OPINION
Page 6
Vol. XCV, No. 2-S
95 Years of Editorial Freedom
Managed and Edited by Students at
The University of Michigan
Editorials represent a majority opinion of the
Daily Editorial Board
Irresponsible move
PHILADELPHIA POLICE did not forsee that using a
bomb to blow off a portion of the rooftop on a residen-
tial home in a crowded neighborhood would ignite a
disastrous fire. But the dangerous, unpredictable con-
sequences of this action are reason enough to question the
decision of police to drop a small bomb. Though the radical
group MOVE members unquestionably had to be evicted,
the method employed for their removal seems un-
necessarily harsh.
The police had been aware of the MOVE group's illegal
behavior for nearly two years prior to Monday's action. In
this time period, MOVE members must have left the house
on more than one occasion. While the details are not yet
known, it does not seem unreasonable to expect the police
to have behaved with more caution. Surely, there were
many possible means of apprehending MOVE members
less destructive than a barricade of their house. Especially
since police were aware of the presence of children in the
home, a direct armed confrontation seems particularly ex-
treme.
The wisdom of dropping a bomb on a house in a
congested residential area must be questioned. Further, it
is unclear what motivated the police to force the MOVE
members out of the house with such urgency. The
barricade had been in place only 24 hours before the
decision to use the explosives was made.
The Philadelphia police, like other large city police for-
ces, is compiling an increasingly sophisticated and power-
ful arsenal with which to combat crime. Yet, as has been
painfully demonstrated in Philadelphia, the police are not
always equipped with the necessary background
knowledge to make thoughtful, accurate decisions.
Surely, research on the explosive combined with
awareness of MOVE's arsenal inside the house would have
alerted the police to the potential of fire or other hazards
resulting from using the bomb.
Under stress, it is difficult to formulate careful
decisions. If police forces are to continue stockpiling ar-
senals, they must be trained in the use and destructive
potential of these weapons. Police forces must be sensitive
to the power they wield and use this strength responsibly
and only after thoughtful evaluation.
The Michigan Daily encourages input from
our readers. Letters should be typed, triple
spaced, and sent to the Daily Opinion Page, 420
Maynard, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109.
Saturday, May 18, 1985
Current tide is
To the Daily:
It appears that it has become chic
to be a conservative and or
Republican on many college cam-
puses as of late. In my opinion, it is
quite a shame. The lack of concern
elicited by many of the conservatives
on this campus makes me quite ill. It
seems as though the once "liberal"
campus of the University of Michigan
has become a yuppie breeding ground
of "social rest," lacking concern for
the problems of others.
For example, recent protests by the
students of the University of Califor-
nia-Berkeley and Columbia Univer-
sity opposing South African apartheid
and proposing divestment, of their
respective university's investment in
companies doing business in South
Africa has rendered little support
from University students. I realize
that there are lots of problem sets due
and plenty of exams on the way, but
where is the moral support of the
student body? Do we not care about
repression and oppression of blacks in
South Africa?
In other respects, the students have
been equally unsupportive. Witness
the anti-code movement, and the
small minority doing the work for the
majority preventing such an uncon-
stitutional document from becoming
University law. Witness a recent let-
ter writing campaign by MSA and
PIRGIM protesting cuts in financial
aid, which was only able to generate
approximately 150 letters-even
though we had been in the Fishbowl
for five days during the busiest hours.
Most of the students we asked to write
were "in a hurry", or "too busy", or
"the cuts would not affect them)."
What about those they might affect,
have you no sympathy for them?
Witness recent events surrounding
the women's issues commitment on
MSA and the relatively small support
from the student body in dealing with
the rape issue on campus. Do we let
just a committee and its few mem-
bers carry the weight? I have wit-
nessed no outpouring of student sup-
port on this issue, even though great
advances with the administration
have been made. The issue thus
becomes one of involvement, and
what we think we can accomplish, not
what the probabilities are of accom-
plishment.
In this category, I believe Univer-
sity students and their apparent
selfishness, are going to do little in the
future for such causes. The tide of
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conservatism is not only chic, but
ugly. The complexities of today's
problems are such that an infusion of
fresh, challenging ideas is needed.
And without the support and drive for
such new resolutions, we will be
bound to repeat history's mistakes. So
may conservatism lose from its lack
of resolve, and diminish from its own
greed.
Luckily, we have recently voted in
a liberal majority on the Michigan
Student Assembly. Hopefully they
will be able to provide direction for
the student body in voicing such con-
cerns. However, they will not be suc-
cessful unless the students decide to
cooperate and look beyond their own
personal goals to the problems of
others. Students can affect social
change. Unfortunately, it is the
feeling of many college students that
we cannot; therefore we will not.
Today, I was having lunch with a
conservative friend of mine who op-
posed the crackdown by the Univer-
sity in stopping events from being
sponsored by alcoholic companies. I
told him to write a letter, protest, do
something about it. His reply was that
"It won't do any good." With this at-
titude it is unlikely that there will be
anyone around to stand up for what
they believe. Should we let the Or-
wellian prophecy come true by
0
The Michigan Daily
ugly
default, or will anyone stand up for
freedom of thought-or freedom in
general? How about the freedom of
others?. Should we allow ourselves to
become so narrow-minded so as to
deal only with those issues directly
affecting us? I should hope not, and I
think the MUM's recent defeat at the-
polls exhibited this feeling amongst
the student body-let's only hope that
you the students decide to act in such
a way, andnot become another strand
of apathy.
In conclusion, I would like to say
that I am in no way condemning those
students who are involved or do show
interest in present problems and
issues. Rather it is my intention to
castigate those who do not give a
damn unless the problem will affect
them directly. We must look
beyond-we already have far more
than we need, while others do not
have the means to subsist. Many of us
are too busy looking for the highest
paying job, ignoring others in Far
more desperate situations. Let us not
become "true" conservatives and
"only give a shit when it hurts."
-Mark E. Williams
April17
Williams - is an outgoing
Michigan Student Assembly mem-
ber.
Remark clarified
To the Daily: Specifically, the Daily never asked
For the record, I want to correct an me how I felt about the question of
erronious statement that appeared in arms race escalation and, indepen-
your "Star Wars" editorial of Satur- dent of my position in this regard, I
day, April 20. In that editorial, you would never characterize it as "no big
quoted me out of context when you deal".
wrote (in reference to initiating To explain, in part, why I'm upset
proposals for SDI sponsored resear- by this type of journalism, consider an
ch) "... such an escalation of the automobile seatbelt controversy
arms rave is 'no big deal', as elec- where one side believes that seatbelts
trical engineering professor John give drivers a false sense of security,
Meyer stated." In reality, my "no big thereby causing an increased number
deal" remark (first quoted in an April of automobile accidents. One might
18 Daily article) referred to the fact then, in a manner analogous to what
that research proposed by the Com- was done above, accuse seatbelt
puting Research Laboratory for SDI researchers on contributing to the
sponsorship was no different in its "escalation of traffic accidents". The
content and conduct than the type of analogy used here is not meant to
unclassified, DOD sponsored research equate the seriousness of traffic ac-
undertaken in the past at The Univer- cidents with that of the arms race.
sity of Michigan. Whether SDI spon- Hopefully, however, it will help to
sored basic research implies an emphasize the flaw inherent in this
"escalation of the arms race" is a kind of accusation.
matter of considerable controversy, -John F. Meyer
and it is wrong to impose one's April23
editorial view on this issue when Meyer is the director of the
quoting the remarks of others. Computing Research Laboratory.
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