4A - Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
4A - Wednesday, February 22, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
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Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
ASHLEY GRIESSHAMMER
JOSEPH LICHTERMAN and ANDREW WEINER JOSH HEALY
EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS 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.
Imran Syed isthe public editor. He can be reached at publiceditor@michigandaily.com.
Vote in November
GOP candidates good for laughs, not much else
n 2008, a historic event occurred. Nearly 23 million 18 to 29-year-
olds voted in the presidential election - an uptick of more than
three million from the 2004 election. This number represented
the highest youth turnout since 1972. This turnout strongly favored
President Barack Obama, who received 66 percent of the youth vote.
In the 2010 midterm elections, only 21 percent of the same age group
cast ballots, contributing to sweeping Republican victories nation-
wide. With the 2012 presidential campaign in full swing and an under-
whelming cast of candidates competing in Michigan's Republican
primary next week, it's vital people of all ages vote. With that in mind,.
The Michigan Daily endorses voting in November.
Winter finally decides to come the week
before Spring Break. What's the deal,
@MotherNature? #globalwarming
-@michdailyoped
Lin and political correctness
To better explain the endorsement, or lack
thereof, the editorial board will let the candi-
dates speak for themselves.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum
said in an interview with the Associated Press
on April 7, 2011 "In every society, the defini-
tion of marriage has not ever, to my knowledge,
included homosexuality. That's not to pick
on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on
child, man on dog, or whatever the case may
be." Last October, during an interview with
CaffienatedThoughts.com, he said, "One of the
things I will talk about, that no president has
talked about before, is I think the dangers of
contraception in this country, the whole sexual
libertine idea. Many of the Christian faith have
said, well, that's okay, contraception is okay. It's
not okay. It's a license to do things in a sexual
realm that is counter to how things are sup-
posed to be."
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) discussed his views
on crime in a,1992 newsletter written under
his name. He wrote "Given the inefficiencies of
what D.C. laughingly calls the criminal justice
system, I think we can safely assume that 95
percent oftheblack males inthatcity are semi-
criminal or entirely criminal." When asked
about his views on homosexuality, Paul wrote
in the newsletter, "I miss the closet. Homo-
sexuals, not to speak of the rest of society, were
far better off when social pressure forced them
to hide their activities. They could also not be
as promiscuous. Is it any wonder the AIDS epi-
demic started after they 'came out of the clos-
et,' and started hyper-promiscuous sodomy?"
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney
often speaks about corporations, and said at
the Iowa State Fair last August that he thinks
"corporations are people, my friend." When
asked about the time he placed his dog in a
carrier and strapped the carrier to the roof
of his car, Romney said in a speech leading
up to the 2008 election "PETA is not happy
that my dog likes fresh air." Finally, Romney
relates to many Americans, stating, "I'm also
unemployed."
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in
a 1995 interview with The New Yorker said:
"I'm not a natural leader. I'm too intellectual;
I'm too abstract; I think too much." Gingrich
knows about the reality of politics: "Politics
and war are remarkably similar situations."
Finally, Gingrich said at a campaign stop in
Iowa in December that he would like to end
child labor laws: "It is tragic what we do in the
poorest neighborhoods, entrapping children
in child laws which are truly stupid ... These
schools should get rid of unionized janitors,
have one master janitor, pay local students to
take care of the school."
There you have it. Direct from the candi-
dates themselves. Hopefully these quotations
will help you make your decision when you
vote in November.
Before I get to the main topic
of this column, I should say
that I realize how tricky
writing an arti-
cle about race
can be. Some
of my regular
conservative
readers might
say I've already
failed at writ-
ing about race DAR-WEI
in some of my CHEN
previous col-
umns where I
insinuate that
the modern Republican Party is
somewhat racist. (I stand by my
opinions, by the way.) In spite of
these issues, I want to take this
opportunity to discuss political
correctness in the case of the New
York Knicks point guard Jeremy
Shu-How Lin.
If you've been living under a
rock, Jeremy Lin is the NBA's most
recent revelation, taking the league
by storm in the past couple of weeks
with his scintillating performanc-
es. He has quickly risen to inter-
national stardom while famously
living on his brother's couch.
The first thing you might have
noticed when you heard about Lin
is his last name and the fact that
he's Asian American. I don't blame
you, because his race was the first
thing I noticed too. In today's polit-
ically correct world, this admis-
sion might not be very popular and
could be construed as racist, espe-
cially by Asians. However, I'm not
offended if someone tells me he or
she notices Lin's race first before
anything else, especially because
his race is a lot easier to notice than
his other features that distinguish
him from many NBA players: hav-
ing a Harvard degree, being cut
twice by NBA teams, etc.
Noticing Lin's race first and fore-
most is merely a reflection of the
fact that basketball is a sport where
less than 0.5 percent of its men's
NCAA Division I players are Asian.
It's an exercise in pattern recogni-
tion and nothing to be offended
about.
