4 - Friday, October 17, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.cam Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu The real winner last night was Joe the Plumber." - John McCain, commenting on the repeated references during Thursday's presidential debate to an Ohio man, Joe Wurzelbacher, who aspires to own a plumbing business, as reported yesterday by The New York Times. ANDREW GROSSMAN EDITOR IN CHIEF GARY GRACA EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR GABE NELSON 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. Civil rights vows Michigan must reverse discriminatory gay marriage ban Many young Americans don't realize that until recently, two people of different races couldn't legally marry. Starting in 1948, interracial couples could marry only in California, and interracial marriage remained illegal in some states until the 1967 Supreme Court ruling Loving v. Virginia. While inter- racial marriage has become an accepted fact of life since then, gay couples are still relegated to the same sort of archaic inferior status. That has been changing because of state courts, with Connecticut recently becoming the third to have its high court grant gay and les- bian couples the right to marry. Michigan should be next. MAX FABICK 13 E-MAIL MAX AT FABICKM@UMICH.EDU T HIS is M M~c ~sI MY MERC THIS s M aR TOE PLvMPER. FRIEND, ,oE Six PACK. F IEN S ,od 'DE f. DOWTk kow t f flCRE R~LSMY O I DE yr n i rf~ Our academic bailout 4 The Connecticut Supreme Court's bitter- ly split 4-3 decision Friday puts the state in a class with only Massachusetts and Califor- nia. Unlike California and Massachusetts, though, Connecticut's high court went a step further, stating that allowing same-sex civil unions but not same-sex marriage vio- lates the state constitution's equal protec- tion clause. As an inadequate appeasement, civil unions have grown in popularity, with Vermont, New Hampshire and New Jersey now allowing them. Whether they allow same-sex civil unions or marriage, these states have one thing in common: a history of progressiv- ism. Though Michigan has traditionally been a blue state on the electoral map, it is far behind on this issue. While Massachu- setts officially legalized gay marriage in 2004, the state of Michigan banned same- sex marriage the same year, after 59 percent of voters passed a constitutional amend- ment with the change. Since that time, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox has interpreted the amendment to mean that same-sex partners of state employees can't receive benefits either - an interpretation Michigan's Supreme Court foolishly upheld this summer. On the most fundamental level, what has transpired in Michigan has been wrong. First, voters fell for social conservatiyes' fearmongering about the gay marriage's supposed threat to the American family. Then, Cox took the law into his own hands and broadly expanded the amendment's scope. And finally, the Supreme Court, dominated by four judges with a conserva- tive social agenda, failed to call Cox out on his abuse. What is left is a state that's largely unwelcoming to gay couples. The effects have been seen here at the University, too. The University, as a state institution, was forced to comply with Cox's interpretation of the decision. Until then, the University had a cogent system of pro- viding benefits to the domestic partners of gay employees. But the University, given its progressive history and dedication to basic rights, was not about to let a myopic, unjust law get in the way of what's right. As a result, it expanded its "other qualified adults" ben- efits program to include people who meet several very specific criteria - a roundabout way of providing benefits to gay couples. The new protocols work as part of a fair- er system, but they require people to jump through unnecessaryhoops. If gay marriage were legal, the University and other Michi- gan employers would not have to spend so much energy trying to get past the red tape. Our society is seeing a movement toward greater rights for gay citizens. It's almost inevitable that in a few decades, banning gay marriage will seem as silly to future generations as banning interracial marriage seems to Americans today. So will Michi- gan be remembered as part of a 21st century Confederacy that stubbornly continued to violate basic civil rights? Or will the state go down in history as a locus of forward- thinking tolerance? For the past 48 hours, I've been chugging Rockstar energy drinks and triple-shot lattes while slaving away at pages and pages of readings, essays and study guides. The last time I saw my twin-sized mattress before 3 a.m. was in August. The only thing that prevent- ed me from drop-S ping out of school HAKIRA two weeks ago was SMILER hope - hope that - a letter from Uni-. versity Health Service and a virulent cough would get me an extension on my term paper; hope that my grandma would keep her promise to buy me a diamond tennis bracelet if I gradu- ated from college; and hope that after fall study break, my batteries would be recharged and I would return to class- es rejuvenated, refreshed and reener- gized. I'd like to think of fall study break as the University's own little academic bailout. If all the students on campus failed their classes because of anxiety and stress, the University's empire would crumble. So, with the interven- tion of a two-day break, the University stays billions of dollars richer, and we students are