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.