vol_19_no_5

Day of Inaction BAMN'takes a day to pat itself on the back, status quo wins again By

RUBEN DURAN

I

F YOU VENTURED our onto the Diag Thursday afterno~n, their senses were assaulted through sound, sight and feel. The large "Rally and March to Defend Affirmative Action" was held to .. show support for the • University administration against the lawsuits against the Law School and the college of Literature, Science and the Arts.

The rally opened with a performance by the Cass Technical High School Marching Band, much to the delight of the many Cass alumni and students who were in attendance. The organizers of the event, the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), brought in hundreds of local high school

students to witness the events. After the Center for Individual Rights (CIR) was. performance from the marching band, the The opening speaker representing g u est BAMN was speakers Shanta began their Driver, an tirades. outspoken The r e leader in the seemed to organization. be a speaker To the of every huddled nationali ty masses of and walk of supporters, life , and standing every one of upon the the m chalkexpressed in emblazoned Those at the rally enthusiastically show their n 0 Diag, she support. We agree, those are really nice signs. uncertain ranted and terms just raved, how horrible society is for oppressing them, fighting for "equality, and to restart the and how WRONG and RACIST the Civil Rights movement, for integration

Kozol Comes to Campus By

DUSTIN LEE

T

HIS PAST WEEK, on October 17 'h, a packed Mendelssohn Theater of the Michigan League hosted reputed author and affirmative action advocate Jonathan Kozol. Coming to speak on behalf of the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) and several other organizations, Kozol entertained the predominantly liberal crowd with his anecdotes, book promotion, and harsh, right-wing criticisms. Author of such books as Savage Inequalities and Death at an Early Age, Kozol has been at the forefront of what he calls the "real liberal cause" for several decades.

Although Kozol came primarily

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3

Letters to the Editor

Let's get this straight: when we ask you to write letters, you don't, but when we don't, you do?

4

under the auspices of the University of Michigan sanctioned, week long Affirmative Action 102 extravaganza, he covered only briefly the topic of affirmative action as it relates to the fWO lawsuits filed against the University by the Center for Individual Rights (CIR) , and spent most of the night promoting various liberal agendas. As soon as the near capacity crowd of several hundred people settled into the theater, Jessica Currin (President ofBAMN) took control of the microphone to introduce a line of affirmative action advocates who, after tersely justifying the need for affirmative action in higher education, in turn would introduce Me. Kozol.

However, with affirmative action

into society." She challenged America to "wake up and take notice .. .'til victory is ours!"

The next speaker was another representative of BAMN, who spoke out about how "being black means we have to draw the conclusion we will fight " (Hmm ... so being black means being violent? No negative stereotype there!). She went on to say that the "fight for Affirmative Action is the fight for equality ... (and) to stop rape and sexual assault, you must be involved in this movement!" First of all, Affirmative Action has nothing at all, whatsoever to do with rape and sexual assault. While these crimes, when committed, are heinous, and deserving of the attention of the highest

See RAllY on Page 8

Election 2000: You Decide

See KOZOl on Page 8

From Suite One

The self-righteous crock that is Affirmative Action 102 and why school vouchers are good for schools.

5-6

Columns

Boy Scout (Man Scout?) Justin defends the Boy Scouts while the Reviewhas it's first Love StOlyreference ever in Dustin's first column

1oFeatures Kurt polls some undecided voters about the upcoming presidential election. Yes, he really polled those preschoolers.

11

More from El Senor Guipe

ElSefior, in perhaps a shameless bid to sound sensative and maybe get some, battleS" La Senorita Margarita over who is better: boys or girls.

• SERPENT'S TOOTH Israelis recently developed bullets laced with pork, because Muslims believed that if you die with pork in your stomach, its impossible to go to heaven, and some also believe that they automatically go to heaven if they kill an Israeli. Serpents wants to know what happens if a Muslims shoots an Israeli and then is killed with one of these bullets. Do they cancel out?

TilE l\11(,1I1(; . \~ RE\IE\\

political slogan.

9. Your friends make you hand over your keys at parries, even when you don't drink.

8. Your name is Edward Kennedy.

7. You are on a first name basis with the local state troopers.

6. You have more points on your license than your last Chern quiz.

5. The only stick-shifting you do is when · you can't get a date.

4. You have New Jersey plates.

3. You have had more Court dates than real dates.

2. You are a woman 1. You have a bottle opener mounted on your dash for "easy access."

Madonna recently evicted a cybersquatter fro m the domain name Madonna.com. She won back the name because the World Intellectual Property Organizati o n h ad found th at th e cybersquatter had registered the name in bad faith and because it was once a porn site , it al so tarnished the image of Madonna, which makes Serpent's ask: just how bad d oes a porn site have to be to tarnish the image of the woman who was behind "Like a Virgin," "Like a Prayer," "JustifY My Love," "Body of Evidence," and a coffee table book simply titled "Sex?"

Top 10 signs that you will not be elect~d President 10. You are for champagne finance reform 9. You work furiously so that American Samoa and Guam are a lock come Election Day. 8. You are a Libertarian 7. The only platforms you have are your shoes

Top 10 Signs You're Not a G ood Driver 10. You.think "right before left" is a

TheCampusAffairsJournalofthe University of Michigan

6. Saddam Hussein endorses you 5. You think the middle east refers to Pennsylvania 4. The only foreign relations trips you have taken: were to Thailand 3. You wish to dissolve the Senate, put power in the hands of the regional Governors, and let fear keep the local systems in line.

2. When asked about the Jewish situation · in Palestine, you respond that you do not follow football much, but the Jews have always had a strong offensive line.

1. You cannot lie.

JamesY. Yeh Editor-in-Clu:ef .",,"~

James Justin Wilson Publisher. MWUlging Editor

Michael D. Austin Managing Editor

Matthew Franczak National Affairs Editor

R. Colin Painter Senior Editor

D.C. Lee

You know, if the New York Yankees need 'only one reason why they deserve to win the Subway Series instead of the New York Mets, it should simply be that their team song is "New York, New York" performed by Frank Sinatra and not that damn "Who Let the D ogs Out" song.

Campus Affairs Editor FEATURES EDITOR: SATIRE EDITOR: ONLINE EDITOR: PHOTOGRAPHER: LAYOUT:

Kurt Rademacher David Guipe Rabeh Sooli John Pratt Gina Fratcmali Carl Grant

STAFF WRITERS: Margaret Allen, Ruben Duran, Gina Fratcmali, Dan Honig, Brandon MuhI, Ryan Serra, Brad Sprecher, Michael Veescr

Who Said It - AI Gore or the Unabom'ber?

EDITOR-A T -LARGE: E DITORS EMERITI:

M. Scott Schwartz Lee Bockhorn Benjamin K~e

The Michigan Review is the independent. student· run journal of conservative and libertarian opinion at the University of Michigan . We neither solicit nor accept monetary donations from the U-M. Contributions to the Michigan Review are tax· deductible under Section 501 (c)(3 ) of the lnternal Reven ue Code. The Review is not affiliated with any political party or uni versity poli tical group.

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1) ''The twentieth century has not been kind to the constant human striving for a sense of purpose in life. Two w~d wars, the Holocaust, the invention of nuclear weapons, and now the global environmental crises have led many of us to wonder if survival - much less enlightened, joyous, and hopeful living - is possible. We retreat into the seductive tools and technologies of industrial civilization, but that only creates new problems as we become increasingly isolated from one another and disconnected from our roots."

UYour guilty conscimce may force YOIl to vote Democratic, but deep down inside you secretly long for a cold-hearted Republican to lower taxes, brutalize crimi,,,,ls, and rule you like a ki"!I:..."

Unsigned editorials represent the o pi nion of the editorial board. Ergo. they are unequi vocall y correct and just. Signed anicles, letters. and cartoons represent the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of the Review. The Serpent's Tooth shall re present the opinion of indi vidual anonymous contributors to the Review. and should not necessaril y be taken as representative of the Review's editorial stance. The opinions presented in th is publication are not necessarily those o f the ad venisers or of the Uni versity of Michigan. We welcome letters, articles, and commen t~ about the journal .

2) "Modern industrial civilization, as presently organized, is colliding violently with our planet's ecological system. The ferocity of the assault on the earth is breathtaking, and the horrific consequences are occurring so quickly as to defy our capacity to recognize them, comprehend their global implications, and organize an appropriate and timely response ."

Being from NJ, [' m quite excited by the Subway Series, but mY colle.gues don' t seem agree. To those of you that won't tune into the World Series this year. it' s your loss. This is my fi rst Subway Series and r m not missing it for the world.