Even a widely-criticized obser-
vation by champion boxer Floyd
Mayweather via Twitter - "Jeremy
Lin is a good player, but all the hype
is because he's Asian. Black players
do what he does every night and
don't get the same praise" - is not
racist because it's largely true. Of
course, Lin's meteoric rise doesn't
stem solely from race; playing in
the glitzy New York market always
helps, and the current lull in the
sports calendar has enabled him to
shine. Mayweather should also note
that Lin was overlooked in the first
place precisely because of race -
Lin captained his high school team
to a California state championship
but amazingly received no Divi-
sion I scholarship offers - which
would explain the suddenness of
his ascent to the upper echelon of
NBA superstars.
Nevertheless, Mayweather
is right. Would former Houston
Rockets all-star center Yao Ming
have been nearly as popular inter-
nationally if he wasn't Chinese?
Of course not. The league has had
plenty of players who can aver-
age 20 points and 10 rebounds
per game - Yao's race undeniably
boosted his profile because it's
unique in basketball and helped
many fans identify with him. And
such an observation isn't racist
because, much like noticing Lin's
race as his most salient feature on
the court, it doesn't imply any infe-
riority of the Asian race in terms of
athleticism. The only implication is
that Asians tend not to pursue bas-
ketball as intently as others might
and are therefore not expected to
compete at the highest levels of the
sport.
Don't get me wrong, Lin's rise
has exposed some latent Asian rac-
ism in the U.S. For example, dur-
ing his time at Harvard, Lin would
hear taunts from opposing fans
about how he should be at orchestra
practice. Even the media - which
should be more mature than drunk
college students - has had its racist
moments, such as an ESPN headline
reading "Chink in the Armor" after
the Knicks' first Lin-era loss last
weekend or a Fox Sports reporter
tweeting, "Some lucky lady in NYC
is gonna feel a couple of inches of
pain tonight," after Lin scored 38
points in a win against the Lakers
on Feb. 10. These instances either
degrade Asians in some way or use
Not every
comment about
race is insulting. 0
racial slurs.
But not every comment regard-
ing race is worth being insulted by.
-Sometimes the U.S. is too politi-
cally correct and the mindset can
detract from the country's enjoy-
ment of someone like Lin. Watching
him size up a defender like Carmelo
Anthony and probe the paint like
Steve Nash is wonderful for basket-
ball junkies like me. And Lin's story
is great too. Let's relish what we
have in Jeremy Lin now and save
the politically correct indignation
for later.
- Dar-Wei Chen can be reached at
chendw@umich.edu. Follow him on
Twitter at @DWChen_MDaily.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Aida Ali, Laura Argintar, Kaan Avdan, Ashley Griesshammer, Nirbhay Jain, Jesse Klein,
Patrick Maillet, Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Harsha Panduranga, Timothy Rabb, Adrienne
Roberts, Vanessa Rychlinski, Sarah Skaluba, Seth Soderborg, Caroline Syms, Andrew Weiner
ANDREW CHINSKY|
The truth about Santorum
MOHAMMED-ALl ABAZEED |
Protesting for peace
Do you support public education? Do you
believe in evolution? Do you believe in global
warming? Do you believe in providing women
the choice.to use contraception and birth con-
trol? Apparently, Rick Santorum might not.
Do you believe we should abolish courts we
disagree with and send the judges to Guam?
Do you believe homosexuality is on the same
level as rape or incest and that parents can lead
their children into a particular sexual orienta-
tion? Doyou believe that we should bomb Iran
and hope for the best? Apparently, Rick San-
torum does.
I came to the University from a public ele-
mentary school and a public high school in
Erie, Penn. I graduated from our "public ivy"
last year with a B.A. from the Ford School of
Public Policy. Because of my public education,
I'm now lucky enough to be a first-year student
at Harvard University's Law School, undoubt-
edly the Michigan of the East.
I mean it when I say I am lucky, because my
public schools provided me with a great edu-
cation and seven better group of friends. Not a
day goes by when I do not wish I were in Ann
Arbor.
Somehow, I think I have come out as a "fair-
ly normal" young adult, despite the "weird
socialization" that Santorum believes students
in public schools receive. These are exact
words from his book.
I write today as a native Pennsylvanian who
feels a duty to tell voters in Michigan about the
views of my former senator. Santorum served
my state for 12 years, and left as a divisive fig-
ure. You may or may not agree with him, but
that's not the point I want to make. When
Republicans go to the polls next week for
the Michigan primary, the point is that they
should know what they're getting into.
Santorum, who lost by nearly 20 points in
his and my home state, would like us to think
he wants to represent everyone, rich or poor -
not the one percent or 99 percent, but 100 per-
cent of America. That claim deserves further
examination. He mightbe forthe 100 percent,
except for those families that cannot afford
private schools and rely on our public educa-
tion system to teach their children. He might
be for the 100 percent, except for the millions
of LGBTQ Americans who would lose their
rights in Santorum's ideal world. He might be
for the 100 percent, except for scientists who
warn us about the effects of climate change
and doctors .who help women pick the best
medical options.
