vol_11_no_17 by Michigan Review

ew Diag Polic Causes Confusion by Tracy Robinson

Given the University of Michigan administration's adoption of the "Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities" last November, despite overwhelming student disapproval, it comes as no shock that the U-M recently adopted another policy which could be used to regulate speech. Unlike its more contentious cousin, which prompted numerous hearings and ardent debate, however, the "Policy for Scheduled Use of the University of Michigan Designated Outdoor Common Areas" was enacted with little fanfare on January 4, 1991 The preamble to the policy states that it is "not intended to impinge on the rights of members of the University community to express their beliefs and voice their grievances," but is instead "intended to protect and advance the health, safety and total environment of the campus community." The restrictions that it establishes over the time, place, and manner of speech on the Diag and in the North Campus Common area, however, might well be used to prohibit, among other events, this year's Hash Bash, which is currently scheduled for April 3. The new polity places restrictions on the time at or during which "activities" may take place while limiting the size of

those events. It further restricts allowable activities to the following: informati on distribution; posting of in for rna ti on, banners and signs; solicitation of donations, events and programs; and the construction of t em p or ar y three-dimensional structures, e.g., shanties. The policy is detailed both in its registration requirements and authorization criteria, and it even enumerates rules for sound amplification and places dimension limitations on temporary structures. Diag use permits may be denied for events that could threaten the "health, safety, property, or environment" of the Diag, event participants, or observers. The administration has already fingered Hash Bash, the annual hemp legalization rally sponsored by the campus chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), as having endangered all of these in the

past. Adam Brook, president of U-M

A scene from Hash Bash.

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NORML, remarked of the new policy, ''It's pretty obvious that their goal is to attempt to stop us from getting any permits." The U-M has quite a history of attempting to end Hash Bash, but NORML has succeeded in challenging the U-M in court several times. One reason that NORML could be denied a permit under the new policy would be the size of its event. According to the January 18, 1993 issue of the University Record, "If a group cannot be accommodated only on the hard surface [of the Diag or North Campus Common areaL the event will be considered inappropriate for the location and would have

to be scheduled elsewhere." Hash Bash, which draws nearly a thousand participant s and spectators every year, cannot be accommodated fully on the concrete Diag area. The event, however, would certainly not be the same if it were forced to be held at another location. "NORML will take full blame for this policy," Brook said, since the policy became effective at the very beginning of this term. According to Brook, when his organization turned in a request for a Diag permit last semester in the manner required by the old system, he was told that all permits had to be approved by Associate Dean of Students for Activities and Programs Frank Cianciola. Since Cianciola has cancelled several appointments, NORML is unsure of the status of its permit for this year's event. "Those are entirely two separate things," Cianciola said of the new policy and the U-M's history of problems re-

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January 27, 1993

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

I III

Serpent's Tooth

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\IICIIU;AN REVIE\\, The Campus Affairs Journal of the University of Michigan "We are the Establishment"

U-M President Diversity, er, Duderstadt responded last week that reports of him leaving for the open presidency at Yale University were nothing but rumors. "I'm not a candidate for Yale and I have not been contacted by Yale," he said. Damn. By the way, Dude, we thought you might like to know that your diversity quest has increased tolerance and unity so much on this campus that our office received a death threat after last week's MLK Day issue. During his visit to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello as part of last week's inauguration festivities, Al Gore spotted two busts in one of the rooms. He didn't recognize them, so he asked a tour guide who they were. The answer: George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. A few weeks ago, Michigan Senator Carl Levin (0) went to Somalia and graciously passed out some "Yes! Michigan" buttons. He was also supposed to hand out candy bars to the starving multitudes, but decided to eat them instead. Yes, the previous two teeth are true. We only wish we made them up. Did anyone else notice that Gore momentarily forgot to place his hand on the Bible during hi" ,>wearing-in ceremony?

This guy is going to make Quayle look like the president of Mensa. In an article entitled, "Here's how to stay on the good side of Bill Clinton," the Detroit Free Press reported, "Like most Arkansans, who detest pretense, Clinton doesn't like superficial people." After observing the draft dodger actually salute former President George Bush during his inauguration speech, weep every time a camera was in his face, pander to every special interest in the nation, talk of serving one's country, hug anything with a pulse, and pray before JFK's grave, we find it very difficult to take that statement seriously. The Washington Post reported that Hillary plans to use the name "Rodham-Clinton" on her First Lady stationery. Wait a minute. First it was Hillary Rodham. Then her cherubic husband runs for office, so she becomes Hillary Clinton. Now that he is officially the head honcho, she hecomes Hillary Rodham-Clinton .. he metamorphisis is almost complete. Next up: President Hillary Rodham. Don't miss the April 9th showing of the film TIle Salt Mines, "a unique portrait of an unusual community of homeless, gay, Latino transvestites." Sponsored by the UniverSity of Michigan Women's Studies Program, i.e. you.

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At Clinton's inauguration, the Philander Smith College Choir performed for the incoming president. How appropriate. Hey, members of the RWL! Have you ever taken a course in economics? Have you ever taken a course in comparative politicS? Have you ever studied logic? Did you even graduate from school? Have you ever spoken with someone who grew up in a socialist state? Did you ever stop and wonder why you're the oddballs in society? Did you ever stop and ask yourself why no one listens to you or takes you seriously? Try it sometime. As part of our never-ending quest to introduce our readt:13 to haute couture, we offer the following revision of the hymn Crown Him With Many Crowns. i

CROWN HIM TIlE PRESIDENT

Crown him the lord of lust, Our governor on the throne Although it Flowered on her bust His sins are left alone. His glories now we sing, Of him who lives on "high" And ran our problem's end to bring He ever more shall lie.

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EDITOR-IN-CHlEF: Tony Ghecea PUBUSHER: Andrew Bockelman EXECUTIVE EDITORS: Joe Coletti, J<ry D, McNeill, Tracy Robinson, Stacey Walker CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Beth Martin ASSISTANT EDITORS: Ryan Boeskool, Nate Jamison, BrIan Schefke MUSIC EDITOR: Chrts Peters LITERARY EDITOR: Adam Garaglola GRAPHICS EDITOR: Will Ryan EDITORiAl STAFF: Matt Anderson, Eddie Amer, Eric Berg, MIchele Brogley, Andrea Cousino, Kim Conley, Joe Epstein, Frank Grabowski, Corey HUI, Aaron Kanter, Gene Krass, Eric Lepard, Erin ~ Crusty MIncher, Dave Perczak, Drew Peters, Shannon Pfent James Rot>erls, Charles Rousseaux, Renee Rudnlck~ TS Taylor, Perry Thompson, Martin VIoet, Gloria Vulcano, Jeff Weinmann, t.tcheIe Wletek, MartIn WiIk, Mall WIIk, Tony WoodUef, Yoda MTS COORDINATOR: James Elek SYSTEMS ANALYST: MIlch Rohde ADVERnSiNG DIRECTOR: Jonathan Lajlness CIRCULATION DIRECTOR: Aaron Steelman FUNDRAlSING DIRECTOR: Erica De Santls BUSINESS STAFF: Jacob Bourne, Peter Daugavietis, Tori Diromualdo, Chris Fruendi, John Gustafson, Jerry $pwa!, Eric Larson, Barry Stem, Chet Zarko EDITOR-AT-lARGE: Adam DeVore PUBUSHER EMERITUS: Karen S, BrInkman EDITORS EMERITI: Brian Jendryka, John J, MOler The MIchIgan Review Is an Independent, weektf studentiU1 jotInaI at the UiWersly d Mk:higan. We neRher soIIcII nor accepl monetary donations from the University of MIchigan. Contrlbutlons to the MIchigan Review are taxdeductible under line 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The RevIew Is not atIUIated with any political party. Unsigned edKorIais represent the opinion d the edlorla! board, Signed articles repcesenlthe opinions d the aUlhor and not necessarity those of the Review, We welcome letters and articles and encourage comments about the journal and Issues discussed In It. Please address all subscription lIquirles to: Circulation Oiector rio the MIcNgan Review. AK advertising inquiries should be diected to: Advertlsilg Director rio the MIchl· ganRev/ew,

Crown him Commander-in-Chief, Who never shot a gun His comrades came to Vietnam grief While he was on the run, All hail, commander, hail! Who dodged the draft for me Of course, his courage shall never fail Throughout his presidency.