3) "Nature takes care of itself: it was a spontaneous creation that existed long before any human society, and for countless centuries, many different kinds of human societies coexisted with nature without doing it an excessive amount of damage, Only with the Industrial Revolution did the effect of human society on nature become really devastating,"

Please address all advenising. subscription inquiries, and donations to Publisher clo the MichigWl Review.

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4) "Any child born into the hugely consumptionist way of life so common in the industrial world will have an impact that is, on average, many times more destructive than that of a child bom in the developing world."

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5) The modem individual on the other hand is threatened by many things against which he is helpless: nuclear accidents, carcinogens in food, environmental pollution, war, increasing taxes, invasion of his privacy by large organizations, and nationwide social or economic phenomena that may disrupt his way of life."

Copyright 0 2000 The Michigan R.,i<w, Inc. AD rights ..... rved .

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6) "Among the abnormal conditions present in' modem industrial society are excessive density of population, isolation of man from nature, excessive rapidity of social change and the breakdown of natural small-scale communities such as the extended family, the village or the tribe."

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• LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SFL Not Conservative In your article "Campus Conservatives Must Unite,· you mention Students for Life as a "conservative group." This is an inaccurate Statement; though we embrace the pro-life cawe like many conservatives, we do not view abortion as a political issuc.

We see it is a human rights issue, something that all people should oppose as humans being. not as politicians. Also, our group opposes the death penalty, which in most people's minds is a more -liberal" belief.

Of course, we thank the Review for the support that no other campus publication has given us. However, I thought that this point was worth clarifying. Students for Life is not centered around any religious or political ideology and welcomes cveryone with a sense of humanitarianism to our group.

&bmSlxrrd4 Publications CoSluJnrI1 fo, Li

i,

Shock Ignores Issues Dan Honig's comments on the anclabonjon exhibit in the d~ ("The Value of Shock: An Anecdote. lO/ ll/OO") makes some pretty serious comparison...

He says that cvenrs including the publi tOrfUre and murder of an American oldier, and the assassination of Or. Martin Luther King, Jr.• are examples of ' hock V'.tIue' causing change.

Very weU, you're right. And. I would argue, they are awful events which the world would be better ofTwithour. Just lit« the disgusting propaganda to which you compare them.

Let'S be honest here. pro-lifers don't

really care about children. If they did, they would concenuarc their effortS towards providing for the babies who cannot be cared for and are left at the doorstep of what amount to orphanages. This shows that they are not prepared to handle the reality of their fallible demands.

Instead of doing any good in society, they focused their dTorts on ruining my appetite. and reducing the demon behind the slaughter of more than 11 million people to that harmless twentySOmething whose boyfriend's condom broke.

Jme MiJkr

LSAJuniD,

Technology Clouds Napster Debate I am a great f.an of your ncwsIetter. and ['m almost always in support of your views. However. I must disagree with M.r.

Schwanz' view on the ilIcga1ity ofNapstcr.

The crusade against copyright infringement is both laudable and noble. but in this case I do believe that the misco nceptions of digital media have created a lot of unwarranted hype.

It is not illcgal for radio starions to play music over the airw.aves. 1 suppose (but am not sure) that they licence the CD's from the artists rather than jUt go out and buy the music from Sam Goody's.

They make money from playing the music by selling air time to advertisers.

1ft were to record a song off of the airwaves. is that copyright infringement?

If I then g:.ve mat song out to all of my friends, without making any money, am I breaking any laws? The copyright laws on VHS tapes state that the movies may not

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be rcproductd for commcrcia1 purposes - I beli~ that this is similar.

You may claim. then. that it is not the same because an ~ tranSmission is an analog one, and that infinite reproduction is impossible due to the loss in quality inherent in analog reproductions. What men. if I recorded the analog transmission as a .WAV me on my computer (thus making it digital), then passing it around to my friends? ) ncver ~.stole" the musicit was given to me over the air by the artists thcmsdves. What I choose to do with it. outside the realm ofcommercialism. is now my dccWon. ] would argue that in many cases. copying a song off of the airwaves and then digitizing it is actually slighdy better than making an MP3. Most MP3's are in 128 kbps. 441 00 Hz. format (slightly better than the 96 kbps ATRAC3 compression used by minidiscs). This reduces a file mat is normally about 50 Mb (0 one that is 3 Mb. Where docs all of this information go? h is not "compressed" in the literal sense (we cannot make a bit smaller than it is). What happens is that information is removedthe highs and lows that are assumed to be inaudible (0 the human ear are removed.

Imagine a sine wave with the tops and bonoms cut off-that's an MP3.

So, which is bener? An analog reproduction, with aU musical nOles copied onto a computer. or a "digital " reproduction, albeit compressed, and propagated? Many fans of vinyl records swear that vinyl is better than a CO; the slight dips and pits associated with the music, and the transition between notes (analog and not quantifiable) makes the music bener.

So, in reality. MP3's are not exact copics of the original music. groups of bits that are infinitdy transferrable. They are a reproduction made by the original • capitalist owner of the music to his "friends" --in this case the Napster community. If the origirual owner of the music played the same mwic over the airwaves. we would not have the same complaint (even though, as we have already seen, an analog reproduction can be better than the digital compressed version).

Napster, Take 2 I consider myself a capitalist for two reasons. The first is that I can push myself as far as my natural ability can take me, and no one. in a capitalistic society. can rake that away. I earn what is mine by the right of production. The second reason Stems from the first. While 1 push myself.

I am not obliged to .suffer the foolishnes.s of those who do ~Ot push thelll$Clves, and

they have no claim 00 my labors. That includes my f.amiIy. In better put terms, it is the ultimate expression of individuality.

So when it comes to Napster, 1 agree with your position wholchearrcdly in about 90% of cases (ftles shared). The remaining 10% or so is the maner of deceased artists.

I have no problem paying for good music, whatever the artist demands. If the price is tOO high. I just plain don't buy it, hearing it off of the radio, or live, or what have you.

On the other hand, I do have a problem with the family, or friends, or music-bwiness associates of the anist freeloading off of their dead ancestor. Case in point: While 1 may detest some things in Aaron Copland's personal1ife (political leaning and so forth). 1 do appreciate his music. Do I owe his f.unily money, though, becawe of his musical talent? Of course not - if (hey were worth anything as musicians (or artists, or actors, or busincssmen), I'd be paying them for what they did, not what their ancestor did.

As an aside, 1find it ironic that of those who now decry Napster because they feel they are being ripped off. most are of the southern California liberal benr, are they nor? So where is their feeling. their smse of community when it comes (0 sharing their music? Afr:er aU. in their ideal world. no one owns anything, right? Not that their political bem jwtifics their being robbed - if one person can be robbed with impunity, all can. But 1 still find it endlessly amusing that the shoe pinches when it's on the other foot.

RichII,a Aniln'10n Enginm-ing Fmh

Review Improved Under Yeh's Reign Your October 11. 2000 was the your best issue in a long time. Last semester. the quality of the Review seemed to be crashing downhill as it became a mess of silly reactionism. The Review constantly discredited iudf as it presented a slew of trite liberal mudslinging and often made statements that could be regarded as blatandy ofknsive or racist. With the last issue the Review 6nally resumed publishing articles that were important and intelligent.

1 disagree with a fair amount of opinions in the pages of the Review, but it is imporunt that the Review continues to remind people that there are twO sides to every issue.

I would like to commend James Ych, who for the past year has consistently asked the right questions in his column.

Jonah VICtor LSAJuniD, Ie You - em.

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â&#x20AC;˘ FROM SUITE

October 25. 2000

ONE

AA 102 Sends Wrong Message

H

UMAN HISTORY HAS witnessed many horrible acts of racism and cultural imperialism, such as the bloody conquest of Russia by the Mongol hordes of Asia, the rape and pillage by the Moorish invaders in Spain and France, and the slaughter and pain inflicted by the Turks in Hungary and Austria.. Today, more civilized individuals are able to look past petty differences in skin color and culture and see the truth, the sameness of all human souls-unfortunately the members of BAMN are not so civilized.

These last two weeks have witnessed the "intellectual pogrom" that is "Affirmative Action 102." Debate was not welcome, opposing viewpoints were silenced, and those unsure of their stance were bullied into agreement. The BAMN tactics were insidious in their effectiveness. The minds of the masses in the Diag were savaged by affirmative action demagogues like so many 19th century French peasant girls by lusty noblemen.

To be sure, that most vile race-baiting opportunist, Ms. Jessica Curtin pulled out all the stops to ensure only the most extreme viewpoints on the queStion of institutionalized racial segregation (read "affirmative action") were heard. The final total spent by BAMN on speakers., including Jonathan Kozol, was the hefty¡ sum of $52,000, of which over $5,000 came from MSA funds, i.e. out of students' pockets. How much was spent on opposing viewpoints, to present a balanced "dialogue" on affirmative action? The grandiose total of $0.

