LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Monday, May 13, 2002 - The Michigan Daily - 5
Luke Skywalker: 9/11-ing the Death Star
LUKE SMITH CRIS IN THE H LAND
More to student's
campaign than mere
University matters
To THE DAILY:
In the article titled "Student seeks
line on ballot for primary," (05/06/02)
about my campaign for Congress in
Michigan's 15th District, it seemingly
said that my platform is solely about
four issues related to University gov-
ernance (regents' self-empowerment,
lack of student regent, lack of diversi-
ty in University presidents and Uni-
versity sexual harassment policy), but
there are actually more things that I
mentioned during the interview
besides those issues and my platform
may evolve, too. (Regarding the Uni-
versity, I would also add "abolishing
alumni/donor preferences in admis-
sions" and "supporting most Graduate
Employees Organization and Students
Organizing for Labor and Economic
Equality efforts," and I believe I men-
tioned "removing A. Alfred Taubman's
name from buildings soon" during the
interview).
The other main issue I mentioned
was a very strong interest in repara-
I VIEWPOINT
BY ARt PAUL
It's often hard to make an intelli-
gent criticism of the pro-Palestinian
movement, one gets a lot of hate-
filled comments when someone with
an observant and open eye chooses
to open one's mouth. I, one who has
always been against Israel's illegal
occupation and brutal military
offenses, am called a Zionist by
some when I point out that some
behavior on the part of pro-Palestin-
ian protesters could use a little work.
The pro-Palestinian movement in
the United States, especially in Ann
Arbor, tends to play the human rights
card to attract other progressives into
the cause, ignoring the fact that the
Israeli/Palestinian conflict is not drawn
out as a matter of left and right. The
R pro-Israel contingency is similar. On
more than one occasion, I have been
declared a traitor to my people for not
"standing with Israel," when being
Jewish doesn't mean having blind faith
in a ruthless leader like Ariel Sharon.
But while some journalists and
talking heads point out the complexi-
ty, others combat it with the whole
"it's the occupation, stupid" doctrine
and quoting international law. There
are a lot of people who feel that
fighting for human rights is a priori-
ty, but don't know about Israeli poli-
cy, Hamas' monopoly on social
services in the occupied territories,
or how Arab nations have been
involved in the conflict for 50 years.
These are all reasons why ending
the occupation alone doesn't equal
peace in the region. But they do
know what apartheid and Nazism
mean, so when a pro-Palestinian pro-
tester has a sign that says "Israel is
an apartheid state" and "Israel is a
Nazi regime," they decide that they
should be against Israel for that rea-
tions for slavery and segregation for
African-Americans, which (repara-
tions) I support. Rep. John Conyers
(D-Mich.) has tried for years to get
H.R. 40 passed in the House to set up
a commission to look into the possibil-
ity of reparations. Even those opposing
reparations should at least admit the
desirability of seriously investigating
the issue before deciding on actual
reparations. (Last year, the Michigan
Student Assembly became perhaps the
first university student government in
the country to endorse the drive for a
reparations commission).
I do not recall any great effort
that anyone else in the 15th District
race has made to support openly,
strongly and repeatedly this possibly
controversial or even risky effort, but
such an effort should be made since
African-Americans should not be
left alone to fight for justice in this
matter. (I am not African-American
myself, at least to my knowledge). I
hope to spur other candidates - per-
haps even in other districts and/or
races for other positions besides U.S.
representative -to address the repa-
rations issue and hopefully to sup-
port reparations vigorously.
DAVID BOYLE
Law School
son. And maybe LSA senior
Monique Luse and LSA junior Jack-
ie Bray, two intelligent and impor-
tant progressive people on this
campus, have fallen victim to this.
The point is, in order for Israel to
end the illegal occupation and work
for peace, it must make sure that
there is a government in the Palestin-
ian region that is able to promote
security throughout the region. This
means dismantling the machines of
Hamas and Islamic Jihad and restor-
ing order with the help of not only
Palestinian self-determination, but
also the help of the international
community. This means that Israel
can't end the occupation tomorrow.