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From the December issue of Heterodoxy: "At Wellesley Coll"ge, the Women's Studies departmmt has sent letters to all the students who declare Modem European History as their major. This letter accuses these students of perpetuating the 'dominant white male' attitudes and behavior that have been oppressing women for generations. Mothers, don't let your girls grow up to be historians."

EDITORIAL AND BUSINESS OFFICES: SUITE ONE 911 N. UNIVERSITY AVENUE ANN ARBOR, MI 48109-1265

Crown him the head of state, His state which did so well Should be proud of rank forty-eight True leadership done well. Clean out your coop and bring Gifts from his rulership Poultry for him our chicken king Bring pot and loose your slip,

A puppet on the string, Hillary Head of state He's controlled by a golden ring For she won't let him date. Her cookies never made, Her husband may be stoned A career, a mom, she's not dismayed

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THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

Scientifically Speaking

Surveying the sse product comes from high-energy physics Congress "befuddled by hyper language allowing high-energy physics to move (i.e. computers, televisions, etc.) and a lot of exaggerations about benefits." on to new frontiers. The Superconducting Super Collider Former President Bush, during a visit (SSC) and its battles for .--_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, There were those decidedly in favor The project, howto the Waxahachie site, gave this of the project, as well. Senator J. Bennett funding in Congress have ever, is not as murky as description: 'The Super Collider is ... a Johnston of Louisiana said that even consistently made the it may seem. Physicists big part of our investment in America's without the economic benefits, the sse is news in recent years. The do have some partfuture. And when you talk basic research, worth the price, if only to tell us "what icular goals in mind. average reader, however, this is the Louvre, the Pyramids, Niagara are the elementary forces .. . Why did we For instance, physicists may know neither what Falls all rolled into one. And where we go to the Moon at much greater cost? have yet to discover the sse is nor what it is once reached for the moon above to Well, I guess to find out essentially top quark (quarks are supposed to do. The goal explore new frontiers of our universe, whether it was made of green cheese. of this wet'k's column is to particles that make up soon we'll begin to tunnel below to learn But almost nobody says it was not worth protons and neutrons, help demystify the SSC . about the fundamental questions of five of which have bet'n it." Unfortunately, the The SSCs (Scientifically science: how our universe began." Still others took up economic discovered) that is answers to the above Speaking Columnists> What the future holds for the SSC is arguments. Senator Lloyd Bentsen of predicted by the questions are not as uncertain. Only time will tell whether Texas pointed out that funding for the standard model. concrete as most would sse only represents 35 percent of Federal the project will prove to be a boon or a They also wish to investigate the S<r like. It is this ambiguity which causes the boondoggle. budget expenditures for general science. called "Higgs field," which theorists annual debate over continued funding of Johnston also noted that the sse is six believe is the mechanism responsible for the project not only in Congress but also tenths of one percent of the government's James Elek is a senior in physics and a among members of the scientific giving particles their mass. research and development budget, or .00 staff writer for the Review. Brian Physicists also hope that the higher community. percent of this year's total Federal budget Schefke is a junior in chemistry and What is the sse? The sse, when energies which the sse can provide will Senator Phil Gramm of Texas, a former cellular and molecular biology and an help to better simulate the conditions of completed, will be the largest particle economics professor at Texas A&M assistant editor of the Review. accelerator in existence. It will be capable the primordial universe and help to University, claimed that between 20 ~d ,·~" ·------------answer the question: Where does the of accelerating particles to energies 30 percent of the U.s. gross national universe come from? upward of 20 trillion electron volts per beam (currently, the highest energy Even now, before construction of SSC achievable is 900 billion electron-volts has begun, the project is yielding benefits. per beam). Universities from around the country •v; The sse project was first approved (including the University of Michigan) 0.. 'C in 1990 and its estimated costs incl ude are involved in the research and f$8.25 billion in construction with a $350 development of the magnets and ;i: milliorrper-year operating budget. The detectors to be used in the sse and are o co Brobdingnagian accelerator will be built profiting from the resulting research ~ • in Waxahachie, Texas (Michigan was contracts. o '" e::: considered as a possible site) and is :;00;Meanwhile, the battle over funding ..,(') • scheduled for completion in 1999. continues. On June 17, 1992. the House of ~ Z As for what the sse is supposed to ro Representatives voted to nix the project, fr.l ~ do, it could be said that its purpose is prompting over 2100 scientists from ::r' .... simply to accelerate subatomic particles around the world to sign a letter berating -a • . co to energies never before achieved and the House for its decision. The letter was 3: ....c:: (') cause them to collide. What purpose sent to then-President Bush and all the ::l. (') does this serve? This is a question which House members who voted against the ~ even physicists cannot concretely answer. •til ~ SSC. On August 3, 1992, the Senate By studying the results of the collisions, ~ overturned the House's decision. The ..c: o however, they hope that the SSC will ::s only task that remains is for a conference ~ Triangle Fraternity is a national ~ Full Social Calendar • open new frontiers in the field of particle committee to decide on the exact figure f/'J ~ social fraternity with cllapters physics by either confirming or ..c: that the project will receive this year. E~ across the country. ~ 2nd Place in Greek Week '92 contradicting current theory. During the debates in Congress, (') • ::s Currently, experimental physicists several members voiced their opinions ~ ~ Full Participation in 1M Sports ~ House GPA: 3.0+ ., are at an impasse, because their data do on the sse. Some were cautious, like not indicate anything different from what ::t Representative Newt Gingrich of - All Majors.Welcome-c:: is known as the "standard model" (the ::s Georgia:'1'he truth is, I don't think there ~ fn ·c existing theory that describes particles is a single person in this body who has • and forces at the most simple level known the scientific background to know for o CI) at this time). Without any new discoveries sure whether this is the greatest 2 ::s • that challenge the standard model, Qtvestment ever or the worst investment" 00 ~ .5 experimenters are relegated simply to ::s Others were strongly opposed to () measuring known quantities more funding the p~. Many members were precisely and theorists are reduced to m of the opinion expressed by Rustum Roy, "0 blindly guessing at the nature of the ::s(') a materials scientist at Pennsylvania State CIl unknown. Physicists are seeking a new CI) University, who is opposed to the SSC. til ~uzzIe from the the solution to which " , .' Leadership • Brotherhood • Tradition • Friendship •• J1.oy claimed that !hesse-is ~ntially a will give. ~them~ ~me di~e~i?n,_ !~~s pl,l~l,i~ ' w9rks proje!;t .htflded by a

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January 27, 1993'

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW '

From Suite One: Editorial

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Divisive Diversity What does it mean when a controversial view is received not with critical attention, but with a bomb threat? Does such irrational behavior denote only a temporary breakdown in political discourse, or does it reflect the permanent destruction of the ability of a campus newspaper such as the Review to conduct an open debate?