That this kind of blatantly racist event could happen at an "enlightened" institution of learning like U-M is unfortunate. That any self-respecting, thoughtful person could take any of this drivel seriously is a travesty. The "argument" for affirmative action is seldom heard, and changes with more frequency than Madonna's hair color. "White privilege," "unfair system," and "level playing field" are all rallying cries for the goblins that are race opportunists like Ms. Curtin. But what actually is the argument for affirmative action? University lawyers talk about such ambiguous things as "the need for diversity;" others like the Rev. Jesse Jackson speak out (and rightly so) against the continuing racism in this country. However, ought diversity of people's melanin levels be weighed with greater gravity than the qualities of their own individualism? And as for Rev. Jackson's racism, is it not preached by blacks and whites both? For every George Wallace or David Duke, there is an equally vociferous and inflammatory Louis Farrakhan or AI Sharpton.

For all their petty biases, the proponents of affirmative action-including BAMNare not stupid. These "arguments" do not hold up under any test oflogic, and their leftist supporters know this. So why do these people continue to propagate such bigoted tripe?

For a very base and natural reason; to assuage their guilty consciences for imagined wrongs they feel they've committed by being white. Much like the paradox of America's selfloathing Jewry, who try to assimilate into mainstream America and in turn lose parts of their culrure, so too these "guilty white liberals" hate themselves for being in the majority.

They crave attention, are self-absorbed and endlessly self-righteous and arrogant, and need to rebel against the established order. Heady with their own "rightness of purpose," they wade into the confused melee of race interaction in America, firmly convinced of their own inherited sin and willing to do anything to absolve themselves.

Of course, this begs the question; "what about supporters of affirmative action who are minorities," like Erika Dowdell? Obviously, many minorities in this country sit in lower socio-economic status than many whites, but then again Asian Americans have higher average incomes than whites do. Minorities, even from poor roots, succeed in America every day. Colin Powell, J.e. Warts, and Ward Connedy are all examples of successful, respected, and outright exceptional men of color. This does not mean that all minorities have the same opportunities as most white Americans-they do not. But why support affirmative action, and not more substantial (and less racist) legislation t(}SUpport inner-city education, job growth, and urban development? Two reason: first, many of these poor souls are probably gooo hearts misled by propaganda and fallacy-they honestly believe affirmative action is me only way to salvation for their people.

The second reason is f.u more tragic. People like Jessica Curtin, and more specifically opportunists like AI Sharpton, have too much to lose if blacks are allowed to wake-up and see that they are valued and valuable Americans-whites don't want to keep blacks ." down or drown them out, they want to hear their voices and emulate their culture. Like Yasser Arafat, men like AI Sharpton are voices for pessimism, hate, and mistrust. They are opportunists who prey off the apathy and demoralization of their own people.

Minorities who feel alienated, let down, and without hope are easy to control by silvertongued wordsmiths like Sharpton and his ilk. Like Hitler's speeches to desperate and disillusioned Germans in 1932, the tirades given by the manipulative few at Affirmative Action 102 are just more hateful tripe designed solely to prolong the mistrust and pain felt by Americans of all races. Unfortunately, those with the most to lose by such antics are the very people such policies as affirmative action are designed to help-poor blacks.

We can only pray they keep up their fight, and learn not to heed the bigoted rants of such misguided and chronically pessimistic individuals as']essica' <surtin. MR' '

Vouchers Not Unconstitutional

~

MONG THE MOST hotly debated election issues this fall is the question of

school vouchers. Opponents of this educational reform claim that voucher egislation is a violation of the First Amendment clause forbidding government establishment of religion. In addition, opponents claim that, under the voucher program, poorer public districts would lose money to private schools that may be financially better off. Voucher supporters may be pleasantly surprised to find that recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions have roundly affirmed the constitutionality of sending public tax dollars to private and even religious schools. Of course, public funds for private institutions are nothing new. In fact, the Montgomery G.I. Bill has given military veterans money for education, public or private, since World War II. Federal Pell grants for students are also distributed without regard to educational affiliation.

According to Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981, funds may be transferred from the federal government to local educational authorities (LEA's) for the purchase of educational materials such as library and media aids. These materials may be distributed to both public and private elementary and secondary schools to implement "secular, neutral, and nonidealogical" education programs. Following the provisions of this Act, school districts such as Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, which sends 30% of its LEA resources to private, and predominantly Catholic schools, have the legal authority to support private education. In the case ofJefferson Parish, the U.S. 5th Circuit

Indeed, it is even questionable as to whether money problems are the reason certain public schools are jailing, anyway.

Court 'of Appeals found such allocation of funds to be unconstitutional under the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. On June 28,h of this year, the Supreme Court overruled the lower court by a 6-3 vote, however, citing recent Court decisions that allow for such allocations.

According to the High Court, a vital criterion for determining a violation of the Establishment Clause is whether government aid results in religious indoctrination. Since this aid is given "to a broad range of groups or persons without regard to their religion", government action does not result in the preferential indoctrination of anyone religious group. In addition, the Court asserted that neutrality is ensured when governmental aid to religious schools results from "the independent and private choices of individual parents" (Justice Thomas, joined by Justices Scalia, and Kennedy wrote for the majority). In other words, since the money passes through the hands of many individuals before it is implemented at the school level, the government itself has not provided any support of religion.

One might raise the question as to whether private schools might co-opt these funds to advance their religious causes. The Court agreed that such activity would be illegal, but noted that the regulatory checks in place at both the state and local educational levels are adequate to thwart such activity.

As for the second argument against school reform, the fear that vouchers will necessarily "steal" much-needed money from struggling public schools is more of a scare tactic by opponents of school reform than an inevitable consequence. In fact, current voucher proposals have been designed specifically to help current public schools remain fiscally solvent: namely by targeting vouchers only to disuicts that fail more than 2/3 of their students, and by ensuring that the spending per student in public schools does not decrease following voucher approval in these districts. What's more, since only half of public tuition will be granted to each student leaving the public school, the per-capita dollars for students that rem~n in the public system will increase. Indeed, it is even questionable as to whether money problems are the reason certain public schools are failing, anyway. In the state of Michigan, where the average tuition per public student is $6,000 per year, it is curious that public school officials are clamoring in opposition of school choice, when it means their students may move to schools whose tuition is, on average, half of the average public tuition. If money were the real determinant of school quality, why would public schools feel threatened by private schools which operate on half as much money?

Clearly, it is not money that guarantees the quality of education. There is something much more valuable that attracts urban parents and students to the voucher program: private schools can assure a safety, discipline, and mutual respect between students that the public system utterly lacks.

School administrators often advocate parental involvement when it comes to their child's success in school. Ironically, the best parental intervention may involve removing their students from these public disasters. The encouraging news is that vouchers can give these kids a chance and their parents a choice: and it's all within their constitutional 'rights. MR

â&#x20AC;˘ IbiT Do~I Wa:JlDlV'T Do

A Scout is Innocent ...

The Attacks on Boy Scouts Must Stop "On my Honor 1 will do my best To do my duty to God and my country And to obey the scout /dw; To help other people at all times; To keep myselfphysically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. " - The Scout Oath

F

OR MANY, THOSE are words by which to live by. Over 90 million men have taken that oath, and nearly 5 million Boy Scouts recite it and the Pledge of Allegiance every week at their local scout meetings.

It begins with, "On my honor," to signifY that it is not an oath to be taken lightly, but instead, a pledge by which to live by. It signifies the importance of James Justin citizenship, religion, Wilson individual values of a healthy body, an understanding mind, and a strong, clean character that exemplifies a life of virtue and self-reliance. It's their guiding charter and their founding ideals.

The oath is the Scouts.

James Dale took that oath every week, but according to the Boy Scouts, he was perjuring himself. Nearly ten years ago, Dale sued the Boy Scouts of America for ousting him from his position as an Assistant Scoutmaster because of his sexual orientation. His dismissal was the result of a local newspaper story featuring Dale as a vocal gay-rights advocate and an open homosexual. The Scouts, citing the Scout Oath and Law, claimeÂŤ that his lifestyle did not fall under their definition of being "Morally straight" or "Clean in speech and . " actions.

The case made it to the New Jersey Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Dale, citing a recently passed Civil Rights initiative that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation. Upon appeal, the United States Supreme Court heard the case this past July and ruled in favor of the Boy Scouts.

This lawsuit is indicative of how people across America try to both politi~ize and attack others with non-political intentions.

The Scouts are concerned with helping boys mature into responsible citizens, not with engendering a political agenda. They have won the political battles, and yet the attacks wage on in the private sector. These attacks on Scouting serve only one purpose hurting youth. The opposition may feel

they have won the intellectual battle, but they accomplished it by using boys as pawns in their political chess game. As funding is withdrawn and the founding values are deemed "politically incorrect," youth lose out.

