vol_4_no_8

Page 1

~ .

.

CD

,,

I

,

,;-

... ", ,.."

, I , ,

.


..

~,,,,,,~~~"' ~w..','"oOIv<',,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.,,,,.""""""-_I ':~·." '~'''~'-'

.."....

April , 1986

page 2 THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

§erpeul's QroollJ The Michigan Review sadly announces that we are ceasing operations forever. We would like to thank everyone; it's been a most successful year. Das vidanya!

** However, there is good news in this. We are very happy to announce that the Michigan Daily will take over as the campus conservative forum.

** Hey, it could've happened here. In .the land apparently not quite far enough away from Chicago, where dead people vote, Kenneth Ludwig won the Chilton, Wis., election for city clerk. He was the only one on the ballot. He won in a landslide. He was dead. In a display of public apathy rivalled only by the University of Michigan, the voters presumably 'had not heard that Mr. Ludwig had died of a heart attack a week before the election.

Congratulations to the latest actorturned-ruler, Clint "For a few dollars more" Eastwood. This was Dirty Harry's toughest assignment: he had to beat a retired librarian who banned frisbees from the parks and ice cream cones from the sidewalks. Go ahead, Clint: Make our day!

** Lyndon laRouche's latest accusation: Richard Nixon is really Herb. Tricky Dick took a detour into a B-K Lounge recently, possibly ordering a Whaler fish sandwich. He reportedly suggested that the King start a Chinese cuisine-on-the-run menu soon. Has detente entered the fast-food wars?

**

In the April fools department: an Israeli Army officer was convicted of spreading a vicious hoax to Israeli radio. He ap))arently said that Nabbi "I am not a terrorist" Berri (famed for leading the hijacking of the TWA ** flight last summer) had been assassiAn informal poll was taken at lhe nated by LASC members. Of course, last meeting of the ancien regime of this story is completely false. Shame MSA. (that means the old guys for all , of you iUiteratc .1ypes)....,T he bu,rnina .. ' ?nyou: . . .;' i ·H' ,. " . question: ' ShouJdAntoi'ne ' Joubert' move to small forward or remain as ** guard? Ex-Law School Rep Eric After a month-long clandestine trip Schnaufer said "I have no idea what through Miskito Indian populated you're talking about." Ex-Education eastern Nicaragua, American Indian School Rep Tom Marx said, "I don·t Movement leader Russell Means and follow basketball." And Ex-Med two AIM colleagues said at a news School Rep and former UM Great conference "that the Sandinistas were Gerard Rudy just mumbled somesystematically bombing Indian vilthing unintelligible about KGB conlages in the Atlantic Coast region." spiracies and Brother Jim. Miskito Indian rebel leader Brooklyn Rivera said the bombings "reveal the ** true face of the Sandinistas as enemies Just joking, Gerard. You're still a of peace. " Eldridge Cleaver, move over! UM Great. ~

The MICHIGAN REVIEW Crossword PuzzIe-1986 The Review challenges you to a test of your knowledge and awareness. Complete the puzzle, and send it in to us this summer. From all correct entries w'e will draw one at random and the winning entrant will receive a $5.00 gift certificate good at Steve's Ice Cream. (111 110 lI'aJ ' has Stere 's COnlribwed to this puzzle or i ssue)

ACROSS I. (Camplls Politics) Ex -law school rep. 5. (Campus Politics) Object of protest. 12. (Campus Politics) Protesters 13. (Politics) Big City Mayor 14. (Politics) Feminist Activists 15. (Jfedia) "Tenn in-" or "Elimin-" 16. (Sports) Bo's Goal 19. (ClIrfe/1/ Ele/1/s) Earthquake 21. (Da ncing) To chasse 23. (Sports) Frieder's fren zy 24. (Grammar) I o f the 3 Articles 25. (lfil/Of)') Reagan busted one of these 26. (Classes) T ype of score 28 . (PO/pourri) Mayday 29. (I'olpollrri ) O lder person: yo ur 3 L (I!cdia) Oc:jcribcs Strei sand or a Reporter 33. ((jc% gy) Vein o f -

~

34. (Correspolldence) To; From ; ~ ; 35. (Camplis Politics) Elected administrators 39. (Medicine) Med Center removes one 41. (Classes) Slavic Dep't Major 42 . (Campus Politics) Your campus gov't 44. (Clirre/1/ El'e/1/s) "American-Soviet"'nitials 46 . (Cllrrellt EI'('I/ts) "Buy - " 48 . (Poli/ics) Drives a BMW 49 . (Geography ) Preceeds CST by o ne hour SO. (Politics) Reporters' - sources 51. (Current El'ellts) Terrorists' friend 52. (Grammar) Feminine suffix DOWN I. (Sports) Lou isville's feeling 2. (Media) Critiques Movies 3. (Chem is/r.V) Variants 4. (Sports) I-M Site 5. (Sports) I st Round opponent 6. «('lIrrell/ £I'ell/s) Not rich 7. (Organi=ati olls) Chemists' group 8. (Medici lle) "Bloody" fa ctor 9. (Sports) Indianan 10. (Gcograp/, .l') Where ships can't go II. ( Potpollrri) - or Do n't 17. (Ca mpus Poliiics) Wha t MSA did to Bush 18. (Polpollrri ) Not a part 20. (Camptls) LQ's - Cl ub 22. (Hi,l ory ) Embattled French river 27. (Cla.15(,5) Airplane Engineers

Continuing our coverage of the Republican gubernatorial primary, our three main characters (remember them-Crony, Sleepy, and W ealthy-though-I-didn't-used-to-be) have skirted substantive issues again and returned to a battle over their campaign warchests. Governor Jamie, take notice. Facing a serious challenge from some unknown LaRouchie, Big Jim had better be prepared for a Battle Royale with the well-funded former Marxists.

