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OPINION
EDITOR IN CHIEF 420 Maynard Street
James M. Nash Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan.
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
Patrick Javid Unsigned editorials present the opinion of a majority of the Daily's
Jason S. Lichtstein editorial board. All other cartoons, signed articles and letters
do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Daily.
R onni Sanlo has been named the new
coordinator of the Lesbian Gay Male
Bisexual Programs Office. Sanlo's hiring,
and current director Jim Toy's stepping
down, should settle some of the contro-
versy that has recently engulfed LGMBPO.
Sanlo's job experience alone makes her
impeccably qualified- she has worked as
a counselor, therapist, rehabilitation thera-
pist, university instructor, consultant on
issues of HIV/AIDS and, significantly, as a
statelobbyistforlesbianandgay civilrights.
Sanlo and LGMBPO must exert concen-
tratedpoliticalpressure, influenceandguid-
ance to be an effective voice for lesbians,
gay males and bisexuals.
Last January, the University eliminated
the co-coordinator positions in the
LGMBPO office, creating one single, uni-
fied directorship. Although the co-coordi-
natorpositionshavehistoricallyrepresented
the gay and lesbian constituencies indepen-
dently, the streamlining has created the
position that Sanlo now holds. What is
Changing of the
Guard
LGMBPO needs a strong political voice
importantisthatLGMBPOeffectively serve
the community in a fair and responsive way
-notthat theorganization maintains sepa-
rate leadership positions for both genders.
The point of procedural justice and
meritocracy is to hire responsible and well-
qualified people.Andthere can benodoubt
that Sanlo will do her job right.
If LGMBPO is to be heard, it must
become increasingly active and political.
True, ACT UP and Queer Action are out-
spoken student organizations. But
LGMBPO-as a University-funded group
- cannot be passive. The change in Re-
gents' Bylaw 14.06 - the University's
non-discrimination pledge - to include
sexual orientation as a human characteris-
tic by which no University institution, col-
lege or organization can discriminate upon,
must be fully implemented, and will pro-
vide the first test for Sanlo's leadership.
The 14.06 task force has recommended
to the regents that medical, housing and
educational benefits be extended to gays,
lesbians and same-sex couples. It is im-
perative that homosexuals be afforded the
same rights as heterosexuals in the areas of
employment, housing, admissions and
scholarships. LGMBPO must be a strong
politically-orientated organization to
achieve these goals. As an actor in the
bureaucracy within the University admin-
istration, Sanlo's organization can do no
less for LGMBPO to be truly effective.
Clearly, Sanlo "will provide excellent
leadership and service to both our lesbian,
gay and bisexual constituency and our
multicultural efforts," This from Richarcm
Carter, the associate dean of students, who
choose Sanlo from three finalists. The out-
come of the search committee's work, and
the University's new-found compliance on
issues of gay rights, is commendable. We
hope that Sanlo's credentials, experience
and reputation carry over into a politically
powerful LGMBPO.
Sanlo's hiring, and the results of the
14.06 task force, prove that - at least in
Ann Arbor - the fight for gay rights is
heading in the right direction.
NRA: On the'retreat
19 semi-automatic weapons to be banned
Middle East peace
Peace negotiations gain steam
Last Thursday, over intense opposition
fromtheNational RifleAssociation, the
HouseofRepresentativesnarrowlyapproved
the Schumer bill that bans the manufacture
and sale of 19 of the 650 different types of
semi-automatic weapons availableinthe U.S.
Unfortunately,the billis mere symbolism-
not only will 631 semi-automatic weapons
remain legal, but it does not limit numerous
other types of weapons that shoot and kill
justas quickly as semi-automatic guns.
The NRA claims that many assault rifles
are used by hunters and believes the bill is an
affront to the American liberties. According
totheir argument,grenadelaunchers, silenc-
ers and flash suppressors are integral to any
hunter's stock.The bill bans such features-
including the detachable magazine that can
fire more than 10 rounds of ammunition at
one time - but only when two or more
appear on a given weapon. Thus the law
simply limits features that make afew men's
adolescent fantasies come true, without af-
fecting most semi-automatic weapons.