but now the publication is observing a much larger problem: the Great Debate over race relations, gender equality, and homosexual rights has hit rock bottom. FollOWing last week's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day issue, the Review received the follOWing phone message (original dialect retained): "F- all y' all racist sons a bitches. We gonna blow the mothaf-a up when y' all back is turned. This is a message from the Black Guerrilla Family, BITCH." For those who appreciate meticulously devised, well-reasoned argumentation, such ineptitude as that exemplified in a bomb threat From the moment students set foot on the University of Michigan campus, they are incessantly reminded of their duty as foot soldiers in the quest for "diversity." They provokes a smirk at best. But there is a larger issue at stake. Acts such as this threat undergo basic training in the form of a "diversity seminar" during sununer orientaexemplify the extent to which the Great Debate has become polarized now that tion, in which they are informed of proper procedure for well-behaved, diverse stupidity has been granted a place at the discussion table. students. If they object to affirmative action, they are called "racist;" if they do not refer The allegations and absurdities are not confined to this singular event nor do they to themselves as " fresh persons, " they 'are labeled "sexist;" and if they object to the emanate from only one end of the political spectrum. Over the past month, the Review socio-political agenda of radical homosexuals, they are branded "homophobic." has witnessed Forrest Green III trip over his faulty logic as he labelled the paper a But what happens when students disagree with the political force-feeding they "white supremacist publication" without any sensible justification for his charges. Just receive? Quite simply, they are forced to retreat to opposite poles and manifest last week a local factory worker espousing white supremacist views called the Review unprecedented hostility. And what do the conunanders in the Fleming Fortress do office to accuse the paper of "selling out" to minority interests by advocating true when students object to their doctrines? Depending upon which students are objectequality. A black columnist from the Detroit News redefined inanity by calling a Review . staff writer for the mere purpose of hurling racial epithets at him over the phone. ing, they may placate and pander, or ignore and muzzle their detractors. In this 2,595-acre police state in the heart of Ann Arbor, the Michigan Review has What does a paper do when it sits precariously between a rock and a hard place? been a steadfast critic of "diversity" - that is, the divisive diversity being advocated How can it conduct a rational debate on volatile issues when it has to weather death by the U-M administration, rather than honest diversity, in which all views and ideas threats from the radical left, insanity from the radical right, and childish slanders from are tolerated. The Review is often the lone voice of dissent taunting the status quo, with popular print journalists? This is not a debate - it's cacophony, and it seems unlikely an objective of fostering a lively debate, rather than a retreat to the confines of closedthat it will allow us to get anything constructive done. mindedness. We echo similar sentiments every year, but seldom do we see them manifested in Some among the Review's opposition have taken a different approach. They have substantial improvements in the nature ~9 tone of campus political discourse. branded the publication as "fascist," or "misogynist," or "racist," or whatever derisive Nevertheless, we say it again: Can we kave a real debate here? No name-calling, no cliche' will portray it in the worst possible light. Seldom have they reciprocated the use harassment, no irrational, bone-headed babbling, no whining on the left, or the right, of thoughtful argumentation. Campus radicals have always avoided the rigors of no death threats, chest-thumping, finger-pointing - simply a rational debate. We intellectual exchange in favor of this juvenile tactic of name-calling. For obvious hope this is not too much to ask, for if it is, the Great Debates that face this nation will reasons, the Review has never taken seriously epithets such as "Nazi" or "homophobe," go unaddressed for a long time to come.

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January 27, 1993

Guest Opinion

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THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

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Clinton's Deficit Trick by David Dodenhoff

President Clinton received a New Year's present from Dick Darman two weeks ago in the form of President Bush's final five-year budget plan. The new Bush budget showed sharply higher figures for the government's fiscal deficit than the administration had previously projected. The five-year deficit totals were $222 billion higher than the totals the administration had published as recently as last July. And even t~se unsettling numbers were based on the ridiculous assumption that federal spending on a number of domestic programs rould be frozen at current levels. To their credit, President Clinton and his spokesman, George Stephanopoulos, did not immediately abandon Clinton's promise to trim the federal budget deficit by half during his first tenn. They stuck to a high road of sorts, calling the new numbers" far worse than anyone has been telling us for a long, long time," but repeating the mantra of deficit reduction. Other Democrats were less circumspect. Representative Vic Fazio, when asked about Clinton's promises on the deficit and tax cuts replied, "Some of them may have to be deferred." And Jim Sasser, chairman of ~ Senate Budget Committee, said this: "Given the much larger deficit projections, the [president] will have a very difficult if not impossible task cutting the deficit in half." Most fiscal realists consid ered candidate Clinton's 50 percent-off-thedeficit pledge to be sheer political fantasy

Letters to the Editor Deep Thoughts: by Forrest Green To the Editor: This letter is in response to those who have written letters of opposition to my essay, An Open Letter to The Establishmenl" Being a writer, I believe it's my duty to point out that words can often be used to mislead and abuse people. Psychologists have often pointed out that people raised speaking English, often think in English words. This trait of codifying ones experience with language is a gift, one that should be used at all times to promote truth, justice and correctness. But when smart, powerful people fear the truth, they can and will abuse this gift, whenever they can. I believe that the often narrow, confining parameters of our common language should be compensated for at all times, not used to dislocate, misguide, confuse' and destroy people. Words should be II

in the first place. And Republicansparticularly Phil Gramm, Jack Kemp, and Dan Quayle, all presidential hopefulswere more than happy to humor Clinton in this daydream, confident that he would fail. Now, however, because of the sort of bookkeeping that wouki bring indictments in the private sector, the Republicans appear to have given away what might have been their best issue in 1996. Should Clinton come up short on his 50 percent promise, he has an excuse: "1 took the Republicans' numbers on good faith, but they cooked the books. Whafs a guy to do?" And Clinton, an astute politician, may even tum a broken promise into a political asset: "Even though we didn't get the deficit down to half, considering the degree to which our predecessors disguised the problem I think we've done a pretty respectable job ..." Clinton is slick, but voters should not let him wriggle free so easily. Anyone who follows the political process seriously (and thot includes Ginton) knows that the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) deficit numbers are one of Washington's silliest jokes. The New York Times recently compared OMB deficit projections to actual deficits in the years 1981,1982,1986,1990, and 1991. For these five years OMB underestimated the fiscal deficit by a total of $1.1 trillion (at one point or another, OMB projected budget surpluses in each of these years). As this staggering difference attests, OMS's budget numbers have as much connection to reality as Jeane

Dixon's year-end predictions in the Star. This is preCisely the reason Congress established the CongresSional Budget Office in the 1970s. TheCBO was designed to be an apolitical countenveight to OMB, whose number-crunchers could not be trusted to deal frankly with unpleasant economic circumstances. Not surprisingly, COO had the deficit numbers more or less correct last August. Nonetheless, Bill Clinton chose to stick with the numbers projected by OMB in July, even though he knew of the huge disparity between the OMB and COO numbers, and even though he was advised (according to the N ew York Times) by campaign intimates that the administration's numbers were the same old OMB hokum. Why didn't Clinton abandon the ridiculous OMB numbers, substitute the historically more accurate COO numbers (or similar numbers forecast by independent economists), and rework his economic plan? Candidate Clinton desperately needed the artificially lo~_"~ Bush numbers to make the case that fie could substantially reduce the federal deficit in four years. Even using the unrealistic Bush numbers, the Clinton plan had to be taken with a grain of salt. In one noteworthy example, Clinton had projected that$45 billion in revenues could be collected over four years by applying more stringent collection procedures to foreign corporations operating in the U.5. Leon Panetta, Clinton's OMB Director, recently made this more realistic appraisal:

used constructively, to enhance the thinking and growth of all people. They should not be used by smart people, to bully, to brainwash, to confuse and abuse, those who are not so smart. The first oppositional letter printed in the Review was from a James Boyes. He unloaded an arsenal of pejoratives to pick away at my essay while stating that my revelation about. the Review is "preposterous," and that "three year olds come up with better arguments." If this is so, Boyes, why did you need eight paragraphs to dismiss it? Your letter continues through many vague statements against my deconstruction of white supremacy; it then ends damning me for my assertion concerning what I call the "color-blind" complex. Boyes, if this thoery doesn't apply to you, ignore it. It was a generalized statement. You say that my essay is an example of "black racism." I disagree. The "color-blind" statement is an example of prejudice. . '. A Larry Luskin Says that affirmative action is not ending racism, then presents

an argument as to why he feels this way. Mr. Luskin, your arguments against my writing on affirmative action and white supremacy only confuse the basic argument. But if you have any ideas as to how we might counteract the dominant socio-material system throughout the universe, i.e. white supremacy, I would like to hear them. You insist that I "need to understand everyone's goal should be faimess." No, but I did say that everyone's goal should be justice. Fairness does not mean the same as justice. (By the way, your use of capital letters while attacking minority preferences in hiring betrays your insecurity.) Next, Liz Patton confuses almost every point made in the essay, as well as its main idea. I beg to differ with her calling me "close-minded" and "irrational." I assert that colorblind" requests for "rationality" are more frequently made by those for whom color has never been a problem due to white supremacy. Patton, please define "rationalIty" to my satisfaCtion. And let us distinguish people'from ideas: The II

