Page 4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 1, 1991 GSbe Sirbigau &idy EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 Viewpoint NOAH FINKEL Editor in Chief DAVID SCHWARTZ Opinion Editor Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. l Gentrification .P - n oattemp t fiihw adt .~~ --- ~~ ~ 0 Mayor, city council place ON DEC. 3, THE CITY OF ANN Arbor bulldozed a house on Ashley St. that served as a home for individuals and families who otherwise would have been homeless. On Jan. 10, the Washtenaw County Circuit Court effectively barred a formerly homeless woman from appealing her eviction from a house at 116 W. William by demanding that she pay costs that amounted to three times what she earns every month. This spring - with these two houses and their inhabitants comfort- ably out of the way - the city of Ann Arbor will begin constructing a $9 million parking structure on the empty lots. Though Ann Arbor's gentrification campaign torevive downtown Ann Arbor has a long and sordid history, the current twists of Mayor Jernigan's regime have managed to outdo almost all of the city's previous efforts. Though Ann Arbor has long placed profits before people, its Downtown Development Authority's (DDA) de- cision to build another parking struc- ture rather than low-income housing clearly demonstrates that the city is more concerned with Ann Arbor's merchants and bankers than most of its citizens - and especially its poor and estimated 1,500 homeless people. After spending $26 million in !ax revenue on parking structures, new downtown lights, and valet parking for customers at Jacobson's, the city's DDA still has a16 percent office va- cancy rate. Nonetheless, confronted in recent months by the cancellation of three development projects, the DDA has decided to welcome the current re- cession by spending the last of its pre- cious revenues on a parking structure rather than the people most hurt by the profits before people recession. Though the city has not spent one dime on low-income housing since the mid-1970s, it is willing to spend 90 million dimes on a parking structure that the city does not need. Locally as well as nationally, what the "American way of life" means for America's poor is that they can either face lethal bombs in the Gulf or deadly budget bombs at home. They can swal- low a lot of palaver about "dying for their country" or they can listen to this city's mayor openly side with the rich who benefit from this war rather than the poor who must fight it. Both on- slaughts make a mockery of the democracy which supposedly guaran- tees equality and justice for all of its citizens. Even as University students mobi- lize against the war in the Gulf, they cannot forget to oppose the war being waged at home against this nation's poor. Even as students with widely disparate opinions on the Gulf war claim to support the troops, they must not cease fighting to assure that all of 'those soldiers have genuine economic prospects - not to mention a place to live - when they return home. In this context, students are encour- aged to broaden their anti-war efforts by attending the Homeless Action Committee's (HAC) 2 p.m. protest tomorrow at the house on116 W. William, where illegal eviction pro- ceedings are underway. With a mayor and a city council that have consistently demonstrated a flagrant lack of concern for the homeless, Ann Arbor citizens have no recourse but to fight the war at home in the same way they are fighting the war abroad. 0 Don't let Vietnam history Hear the roar Moscow must not turn deaf ear to Baltic pleas ON A NORMAL DAY, THE SOUND would have been heard around the world. But this was not a normal day. The world was preoccupied with more pressing matters - war in the Persian Gulf, Scud missiles, and the possibility of Israeli retaliation. The din of these other events obscured the roar of Soviet tanks and paratroopers rolling into the Baltic republic of Lithuania. The Soviet government's move was the culmination of a retreat from glas- nest that first became evident last fall. This return to Stalin-like tactics was foreshadowed by last September's postponement of the 500-day market reform plan by Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and Russian Pre- mier Boris Yeltsin, and by two omi- nous recent events in the Soviet bu- reaucracy: the resignation of Gor- bachev's foreign minister Eduard She- vardnadze, and the appointment of several hard-line Communist bureau- crats to high-echelon positions in the Soviet government. But even with this dramatic about- face from the ideals of glasnost, the bloody scene in the Lithuanian capital could not have been predicted. The tanks rolled into Vilnius and comman- deered the parliament building, along with the television and radio stations, leaving resistant Lithuanians lying bloodied in the streets. And while the one remaining radio outlet broadcast news of the conflict and desperate pleas for support, the Kremlin-controlled t, ,.. . . . -:_ . _,a ., + T - In fact, the move raised doubts about just who holds power in the Kremlin. Gorbachev, in his six years in office, projected an image that is in- consistent with such repression. It is possible that he acted in this manner to appease the hard-line Communists or that the army acted on its own, but neither option paints the picture of a leader who is in control. And if Gor- bachev is not in control then the bene- fits of his efforts, including glasnost, perestroika, and the thawed relations with the West, are in peril. Further, the response from Western governments, especially the United States, has been unfortunately weak. As Bush continues to pursue a war about "democracy" and "the American way of life," he ignores the blatant human rights violations of the Soviet Union. If the U.S. government expects the public to believe we are at war to protect Kuwait's sovereignty, it must show that it cares about self-determi- nation elsewhere. This week, the Soviet troops began to move out of the Baltic republics. This move is encouraging, but it is not enough. The Soviet Union should ca- pitulate to the will of the