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 BLOOM COUNTY 5"ro f' )YX HAV 66N fAM AKY6 k91f ER 1WMA6V 'C rf63 aotmV it6citl.75Ea 1t %FA/ AFftCr 1wN EAfRTAltNr 6/fRACi A R/tt mMI/N. Y65.ov/N TAK60 i E tvsrci : ANP L 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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