These sorts of attacks are nothing new to the Scouts. Since founding, the Boy Scouts has maintained a clear and simple definition of who may and may not belong.

The Scour Oath, Law, Motto, and Slogan embody the joining requirements and are the first thing reviewed when a boy joins.

Of these, a few particular aspects, including gender, religion, and sexuality, have been singled our for being "politically incorrect" and illegal under Title IX declarations against discrimination.

The Groundwork of the Attacks In order to understand the contemptible nature of the attacks on Scouting, it's important to first examine the legality behind the rulings supporting the Boy Scouts. The Scouts have already won these cases on the court system, but private organizations refuse to accept the legitimacy of the court.

The gender issue is perhaps the clearest example of these attacks. The very name, "Boy Scouts," is indicative of

group, no matter how large or small, to limit membership to those who support whatever ideology the group requires. For instance, this would prevent a Democratic spy from joining a Republican campaign, or the KKK from taking over the NAACP. .

In evaluating this concept, a second law must be taken into account: Title IX antidiscrimination legislation . That is interpreted to say that it is illegal for a group to discriminate based upon color, gender, or other characteristics, and prevents groups from discrimination without any justification. This has been used to force country clubs to admit minorities and substantiated equal opportunity laws in employment.

Often, theses two laws become diametrically opposed to each other and present a legal paradox. To balance these conflicting pieces of legislation, courts have applied the "exclusive speech" test. If a group's purpose or other guiding principal is to oppose another, then the First Amendment wins out, and their "expressive association" is protected. This allows churches to bar entrance to atheists, but forbids them from preventing African Americans from joining. As far as gender discrimination relates to Scouting, the courts found that the Boys Scouts' charter

These attacks on Scouting serve only one purpose - hurting youth. The opposition may feel they have won the intellectual battle, but they accomplished it by using boys as pawns in their political chess game. As funding is withdrawn and the founding values are deemed ''politically incorrect," youth lose out. intended membership. Lord Baden Powell, the founder of scouting, believed that brotherhood was important in fostering boys into men. That same tenant holds true to today: Scouting values a special bond between young boys at this critical stage.

Each boy faces the same changes and challenges, so it makes sense that they can best cope with these by turning to a haven where everyone else was in the same situation. In addition, Scouting feels that many of the circumstances that ScoutS face would be more difficult in a co-gender environment.

Legally speaking, this has been upheld in the courts under the guise of "expressive association" protected by the First Amendment. This dictates that people may express themselves by excluding a particular voice from within a group. Thi>~. a,Ilows~ ~y

was antithetical to female membership. Not on the basis ,of hate, but rather because it felt the need to preserve the notion of brotherhood.

The issue of homosexuals in Scouts falls into the same paradoxical set of laws; this time it's more complex. The Scout oath proclaims that a Scout should be "Morally Straight" and offers the following clarification:

To be a person of strong character, your re/dtionships with others should be honest and open. You should respect and defend the rights of all people. Be clean in your speech and action, and remain foithfol to your religious belieft. The values you practice as a scout will help you shape a life ofvirtue and self-reliance.

It doesn't, '~l?ec~f1saUy. . ~i~tate an '

exclusion of gays, but the concepts of being clean in character have been deemed, by the Boy Scouts, as a clear indication of its stance. Requisitely, it is justified in falling into the "exclusive speech" category and can prevent association of those that it feels do not live by the Scouts' dictates. Of course, the court ruled in the favor of the Scouts in a 5-4 decision using the same justification.

In additi on, the Oath denotes the importance of respecting everyone's rights, thereby indicating the rejection of any discrimination. Also, it's important to note that the Scouts follow a "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding sexual orientation.

This is reflective of the fact that Scouts is not concerned with the private actions of individuals. Instead, they feel that the only inappropriate action is proclaiming that homosexuality is a justifiable alternative to the traditional family model. They are not on a witch hunt, trying to root out any homosexuals, just trying to maintain the consistency of the Scouts message.

The Attacks Wage On The Supreme Court has made its decision. It ruled that it's the Boy Scouts civil right to exclude members who do not agree with their values. Nevertheless, groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union continue their attack on Scouting.

They continue to urge other private organizations, that fall under many of the same protections as the Boy Scouts, to exercise their own freedom of expression by withholding charitable donations as well as facilities and other resources. For instance, Chase Manhattan Bank recently announced that it would withhold all further donations to the Scouts. Many branches of the United Way, Scouting's biggest supporter, have retracted funds.

School districts have passed resolutions banning Scouts from in thekbuildings.

And Janet Reno is reviewing the original Scouting charter. The charter, which very few organizations possess, gives it special recognition, allowing scouts to wear the American Flag on their uniform and allow them to salute, the flag. It also identifies the President of the United States as the symbolic leader of the Boy Scouts.

The Boy Scouts is almost entirely run on charitable contributions. Each Scout pays little more than twenty dollars to join, and if that fee is too much, it's waved. This is made possible by numerous contributions from a multitude of corporations and organizations. Scouting depends on these donations to send kids to

See SCOUTS, Page 9

IPage 6

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FROM THE DEEP WOODS TO CIVILIZATION

Stop Apologizing!

Conservatism Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry

O

NE THING YOU'RE more than likely never to hear is a liberal Democrat apologizing to the public for his views. You'll never hear Jesse Jackson preface his speech on racial profiling by remarking that, "I would first like to note that I am not against, in any way, the police enforcing the law to the best of their capabilities, knowledge, and combination of the two-that of being capable enough to know which people are more likely to be D.C. . . engagIng In Lee criminal activity."

Nor will you ever hear Hillary Clinton on the stump remarking that although she supported[s] universal health-care coverage, she does not advocate socialism. In other words, liberals never feel the need to apologize for their views because they are self-proclaimed, selfeffacing, humanitarians.

Conservatives, however, almost always seem to be apologizing or justifYing one belief or another. For years, liberals have practiced the tactics of fear-mongering, of claiming that conservatives and Republicans want to take away the civil rights of minorities and give tax cuts only to the richest Americans. For years, these liberals have pigeon-l,lOled conservatives as eviL rich, white men, who would rather sees millions die of starvation in thirdworld, err, developing nations, than pay a "living wage." For years, liberals have denounced supply-side economics, individualism, and personal responsibility.

And for years, conservatives have been apologizing for and justifYing these viewsinstead of claiming them and cherishing them as our own.

On the issue of taxes, a supply-sider such as Jack Kemp would likely be heard proposing policy to the effect of giving large tax cuts to the people who pay the most taxes. A "compassionate conservative" such as George W Bush, however, is more often heard remarking that he is going to give tax cuts to all Americans; then, only after he has prefaced his argument with this justification, will he ease his way into giving the money back to "the people who pay the bills." And the people who "pay the bills" in this country are the richest of the rich-the doctors, lawyers, and yes, CEOs of multi-national corporations.

Consider this: the government raises the marginal tax rate to increase its own revenue (to payoff the national debt or to

help pay for unemployment benefits, for example). This increase in the tax rate means there is less money in the pockets of consumers, and some people choose not to buy a new house or not to go out to dinner that night. As a result, the housing market depresses slightly and the restaurant business, now attracting less consumers due to decreased demand for its product, hires less (or fires) workers who are generally trained. Similarly, real-estate brokers and construction workers are laid off as well.

Not only does this create unemployment, but it also increases unemployment benefits that must be paid by the government (who in turn will have to increase taxes again to

almost certainly here something to the effect of, "I don't support race-based affirmative action policies, but I'm not a racist or anything." One thing you'll never hear, though, is University President Lee Bollinger saying, "I support race-based affirmative action policies, but I'm not a racist or anything." And this is given that the position which he defends is inherently racist-not the conservative position.

Liberals have brainwashed us; they have made us believe that we are in the wrong. Why else would we have to justifY our position on race-based affIrmative action policies with the addendum that we "are not raci~s"? Moreover, why do we

And if this country still is, as I believe it to be, right of center politically, then I suggest to all conservatives to quit compromising your principles for the sake of appearing to "care." compensate), and thereby creates a vicious cycle. .

On the other hand, a decrease in the marginal tax rate will do exactly the opposi te: it will increase consumer spending, increase the demand for consumer products, increase the demand for labor (decrease unemployment), and expand the real output of the economy. The government, in turn, has to payout less in unemployment benefits, and therefore has even less a need for taxes. Thus, extending this argument to firms (and the "rich" Americans who own these businesses), it becomes apparent that a decrease in the marginal tax rate for the richest of the rich, will actually have the benefit of increasing national productivity across the board and increasing employment levels among the lower and middle classes-more jobs for entry level workers and middle management positions.