people. The drive for Baltic independence has been extremely active since the sweeping changes of 1989 and 1990 in Eastern Europe, but it has survived since Hitler and Stalin carved up the region on the eve of World War II. The leaders of the movements are not per- fant .hsm _vac hnvac.a Qma of To the Daily: Regrettably, many Americans do not learn from their past mistakes or the mis- takes of others. History certainly has a habit of repeating itself and there are those of us who apparently have not studied any history. The history I am talking about is the anti-war protests of the 1960s and early 1970s. The anti-war demonstrations being held all across the country are not unlike those of the Vietnam era. Millions of protesters marched in the streets carrying signs and shouting anti-war chants to anyone who would listen. Unfortunately, the media tends to cover such events and eventually the soldiers risking their lives see these demonstrations. I am not a student who favors war or finds any honor in it. I am not happy that anyone is dying and wish that this war will come to a close soon. I do believe, however, in peace through strength. For only in strength will peace remain stable. If you are someone who is extremely against this war, the best way to express your discontent ishto write to theproper government officials and express it di- rectly. Anti-war demonstrations in public places, though legal and rightfully so, are extremely detrimental to the morale of the men and women of our armed forces. Don't give in to the temptation to demonstrate publicly against this war. That is the mistake some Americans made in the past. History tends to repeat itself; let's prove that wrong this time. Patrick Morrissey LSA senior S.O.S. cannot be considered 'neutral' To the Daily: The student group Support Our Sol- diers (S.O.S.) claims to be neutral toward the war in the Middle East. Members have asserted that the organization takes no stand on whether U.S. military interven- tion in the gulf is right or wrong, and that they are only interested in "supporting the troops." S.O.S. condemned the destruction of the anti-war mural, but earlier in the week these same individuals attempted to disrupt a peace rally, chanting loudly during the speeches. They were not only chanting "Support the troops," but also "Hussein must be stopped," and other pro-war slo- gans. A truly neutral group would not work to disrupt or upstage the actions of groups like SAUSI who have taken a stand againstAthe war. Since then, S.O.S. has reorganized and decided to maintain a public stance of neutrality, but the group was formed by the same people who set themselves against the peace activists and tried to upset their activities. S.O.S. invalidates any type of support for the troops that is different from their own. Many of the people involved in the anti-war movement have family and friends serving in the Middle East, and they believe that the best way they can support their loved ones is to work for peace. In the Jan. 26 march on Washington, there was a large section of protesters with behavior and statements of this group show that they support the use of military force in the gulf, and can't be considered "neutral" on the issue. They are interested in supporting the troops in only one way, by demonstrating support for the official U.S. policy that has placed our men and women in danger. Amanda Rogers Second-year Rackham graduate student Daily again fails in interpreting opinion To the Daily: The Daily has again misinterpreted the opinions posed by students interviewed for an article ("War causes fear, tension among Arab students" (1/23/'91) - includ- ing myself. Quoting portions of these interviews and deliberately (or undeliberately) neglect- ing other portions related to the subject matter, thus presenting a single-sided opinion for the readers. In an interview conducted over the phone, I was asked for my opinion about Saddam Hussein and about my feelings concerning the situation in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf. I replied that Saddam's occupation of Kuwait was wrong and that I condemned this occupa- tion. I also added that I am against this de- structive war since it annoys me to hear about Iraqi innocent civilians being dug out of the rubble or baby food factories be- ing attacked and shattered into pieces. Up to this point, all quotes were accurate but not complete since the Daily failed to in- clude that portion of the interview that dealt with my opposition to the U.S. mil- itary intervention in the Middle East. As an Arab, and most importantly, as a Palestinian living in Jordan, it is impor- tant for me to clarify both sides of my opinion. I am opposed to the U.S. mili- tary intervention in the Middle East since this conflict is an Arab conflict and should be dealt with among the Arab countries. I am also opposed to the occupation of Kuwait since it is as wrong and illegiti- Harold Hilborn LSA junior Why so much hot air from students? repeat itself mate as, for example, the occupation of the west bank by Israel since 1967! My request to the Daily editors is to try as much as possible not to abuse the journalistic freedom in future interviews - I have lived in this country long enough to realize that it is very difficult for the media to do so - and to be sensi- tive to the various points of view ex- pressed by students, irrespective of their color, race, or national origin. Fadi Alkhairi Rackham graduate student Daily opinion staff should enlist in Army To the Daily: How many Yes...how many? University of Michigan students I wonder why we does it take cannot- to change a lightbulb? I do not know. One hundred. I do not think that there is an answer. One to change the bulb, Why are so few willing to act ninety-nine to protest. While so many blow hot air? To the Daily: If the opinion page staff feels that the Gulf war is so unjust to the poor, perhaps they should do their part to mitigate this injustice by enlisting in the armed forces. Put your money where your mouth is. S 0 j. Kevin P. Hogan LSA junior ift, fI f llY AObV g7- r 05KAN,6 I ~4~few~ N 1 on I