given two extra days to get our shit together. Behind every bailout, though, there tendstobe abadeconomicdecisionand a failure to plan on both the executive and the clients' part. I can't help but wonder if we're abusing our resources and making a poor investment. Being a student is an overwhelm- ing challenge. In between studying for classes, going to meetings and office hours, doing community service and waiting in line for 30 minutes just to get an undercooked piece of beef from the dining hall, students don't get a chance to take a moment for them- selves. The demanding pressures of being a well-rounded student leave most of us in a total state of exhaus- tion by the end of September. Like the millions of homeowners led astray by greedy bankers and manipu- lative lenders, students are vulnerable to pushy advisors who persuade them to take 18 credits and intimidatingstu- dent organizations that overload your Inbox with dozens of tempting oppor- tunities. Signing up for every table at Festifall that gives away a free T-shirt is like going to the mall and applying for a credit card at every store. You probably won't ever get turned away, but the freebie might cost you the loss of every extra dollar (or in this case, minute) you have. The same applies to course load. Students who register for a full load of classes knowing they struggled to pass the three courses they took last semester just because it "looks better" are asking for a foreclosure on their enrollment status. There are only so many "W"s, "I"s, "P/F's and "C-"s you can get on your transcript before red flags start going up and your academic credit score drops significantly. I've noticed that a lot of students overextend 1;hemselves to impress their friends and family. Students' competitiveness is disturbing, and each day they go head to head with other students to see who can get the highest grades, build the best resume and ingratiate themselves with the most professors. While a little friendly competition is good for keeping you on your toes, trying to keep up with the Joneses is an emotional meltdown waitingto happen. Like many Americans and govern- ment officials who feared Wall Street executives would abuse the Emer- gency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, some University officials and alumni worry that students won't use their time off wisely. During the homecoming weekend, I heard several alumni express how foolish and unnec- essary they thought fall study break is. According to them, students are out of the classroom too much as it is. They argue that the study break will only give students two more days to party. I can only pray that those heartless people aren't interested in a career in education. Fall break couldn't have come sooner. While it's true that American stu- dents are in class a lot less than our international counterparts, it is also true that most learning is done out- side of the classroom. Besides, a neu- rotic student who is spaced out in the middle of class will hardly be as effec- tive as student who is alert, happy and energized. I, for one, am happy that the Uni- versity decided to provide its students with a much-needed mid-semester academic bailout. Who knows, maybe the University will decide to give us a stimulus check for our grade point average inDecember. I I I I I I I I S 4 ELISE BAUN IEi T More than fair-weather fans Shakira Smiler can be reached at stsmiler@umich.edu. 4{ "Ryan Mallett." Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap. "Ryan Mallett." Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap. Last year's cheers in the Big House's student section stillringinmy ears. Iremember the mantrabeing shouted every time Michigan quarterback Chad Henne didn't perform as well as the Michigan football dynasty demands. Fortunately, last year, despite two notably monstrous losses, the Michigan football team managed to pull off a decent season with an objectively impressive record of 9 wins and 4 losses. This year, already witness to four losses, Michigan fans aren't yelling discouraging cheers at their team - a step up from last year's behav- ior, I thought. But if you're sitting in the student section dur- ing a game, you can't help but hear all of the snide, rude comments quietly directed at the football team. No one is rallying fans, saying, "Maybe we can still win." And no one is still hoping for vic- tory or trusting the team. If football players need encouragement or support, they need to look to each other for it, because up in the stands, the. students just stand there and silently stare. The stands aren't the only place where students are falling quiet. If you visit any other college campus, more often than not you'll find people who think that Michigan students are arrogant. Honestly, I don't mind that. students at other schools think that. I kind of like that people who attend the University are slightly bigheaded - I call it Michigan Pride. But lately as I walk around campus, I haven't been feeling the inflated-ego vibe. Students are dejected, and I can only guess that most of this disappointment is a result of the poor state of Michigan football. I share the frustration of my fellow classmates; so far this year, Michigan football has been a letdown. However, while I'm humbled by our losses, I still have hope for the rest of the season - perhaps winning a Big Ten title. I am tired of listening to students adamantly stating, "I could have made that pass." Head coach Rich