Write A Le4fl~t (To the tune of the Village People's In Th e

On another warfront, Big Jimbo Thompson (lllinois' chieftain) has a smile the size of Soldier Field these days. Adlai "No-I'm-not-a-wimp" Stevenson the Umpteenth keeps burying himself deeper and deeper in the wastebasket. During an interview with CNN, Adlai (sitting next to LaRouchie and Democratic Candidate for Secretary of State Janice Hart) said that those confounded LaRouchies are, amongst other things, anti- Semitic. Then Janice said she is Jew ish. Whoops.

Or a poster, that will do.

**

N av!')

By D. Buchanan Longair Have you read the Rel'iell', got angry at a newspaper. walked by ROTC" Are you unhappy because the people at your protest only numbered three? Are you looking for a way to spout off your beliefs, though hardly anyone agrees? There is an easy way. for to make your day , and it don 't cost much money. Write a leaflet'

It's as easy as can be . Write a leaflet t

For the LAS & C Write a leaflet'

**

H'rite a leaflet t " 'rit e a leaflet.'

Don't want to go to your job, and can't find a big mob. don't want to be seen by police thugs; You can sit on a bench, across from the armory, discussing mind altering drugs; You don 't want to spread your word, the masses would then get bor("(1, and fait into apathy: So you walk around with comrad(" Earl and fellow traveller Dmitri! U 'rile a leafler l

Get your frustrations out' Write a leaf/et'

Though you don't know what it's about. Write a leafier'

Guerilla theatre, that will do. H 'rite a le~f/el .' Write a leaf/et .'

On the Today program, a LaRouchie claimed that the Queen of Eng. land is' a drug smuggier,andtbat aU Americans know it. He said that the Brits started this nasty habit right after the Opium wars, and that to this day Her Majesty is the leader of the international drug-smuggling ring. We wonder if Sonny and Ricardo know this?

** Re: more belated April fools, Serpent's Tooth No.1. The Review will return in September with an expanded 16-page format. Have a fruitful summer, and remember, the bombing begins in 5 minutes.

We want you' We want you l We want you to hold our view! We want yo u, we want you' We want ),ou .lor a Russian $t~! So if you think that this !>ounds like 'fun, want to get the job done, think that your peers do not care; You can join us , at alot of groo vy protests, and get dragged around by your hair; Of course, if no one shows up, that's no reason to throw up, just smile and say with a shrug, "Hey. that's the beauty of a small protest. Pass me the mind altering drug." L('/ 's IInte a leaflet! Hey. thaI's what we will do. H 'rite a II'~fl('t .'

If we have time, maybe two. Wral' a le~flel.'

Though I'm too high to make sense. Write 4 1~4fl(!t! Write Q leIlfl~t!

1\

28 . (Campus Politics) Plaintiff 30. (EllIym% gy) Black bug's cousins 32. (Media) Flightless Waterfowl 33. (Medicine) Nonmineral bone material 36. (Ecologl') Lowest spring tide 37. (Potpollrri) Entice 38. (Jfedia) Master of Ceremonies 39. (Curr('l/I El'en/s) Nobel Bishop 40. (Campus Politics) Presidential " Chow" 43. (Potpollrri) Impudent backtalk r.;,-'Ti_:--,.":_--.....·45. (PotpOllrri) Ham on it 47. (Potpollrri) Retired

.."

"'7

':'".i" "',,

. ',. ,:~~, :'~~'0<-\ ~r

"

', : ,':. '.:r

d

(t~~ -{.-; i: ~ ~''-. ......

TtfE MIC1IIGAN UVIIW IIIIi OIl 91 ...... .,...,.. Ma~. . . .tOf

~


~~"'''''''~''''{'''_l:I''''~~_>"",'\=-'''>,.''''''~'''''"U''''''t>..,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,_,,

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

page 3

April. 1986

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

THE MICHIGAN

REVIEW Publisher David A. Vogel Associate Publishers David Katz Joseph M. McCollum Editor-in-Chief Seth B. Klukoff Executive Editors Steve Angelotti Paul Seltman Personnel Managers Peter C. Cubba Charles D. Lipsig Junior Whopper (with Cheese) Richard M. Nixon Staff Patrick Batcheller Craig Brown

David Norquist Paddie O'Halloran Sharlene Prais SCOII T. Rickman Neil Roseman Moll,)' Suessmuth Bill Taylor Joseph Typho

Debhie Buchholt= C. Brandon Crocker .\!ichael Da\'idsoll Karl Edelmann Palll Flack Jlallhell' Gil/chess Lisa Luckow

/I().\'OR.~R),

Eric Winiecke

AD/'ISOR)' BO•.fRD:

~*'¥~4;~':~4>f!,_,~~~1f.!lif!;,jJfHfJt<iL~riiii.h'(!~,?9:!1;i,;~111J1'J/.i .,I, .. IflH\,"

SlPPORTERS: (Ji'f1.11d R- Ford R rlHlIJ('1! /')rnH .\'Ol'm011 l'odhon:1:.

/(lm';! J..rl\lo/ II JilluJlJ'" UUt-/../I'L Jr

/.'dHiu./. Fcuhwi.