"We're talking about two or three billion per year, tops." Much of Clinton's deficitreduction plan was built on similarly shaky foundations. Given this, the additional $200 billion or so in debt represented by the COO numbers would have reduced Clinton's deficit scheme to little more than a pathetic fig leaf. The Clinton people knew this, and they used the Bush rumbers in precisely the same way Bush did - to conceal the magnitude of the deficit problem and make it seem tractable without dramatic spending cuts or tax increases. Thus, any indignation by the Clinton camp over Dick Darman's accounting gimmicks is as disingenuous as Clinton's initial promise was. The irony in all of this is that if Clinton fails to live up to his deficit pledge and then offers the obvious excuse, Republicans will have to bite their tongues. "You should have known George Bush was lying," is not a retort any Republican is likely to use (valid though it may be). But the indisputable fact remainsClinton based his deficit pledge on numbers he had every reason to believe were preposterous. This was an act of political cynicism, plain and simple. Last year the voters punished George Bush for the equally-cynical "read my lips" pledge he made in 1988. Come 1996 they should hold Bill Clinton to the same standard. David Dodenhoff is a Rackham graduate student and a guest writer for the Review.

idea that Souljah was attacked on, that white lives are somehow worth more than black ones, is an absurd and horrendous one completely rooted in a white supremacist rnindsellt was a white supremacist idea that Souljah was attacked and was abused for opposing. You say that my conviction smacks of the old war cry, "If you're not with us you're against us." This is another promotion of confusion. However, every person is either resisting or coooperating with white supremacy, at all times. Lastly, a Daniel Zaretsky asserts that my article was "a joke. (The Review's staff) are far from being white supremacists. I'll point out that I haven't called anyone a white supremacist, and leave his letter at that. Too many attempts have been made at labelling non-white people "racists" for defending themselves against white supremacy; these include attempts to free one's self from a white supremacist II

Continued on page 11

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January 27, 1993

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

Feature Essay

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The Nightmare of Socialized Medicine by Nate Jamlaon One of the major issues in the 1992 presidential campaign was health care. Millions of Americans have no health insurance, and the rising costs of health care are making it increasingly difficult for many Americans to afford the coverage that they require. Confronted wit):t this situation, many have been clamoring for some sort of health care refonn, and their dissatisfaction with the current state of health care provision probably contributed to Bill Clinton's election as president of the United States. During his campaign, Clinton proposed a national health care system which, if implemented, would essentially socialize the field of medical care. After he was elected, Clinton explicitly vowed to have some sort of plan in place within the first hundred days of his presidency. Although he has since toned down his rhetoric and distanced himself from the promise, it remains likely that he will push for a largely government-subsidized national health care program. Advocates of socialized medicine in the U.s. often look to Canada for an example of a national health care system which, they claim, is superior to our market-driven system. Let us consider the Canadian system and how the implementation of such a program would affect health care provision in the u.s. Outline of Canadian System In the three years between 1968 and 1971, Canada implemented its current health care system, which theoretically provides equal medical care to all Canadians, regardless of their ability to pay. When any Canadian requires medical attention, he simply goes to a public hospital or clinic and presents his national health care card. This entitles him to 'free' medical care, which is actually paid for by taxes. Because the Canadian government maintains a monopoly on health care provision, the quality of care suffers, services are rationed, and long waiting lists, even for emergency procedures such as heart transplants and computerized axial tomography (CAT) scans grow even longer. This phenomenon is not limited to Canada, but is a regular feature of all countries which possess some form of socialized medicine. According to "Twenty Myths about National Health Insurance," a report by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, approximately one million people, or two percent of the population of Britain - which has a sys-

urban hospitals. Second, the number of tem similar to Canada's - are currently doctors per capita is much lower in rural waiting for various types of surgery. This may not seem like much, but considering areas. In Ontario, for example, there are that roughly 16 percent of the population 469 people per physician. In the of developed countries enters a hospital province's rural areas there are more than each year, this number is quite high. In four times that number. fact, over 12 percent of those needing The desired goal of a socialized rnedisurgery in a given year in Britain find cal system is equal access to health care, themselves on wait lists. regardless of income. This is perhaps a Many advocates of worthwhile goal, but it 11HS \5 MY RFTH is hardly a reality. health care reform in the US. daim that the cost of \/\5tT-1l-\tS, Wealthy patients have health care is lower in WE£~. several advantages over countries with socialized / poorer patients in all countries with socialized medicine. This is not the case in Canada, however. medicine for several reaAccording to Canadian sons. Health Care, by Edward First, members of the upper classes are Neuschler, before the implementation of a namore likely to have pertional health care system, sonal contacts with the Canadians spent about medical profession 75 percent (per capita) of what the United which allow them to "jump" illegally to the front of the waiting list. This was a States citizens did per capita on health care costs. In 1987, after almost twenty specific worry of the Canadian governyears of socialized medicine, Canada still ment when it created the present system, spends about the same percentage. but the government has since shown little But while Canada continues to spend interest in verifying or refuting the existless per capita, the savings is not caused ence of this trend since the system's inby the nature of the Canadian system. ception. ' The difference can more accurately be Wealthy residents may also gain attributed to several other factors, such more access to medical care through as the relative average age of the populabribes, which have become accepted practice in many countries. In Hungary, doction and the amount of money spent on research and development (R & D). Due tors receive "tips" from patients equal to about 40 percent of their annual income, to profit motives, the U.s. generally spends much more than Canada on R & and in Japan, a "gift" of $1,000 to $3,000 0, and the resulting knowledge benefits can gain a patient faster admission or other countries, including Canada. access to a senior specialist at Tokyo Contrary to the claims of CanadianUniversity Hospital, according to the style health care advocates, all CanadiMackinac Center report. ans do not receive equal quality health Another major advantage for the care. In general, those who live in urban wealthy is their ability to afford private areas receive better care than those in health care, which is not characterized by rural areas, and the upper classes enjoy the same long waiting lists and rationing of care as the public institutions. Those better access to the system than lower classes. This pattern of unequal access is people who carry private insurance, in repeated in other numerous countries effect, pay twice for their health care: with nationalized health care. once through taxes, and again through In Canada, as in other highly induspremiums. In Britain, the number of trialized countries, health care tends to people with private health insurance has be hospital-based. Those who live near doubled in the last ten years and now large research or teaching medical centotals 10 percent of the population. This tees are better off when it comes to health number is even higher in New Zealand, care. According to the Mackinac Center whose system is basically identical to Britain's. Canadians cannot legally purreport, urban residents receive 55 percent more care than rural residents per chase private insurance, so those who capita in the province of British Columvisit the small percentage of private dinbia. This stems from two major factors, ics and hospitals must pay all costs outthe first of which is that people living in of-pocket. Such regulations thus limit urban areas have less distance to travel to those who can seek private care to the major hospitals and are therefore better wealthiest segment of society. able to benefit from the latest in technolBut even wealthy Canadians are inogy, which tends to be found in large, creasingly entering the u.s. to escape the

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long lines at Canadian hospitals. A volunteer organization, known as "Heartbeat Windsor," arranges for Ontario heart patients to get treatment at hospitals in Detroit. A similar program will soon be started in Alberta. According to Neuschler, half of the patients receiving lithotripsy (a laser procedure for removal of kidney stones) at Buffalo General Hospital in New York are Canadians. The Canadian system is not the model of efficiency and fairness that many of its supporters make it out to be. In fact, it is probably less efficient than the U.S. system, although this is hard to measure due to the disparity in the way medical budgets are determined in the two countries. The Canadian system also falls short when it comes to equal access. The poorest citizens in the US. - those on Medicaid - have greater access to better health care than low-income citizens in any other country. The US. has the best medical technology in the world and Medica!~. can usually pay for it.

