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4A - Wednesday, November 28, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
L 4 MICdiian BaI*I
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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
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with questions and comments. He canbe reached at publiceditor@umich.edu.
Locked-up logic
Prisons should be for rehabilitation, not retribution
n the latest of his many considerable flip-flops, Republican
presidential candidate Mitt Romney called on Massachusetts
Superior Court Judge Kathe Tuttman - whom he appointed
to the bench when he was Massachusetts governor - to resign.
Tuttman is at the center of a major controversy over her decision
to allow a murderer to be released near the end of his sentence,
despite a pending charge of assaulting a corrections officer. The
prisoner, Daniel Tavares Jr., went on to kill a newlywed couple. As
horrible a situation as this is, it's hardly a time for the scapegoating
and politicking that Romney has taken up.
I'll get all the (working girls) together, and we
can raise him some money."
- Dennis Hof, owner of a Nevada brothel called The Moonlite BunnyRanch, endorsing Republican
presidential candidate Ron Paul and pledging to raise money for his campaign, as reported Monday by ABC News.
An MSA wish list
I
f this fall's candidates for election
to the Michigan Student Assem-
bly and other campus governing
bodies are doing
a halfway decent
job, you probably
already know that
student govern-
ment elections start
Thursday of this
week. In case you
don't already know,4
to vote in MSA NEIL
elections and other
elections, go to vote. TAMBE
www.umich.edu or
do so through the web portal of a cam-
pus political party. In the spirit of the
election, I have prepared a wish list for
the election and for the next semester.
Fellow students, the first two
requests go out to you. Most impor-
tant, you must vote. Unfortunately for
us, from a utility-maximizingperspec-
tive, MSA elections are the most sen-
sible election to vote in because costs
are next to nil. Assuming you are a
current University student, there is no
registration required and you can vote
from any Internet-enabled computer.
Voting in the election literally requires
about a 15-click diversion from normal
Facebooking activities.
Because the number of voters is so
low, there is a relatively high probabil-
ity that your vote will affect the out-
come of the election. On top of that, it's
plausible that you'll be able to make an
educated vote because one of the candi-
dates might be your buddy from fresh-
man year or the girl who you sat next to
in Spanish class. We have an obligation
to vote in these elections, not because
MSA elections are particularly com-
pelling, but because it's so damn easy.
Our next responsibility is to put
candidates on the hot seat. Many if not
all of the candidates for student gov-
ernment will be around campus cam-
paigning, and they'll probably hand
you a flyer with a three-bullet-point
summary of their "platform." Please,
grill them with questions. They're
practically begging to be interrogat-
ed, and it's so hilarious to hear their
party-polished responses.
If candidates' platforms include
lowering textbook prices, drill them
with questions about how, when and
exactly why. They'll probably give you
a canned speech. After they finish, ask
them harder questions. Just in case
election time is the only time a mem-
ber of student government ever takes
your opinion seriously, make it count.
Don't let them dupe you: Make candi-
dates earn your vote.
Candidates, the next two requests
go to you. First of all, for Pete's sake,
recycle.Yourflyers are everywhere and
it's a disgusting waste. During the elec-
tion, you litter lecture halls, the library
and even my house. As a cohort, you
must use thousands of sheets of paper
during the election. Not only will you
go overboard on flyers, but you'll spam
my inbox and overload my Facebook
feed. You might even engage in semi-
sketchy campaign techniques by can-
vassing at Greek houses or sending a
friend to do the task. The least you can
do is keep our campus green and free of
litter while you do it.
Next, all you candidates must hold
yourself accountable for results. Text-
book prices have been a student issue
at least since Charles Woodson was a
Heisman Trophy winner. Finish the
job and keep us in the loop about what
your accomplishments and objectives
are. At the beginning of every semester
I would like to see a results report from
Rather than recognize the ineptitude of
a prison system that simply holds prisoners
for 16 years without any meaningful effort
at reforming them, Romney is busy point-
ing the finger of blame. Such shortsighted,
irresponsible attitudes are common among
lawmakers, and they create an atmosphere
that debilitates progress in prison reform
and ignores the fact that our country's
trend of mass arrests and mass incarcera-
tion does little to make our society safer.
