Thursday, May 30, 2013 4 1 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu Thursday, May 30, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com From death to life KATIE BURKE EDITOR IN CHIEF ERIC FERGUSON EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR ELLIOT ALPERN MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All othersigned articles and illustrations representsolelythe viewsof their authors. PFlRF 1 THE E A Y Repackag ed strategy Obama counterterrorism policy shift is a mixed bag Jn a major speech last Thursday, President Barack Obama outlined his approach to the future of U.S. counterterrorism strategy, consisting of "targeted action against terrorists, effective partnerships (and) diplo- matic engagement and assistance." However, this strategy was overshad- owed by his discussion of two longstanding institutions of the war on terror - targeted strikes against terrorist suspects using remotely piloted drones and the Guantanamo Bay detention center. While his speech was critical of both these institutions and is a good starting point for the future of the war on terror, the president's inability to close Gitmo and obstinate defense of drone strikes is disappointing. The success of the president's new approach depends in part on him placing pressure on Congress to give him the tools he needs to close Gitmo, but also on scaling back the drone program. somet outlivt people heroes I st think what and import what really after s very d weeks the air - he] takeo hour b he rec sisterc was h wasn't home way h too lat I Sol to wh about instan angry this e someo had to father events hours that e therec mome The passes in the came withr - pan to him prescr his fat he wo diagno in Ja him h to liv yeara the fi Neil L eath - how do we really about Neil's future plans. The explain it? Why is it that conversation calmed Neil down murderers and rapists and he was finally able to go imes back to sleep. The next morning, e good the morning he was set to leave and North Carolina, Neil kissed his s? father, told him he loved him and arted to left for the airport. Two hours about later his father passed. death, Despite the deep pain that more comes from death, remark- tantly, SARA ably, there can still be beautiful life SHOUHAYIB moments even at the end of some- meant one's life. I can't help but think omeone that Neil's panic attack happened ear to me lost his father two for a reason, that some greater ago. My friend Neil was at being or higher power wanted 'port the day his father died them to have one last talk and one had a flight that was set to last special moment together. He ff on a Friday at 1:15 p.m. An was lucky to have had a chance efore he was set to take off to say a proper goodbye and was eived a frantic call from his even luckier that he didn't step explaining that their father onto that plane. His story is proof aving trouble breathing and that the universe works in myste- responding. Neil rushed rious ways, and that although los- from the airport, but on his ing a loved one can be one of the is father passed - he was darkest times ina person's life, it's e. these lovely final moments that need to be remembered. Death - it's something hard " ' to understand and truly define. Death - it's It really makes you wonder about hi h d life and its inherent meaning. Death is a reminder to cherish unde stand those you care about and to not stress about the small stuff. It's a reminder that life is short and that it's more precious than we make it out to be at times. We en the news reached me forget that eventually there is an his father's passing, tears end for all of us. If we live like it's tly flooded my eyes. I felt our last day on Earth everyday, I that such a good man left guarantee we would all start to arth too soon, and that do the things that really make ne I cared about deeply us happy. Why hold off on doing endure the grief of losing a something you always wish you Yet, I was reminded of the could? Like taking that five-day that preceded these just Caribbean cruise you always before that made me think dreamed about going on. Go ven in the midst of tragedy skydive, start a new hobby, fall in can be glimpses of precious love, spend more time in nature, nts to be thankful for. give back to your community, night before his father hug your loved ones and tell d, Neil had a panic attack them you love them, laugh when middle of the night, which things aren't even that comedic, out of nowhere. Neil deals exercise and be good to your moderate to severe anxiety body, try to see the good in tic attacks are no stranger things, spoil yourself sometimes a. Instead of resorting to his and appreciate the time you ribed fix, Xanax, he went to have. What started off being a 'her's room when he noticed reflection about death ended up as awake. His father was being an epiphany about life. It's ,sed with terminal cancer a treasurable and magical thing, nuary 2012. Doctors told so plain and so simple - go live ne only had a few months your life to the fullest. It really is e and here he was over a shorter than you think. and a half later. That was rst miracle that occurred. Sara