4A - Thursday, September 18, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 0 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu ANDREW GROSSMAN EDITOR IN CHIEF GARY GRACA EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR GABE NELSON MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect the official position oftthe Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views ofttheir authors. Regstration frustrati n Voting in Michigan is a mess, but students must navigate it A nother pivotal presidential election is approaching, and the future of our country remains uncertain. With the race tightening between Barack Obama and John McCa- in, every vote counts. Unfortunately, Michigan's restrictive vot- ing laws continue to complicate the voter registration process, discouraging student participation and increasing voter apathy. Rather than complicate an already intimidating system, the state should simplify voter registration. But until the system changes, it's up to students to navigate the tangled process. Your honor, we now have the fashion police." - Florida public defender Carol Bickerstaff, urging a circuit judge to strike down a Riviera Beach, Fla., law banning sagging pants, as reported yesterday by MSNBC. CHRIS KOSLOWSKI T Te PAT R E-MAIL CHRIS AT CSKOSLOW@UMICH.EDU Did YOU know that Sah Did YOU know that Sarah Yo(sLibs say the darndest Palin tried to ban Harry Palin once sh sat wolves things when you re Potter boks from an from a helicopter with an completely terrified Alaskan public library? automatic rifle? Beging the conversation There are two main voting obstacles for students in Michigan: Rogers's Law and the state's voter identification requirement. Rogers's Law, which was a not-so-veiled attempt in 1999 by then-state Sen. Mike Rogers to disenfranchise students; requires that the address on your driver's license match the address on your voter regis- tration card. Similarly, Michigan's voter identification law requires that you show a photo ID before you vote or sign an affida- vit swearing you are who you say you are. While these two laws may seem unnec- essarily complicated (because they are), they shouldn't stop students from voting. There are simple solutions. If you want to vote in Ann Arbor instead of your home district, register to vote using your local address and make sure to officially change your permanent address with the Sec- retary of State. In order to change your address you need to go to the Secretary of State's office to do it in person or down- load the form from http://www.michigan. gov/sos/0,1607,7-127--25412--,00.html and send it in by mail. In either case, you will receive a sticker to put on the back of your driver's license. If all else fails, you can vote wherever you are registered if you sign an affida- vit before you vote - whether or not your driver's license matches your voter regis- tration card. Keep that in mind. Beyond those big issues, there are a few more things that will help you make voting easier. Plan ahead. When registering, come' prepared with avalid form of identification, including a driver's license, paycheck stub or bank statement with your name and cur- rent address on it. Don't assume that you're registered just because you signed up with a canvasser on the Diag. Sometimes these people make errors or don't file the appro- priate paperwork. To check if you're actu- ally registered, visit www.michigan.gov/ vote. Keep in mind that it takes up to 30 days to record any recent changes to your record. Anyone not registered by Monday, Oct. 6 will not be able to vote in Michigan, so don't wait until the last minute. Every vote matters. Unfortunately, this conversation needs to be revisited every election year because voting in Michigan is the opposite of what it should be: simple. Our state legislature has defaulted on its obligation to make it easy, too. Implementing measures like same-day registration helps simplify vot- ing and increase voter turnout. Even bet- ter, in Oregon, for example, all ballots are mailed to registered voters and then either submitted in a designated "drop box" or mailed back to election officials. These changes make it easier to vote and help increase voter turnout. These things aren't likely to change anytime soon, though - at least not until after November. Until then, students will have to navigate Michigan's unnecessarily complicated system. Whether you support Barack Obama, John McCain or the ballot initiative to legalize marijuana, you should make sure to register and vote. Visit www. michigan.gov/vote for more information. [ ere at the University there are two popular contact sports. The first is evident in the residential lawns populated with vehicles on Saturdays and the transformation ofI the backpack-tot- ing pupil into a pig- skin enthusiast in maize face paint. The second, ROSE while sometimes audible, is less visi- AFRIYIE ble. It occurs in the- wee hours of theS morning and dur- Speaking with ing the day, in pairs Tongues and in solitude. It can be as thrilling as a touchdown, as disappointing as a turnover and no uniforms are required. Much more than a sport, sex - as novelist Fannie Hurst contends - "is a discovery." But unfortunately in the United States, thelessonswe learnare fraught with ambivalence: desire and disgust; openness and shame; knowl- edge and misinformation; silence and. discourse. Thus, this biweekly com- mentary hopes to facilitate a campus dialogue on the anxious yet ubiqui- tous topic of sexuality. I know what you're thinking. I am, after all, just another mem- ber of the erotic species with a per- spective. My convictions, though, have been shaped by my experience as a sex columnist as an undergradu- ate at the University of Pittsburgh. I also studied sexuality on the gradu- ate school level with Carol Vance, and I have a hearty academic commit- ment as a first-year graduate student in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy to improve sexual policy in the United States. All that policy talk leads me to today's discussion piece: sex and the 2008 presidential elections. Of par- ticular interest is how sensitive the national psyche is to issues of sexu- ality and what the costs are of sensi- tivities being exploited for