4iriuuai Vol. Cl, No.87 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Friday, February 1, 1991 Copyright 01991 The Michigan ay 'U' community with relatives in Gulf war voice distress by Joanna Broder An English Professor interested in theater, a Palestinian American student studying Economics, a nurs- ing student in her second term, and a student from Hebrew University who grew up in Jerusalem and is now Visiting Ann Arbor for the year, don't seem to share much in the way of common experience. Looks, how- ever, can deceive. All four people have at least one relative living or fighting in the Middle East right now. Each one is personally touched by a war which for many seems distant and far re- moved. Professor Buzz Alexander's 23- year-old son Jonathan, a member of the Navy, shipped out for the Gulf in the beginning of December. Alexander explained that because Jonathon works from a ship, com- munication has been very difficult. "I've had no way of knowing what he's going through, what he's thinking, what he's worried about, (and) what his experience is," Alexander said. Alexander, who helped organize the early Jan. teach-in, opposes the war. He is currently involved in or- ganizing faculty against the war. He is confident his son would fully support his anti-war activities here. Sometimes Alexander reassures himself of his son's safety by way of denial. "Before the war began," he ex- plained, "I kept telling myself it wouldn't happen. Then once it began I keep telling myself my son won't be one of the one's who dies." Probably every parent in this position is experiencing some form of denial Alexander said. On Thanksgiving - a few days before his son set sail - Alexander saw that Jonathan did not fully sup- port U.S. military goals. "I would describe his attitude as cynical of both the politics of Iraq and the U.S.," Alexander said. In a letter mailed to Jonathan's aunt on Christmas, Jonathan sounded "skeptical about U.S. pur- poses," Alexander said. Jonathan also wrote about how he didn't want to be there and really had no choice. Pointing to the loss of life and environmental, economic, and polit- ical consequences of the war, Alexander said "there's no good rea- son that we couldn't have continued to apply the sanctions. We're going to lose so much by what we've done that it makes no sense to do it." Like Alexander, Zeid Zalatimo, a Palestinian American born in Kuwait, has a family connection to the Middle East. About 40 of his relatives remain in Kuwait while many fled in late August. Zalatimo's mother lives in the West Bank and he also has family residing in Saudi Arabia, The WJnited Arab Emirates, the Gaza Strip, and Israel. Zalatimo said when he was able to speak to his mother last week she sounded "very nervous." There had been a 24-hour military curfew im- posed on her town, meaning that she could not leave her house. "She's not really sure what's going on," Za- latimo said. A member of Students Against U.S. Intervention in the Middle East (SAUSI), Zalatimo questioned why the U.S. decided to launch a war See RELATIVES, Page 8 People of Color sponsor teach-in 1 by Shalini Patel Daily Staff Reporter Approximately 50 people at- tended a speak out and teach-in yesterday in the Michigan Union to discuss the implications of the Gulf war on people of color in the U.S. and the Middle East. People of Color Against the War and Racism, a group com- prised of about 150 people from over a dozen campuses and com- munity groups, sponsored the event. "George Bush is the most hon- est President," said Near Eastern Studies graduate student and teach-in speaker Stephen Sheehi. "He's not ashamed of his fascism." The United States used the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait as a rea- son to flex its military and eco- nomic muscle at the expense of people of color worldwide, he added. Christopher McAuley, a gradu- ate student in political science, in- tended to address inconsistencies in U.S. foreign policy, but in his research he said he discovered that policy has been consistent. "War is so much a part of the American make-up," he said. Mary Ann Hinton, a member of the Unity Tenant Organization, discussed the discrimination against African-Americans in schools, housing, and the court See TEACH-IN, Page 8 uasran Khc IRAQ SAUDI ARABIA KUWAIT ......................... . . ...... SAUDI ARABIA E......................I 50 miles 50 km. U.S. lost bi Iraqi Associated Press Pentagon sources said yesterday that another U.S. military aircraft: had been lost in the Persian Gulf War. Its crew of 14 was reported downed behind Iraqi lines. Members of Congress said after briefings from Pentagon officials that the aircraft was a modijfied ver- sion of the C-130 equipped with small cannons and machine guns. The aircraft went down over Kuwait, lawmakers said. A Pentagon source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, would not say whether the plane was downed over Iraq or Kuwait. The allies snatched back a Saudi Arabian town from defiant Iraqi tank. troops yesterday after lighting the sky in a fierce all-night battle. Iraq said it signaled the start of a "thunderous storm" on the desert floor. Baghdad also claimed it captured the first women prisoners of the 2- week-old war. The United States re- fused to confirm the report, but con- ceded that a woman was among two soldiers missing in action. Allied aircraft continued to dump a hailstorm of munitions on Iraq's lane ehind lines front-line troops in Kuwait, the crack Republican Guards. Iraq, in turn, lofted another Scud missile into the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli officials said there were no ca- sualties. And a grim