0 4B - Tuesday, April 19, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com 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. Progress makes perfect This is a big f---ing deal. - Vice President Joe Biden, congratulating President Barack Obama on the passage of the health care bill, as reported Tuesday by The Huffington Post. Thirty-one classes later A year after the historic election of Presi- dent Barack Obama, the verdict may still be out as to whether he's living up to expecta- tions. But for voters in Michigan, this year's Election Day marked another important one-year anniversary - the state's approval of ballot initiatives legalizing medical mari- juana and expanding stem cell research. While these progressive measures were intended to provide relief for the chroni- cally ill, they are affecting many residents of Michigan in positive ways. A year after their approval, positive developments are occurring on both the stem cell and medical marijuana fronts - and Michigan must con- tinue to be a leader on these issues. In last year's election, Michigan became the 13th state to allow certain patients with specific medical conditions to use marijuana. With permission from a doctor, patients gained the legal right to cultivate and use marijuana to help relieve their symptoms. But the legalization process has not been seamless - with some users still facing unjust legal repercussions - nor has it provided a method for users to obtain marijuana short of growing it themselves or using approved sources. Supporters of medical marijuana rallied in Lansing in early October for clear regulations to make use easier. In addition to removing legal hurdles to medical marijuana use, the state govern- ment needs to make sure it doesn't fall behind other governing bodies that are beginning to adopt even more lenient mari- juana policies. Marijuana usage should be legal, for medical and non-medical reasons, and public sentiment is slowly but surely turning in favor of such a position. Indeed, supporters in California are preparing to launch a ballot initiative campaign call- ing for total legalization. Even the U.S. Justice Department is is shifting opinion, announcing last month that federal officials wouldn't arrest patients following state laws regarding medicinal marijuana use. Michigan is ahead of much of the country in legalizing a safe, already widely practiced behavior. But the state can do even better. Michigan should continue to push the enve- lope, allowing users to obtain marijuana more easily and eventually aiming for total legalization. And while Michigan can be said to be at the head of the pack on marijuana reform, the state is even stronger on stem cell reform. Last year's Proposal 2 lifted restric- tions on stem cell research, instantly making Michigan competitive with other states in a promising field of study that has the poten- tial to cure diseases and save lives. And as a sign of the state's progress, Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced on Oct. 15 that Detroit would be the site of the 2010 World Stem Cell Summit. The event will be co-hosted by the University, Michigan State University, Wayne State University and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. One year after the passage of these ben- eficial and progressive amendments, Michi- gan stands at the forefront of important social and economic changes. State policy must continue to push the envelope on these issues in the years to come. - Nov. 5.2009 Istare at my cc plating the p half years. T door are both op cool air rushes in, carrying fresh oxygen - a catalyst for brain activity. It was only 31 classes ago that I was making the trip to Ann Arbor, carrying the essentials necessary to live. I was away from home for mputer, contem- ast three-and-a- he window and en, so a draft of TOMMASO PAVONE Undsiguised Bigotry Often, it's best to turn the other cheek in the face of hateful ignorance. But when hate speech is extreme and public, it must be con- fronted. Andrew Shirvell, a University alum and a current assistant attorney general for the state of Michigan, has taken aim at the Michigan Student Assembly President Chris Armstrong almost exclusively because Arm- strong is MSA's first openly gay president. Shirvell's undisguised hatred for members of the LGBT community has compromised his ability to serve as a public official. Michi- gan Attorney General Mike Cox shouldn't be comfortable employing someone who's bigotry so clearly has the potential to influ- ence the work he does on behalf of Michigan taxpayers. Cox must take decisive action to respond to Shirvell's hate speech - and his pro forma slap on the wrist this week isn't going to cut it. Shortly after the MSA election in March, Shirvell launched a campaign against Arm- strong. Shirvell started his blog, "Chris Armstrong Watch," in late April. The blog has railed against what Shirvell calls Arm- strong's "radical homosexual agenda," as he put it in his initial Aug. 29 post. The first blog post also contained a photo of Armstrong with "Resign" written over his face and a rainbow flag with a swastika in the middle of it next to him. Subsequent posts have labeled Armstrong a liar, an elitist, a racist, a pervert and a "viciously militant homosexual activ- ist." Over time, the attacks have expanded to include several MSA members who work closely with Armstrong. Recently, Shirvell has taken to showing up at events at whicb Armstrong is present. Though much of Shirvell's tirades are one step from utter nonsense, his disdain for the LGBT community is obvious. Shirvell criti- cizes the LGBT community's push for social equality in blanket statements that are plain- ly offensive to everyone. Though offensive, however, Shirvell's hateful remarks aren't a threat to campus. The