./, ~lidlig."n

The

n.';\J~'(,,_

from

Rn H:\\ \\\.. h:onw\ and apprt'riall's

h:lt('r~

LI.'lttT\ fnr puhli ..:almn must Includt' tht"'

\\ nh:r', oaow. aJdrt''''\, and tl'kphOl1t' numb.:r W l ' >lho \\dl'ollh' Ilw "llhmi~\IOn ofilrtlrks, .\1\ \\ork will

I.....' rt"\ !P\l.·J \1\ Ihl' t'dllOriJl \Intrand t'onsidt'Ted In light of It\ \lrw,:lml'

and rnnlt'nl

-\1I arlldl'''' and h,'llt'r\ OlU .. l he douhk'·'PfH.'l'd. Those

lntt'fl'''h'd in "uhmHlIng k'lhT~ or anit'll'\ should \.!.'nd thl'm I"

Jrom tl1e i£bitor

11ietters To the Editor.

Is First Best? The current state of political affairs But the point is that the shift to a in the Wolverine State closely precinct delegate system is an unresembles the tired old adage of the needed distraction that is diverting starlet who rises to the top and, in the attention away from local and state process, disasscociates herself from races. Moreover, if the Kalamazoo her values. I am referring here to the Convention was any indication, this newly- established precinct delegate system is beginning to divide the system and the Michigan Republican Party into presidential camps at preParty's desire to be first in the pres- cisely the time, 1986, when broad, idential primaries. Yet, while hopefuls cohesive support is needed to elect (Bush, Kemp, Dole, Baker and Ro- local and state Republicans. bertson) and quasi-hopefuls (DuPont, The recent Ann Arbor city council Haig and Kean) traverse the state like election clearly reveals this shift in lightening bugs, and while people priorities. On the last Saturday of the flock to hear their pearls of wisdom, campaign, two days before the elecand while organizations have been tion, the Republican candidates were formed to line up precinct delegates busy campaigning on the streets of for these candidates, perhaps the most Ann Arbor. Yet, at the same time, important goal of the Republican Jack Kemp was speaking in a warm Party has been conipromised- auditorium on campus, which was building the Party at the local and attended by many College Republistate levels, where true realignment cans. The city council candidates, who begins. could have used the students' support, The precinct delegate system works lost out. The fault here is not with the as follows. Presently, both the Fund students. Faced with a choice of for America's Future (Bush's Michi- hearing a potential president or gan,.BAC);:and;;,the.:Michigan,(!)ppor•.. standing in the rain on the streets of tunity Society (Kemp's Michigan Ann Arbor, they made the obvious PAC) are busy traveling throughout decision. The election results were the state attempting to secure precinct most disappointing. A popular Redelegates for their respective candi- publican incumbent, James Blow, was dates. These delegates will appear on defeated, and the other Republican the ballot in August. The winners will in<;umbents won by slim margins. The . then procede to the county conven- Democrats retained control of the tions and select delegates to the state council. and national conventions. Spencer Abraham, the State Party While both PACs claim to be Chairman, and his colleagues talk of a building Michigan's Republican Party glorious Republican future in Michifrom the grass roots level,and while gan. Yet, their decision to employ a they stress the importance of the 1986 precinct delegate system and move mid-term elections, 1988 is clearly their caucus to January, 1987 will only first on their agendas. At least the hurt the Party at the state and local Michigan Opportunity Society does levels, where the seeds of realignment not hide its intentions. Bush's Fund are sewn. for America's Future, however, says one thing and does another. At the Michigan Republican ConventionRally in Kalamazoo in February, FAF workers turned Kemp supporters away from an F AF-sponsored lun- Seth B. KlukofJ is a Junior in Political cheon, which was supposed to focus Science and is Editor-in-Chief of the on the upcoming gubernatorial pri- Review. mary.

n

~~I

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW Sui~Oat

91\ Nonh Uniwnil)' Ann Arbor. MI<48I09

l/r

I/I(

j

Itn:ill!

jHUlll,d .1\ Ilw

N.)

It II

1"

1111.' l

I'

an

IIld~·J:~,:tldl.'nt

"ljt'hig~m,

sludcnt·run

-\nn -\rhor, Tht'

in no \\;\\ rl.'pl'J..'\!..'nt.lIi\(' of Iht.' po!it'it's and

clpl!\J;ln\ of 11(lm

/<.'1'1('11

l 'ni\t;r... lt~ of

Ilw -\dollnl\lration. and aCCl'pls n.o

mon('~

nl\cP.. it~

1\ 1....''-I.'tllIlg 1\ pnn Ii.kd h~ Tradl' GraphiC'S. Inr, Our plInk!" ('op~

an,' Oho..t'nl'r

right I \)Xn

~nd

EI."Ccntr'''-

The Editors and Staff of the MiciliKan Review would like to wish a fine farewell to our graduating staff members: Puhlisher.............................................. .. .. Sandra A. Collins Associate Publishers James P. Frego Gerald Weis St{[(/: ............................................................·.......................... James Eridon Jeff El'ans Dave Sussman We would like to thank them and all others who have contributed this past year and have helped make it the most successful year in the ReviclI"s history.