political purposes. Perhaps the'most palpable site of sensitivity oflate is the issue ofsex edu- cation. In recent weeks, John McCain's abstinence-only-until-marridge poli- cies have been criticized in the wake of his vice presidential running mate's teenage daughter's pregnancy: In an attempt to deflect that atten- tion, McCain deployed an attack ad against Barack Obama last week. The 30-second commercial provides no information about McCain's stance on sexually transmitted diseases, which the Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention currently refer to as a "major public health challenge." However, it falsely asserted that Obama's support for a bill that would teach kindergarteners strategies to combat unwanted touching from sex- ual predators was instead a proposal that promoted "learning about sex before learning to read." To truly understand the impact of these words, one must know that sex education policy has been an issue of serious contention for decades now. The issue has not been so much about whether to implement "age and devel- opmentally appropriate sex educa- tion" as the bill in question, which was never enacted in the Illinois state leg- islature, promoted. Instead, emotions have flared on the subjects of when children should be taught and what should be included in the curriculum. Parsing through the root of this anxiety, American parents seem to be caught in a conundrum. That is, how does one teach about sexuality without provoking the onslaught of questions from their offspring about the circumstances under which they were conceived and sexual behav- ior that predated their conception? Adulthood or procreation does not absolve us from answering the inter- nal questions that remain, the residue of ambivalence. Many parents have not fully reconciled teaching chil- dren about sex with their personal disclosures. But there are costs when emotional reservations and public policy inter- sect. As the smoke and mirrors of a shattering economy shelter us, few have noted that the CDC's 2006 STD Surveillance Data reported, "Direct medical costs associated with STDs in the United States are estimated at up to $14.7 billion annually." It's shocking to learn in the same report that college-aged students were beat out by our female siblings ages 15 to 19 for the highest Chlamyd- ia rates. Obama proposes a comprehensive Election offers opportunity to break sexual silence. sex education platform that includes abstinence, contraception and sexu- ally transmitted infection prevention methods, along with a general senti- ment that parents give moral guid- ance to their youth. Undoubtedly, there are deep-seated political ide- ologies on many sides of the debate. Still, the consequences of STIs are incontrovertible and can be fought with a bipartisan front. As constituents, this is not the year to let our sexual angst continue the tradition of perennially unasked questions on sexuality. Instead, McCain must address these sexual health concerns with a comparable platform. Rose Afriyie is the Daily's sex and relationship's columnist. She can be reached at sariyie@umich.edu, 0 EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Harun Buljina, Emmarie Huetteman, Emily Michels, Kate Peabody, Robert Soave, Imran Syed The Daily is looking for smart people with an interest in campus issues and excellent writing skills to be members of its editorial board. E-MAIL GARY GRACA AT GRACA@MICHIGANDAILY.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION IETES T T E EITR 'SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU Democracy is overrated Criticism of boy band show is tearin' up hearts TO THE DAILY As two Michigan Marching Band rank lead- ers, we were very upset to read the not-so-rave review of our performance at Notre Dame in a letter to the editor Tuesday (Marching band should say 'Bye, bye, bye' to boy band tribute, 09/16/2008). Not only did we put two full weeks of prac- tice into perfecting a show, but also, we were proud to perform it. For many of the current students at both the University of Michigan and the University of Notre Dame, boy band music is our era of music. It was so amazingly cheesy and sappy that we had to love it. When we performed in the Big House, many students were singing and dancing along; we received an overwhelmingly great crowd response, and even after the game, students told us how much they liked the show. My 88-year old grandfather loved it too, and he was also a University alum. Unlike the letter writer, he didn't feel embarrassed. In our opinion, associating the band with the football team's performance, as the letter writ- er did, is ridiculous. When the team came back out after halftime, who kept cheering no mat- ter what? The band. It is our job, and we love it. And we love the boys in blue, win or lose. We sat through that pouring rain, in sopping wet uniforms, and didn't let it break our spirits. To say that we are an embarrassment is an insult. Also, we heard people singing along with us, and after the performance, several Notre Dame fans approached us to tell us how much they LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor. Letters should be less than 300 words and must include the writer's full name and University affiliation. All submissions become property of the Daily. We do not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedoily@umich.edu. enjoyed the show. As a previous member of the marching band, the letter writer should know how much time and effort is put in to perfect- ing every show. We will continue to be proud of being members in the Michigan March- ing Band, and we will continue to support the Maize and Blue. Kelsy Wilson and Cathi Castellana The letter writers are Michigan Marching Band rank leaders: Rush for real friendship, not justfor the reputation TO THE DAILY: In response to Monday's editorial about fall rush (Feeling less rushed, 09/15/2008), I agree that fall rush should be pushed to later in the winter term. Later rush permits freshmen to get settled in their new surroundings and per- haps develop some friendships on their own. However, this change isn't possible at the moment, so let me give some hard-knock advice that freshmen should keep in mind: Be the person you want to