Shouhayib can be ay talking with his father reached at sarasho@umich.edu. Alone with local hand Brave Bird, Pity Sex has emerged as a major ylayer in Act Arbors ems scene. A2'9 A semo insurgen In his speech, Obama claimed that his preferred method of tar- geted action against terrorists is to capture them. However, his actions over the past four and a half years show an entirely dif- ferent preference. Though details are few, the government has used drones to kill suspected terror- ists in countries such as Yemen and Pakistan. While Obama con- tends that the program only goes after those who "pose a continuing and imminent threat against the American people," his administra- tion's definition of "imminent" has been called into question before. Some estimates of the number of civilians killed by the strikes are in the thousands, and the program has been blamed for radicalizing the next generation of terrorists, even as it takes out the current generation. The administration should seriously consider ending this program and seek other meth- ods for combating terror organi- zations that don't exacerbate the future threat of terrorism. In contrast to his discussion on drones, Obama's evaluation of the Guantanamo Bay situation was quite accurate. At the moment, transferring prisoners away from the facility is virtually impossible without Congressional approval - even though some 86 detain- ees have been cleared to return to their home countries and secure facilities exist in the U.S. for the rest. Calls for its closure have reappeared as over half of the inmates have gone on a hunger strike over the last few months protesting their seemingly end- less detention. Obama's point that "(U.S.) allies won't cooperate with us if they thinka terrorist will end up atGitmo" reflects how the facil- ity's continued operation doesn't line up with his new strategy. Con- gress must engage with Obama in order to close the facility. Throughout the speech, Obama made it clear that terrorism is and will remain a significant threat to the U.S. His strategy's focus on partnerships and diplomatic engagement reflects the fact that the country cannot hope to coun- ter terrorist networks spread across multiple countries with- out the support and cooperation of other countries. Moreover, his proposal to eventually repeal the authorization to use force passed shortly after 9/11 indicates how the war on terror has - for bet- ter or worse - become more than a reaction to an attack on the U.S. With a few modifications in drone use and Congress's cooperation, Obama's strategy will be a work- able blueprint for the future of counterterrorism strategy. Sign fre( new, Whe concert product plannin needed smooth the loc it's just theylov "It'sf say tha great p Lieu, ly Arbor 1 of justI around This of work you can you do i This Ann Ar last tim exactly I'd likei friends] such as Obvi history Pity Sei na Phi fraternity Ann Arbor music scene came in the wake of another era that included quently features such bands as Dire Wolf and Damages. It was from this crowd local emo talent that some of the band members and first listeners would come, and so By JOHN BOHN for that, those days can't be omitted. DailyArts Writer But when I started hanging around at Sigma Phi in January 2011, Dire n it comes to shows and Wolf had just played their last s of any size, behind the final show. In a similar fashion to my t lies a world of logistical experiences with Borders freshman g and preparation that's year, my college experience seems to make sure things go to have begun with a rupture in ly, let alone actually go. For Ann Arbor's communal life. al scene, though, sometimes So during the winter semester a few friends doing what in 2011, when my story begins, ie. Pity Sex and Brave Bird were just funny because alot of people forming. After Brave Bird released t Ann Arbor seems to be a their EP that spring, Lieu was also lace for music," said Chris pushing his friends in Pity Sex to ricist and guitarist of Ann release a demo. band, Brave Bird. "It's kind "I strong-armed them into me and my friends goofing recording it because I wanted Ann '." Arbor emo to be a thing," Lieu said. is not to say that it isn't a lot "And it was really good and a lot of - it's just that, sometimes, people got into it." laugh with each other while Pity Sex returned to Lieu for it. a second recording the following is part two of my column on summer, which resulted in the Dark bor's emo revival, and while World EP. This time, Lieu and Pity re I talked a lot about what Sex took the recording in a different the emo genre is, this time direction, giving it a more o-fi to talk about the energy and recording reminiscent of Smashing hip that goes into making Pumpkins or Dinosaur Jr. cene. During that summer, both Brave ously, this story has a wider Bird and Pity Sex got record deals. than just Brave Bird and Brave Bird signed with Count Your X. Their big splash onto the Lucky Stars, a Michigan-based label in Fenton. Pity Sex sign for Cover Records, a 1 for being the starting p major bands as Tiger Title Fight. Brave Bird, now tour frequently, together, and Brave Bi released a full-length