It just doesn't make sense for conservatives to justifY their positions to appease the Left. One of the reasons their scare-mongering tactics work is because conservatives continually play their game; if conservatives were more open about their policy proposals (such as giving tax cuts to the richest of the rich), then there would be less time devoted to justification and more time devoted to explaining why such tax cuts are more palatable than marginal tax rate increases.

Another, more common, conservative misstep is the inevitable declaration of "tolerance." Here at the University of Michigan, a hot political topic is the debate over race-based affirmative action policies.

However, getting into a conversation with a conservative over this issue, and you'll

world" Pacific-rim nations, the "antisweatshop labor" lobby pushes for a "living wage." Conservatives lobby for the abolition of the minimum wage law (a law that in theory predicts unemployment, and that empirically demonstrates that it does, in fact, create unemployment).

"Compassionate / Apologetic conservatives" lobby for neither. They know that they need to appear moderate in order to appeal to liberal and independent voters, all the while chuckling, because they also know that true-blue conservatives are still going to vote for them because they really do advocate the conservative position.

So, herein lies the dilemma. Do conservatives continue to wear the mask of liberalism and apologize for and justifY every position they take? Or do they do everyone in this country a favor and stand up and say exactly what they mean and why they mean it? Nixon once called the conservatives of this nation the "silent majority." And if this country still is, as I believe it to be, right of center politically, then I suggest to all conservatives to quit compromising your principles for the sake of appearing to "care." The Left has made us believe that being on the Left means that you "care," and that being on the Right, means you are just that, "mean." So, the sooner we dispel this myth, the sooner we can begin advocating candidly our personal, political and philosophical positions-and make our way from the deep woods to civilization. ~

accept second rate policy proposals such as those that are currently being employed in states like California, Texas and Florida (where a guaranteed percentage of every high school class in the state gains admission to some form of state university)? Aren't these programs just a round-about way of ensuring a "quotalike" minority presence on college campuses?

During the third presidential debate, George W Bush hid behind the format of the debate in order to avoid a question asked by Vice President AI Gore with respect to affirmative action.

This is a prime example of

by Tom Lucier & A Bit Off Juon Sheardown how "compassionate conservatives" bob and weave, justifY, and apologize for their beliefs. A compassionate conservative" might as well be called a "liberal conservative," or better, an "apologetic conservative."

Bush should not have to hide behind the format or the "rUles of the debate;" he should express openly and clearly where he stands on the issue, sans political rhetoric. Unless, of course, that is, he supports this policy and the second rate program they have running in Texas right now.

The list goes on and on.

As far as there's an issue, there's an apologetic and "Mr. , I'm conoemed about your son. justifiable conservative raISeS his hand dunng d--_o position behind it. For third-

• ELECTION SPECIAL

BY RYAN SERRA AND BRANDEN MUHL

Bush and Gore, by the Issues: ,George W. Bush (R) - Implement across the board tax cuts totaling in excess of $460 billIOn over the next five years , - Greatly reduce or eliminate income tax for much of the middle class - Reform current flve scale marginal tax rates with four lower rates - Cut current 15% tax bracket to 10% - Double child tax credit to $2000 - Cut middle class tax rate from 38-3 1% to 25% - Cap the top tax rate at 33% as opposed to the current rate of 39% - Increase tax benefits for charitable contributions

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- Guarantee continued support - Give seniors the opportunity to select the plan that best meets their needs - Cover the entire cost of health care including prescription drugs for those whose incomes are below 135% of the poverty level - Cover some of the costs for those whose incomes are between 135%-175% of the poverty level - Pay at least 25% of the cost of prescription drugs for all seniors - Guarantee no changeinexisting benefits - Use social security surplus for only social security - Oppose increase in payroll taxes - Oppose the government will investing social security funds in private markets including the stock market - Preserve disability and survivors components - Support the implementation of individually controlled investment accounts whereby people can control the future of their money.

- Generally pro life with exceptions made for extenuatIng circumstances such as rape, incest, and where the life of the mother is directly jeopardized by the pregnancy.

- Ban the use of federal funds to support abortions - Support tax benefits to those who have a child and put it up to adoption as opposed to aborting it - Ban partial birth abortions - Empower low-income parents to move their child to another pubfic-school.

- Establish the "Reading First" program by investing $5 billion to ensure that disadvantaged children can read by third grade.

- Use a $500 million fund to reward states that improve student performance.

- Grant complete tax exemption to all pre-paid and tuition savings plans.

- Increase funds for teacher training and recruiting - a $2.4 billion fund for states to enact teacher accountability sys- tems.

- Require states to improve school safety.

- Maintain longstanding-U.S. commirments, an immediate revIew of overseas deployments in dozens of countries, with the aim of replacing uncertain missions with well-defined objectives.

- Deter terrorist attacks by ensuring that every group or nation understands that if they sponsor such attacks, the U .S. response will be devastating.

- Earmark at least 20 percent of the procurement budget for acquisition programs to propel America ahead in military technology.

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- Support the moratorium agail1st new leases for oil and gas drilling off the coasts of California and Florida. Will work with California and Florida leaders and local affected communities to determine on a case-by-case basis whether or not drilling should go forward on existing leases.

- Oppose breaching dams in the Pacific Northwest.

- Support the new Tier II standards that will require lower sulfur, cleanerburning gasoline and cleaner cars.

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Source: www.georgewbush.com

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Al Gore 1m

- Support a large scale taxreIiefto working familiestotaIing aroliild1)OO billion to encourage savings - Provide tax' relief for stay at home parents - Implement a tax credit for individual health insurance - Offer a tax credit for those who are paying for college - Suggest a $6000 tax benefit for those who seek education/training for the job - Give tax benefits to those businesses who offer better retirement funds to their workers - Grant low income housing tax benefit - Provide tax benefits to help conserve energy and establish parks and other natural settings - Expand eilligability to more children - Expand health care coverage to adults ages 55-65 and offer a 25 % tax credit to those who buy into Medicare - Pay 50% of prescription drug costs up to $5000 annually for seniors - Provide $3000 tax cut to compensate, people with long term medical care needs - Oppose privatization of welfare investment - Oppose tax cuts or other government spending that dips into social security surplus - Oppose raising the retirement age or decreasing the coverage of welfare - Suggest a voluntary government facilitated savings program that people could withdraw from to pay for college, medical bills, etc. a tax credit would then be granted by the full amount deposited (up to $2000/year) - Personally opposed to abortion - Feels that it is impossible to get rid of abortion by outlawing it - Support the use of public funds, including Medicaid, to pay for abortions of people who cannot afford it - Work to establish an anti violence "safety zone" around the clinics - Oppose ban on partial birth abortions - Require states to ensure that: ali newmlddTe-and high-school teachers pass a test of their teaching skills and knowledge of their respective academic subjects.

- Require states and school districts to identify and close failing schools in order to reopen under new leadership with a team of experienced teachers, or asa charter school.

- Use NAEP scores to hold states accountable for raising student performance and closing the achievement gap. States that fail to improve, based on NAEP performance, would lose some federal administrative funds.

- Use reenlistment bonuses and specialized pay for special skills to help retam critical people.

- Ensure that the U.S. stays on the right path to buy the next generation 0 military hardware.

• Create incentives for the defense industry and for commercial'firms to bring their capabilities into the defense market.

- Support the development of the technology for a limited national missile defense system that will be able to defend the U .S. against a missile attack from North Korea or Iraq.

- Give consumers a tax crecrrtTOrtlle purchase of more fuel-efficient cars, SUVs, trucks, and 18-wheelers. Provide consumers with a tax credit up to $2,000 to purchase energy-efficient new homes or up to a $1,000 credit to upgrade the efficiency of their current homes, and extend a 20 percent tax credit to businesses for the purchase of energy-efficient building equipment.

- Extend and modify the tax credit for producing electricity from renewable and alternative sources, establish standards and upgrade infrastructure to ensure the reliability of the electricity system, and increase the supply of gas for electricity generation.

- Expand, via the Keep America Moving Initiative, the transportation choices by investing in alternatives such as light rail, high-speed rail, mag-lev, and cleaner and safer buses.

Source: www.algore.com

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October 25. 2000

RALLY Continued From Page 1 level of justice, they have nothing at all to do with skin color, nor the lawsuits against the University. She then described the efforts of herself and BAMN on campus as a "militant Civil Rights Movement." She also described the Comprehensive Studies Program classes, and how she would not take any others because, "A minority cannot go to the others and do well." If minorities cannot do well in "regular" classes, why then d o many minority engineering students who take these classes end up doing well? And even those who do not do well; they do not blame society, racism or the corruption inherent in the system. Instead, they blame themselves, for not studying enough, nor using the resources available to them. But instead, this speaker encouraged audience members to ~egregate themselves from the rest of the campus. Is this the integration that BAMN and other liberal movements always speak of? This seems to be more like selfsegregation.