n

In hIS article "The Future of Conservatism" (Jan 86). Jeffrey Evans gives an unblemished account of the Conservative -ideology in the United States today. At its best. "The Future of Conservatism" is a thought-provoking essay. Unfortunately, after the first paragraph Mr. Evans runs into a little factual difficulty. In New Orleans this past July, a convention of publicity-hungry political scientists gathered together to exchange new findings, manuscripts, dissertations. and the like. The convention body concluded that we were indeed witnessing a "major political reallignment" toward Conservatism in the United States. Though he never mentions this event in the article, I must concede this report to be the basis for Evans' "Changing Republic.:' It is true that Ronald Reagan won the last two Presidential elections rather handily. In fact. a Republican has gained the Presidency four of the last five elections; six of the last nine. But this is no\, however, sufficient evidence to support the theory of a shift to the right in political ideologies. A basic reality Evans eludes so well is that the U.S. Congress is overwhelmingly made up of Democrats. There has, been a Democratic majority in the House of. Representatives during every Presidency since the Eisenhower administration. The Senate has only recently turned Republican with the election of Reagan in 1980. Not even Nixon, whose Presidential victory in 1972 was also a landslide, could claim a RepUblican or Conservative Congress. In addition, I must inform Mr. Evans that the majority of Governors and big-city Mayors in the United States are also Democrats. Recent data accumulated by the University of Michigan's Survey Research Center-the most widely-acclaime<i research institute in the world-also rebukes the author's claims. From countless interviews and polls, the University's results showed that the majority of Americans did not hold the same opinion as did Reagan on major domestic and foreign policy issues. Moreover, the results proved that the American electorate voted for Mr. Reagan more for his personality and leadership Qualities than his stance on policy Questions. Finally, the decline in party identification, and the rise in splitticket voting. also tells us there is no Conservative shift. If these data are conclusive, then what is Evans talking about') What exactly. is this "mounting evidence" he mentions? Where are his data? The answer is: he does not have any. There exists no "mounting evidence." There is' obviously not a substantial Conservative movement that has been gaining momentum since the early 1950's. What the Conservative movement best exemplifies is an old brokendown roller-coster that vacationers ride when it gets fixed every four years. My next Question is why does Evans give us four distinct classifications of conservatism (c. Rossiter)? All four have the same underlying message: to maintain the existing order and to resist or oppose change. This is the exact definition he Quotes from the American Heritage Dictionary. Therefore. I see no reason to give four interpretations of the same definition. Evans goes on to romanticize the conserva\lve as "peaceful but not resigned." Gallantly, the person "is conservative through habit and choice rather than sloth and cowardice." '(Pause. Wipe tear from eye.) This is not a definition. It is a Shakespearean description of an ideology that does not exist except in the writings of Locke, Hobbes. or Burke.

see page II


..

_~~_-..>., ",.'-"-<l"""~''''''''''''''"''''-\'~'':VA''''''''"'''-'' '''' --~----~-,,~'''~-,~,

,--

-

-

page 4 ~

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

ApriL 1986

••••••...•.••••..••••.•...•..•••.....•...•.....•..... .....••••••••••.•............•.••.•.••..•..•••....•.•...•..........•.............•

NATO and No First Use by David Katz Recently, the issue of America's nuclear policy has come to the forefront of national debate once again. With the deployment of Pershing missiles onto the European continent, the continued SOl research, and the upcoming U.S.-Soviet summit meeting this fall, it may not be a bad idea for U.S. policymakers to re-evaluate this country's nuclear arms policy and modify it to adapt to the recent global political and military changes. One policy change that would definitely be a step in the right direction would be for the United States to agree to sign the No First Use Treaty. By signing this treaty the United States would be agreeing that they would not be the first ones to use nuclear weapons. By adopting a no first use policy, the United States would be in a much better defensive and a much better bargaining position than we are now under the present first use policy. Since the 1940's NATO has relied on a strategy of using nuclear weapons as a viable alternative if conventional forces failed to defend them against an attack by the conventional forces of the Warsaw Pact nations. The reasons behind the implementation of this poliCy· were: the reluctance of the people of Western Europe to be drafted after World War II was over; the inexpensive cost of maintaining a nuclear defensive force compared to a conventional defensive force; and the U.S.'s nuclear forces were superior to those of the Soviet Union at that time. Since then, many circumstances, including America's nuclear superiority, have changed. As a result of these changes, NATO should abandon its present first use policy and tum to a defense based on conventional forces instead of nuclear forces. Under the present first use policy, if the Warsaw Pact nations were to launch a conventional attack against NATO, the conflict that exists , 'ween NATO's political and military systems would prevent nuclear action from being taken before it was "too late." Under NATO's present system a unanimous decision by all of NA TO nations' political leaders is required to use tactical nuclear weapons. This decision is time consuming, and NATO field commanders claim that they do not have enough time when they need approval to use tactical nuclear weapons. Furthermore, the people of Western Europe are more frightened by their own defense than by a political attack. This fear not only threatens the NATO alliance, but it may create a political paralysis at a crucial time. Another one of NATO's political features is the questionable reliability of France should the Warsaw Pact nations invade. Fortunately, most political

sources in Europe predict that France would not and could not remain neutral if such a conflict occurred. The Warsaw Pact's political situation is quite different from NATO, however. The Soviet-dominated Warsaw Pact has a highly centralized political system which gives them a major advantage over NATO if a tactical nuclear war occurred. Fortunately, the Warsaw Pact's political system containes one major flaw. The reliability of non-Soviet Warsaw Pact forces in combat is questionable. Would Polish or Czech troops participate fully in combat not directly linked to their own defense? Could East German troops be used in an invasion of West Germany? It is therefore possible that the Soviet Union would have to commit its own troops to guarantee the loyalty of its allies in a war against NATO. Furthermore, the present status of the Sino-Soviet border must also be brought into the picture. The Soviet Union is in dilemma because in order to increase the number of Soviet troops in a NATO invasion, they would have to remove troops from their common border with China, which may make it very temptirig for the Chinese to cross the Soviet border and force the Soviet to fight what is called a "two-front" war. In order to guard against the possibility of this scenario, the Soviets may be forced to keep their Eastern border garrison intact. Clearly, the Warsaw Pact would be at a disadvantage in a conventional conflict. It is quite ironic that the NATO political system is not compatable with the first use policy but could be adopted to a conventional-based defense system, while the Warsaw Pact's political system is more compatable to a nuclear conflict. NATO's military system can use some alterations in order to effectively fend off a conventional attack by the Warsaw Pact nations. It was previously mentioned that NATO field commanders are forbidden to order the use of tactical nuclear weapons in combat, a decision that must be made quickly. This contradiction proves that d defense based on the need for nuclear weapons is useless. Furthermore, under the present system, field commanders are more inclined to use tactical nuclear wea. pons because they fear the attacker may overrun or capture the weapons. The results of the war games conducted by American and British forces in 1984 indicate that NATO stands to lose more than the Warsaw Pact in a tactical nuclear conflict. the majority of the 9000 tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Europe would be detonated in East and West Germany. The