a Maybe You, No One Else In many ways, the es of these two bands h the environment in Symbolically, the city to be a home for the em when it comes to infras places to play, helping emo bands can be dif scenes come about thr of-mouth and someone their basement. "Ifyou're fromout of going to ask your frieni play at your friend's r said. "That's how a s When you're starting one gives a shit about y. to go to your friends." As of right now, the for these kinds of ban Phi. Having given it hardcore and punk the past decade, Sign cultivated a particular and crowd. Sigma Phi somewhat alone inthe k it presents, which is i the number of listeners "Whenyouplayinat other bands help you ou intheir town, and you need to help them out with shows in your town," Lieu said. "And when they ask me about Ann Arbor, I don't know what to do. I don't know if I can get these kids to come out. There aren't many kids in Ann Arbor who are really into this kind of music. I mean, we do well, but that's because we have a lot of friends who support us." For a while, Launch, the skate shop on South University, hosted hardcore and punk shows, but eventually, they had to close their doors because things would get out of hand. A lot of the traffic was from out of town, either from Detroit, Downriver or from Lansing, and the small shop would fill up fast. I remember standing outside on the corner of South U. and Church a lot of the time when I went to those shows. "Those were huge hardcore shows with bands from Chicago, RUN FOR COVER like Harm's Way or Weekend Nachos would come out," Lieu said. "Those bands are huge in the punk scene, so everyone loves those bands." But when it comes to a smaller band that's just starting, the worry ed with Run that no one will come is justified. label known Brave Bird has faced this problem oint of such on tour firsthand. rs Jaw and "For a smaller band like mine, we and Pity Sex don't necessarily know how we're occasionally going to do in a city," Lieu said. "It rd has since can be OK or it can be bad. Or it can lbum named be amazing. Like in Philadelphia, Worth It. the first time we were on tour, stablishment there were 100 kids in a basement as changed singing along. And the next day, in Ann Arbor. Baltimore, we were at a really cool appears as spot called Trim City, and there to genre, but were like five people in the crowd." tructure and When it comes to the up-and- out-of-town coming music scene, cities and fficult. Most towns can be hit or miss. Ann 'ough word- Arbor, while having a very vibrant offering you community with Sigma Phi at its center, probably fits somewhere in townyou're the middle of this spectrum. There ds if you can are the "nowherevilles" (to use house," Lieu Lieu's term) where a very singular cene forms. scene thrives and bands of a certain out and no genre will do really well. Then there ou, you need are the big cities where there is so much going on that a subculture main venue seems to exist for every style. Ann ids is Sigma Arbor obviously has its steadfast s space to venues, but as a college town, some bands for of the venues are constantly shifting ma Phi has depending on which houses people r reputation are living in during any given year. is, however, And it's in this environment :ind of music that the "Ann Arbor Emo Revival" ndicative of has come about. But where to go in the area. from here? Pity Sex and Brave ouringband, Bird have given it a reputation, t with shows but the spaces for performance are limited. In terms ofnewbands forming in the area, however, Ann Arbor seems to have a great climate. This year, Jon Riley, Zach Geimer, Sean Horner and John Dickenson formed the band Youth Novel, whose influences are some of the same bands that gave Brave Bird and Pity Sex their initial direction. "It's really cool because they are like a new band where there are some already established bands, and we're all trying to help each other out," Lieu said. "When I found out about them, I was like you guys are part of our Ann Arbor Emo Collective, which doesn't really mean anything. It's just me pretending like there is something going on here." "They are really a bunch of great guys and they write killer songs," Lieu said. "AnythingI can do to help our scene get to that next level." That next level, for Chris, isn't necessarily a mainstream breakthrough. Instead, it's about sustainable living and the persistence of a style of music that died off in the 1990s before it got started. And that's where I leave it. Ann Arbor has shifted just that much more. New bands looking to put out their sound will find a community here. And, as long as it lasts, that will be so. If it doesn't last, if time, as always, goes along and people move on, the nextgenerationofkids will come to Ann Arbor and hear of the "good old days." Every new generation hears about the good old days. And, in that wake, if they want, they'll talk about starting something new or bringing something back. And that'll be Ann Arbor for them. WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE FINEST WRITERS. Apply to the Daily Fine Arts beat by emailing arts@ michigandaily com to request an application.