The speaker concluded by stating that all in attendance should join this, "militant Civil Rights Movement." Is that not a contradiction in terms? Did not a significant figure of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr., abhor all militancy and violence, and instead speak of peace? Did he also not denounce Malcolm X, whose famous quote is the namesake ofBAMN? This seems to be one of the million contradictions that BAMN and other leftist groups have put fo~ard in their own defense. And it does not stop there. Several other speakers asked the audience to take up a militant movement, one speaker even using a reference to MLK and a call to arms in the same breath.

Also speaking on behalf of BAMN was a single mother, who explained that she was an "advocate for student-parents, " and about the "discrimination faced by single mothers."

She also said that the CIR wants "to prevent women from suing rapers (sic) ... eliminate women in SpOrts ... to eliminate women's opportunity to press sexual harassment suits." These are all not only false, but entirely fabricated. The Center for Individual Rights has not made any of these stated claims. Instead, the CIR wishes to abolish the current starps quo, of women being able to defame a man on a bogus sexual harassment charge. .Furthermore, this speaker is worried about defending affirmative action, while her son is raised without a father. It seems this woman does nothave her priorities straight. The fmal blow was when she held up her young son, wh~ was wearing a sign stating, "I benefit

from Affirmative Action. My mommy goes to the U of M." Not ollly does this child know nothing whatsoever about affirmative action, h~ certainly will not benefit from it. In fact, it may even work against him one day, if he is beaten out for admission to , say the University of Michigan, ifhe gets beaten out for a spot here by an a th e rw ise-eq uaLly qualified peer who is ~ minority, while he himself is white. Well, he will not have anything to worry about, if the CIR has anything to say about it.

A few other token speakers went through their scripted, prerehearsed monologues on the current struggle against "the Man" and society. Erika Dowdell, heir-apparent to the BAMN legacy, ascended the Diag steps and addressed the masses. From ~an's tongue came forth the lies, like the river Styx, separating the truth from the people. She told of this being "our Brown vs. the Board of Education (of Topeka)."

She detailed how the "hundreds of thousands" in attendance refused to be resegregated. She informed them of how the "four hour test is racially and sexually biased." By saying tJUs, she is simply saying that minorities and women are too stupid to do well on standardized tests; something

Affirmative Action movement justified through meritocracy." Man, talk about a guy who. got picked last in gym class when he was a kid. . Basically, he's saying that racial preference (socio-economic status notwithstanding) should be the standard by which someone is judged, and not one's accomplishments and recognitions, for which he or she has worked hard to achieve and maintain. In essence, this argument suggests that all advancement in life is a lottery, and if one has had the "curse" of being borp a white male, then oh well , better luck next time.

Massie went on to argue that standardized tests do not, in fact, measure human worth, but instead measure one's access to education and preparation.

This is a half-truth.

Standardized tests, by their very definition, are a measure of how well one has mastered a particular subject, be it math, ~cience, language or left-handed chainsaw juggling. If one has attended a: school with higher academic standard; then yes, she or he will do better on them. That is why, in admissions, if one's scho.ol is ranked low in its achievement area (due to low finances) one i~ compensated toward their admission to this University. Massie concluded by stating that propOnents of "meritocracy" happened to be born to w~lthy, welleducated parents. This is a flat lie. The father of the author is one such example; he barely passed high school. Instead of sitting around all day, thinking of new ways to be oppressed, he got off his ass and got a job, with the United States Marine Corps.

He then helped himself, by using the GI ~ilL to ,;tt~e}ld ,~egt; '.\Il~L~c~i:ve a .fjn~c;e ' ,

From Satan's tongue came forth the lies, like the river Styx, separating .the truth from the people. that pretty much everyone agrees is not only false, but also insulting. And even if this statement ~ere true, which it is not, the solution they propose is to make the tests "more fair," instead of simply improving upon current skills and developing improved learning m.ethods. It is highly doubtful that the makers of standardized tests had racial insult in mind when devising the questions contained in the average SAT. Following Dowdell's emotionallycharged sermop of half-truths, Ann Arbor resident (read: Non-student) Luke Massie took the stage. He described to students "every society that has .ever existed has generated justification that .their movement was just." He went, on to state that "just as slavery was justified through a .ÂŁ.a1sificaA:ion ,of,bi.ology. so, iS hthe ,Anti-

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degree. He used this to elevate himself in the world of city government, and currently is the City Manager of a town of more than 30,000 people. He is a strong proponent of the rewards of hard work.

The main issue that these liberals seem to skirt around is this: Merit means working hard, usually to not receive any kind of recognition. God forbid someone actually work.

The Rally concluded with addresses from several other leading BAMN members, including the head of BAMN herself, Ms. Jessica Curtin. She also implored those in attendance to take up the fight. The Marching Band then led the crowd around the c.c. Little and Dennison Buildings, and through the Arch and back into the Diag. Quite a display, and also quite a statement; it is bad enough that these liberal lies and personal attacks are permeating our .institutions of higher . learning, but now it is being pressed upon the youth of tomorrow. While there was an overabundance of Affirmative Action supporters in the speech lineup (and in AA 102 in general), there was not a single opponent who spoke or was even given regards to. Is not diversity the sharing of different viewpoints and opinions? Is not speech, by custom and Constitution, supposed to be not only allowed, but encouraged? No one can one expect the future of this country ' to approach problems with a diverse outlook if the only thing they know as "diversity" is the bent truth and set of lies on display in the Diag.

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October 25, 2000

KOZOL Continued From Page 1 and higher education, Mr. Kozol would not begin. "School teachers are my heroes," Kozol beamed from the podium, relivip,; his days, although short-lived, as a publi ~ school teacher in Boston. Kozol then continued his admiration of teacher. through various memories, and eventualiy said that if he could teach all over agair" he would love to. Just not at "any of those voucher schools ... or any charter or private schools." Kozol then went further to characterize these types of school systems, which have been proven repeatedly to advance the education of minorities at a higher rate than public schools, as "boutique schools." "I was an old progressive educator," Kozol opined.

Moving to the next topic, Kozol began to extrapolate from primary and secondary education to higher education and "white privilege." According to Kozol, "white privilege" begins at the preschool level and slowly works its way into high schools and colleges. Characterizing certain areas of New York City as havens of white privilege and others as exhibiting characteristics of abject hopelessness, Kozol drew obvious distinctions between the economic disparities prevalent in modern America. He then went on to explain that policies such as affirmative action transcend racial and gender barriers; which all seemed a little odd coming from the Harvard graduate and evenrual Rhodes Scholar, who claims opeilly his father's pull in generating for him a better chance of a Harvard education. Said Kozol, "there is one kind of affirmative action . .. white men never talk about .. . legacy admissions."

But this was not the end. After raising the question of "fair play" in society, Kozol remarked that he had "bad news for Republicans." ''I'm not a lawyer," Kowl said, "but I know that those aligned against us are well financed and extremely shrewd ... they're mean ... most of them are men," and that "most stereotypes are wrong, except when it comes to intellecrual fascists. " To Kozol, anyone who does not adhere to the liberal agenda set forth by himself, Curtin, and Co. is nothing more than an "intellecrual fascist."

Digging deeper into the sides of the conservative minority present, Kozol questioned where the opposition was coming from. "I don't know where they come from," Kozol said. "I think they have a farm team. I think that they ship them from New Hampshire to the Heritage Foundation." This remark came as a sharp blow to the conservatives present, who consider the Heritage Foundation as one of the first, and most well-respected bastions of conservative research and thought. Yet Kozol persisted and continued to polarize the already contentious topi~. ,.'. " ... .' ... ~

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After all, no one was there to shout him down as was done to his philosophical antithesis, Ward Conneriy, three years prior at ,the Michigan League.

From the Michigan League to Rikers Island, the most notable, penal colony in the United States, Kozol made a point of emphasizing the amount of government time and money put into Rikers Island as opposed to inner-city

would raise taxes. He then explained how most liberals are afraid to admit openly that they wish to raise taxes, but that he would have no qualms about it. Said Kozol of his "old, white friends ," "they think I want to secretly redistribute their wealth ... which 1 would." In other words, Kozol advocates an unambiguous wealth redistribution that would, in theory and empirically, decrease incentives for people to work, and thereby

Kozol questioned where the opposition was coming from. "1 don't know where they come from," Kozol said. "1 think they have a farm team. 1 think that they ship themfrom New Hampshire to the Heritage Foundation." schools. Rikers Island is the "largest barred ghetto in the world," Kowl said. He then went on to say that the government spends "$64,000 a year to keep a man on Rikers Island." And that is compared, as Kowl noted, to $8,000 a year per srudent in New York City inner-city schools. Why, asked Kowl, should eight times the amount of money be used to keep these "kids" imprisoned, when it should be used to further th~ir education? "These kids face problems most whites can't even think of."

