Page 4--The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 4, 1991
Wbe Airbijjpn Bailg
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Edited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
ANDREW K. GOTTESMAN
Editor in Chief
STEPHEN HENDERSON
DANIEL POUX
Opinion Editors
The $REAVCRACY
ftAll
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.
Paper dragon
Hash Bash shouldn't pretend to be a political statement
The smell of Hash Bash is in the air, the annual
event where hordes of people flock to the Diag
to suck down hits of marijuana, sending plumes of
narcotic smoke billowing over the heart of cam-
pus. Many of Hash Bash's defenders purport that
their actions are a political statement, and they are
exercising their right to smoke pot and push for the
legalization of marijuana. A
good deal ofUniversity students
- along with hundreds of non-
students - show up, take a few
hits, and then say they're doing*
it for the "cause."
Most students' reasons for
attending Hash Bash are less
grandiose than fighting the U.S.
government's war on drugs; the
average student just wants to
get high, and a Diag full of
generous pot-smokers makes
that fairly easy. Many students
think thatjoining this big group-
toke is stylish, or"cool." This is
somewhat reminiscent of high-
school peer pressure.
Other reasons for spending the Saturday on the
Diag stem from good-old American capitalism, as
student entrepreneurs drum out Hash Bash t-shirts
right and left - suspiciously proclaiming that all
profits are going to the "fight against hemp laws."
Other Hash Bashers want to consider them-
selves "rebels," fighting the system, and becoming
a protestor. They put themselves in the same cat-
egory as anti-war demonstrators, pro-choice advo-
cates in Washington marchers, and anti-nuclear
weapons marchers. However, this Saturday after-
noon "protest" is not advocating a worthwhile
cause. There are so many more issues that deserve
the time, effort, and money that are invested in
Hash Bash. The monies that are
collected during this event will
not be used to help the home-
less, not to feed the hungry, not
to fight crime. It will be
funnelled into the hemp-legal-
ization movement. This move-
ment is decades old and has not
gained any substantial momen-
tum in that time, and the cost-
effectiveness of any continued
efforts is doubtful at best.
People unfamiliar with Hash
Bash should set their Saturday
afternoon aside, and go out to
the Diag and see it for them-
selves. Students should look at
the scores of people lying around
on the Diag passing the weed as donations clink
into the tattered fundraising cans, and question
what their time and money could be better spent
on. Students who have already realized the stupidity
of this "political event" running under such con-
trived pretenses, will do the smart thing- and stay
home.
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Out of the rubble
Kuwaiti reconstruction must address people's needs, not Emir's
In the days leading up to the Gulf War, President
Bush and the Allies labelled Saddam Hussein's
military build-up as a betrayal of the Iraqi people.
Amidst the ruins of a destructive war with Iran,
Hussein's personal aspirations concentrated the
assets of the country on a military machine that
would realize his goals, not the goals of the Iraqi
people.
While these lectures on the evils of autocracy
and its effects on a country continue, President
Bush and his advisors would be wise to take a close
look at the rebuilding of Kuwait. The entire country.
has been razed, and the Kuwaiti citizens -without
the financial means to wait out the war in London,
Cairo or some resort city in Saudi Arabia, like their
leaders - are still suffering from a lack of neces-
sities.
Instead of addressing the basic needs of the
people, the Kuwaiti government has concentrated
its reconstruction efforts on the rebuilding of its
oppressive infrastructure, and the United States
has not only supported these efforts, but is the main
contributor to the reconstruction.
After fighting an alleged war for freedom and
democracy, the United States has betrayed the
Kuwaiti people and befriended the autocracy of
the Emir. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have
been the backbone of the rebuilding effort, follow-
ing the orders of their Kuwaiti hosts. Rebuilding of
Kuwaiti royal palace so that the Emir might have
a suitable place to live, while the Kuwaiti people
lack electricity shows the misplaced priorities of
the decision-makers in both Washington and Ku-
wait City .
While the United States should not use its
occupation to affect democratic reforms in Kuwait,
it should not support the singled-minded goals of
the Kuwaiti government, concerned only with re-
storing its luxuries.