TheNRA andthe bill'sopponentsforget
that the majority of the country supports the
law. Rep. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), the
chief sponsor of the bill, described the guns
that willnow be banned as "fashioned forno
other purpose than to kill." Indeed, law en-
forcement statistics show that semi-auto-
matic weapons are used disproportionately'
in violent crimes. The opposition to gun
control appears to come from a minority of
vociferous ruralgunconnoisseurs. Many of
the supportersofthebill, however, represent
America's urban areas and recognize the
violence that guns wreak upon their cities.
Perhaps anti-gun control proponents should
look beyond hunting and into the frightening
realities of the inner city.
True, the law -after it is sent to confer-
ence and signed by President Clinton -will
not have a huge impact on crime. The bill
does not address the social problems in
America's cities that lead toourreputation as
the most violent of the industrialized nations.
This bill is one step -albeit a minor one -
toward the goal of a more peaceful social
order.
Simple measures can make a difference.
The Brady bill makes it more difficult for a
convicted felon to legally buy a gun. More-
over, programs similar to those in Chicago
and Detroit, which are trying to reduce the
number of gun dealers and put tighter con-
trolsonthosethey sellguns to, canbeimple-
mented on anational scale. Michigan alone
has 13,000licensedgundealers,themajority
of whom sell from their homes, and future
legislation should attempt to limit such dif-
fuse gun trade.
As the death toll from guns increases,
there is no justifiable reason for neglecting
furtherregulationofunnecessary anddeadly
weapons. As the secretary of state reminds
us, driving a car is a privilege -not a right.
And so gun ownership should be as well.
hile skeptics have claimed for de-
cades that Jews and Palestinians
could never coexist in Palestine, every-
thing came together last week to produce
one of the most remarkable political agree-
ments of the century. Israel is withdrawing
from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank city
of Jericho, both of which were captured by
Israel in 1967. The Palestinians displaced
by this war have been seeking a return to
Palestine with their own autonomous gov-
ernment ever since but have been denied by
Israel and shunned by Arab states. Their
time has finally come.
At the same time this agreement was
finalized in Cairo, Syrian President Hafez
al-Assad was contemplating a bold peace
plan put forward by Israeli Prime Minister
Yitzhak Rabin - which would include
Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights
in return for peace and diplomatic relations
with Syria - proving that Israel is serious
about peace. The agreement to withdraw
Israeli troops from Gaza and Jericho is a
remarkable turn of events that would have
been unthinkable only a few years ago.
The Israelis' willingness to achieve
peace in the region, coupled with Palestine
Liberation Organization Chair Yassir
Arafat's willingness to recognize the legiti-
macy of Israel, madethis momentous agree-
ment possible.
However, while Palestinians and Israe-
lis celebrate - with the notable exception
of hard-liners and militants on both sidesq
- the international community must be
prepared to support the Palestinian state
economically and the PLO politically to
ensure that economic ruin, civil strife and
anti-Israel propaganda do not ravage Pales-
tine. The West, including the United States,
has already covered the first base - eco-
nomic aid. Now the West must be prepared
to ensure democratic elections, promote V
free system of government and prevent
factions from dividing the new quasi-state.
The developments between Israel and
Syria could do more to promote Middle
East peace - in the long run - than
anything since the Camp David accords in
1979. Syria remains Israel's most impor-
tant security threat, and should the two
nations reach accord, comprehensive peace
between Israel and her Arab neighbors
would become a reality. According to
Rabin's visionary plan, Israel would gradu-
ally withdraw from the Golan, and aninter-
national peacekeeping force would patrol
the demilitarized area in return for peace
and diplomatic relations.
These developments could signal a new
era of stability in the war-weary Middle
East. With the support of the West an
dedication by all parties involved, the Arab-
Israeli conflict may be ready to reach a
peaceful conclusion that participants and
observers alike have only dreamed of for
nearly 50 years.