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.