OPINION
Page 4 Friday, July 29, 1988 The Michigan Daily
August 2 primaries:
Vote f4
THE DAILY ENDORSES DEAN
Baker for congress, Nancy Francis
for circuit court judge, Janis Bobrin
for drain commissioner and Andrea
Walsh for county commissioner in
the August 2 primaries.
In the congressional race, Dean
Baker, who holds a Ph.D. in eco-
nomics from the University, is op-
posed by State Senator Lana Pol-
lack. Baker has run a grassroots
campaign, spending only $10,000.
Pollack, however, has spent
$200,000, much of which comes
from powerful, wealthy individuals
and political action committees
outside the district. This leaves
Pollack's accountability to her own
district in question because of all
the "outside" support she has gar-
nered. Until petitioned, Pollack re-
fused to participate in candidate fo-
rums.
Baker openly advocates gay and
lesbian rights, vowing to support
or progressive candidates
legislation in this area, whatever cal agenda and awakening a deeply who were arrested while protesting dumpers who profit through endan-
the political risk. Pollack has de-politicized populace. If elected, contra aid at the office of Carl gering public health.
stated, "My sexual orientation is of he will challenge traditional party- Pursell), Francis uses her legal Janis Bobrin, however, couples
the majority's kind. Gay and les- line thinking. skills to promote justice. As judge, conviction and outrage with clearly
bian rights simply are not on my Nancy Francis deserves the vot- Francis promises equal treatment thought-out procedures for locating
agenda" ers' support for Judge of Washte- for all, regardless of income or po- and eliminating non-point source
Baker is the only candidate with a naw County Circuit Court. Francis litical standing. pollution and identifying illegal
viable plan to cut the military bud- and her family have a long history If the position of county drain sewer hook-ups. Her leadership at
get and fund social programs. Baker commissioner were renamed the East Michigan Environmental
insists the United States pressure Protector of the People's Water, Review Board has prepared her well
Israel to respect the rights of Pales- perhaps voters would take the post for tangling with formidable corpo-
tinians. Pollack, on the other hand, more seriously. And they should. rate opposition.
has pledged unquestioned support to With over 1500 known toxic waste Andrea Walsh, a recent Univer-
the state of Israel - which cur- y"sites in the state, Michigan resi-
rently receives $3 billion a year dents consume a frightening array
from the United States. of contaminants with every glass of
It is unfortunate that Baker must -. water. Pesticide run-off from farm
conduct his campaign within the fields, toxic chemicals poured into
Democratic party, a political ma- storm sewers, radioactive waste
chine which has a long history of dumping, overflowing and leaking
complicity in the kinds of crimes Second district Congres- landfills - all these fall under the
and injustices which Baker sincerely sional candidate Dean Baker. jurisdiction of the Washtenaw
pledges to work against. But Baker of involvement in issues of social County drain commissioner.
is to be commended, as is Jesse justice. She is the daughter of Ann To his credit, the previous com-
Jackson, for broadening the politi- Arbor's first and only Black mayor, missioner, Jim Murray, expanded i
Vol. XCVIII- No. 1IS
Albert Wheeler, and long-time
community activist Emma
Wheeler.
Francis has practiced law for over
13 years in Michigan. She has
served as staff attorney and director
of Model Cities Legal Services,
Inc., an agency serving low and
moderate income people.
Francis represents progressive
social change. By representing low
income people and political ac-
tivists (for example, the 118 people
'U' dolt,
the responsibilities of his post to
include research and advocacy as
well as enforcement. Only two of
the four candidates indicate they are
willing to carry on this pro-active
stand: Bob Hubbard and Janis Bo-
brin.
Hubbard, a science teacher, has
led the grassroots fight to keep
toxic and radioactive wastes out of
Augusta Township. He brings to
his candidacy a healthy sense of
citizen's outrage toward rapacious
sity graduate, is running unopposed
for Washtenaw County Commis-
sioner. Walsh's committment to
the democratic process, as evidenced
by her door-to-door canvassing to
get out the vote, is encouraging.
Additionally, she has been involved
in many community services.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority views of the Daily's
Editorial Board. Cartoons and signed editorials do not
necessarily reflect the Daily's opinion.
Deputizing
IF ANYONE EVER WONDERS whether University admin-
istrators feel anything but utter disdain for student rights and
democratic process, last week's regents meeting should cast
aside all doubts.
In one fell swoop, a new protest policy - devised by In-
terim President Robben Fleming and approved by the regents
- removes all vestiges of student input into University deci-
sion-making about student behavior; transfers power over the
standards of such behavior to the University president; and be-
stows deputy status, licenses for firearms, and handcuffs upon
campus security.
Before this historic regents meeting, Fleming issued a
memorandum calling for the suspension and/or abolition of
Bylaw 7.02, which mandates the existence of the University
Council. The U-Council was made up of students, faculty and
administration officials and stood as the only organization on
campus legally mandated to create University conduct policies.
The Council suspended itself last term after failing to agree on
a given set of conduct rules - in no small part because the
student members refused to saddle their peers with an authori-
tarian code which could potentially infringe on students' First
Amendment rights.
Fleming has no such qualms. At the regents meeting,
Fleming called for and got the power for the president to enact
any rules he sees fit to create. Fleming based this shift of
power on Bylaw 2.01, which gives the president "general
power" to do anything deemed necessary for the "maintenance
of health, diligence and order among students."
Maintaining health, diligence and order sounds more like the
motto of a forced labor camp than a guiding philosophy for
life in a free academic community. Clearly, however, such
concerns do not bother the regents, who were more than will-
ing to agree with Fleming's interpretation.
The creation of a campus militia, complete with handcuffs
and powers of arrest, is especially ominous. Fleming's claim
that this empowerment of campus security will decrease the
kinds of abuse student protestors previously suffered at the
hands of city police is a sick joke.
First, the beating of Harold Marcuse by campus security
during a CIA protest last fall, witnessed by several bystanders,
is proof that the Ann Arbor police do not have the exclusive
corner on violent abuse of student demonstrators. Marcuse's
lawsuit against campus security officers and the Board of Re-
gents for physical and emotional damages is still pending.
Second, the need for University officials to call in the police
during a protest situation, in order to make arrests, provided a
very important time lag between the diagnosis of a crisis and
the implementation of law enforcement. Many times during
demonstrations and protests, this time lag served as a cooling
off period for all parties or for a period of reflection and re-
assessment for the protesters. This allowed for informed and
revised choices as to the appropriateness of civil disobedience
or other measures. Without this time lag, an important check
and balance is gone. More violence and more abuse - not
less - is the likely outcome of security deputization.
Third, the mere presence of law enforcement officials at
controversial lectures or other events stifles freedom of speech.
The protest policy claims to respect the right of audience
Ann Arbor police arrest an anti-CIA protester
at the SAB.
members to express dissenting views, but the intimidation
factor alone restricts free speech even if no arrests are made.
Fleming's protest policy is flawed from the start. The real
policy that needs to be drawn up is one that would regulate the
kinds of activities that spark legitimate protest. As long as the
University unrolls the red carpet for international terrorists (the
CIA), their inflammatory apologists (Jeane Kirkpatrick,
George Bush) and the engineers of their technology (military
researchers), there will be those who follow the obligations of
their conscience - regardless of what enforcement measures
are codified by doltish administrators.