resulting nuclear fallout would contaminate tens of thousands of square miles of territory. In addition, the simulations indicate that most of the defending NATO forces would be in the contaminated area, and most of the attacking Warsaw Pact nations would not. Those who advocate the first use policy argue that the overwhelming superiority of the Warsaw Pact's conventional forces make all other possibilities besides the use of tactical nuclear weapons impractical. This is a fallicy. One must remember that, in all likelihood, NATO forces will be fighting a defensive war. Although the Warsaw Pact forces outnumber NATO forces, they lack the 2: 1 ratio needed to successfully defeat an attacker. The main problem is that because NATO's defense relies on the eventual use of nuclear weapons, their conventional forces lack the troops, . supplies, and equipment to endure an extended conventional conflict. For example, NATO lacks sufficient means to deploy reinforcements at the same rate as that of the Warsaw Pact. This may result in the attacker's ability to surpass the 2: I combat ratio and possibly to attain the 5: 1 ratio needed to successfully achieve an armored breakthrough. Another popular misconception about NATO forces concerns their air power. While the Warsaw Pact has many more aircraft than NATO, the latter's aitcraft have greater ranges, larger payloads, better pilots, and more uses than those employed by the Warsaw Pact. The NATO defenses have a number of defects, however. The peacetime NATO garrisons in Europe are not well positioned for rapid deployment, and they lack sufficient reserve forces to defend against a massive Warsaw Pact offensive. Furthermore, there are no fortifications or tank obstacles in the NATO defense system, and NATO forces lack the amount of supplies necessary to last for more than two weeks of continuous fighting. Lastly, NATO also lacks aircraft .

shelters to protect their aircraft from aerial bombardment while they are on the ground. There are many political and military changes that NATO must make in order to begin the abandonment of the first use policy and strengthen its conventional defenses. First, NATO could improve its ability to respond to a Warsaw Pact attack after a short period of mobilization. If NATO detects the Warsaw Pact's preparations and mobilizes within three or four days, the balanc'e of forces should allow for a successful defense. NATO's ability to respond quickly and effectively will also be enhanced if the newly-elected conservative French government clarifies its position if the Warsaw Pact mobilized or attacked. For example, France can give the NATO command greater assurance that French facilities would be available, and it can publicly state that it will agree to create a secondary line of communications in France as a backup to the primary NATO line. Next, NATO should improve its ability to rapidly move its forces in Europe from their peacetime locations to the front. One practical way to achieve this would be to rely on light infantry armed with modern anti-tank weapons. Light infantry units now exist in a number of allied armies and many more could be formed from reserve manpower that can be quickly mobilized. In addition to the previously mentioned proposals, NATO see page 1J

David Katz is a Freshman in LSA and an Associate Publisher oIthe :\l/chigan Dal'id Katz has Review. been awarded a $2.200 scholarship Irom the National Endowment for the Humanities to do research this summer on a project entitled. "How the Taller Supreme Court Dealt with Economic and Technical Change." He is one o{66 selected throughout the country.


>¢"""'~~'k!M~_"~_""'~_'~h""",-+)_-'''''''

>'''''''-~''''''''"<.

April, 1986

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

page 5

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Savimbi's Revolution by David Norquist The Bolsheviks, the VietCong, the Sandinistas , . . In country after country groups like these toppled decaying regimes or expelled European imperialists. With every victory, they had another country that could train guerillas, produce arms and equipment, and keep the Communist movement alive. They developed all the theories, they wrote all the books, and to any nationalist movement that wanted to win swiftly, they seemed to be the only game in town. This support was not rendered without a cost. In most cases, a movement that accepted this support found itself becoming increasingly dependent upon, and subservient to the larger Communist countries. There were people, however, who refused to make this sacrifice, revolutionary organizations that believed that to accept the goals of the Communists and subservience to another state, would be to betray the revolution. This was the case in Angola, Portugal's largest and most successful colony. In 1961 the Portuguese government found its authority seriously

challenged by three significantly diITerenrHberatio.n .: movements. ~FOt;,. the next thirteen years these groups faced that difficult question as they struggled to bring down the colonial government. and the choices they made are still haunting that country today. The Movemento Popular de Libertacao de Angola (the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola) was founded by two members of the French and Portuguese Communist parties and received most of its initial funding from those parties. The MPLA ran into problems early as its emphasis on industrial workers and atheism found little support among a population that was overwhelmingly rural and quite religious. The successor to several earlier revolutionary organizations, the Frente Nacional de Libertacao de Angola (The National Front for the Liberation of Angola) was perhaps the most active of the three groups in the early stages of the revolution. The head of the FNLA was Holden Roberto, the brother-in-law of the President of Zaire. His men operated from the border of Zaire in northern Angola and had most of their bases in Zaire. As with the MPLA, the FNLA had the disadvantage that its survival was now tied to the good will of its host country. The FNLA also had another weakness: it received a disproportionate amount of its support from the Bankongo tribe, which represents only about 13% of the Angolan population. Although it was very strong in the early stages of the revolution, the FNLA was almost