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Implications for the United States

1£ the US. were to implement a Canadian-style national health care system, the effects would be far-reaching. The quality of care would likely suffer, rationing of care would result, and Americans would face a new, highly dangerous tax burden. The quality of health care in the US. is among the highest in the world. Admittedly, the average life span in the U.s. is about the same as in other developed countries and the infant mortality rate is one of the highest among devel~ oped countries, but those two statistics prOVide little insight into the quality of health care which is generally available. Mortality rates are much more closely linked to socioeconomic factors and lifest)e than to health care quality. The u.s. has a much higher violent crime rate, heavier illegal drug use, and a greater incidence of AIDS than other developed countries, all of which contribute to the higher mortality rate. The US. currently leads the world in access to medical technology. According to the Mackinac Center report, the u.s. has eight times as many magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units, seven times as many radiation therapy units, six times as many lithotripsy units, and three times as many open-heart surgery units per capita than Canada. The comparisons to Britain are similar. One of the primary reasons that the United States enjoys superior technol-

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January 27, 1993

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

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ogy is its system of privately provided health care. Countries with socialized medicine are reluctant to purchase new technology before it can be proven as cost~ffective and worthwhile. While value and efficiency are legitimate concerns given socialist presuppositions, oftentimes patients who could benefit from medical advances instead languish while the bureaucracy evaluates the new technologies. Private physicians have an incentive to acquire new technology no matter what the cost, if it is beneficial to their patients and they can find enough people willing and able to pay for the services which technological advances provide. Private health care providers are not constrained by the need for cost studies or lengthy evaluation periods, save what the Food and Drug Administration requires. The U.S., due to its private health care system, is a major purchaser of medical technology from the entire world. Without private physicians in the U.s. to provide a market for cutting~dge technology, the production of this technology will suffer, as there will not be anyone willing to purchase advances without subjecting them to a lengthier-than-usual evaluation period. One of the major problems inherent in all nationalized health care systems is the rationing of services. In countries such as Canada and Britain, a myriad of accounts exist of patients who have died because the government would not provide necessary services due to cost factors or because there were not enough available beds. The Mackinac Center report offers the following story: In January 1990, two year-old Joel Bondy needed urgent heart surgery that was repeatedly postponed. Alarmed at their son's deteriorating condition, his parents contacted Heartbeat Windsor to arrange for the surgery in Detroit. Embarrassed by media coverage of Joel's situation, Canadian officials promised Joel would be moved to the top of the waiting list. After a four-hour ambulance ride to a hospital that lacked an available bed, the family had to spend the night in a hotel. The next day, Joel Bondy died. This is not an isolated case, but rather a typical example of the severe rationing and shortage of services common throughout Canada and other countries with national health care systems. The state of Oregon has already experienced the rationing of services that

accompanies socialized medicin~. In 1989, One proposal, commonly known as "pay or play," has been offered as an Oregon passed several laws that guaranteed that all citizens under the poverty alternative to a nationalized system. line would receive "free" medical care. Under this system, employers would be To control costs, however, less essential forced either to prOvide full health insurservices (including some previously covance for all their workers or pay addiered by Medicaid) would have to be elimitional taxes for a government-run sysnated. The tem. This sy st e m g 0 vern would inment pre• II' pared a list 0 e vi ta b ly lead to a of what services would 0 centralized system as be provided based on ~--------------------------------~ the initial tax penalty would be smaller than the several factors, including chance of suramount required to insure all workers. vival and possible quality of life after treatment. The very formation of such a The U.S. Department of Labor estimated that one-half of the population would list means that the government has to use the goverrunent plan, which would make ethical decisions regarding the sanccontinue to grow, requiring even more tity of human life, something for which tax increases to cope with the increased the government is unqualified. costs of a highly centralized system. Advocates of Oregon's plan claim The most prudent course would be a that by prOViding coverage for all citiprogram to decrease costs and improve zens, they are "rationing services" rather access without undermining our present . than "rationing people"; however, Oreg on is essentially withholding medical services - hardly an acceptable practice. Under the u.s:s current system, doctors and hospitals are morally and legally required to do everything that they can to save the patients they accept. Only after proViding care do they think about reimbursement. Oregon is joining the service and reimbursement decisions together and legally sanctioning the withholding of beneficial services. If the United States were to implement a Canadian-style health care system, as several lawmakers have suggested, the quality of care would inevitably suffer. The u.s. would no longer be a prime world market and testing ground for new medical technologi. It would also be faced with the need to ration care based on the perceived necessity of services rather than on price, which would give the government even greater control over the private lives of its citizens. Furthermore, to implement and maintain a national health care system would require a large amount of money. The budget deficit is already a major problem, and adding another large spending program would only worsen it. A tax increase would likely be necesMain Bookstore : sary, and that would certainly endanger 549 East University an already-weak economy. ArtJEngineering Store and Elect ronics Showroom: Alternatives to Socialized Medicine 1117 South University Ann Arbor, MI 313-662-3201 Reform of the health care system is Mon-Fri 9:00-6 :00 Sat 9:30-5:00 pOSSible without implementing a fullSunday Noon to 4:00 scale national health care plan.

In countries such as Canada ... accounts eXIst oJ patIents w h h ave died because the uovernment would not provide necessary services.

system of private insurers. This cannot occur without serious efforts to control costs through legal reform. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article by Dr. P. Roy Vagelos, the u.s. spends at least $25 billion on defensive medicine each year. Many states have already reformed their malpractice laws, resulting in lower insurance rates for physicians. If this reform were to take place on a national level, health care could be made affordable for many more Americans. It is clear that our current health care system does not prOvide adequate health care for all citizens. It is not necessary, however, to implement a national health care system as many, including President Clinton, have suggested. There are several viable options for making health care affordable to all Americans without jeopardizing the high quality of care in this country. Nate Jamison is a sophomore in political science and an assistant editor of the ' Rt"tfle-w.

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THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

Revelations of a Fifth-Year Senior 路 .

January 27, 1993

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Prostitution Can be Fun and Easy by Brian Jendryka

So here it is, a month into the term, and you're already broke. As much as you'd like to spend 10 hours a week flipping burgers or cleaning tables, somehow even calculus homework seems more appealing . Cast away your McPolyester and read on, my friend, for salvation has arrived. Not only is there good money to be made out there, but if done correctly, it can usually be obtained with very little effort. How, you ask? The answer is simple. For the most part, the University of Michigan is a seller's market. All you need to do is realize what it is you have that other people want. In some cases, it's as easy as a copy of 501 Spanish Verbs . In other cases, you may have to resort to a little prostitution. The following is a list of seven nearly fool-proof get-rich-quick schemes (rich being a relative term). Prostitution can be fun and easy ... 7. The easiest money on campus is probably made perfonning psychology department experiments. These experiments, usually advertised in classified ads, generally call for "non-smoking, right-handed males between the ages of 18 and 25." If you fit this description, you can take your pick of various one-hour experiments around campus, for which the compensation is usually about $5. The experiments are generally of the reaction variety - when you see a blue llama. do you usually think of a sewing machine or a stethoscope? - and not too taxing. 6. If you hang around Lorch Hall long enough (and hey, who doesn't?), you may run aCl"06S a flier for an ec0nomics-related experiment. The people in the economics 'department, who go to great lengths to distance them;elves from the rest of the social science disciplines, don't refer to them as experiments, but rather "market simulations" or "problem-solving sessions." The purpose of these experiments is usually to study how people make decisions, and what better way to do that than create an experiment where the volunteers have to maximize the pay they can earn? A clever student (psychology majors need not apply) can usually take home $20-$30 for a two-hour session.

How do I get this stuff out of my hair? 5. If you're not an economics major路 or a right-handed 18-25 year old male,

then surely you are a 45 year-old, 250pound woman with a yeast infection, or maybe a 30 year-old Hispanic male who smokes three packs of cigarettes a day and is allergiC to cats. Most of these customized experiments come from the medical school, and generally pay more (and demand more effort) than other experiments. The first medical school experiment in which I participated involved attaching temperature sensors to my scalp with some sort of gooey, spitball-type adhesive. My head was then placed in a plastic bubble, and I received ten dollars an

Trek episode and what they called "heat pain." At this point the guy on the phone asked me if I had any "undue aversion to pain" (code phrase for "What will you do for 100 bucks"), after which he chuckled. I took this to be the screening process. If you said no, then you were in. If you said yes, you could go back to describing blue llamas for the psychology department. The experiment was, of course, at 8 a.m., and if you think waking up early in the morning for a jog or a chemistry lecture is a sour way to start the day, try going to sleep with thoughts of "heat

donations at Arbor Park Reproductive Laboratory, Inc. The process - again, as it has been described to me - involves you, a specimen bottle, a closed room, and an issue of Playboy. On the bright side, the money is good, and you will be helping out infertile men across the country. 2. Likewise, donating plasma is an opti,on, but one that generally involves more needles and less money. And while you might feel better about donating blood to the Red Cross for free, that warm, fuzzy feeling doesn't pay the bar tab. You're sticking the needle where?