If the Kuwaiti government refuses to acknowl-
edge such inequity and not allow the vast capa-
bilities of the American forces to reestablish basic
services across the country, then the United States
military and its engineers should leave. President
Bush can no longer banter on about the plight of
Kuwaiti people under Iraqi domination.
The Emir and his cronies are more concerned
with restoring the amenities of the Royal Palace
than bringing back common services forthe people.
If the Kuwaiti government refuses to refocus re-
building efforts, then the United States must with-
draw its support of the Kuwaiti government's
unbalanced plans.
Editors need to do
their homework
To the Daily:
The recent editorial (3/26/91)
titled "Unhealthy Profits" shows
that the editors neglected to
engage their brains before
opening their mouths.
There is no cigarette company
named Philip Morris. There is,
however, a food company named
Phillip Morris (Fortune magazine,
April 23, 1990). It sells breakfast
cereal, luncheon meats, baked
goods, beer, frozen foods, and
cigarettes (which accounted for
40 percent of sales in 1989).
These are all legal products,
and the company is profitable. In
1989, Philip Morris investors, like
the University of Michigan,
gained $0.69 for each $1.00
invested, and from 1979 to 1989,
investors' average annual gain
was 30 percent.
Since we all bemoan the lack
of money for student loans and
TA pay, why not maintain
investments that can help provide
those funds? Come on, editors,
think -and research your subject
- before you write!
Chad Nehrt
Doctoral candidate,
School of Business
Fliering spoiled
Hill Aud. concert
To the Daily:
On the evening of March 21,I
had the pleasure of attending the
concert at Hill Auditorium given
by the Israel Philharmonic. The
concert was very good by the
evening was marred by one event.
As I ascended the steps to Hill,
I was accosted by a woman
representing the Palestine Aid
Society (PAS) who thrust a flier
into my hands. The flier was
entitled "Enjoy The Concert,
But..." and it spoke of the
oppression that the Palestinians
have subjected to at the hands of
Israel.
While this type of propaganda
may be appropriate for protests on
the Diag, it is not appropriate at
Hill Auditorium. Even though the
PAS urged concert-goers to enjoy
the performance, its statement
was basically "Enjoy the concert
but" remember that these musi-
To the Daily:
Two articles on your April 2
front page ironically demon-
strated why Student Legal
Services (SLS) is the best-kept
secret on campus.
In "Students get, and pay for,
the legal aid they need," reporter
Becca Donnefeld aptly illustrated
the complete array of free legal
assistance offered by SLS
attorneys.
In "Chalker receives $450 for
legal fees," it was stated that
MSA voted to reimburse a
student who chose to hire a
private attorney.
About 60 percent of the MSA
fee, as Donnenfeld noted, is
directly returned to the students in
the form of SLS. Like Health
Services, it is a prepaid insurance
plan-you hope you don't need a
doctor or lawyer, but when you
do, excellent free help is avail-
able.
Our attorneys have an
accumulated 20 years trial
experience, civil and criminal. In
civil cases, this includes housing,
consumer, employment, divorce,
custody, probate and bankruptcy.
Criminal practices include
felonies and misdemeanors. This
wide range of proficiency is
demanded by the great diversity
of University students' legal
needs. And it's all free.
So if you need an attorney,
and you don't want to pay for
one (or have MSA reimburse
you), come to Student Legal
Service, 3409 Michigan Union,
763-9920. No appointment is
necessary: walk-in hours are
Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon.
As the article noted; SLS is
contemplating a concerted
action against Wolverine Video.
Anyone with a complaint about
them should contact me.
I was slightly misquoted in
the article, regarding cleaning
fees. The fee in question was
$700 yearly-not monthly!
While exorbitant, it's not
necessarily illegal; but a clean
apartment is a tenants right,
regardless of any cleaning fee
collected.
Nicolas Roumel
Attorney,
Student Legal Services
SLS: the best-kept campus secret
; .
.
I
.
" R
t
a
;;
cians represent an oppressive and
violent nation.
I know that I am not alone
when I say that this intrusion by
the Palestine Aid Society was a
most unwelcome occurrence.
Theresa Juetten
Engineering
first-year student
GREEKS letter
full of stereotypes
To the Daily:
I wish to make a response to
Deon Wagner's and Kristine
Foote's letter, "Greek Week only
another hypocrisy" in the March
28 Daily. I regret Wagner's and
Foote's disappointment with this
year's Greek Week and the
week's continued coverage in the
Michigan Daily, but I think Greek
Week '91 was a boisterous
success.
