Page 4- The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 8,1991 abl £ibrgau izI 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. r..,. "rl'E"'Y::: .:".. ^ t r::..............:{........}r":.........;{{...:..."""::""..r..;{"r..:{::;.."..;:";::.".r." v. : : :::: $" -t~}F"4}."rr:y: ".,'~{ n}:vr:,.{.~r{}'' . r{. .:. {,r ;}:,v." .vr "S ix1 +.}'. ;" .. r ::., . . : }" i .;.r ::v'1r::a' " r+r:{ ..:"::"{:}{{ "=':::te::{^:}r::* { . . r.M' '" . ::"}y "%:* . , .r .{4"r {"r -'.v.."{;XS4: ::: ...... ..v::{{~}{:}: f.. r..r V .W .r'::}r . ." "{;r " SP v r. ; .}'r} ."vr+ ..vr'rS}:.r::r:i"i%':.:"}:}:s;:,:v:. . :: {ti:{rS'" ?+.4. riy !" }rr",.?y .:' ".};:yi '" ,." ",. ?. f. :. i4"' "" ":v:"".": -v:v. ' .6:: :: } ' {__ .Y 'L .: . 2:i . . t% :a :j $ "}: i {". :;:. ::y;. . . ..:: : :{ $r~ So u t h Af r i c a ,?i "r X ,:} " . Yr ". ". rr7" ..''}'r ',}..y {":::''v':"":=" ;":}"Y:: i:f:;'".rr : : Despite recent rfo ' 'y,rms .S ,;{} rrr .-$ sanctions should continue?) re"'r'"i"i""::?: r":::v:}?"$........%4:}:-} i ZNN 4 , r t I n what is being considered a dramatic move, South African President F.W. De Klerk called last week for the removal of the "cornerstones" of apartheid. De Klerk announced that legislation would soonbe introduced inthe SouthAfricanParliament to repeal several discriminatory laws including the Land Acts, the Group Areas Act and the Black Communities Act. In addition, President De Klerk mentioned the possible abolition of the Population Registration Act which classifies South Africans into four racial groups: Blacks, whites, people ofmixed color, and Asians. Though the reforms suggested by De Klerk are encouraging, and move South Africa one small step toward equality, President Bush should con- tinue to enforce economic sanctions, and not allow these actions to greatly affect U.S. policy. The anti-apartheid law enacted by Congress in 1986 calls for the lifting of sanctions when the South African government repeals rule by decree, legalizes political parties, repeals the Group Areas and Population Registration Acts, and enters into good faith negotiations with the Black majority. The law also permits the president to modify sanctions once three of these criteria have been met. The proposed reforms could possibly satisfy this stipulation, and Bush should be wary of taking any action at this point. South African law has deprived Blacks of their most basic civil rights for generations, and these surface changes hardly merit overzealous Ameri- can applause. The harsh reality for South Africa's Black ma- jority is one in which they are victims of a white minority willing to make minor constitutional changes, but stalling at any genuine reform. Blacks remain unable to vote, are denied the right to participate in the government and Pretoria also continues to hold many Blacks as political prisoners. It is unlikely that new laws will effectively elimi- nate the racial inequalities and hostilities which dominate South African society. If the laws alluded to last week are passed, Blacks would be permitted by law to live in white neighborhoods and to own land in previously designated white areas. But in reality, few Blacks would be able to afford such housing because of the economic and social barriers that still exist in the country. Thus, the laws would make little real progress toward a just society. U.S. sanctions have proved their effectiveness by eliciting the reforms requested by President De Klerk; clearly, he would not have made this move without them. But a change in U.S. policy now would send the wrong message to the SouthAfrican government, and more extensive reforms would perhaps never be instituted. In order to ensure the definitive end of apartheid - on the books, and in practice - the United States must hold strong in its position, and keep sanctions on. A Hollywood revisited Bush's inflated speech demonstrates sorry state of the Union Draft edit was too controversial To the Daily: As a student at the University of South Florida and a worried American who sees the war in the Gulf as a travesty, I feel com- pelled to inform the Daily that its editorial supporting