NURSE, ~EPp..RE -mE PlNBoY 'S. r\E'S READY FO"'"

1. The mother of all donations is, of course, bone marrow. Researchers will occasionally run an ad for bone marrow donations - $60 dollars for less than one THE hour's worth of "work." PHf>..SE.. Of course this "work" involves lying on a table having a needle stuck into your . _"" hip bone. Not just your hip, mind you, but the actual hip bone - and trust me, there is a difference. For the really brave, the ideal place from which to draw bone marrow is the sternum. When I was first considering this, not one of the many people I talked to thought it was worth the money. They had all heard horror stories about donating bone marrow, especially the excruciating pain that it involved. But, I countered, the woman on the phone described hour to listen to a mixed tape of Mapain" dancing in your head. My roomit as only "uncomfortable to very uncomfortable." Honestly now, how uncomdonna. Metallica, and John Phillip Sousa. mate certainly didn't help matters by While I had to wash the spitball goo fortable could it be? Anything met with suggesting that maybe the "heat pain" out of my hair, the experiment studied was administered by a large man named such unified opposition from friends and breathing, which is something I think I Victor holding a set of jumper cables, parents alike just had to be tried. do rather well, so it wasn't too difficult. Ok, it w~'t childbirth by any stretch with one end attached to a car battery 4. If you want the big money, you've of the imagination. On the other hand, and the other end attached to, well, a got to be willing to earn it, and anyone "very uncomfortable" was a rather librather sensitive part of the male anatomy. looking for this type of paycheck should Luckily, the "heat pain" consisted of eral use of the word "uncomfortable." check out the Department of Neurology. only a device resembling a car-cigarette Despite two local anesthetics - one unI once answered an ad that read in part: lighter that was held against my forearm der tl- <! skin and one at the bone level"The Department of Neurology at for five-seconds at a time. the actual withdrawal is remarkably painthe University of Michigan is recruiting In retrospect, it all seemed harmless. ful, all bur times it's done. healthy volunteers between the ages of enough. On the one hand, they did strap This hasn't stopped me from going 20 and 60 years for participation in a me to a table that they jokingly referred back every two months, however. It's study on brain metabolic responses to to as "the rack," and I remember grimacdefinitely worth $60, and it beats the hell heat stimulation." ing more than I ever had before. On the out of flipping burgers. Further down in the ad, the "heat other hand, the whole thing only lasted stimulation" mentioned above is dethree hours, and I came out $100 richer. Brian Jendryka is a fifth-year senior in scribed as "heat pulses for approx. one English and - surprise - economics. minute at intensities slightly above pain Please lock the door behind you ... Occasionally, he is editor emeritus of threshold." The purpose of the experithe Review. He didn't mean to offend ment, according to the guy on the phone, 3. For those who would rather give anyone named Victor with jumper was to measure the brain's response to than receive, there is also good money to cables, or anyone with jumper cables at pain. They did this using some mysteribe made donating things - more specifiall, for that matter. (By the way, he is ous process that involved an I-V, one of cally, bodily fluids. While I haven't perrecovering nicely from a nasty case of those weird, tanning machine-like head- . S(mally tried it, there is good money to be secondary yeast infection). scanners on~ r:night see on an .e~ly Star made - $50 per specimen - for sperm

January27~ 1993 -

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-FHE MICHIGAN REVIEW

Fortnightly Federalist , 'IJ.' ,:r

Defending the Freedom of Religion UCrmgress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religirm, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ... "

Division v. Smith. The case involved two Native Americans who had been fired for engaging in the sacramental use of peyote. If the Supreme Court had adhered to precedent, it could easily have reached - U.s. Constitution, Amendment I its desired result by claiming that by Laurel Schippers regulating the use of narcotics is a Most of us hear about the Free "compelling interest." This was the result chosen by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Exercise Gause of the First Amendment and the one with which dissenters in the to the Constitution in the context of a decision concurred. Justice Scalia and fight over the "separation of church and state"; someone is suing to block City the majority of the court unfortunately Hall from erecting a Nativity scene, or a chose an extremely narrow and twisted view of the fundamentalist Christian group Free Exercise insisting that Clause that Christian creatde parte d strongly from ionism be taught along with est ab lished evolution in high precedent. In his school biology I ::~ - classes. 11he Free rna j or it y o p in io n , Exercise Clause also has a lesserJustice Scalia used function: to reinterpreted insure that earlier case g ove m m e nt Jaw to claim cannot prevent that the Court people from had never believing in, and really held that practicing, their reI ig i 0 us chosen religion. practices were ~..~- "';'-:st I exempt from The exercise of • iii!' $1& 1 personal religordinary laws. ious beliefs withA religious out government belief, he I r -- - -~ - - _ - __ -'_: ~ - J1i wrote, should interference is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _- ' -_ _ _ _ _--J. not free a essential to a free society. person from Of course, this cannot mean that all obeying a law that other people who do people are free to engage in whatever not hold that belief must obey. Even a religious practice they please, regardless neutrally-written law that impacted of the law. Society would have a hard adversely on a particular religiOUS time excusing the effects of a provision practice was acceptable. Only if a law which allowed a pseudo-Satanic cult to specifically attacked a religious practice perform human sacrifices. Until very would it fail Constitutional muster. In recently, the Supreme' Court held that other words, sirt'c e the Washington the government could only curb religious narcotics statute prohibited narcotics use practices if they adversely impacted a by everyone - not just Native American "compelling government interest." Church members - it was valid. Even Human life is obviously such an interest. though peyote ingestion was (and is) a Thus, the Supreme Court has held that central part of that church's practices, it religiOUS beliefs do not excusea citizen was not exempt from the law. Had the from mandatory registration for the draft statute specifically forbidden peyote use or contributions to Social Security. All in religious ceremonies or by American such situations implicate a "compelling Church members, it would have been interest," such as national security. impermissible. Absent such an interest, the government This decision was roundly criticized cannot apply a law in such a way as to not only by the dissenters, but by most of deprive a person of Fre(? Exercise rights. the legal community. The extremely The Supreme Court dealt this longnarrow reinterpretation meant that standing and sound doctrine of religious practices could be severely noninterferen~~ . ~ , ~e,sounding a.nd,_ curtailed, a~ )<.>og as lawmak.e~~ ~~re poorly-reaso~~~ ~~ow in ·I!m~l~tt!en-t· cafeful n6(-tb appear to singl'e arty6ne' •

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slaughterhouses, hunting licenses, and religion out. For example, a Baptist fishing. It is to prevent a minority, community with strong opposition to unpopular, "weird" religion from alcohol use might pass a law creating a dry" county in which the purchase or practicing within the city limits. Regardless of the supposed propriety or consumption of alcohol is strictly cruelty of animal sacrifice, it is clear that forbidden. Pre-Smith, Catholics in that the State has no community could "compelling interest" in probably have secured animal life. A country an exemption, since prosecuting them for ~.. o.!! • •~~ that promotes meatalcohol use would ' , _ eating, cattle ranching, and dairy consumption .,.', - ~ " severely and adversely as much as the United impact their religion. . ~::- ': ' ~==- =-<.. - ~. States can hardly claim After Smith, they would that it has an interest in have little recourse; the preserving the lives of law applies equally to all, animals which allows even if it only truly harms the Free Exercise rights the religious practices of of the Santerians to be the Catholic minority. pushed aside. These issues are The Court shOuld realize especially relevant in that its decision in light of Church of the 1/

Lukumi Babalyu Aye v. City of Hialeah, a case before the Supreme Court this term. It involves Santeria (or Yoruba), an African and Caribbeanbased religion that requires animal sacrifice as part of its sacred rites. Shortly after the Church began to set up a place of worship in Hialeah, using a building zoned for churches, Hialeah passed a number of ordinances forbidding animal sacrifice, ostenSibly for health and safety: reasons. Naturally, the . real impact of . these laws was to preveI1t the Santericms ; from practicing their religion. Groups writing briefs for the city of Hialeah include People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the HUrJ;l~ne Society, and other animal-;-rights groups who oppose animal sacrifice. Groups supporting the Church inelude the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Conference of Bishops, and just about every other religious advocacy group. They may not be Santeria's greatest supporters, but they do understand what is at stake. , . If the Court backs away from Smith's narrow holding, it should overturn the· ~ Hialeah ordinances. The real goal of the ordinances is not to apply a neutral law to the slaughter of animals, which Hialeah permits and encourages in the form of

Employment Division v. Smith went too far in its attempt to preserve the State's right to pass laws for the health, safety, and welfare of its 'Citizens. Smith's real evil lies in the fact that it punishes minority religions, while offering little threat to majority religions. A religion with enough members in a given political district will certainly have enough political clout to insure that the law will not harm it. A religion with , fewer adherents can neither preserve its pow~rthr?Ug~ the political process, nor seek ju~~e through the courts. Although the political proc~ is the proper arena for ~l~ng PolitiF~iffereh~~'c'the Bill of ~Ig~!s, wa~ ~reated speCifically to insulate c&taln ~aS ~om the give-and- ' take fdf P'plitk~! ',ch'ang:~; R~,ligious freedom'is cl¢arly preserveq irt the text of the C6nStitutiOrt as one of these 'inViolate principles. The Framers did not intend for religiOUS freedom to be granted at the whim of the electorate.