Does it mean that the Israeli Defense
Force should have a green light to go
into the West Bank and attack
refugee camps? No, it needs to find
a peaceful way of building Palestin-
ian stability and security in order to
grant statehood while working with
the international community. But
still, some people have this notion
that "it's the occupation, stupid" and
that if one day Israel pulled its sol-
diers out and removed all the settle-
ments without leaving a trace, these
terrorists will throw down their
weapons and everyone will live hap-
pily ever after. The people that think
this, however, are complete idiots.
Luse and Bray are right in think-
ing that progressives should unite in
supporting the Palestinians' right to
statehood, security and basic human
rights. But that doesn't mean that we
should have blind faith in the idea
that an Israeli withdrawal will turn
the region into Fantasy-Peace land.
Paul is an RC junior and a member of
the Daily's editorial board.
Like it or not,
Luke Skywalk-
er ... terrorist.
If Dubya was
president of some
intergalactic federa-
tion a long time ago
in a galaxy far far
away, chances are he
would have nothing
to do with the impetuous, conniving
Rebel Alliance.
Yes, the impetuous and conniving Rebel
Alliance. It is through narrative and cine-
matic slight of hand that viewers believe the
Rebel Alliance is a group of socially aware
upstarts seeking to equalize the way of life
in the galaxy through the careful destruction
of what the story depicts as the "evil
Empire." This one-sided tale of intergalactic
freedom fighting is something completely
and altogether different atits core. Instead of
simply being the championed tale of a small
group spitting in the face of a controlling
organization, careful examination of Lucas'
universe is relevant ina galaxy half-a-world
away in the near-present day.
The term terrorist is interchangeable
with the term freedom fighter. Consultation
of the grail of credibility in all socio-politi-
cal discussions (the Star Wars saga) reiter-
ates the two terms vice-vers-age. Through
Lucas' "Star Wars" films, viewers are forced
to associate with the Rebel Alliance (who
are little more than a group of rag-tag mili-
tants), while viewers are expected to hate the
"evil, nefariously corrupt and oppressive
Empire." It is through Lucas' eyes that we
see the Rebel Alliance as freedom fighters,
not the terrorists that they are. This is
because of the story's narrative frame.
Contrastingly, the story of "Star Wars"
insists that we hate the Empire. They are
shown as a malevolent order, ruthless and
cold-blooded. But, the fact of the matter is,
that the Empire is the ruling body of the
galaxy. This is certainly not designed to
champion all ruling governmental ruling
bodies, despite their track record, but the
Empire (discounting the whole Alderaan
fiasco) is a well-managed, well-funded gov-
ernmental body. But, because Americans
are so enthralled with the idea of democracy
and the Empire is a dictatorship, Lucas pro-
pagandas us into thinking they are evil.
How so?
Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine's
elimination of the Jedi is referenced in the
original trilogy. It is the elimination of the
Jedi (peacekeepers) that is supposed to turn
us partially against the Empire. But what
the film fails to recognize is that there is no
way that Vader and Palpatine's removal of
the Jedi killed more people than Luke Sky-
walker's lucky pair of proton torpedoes.
When the Death Star blew up, Luke Sky-
walker launched an attack of terror many,
many times worse than the Sept. 11
tragedy. In fact, Skywalker's shot heard
round the galaxy resulted in a million
deaths, winked out of existence by the
"good side" of the force. For those of you
keeping track at home that'd be like blow-
ing up all of Detroit. We could only be so
fortunate. Because of the interchangeability
of the rhetoric, both the Empire and the
RebelAlliance could be pegged terrorists.
The eradication of the Jedi is an inter-
esting conundrum. It is here we see the
Empire remove a faction that is a ruling
body (Jedi Council) and after that elimina-
tion, the Empire instills its own form of
government. Does this sound familiar to
anyone else? While Sadaam Hussein is cer-
tainly not a benevolent lightsaber wielding
peacekeeper, our hushed intentions to enter
Iraq and replace himrings strangely true.
While the United States refuses to deal
with terrorists, we are guilty of entering
numerous countries and training their resi-
dents as guerrillas. But guerrillas and free-
dom fighters are noble and just and good
and right. Anyone we train is undoubtedly
wonderful - for we are the United States.
Freedom fighters are terrorists.
They are attempting to usurp a govern-
ment or a dictatorship through violent
means. This sounds strangely similar to
the Palestinians actions in the Middle
East. They are trying to free themselves
and establish their own nation. They
believe they are freedom fighters.