be, not what the frater- nity or sorority expects you to be. Don't join or rush a house just because of its reputation. Choose the one that suits your own personal- ity and values. Ilearned these lessons when I was in a soror- ity as an undergraduate at a different school. The sisters or brothers at houses aren't stupid - they know from your first impression what kind of person you are and they decide wheth- er you are a good fit for them or not. When I visited one house that was notorious for heavy drinking and partying, the sisters knew right off the bat that I wasn't into that type of social scene. They didn't invite me back. My sorority accepted me because it realized that I was a more laid-back person looking for sisters with interests beyond sorority life. It is true that students' interests change a lot over the course of four years. But their values generally won't. So freshmen, rush the house with members whose personalities and values match yours. You do that, and your Greek life will be rich with experiences and friendships. Sara Halpern Rackham any in the West place great importance on democracy, as if the ability to elect a leader automatical- ly lends legitimacy to a government and makes it "for the people." What makes us think that democracy is the best form of government, that it should be exported IBRAHIM and installed in any nation unfortunate KAKWAN enough to lack it? Is this justified? Let's take the recent example of Pakistan. Last Tuesday, Pakistan inaugurat- ed Asif Ali Zardari as president, a man nicknamed "Mr. Ten Percent" in ref- erence to his numerous prior corrup- tion scandals. Zardari is also widower to former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, whose death made headlines last December. To begin with, I was relieved when his wife (the first choice for president) died. While the West despaired that the self-styled "champion of Pakistani democracy" hadbeen done away with, I was happy. Bhutto had been "demo- cratically elected" twice before, and left behind a legacy of corruption both times. During her time as prime min- ister from 1993 to 1996, it is believed that she and Zardari stole billions of dollars from the country, eventu- ally stashing the funds in numerous Swiss accounts, purchasing mansions and supporting a lavish, self-imposed exile in Dubai. Listening to the speeches she delivered just before getting shot, I could only wonder about who was her intended audience. She spoke more about democracy and opposition to terrorism than the economy, or any other domestic matter of concern to impoverished Pakistanis. It was as if her speeches were intended to garner Western support, first and foremost. After all, everyone abroad knows that if you want American support, all you have to do is claim to be against ter- rorism (whatever that may be) and to "support democracy." And it certainly worked, until she was killed by one of her own countrymen. Her popularity outside of Paki-,t stan made a mockery of democracy. A woman who was little more than a thiefwas able to gain the support of the entire Western world simply by repeating the "D" word. Ironi- cally, after her death the Vatican - a religious symbol of piety and charity - delivered a statement expressing, "Deep sympathy to the entire Paki- stani nation." Apart from stealing billions and getting a number of her supporters killed by foolishly ignor- ing the security warnings during her, protests (for democracy), what did she do to elicit such sympathy? Regardless, her husband and part- ner in crime, a man who spent eight years in jail and stood accused of mur- der, has become president. So why did Pakistanis support Bhutto so strongly, and why have they transferred their support to her corrupt husband? Well, for one thing they are tired of Pervez Mush- arraf, the military general who until recently led the country and the same man who dealt with the United States in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. Although he was technically a dictator (sacking the chief supreme court justice may been a bad move), I consider him to be one of the most underappreciated leaders of the cen- tury. He carefully steered Pakistan through the competing interests of both the United States and institu- tionalized Pakistani Islamists, mak- ing Pakistan an American ally in the war against terrorism and at the same time appeasing the very people the war was being fought against. What did this accomplish? It kept the country from becoming a U.S. target (like Afghanistan), and also prevented civil war ina nation where numerous ethnic groups, tribes, clans and political parties co-exist in a weapon-rich environment. And although a dictator, Musharraf did it all without succumbing to the temp- tation of corruption. But now Musharraf is gone, and the civilian government is in. The people wanted democracy, and now theyhave it. On the same day that Zardari was sworn in, the United States attacked a school where a Taliban leader was supposedly hiding. It was at least the fourth U.S. attack on Pakistani soil in less than a week. There have been two more confirmed since. In the past, Musharraf had main- tainedPakistan'sterritorialintegrityby trading the occasional al-Qaeda opera- tive for additional time and American backing, but until the military protest- ed last week, the new democratic gov- ernment seemed to have no problem allowing U.S. incursions. The Western solution Pakistan doesn't need. Whatever your opinion of "fight- ing terrorism" in that manner, such incursions lead to resentment. That strengthens local extremists. So is democracy the best thing for Pakistan? I would say no. The short periods of civilian rule in Pakistan's history have consistently empowered corrupt politicians. This time their inability to cooperate has led to a lack of productivity. At such a critical time, with a civil war against extrem- ists raging in the western provinces and an economy faltering, such inef- fectiveness hurts the stability of the country. Sure, Pakistan is now a democracy and people are happy they voted - but what does that really mean? Life isn't going to get any better for the majority of them, in fact it may just get worse. Ibrahim Kakwan can be reached at ijameel@umcih.edu. 0 S. 4 A .