interpret the law to maintain its tradi- printing Ilar tion of inclusion and tolerance. It is incon- last week (Ri sistent for the University's values to cling 11/16/2007). to the narrowest interpretation of an effective in ambiguous statute to defend its position. exists at our u The MPVA is not asking for special unchallenged. treatment: The group is only request- sity that freq ing that this great University comply key issue, wer with the law. The men and women of the racism and ge MPVA have made countless sacrifices for underlies it. this country, and they should not have to beg a state university to comply with a Hena Ashraf law that so many people have fought to LSA senior pass and protect. We all must realize that there is a growing generation of veterans in need of Daily s c7 the protection afforded by the ADA. For . these reasons I ask that my alma mater giveawa follows the very values and traditions it instilled in me - those of tolerance and TO THE DAIL understanding. By complying with the If the Da ADA, the University will again solidify so well-infoi Michigan Stadium's place as the greatest Amendment stadium in the country. ownership is nt attests to sistent racism .Y: ke to thank the Daily for na Weaver's viewpoint acism lives in Ann Arbor, Weaver's viewpoint was discussing how racism iniversity, and how it goes . As students at a univer- uently cites diversity as a must do our part to abolish t rid of the ignorance that riticism ofgun y was misguided .Y: ily's editorial board is rmed about the Second and concludes that gun a collective right (Mis- 07), perhaps it can explain Court of Appeals for the olumbia Circuit recently ruled that the Second Amendment is an individual right (District of Columbia v. Heller). The U.S. Supreme Court is cur- rently deciding whether or not to hear an appeal to the ruling. Anyone who bothered to read the writ- ings of the founding fathers would know that private gun ownership was what the Constitution intended. And if that isn't enough, I suggest that the editorial board spend a little time reading the Michigan state constitution, especially Article I, Section 6, which states: "Every person has a right to keep and bear arms for the defense of himself and the state." The only fault the editorial board should find with the College Libertarians is that the voucher the group offered isn't enough to buy a high-quality firearm. Douglas Wright University staff Definition of democracy not as obvious as it seems TO THE DAILY: Nathan Stano's impassioned defense of the voice of the people in his letter to the editor last week (Daily's mistrust of voters is appalling, 11/16/2007) over- looked some points. Arguing against the Daily editorial board's commentary on representative democracy, Stano's argument rested on a familiar etymo- logical argument concerning the true meaning of democracy as a Greek word: rule of the people. Stano claimed that the Daily was unfairly impugning the good reason and intelligence of the voters of this state by urging an end to right-wing campaigns that seek to circumvent the legislative process by placing hot-button issues on the ballot for a direct vote. He said that the people are well-educated enough on all of the issues and should be trusted to vote on them. But would Stano sup- port such direct democracy in all of its forms, including the denial of Swiss cit- izenship to the adopted children in that country, the Japanese Exclusion Act and the election of Adolph Hitler? Do these all correctly represent the spirit of democracy? Modern democracies tend to not only protect certain values, but extend them, in accordance with the Jeffersonian notion that the state should protect the right of the people to pursue happiness. Perhaps Stano needs to learn some other Greek-derived words: demagogu- ery and tyranny. John Thiels Rackhanm Greg Malicke Alum fire, 11/15/20t why the U.S. District of C 'I