eliminated by the Portuguese by the time of the coup, recovering slightly when Chipenda and his men left the MPLA to join up with them. The third movement the Portuguese had to contend with was the Uniao Nacional para a Indepencia Total de Angola (The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola). One cannot begin to understand this group, however, until one understands the background and ability of its president and founder. Jonas Savimbi. Born in Munhango, Angola, in 1934, Savimbi graduated at ,the top of his class and was awarded a 'scholarship to study medicine at the University of Lisbon. Receiving pressure from the Portuguese secret police, he transferred to the University of Lausanne where he received his degree in Political Science. Fluent in Umbundu, Portuguese, English, French, and German, Savimbi returned to Angola and became the first Foreign Minister of the Angolan Revolutionary Government, which was formed in March 1962 by Holden Roberto, who was later to be head of theFNLA. .,,, , Savi mbi .•nd.,,~tbei$.,(resigned;AWO years later, angered by what they considered to be Roberto's blatant tribalism, his clear preference and bias in favor of one tribe over all the others. Savimbi then decided to form his own organization, one' which would concentrate on gaining support from all the tribes in Angola. While planning this, he met the Chinese ambassador to Egypt, and was invited to go to China. While there, he met Mao Tse-Tung and, with a dozen of his recruits, he received formal training in guerilla warfare. Because of his knowledge of political science, Savimbi was able to take a more critical look at what he was being exposed to and decided to avoid becoming dependent on this assistance. As he said later. "from Mao I learned how to fight and win a guerilla war. I also

BtabM About Itt

learned how not to run an economy or on November 12th, heavily armed and backed by Cuban advisors, Neto a nation." Returning to Angola, Savimbi offi- announced the founding of the Peodally founded UNIT A on March 13, pie's Republic of Angola. The tactics 1966. In the early stages of the war, that the MPLA had adopted, due to UNIT A maintained bases in Zambia, their outside support, did not sit well but it lost these in the late 1960's and inter na tiona 11 y. The 0 AU from then on it became permanently (Organization for African Unity), based inside Angola. Since its con- traditionally supportive ofthe MPLA, ception UNIT A has emphasized the had called for an end of all foreign complementary goals of self- reliance involvement, and later voted against and widespread public support. recognizing the new government. The The coup in Portugal in 1974 Portuguese government also declined brought the war to an abrupt halt. The to recognize the new People's Repunew Portuguese government called for blic. Their actions had gained the an end to the fighting and asked for the movements to become political attention of one other group, the parties and to jointly discuss the fate South Africans. Concerned with the of this colony. Several agreements success of the communist movements were signed including one that laid in Africa and the arrival of the Cuban out the plans for general elections. It is advisors, they sent in their own adhere that the various styles of the three visors to help UNIT A and the FNLA, movements led them in radically which were now a1lied. Their hope different directions. UNIT A was was to strengthen the position of the quick to capitalize on the possibility anti-communists enough to force the of free elections. Utilizing his charis- MPLA to negotiate, or at least to matic appeal and the popularity of the prevent the MPLA from making any ideals he espoused, Savimbi traveled gains until the OAU met again, where around the country addressing politi- it was hoped that there would be qtlraUies. Polls: ~e!l, .~.\ t»J~ time,.. eno\lgh .voted tocaH for a triparty $bowed that YNlTA had the greatest negotiated settlement and the withsupport of the three, while the MPLA drawal of the Cubans. The OAU mustered only 25%. The MPLA re- meeting was postponed, however, and mained unconcerned, its plan for when the US Senate voted against success now lay in a different direc- military aid to any faction in Angola, tion. Thus they moved into the cities the South Africans pulled out. They and began arming the unemployed. returned only sporadically, to pursue The Soviet arms came in so fast that SWAPO guerillas or to stop a particoften Neto, the MPLA leader, had ularly threatening MPLA offensive. more weaoons than soldiers. The Cubans continued to arrive, The MPLA's dependence on out- however, and dominat'.: Angola's side aid became more obvious when, domestic scene. By 1978 over 19,000 in April 1975, over two hundred Cuban military advisors arrived to see page II help them and plans were drawn up for their arrival on a larger scale. Struggling under its various provisional governments, Portugal did' David Norquist is a Sophomore in nothing except to announce the canLSA and a sta.ff writer for the Michicellations of its previous agreement gan Review. and its intention of pulling out completely on November eleventh. Thus

r... aM u.s. .,.", .J......., 13, 1916: ,aU""

... (M)uy coa. ·a.... ~ 1ft wheftDO e&c:Iiw voice hID 1M,.. existed bebe. JlidtJIIa RI'IIfw . .. his feODIWeIIDd rn.. alodr.y iIIIt. Seda YMI. If.,.,.., ..., 1It/,., MkIIiIa RnW. layS ..... when die jounaaI . . . . . . .- .. four yean lID. it ... CI)IIl1DCW . . . tile c"P" I1Id.icaIa 10 destroy IDIIIY, of die QIIlieL . Today. KJukoft' boats of 1M pubIiraIiQa•• wideIpI..t II>ceptaace .. a "'modet., COIIMIIf'atiw voice" .... claims • ciradatioB of IStOOD to ~ it

thriviDa

The......,

It


,"""_4tN~,•.