University community recognizes Shirvell's attacks as what they really are: the rants of a bigot. Shirvell's increasingly extreme actions of discrimination aren't the result of a lapse in judgment. His behavior does not stem from immaturity. It stems from hatred. And this type of hatred makes Shirvell unsuitable to remain a government official. It will affect his ability to objectively interpret laws - which is the job of the attorney general's office. It's unacceptable that Cox hasn't dismissed a member of his staff who is so blatantly bigoted. A finger-wagging won't change the fact that Cox has a responsibility to employ a thoughtful staff that will fairly carry out their jobs on behalf of the citizens of this state. Shirvell doesn't fit this mold. Cox shouldn't tolerate such offensive behavior from someone who is required to fairly defend the law. A scolding isn't an acceptable response to the hatred that con- tinues to be published on Shirvell's blog. Cox must take serious action. He should remove Shirvell from his position in the attorney gen- eral's office. - Sept. 15, 2010 the first time. Only 31 classes? I must have taken at least 60 exams during my time here. Putting it this way, my college career seems like an eternity. And yet it flew by so fast that there was no time to embed the experience of exams into memory. All I know is that I passionately dislike them. So, I begin to ponder which moments in time carried an emo- tional energy strong enough to make the clock stop for a moment, to warp the space-time of my per- ceptions, thus becoming a distinct memory? Suddenly, images begin to emerge, like comic book vignettes, their combined narrative distinctly disjointed. I begin to realize that there isn't a single lesson or theme that encompasses my past experi- ence. In the words of Italian author Cesare Pavese, "We do not remem- ber days; we remember moments." Eternal damnation A few weeks ago, I took the time to observe the religious extremists that gather at the ofner ofState Street and North University Ave- nue on football Saturdays as they listed the reasons why everyone was doomed to eternal damnation unless they changed their ways. The group is composed of four or five individuals who rotate between handing out fliers and scream- ing their diatribe. Passersby have learned to ignore the crazy old men, but occasionally someone momen- tarily stops and observes them, as if staring at gorillas delousing each other at the zoo. Something catches my eye - a sign that one of the men is holding, which claims that "whisperers" are among the sinners doomed to receive God's wrath. Suddenly, my mind is transported to my child- hood. My mom used to tell me to be respectfully quiet and to whisper when we went to the movie theater. In hindsight, I should have retorted by shouting, "But I will face eter- nal damnation if I do as you say, mommy!" Amused by this image, I return to reading the sign. "Well, I'll be damned!" I exclaim, the irony of the statement blowing completely over my head. "Disobeyers of par- ents," apparently, are also doomed to eternal damnation. The young professor Flashing back six months, I find myself in an economics class at 10in the morning. This wasn't the class I had wanted to take - my preferred class had been cancelled due to a professor's illness. Then the professor enters. I'm immediately captivated by his audacity and energy. I also notice that he's visibly nervous - has he not taught a class before? It wouldn't be surprising, given his apparent youth. A month later, I'm convinced that this class is the best I've taken. I feel bombarded with knowledge and new insights, courtesy of the young professor's unyielding wit and humor. Two weeks before the conclusion of class, a friend of mine remarks that the professor looks unwell. Indeed, the professor is sweating profusely and his humor is increas- ingly infrequent. Then, one day, the young professor interrupts his lecture to show us pictures of his young children. The pause is brief and I make nothing of it. The day of the exam, the young professor doesn't show up to class. My classmates and I are intensely worried. Two weeks later, I receive an e-mail from the professor, thanking everyone in the class and apologizing for running out of ener- gy towards the end of the semester. "Thankfully, he's recovered," I con- clude. Then, one seemingly random summer day, I receive an e-mail. It's directed to all students in the eco- nomics class I had taken with the young professor. "Sad news," the e-mail reads. For a whole week, I cannot shake away my sense of loss. ISnow realize that, outside of my grandmother's and grandfather's deaths when I was very young, I had never expe- rienced the death of someone close. Now that I can rationalize it, I come to the conclusion that, in this case, rationality does nothing but make the experience worse. Wakingup A gust of wind blows through the window and my daydreams come to an abrupt end. I ask myself why I always seem to recall the sad memories first. Given that my years at the University have been the hap- piest of my life, I decide it's only fair to also revisit the happier moments. It seems impossible to do justice to the task at hand, recalling the happiest memories from the happi- est time of my life - my years as a Wolverine. Recalling the sad mem- ories is easy because they are few and far apart. But by what criterion am I to distinguish amongst the golden moments that collectively make up the past three and a half years? As I begin to rewind the tape, I realize that what has made the dif- ference is the positive impact from all the friendships I've made while at the University. Breaking out of the shell During my sophomore year, I realized the extent to which liv- ing in Baits II housing the previous year - as