Both Wagner and Foote feel
that attention should be given to
students "for whom volunteering
is a routine" and who "want to
make a positive contribution to
the community." For University
Greeks, a philanthropic event like
Greek Week is much more than
just "routine"- it has been an
annual, unbroken traditionat the
University since the1970s. We are
particularly proud that our
organization, one that involves
nearly 25 percent of the Univer-
sity student population, can
successfully utilize its strength
each year for local philanthropies
and national charities. Our efforts
at this year's Greek Week have
raised close to $50,000.
We totally reject the negative
stereotypes sometimes associated
with being a Greek. The Greeks
were founded on many principles,
one of these being mutual
assistance and aid. It is therefore
only expected that Greeks give
time and donation throughout the
year to help others in the commu-
nity and abroad.
g
CO)LLEGE.
RO UNDUP
Pray to your own gods
Britt Isaly
Public Relations chair,
Interfraternity Council
For some patriotism has become a religion.
The symbolic nature of the flag is no longer some-
thing, self-styled patriots carry in their head. For them,
the flag is what the flag represents-it is America , not a
piece of cloth.
As the religious person might fight if the cross - or
whatever icon if appropriate - were to be desecrated,
a recent protest on UNM's campus has shown that the
same is true of the ones who call themselves patriots.
This does not mean these folks are wrong. Simply,
those people who disagree with this attitude do not
understand how these people can think the way they do.
Many of those who disagree with how the so-called
patriots view the flag still feel strongly about their
country. Their devotion to their own cause has the same
religious fervor.
These different patriots - followers of a different
religion, as it were - see the flag as a piece of cloth.
- They think it's dangerous to forget that symbols do
not exist to the touch - the value attached to a symbol
exists only in the mind. Put another way, though a
physical manifestation of the flag may ultimately rot
away, what it stands for will last long after it is gone.
That is why it is not wrong - to those other patriots
- to burn a flag. The flag represents a country that does
not represent them; they can think of no more emotionally
charged way of showing it.
This explanation doesn't include those who burn
flags because it is cool or those who espouse old-
fashioned patriotism because it seems hip.
Is either side wrong? Of course. The side opposite
the one you believe is always wrong.
Yet aside from our emotional attachment to our side
of the issue, there is no reason to put one opinion ahead
of the other.
Freedom to have and hold an opinion. As long as we
still have that, we'll never lose America. As long as
America has it, we will never lose.
Feb. 18, 1991, The Daily Lobo
by Geoffrey D. White
New Mexico University
A cure for the ills of American industry
Much of the United States' in-
dustrial base has disintegrated in
the past two decades. Some econo-
mists attribute the decline to poor
management and inferior produc-
tion. This
may be true .
to some ex- i n/my
tent, but
m a n y v e
Americans
greatly ex-
aggerate the
disparity
between
America's Jennifer
industry
and prod- Knoll
uc ts from
overseas.
Some Americans will buy any
foreign product over an American.
Mitsubishi sells twice as many Colts
come from factories in the United
States. Each foreign produced car
bought in America comes at the
expense of American workers. Al-
though foreign cars built in the U.S.
supply jobs to American workers,
the workers are really only putting
the pieces of a puzzle together. The
majority of the parts in these cars
are produced abroad.
of work per day, the hourly wage,
and working conditions are all
regulated by the government. En-
vironmental devastation and ex-
ploited workers area travesty in any
country. It is hypocritical for
Americans to support environmen-
tal and workers' rights legislation
-making American products more
costly - and then buy a foreign-
It is hypocritical for Americans to support
environmental and workers' rights legislation
- making American products more costly -
and then buy a foreign-made car because of
its lower price.
Nuts and Bolts
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by Judd Winick
"Flit", BENG THE oPDc.,"
Supply-side economic theory
dictates that the majority of the
dollars earned by the share holders
and employees is reinvested within
the United States. And every dollar
made car because of its lower price.
Free trade is a wonderful con-
cept, but it can only work when all
of the contributors and recipients
have the samerestrictions. President
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