Letters to the Editor
February 21st, 2006
Mainstream media misses the full story behind Haiti
To the Daily:
The Associated Press is promoting twisted truths. It refers to Haiti's first democratically elected president as "the slum priest (who) fled Haiti as the United Sates withdrew support for its government" (Haiti chooses new leader, 02/17/2006). Other sources say U.S. diplomats told Aristide if he didn't leave Haiti, paramilitaries would kill him or many Haitians until he left. Aristide was flown to the Central African Republic and was basically imprisoned in a hotel on Feb. 29, 2004 after a coup d'etat led by the paramilitary Revolutionary Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti financially supported by U.S. intelligence agencies. Meanwhile, the United States publicly withdrew Artistide's U.S. security. The mainstream media continues to report that Aristide left voluntarily and quit the presidency, but neither United States nor the United Nations followed through on a resolution to do an investigation of Feb. 29.
The AP quoted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying that the United States "has a good record in trying to get Haiti out of the desperate circumstances in which they live." History shows that the United States is the main reason that Haitians have continued to remain in desperate circumstances. Noam Chomsky says global elites are afraid of Haiti actually achieving democracy - what if other poor countries that the United States exploits did the same thing? It would make it harder for the World Bank's "structural adjustments" to abolish people's control and public ownership by allowing U.S. multinational corporations to privatize. The U.S. government wouldn't want to limit corporations' profits; who would fund their candidates' campaigns in elections? Although I'm oversimplifying, it is no coincidence that Aristide was against privatization.
Jesse Singal's column Our dirty big secrets (02/17/2006) read: "we don't know what's being done in our name" regarding the American government. Equally terrifying, and not coincidental, is the hegemonic position the media has in the American information hierarchy, while citizens remain at the blind bottom. Alternative and independent media sources such as Democracy NOW!, Z-Magazine, Mother Jones, indymedia.org and Ann Arbor's own Black Box Radio and Critical Moment are exceedingly undervalued as tools of self-empowerment. We can no longer rely on mainstream corporate news sources; the only way to reclaim control and find any truth about our government's activities is to actively seek it out.
Clara Hardie
RC senior
Inaccurate religion references only confuse debate
To the Daily:
I could almost appreciate what I think was Andy Petrovich's attempt at humor in his letter to the Daily (Immaculate conception should play bigger role in abortion debate, 02/20/2006), if he didn't get a few things wrong. Immaculate conception has nothing to do with Jesus himself; it is the Catholic belief that Mary was born without original sin and thus could bear the baby Jesus. The idea of Mary birthing a child as a virgin is called, oddly enough, a virgin birth.
He also mentions that "God can immaculately conceive any child he wants to, whenever he wants." Yet, Mary had a clear choice in the matter. God wouldn't just go in; she had to accept his offer. If you're going to use religious references, at least make them accurate.
Bravo to Rachel King (Abstinence the only sure way to prevent pregnancy, 02/16/2006), who realizes the simplest and most obvious way to avoid pregnancy and STDs - not having sex!
Peter Keros
Engineering freshman
Nuclear energy is 'safe, carbon-free energy source'
To the Daily:
Friday's political cartoon by Geoff Silverstein (Mr. Mayor and Friends, 02/17/2006) seems to imply that we are addicted to oil, that clean coal is a joke and that nuclear power is not safe. I only wish to dispute the last of these.
Despite what the anti-nuclear crowd would have you believe, nuclear power is actually extremely safe. Perhaps the best evidence for the safety of nuclear power would be its history.
The worst commercial nuclear accident in the United States was the infamous Three Mile Island. But contrary to what people might think, no one was killed in this accident. No one. Furthermore, the amount of radiation released (which was verified by multiple independent organizations) was only enough to statistically cause one extra case of cancer. That's pretty innocuous compared to the dozens of people who die in coal mines each year.
It should also be noted that, like most industries, the nuclear industry has learned from its past mistakes. Compared to reactors currently operating, new designs have a much smaller probability of having an accident, improving upon an already stellar safety record.
Nuclear power is the only carbon free-energy source that is both economical and can provide the nation with a large portion of its energy needs. Until renewable energy advocates can devise a way to store large amounts of energy for nighttime use, solar power can never satisfy the energy needs of this country. Therefore, environmentalists should stop erroneously attacking nuclear power as "unsafe" and should give this safe, carbon-free energy source another look.
Brian Wagner
Engineering senior
University maintains no ties with Michigamua
To the Daily:
The news of a lawsuit and other recent developments related to the group Michigamua have reminded us of the group's hurtful actions, as well as raising questions about the University's relationship with it.
I want to clarify that the University does not have any ties to Michigamua. Although individual University students and alumni are members, it is not a registered student organization, is not eligible for funding or fundraising through the University and does not have any dedicated space on campus. A few facts related to Michigamua and its relationship to Michigan can be found on the Student Matters website at www.studentmatters.umich.edu.
Student organizations that are recognized by the University must adhere to our rules and requirements, including transparency regarding mission, membership, and membership criteria and selection. The University does not have any power to regulate how students choose to affiliate with organizations that are outside of our boundaries and processes.
The use of Native American culture, rituals and artifacts by Michigamua in the past was wrong, and I understand why that history continues to cause hurt in the Native community. However, the lawsuit filed against the University is destructive and does not serve to advance our understanding or improve our campus. I am most disturbed by the recommendation that Native American students boycott our academic programs.
Our University is strongly committed to creating and nurturing a diverse community. It would be a tremendous loss to all of us if Native American students choose not to participate. We should do everything we can to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to be a part of our academic community and work together to create a supportive climate that fosters the success of all students.
E. Royster Harper
The letter writer is vice president for student affairs.
Printed from www.michigandaily.com on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:48:02 -0500