the reinstate- ment of the draft is idealistic foolishness on a grandiose scale. As I contemplate the words I wish I could say - but fail to be able to issue forth - I can only think of the lives already lost in this horrible conflict. I wonder if the Daily realizes how its editorial can serve as fuel for the pro-draft fire that has, until now, remained on the back burner. Are any of the Daily staff willing to give their lives, should they be drafted in this terrible war? Has the Daily staff given any thought to how that editorial may affect the lives of thousands of classmates and friends? I, for one, wish the Daily had left this stone unturned and hope that the Daily staff thinks twice before writing another controver- sial editorial. Joseph Prager senior, University of South Florida Daily improves To the Daily: I would like to commend the Daily for the improvements in its opinion page during the past year. The Daily's analysis of the Gulf crisis has been excellent. Editorials have been thoughtful, well researched, and compelling to read. Columns and letters have been pleasantly diverse, providing a spectrum of opinions from a spectrum of perspectives. While Ted Koppel, The New York Times, and the rest of the establishment media have confirmed that they are little more than the government's "Ministry of Information," the Daily's breadth of information and ideas has provided an important alternative. Taylor Lincoln LSA senior To the Daily: I was deeply troubled when I read in the Daily that a group of students had torn down an anti- war piece that had been set up on the Diag. I was not upset because I am an anti-war activist. I'm mad because people are starting to use the war as an excuse to trample free speech rights. The First Amendment was written to protect citizens from the tyranny of the majority. Every view, no matter how unsavory, unsettling or ludicrous can be expressed without reservation thanks to the foresight of the Constitution's authors. The world is far from perfect and the govern- ment often oversteps its boundaries. Times of distress seem to have a polariz- ing effect on this country. Calls are made to silence those critical of the 9 status quo for various reasons. They are divisive. The The anti-war M list goes on, and unidentified van( the government well as the Sup acts on the destroyed two w imposing sedition laws, and emergency censorship. It.is this ignorance and intolerance that has no place in a major university community. The destruction of the anti-war Memorial Wall only shows how weak and feeble the resolve of the "pro-war" effort has become, fearful of all who question their beliefs, and bent on squashing that dissent. Justin Walcott Engineering senior 4-, : Listen to dissenting opinions 01 President Bush's State of the Union address last Tuesday - in the tried and true manner of Bush's Hollywood predecessor - said little and offered less at a time when the country confronts the triple crises of a costly war, an equally costly savings and loans bailout, and what could be the worst economic slump since the 1930s. These three crises are connected in countless ways; Bush's speech missed all of them. The Gulf war was a god- send for a president who admits openly that he neitherunderstands nor cares for domestic , policy as much as for- eign policy. Since Au- gust, Bush's procla- mations about defend- ing"theAmerican way of life" in the Saudi sands effectively bur- ied news of the eco- nomic crises at home which are increasingly tearing our country Bush apart. Consequently, this year's State of the Union address was primarily about beating the war drums and rallying around the flag. Bush's precious few paragraphs on domestic policy combined rhetori- cal shibboleths and outright lies - in the time- honored tradition of Reagan and Bush's own previous addresses. Last year, Bush made prom- ises involving more money and imagination for education, the homeless, anti-drug policies, and the environment. He delivered on none of them. This year's assembled crowd cheered duti- fully as Bush called for a "budget that promotes America's future - in