However, Kozol did not explain what draws the distinction between race and income.

Poor students from inner-city New York and other disenfranchised areas do receive the benefits of affirmative action without race being used as a proxy for one's economic standing.

Postulating a solution to the so-called problem of financial resources between students and inmates, Kozol remarked that if he were the mayor of New York CitY, he

SCOUTS Continued From Page 5 camp, fund community service projects, and pay for a very efficient administrative organization.

This year, the Scouts have to face the fact that its operating budget could be substantially cut-not a couple of percentage points, which could bring some of America's largest corporations to their knees, but millions of dollars.

Why is all of this happening? Politics.

It's at the center of the debate. What the Boy Scouts does is legal, if not extremely beneficiary to society. Scouts save at-risk boys from the throes of drugs and crime, it performs an untold number of community service projects, and upholds many of the principles on which the CoWltry was' foUnded .. "The' ACLU seeks <

decrease the total tax revenue.

Back to primary education, Kowl then commented on the "racist" policy of tracking srudents with higher than normal intelligence into upper-level classes. He called the "gifted classes" the classes in which white students are placed and "special-ed classes" the classes in which minorities are placed. According to Kozol, these policies discriminate against minorities because teachers automatically assume that because the student is a minority he cannot compete at a more competitive level. However, this argument ignores the success of magnet schools such as Cass Tech where the population is without a doubt, overwhelmingly minority.

Finally, in typical liberal fashion, Kozol began to bash standardized test-tests ranging from the ACT to the LSAT. Said Kozol, "I can sum it up ' in two words: Princeton Review." Kozol, in fairness, subsequently mentioned the Kaplan test

to put an end to that.

Criti<:s argue that if the Scouts just accepted homosexuality, there wouldn't be a problem . That's easy to say, but it disregards the argument that it isn't right to give up on morals just for money. That equates to prostitution, not acceptance.

The Scouts should not have to give up on every virtue that they have held important for the last 90 years just because it needs money. What next, will the Scouts open gambling casinos at Scout camps? Wul they start selling advertising on the uniform?

The ACLU and other groups are taking children and hurting them to make their politicai agenda known. These children are innocent and so is Scouting.

A 12-year old doesn't know the difference between homosexuality and heterosexuality, and the Scouts understands that. The Boy Scouts do not have a politica1agenda. They; do not teach about

Page 9

prep center as well, and then furthered his argument by stating that "if you can buy a coaching program ... the value of the test is minimal." However, the surprising fact about what Kozol called "purchasable cleverness" is that universities around the country, unquestionably havens for liberal thought, continue to use such tests to measure students across the same playing field. Naturally, Kozol argued that the playing field is not even to begin with, and therefore, srudents who can afford such test preps have an unfair advantage. Yet, this argument again blurs the lines between one's race and one's economic starus. Kozol himself said that "affirmative action is not about abstractions, but human beings," but he nevertheless refused to acknowledge that the conception of "human beings" only stands as long as people view one another on an individual basis-not because of their race.

So, in conclusion, Kozol did what he came here to do-entertain the overwhelmingly liberal crowd and further perpetuate the myth that race based affirmative action policies are necessary to combat economic inequality. Kozol laughed, he gesticulated, and he purported to lecture on a topic about which he knows very little. Race based affirmative action policies do not in fact have anything to do with economic inequality at the University of Michigan; the two are mutually exclusive. Just don't expect Kozol or BAMN to' say so. M{

what you think .

Let US know by emailiog US at

Care to tell

US

I~n~nfil um;ch.~dl

the evils of homosexuality; in fact it's not covered in any of their literarure. They just feel that the subject should not enter into the organization whatsoever. Children can find out about that outside of scouting if they want. The children are innocent.

The fact of the matter is simple. Each charitable group has the liberty of choosing what it wants to support. That is sustained by the same argument supporting the Scouts. What each of those groups should do is reevaluate a simple question: What is more important, giving millions of boys a little help in growing up to become responsible citizens, or sending those kids to the streets to make a political statement that has no legal founding, and is based on the shaky ground of political correctness.

Mt Justin is an Eagle Scout and a Scoutmasta in a local troop.

..

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'Page 10

October 25, 2000

New Poll Shows Bush and Gore Trailing Third Candidates By

KURT RADEMACHER

T

HE RESULTS OF the poll taken October 13, 2000, show that the dynamic of the current presidential race may have dramatically changed.

While Gallup and Zogby polls still show Bush and Gore hovering around the 40 percent mark, this Michigan &virol poll shows a vast erosion of support behind these two main party candidates. The results of the poll, which asked participants to name any presidential candidate and then restrained them to picking between Bush and Gore, are below:

Presidential Poll- Gore vs. Bus

presidential candidate should be willing, or at least able, to kill it.

These polling numbers seem to show that despite millions spent in advertisements and campaign stops, the voting public is looking for something more. .The Mom/Dad ticket has put together such proposals as Christmas presents and "that trip to the zoo."

Programs such as "my lunch" and "my ride to school in the car" seem to also have strengthened support.

When told to choose between only the two major party candidates those polled still show an aversion to Gore and Bush.

One subject named Kylie simply replied "Noooooooooo!" when told to chose between the Democrat and Republican.

She then refused to name a candidate leading us to believe that ifshe can't vote

sister Janae, my sister Kelsie, Madrid, Ryan, Tori, Haley, Ben, "Noooooooo," Geneva, Grandpa and Grandma. This group includes everyone's answer except for Madrid's vote in the two party race for Al Gore.

Although it seems reasonable to assume that there could be a significant portion of the voting public who chooses to write in their candidate, this seems highly unlikely because this reporter found many of those polled are unable to write legibly.

Teacher Mrs. Schmitz indicated that although Ryan and Kylie do a "super" job writing their own names they have not yet totally grasped the concept ofwriting down the name of the candidate they named in the poll. Out of all those names were mentioned as presidential preferences in an

If Gore can continue to gather votes from the American parent he may have a shot at winning the election. George W. Bush's only chance, it seems, is to begin killing 'things; he must begin fast with less than a month to go in the race.

Presidential Poll-Any Candidate 37%

Ryan 9%

The poll, conducted in Mrs. Schmitz's preschool classroom in St. Johns, Michigan, shows a sudden shift in support.

When asked to name any presidential candidate they wished to vote for, neither Bush nor Gore garnered any support whatsoever. Further investigation and analysis shows that when not constrained to either of the two major party candidates, Gore voters have shifted to the Mommy/ Daddy ticket while it is believed many Bush voters now support some sort of Friends/ Siblings/Random Person candidate. The reason for this change?

One of the subjects polled who identified himself as Nathan proclaimed that he has thrown his support behind Dad "cause he can kill anything." Although Bush has made it readily apparent that he is willing to kill some things, this is apparently not enough for today's electorate. If something is alive the next

for her sister Kelsie, Kylie will be staying home on election day. When Nicole was asked to choose between Gore and Bush she changed her vote from Ryan to Geneva.

Frankie changed his vote from his parents to his grandparents. Reno shifted his support from Jeff [that kid standing over there] in the open ballot to Haley [that other kid standing over thereJwhen asked to pick oqe of the two major party candidates.

Nathan stood pat with his father who, even in a race between just Al Gore and George W. Bush, can still kill anything.

Madrid was the lone person polled who agreed to choose from either the Republican or Democrat in the race when she answered that she would vote for Gore.

This commanding lead of one vote is especially significant because this is a vote that was formerly for Madrid's mommy.

If Gore can continue to gather Yotes from the American parent he may have a shot at winning the election. George W. Bush's only chance, it seems, is to begin killing things; he must begin fast with less than a month to go in the race.

How these polling results will translate in the election is an entirely different subject. Michigan &view research shows that many of those who answered the poll said they were planning to vote for a presidential candidate not listed on the ballot, namely Mom, Dad, Jeff, Nick, my ", •• "".~>-'h"'>_""""""""',~~"_<n_:;;:;':;;"~'_":;:::+',:-.

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open race, it is only conceivable that Nathan could get his point across using the write-in category of the ballot. Using a crude drawing of a man killing something, possibly a cow or monster of some kind, those counting votes could conclude that this is a vote for Nathan's d~d. . Does this inability to convey a vote for a write-in candidate mean that Democrat Al Gore, the only candidate to find his name already on the ballot, has a significant advantage? Not necessary, since this poll also found that nearly every American is functionally illiterate. For example, even though one person polled expressed some support for Gore there is a fifty percent chance that she could choose

o o

EI

George W. Bush thinking that Gore is spelt B-u-s-h.

What solution would aid the mosdy illiterate American population in voting fot the candidate that they actually want?

