Page 4--The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, February 5, 1991
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Edited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
ANDREW GOTTESMAN
Editor in Chief
STEPHEN HENDERSON
DANIEL POUX
Opinion Editors
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.
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Misguided priorities
Gulf war and defense spending take their toll on Ann Arbor
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ough estimates of the Gulf war's costs mount
Adaily - the latest Congressional Budget Of-
fice report places the price tag for Operation Desert
Storm at $100 billion - few Americans have any
sense of what such vast numbers mean. Most
people understand that this war is exacerbating
both the recession and the country's mounting
social crises, but the links between the war abroad
and the war at home are
frequently too abstract . araer
to raise public concern.
Consequently, mil-
lions of Americans
whose lives and com-
*munities are directly af-
fected by this war re-
main aloof from the E
anti-war movements
growing around them.
-If those movements hope to continue growing,
they must now begin to make the concrete connec-
tions that will bring these millions into their ranks.
For the community here, forging these links
involves explaining how the war being waged at
home extends to Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is not
enough to insist that Bush's war translates into
-domestic spending cuts and a deterioration of his
Vaunted "American way of life." The anti-war
movementhere must demonstrate specifically how
these misguided fiscal priorities hurt the Ann Ar-
bor community.
The specifics regarding Ann Arbor underscore
the deadliness of Bush's spending priorities and
budget bombs. Currently, the war is costing Ann
Arbor $424,000 a day. More than 50 cents of every
Ann Arbor tax dollar winds up in the Pentagon's
coffers. Meanwhile, less than three cents on the
same dollar goes toward education, less than two
gents subsidizes housing, and only .6 cents funds
Empl
environmental programs.
Ending this reckless war - and subsequently
cutting defense spending and restoring the peace
dividend - would allow for huge transformations
in these skewed priorities. The moneyAnnArborites
fork over for Stealth Bomber and Star Wars pro-
grams could fund 1,340 local Head Start slots for
preschoolers and job training for 1,330 teens and
adults. The Ann Arbor
tax dollars saved by a
50 percent reduction in
5| MflhlI~My::5I : U.S. forces in Europe
Health Car. 1o could pay for3,535 units
Education 2.80 of rehabilitated afford-
Housing 1.6¢ able housing here.
Environment .6 Bush's war threatens
loyment Programs .4¢ any possibility that such
federal spending priori-
ties will be reversed.
Fighting the war abroad must include fighting for
affordable housing, decent education, and good
jobs here at home.
Interested students should take advantage of
the resources available through the Common
Agenda Coalition, a national grouping of thou-
sands of peace, civil rights, labor and environmen-
tal groups devoted to exploring the costs of mili-
tary spending on U.S. communities.
Today, more than 200 branches of the Coalition
will hold press conferences and informational ses-
sions around the country about the effects of the
war on domestic spending. The Ann Arbor branch
will hold its conference at noon at the Center for
Independent Living in the Georgetown Mall. At-
tend, and help forge a future for this city and this
country that recognizes that our best defense in-
volves developing our most precious resource: the
American people.
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GEO negotiations
Bring them home now
To the Daily:
Ever since George Bush rashly
stationed troops in the Persian
Gulf months ago, he has at-
tempted to define our objectives.
Oddly, it went from defending
Saudi Arabia to protecting our oil
interests to saving American jobs
to protecting the "free world and
protect(ing) the quality of living
for us and our future generation
("Protesters should stand behind
troops," 1/30,V91)."
Now, suddenly, we are
fighting good vs. evil, right vs.
wrong. What's next? Protecting
our existence in the universe? If
only George were so eloquent
when talking about the environ-
ment, medical issues, the
economy, child care, and so on.
But then again, we know what is
said about talk.
The upper levels of our
government cannot clearly
formulate any one reason for our
beloved Operation Desert Storm
without waffling over it within a
matter of weeks or days. And to
even attempt to describe this as a
moral or just war is sickening.
The really just thing to do before
more American and Iraqi lives are
lost is to stop the war by declaring
a cease fire. George Bush, read
our lips: We don't want your
bloody war! The only real way to
support our troops is by bringing
them home - now.
