4 Opinion I eeicignUal Page 6 Wednesday, June 16, 1982 The Michigan Daily _ 4 The Michigan Daily Vol. XCII, No. 30-S Ninety-two Years of Editorial Freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Stay away from news By D. B. Christy Weak protection SINCE ANNE GORSUCH took over as direc- tor of the Environmental Protection Agen- cy, the agency has come under heavy fire for lax enforcement and attempts to weaken en- vironmental laws. Now the administration has decided to keep a close watch on the agency but unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. Instead of goading the EPA into stricter en- forcement of laws and regulations, the ad- ministration has been critical of the agency's failure to persuade Congress to effectively weaken such laws, among them the Clean Air Act. The EPA has also been criticized for not having "team players" that toe the ad- ministration's line of reforming (perhaps gut- ting would be a better word) environmental laws. The administration has been embarrassed by the EPA's handling of certain issues, such as its waffling on restrictions concerning lead in gasoline. What Reagan officials fail to realize, however, is that their own directives to leave environmental protection to the whims of in- dustries that is drawing criticism to the EPA. From the start of his administration, President Reagan underestimated American sentiment for tough environmental laws as much as he overestimated the destiny of the American economy. Opinion polls have long suggested that Americans do not want the United States to weaken its commitment to protecting the environment. In ;light of this fact, the Reagan ad- ministration should be forcing the EPA to return to its original job of protecting the en- vironment, as its name suggests. - VER I .S 4 L- m$ A recent advertisement for NBC News, the tops in Gee Whiz Journalism, says, "You can't be everywhere news is happening." And a good thing, too, I say. You can forgive ABC news prac- tically anything - its over- hearing trumpets and ket- tledrums, its snazzy Star Wars special effects, even Frank Reynolds himself - but not belaboring the obvious. Frankly, Franky, I don't want to be anywhere news is happening. AFGHANISTAN, Iran, Lebanon, and the Falkland Islan- ds are just some of the places where I won't be spending my summer vacation. And it's not just that they're war zones (although that does tendrto limit their appeal). But, even with June surrenders and cease-fires busting out all over this week, these places are a travel agent's nightmare: "Let Armageddon Tours give you the chance to really get away from it all with our Long Hot Summer Cruise of the Mideast and South Atlantic. "Afghanistan, with its soaring perpendicular deserts and towering vertical wastelands, is a natural wonder to every traveller. You'll just naturally wonder why you came. Its people, though colorful, are strangely wary of foreigners. Recommended attire: snowshoes and gasmasks. "NEXT, YOU'LL be cap- tivated by Iran. World-renowned Iranian hospitality is waiting to take you in. Explore the barren, 4 Afghanistan: Just one of the stops of Armageddon Tours that now features modern radio equipment and yellow rain. though uninhabitable Zagros Mountains, the perfect place to go between Iran and Iraq. Enjoy the nightlife of scenic, historic Khorramshahr, where you can view the perfectly preserved bomb craters, stroll among the quaint rubble and, by the soft, en- ticing glow of the refineries, fall in love again. "From there, beautiful Lebanon, fabled Last Stop of the Mediterranean, is just a mortor lob away. Solomon's magnificent ceders can still be found barricading the road to Syria. Lebanon's brittle rocks and baking sands will give you that tan you've always wanted,, despite invigorating intermittent showers of shells and rockets and stuff. Thousands of visitors from Palestine attest to its bracing climate. "Finally, our homeward voyage will swing by the enchan- ted Falklands, England's South Seas paradise. Tropical blizzards and balmy forty-mile-per-hour breezes await you. When you're finally hip-deep in sheep dip shouting, 'No me meurta, por favor,' you'll know you'll never forget this Armageddon Tour. But maybe someday you'll forgive." So tell Ted Koppel to. go get some sleep. These aren't exactly garden spots; nobody's going to blow up the world overnight over them. But when they storm ashore at Delhi, let me know. Christy is a senior in LSA. I 4 LETTERS TO THE DAILY: Lebanese students speak out To the Daily: A great deal of misinformation has been spread by the news media about the war in Lebanon. We Lebanese students would like to take this opportunity to set the. record straight. In fact, the Israeli's objective is not only the liquidation of Palestinians, but ultimately to carry out a major transformation in the political structure of Lebanon and above all to destroy its territorial in- tegrity. The Israeli invasion, far from resolving the Lebanese conflict, will lead to further complications of the crisis there and any promise of peace in the area will be lost. The Israelis have rained death and destruction on thousands of civilians, including women, children and the elderly. People are uprooted from their homes and are left without food, water or medical care. The Israelis, bent upon the humiliation of the people, drove them out of their homes to the beaches where they watched their homes, schools, and places of worship go up in flames. The people in Lebanon are not only battered by the physical violence of Israeli fire power, but are subjected to the worst kind of psychological terrorism. The people of Lebanon do not deserve to suffer because of Israel's refusal to recognize and negotiate a settlement with the Palestinian people. The Lebanese understand that Israel cannot solve the Palestinian problem by exterminating the Palestinians any more than the "Jewish probjem" was solved by pogroms and gas chambers. The Israeliscontinue to violate the American Arms Export Con- trol Act, to make the American relations with the Arab world in- creasingly suspect, and to frustrate the goals of U.S. policy in the Middle East. As Lebanese students, we protest against the brutal Israeli invasion of out country and insist on immediate withdrawal of Israeli invasion forces. We also call upon all conscientious Americans to protest against this invasion and call upon their congressmen to pressure Israel to stop the massacre of civilians in Lebanon. -Akran Al-Awar Joe Sahyoni Jtune1982aF,1,. I I 4