There may not be an answer. While it would seem reasonable that a picrure of Gore and Bush could be put next to their names on the ballot to help in identifying the two, this in fact would have very lime effect. Many people polled had absolutely . no idea who either of these two men is nor do they remember ever seeing them. "1 don't know those guys," was a popular response.

This poll shows the most significant shift in political support away from the two major parties since the Bull-Moose Party led by Teddy Roosevelt, a man who, incidentally, made it quite clear that he was willing to kill just about anything "with a big stick." It is the public's desire for a stick-carrying, anything-killing candidate that is leading to the quick and decisive

IYI Write-In , 1 • ¥M

.A/

Nathan's Dad? downfall of the two party system in America as we know it today.

Who will win out between the two new powers, that of MomlDad or Friends/ Siblings/Random People? This reporter always bets on America's parents, mosdy because they have the ability to kill things.~

Ballot Democrat Albert Gore

Republican George W. Bush Write-in Candidate

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111

Battle of the Sexes YOU'VE HEARD THIS

OR THE PAST twenty two ye~s, I've lived my life in this world as a man. Well, except for that brief stint in middle school, but the doctors say that was just a phase. The point is, after two decades of experience.as a member of the fouler-smelling sex, I've finally discovered the answer to an age old question: yes America, girls are better than boys.

If you're one of my loyal readers, you're probably pretty EI Senor shocked right now.

Guipe I mean, how can 1, EI Senor Guipe, the - - - - - -__ very definition of what it is to be a man, utter such blasphemies against my own kind? Surely this must all be some grand scheme in order to trick women into thinking that I am a sensitive guy, all the while planning to have sex with as many of them as possible. Let me assure you, it is no such thing. You see, this past weekend I had an epiphany. It all started in the midst of watching a riveting women's volleyball game on ESPN. After about

F

Go A.l:IEAD AND ENERALLY, THIS COLUMN will deal with sexual politics on campus. For our initial debate, the esteemed Guipe and I have decided to tackle one of the oldest male/female arguments, that of "boys versus Well, Senorita is writing today, not as a traitor to her home team, but as a spokesperson of truth. So, here it is: boys are better than girls. Let's take a look at the cultural and biological La Senorita reasons for boys' Margarita a b sol ute superiority. (ok. it's not really Margaret)

G

~:

. . . .1

Boys have the cultural advantage in dating and appearance. Perhaps, back in the day, this might not have been true.

After all, the guy was expected to do all sorts of crazy stuff, like pay for the girl when they were on a date. Now, chivalry's been killed, put through a meat grinder, and evenly distributed between the sexes. The guy can be a freeloader, a gold-digger, and have his doors opened for him, too. As for appearance, a girl has to color coordinate and buy things called "outfits." Plus, she's pressured to be thin, wear makeup, take showers every day, and do her hair, just to

twenty minutes of staring at the breasts of various players and at least one of the commentators, I realized that women, despite their annoying personalities, are really pretty damn cool.

For those of you who remain skeptical, allow me to offer some evidence to support my outrageous claim. First of all, women have a much easier time surviving in this world than men do. Who is traditionally expected to provide for the

ONE

enough, these women have actually tricked us into thinking this was our idea, and that they're the ones being oppressed!

Right now you're probably thinking, "Senor, this does seem to make a good deal of sense. But this is college, where men rule and women are mere . objects in tight black pants." To that I say, pish posh! Yes, pish posh. Do you really think that men have the advantage at this, or any other, stage in life? Despite popular .

You sit down at the bar, grab your drinks, and start eyeing the female population. Admit it, you are at the mercy of every girl in the room. family? Men. Who goes off to foreign lands in order to kill commies and defend our national sovereignty? Men. Who goes down with the ship? You guessed it: los hombres. If you ask me, men have a pretty raw deal. While women have the perfectly respectable option of choosing to spend their life as a housewife, a job which consists of watching soaps and flirting with the pool boy, we men are forced to spend half of our lives engaging in backbreaking labor in order to make sure our women arc happy and plump. And if that wasn't

STOP,

belief, it is the women who are pulling the strings when it comes to any and all situations. Let's take the dating scene for example. It's Friday night. You and your buddies, we'll call them "Jake" and "Ryan Painter," walk into Rick's hoping to have a cold one and pick up a few girls. You sit down at the bar, grab your drinks, and start eyeing the female population. Admit it, you are at the mercy of every girl in the room. If anyone of those women wanted a quick fling with you, all she would have to do is make eye contact and you'd be

I'VE HEARD

be considered normal- and if she's lucky, favored as attractive. A guy can wear khakis or jeans (both go with everything), a Tshirt that should have been washed 8 wears ago, throw on a baseball cap, and if he's feeling extremely GQ, add a button- down shirt or a shirt with a collar (gasp!) and be considered the pinnacle of college male fashion and attractiveness.

Boys have the cultural advantage in finances and business. The bottom line

ENOUGH

male is better, simply because men are not nearly as oppressed as women, and not being oppressed is inherently bet;ter than being oppressed."

All these cultural advantages stem from childhood. Boys had all the phat toys when we were little. G.!. Joe, TMNT, Silverhawks, MASK, Thundercats were all made for boys. Sure, most of these toys had a token girl character, but they were usually relatively uncool and oftentimes

The guy can be a freeloader, a gold-digger, and have his doors opened for him, too. is boys make more money than girls do.

This fact is so widely known I didn't even have to bother to check it. So, guys do the same job as girls and get paid more!!!

In our culture, boys are better in politics. Every President of the United States has been male. This is not a mere coincidence. Many of you readers may argue, "Of course this is not a coincidence!

Womyn have only had the right to v'ote since the 20th century, and our culture perpetuates a stigma against womyn with power!"

And I would reply, "Yes, and it can be argued that because of women's suffrage, JFK became President. Plus, women's oppression just proves that being

putty in her hands (not literally, of course).

You, on the other hand, do not have any such power over the women in the room.

In order to pick up any of the girls in sight, you'd first have to talk to them (always boring) , then you'd have to listen to them talk (even more boring). Hell, you might even have to promise to call them the next day. I mean, what kind of crap is that?

Once again, the advantage lies with those Eve-like temptresses: women.

Women often complain that there are so many things men can do that they can't in the eyes of society. I argue that the truth is exactly the opposite. For example, let's say a pair of female roommates decide to get a pet. Let's say they buy a Quaker parrot and name it, oh, I don't know, Winston. Does anyone question their sexuality? No, of course not! But when a couple of perfectly straight, macho guys do the same thing, rumors immediately start spreading. How's that for a double standard!

Well, there you are. A definitive answer to a question that children on playgrounds everywhere have been fighting about for ages. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go watch ESPN. rvR

had to be saved. If you disagree, just ask yourself this: could G. 1. Joe have continued the fight against Cobra if Scarlet died? Sure they could. But what if Snake Eyes died? The "Yo Joe!" call would have surely faded and Cobra would have ruled the world (please note that Snake Eyes is mute, so it's not that the lack of his masculine voice would hurt the "Yo Joe!" rally call, it's his presence and contribution to the team that makes him an indespensible part of the show). In addition, many times th~ female character's major contribution to the plot was to be a love interest, such as in the cases of Lady J and April. And even though She-Ra could hold her own, she did not wield the Power

of Gray Skull.

Let's talk about biology. Chicks have to put up with so many annoyances.

No man has ever wondered in his discussion section ifhe remembered to put a tampon in his backpack that morning.

Boys never wait in a line for the bathroom at Mitch's. Boys' bathrooms sometimes don't even have stalls around the area where they're peeing, which may be a little disconcerting for a women, but then again guys don't have to concern themselves with the embarrasment of forgetting to lock the stall door and having someone barge in.

Guys never have to squat outside while walking home after a good night of drinking. Plus, boys can pee on things.

How cool is that?

Although my com padre may disagree, girls are not physially better than boys. EI Senor Guipe can pine for pages about the beauty of the female form, but let's break it down . If you took the average girl and the average boy, and told them to fight to the death, the averge boy would win hands down . You could even "affirmative action" the odds, and give the gal her choice of weapons, such as abo, sai, twin swords, or nunchucks, and the boy could still kick her butt faster than you can say "Beebop and Rocksteady." Biology, paired with culture, give men the edge, period.rvR

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The Libertarian Party was created in 1971 by people who realized that the politicians had strayed from America's libertarian heritage ... with disastrous results. Their vision was the same as that of America's founders -- a world where individuals who aren't hanning others are free to fo llow their own dreams in their own ways, a world of peace, harmony, opportunity, and abundance.

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Don't let the old parties tell you that Libertarians aren't practical. In tact we are the only' ones who recognize that we can ' t make the world perfect . But, we can make it better.

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