America's incarceration rate is the high-
est among developed countries. The num-
ber of people in our prisons has quadrupled
since 1980 - not because there are so many
more violent offenders, but simply because
we have criminalized even trivial offenses
in the "War on Drugs." Because of stricter
drug laws, police began arresting more
people for drug-related crimes, leading to
more inmates in our prisons, more instanc-
es of overcrowding and more tax dollars
funneled into incarceration. By 2003, drug
arrests accounted for 68 percent of prison
population growth and 20 percent of the
total prison population nationwide. And we
aren't safer for it.
With prisons overcrowded by nonvio-
lent offenders, it's no wonder that vio-
lent inmates leave prison without having
received the type of rehabilitation they
need. Rather than incarcerating every per-
son who breaks the law, the government
should use alternatives for non-violent
offenders like drug courts, mental health
courts and community service. Drug courts
are judicial systems that identify, monitor
and treat drug offenders through proba-
tion, social services and clinical treatment.
In 2005, the Governmental Accountability
Office reported that the drug court program
helped to substantially lower re-arrest
and conviction rates among the program's
graduates. If the government employed
methods like the drug courts, mass incar-
ceration and overcrowding in prisons could
be significantly curtailed.
However, our prison's problems reach far
beyond overcapacity. Romney claims that
Tavares should not have been released from
prison early because he is a violent man
incapable of living in society. But as for-
mer Massachusetts attorney general Scott
Harshbarger has said, Romney is "making
a political calculation, and (Tuttman is) an
easy target." The real problem lies in our
prison systems' continuing emphasis on
punishment instead of rehabilitation.
Incarcerating criminals for extended
periods of time does not automatically
mean that they will change for the bet-
ter - and no, this doesn't mean we should
simply kill them. Statistically, the current
system of incarceration does very little to
deter repeat offenders. Some legislatures
are calling for harsher prisons and longer
sentences, but how will crueler prisons cre-
ate kinder prisoners?
Rather than institute a more barbaric
prison system, the government should
direct more resources to providing the help
and support services all inmates need if
they are to have a chance at rehabilitation.
Today, about 60 percent of criminals com-
mit another crime within three years of
their release: It's obvious that our lock-em-
up-and-throw-away-the-key strategy is not
working to reform inmates or protect our
society. Providing mental health services
as well as substance abuse treatment and
helping to build up job skills are the only
ways to ensure inmates are prepared to live
productive, crime-free lives upon release.
And that is the goal, after all.
AMERICAN MOVEMENT FOR ISRAEL AND ISRAEL IDEA
each committee and executive officer
posted on your respective websites.
This document should include a list of
current projects and accomplishments
from the last semester and also a list
of objectives for the next semester. I
sympathize with you all when you say
that nobody knows what student gov-
ernment does. Take one hour and pre-
pare such a document once a semester,
because it will help you lay out your
goals and it will keep external stake-
holders a little more involved in what
you're doing. It's a win-win.
Five things
that will revive
student gov't
Because I have about 75 words left,
I will try to use the space to advocate
for an unofficial proposal. Maize-outs
at the Big House are super fun. Since
football season is now over, let's make
Fridays unofficial maize-and-blue
days. It would be cheery during the
winter months to see those two love-
ly colors, and it'll show campus day
visitors - who often tour on Fridays
- that being a Wolverine is something
to be proud of. We all already have the
hoodies - it's just a matter of wearing
them at the same time.
MSA elections in the past may have
been anything from unproductive to
complete disasters, but if we all do
our part, we can change that this time
around.