children, education, in- frastructure, space and high technology." This provided a good soundbite for the newscasts, but bore almost no correlation to the economic realities of Bush's proposed 1992 budget, which slashes most of these programs. Under the five-year budget deal Bush rail- roaded through Congress last fall, funding for education will barely keep pace with inflation. The already limited money forhousing programs will be cut even further. And money for AIDS research is being eliminated altogether- even as Bush proposes hefty increases in money for Star Wars research. Not surprisingly, Bush's stunning callous- ness toward this country's poor was outdone only by his astounding ignorance of the deep- ening recession. Though he insisted bravely that "we will get this recession behind us and return to growth soon," Bush offered no programs or policies that might help accomplish this task. In fact, as the second half of his term gets underway, it is becoming clear that Bush offers nothing at all beyond the phrase-mongering he passes off as domestic policy. emorial Wall lies demolished by idals on the Diag. This display, as pport Our Soldiers" shanty, was veeks ago. groundswell, Personal Librarians serves community To the Daily: It is necessary to correct a misapprehension regarding the Personal Librarians service which was expressed in a letter to the Daily ("Is 'U' ethical?" 2/6/91). Personal Librarians is a group of professional librarians that searches databases for members of the University community: faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates. Although the letter in question raised questions about the nature of our enterprise, the services that Personal Librarians provides are similar to the advice given patrons in the University library system by reference librarians. How we differ is that we provide a personal approach to the compila- tion of research bibliographies. By providing this service, we contribute our skills to the University in a manner which strengthens the scholarship performed here. Robert Savage President, Personal Librarians t* a . J 1115+. Y.LY:f.Yf.Yr:.1".Vf: 1r::.Vr.": t."."::: X:: Y::.".'.".". " ::JN:::tr ."trr: r.Vr.V:.V:.V .Vr.Y: r: r: r:. ~. d 1 f.V :"::.Vr.V:.1V.V:.V:.V::.Vr. rr:.1Y:.V:.':.V: rr: f::r:: :'.V ............................................... v..............Y:. Vf.S'f: rf:.}': :rVr.S}" "f, ".:rr.}'r.11'.1": .SY:.1:{"Yr"{ "{ f rY ".':::...... r ...................... ..... .t: r'.1'r.S' :Yr:.i':: :'.S"""""""""""""""":. ::f.V:.Vtr:rr:r::.1".5':::}:::.V}:' :'::r;;f::1":. ....... r.:r.YrSY: A:.1r{::.rY:::.V. """r"""""""""""""Y"": """"rr '.tit}:{'::':': {'} ':{ ::'}: }:':{.:'i }} }: }} :"::':':":"}: Ji i }:{:":"}:":ti' {;: r..... rr..... r.Yr::.SY.S rr:.:':.Vr. ""'"'r"': r.V:::r.:Vt.. ""1f" 1S":1Y.Yr.V:r::r::.V::: "1Y:'}rrrrrY :V:: f: rr. :S"::":.VrYr": r. :"r 1"t trr:rllS". :. : :.1.'t .5": r::r .... t..:.1""1 :.1 ........1'.: r..V. }i:}}t}: is{::.1.1"r .S"r.1".V}1. {, sr. :."::::1.C" Vr."r ....:.. .: .:% . { S{....:>:"}}...... ti ....:": }}:4::x:4::::%:": Y}v tiff: ------ rY: ""Yr.----- : r ".:: r:::.1": J.1{".V:".{'.".VN::"::r.'.{r....i}::{":: :"}:S':V ": :":":"}:{{ '"fY. "J' {:J ".Y .1 ................. r..... r.. r". r. ..1.SY.1':..Y: r:::.S":.1" ": 'rrSV.Yf.V."i {.: 1 S :{{ }r. 1 }:{':1":.Y::.V.S"::: r: rr::::::: r 11"r.V:.Yr N: '::: r::: r'."rrr:." :"r ........................1:':":": r........... }:{ .1 .. n........... n... " 1{1%}:":"; }}:r. ia"}:ti":":":":"::":":"}}:":{": Yrr::.Y.V:.YAV:.Y.SY.V:.V:. :::: r:.1":.".11115"r: """"""r .................................. ."" ""t}: '' err=::.:":":":}:: t:::":"::: }e:"................... w 1Y: rr::: rrrrr. " " " ": r :11S1Yrr: rr rSYr "5 1 r. : " " " " " " .."....., ...1i....:.. t, .,:::ti},,.., ..t, ., .{,.x;.... ;..':s u,,..o....Y.,,,a...a,.: >..:k::: :n., .,, ..,: :::.., .., ....., .., _ :s::..,,,,.t...a.....y., :.t ...1.u'r:;: ,...:...::...1.,,. f....z....:,....,, ...r.Yr:"s ..1 } ' v' 11r 1}"": . r.' .ti"" '1 r.