•.,~"""'.,,,,, ,,

, .«..... "·'>I,~.' "" "',1<'>."', 0,""'«,,

page 6 •

Wb"" '·.." .,,~,~h"ll::ll.\~'~.>"""'·'~U>'#"'''''~ ' " .. ,

1• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

••••• •

•• •••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••

Sweeping the Dirt Question: what do the MSA elections and a Californian rainstorm have in common? Answer: mud. mud. and more mud. The March elections were a disaster. Many problems camc lip that the assemhlv must resolve hefore next year. The RCI'iclI' noticed two major areas that deserve discussion: the huge spending by the two major parties. and the reprehensible mudslinging both parties engaged in. Workers at Kinko's swear that the Meadow party spent thousands of dollars on posters there. On the other hand. it does not take a math wizard to notice that Student Rights had several thousand large. expensive posters on campus: even at a discount. they spent a great deal of money ahove what election guidelines suggest. This causes several problems. First . of all. it shuts out smaller parties or independent candidates. Secondly. it lets the hetter-funded party "buy" the election. Finally. it moves the emphasis of the election away from platforms towards party recognition. /.

April. 1986

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

p~'A?~~O~~.f~·;i;:~it~l~~:~~~~~;f:t~hre~~f~f~~~~~~~g!rn~~::~~~'\~~~~··'·· · on either major party is free of any blame. It seems every person in some way or another helped throw mud at his opponents. After the election. people started acting like children. threatening law suits and wearing obnoxious stickers (like one saying "Scumbag Red-Baiting McCarthyists"). All of this mudslinging only created factionalism and hatred within the Assembly. That is exactly what the Assemhly can do without. After a long. arduous. controversial year. MSA needs to settle down and get to some serious husiness-which means first putting political differences aside. Now. · F1II1hermore. MSA needs to change the election code. The first prohlem this election had was that the filing deadline was only two days after spring break ended: some people who had wanted to run were unahle to hecause they were unaware of how early the deadline was. This year. hopefully. '>ollleone will check the calendar before assigning deadlines. I n relation to the spending levels, it might be necessary to take some pretty harsh action. Perhaps each party should submit all of their posters along with some money to MSA: then the election director(s) would he responsihle for all of the postering. This would control the number of po'>ters: indeed. say, posters from one party must go up with those of the other parties. and they must stay up together. If someone rips down an oppostion poster. only his would be left. Thus it must be torn down. too. There would he no advantage to ripping down posters then . Perhaps a rule mandating that a poster cannot mention opposition candidates is in order as well. It should he said that the make-up of thc new assemhly is encouraging. The "instigators" from last year are gone: this new crew has some new race'>. and some highly respected old ones. We at the Rel'iell' hope that seriou,> i'>slIes can now he addressed without being ovcrshadowed by political is'>uc'>. Good luck to the new A s s ( ' m h l v ' 1 l

•......•......••.....•..•..•......................•.................

The Third Force Opponents to the Administration's plan to provide material aid and support to anti-Communist insurgencies around the globe tl)lIov; a ..,inglilar pattern. In order to avoid appearing soft on communism. tlll'se Congre'>sional figures argue that the time or the place is not right. A representati\e sampling of the SCI\" rurf..: Times o\'er the past tCw years olTer,> the following arguments: when addressing aid to Nicaraguan Contra'>. thcse critics argue that the Contras are not real Freedom Hghters like Jonas Savimhi's UNITA . When Savimbi came to Washington. 1()lIo\\'ing the Summer '85 repeal of tile Clark Amendment. they argued that aid to Savimbi would upset the balance of trade talks aimed at handing Namihia over to SWAPO and that Savimbi was not a truc Freedom Fighter like the Afghans. The issue of aid to the Afghan s has;, et to be raised. Presumably, we provide covert assistance now. but we arc sure that somehow the opposition will find some excuse not to provide needed a'>sistance. :",>; .."Hlc;,nwlitlcalisolationism of the mid 70's, rooted in the shocking ." Viefnari1"dCreat.understandably-if not foolishly- let to thl' IlJ 7() Clark Amendment prohibiting aid to any force in Angola . This ban allowed the Cuban-hacked MPLA to take over Angola and estahlish Stalinist collective agriculture. The result? Angola, once a net ('\1'(11/('( of foodstuffs, has joined the communist bloc of net il/ll,or/('/"\ of foodstuffs. In 1976. it was argued that any international entanglements might draw the U .S. into war. Similar arguments ahound today about Central America. Congressmen. among them Christopher Dodd and David BoninI'. who oppose military assistance to indigenous lighters. push continued negotiation as a panacea with the added argument that U.S, military intervention is always a future possibility. A ludicrous idea' SO\iet expansion through Cuha. Nicaragua and other proxies is the thrl'at of the XO's. The answer lies in avoiding the answer of the 60's. U.S . forces cannot be used in place of local armies. It is impnssihk to impose U.S. forces around the world in a reactive manner. The American people will not sUppOJ1 the cost. in men and material. and it is inctTecti\e policy. The anwer lies in supporting capahle indigenous forces . Throughout the 50's and 60's the So\'iets hacked many winners. In thc 70's and 80's· many of these clients learned that the So\iets are morc capable of providing weapons than development assistance . i\ new American policy of active support to democratic forces around the glohe must be adopted. Such a program of active. rather than reactive foreign policy. is ofTered by Charles Krauthammer of the /\'('11' R('/ilih/i( Hc calls Il)!" suppoi1 of democratic forces in all countries. even friendl y authoritarian regimes. Traditional thinking prohihits such aid. fearin"g d~stahi­ liling an otherwise friendly non-expansionist country. Recent ncnts in ! the Phillipines point out the feasihility of such action . Questions of when I and where to act in the containment of communism should be made in I Washington. not dictated by Moscow. It is time for the U. S. to hack the

1:5

\\llllllT<'.