Thomas Renau
Rackharn graduate student
War not black & white
To the Daily:
The war with Iraq is not, as
President Bush would like us to
believe, a black and white issue. It
is a gray one, begging us to ask
many questions. As students it is
our responsibility to ask these
questions - questions about
events leading up to the war,
questions about events happening
during the war itself, and ques-
tions about the possible conse-
quences of the war.
As we seek answers to these
questions, we must use all-of the
resources at our disposal to get as
many of the facts as we can. In
doing this we must listen to
people representing as many
different opinions about this crisis
as possible.
However, as we investigate
these sources, we must realize
that they are presenting us with
this information for their benefit
and not ours. We must separate
the reality from the rhetoric and
the fact from the fiction. We must
remember that this war is a very
complex issue, and that groups on
opposing sides of the issue may
have ideas or beliefs that are
worthy of support.
We must realize that it is not
un-American to question the
actions of our government. In fact
it is un-American not to. Our
government is based on the ideal
that the government is of the
people and by the people. We the
people should remember thisand
make sure that our "representa-
tive" in government also remem-
ber.
As educated people it is
important that we form educated
opinions on issues as important,
and as complex, as war. It is
important that we not get carried
away by the rhetoric of any one
group, but rather that we listen to
and consider the ideas of many
different groups.'
Kevin Culligan
Engineering senior
Hussein is like Hitler
To the Daily:
Everybody hates war. But, it
should be clear by now that we
cannot reverse the decision to
fight Saddam Hussein. His recent
strikes against the civilians of
Israel, whose government has
made every effort to stay
uninvolved, tell us that this man
will and can do anything.
This move shows clearly what
Hussein really wants: to be
remembered as a great and
fearless warrior. Had the United
States not intervened, he would
have continued to attack his
neighbors until Israel alone
remained, only then to send his
ultimatum to the world. As the
futile attempts of negotiation
showed, Hussein does not respect
international opinion and will
communicate only with bullets.
There is little that distin-
guishes Hussein's actions from
Hitler's. Most Americans would
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agree that Hitler had to be
stopped. Pacifism and non
e may work against people
of reason and human compassion;
unfortunately, Hussein seems to
possess little of these attributes,
so one must feed him the message
on his own terms - using brute
force.
Considering Hussein's
military might, the United States
is unfortunately one of the few
world powers today that has the
capability to do so.
To the anti-war activists: you
are right - war is dirty, ugly, and
involves the killing of humant
beings, military and civilians
alike. For this reason, most people
would agree that war is not
desirable.
Sadly, however, war is also
sometimes the lesser of several
evils. I am certain that this is the
case now. I find self-contradiction ;
in the ant-war movement's claim
to support the soldiers and not the
war.
Soldiers are defined by their
actions, just like other people.
They are in the Gulf on a mission,
and their lives are endangered by
hampered support.
Protesting this war is naive,
like protesting regular crime; it
serves no purpose other than to
display moral qualms. If saving
lives is so important, why don't
the protesters start right here in
Michigan by supporting the
crime-fighting forces that have to-
deal with one of the highest
slaying frequencies in the world. ,
Krstofer G. Skaug
Engineering senior
Undergrads should support TAs
hough the University relies heavily on teach-
ing assistants, the administration is - as usual
- unwilling to pay these graduate students fairly
for their services. Most TAs are overworked and
underpaid, and have no choice but to sacrifice their
students. Until the University decides that it cares
enough about undergraduate students to invest in
theirteachers, itis the administration- rather than
the TAs themselves - which deserves students'
anger and scorn.
As the TAs' union - the Graduate Employees
Organization (GEO) -continues negotiations to
-renew its two-year contract, undergraduates should
rally in their support and recognize that it is the
University's responsibility to initiate reform rather
than to continue to exploit a cheap source of labor.
GEO has entered negotiations calling for four
major reforms: a 25-student limit in discussion
sections, modest pay increases, child care benefits
and open negotiations. Pay increases and lighter
work loads would allow graduate teaching assis-
'tants to spend more time with students. TAs are
overworked and cannot be expected to cram 35-40
students into discussion sections and maintain
in their push for reform
high teaching standards.
Currently, TAs are paid on a weekly basis and
not reimbursed for overtime. The University has
specifically encouraged TAs not to work beyond
their allotted paid hours; they would rather have
TAs neglect their teaching responsibilities than
pay them for the work they are willing to do.
