4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, May 4, 2004
420 MAYNARD STREET
ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 NIAMH SLEVIN SUHAEL MOMIN
tothedaily@michigandaily.com Editor in Chief Editorial Page Editor
EDITED AND MANAGED BY
STUDENTS AT THE Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other pieces do not
t. SINCE 1890 necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
W ith nationally prominent figures u e Furthermore, whereas Granholm sparked
such as National Security Advisor I viu i av is e11vers controversy by warning students not to
Condoleezza Rice and Supreme throw their lives away, Davis was able to
Court Justice Clarence Thomas speaking at Graduation speaker VindiCated;Worthy of the U ndeverasmessa bounever osnghope
other Michgan colleWsLthe Unvereity'sIn hindsight, this spring commencemen*
own choice for spring commencement made it clear that it is the message and
speaker, the seemingly unknown founder of experience of life, encouraging listeners to not highlighted success, but failure. By dis- content of the speech, not the person who
Automobile Magazine, David Davis, at first not only overcome, but to revel in the many cussing his impecunious upbringing and delivers it, that matters.
appeared a bit disappointing. Students and tribulations encountered along the way. At numerous academic hardships, Davis deliv- Overall, Davis appears vindicated. The
faculty alike criticized the lackluster name the outset, Davis himself addressed the ered an inspiring rags-to-riches story that a early criticisms, based solely on his relative
and held few expectations about his coming doubts many people had about his selec- silver-spooned politico could not have done. anonymity, seem to be baseless. While the
remarks. Before Davis actually uttered a tion, singling out a specific graduating The Ann Arbor resident's speech was not University was not able to host a national-
word, University cynics voiced and printed senior who preemptively attacked Davis in one that sought to lecture from above, but ly known figure, it was able to find a
their unfavorable assumptions, making a letter to the editor published in The one that offered a tangible and accessible speaker who was able to connect with stu-
clear their predetermined disdain. Michigan Daily. In the end, Davis' charm message that was uplifting from the per- dents. When looking at the greater picture,
On Saturday, May 1, close to 4,000 stu- was rewarded with three standing ovations, spective of an equal. it seems as if this duty - finding a speak-
dents donning caps, gowns and graduation- proving that a speaker's ability and influ- The content of Davis' message and the er to engage and inspire the audience -i*
day smiles, flocked to Michigan Stadium ence is not constrained by his credentials. positive response from students clearly the greatest responsibility in the search for
to participate in spring commencement. Amidst academic and pompous postur- cast aside any of the doubts that many peo- a spring commencement speaker. When
Despite initially preordained misgivings, ing, it is sometimes easy to get swept away ple had about his selection. His speech, looking to the future, the University should
students were pleasantly surprised at the with the pretense of a resume, but Davis which received far more positive response not focus on demonstrating national promi-
power of Davis' comments, which reminded students to look past superficial than Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm's nence through recruiting a renowned fig-
expressed a message of perseverance and qualifications and to instead focus on con- one year ago, demonstrates that just as one ure, but instead devote its effort to present-
determined optimism. His entertaining and tent of character. Davis offered a fitting must not judge a book by its cover, one ing students with a thoughtful and provoca-
often self-deprecating stories spoke to the message to graduating students: one that did must not judge a speaker by his fame. tive final message.
V1 .4 .. 4 . 1n11
Destination: Detroit
Rise in residential construction a positive sign
An example to follow?
Allegations of prisoner abuse tarnish America's image
According to a recently-released
report analyzing construction rates
for 2003 calendar year, Detroit was
the third-fastest growing city in the region
in terms of residential construction,
behind only Macomb Township and
Canton. The report, compiled by the
Southeast Michigan Council of
Governments, ranks cities based on the
number of housing permits issued per
year. It found that residential growth in
Detroit was up 54 percent from 2002 when
the city ranked eighth on the same list.
This spurt in residential development
can mean only good things for Detroit,
which has for decades been losing citi-
zens to its suburbs. The appeal of new,
affordable housing is crucial to reversing
that trend. The return of suburbanites to
Detroit will not only help local business,
but also drive the "Renaissance" which
mayors of the past envisioned. An
increasing city population will bring jobs
and money back into Detroit. Since peo-
ple demand services such as restaurants,
grocers and laundromats, it is inevitable
that population growth will fuel parallel
economic growth.
The benefits will not be immediate,
however. The City of Detroit is deeply in
debt; for the current year, it is expected to
run a deficit in excess of $200 million.