Whether or not a Palestinian strapping a
bomb to his/her chest and blowing the hell
out of a grocery store is an act of freedom
fighting or an act of terror is decided by
the narrative point of view.
Just ask big George, who has a higher
body count to his credit, Darth Vader or
Luke Skywalker. I'll give you a hint - it's
the terrorist, not the dark lord.
Luke Smith can be reached at
lukems@umich.edu.
Brother, can you spare a dime?
ZAC PESKOWITZ TE 'LOWER FREQUENCIES
eter Marshall
wants to sani-
tize Ann Arbor.
The owner of Eng-
lish Language Arts,
Inc. in Nickels Arcade
is advocating a pro-
posal that would
explicitly forbid pan-
handling in a 1.7-mile
radius surrounding the State Street busi-
ness district. Marshall defends his position
by claiming to The Ann Arbor News that
panhandlers have instigated, "incidents
that range from a repetitive nuisance to
real danger where people felt frightened."
Marshall's proposal is one aspect of a
larger plan for Ann Arbor's homeless pop-
ulation. Other proposals currently being
considered include the construction of a
24-hour alcohol detoxification center and
a permanent facility for treatment of indi-
viduals with mental health problems.
These additions would improve Ann
Arbor, give the city's homeless opportuni-
ties for individual empowerment and
instill personal responsibility. The con-
struction of these centers coupled with a
committed effort to improve and expand
the Loose Change for Real Change pro-
gram are signs of a city government that is
dedicated to improving the lives of the
homeless.
But there are signs that the city is not
solely concerned with helping its home-
less population. The composition of the
panhandling committee is troubling. The
taskforce's slant toward retail and busi-
ness interests is disconcerting. They are
primarily concerned with creating an
environment that is conducive to retail
sales and commerce - a goal that is
unfortunately in opposition to the inter-
ests of the homeless.
The motivations of the panhandling
taskforce align smoothly with other city
projects, most notably the revitalization of
State Street. The city's courtship of nation-
al chains and the prohibitive rents that are
slowly driving local businesses out of the
areas with the heaviest student traffic
show that the future of Ann Arbor may not
mesh with the city's past.
The celebrated era of Midwestern
quirkiness and bohemianism could be
abruptly ending in Ann Arbor. The domi-
nance of business interests on the task-
force reveals city leaders' intentions for
Ann Arbor's future. For the city, it is the
voices of commerce that will be listened to
and consulted in the ongoing debate over
Ann Arbor's future.
The panhandling committee is engaged
in serious work that will have a significant
effect on the future landscape of down-
town Ann Arbor. Their work will color the
city's downtown neighborhoods and pro-
vide the framework through which the
conditions of the city's homeless will
either be alleviated or stubbornly persist.
And that's precisely why Peter Mar-
shall's proposal should be rejected by the
City Council.
Peter Marshall wants to remove the
vaguely threatening, the foreign and the
distressing. It would be easy to accept this
course of action. Combine a ban on pan-
handling with the establishment of a detox
center and a mental health facility, and it
becomes a compact bargain - you don't
bother us, we'll give you treatment. Your
conscience is clean and guilt-free. Every-
one wins.
Marshall's proposal and similar initia-
tives throughout the nation threaten to dis-
rupt the development of good citizens.
They allow individuals to forget the fail-
ures of humans and society. They allow
individuals to live without recognizing the
darkness beneath society's pristine
facades. They obstruct the cultivation of
social responsibility that arises only when
individuals realize that there is suffering,
life is not universally comfortable and
everyone is not taken care of. Looking a
man who has lived a life of continual
struggle in the eye, no matter how undesir-
able or difficult this task may be for some,
fosters compassion and humanism.
Peter Marshall's philosophy of active
complacency is a bankrupt Panglossian
ideology. It is a rejection of our individual
responsibilities for what ultimately will
become the acceptance of the smug doc-
trine that we inhabit a perfectly just and
infallible society. He advocates a callow
solution that encourages individuals to
ignore and neglect the trauma of life.
Hide the unpalatable, conceal the
unseemly. Purge the improper, efface the
indelicate.
Peter Marshall wants to sanitize Ann
Arbor - and if certain individuals listen
to him, he will be well on his way.
Zac Peskowitz can be reached at
zpeskowi@umich.edu.