LaUrel Sduppefs ' l~, ft!,l~d,~yHr law student "fWayne- Slate Uhj:vetSlty and a member Of ih~-Fed~r~istSocietY. ' She I · l ". graduated froin the U~M in1989 with a Bachelor's Degree irttJYthol~g);: . ,

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Signon to MTS (type SO MREV:Forum at the Ii#" prompt) and give Laurel Schippers and a whole host of other fri~ndly .<;haracteJ;s.a pie~ of _ your mind.

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THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

DIAG Policy

January 27, 1993

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Continutd fUMI Page 1 lated to Hash ~ He said that various conunittees of students, staff, and faculty

had been working on the policy ~ last April, and that the policy took effect on January 4 simply because ..that's when the process got finished." 1'his policy is a content-neutral policy," Cianciola said. Brook disagrees. '1n order to get our permit, they're requiring us to deposit $9,429.18 in an SOAS [Student Organization Accounts Services] account" as insurante related to costs incurred by the U-M in relation to last year's Hash Bash, Brook said. 'They are really, really pushing to get.rid of NORM4" he remarked. NORML currently has lawsuits pending against the U-M relating to last years event. According to the Record, "preliminary work on the policy ... was done by a faculty I student/ staff committee." Although issues regarding students' rights are usually dealt with by the Students' Rights Conunission (SRq of the Michigan Student Assembly (MSA), no one in the administration contacted Rob Van

Houweling, chair of the SRC last semester, to discuss the new policy. "I was having meetings with them about the Code all last semester and I never heard anything about this," Van Houweling said. "Typically we're [MSA]

As of press time, Cianciola was unable to provide information regarding the members of the committee. All applications requesting Diag use permits were formerly administered by the office of the Student Organization

who you go through when you want to appoint students" to committees that work on similar issues. "Obviously they just picked some students," he remarked.

Development Committee (SODC). Under the new policy, applications will continue to be distributed by the SOOC, but, according to the Record, "the issuance of

solicitation permits has been delegated to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs [Maureen Hartfordl and will be administered by Cianciola." Not so, according to Cianciola. "We're trying to reduce the number of steps that you have to go through" to get a permit, he said. ''The whole purpose of this was to clarify for people how they could gain access to facilities," and to reduce the paperwork and number of contacts that student groups need to make to obtain permission forDiag use. Brook disagrees on this interpretation of the new policy. He specifically questioned the increased centralization oithe request process and the increased number of written regulations and prohibited uses. "My question is, 'Who runs this university?'" he asked. Apparently the bureaucrats do.

Tracy Robinson is a junior in political science and an executive editor of the Review.

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Letters to the editor, guest bpWOh pieces, Serpent's I ,Teeth, and funky littlefictionplecesthat you can't get I I, published elsewhere (unless, {)fcourse, they're about l . ;lipot-smoking, fr~love, UtppjatjNpP\e$)· ~an be.sent I ' ~ to: 911 North University Aven1.1e, Suite One, Ann ArI I ,bor, MI 48109-1265 I

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January 27. 1993

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

Continued from page 5 mindset, counter-racial discrimination against white supremacy, prejudice against suspected white supremacists, even anger and fustration. It is a deceitful, malicious act to suggest that the gestures made by non-white people to avoid being victims of white supremacy, are equal to inter-connected acts to maintain, expand, and refine the unjust system of white world supremacy. When confronted with this kind of arguement, it is correct for victims to respond: "I disagree with that argument, because it is the type of argument used to promote white supremacy."

Forest Green III

Poli Sci Fly Killers The following letter was originally forwarded to U-M President James Duderstadt. -Ed. Dear President Duderstadt: It is very ironic that today some of our better known universities tolerate and apparently encourage the zealotry, intolerance and paranoid behavior that ultimately can lead to the horrors of the past, such as the Inquisition, Nazi extermination camps, and the Russian Gulags. Some may think these comparisons extreme, but history (please excuse my reference to what your political science department probably regards as an irrelevant collection of distortions by a decadent civilization) has shown many times that when zealots gain control they move much more quickly across the boundaries of civilized behavior than we would like to imagine. The end is easily used to justify any means even by "educated" individuals. Mr. Brown's paper may deserve criticism for not meeting expected scholastic standards (even he defined his example as ludicrous), but unless there are other issues not presented, in no way does' there appear to be'arational b~is for a claim of sexual harassment (I don't claim to be an expert but, I have had sensitivity training 00 the subject). Sexual harassment works both ways, and in an environment other than that which apparently exists at the University of Michigal\ Mr. Brown may have an even more rational basis to make a counter charge of his own. As a minimum, he certainly could make a demand for competent and objective instruction and not have to feel pressured to withdraw from his selected course. In today's economic environment where one must be concerned relative to having skill/job flexibility, there are at least some members of your faculty that should not be worried. If the political science field becomes overcrowded,Jhey ~can,.lways provide leadership in a ..... ,..

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pseudo-academic endeavor comparable to that in which they are now engaged such as the killing of flies - especially the counting of the dead ·ones. Maybe a better alternative would be to provide seminars for the KKK or theanti-abortionextremists (especially those who bomb /burn abortion-related facilities). Sensitivity training would show them that they have much more in common with these zealots than their current mental processes would lead them to recognize.

Dean f. Lennard p.s. I have no relationship with the University of Michigan but write this only as a concern over the excesses that I see occurring within our society today especially by the institutions that one would expect to foster and encourage objectivity and rational behaviour.

SAPAC Myths and Truth To the Editor: Tony Ghecea's article "SAPAC'sStats: What's Myth, What's Fact?" (Review, 1/ 13/92) begins with the approach that SAPAC's "rape myths" must be examined in light of objective facts. While this approach is commendable, Mr. Ghecea's article unfortunately falls prey to many of thebadhabitsofwhichitaccusesSAPAC. The article would have been most helpful if it had stuck to a critique that used facts, statistics, and learned opinions, instead of vague generalizations with no grounding in fact. In particular, in the section titled liThe Opinions," Mr. Ghecea does not attempt to attack SAPAC's opinions objectively, but simply substitutes his own subjective opinions for SAPAC's. For example, Mr. Ghecea attacks the April (1) Myth that "'In certain situations, women ask for it [rape]" by saying that always holding the rapist accountable for his actions is "fishy." He suggests that SAPAC is hard-headedly refusing to consider that a victim of acquaintance rape shares blame for the rape if she does not make it "very clear" to her assailant, before any sexual contact begins, that she has no intentions whatsoever of having sexual intercourse. It is curious that Mr. Ghecea thinks that the outcome of a given sexual encounter ought to be irrevocably decided before the first kiss, and that a rape victim who says "No" before her date lays a hand on her is less blameworthy than one who says "No" after she realizes that her date will not be content with a kiss goodnight This opinion also assumes that a man who believes his desire for sex should control regardless of the woman's desirewillsudden1y develop anew respect for the woman's choice as long as she makes it clear early on. The teply to the April (m Myth, "Duringsex,alittleforceiso.k.,"isequallY,