ritual began on the home front - the military began notifying the families of 11 Marines who were killed in the fighting around the Saudi town of Khafji. Allied military officials played down the significance of the tank battle that raged for the better part of two days in and around Khafji, on the Persian Gulf coast below the Kuwait border. The battle at Khafji "is a first warning from the faithful men in Iraq to all U.S. occupiers that they will leave with their dead in bats and coffins," Iraqi radio warned. An Iraqi newspaper forecast "a thunderous storm blowing on the Arab desert." During the battle for Khafji, an- other battle raged 40 miles to the west, near the Kuwaiti town of al- Wafra, where Saudi troops and U.S. airplanes exchanged fire with Iraqi positions. U.S. Marines reported ev- idence of five or six Iraqi divisions massing near there. See GULF, Page 8 KhatjI, the scene of the most intense ground fighting so far. City hospitals prepare for war by Sona Iyengar The war in the Gulf is taking place half way around the world, but casualties may reach Uni- versity and Ann Arbor hospitals soon after ground combat begins. The Ann Arbor Veterans Ad- ministration Medical Center is prepared to receive 61 casualties shortly after ground troops en- gage. This event marks a turning point in Veterans Administration "istory; previously the Depart- ment of Defense treated all war casualties unaided. The medical center, one of three VA hospitals in Michigan, is also prepared to free up 141 of its more than 200 beds within 30 days, according to a VA/Department of Defense (DOD) Contingency Plan. Under the plan - which President Bush has yet to sign into effect - VA hospitals around the country are commit- ted to provide 25,000 beds within a one-month period. The Ann Arbor VA Hospital has been designated one of 80 primary hospitals and would re- ceive casualties directly from the battleground. The contin- gency plan divides all VA Med- ical Centers into primary hospi- tals, secondary hospitals and in- stallation support centers. The casualties brought to the VA hospital will be stabilized patients needing long-term care. Military facilities in the Gulf will treat emergency cases until the patient becomes stable enough to travel, said VA Hospi- tal Public Affairs Officer Cyn- thia Lees said. As beds are freed, veterans receiving care may be relocated. Veterans who previously injured themselves in active duty will receive priority over incoming war casualties. "Anything on an emergency basis will be taken care of," Lees said. See HOSPITALS, page 2 EMU regents *vote to drop logo b Melissa Peerless Daily Higher Education Reporter The regents of Eastern Michi- gan University voted 6-0 to accept a proposal by University president William Shelton to officially drop the 61-year-old Huron Indian nick- name and logo. Wednesday's decision came af- ter years of debate and discussion over whether or not the symbol, representing an Indian in a feath- ered, headdress, was offensive to Native Americans. In October 1988, the Michigan Civil Rights Commission (MCRC) issued a report which found that more than 100 Michigan colleges, high schools, and primary schools had team names and logos named after American Indian tribes. "The MCRC in October 1988 asked all universities and high schools to change Native Ameri- can symbols and logos. At EMU, we established a committee com- prised of faculty, students, and alumni to look into the prospect of 0do~ing so" said1 Kathv Tinnell.as House proposes new deficit plan by Bethany Robertson Daily Staff Reporter Higher education would receive some cuts from a budget proposal laid down by the Michigan House Democrats yesterday as they played their first card in state budget negoti- ations to reduce a $1.37 billion deficit. The Democrats submitted their plan to State Budget Director Patti Woodworth as an alternative to Republican Gov. John Engler's sec- ond round of proposed cuts, which were vetoed by the House Appropriations Committee in January. The University received a $2.47 million cut in the first round of budget cuts last December. The original draft of the gover- nor's second plan did not propose any higher education funding cuts, but called for large cuts in state ser- vices and the layoff of about 3,400 state employees. The House plan targets cuts for each House sub- committee, including education, but would only cause about 500 layoffs. "We are spreading the cuts out into more areas, being selective rather than advocating wholesale cuts and eliminations," said Speaker of the House Lewis Dodak (D-Birch Run). Senator John Schwarz (D-Battle Schwarz said. But Stephen Serkaian, press sec- retary for Speaker Dodak, said he did not expect education to sustain large cuts under the Democratic proposal. "I suspect education's going to come out pretty well; no one wants to harm it," he said. One definite Democrat proposal would stop funding for higher educa- tion during the months of July through September. This plan would cause payment of $90.8 million to Michigan universities to be delayed one quarter until Oct. 1, 1991, the beginning of the state's fiscal year. We are spreading the cuts out into more areas, being selective rather than advocating wholesale cuts and eliminations' --Lewis Dodak Speaker of the House "They're really not cutting money, they're just slowing down the payment stream and eventually Say 'Ahhhhhhh' Sixth grader Steve Nowak gets a natural history lesson from LSA sophomore Jennifer Feeny, who wields a fossilized Tyrannosaurus Rex incisor in the Natural Science Museum. WING survey reflects little diversity coverage by Purvi Shah ttTL.......f,. .... .,.._.... :. . aL...a .,... ..