Rodri- guez had walk-on tryouts at the beginning of the year. I suggest that people who feel that they can play better than the current players try out for the team next year. But until then, please stop insisting that you are more talented than Steven Threet or Nick Sheridan, because, let's be honest, it's doubtful that you are. University students aren't only arrogant; they are seemingly fair-weather fans. This is one reputation that makes me not want to wear my Michigan apparel outside of Ann Arbor. True fans support their team through thick and thin, regardless of their winning or losing record. It's not OK to wear your Los Angeles Dodgers hat to football games just because it's blue. Throw on a Michigan shirt and show some support. Look at your ticket, the shirts of the students around you and the scoreboard - this is Michi- gan football. We have the best winning record in college football history. We have gone to a bowl game each of the last 33 years. We are the Victors. So, even if you can't cheer because of the team's performance, applaud its effort. Elise Baun is an LSA senior. E-MAIL BELLA AT BELLZ@UMICH.EDU EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Nina Amilineni, Emad Ansari, Elise Baun, Harun Buljina, Ben Caleca, Satyajeet Deshmukh, Brian Flaherty, Matthew Green, Emmarie Huetteman, Emma Jeszke, Shannon Kellman, Edward McPhee, Emily Michels, Kate Peabody, Matthew Shutler, Robert Soave, Eileen Stahl, Jennifer Sussex, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder, Margaret Young SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU Backing the Taliban would be slap in the face to Sept. 11 victims TO THE DAILY: In his column Thursday, Ibrahim Kakwan supported Defense Secretary Robert Gates's recent decision to open talks with the Taliban's leadership in Afghanistan (Talk- ing with the Taliban, 10/17/2008). While I agree that this is the correct step, Kakwan's assertion that the United States should back a revival of the Taliban was misguided. To support his point that the Taliban might be a better option, Kakwan noted that Hamid Karzai's government would fail without U.S. financial and military support. This is true, but how do you think the Taliban, which in 1990 was a small group of Islamic seminary students from northern Pakistan, came to control 90 percent of Afghanistan by 2000? Pakistan's government heavily backed the group. To imply that the Taliban would be able to maintain the slight stability it once had without heavy backing from another country is simply wrong. Kakwan also argued that the Taliban wasn't corrupt or involved in the drug trade. Maybe the Taliban leadership wasn't, but Osama bin Laden, who was closely tied to Tali- ban leadership, certainly reaped profit from Afghanistan's poppy production. And the Taliban wasn't as'nice as Kak- wan implied. The group degraded women, banned music and movies and ruled in an oppressive, puritanical way. Almost all Muslims throughout the world reject the Tali- ban's extreme form of Islam. The United States may have made some mistakes in Afghanistan. But supporting a revival of the Taliban, which harbored the terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks and ran an oppressive, puritanical and unpopular form of Islam, would not only be a much larger mistake; it would be an insult to all the soldiers who gave their lives to depose the group and capture the men responsible for murdering thousands of innocent Americans on Sept. 11. Adam Deutsch LSA sophomore During fall break, plan ahead for absentee ballots, election TO THE DAILY: Attention in-state students who will be first time vot- ers this Election Day: The best way you can spend your fall break is making sure your vote gets counted. Many in-state students who are registered to vote at their home address plan on voting absentee. But for first-time vot- ers, that's not so easy to do. In Michigan, first-time voters have to "show themselves" at some point before voting. That means that if you're a first-time voter who didn't register to vote in person, you can't request an absentee ballot by mail. If you're a first-time Michigan voter registered to vote at your home address, and if you registered to vote through a registration drive or by mail (rather than by going to the Secretary of State's office or county clerk's office in person), you must either request your absentee ballot in person or go home to vote on Election Day. Many students' plans to go home on Election Day don't work out. If you are a first-time Michigan voter registered at home who didn't register to vote in person, you can use your fall break to save yourself a trip home on Election Day. We suggest visiting your county clerk's office and filling out an absentee ballot.You can also take an absentee ballot with you. Just remember that your ballot will not be counted unless your signature is on the return envelope and matches your signature on file. For more information on voting law and voter rights, check out the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan's student voting website: www.aclumich.org/studentvoting. Michigan laws aren't always friendly to student voters, so don't let your Election Day be spoiled by the realization that you can't vote as you had planned. Jack Temple and Renagh O'Leary The letter writers are board members of the University's undergraduate chapter ofthe ACLU. 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 tothedaily@umich.edu. 4 BELLA SHAH 1 N ~YQ s$Or tkr-