To the Daily:
I am writing concerning that pitiful excuse for a college radio station, Ann Arbor's own WCBN-88.3 FM. The free form ideal so championed by the station is precisely the reason why it is so awful and counter-productive.
Ideally, a good college radio station should use its facilities to support both the independent and local music scenes. But there is a good deal of quality rock and hip-hop music that people are interested in, yet is not popular enough to make the playlists of corporate radio stations and/or MTV. This territory should be embraced by WCBN, rather than obscure jazz, rockabilly and God knows what else.
In the past couple years, Ann Arbor has witnessed the closing of two quality independent record stores: Wherehouse and Schoolkids Indie. In addition, turn out for gigs by local bands has been pitifully low. It is not a stretch to say that 88.3's absurd on air programming bears some of the responsibility for such occurrences. My proposal is to either restructure the radio station with set playlists encompassing independent/local rap and hip-hop, or to shut the station down. Why should Ann Arbor's independent musical community suffer, just so a handful of people can be allowed to show absolutely no self-restraint?
Mike Kegler
LSA senior
To the Daily:
Two games, two wins and a handful of dreams. Could it be that only two years after winning their first National Championship, the Michigan Wolverines are on their way to winning another? A true Michigan fan knows better than to buy the T-shirts and hats yet, as throughout history this team has been known to break the hearts of little Wolverines all over the world.
But a true Michigan fan also knows that this usually happens in the first two games of the season. So are we at the point where there is clear sailing ahead - or is this boat made out of concrete and sure to sink? But wait - isn't this the school that prides itself on their concrete boat? Isn't this the school whose air of confidence can be smelled half way around the world? Isn't this the school that is home to the "Leaders and Best?" Yes, yes it is, but "time out" there are only "six seconds left" to this story and we all know the sweet taste of victory and be taken from our mouths before getting the chance to partake.
But, stand up Michigan and show your colors proudly - then drop to your knees and pray. But no "Hail Marys" please and no "Touchdown Jesus," just a lot of prayers in the hues of maize and blue and the belief that this really could be our year.
Josie Ann Lee
University Alum
To the Daily:
In the Daily's Sept. 10 article "Anti-semitic graffiti found in Markley," the Daily quoted a University spokesperson as saying that "acts of hatred have no place at our University." While I agree whole-heartedly and am disgusted with those who harbor feelings of hatred against any racial or ethnic group, let us remember that simply drawing, creating or wearing a graphical symbol that may have been adopted and perverted by hateful people is in itself not a crime.
Timothy Maun
School of Music
To the Daily:
In the Daily's Sept. 10 article, "Rally for Palestinians Opens Floor for Debate," Michael Gold made the comment that the use of the words "ethnic cleansing" by the protesters to describe Israeli policy towards the Palestinians was "problematic." That criticism is about as naive as saying that there was no ethnic cleansing of the Native Americans in the formation of the United States.
The goal of ethnic cleansing is to change the ethnic face of a given geographic entity. In this case, it is the land of Israel and the occupied territories. It was achieved through colonialism and imperialism by the Zionists and, finally, through official Israeli policy.
In the '30s and '40s, Zionists sought the endorsement of Asian nationalist leaders. It was quite unsuccessful. Gandhi rebuffed the Zionist emissary with the wisdom that "you want to convert the Arab majority into a minority." Israel succeeded in doing just that. More Palestinians live outside of what is historically known as Palestine than within.
The state of Israel continues to demolish Palestinian homes (built without impossible-to-obtain "licenses"), attack refugee camps, militarily occupy Palestinian areas and build settlements within Palestinian populations. These all work to disperse, intimidate and victimize or ethnically cleanse, the Palestinian people.
From the American colonists and the natives, to the Nazis and the native Jews, to the Israeli colonizers and the Palestinian natives, the same fact was denied by the side that "cleansed" - that there was no cleansing occurring. That should not suffice since that is what created the barriers to true justice. Ethnic cleansing must be opposed everywhere, not just in Yugoslavia.
We are all going to have to come to terms with, and embrace, present reality and history if we are to move on with an equitable peace between the Palestinians and the Jewish Israelis. (Support for claims made in this letter were found in "A Profile of the Palestinian People," by Edward Said, Ibrahim Abu-Lughod, Janet Abu-Lughod, Muhammad Hallaj and Elia Zureik.)
Will Youmans
LSA senior
To the Daily:
It is a shame that the public still posits that nuclear energy and related research are positive and beneficial for modern society, as in the Daily's Sept. 12th article, "'U' Reactor Prepares for 50th Anniversary." Nothing could be further from the truth.
Nuclear energy was first heralded as the future of our nation's energy source by being both the most efficient and cheapest. In fact, the opposite is true.
Nuclear disasters including Three Mile Island and Chernobyl as well as a reactor's day to day activity has resulted in hundreds of thousands of human casualties. These have included birth defects, cancers, and death. Our environment has also suffered from exposure to radiation through contaminated water, air, soils, and wildlife.
Yet politicians, scientists and businesses continually attempt to highlight the safety and cost-effectiveness of the industry. In fact, the radioactive materials that result from such production, including spent fuel rods and reactor cores, costs taxpayers billions of dollars annually for their on-site storage.
Furthermore, Congressional proposals for a single storage facility are an ever-present danger. These officials seek to ship radioactive waste through local communities nationwide by flatbed trucks to sites like Yucca Mountain, Nevada that have been proven geologically unstable.
Such "solutions" while profiting a few are seeking disaster by jeopardizing the public and environment's health both now and for thousands of years to come. Any honor given to our University reactor's 50th anniversary is ill-advised.
While our community's reactor may be small compared to commercial reactors, the research that occurs as a result has grave impacts for our nation as a whole. A 50th anniversary can only be supported if those engaged in such research realize the nuclear industry's errors and limitations and finally work to halt such a destructive path.
Josh Pashman
MSA Environmental Issues Commission vice-chair Brianne Haven MSA Environmental Issues Commission Chair
09-15-99
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