4 - The Michigan Daily Summer Weekly - Wednesday, June 3, 1992 Ehe ichi [rsnI [ OPI ' S EDITOR IN CHIEF ANDREW M. LEVY OPINION EDITORS GIL RENBERG DAVID SHEPARDSON Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of a majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Daily. 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 764-0552 Editedtand Managed by Students at the University of Michigan 0 U ntil last Thursday, private country clubs, golf clubs, and yacht clubs throughout Michigan were permitted to bar women mem- bers from enjoying many of their clubs' privi- leges. The state legislature and Gov. John Engler should be commended for ending this discrimination with a bill the governor signed at the site of this weekend's Ladies Profes- sional Golfers Association (LPGA) tourna- ment, the Walnut Hills Country Club in East Lansing. The bill was proposed last year by State Senator Lana Pollack (D-Ann Arbor) and ap- proved almost unanimously by both houses of the Michigan legislature. The legislation goes into effect immediately. The penalty for non- compliance is the permanent loss of the club's liquor license. State anti-discrimination laws have here- tofore only applied to public clubs. Private clubs have been able to maintain a de jure apartheidtoward femalemembers.Whilemany Moving Fore-ward Finally, the state of Michigan acts to correct entrenched discrimination in private clubs clubs allow women to join and pay full mem- bership prices, they often relegate women to a second rate status. These women have found that "full membership" means one thing for male members and another for female mem- bers.Womenmay golf on the same course, but at the least desireable times. They are permit- tedintheclubhouse,butonlyincertain"mixed" sections. Their dues are as high as the men's, yet women can't eat in the main restaurant. Clubmembers who support segregated tee- off times claim that this is necessary because womengolfers wouldslow up the entire course. There is no evidence, however, that women on the average take longer to play golf than men. If speed of golfing were the actual reason behind the segregation, tee-off times could be allotted based on handicap. Many business- men, of course, might find themselves duffing around in the hot, noon sun instead of at 7 a.m. Those who support the previous, discrimina- tory policiesof segregated bars and clubhouses can back up their views with no more logical a reason than, "That's the way it has always been." While the inconvenience of later tee-off times and segregated bars is obvious, the full impact is much greater. Early morning golf games frequently double as business meet- ings. Deals are closed, contracts negotiated, and contacts established either on the fairways or over tasty alcoholic beverages at the club- house. Women whose clients prefer to do business at the golf course or at the club are excluded from this competitive aspect of the business world. The new law should correct this inequality in Michigan, but there is no indication that other states will follow - the federal govern- ment should extend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prevent this form of discrimination. In the meantime, the LPGA should look to the example of the men's tour's response to the problem ofracialdescrimination atShoalCreek two years ago. Initially, some players refused to play at any club that would not permit minority membership. It is now an official policy of the PGA not to hold tournaments at restricted clubs. LPGA members continue to play tourna- ments at clubs which discriminate against women. The LPGA should take advantage of its powerful position by forcing country clubs that are on the LPGA tour to provide women completeaccesstopriviliges thathave thus far only been available to men. 0 Wasted opportunity Expediency vs. ethics 0 House energy bill, while m does not address the probh 0 n Wednesday, theU.S.. House ofRepresen- tatives followed the Senate's action in Feb- ruary by passing along-awaited energy billibya vote of 381-37. This far-reaching, 1500-page bill falls short of the aims of a coherent national energy policy - in compromising, the House Democratic leadership did not emphasize na- tionalgoalsofreducing fossilfuelconsumption and recycling, instead increasing tax breaks for theenergy industry.Thebillisatbestafirststep, hardly the "National Energy Strategy" the pro- posalclaims tobe, towardsomething the United Statesis seemingly destinednever to achieve- a comprehensive energy bill. Several aspects of the bill merit praise: tax incentives to promote the development of re- newable fuels including solar, biomass, and wind; conservation through use of mass transit and car pools; new conservation measures, in- cluding requirements for the govenment to use less energy and improved energy standards for buildings, appliances, and lights; and requiring wider use of alternative fuel vehicles by both government and private fleet operators. The bill alsoexpandsrestrictions on offshore oil and gas drilling prohibiting government sale of leases until 2002. These provisions make substantial progress in current programs -however, they do not go far enough. One important aspect of the bill that stands out is an obscure provision revising a 50-year- old law on electric company monopolies. It will reduce electric bills and allow greater competi- tionintheelectricindustry.Incombinationwith tax incentives for electric companies that use alternative fuels, this provision could make a substantial dent in fossil fuel consumption. Yet,the bill'smostnoticeableand damaging flawisitdoesnotaddresstheproblemofoil.The UnitedStatesstillimportsabouthalfitscrude oil and is destined to import much more in the future.Sharplyraisingtaxeson petroleum prod- a linleYsome nrnges. Bush ignores