Neil Tambe can be reached
at nambe@umich.edu.
dialogue
statehood, to participate in the inter-
national political world. It exists to
solidify a future for a nation that has
overcome countless threats to its exis-
tence for the past 4,000 years.
In no way is Zionism a racist ideolo-
gy. In Israel, Israeli-Arabs exercise full
democratic privileges and have repre-
sentatives in parliament. The country
is rich with active civil society and a
cantankerous press, constantly critical
of the government.
Admittedly, Israel is far from per-
fect. Its various governments have
made grave mistakes, just like any
other country, and Israel should be
held accountable for its actions. How-
ever, criticizing Israel's government is
far different from denying Israel's fun-
damental right to exist.
Yesterday, President Bush met with
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
and with Mahmoud Abbas, president
of the Palestinian Authority, in hopes
of restarting a peace process that has
been dormant for the past decade.
International leaders are calling for
a two-state solution with two inde-
pendent nations living side by.side in
peaceful coexistence. Kovel rejects
thisvision.Atatime whenpeaceseems
within our grasp, it is regrettable that
such a monumental moment has been
undermined by SAFE's decision to
bring Kovel to speak at our University.
Today, Israel seeks a partner for
peace. Today, we seek a partner in dia-
logue. Is there one?
Eitan Ingall is an LSA sophomore
and the vice president of the Israel
IDEA. Sasha Gribov is a Business
sophomore and the vice chair of the
American Movement for Israel.
9
i
I
Wanted:
We, the American Movement for
Israel and the Israel IDEA, want con-
structive and positive discourse on one
of the most convoluted issues of mod-
ern times. We are eager to learn about
our faults, understand opposing beliefs
and analyze the Israeli/Palestinian
conflict from varying perspectives.
We look to promote education by
conveying an honest portrayal of the
situation while recognizing that there
may be a sharp dichotomy between
our respective perceptions of honesty.
Regardless of this disagreement, it is
our obligation to constantly strive for
sophisticated and intellectual con-
versation committed to understand-
ing the past, present and future of the
Israeli and Palestinian people.
By inviting Bard College Prof. Joel
Kovel to speak at the University on
Monday, the Students Allied for Free-
dom and Equality shattered the prin-
cipal safeguard of academic freedom:
intellectual responsibility.
Kovel is the author of "Overcom-
ing Zionism," a book advocating the
destruction of the state of Israel that
is being distributed by the University
of Michigan Press. He spoke Monday
evening with deceitful rhetoric vir-
tually absent of factual or historical
information. Calling Israel a "histori-
cal mistake" and urging the destruc-
tion of Israel by saying, "many states
have been replaced, there is nothing
sacred about a state" will never give
way to anything productive.
In his book, Kovel writes, "What is
wrong with the Jewish State is the fact
of being a Jewish State." Think about
this comment for a second. What if the
statement read: "What is wrong with
the Muslim State is the fact of being a
JOHN OQUIST
A partner for
Muslim State." Is that acceptable? Is
that conducive to productive dialogue
on this campus? Would it be consid-
ered hate speech?
This is the exact double standard
that embodies the essence of anti-
Semitism. In another part of the
book, Kovel writes, "Zionism is Jew-
ish power - worldly and state power:
military, economic, and ideological,
too." This statement is eerily similar
to anti-Semitic propaganda expressed
over hundreds of years - including
from "Protocols of the Elders of Zion,"
Stalinist Russia and Adolph Hitler
- through claims of Jewish world
dominance.
You, the students of the University,
are the ultimate jury. Can you condone
such remarks? Can the University be
directly responsible for disseminating
these claims, as it is right now?
Kovel has expressed his views in a
published book, and no one has pre-
vented that from happening. The Uni-
versity Press distributing this book
is not a matter of academic freedom
but rather one of intellectual respon-
sibility - an obligation to uphold a
premier level of academic integrity.
The University has proclaimed a com-
mitment to sustaining its reputation
as an institution for higher learning.