a non-engineering stu- dent - had deprived me of the col- lege experience. I never attended a football game, I never went to par- ties, I hadn't consumed a drop of alcohol and I spent most of my Fri- day nights writing essays. The transition started with John Hurlahe, a charismatic kid from Frankenmuth, Mich., - a town I was only aware of thanks to Bron- ner's Christmas Wonderland, the world's largest Christmas store. We had begun studying together for our economics classes, and it seemed that by October, there wasn't a day that went by where I didn't see John for lunch or dinner. And soon it wasn't just John, it was also Ryn Kartje, John's neighbor, hailing from the little town of Milan, Mich. It was Alex O'Dell, John's roommate, whose mind was in a constant state of creative stream of consciousness. It was Orfeh Vahabzadeh, Alex's girlfriend, simultaneously brilliant and hilarious. It was the entire Frankenmuth gang, along with a light sprinkling of natives from my hometown of Troy who had also been engulfed by the group's mag- netism. By December, I had attended several concerts. I made the hor- rible choice of going to one while wearing a ridiculous turtle-neck - shoot me now and forgive me later. I also had my first drink. "Yup, Ican definitely feel it!" I exclaimed in all my pathetic "lightweightness" after several sips of a Mike's Hard Lem- onade. I finally bought football sea- son tickets and expanded my social circle at an unprecedented rate. The experiences that have defined my time at the 'U.' 0 They say that you don't realize what you have until it's no longer there. But my sophomore year was the exact opposite - I didn't real- ize what Ihad missed until good ol' John and his gang danced their way into my life, adding color wherever black and white had been the rule. Branching out By junior year two new social spheres emerged: my fellow incom- ing classmates at the Ford School of Public Policy, and my resident advisors, community assistants and ResStaff colleagues in Stockwell Hall. The Ford School crew - a driven community of scholars who will be doing great things in high places while I will likely still be finish- ing my dissertation - provided constant intellectual stimuli. My Stockwell friends - a group of socially aware and service-minded individuals who'll offer you sup- port when you most need it - chal- lenged me to embrace social justice and to challenge the status quo. And so it was that by the time my junior year was over, I felt like I had changed more in three years than I had over my entire lifetime prior to coming to the University. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the great relation- ships I've had with my professors. I was lucky enough to get to know some brilliant scholars who cared deeply about their students and their individual interests. I attend- ed conferences with them, chatted with them about life over coffee and received invaluable advice from them regarding graduate school. It goes without saying that it's because I respect my professors that I'm pursuing a career path in academia. 0 Ditch the fish Fish rarely seem like an aggressive adver- sary. But Asian carp, an invasive species of fish, are currently migrating north toward the Great Lakes and could spell disaster for the local ecosystem. But last week, the U.S. Congress finally approved an act banning the interstate transport of the invasive species to stop further migration of the Asian carp and protect the Great Lakes region. Asian carp can weigh as much as 100 pounds and grow up to four feet in length, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. They pose a serious environmen- tal and economic threat to the Great Lakes region. The carp consume an inequitable amount of resources, which would disrupt the Great Lakes ecosystem by starving local species like trout and salmon. This would be a heavy blow to the $7-billion Great Lakes fishing industry. Asian carp also pose a threat to tourism, including the $16-billion recreational boating industry. On Nov. 30, the U.S. House of Representa- tives approved the Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act with a unanimous voice vote. The act would regulate Asian carp under the Lacey Act, a century-old bill that prohibits the trading of banned or illegally acquired fish. An Asian carp was caught in Lake Calu- met in June, which lies past the electric barriers currently set up in the Chicago Area Waterway System meant to contain the fish. The discovery occurred just six miles from Lake Michigan, highlighting the need for the federal government to act quickly to stop further migration. It's unacceptable that it took so long for the federal government to act. Earlier this year, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox and several other Great Lakes region attor- neys general sought an injunction from the U.S. Supreme Court to shut down the Illinois locks. Their request was refused - twice. Now that Congress has taken a clear stance on the issue, measures to stop the carp should be implemented immediately. By signing the bill into law, Obama hasan opportunity to protect the Great Lakes econ- omy and environment by finally responding to the very real threat that the Asian carp pose. - Dec. 5, 2010 The final statement Despite my decision to attend the University because of its academic prestige, my Michigan years have been defined by positive relation- ships. The friends I've made here have been an unwavering source of support and have constantly chal- lenged me to become a better person. To my Michigan family, thank you for shining happiness into my life. I hope, in my own way, that I have held up a mirror and reflected some of it back. - This column originally ran on Nov. 15, 2010. SIMON BORST E-MAIL SIMONAt SIMKA(@UMICH.EIDU IMON 6lo 0