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fallacious. Mr. Ghecea first confuses the issue of involuntary coercion with consensual sex play, where one partner agrees to temporarily give up power to the other (as in S&M play). The "myth" is obviously concerned with the idea that a "little" coercion of one's partner to insure cooperation is socially acceptable. Further, in his criticism of SA PAC's use of force, Mr. Ghecea turns sharply away from using reliable legal statistics and uses a "F amily Feud" style of proof: If more than half of Americans in an opinion poll say that a particular type of pressure isn't force, it isn't Rape cases are resolved by juries who examine the existing law about sexual assault - not by consulting Gallup or Roper polls. A better approach would have been to compare SA PAC's definition of "force" with the law's definition of "force" to reflect what is and is not legally rape. The response to the December (IT) Myth is also quite weak. He finds little fault with this "myth," so Mr. Ghecea is reduced to attacking" confronting sexism" as too vague and ineffectual. In fact, sexism is the very reason that rape is excused and encouraged. If women are either virgins or whores, and men are mindless, rutting animals, then it follows logically that rapists" can't help themselves" and rape laws will examine the character of the victim, not the criminal. "Confronting" means just that sexism must be vigorously attacked. Doing so does not require one to become politically correct or to adopt a p,!rticular political ideology. Replying intelligently to a statement like "Women like to be raped" or "She must have asked for it" doesn't mean that you have to vote Democratic. Mr. Ghecea's article is strong where it attacks SAPAC for deliberate inaccuracy, distorting facts, and relying on questionable sources. Unfortunately, it shoots itself in the foot when it presents unfounded opinion as valid. The way to attack a shaky opinion is not to say "My shaky opinion is better," but to present reason and evidence as to why that opinion is unsupportable. On an issue as important as rape, we cannot afford to sabotage the fight against sexual assault by champiOning lies and half-truths.

Laurel Schippers Third-year law school student Wayne State University

Liberal Logic and Color

widespread use then most anywhere else. With such great minds at this university, I cannot understand how such a blunder is able to exist for so long, unnoticed. While saying "People of Color" may be politically correct, it is SCientifically and fundamentally wrong. For some unknown and inexplicable reason, European-Americans are considered" colorless." As any first-year art student knows, without even having to refer to a book, white is a mixture of all colors, and black is the absence of all rolors. So, would it not be logical to assume that European-Americans are, as all the other races in the world are considered, "People of Color"? In fact, this term can be even more aptly applied to whites, as they are would be the most" colorful" of all. The inaccuracies don't stop there. People with very dark skin are readily considered "People of Color." This is so, despite the fact that according to the scientific definition of color, they would be the ones most lacking in it. lund erstand that many scientific fallacies that are in widespread use go by unnoticed. One such example is the assumption by many people that common pencils contain lead, when in actuality their main ingredient is graphite. This error, however, is far more s~rious. I can only imagine the confusion a foreigner must face when travelling through this country and finds that someone can be simultaneously considered black and a "Person of Color," or white and "colorless." It's no surprise to me that many people from other countries consider us a strange and unusual nation! We are one of the most scientifically advanced countries in the world, and yet much of our academia continues the misuse of such a simple word as color. So I write this letter as an appeal to our better senses. This barbaric butchering of the Ellglish language must be stopped. The to~al embarrassment of our scientific and artistic communities cannot continue. No wonder. the French scoff at us, the Scanamavian scorn us, and the Japanese just plain make funofus. Why can't people of ron-European deScent be called "People of non-European descent?" After all, they are people, and tl)ey are not of European . descent ~o'~otili tms h6tbe a scientifically correct term? .. Perhaps·thert is a,n.elte(l sohItion till this dilertnna. W(!!~;COJl!inJl~ the use of "hyphenated" Am~p~ns (i.e. Asian'. American, Italian-American, MexicanAmerican, et~.), put s~qce tNre ~reliterally hundreds of different' ethiuc groups in America, this can become quite complicated. The best solution seems simply to call everyone" American." That is what we all are, equal underneath our skin, regardless of its color.

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To the Editor: One of the more frequently used terms to refer to Americans of non-European discent is "People of Color." I find it very distreSSing that such a desCriptor is continually used h is even more surprising that in an academic and intellectual Michael Bruno envir.ofUAen! stich as ,t~~ University of Engineering Freshman Michigan the' IS in even more' . .. . ' .. ..... .

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January 13, 1993

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

Topic Headline

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Stone Temple Pilots and Rattlebone by Crusty Muncher and Drew Peters

former ska band, is one of the first. Bone Club Most of the songs are dark and heavy Beautiflu EP grooves, usually climaxed by singer The Imago Recording Company Weiland's sinister choruses. Weiland 1993 will be a year in which the record proves to be quite a top-notch vocalist; companies dump all of their Seattle unfortunately the mu sic he wails over is sound-a-like signings onto the globe. just a lot of played-out guitar riffage, far Music fans will just have to grit their too familiar these days. teeth and bear it. While giving us too "Wet my Bed," a tune in which much of what they think we want to hear, Weiland babbles about wanting a cigalabels will also be releasing shot-in-therette while the other guys pluck out a dark albums in an attempt to predict the jam, and a few next trendy other songs sound. The make Core an crappy inc on si s te n t records are aldebut. Yet the ready starting finer songs, like to pile up. the MTV hit Bone Club "Sex Type has obviously Thing" and been listening "Dead & to lots of Led Bloated," just Z e pp eli n might make the records, or album worthSoundgarden while to some. records perc:,,'c< Bone Club

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Full Bleed Radioactive Another nod to the ever-imitated Cocteau Twins, the electric hum and pleasant melodies of Full Bleed make Lulabox one more ethereal great. Reminiscent of Curve, Lulabox's tunes float on familiar techno-drum grooves, but the variety of melodies pulls the band out of Jesus and Mary Chain's droning ditch. Before you go out and buy Full Bleed, though, realize that it is only an EP, Most, if not all, of the songs will be on Lulabox's first full-length release, available soon. Stone Temple Pilots

Core Atlantic Records It was only a matter of time before bands would cling to the coat-tails of Alice in Chains. Stone Temple Pilots, a

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Rattlebone Hollywood Records We thought cheese metal died a couple of years back, but apparently that's not the case. Rattlebone's debut is an EP of five of the worst glossed-over heavy metal songs since Warrant's last outing. Dave Jerden, who has worked with heavy hitters like Jane's Addiction, Social Distortion, and Alice in Chains, apparently found these leather clad boners and produced this collection of Deep Purple-influenced and organ-heavy banal crud.

We are trying to expose the hypocrisy that stands at the forefront of the American system. We still live in a very volatile situation here in America and we want people to think critically about the system." Interestingly, the band has not alienated hard rockers or hip hop fans with the hybrid. Rage Against the Machine have supported Pearl Jam and Suicidal Tendencies among others, and will tentatively tour with Helmet in April. All of this is enough to keep the rock fans happy. On the other hand, it is not uncommon to find De La Rocha kicking freestyle rhymes in Los Angeles clubs with the likes of some of the west coast's finest rappers, Freestyle Fellowship and Cypress Hill. In fact, Ice Cube producer Sir Jinx will remix the group's next Single. "I was expecting the hip hop fans to be turned off by us because our music is harder, and I do a lot of screaming and stuff," says De La Rocha. "But the hip hop kids groove with it, as do the punk kids." '

by Crusty Muncher On stage Zach De La Rocha looks like a blend of Henry Rollins and Busta Rhymes. One minute he delivers his lyrics with ferocious melodrama. eyes bulging and veins popping. The next minute he is bouncing around the stage doing that funky march dance step all the new school rappers are doing these days. De La Rocha is the lead vocalist/rapper of one of the industry's most progressive major label acts, Rage Against the Machine. The Chicano singer grew up on the early 1980s punk rock of Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and Government Issue, and was a member of Inside Out, a band that recorded with the popular punk label Revelation Records. Drummer Brad Wilk was formerly working with Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder before the grungestud split for Seattle. "We're a very confrontational cross between old hardcore punk and all-live hip hop," says De lA Rocha. '1t's difficult

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haps. The Zeppelinisms on this EP make the band sound like a thin and poppy Soundgarden which is obviously the reason Imago Signed them to a contract. The songs aren't particularly horrible, but the trendiness of the EP kills its appeal. Bone Club will release a full-length in August.

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