Distributing "Overcoming Zionism"
jeopardizes this reputation.
Zionism, an ideology founded by
Theodore Herzl, is a political move-
ment that upholds the belief that the
Jewish people have the right to a
national homeland. Israel functions
as a home for Jews from all over the
world, free of persecution and anti-
Semitism. Israel was created as a plat-
form for the Jewish people, vis-a-vis
6
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, Kate Peabody,
Robert Soave, Jennifer Sussex, Neil Tambe, Matt Trecha, Radhika Upadhyaya,
Rachel Van Gilder, Rachel Wagner, Patrick Zabawa
ALBERT CHOW
A voice against HJV AIDS
The numbers are simply daunting. World-
wide, 40.3 million people live with HIV. The
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion estimates that roughly 1.2 million people in
America were living with either HIV or AIDS
as of 2005. Of this number, roughly a quarter
were undiagnosed and unaware of their posi-
tive status.
According to the Michigan Department of
Community Health, an estimated 17,000 peo-
ple are living with HIV/AIDS in the state of
Michigan as of October 2007. Of these, about
600 live in Washtenaw County, with 30 new
cases of HIV and 15 cases of AIDS diagnosed
just last year. Do I need to continue?
For a disease this devastating and an epidem-
ic this widespread, surely one would expect
some student groups to campaign against this
disease. And there are such groups. This week
is World AIDS Week, and around the Diag as
well as in Angell Hall and the Chemistry Build-
ing, there are many fliers posted by groups
hoping to raise awareness about the disease
and promote activism both on and off campus.
But these fliers can't do much if students aren't
actually paying close attention. Before this
week is over, students should make sure to take
some time to contribute in the battle against
HIV/AIDS and make sure they understand the
nature of the disease. There are a lot of existing
resources to help.
One of the most prominent groups on cam-
pts is Face AIDS, whose University chapter
was founded last year. Face AIDS has planned
all sorts of events, including a breakfast sale at
the posting wall in Angell Hall on Monday and
Thursday, a movie screening and bar night at
The Necto on Tuesday and finally a dinner with
a guest speaker on Saturday in East Hall.
Perhaps most important of all, the group is
selling beaded pins that were handmade by an
AIDS patient in the Partners in Health clinic in
Rwanda. While these pins only cost $5 to you,
when this money is put together with a cor-
responding donation of $15 from various com-
panies, this inexpensive pin buys about two
months' worth of medicine for the patient who
made it. Last year, the University's chapter of
Face AIDS raised about $13,000 and was one of
the top contributors nationally.
For those more motivated to help out locally
in Washtenaw County, a class is being offered
next semester that provides a great opportuni-
ty to become involved. The class is section 203
of Sociology 389, a part of Project Community,
in which students volunteer at the HIV/AIDS
Resource Center in Ypsilanti.
There are a host of students who have vol-
unteered at HARC through Project Commu-
nity and had very rewarding experiences. Erin
Schlemmer, who took this section of the course
last year, said "(Working at the center) is very
eye-opening about how uninformed people
are, and how they can protect themselves, and
even what HIV is." Eden Brand, who has vol-
unteered at the center for all four of her under-
graduate years at the University, said: "HARC
is a great way for students wanting to get more
involved outside the campus. HARC is here for
Washtenaw County."
These groups and opportunities barely
scratch the surface of what is available. There
are HIV/AIDS projects in various other groups
around campus and in the community. During
this week, you will find information on HIV/
AIDS wherever you go, and you should seek it.
Don't think you can't contribute or that HIV/
AIDS is just a distant problem that affects peo-
ple somewhere else.
The University is a large place with a huge
student body. If everyone contributes in some
way and is knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS,
our voices will be heard loud and clear. Togeth-
er we can all do something in the battle against
HIV/AIDS. Whether it's here in Ann Arbor or
abroad in Rwanda, we can make that happen.
Albert Chow is an LSA senior.
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