}" i r. r . r r "':j{"::Y-}'}'y'.:':.:;:}r;:: :"Y'Yrro " "..,. rr.: "::.:¢.::.;......:...':". :[%:i:i::;:'r::.....v ... .. ... Give them bread... and roses too 0 COLLEGE ROUNDUP Rally for Since the Gulf war began, members of the Columbia University community have wasted no time in demon- strating both for and against the conflict. Protests and demonstrations by their very nature become more effec- tive as they increase in size. However, the anti-warrallies have been diminishing in size lately. As various groups have jumped on the soapbox with their individual causes, the rallies have lost any purpose for people who are still tentative about their position and trying to make a decision based on their protest experience. Cries against U.S. intervention in Nicaragua and El Salvador, against fur coats, and against the management of the New York Daily News should have no part in the rallies against the war in the Persian Gulf. These dem- onstrations are not the time or the place for militant recommendations that the "corrupt, imperialistic" U.S. government be overthrown. focus Adding peripheral issues to the protest agenda di- lutes the original intent of the rallies and diffuses the common outrage which many in the Columbia com- munity feel towards the war. It also alienates the many people who are still undecided in their feelings. In so doing, the anti-war protestors are losing their power to effect change. We need peaceful, focused, organized rallies at Columbia to provide outlets. for those who want to express their feelings toward the war and bring about change. Information sessions and teach-ins are a nec- essary supplement to the rallies. The Persian Gulf war isnotasimple issue. "No blood foroil" should not be the only rallying cry; everyone must be aware of the com- plexities in order to more knowledgeably reach their own stance.. Jan. 23,1991, Columbia Daily Spectator. Columbia University Seventy-nine years ago this winter, 10,000 men and women in Lawrence, Mass., received pay checks from the American Woolen Company further reducing their average wage of $8.76 a week. Un- able to feed their fami- lies and af- - flicted by mill condi- tions that killed36out Mike ofevery100 workers, Fischer the weavers went on strike the next day. Until the 1950s, large strikes like the one in Lawrence were com- monplace throughout the United States. More than 4.5 million work- ers walked picket lines in 1946 alone. As late as 1952. there were tablished a democratic council of 50 weavers to make all important decisions. They organized soup kitchens to feed 50,000 people. Proudly and defiantly, they issued their demands: not just higher wages, but "bread and roses too" - meaning all those other things: education, affordable housing, and public works projects which, the IWW insisted, were part of a worker's rights. There are now 5 million home- less workers; 37 million have no health insurance. Precious few workers enjoy paid child care, pa- rental leave, affordable housing, efficient transportation or decent education. The IWW understood that unions had to fight for a broad, inclusiveagenda- that wages alone were not enough. Today's unions often don't even ask for wage in- creases. Once, unions routinely de- manded benefits for their commu- Lawrence declared martial law. People were forbidden to talk on the street; two strikers were shot and killed. When strikers tried to send their children out of town to stay with sympatheticfamilies, they were clubbed by the police. One pregnant woman was carried un- conscious to the hospital and gave birth there to a dead child. But the strikers persevered. Two months later, they won. Few strikestoday havethedrama of what becameknown as the Bread and Roses Strike. The cops still beat up strikers, as they did at Pittston in 1989. And the cops still murder them, too, as they did during the Greyhound strike last year. But management today generally ac- complishes the same ends through more "subtle" means - hiring permanent replacements, or threat- ening to move jobs abroad. Though the new boss is every bit as nasty as the old boss, most of today's unions are significantly 0 0 Nuts and Bolts IH WOUV< pfYU LJIE 1 t> NMS vp RIAr fATLLITTL-E GORE!' 50 .F.A.? By Judd Winick W HAT TODOEE W~ANT TO SEE