The GEO negotiators are also asking for pay
increases and a cost-of-living adjustmentthat would
compensate for rising inflation rates - a particu-
larly important demand as the country heads into a
deepening recession.
To ensure GEO negotiators properly represent
their constituency, the union has called for open
negotiations. The administration - perhaps em-
barrassed by its callous spending priorities -has
refused.
,Students should support GEO's call for open
negotiations so that they might see for themselves
what little concern the administration has for its
educators. More important, they should actively
support GEO itself, so that students have a say in
one of the most important aspects of their under-
graduate education - their teachers.
The Daily encourages
responses from its readers.
Letters should be 150 words
or less and include the
author's name, year in
school and phone number.
They can be mailed or
delivered to The Michigan
Daily, 420 Maynard, Ann
Arbor 48109 or they can be
sent via MTS to "The Michi-
gan Daily Letters to the
Editor." The Daily reserves
the right to edit letters for
style and space.
b
4
S.
COLLEGETer
ROUNDUP Teaching or research?
.Teaching, research. Research, teaching.;
What should the goals of an institution of higher
learning be? Where will the emphasis be? Who will
suffer?
OSU President E. Gordon Gee has made a priority of;
seeing that Ohio State excels in all areas. He said his
administration will strive to see the school excels in the
areas of teaching, service and research. In his address to
the University Senate, he outlined several goals, one of
which was to improve undergraduate education.
He said it is necessary to change the attitudes of
professors regarding the importance of teaching.
The visionary in Gee says excellence in both areas
can be achieved, but we don't agree. We have not as yet
seen any substantive proof that the balance can be
reached. We think the cliche, jack of all trades, master
:of none, applies in this discussion.
This university certainly has the potential to excel.
In order to do so, however, it must focus on one area. As
'it stands, the area most doted on is research. As Gee
points out, it is easily quantified, in the form of articles
and books published and grants awarded.
How can we change the emphasis? Gee says there
are systems of quantification and reward, although none
is in place here. He has made it a goal to make education
an important, exciting, and tenure-earning part of the
university structure.
However, we recognize that it could be a tricky and
lengthy process to change attitudes of professors. Our
generation certainly will not benefit from the meta-
morphoses.
And so we question the ability and dedication of the
new administration to fix what, in the words of Gee, is
out of whack at Ohio State.
. Gee has said on many occasions, that for this univer-
sity to excel, it must focus its resources. He has also said
this focusing involves both winners and losers.
We think the winners should be the students and the
losers should be the publishing companies.
Jan. 28, 1991
Ohio State Lantern
The Ohio State University
Gulf coverage is a 'media circus'
by Aimee E. Devlin-RueIle
It's been less than a month
since the Persian Gulf War began
and the popular mainstream
media of this country has been
playing every minute of it to the
hilt. Looking back to the first
night of the war, you may recall
the reports of three journalists
from a hotel room in Baghdad.
The three correspondents, who
supposedly were going to
disseminate the facts from the
rumors for a viewing public,
instead chose to engage them-
selves in self-congratulatory
banter. While discussing how
much the bombs bursting over-
head reminded them of the Fourth
of July, they metaphorically
patted themselves on the back and
congratulated each other on their
stirring displays of bravado.
At the beginning of this war,
media coverage was constant,
incessant, and quite frankly
it looked more and more as if this
was not going to be the quick
operation the government had
hoped for. We were in it for the
long haul.
In anticipation of a longer
war, the networks have jumped at
the chance to produce a slick
Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell has
become a darling of the media set;
and is more than happy to provide
colorful charts and enchanting
sound bite answers. And, of
course, President Bush has gotten
in on the act, with his snappy
catch phrases like "new world
The American government has been more
than happy to provide the media with news
and information on the war - served up
Pentagon style.
Nuts and Bolts
M 1
by Judd Winick
SNA AACODE,
SGenDDA M ID !!
media package in order to woo
viewers to their coverage. The
news is no longer the news. No,
now it has a flashy title like
"America at War," "The War in
the Gulf," or "Persian Gulf i
Update." In fact, there is even
catchy war theme music (not
available in stores).
From CBS's intense battle
order," "darndest search and
destroy mission," and the ever
popular "this will not be a long
and protracted war." These from
the same man who immortalized
the words "read my lips.. ."
The popular media of this
country seems to be having a field
day with their coverage of this
war. From the slick Pentagon
I,
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