In addition, Santorum's social views are
well known. Some argue that social issues
shouldn't define a presidential campaign,
because one's positions won't really affect the
norms of this country. But when one has views
like Santorum, we cannot hold them to be
meaningless. If elected, Santorum will surely
voice these ideas from the bully pulpit. Ameri-
cans give our blessing to what a newly elected
president represents. The symbolism of hav-
ing someone who voices his support for rather
extreme positions cannot, under any circum-
stances, be discounted.
I hope Michigan voters evaluate the Repub-
lican candidates based on character and objec-
tive criteria - they have every right to vote for
whomever they choose. I am not a Michigan
voter. I admit freely that I speak from the oui-
side. But I ask, as a fellow American, that Mich-
igan voters talk to each other and be honest
about what part of the 100 percent Santorum
really wants to represent in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Chinsky is a 2011 University alum
Khader Adnan, a 33-year-old Palestinian man, just
completed a hunger strike of 66 days. Israeli forces
arrested Adnan on Dec. 17, 2011 in the middle of the
night at his home in the Palestinian village of Arraba.
Following 18 days of torture and humiliation, Adnan
was imprisoned without charge or trial. Israel's practice
of administrative detention - allowing authorities to
detain individuals indefinitely without any requirement
to charge - stands in direct violation of international
law, which states that this form of detention is allowed
only in certain circumstances. However, B'Tselem, the
Israeli Information Center for Human Rights, states,
"Israel's use of administrative detention blatantly vio-
lates these restrictions. It is carried out under the thick
cover of privilege, which denies detainees the possibility
of mounting a proper defense."
In protest of his treatment, Adnan began a hunger
strike the day after his arrest. The group Physicians for
Human Rights said after visiting him in a hospital thathe
had lost more than one-third of his weight, was weak and
frail, but was still being shackled to his bed. After refusal
to grant Adnan a court date for weeks, Israel's high court
agreed to hear his case on his 66th day of protest. His
hunger strike ended when the court decided not to renew
Adnan's detention, a minimum requirement asked for
Adnan himself.
Though Western media has been nearly silent on his
story, Adnan has become an international symbol of
resistance to injustice through grassroots movements
and social media, which have launched many campaigns
to shed light on his story. Calls for release or immediate
charge of Adnan and 300 other administrative detainees
from human rights bodies around the world went largely
unnoticed and ignored.
But the family of Adnan continued to amplify his call,
even reaching out to the family of an Israeli soldier, Gilad
Shalit. Shalit was held by Hamas in captivity for several
years and was released earlier this year following intense
international pressure. Shalit was released as part of an
arranged prisoner swap. His father said, according to an
Oct. 18, 2011 BBC News article, "We're concluding a long
and difficult journey. We're glad that we won our son
back." Adnan's father recently asked according to Jus-
tInternational.org, "Where are the mother and father of
Gilad Shalit? Do they not feel for me inthis humanitarian
case?" Though moral measurements of humanity may
not apply to decisions Israel makes, surely the anguish
and sorrow a father feels for his son is a universal feel-
ing. The case of Adnan exploits the hypocrisy that exists
in the Westbetween the dignity of an Israeli soldier cap-
tured in a battle and that of a Palestinian prisoner taken
from his home in the middle of the night.
Yet the case of Adnan brings to the forefront the bru-
tal reality of an ongoing occupation. The inhumane and
degrading treatment of Adnan is a reality shared by Pal-
estinians who face an oppressive occupation that con-
tinues to strip away their rights on a daily basis. While
the world continues to call on both sides to re-engage in
a peace process, Israel continues to expand its colonizing
settlements - apractice even the United States deems
illegal - encroaching on the right of the Palestinian
people to self-determination. In a letter released by his
lawyers, Adnan addresses the Palestinian people: "The
Israeli occupation has gone to extremes against our peo-
ple, especially prisoners. I have been humiliated, beaten,
and harassed by interrogators for no reason, and thus I
swore to God I would fight the policy of administrative
detention to which Iand hundreds of my fellow prisoners
fell prey."
And so, Adnan fought using the only tool he had
left at his disposal: his body. In Ireland, IRA prisoners
fought back against the British Empire in 1981 by begin-
ning hunger strikes. Bobby Sands, the man who led the
charge, died after 66 days of refusing food. Nine died
following him, but their actions changed the face of
the conflict and set in motion the peace agreement that
prevails in Northern Ireland today. A film director who
portrayed their story said of their actions, "It is the final
act of desperation. Your own body is your last resource
for protest."
So, Adnan continues to protest, and as he does, I'm
reminded of a question I too often hear: "Where are the
Palestinian Gandhis, the Palestinian Martin Luther King
Jrs., who will nonviolently lead the charge to liberation
and freedom?" To this I say: The Palestinian Khader
Adnans are alive and they exist. They are in every block
of Gaza, on every street corner of Ramallah. They exist in
the bravery of Rachel Corrie, in the strength of Vittorio
Arrigoni and in the courage of Mustafa Tamimi. They
are in Israel's prison cells, in every cell of every child
born into occupation. They are in the hearts of all human
beings of conscience, who dream of a day that the arc of
the moral universe may finally set itself on the battered
hills of Jerusalem.
Mohammed-Ali Abazeed is an LSA senior
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