the Wlight f em of oil dependence orders their return despitt ucts, which is critical to decreasing U.S. depen- President Bush's recent decision to return dence on oil, was never considered by the Con- summarily all Haitian refugees without a hear- gress as a viable option. In fact, last fall the ing is repugnant. The executive order issued by Congress refused even to raise gasoline taxes by Bush instructing the Coast Guard to return im- a nickel after bowing to intense pressure from mediately all Haitians fleeing to the United the powerful petroleum lobby. The Congress States is one in a series of blunders that has refused to take on the oil producers, instead marked the administration'spolicy toward Haiti giving thema$800milliontax break. Itisironic since the September coup. Bush's recent move thatwhile theGulf Warprovided theimpetusfor that denies asylum to all Haitians, regardless of the bill, the government failed to act. Unless their possible political refugee status, is a viola- dramatic steps are taken to remove the incentive tion of international law and inherently racist. to remain dependent on oil, the United States According to the 1951 Convention onPoliti- will never decrease its consumption. cal Refugees signed by the United States, a Increased auto emissions and gas mileage nation cannot tumaway asylum seekers without requirements were nixed as the administration allowing them a hearing to determine whether threatened to veto the bill. This comes after they are victims of political oppression. Bush's PresidentBushhasrelaxedstrictautostandards decision to reject Haitian refugees without at- in the Clean Air Act of 1990. The Clean Air act tempting to discern whether they are fleeing also encourages the use of methanol, natural economic hardship or political oppression re- gas, and electricity to operate cars. But these veals the president as ahypocrite who can speak goalsof the Clean Air Act and now the National with zeal about the lofty principles the United Energy Strategy bill are easily ignored by a States was founded on but ignore those prin- president who has not expressed interest in ciples when it is pragmatic to do so. effecting strong environmental policy. The fed- Bush's justifications forhis violation of in- eral government should adopt the standards of ternationallaw have been two-fold.First,he has the California Air Resources Board which re- cited the problemofoverflowing refugee camps quires production of large numbers of electric in his desire to stop the flow of refugees to cars and others cars operating on methanol and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The flow of refugees natural gas. Only in mandating compliance can has not ceased with this policy - at least 800 the Congress ensure that real progress will be Haitians have sought asylum in the week after made by the auto and energy industries. the decision. Second, the Bush administration DanielBecker, alobbyistfor theSierraClub, has offered Haitians the option of applying for characterized the bill as "half a good energy political refugee status at the U.S. embassy in package."While theCongressandtheadminis- Port-au-Prince. This last-resortmethodofgain- tration are to be commended for acting quickly ing refugee status poses serious problems for topass abipartisan compromise bill, thecountry Haitians who cannot afford to travel to Haiti's is once again missing achance to pass acompre- capital, or who in trying to visit the embassy hensive energy bill. The lamentable fact is that revealtheiroppositiontoGeneralRaoulCedras' the bill does not go far enough, nor does it oppressive junta. attempt radical change, which is so desperately The recent executive order conceming Hai- necessary to move the nation's energy policy tian refugees is not only a violation of interna- into the 21st century. tional law, but an example of the racism and 'Haiti's refugees as he e their dissident status economic opportunism that influence Bush ad- ministration policy. It seems logical that if Haiti had Kuwait's oil, the next "Gulf War" would be near the Gulf of Mexico. In this election season, the Bush administration has decided that the political climate in Florida is more important than the lives of the Haitian people. As abhorrent as the recent decision may seem, it simply demonstrates that one bad for- eign policy decision leads to another. Jean- Baptiste Aristide was the first freely elected President in Haiti. He was elected by the poor rural community that is currently fleeing Haiti due to political oppression. Military leaders, hostile to democracy, toppled Aristide last Sep- tember. If the U.S. had given assistance to Aristide's administration he might not have avoided the military coup. The second failure of American foreign policy was the half-hearted embargo imposed upon Haiti after the coup. Haiti's military re- gime has circumvented the trade embargo by importing products from many countries that have ignored Bush's feeble pleas to support the embargo. According torecentlyreleasedfederal documents, atleast adozen countries in Europe, South America, and Africa have routinely ig- nored the trade embargo. Perhaps the United Nations will be able to succeed where Bush has failed and employ an effective embargo. If the President wishes to correct the foreign policy disaster that has led to today's Haiti, he must begin by restoring to all Haitian refugees therighttoahearing.Hemustalsopushforward with a fullembargoand the diplomatic pressure necessary to restore the legitimately elected government of Haiti. Once Aristide is returned to power, the refugee problem will subside. Withoutdramatic leadership by the administra- tion, the problem will only worsen and thou- sands of Haitians willsurely perish while trying to flee to the United States. -9