While increased construction will increase
property tax revenue (a large portion of
the Detroit budget), demolitions still out-
pace new construction. Jim Rogers, the
SEMCOG data manager, estimates that it
will take at least another 15 years before
Detroit will see true population growth.
While Detroit is traditionally regarded
as a low-income area, the report also indi-
cates that some of the new construction is
targeted directly at the middle class. The
Bagley Housing Association began land
development in Mexicantown during the
1990s, when average house prices for the
area hovered around $10,000 - less than
the average car. Through the years, the
group has been building progressively
more expensive houses and is now under-
taking the construction of new condo-
miniums priced at about $160,000. While
much more expensive than the average
Detroit house, these condos are firmly
within the price range of the average sub-
urban middle-class family. Potentially,
when coupled with the close proximity to
major office centers such as General
Motors' Renaissance Center and attrac-
tions such as Comerica Park, families
might be tempted to move back to the city.
In the rush to revitalize, however,
Detroit must not forget its most needy.
Despite economic progress, poverty still
plagues Detroit. Thus, attention must be
paid to low income housing as well.
While attracting new residents is impor-
tant, it is also crucial to construct mod-
ern, affordable housing for current citi-
zens of Detroit. The construction of new
homes will help facilitate the destruc-
tion of older, more dangerous residential
structures, some of which fail to meet
even rudimentary safety codes.
Overall, this new report is a beacon of
hope for the city. As a long-term devel-
opment strategy, nothing has proven
more successful than residential con-
struction. The benefits, although unper-
ceivable at the present, will hopefully
affect the economic, civic and social
aspects of the city to such a degree that
Detroit may finally become the
"Renaissance" city it proclaims to be.
When President Bush made the
case for war in Iraq, he extolled
the virtues of removing a mani-
acal dictator: one who had a record of
not only gross war crimes, but also
extensive domestic human rights viola-
tions. The reign of Saddam Hussein,
without a doubt, will be remembered as
a period of atrocious brutality and nefar-
ious cruelty. However, in light of recent
revelations that expose the horrific treat-
ment of captured Iraqis, the President's
claim of "liberation" rings hollow.
Last week, the world became aware of
various prisoner abuses at the American-
operated Abu Ghraib prisoner of war
camp located west of Baghdad. Reports
and photographs tell the tale of POWs
that were made to strip naked and pile
into pyramids while other allegations
claim that prisoners were forced into imi-
tating or performing sexual acts. One
well-known picture shows a blindfolded
man connected to wires, standing on a
small box. The man, according to multi-
ple sources, was told he was to be elec-
trocuted if he fell off.
At the most fundamental level, the
behavior of the United States Military
Police, who perpetrated the acts of brutal-
ity against the Iraqi prisoners is an affront
to the most basic values enshrined by
America's democracy. The actions of those
at Abu Ghraib, while short of torture, are
contrary to the ideals of decency and
respect we hold high in our laws. The
American public has, rightfully so, reacted
with anger and disgust.
While the actions of a few fail to
describe any general pattern of behav-
ior, they nonetheless cast a shadow of
doubt over the entire United States mil-
itary. In addition, the military is not
merely a collection of soldiers; it is
greater than the sum of its parts, serving
as a representative of the United States
around the world. Thus, the implica-
tions of these abuse allegations go
beyond simply those who wer*
involved; the entire nation stands to lose
a great deal of credibility. Even though
the Bush Administration has publicly
condemned the abusive treatment of
prisoners, America's reputation has
already been damaged.
For the Bush Administration, already
unpopular because of the way it handled
the Iraq crisis in front of the Unite
Nations, this new complication present
an unforeseen problem. As a signatory to
the Geneva Convention, the United States
is bound to respect the rights of prisoners
of war. Recent developments in Iraq have,
no doubt, called into question American
commitment to the conventions. If the
Administration is hoping to draw support
from allies to fight the continuing war on
terror, the United States must not appear
indifferent toward international treaties
and standards on human rights. On a larg-
er scale, the United States must not squan
der the respect it inspires as a leading
force for democratization by getting mired
in accusations of POW abuse.
Ultimately, our commitment to both
values of human decency as well as inter-
national law must not be mere lip service
from the high echelons of government.
Instead, ours must be a commitment in the
form of action; Down to every last soldief
who wears an American uniform and rep
resents the American people, the princi-
ples dictated by the Convention and
morality must be upheld.