,~,

~-


,~"""~'\o(\';,~''''''JC'

,",'I.<';"'-'~·~.I<''''''IOt;k~'''''''4",~ ~~,,,,) 1

'~" '-U>-'l'-""

.\pril. 1986

THE 1\.1ICHI<. •.·\N REVIEW

pagl' 7

......•.•.•..•..............•....•...•.......................•......•.•........................•.•................•.................•..•.

Ilnteruiew

1111(; I note Ihat then.' arc a number ofconle mporary speculations 10 th e effect that we have other a\terna\lves. Prudence requires that we look a l our other alternati\'es. But I would categori ze those bases and their o rientati o n. in the political sense. o f the Philippine government as a mailer of \'ital importance to the United States. There are no adequate substitutes which otTer the geo-politi cal as "'Til as the operational military asset s that the Philippine basl's do. They arc indeed a linchpin for our defenses in all of Asia . And they are indel'd the central control mechanisms fo r the maritime approaches to all of those regions and the trade routes to the United States, I would suggest that if th e issue of the reten tion of those h:lsc<: Wt'fe at st:lke. :llll'nli o ll \\ould havl' 10 he given 10 using Am erican mililar:- power to L'nSUIT thaI Ihey n:main uurs. RI:T/FII': The Soviets have recentl y agreed to permission of on-site inspecti o n of nudean sites. How do you think this will affect the arms control talks and what efTects will this ha\'e on reaching any agreements? /lAI <i. It is much 100 early to say. It is not the first time the Soviets have hinted their willingncss to acccpt onsite inspection. Thcy did this years <\go in the context of the chemical and biological issue. and in the arms control talks earlier in the Reagan administration . So, the jury is still out. I think it is prudent for the President to welcome this Soviet initiative, but to \'iew it with the utmost skepticism. REJ 'IEW' What effects will the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings bill have on defense spending? HIIG: If the sequestration prov isions are reinstated by thc Supreme Court judges. we could bc facing the most mindless set of alternatives that I can recall in recent history. Wc could simultaneously witness an administration that has supported the largest defense buildup in our history followed by the largest defense decrement. I think that would be a traged , for the United States.

Alexander Haig Rf:T/EW To what extent should the United States support antiCommunist insurgencies throughout the world? H-IIG: Well, I think we have to be selecti ve and discriminatory in this process. It is important to remember that the Soviet Union fishes in troubled waters and they engage in what I call protection of vital interests. For example. Poland is a vital interest to the Soviet Union . The funding of opposition movements in Poland could be a genuine risk to world peace and. in the final analysis, could bring about outcomes that are harmful to Solidarity and other liberation movements. On the other hand . there are other areas which are targets of opportunity for Soviet imperialism. I would include among these Angola, Central America, and various African enclaves. Afghanistan fits· somewhere in between the two. Ther,~fo~. w~pay,e . to

Qe J1)u~ll , mo,e .

guarded. regulative. and sensitive about support levels. Not because we <Ire entitled to it. but because the consequences could bring about the very outcome we seek to prevent. So, m the area of targets of opportunity, I think the United States can prudently illpoort liberation movements. R1:"I11-:1I : What is your impression of l\likhail Gorbachev and is he really difkrent from any other Soviet lead -

er? IIAIG: He is certainly different. '.'specially in that he is young, en'.'rgetic, quick witted. articulate, and dynamic. In the context of his sub~tantive views. the evidence thus far. and while thejury is still out, is that he IS a neo-Stalinist of the first order, an iron fist in a velvet glove, endowed with unusual thespian talents. But as I have said previously, objective reality runs counter to modem main view. At home. his policies have been repres-

sive, and in the wars of liberation. where he inherited Soviet involvement. he has become far more effective and ruthless. REVIEW: Recently. Secretary of State George ShuHz has received harsh criticism for his lack of resolve in the Miroslav Medvid incident. If YOU were Secretary of State, how would you have handled this attempted defection? lIAIG: Well. first let me say that as a matter of policy I do not render report cards on my successors or lormer presidents for whom I have worked, or reigning presidents. I just

One year ago. the .l!ichigal/ Rel'iell was in the process reorganizing its operations and commencing a monumental rebuilding effort. Our stated goal was to publish monthly and reestablish ourselves as a forum for the interchange of ideas on campus. We planned to revamp the style of the RCl'iclI' as well. I n the past, we existed solel y as a means for response to radical activities on campus, but neglected the majority of students in the process.

don' t think it is appropriate for me to p,Tso nalh get in\'ol\'ed in matters like ' Iii..,. 1</ . i II: II .' The rcLt.' nt elections in th e PhilIppines ha!> brought up the debate over the US 'military bases their strategic importance. In light of the fact that in 1976 then President Marcos signed a treaty with Hanoi banning the use of these bases for a\lacks against Vietnam, how vital are these bases considering they cannot be used to defend against the Soviet buildups at DaNang and Cam Ranh Bay?

- .-"--- ...

-, ~ - ,-

...... -.-"~,,.,, ---~. ~-.

" ' - , . ,- - ,

n

._--".-

1he qllC'SII OIIS .fhl' rJlls IIIrerl'U'II' 11 '('1'1' fJ/'l'pal'ed h\' rhe sla[r o( The Michigall Rel'lt>II '

Well. here we arc one year later. at the finale of our most productive year ever. This past year witnessed the introduction of an interview series, a culture section. and other changes designed to broaden our appeal to the campus community. We are willing to know if our changes proved successfuL so pf~ase ,drop us a line with your comments! In Septem ber. we will return with our new expanded format and continue to prov ide the campus \vith a journa l for m oderat e. conservat ive thought. Sec yo u in September' -

'''-''' - -


~~ W'_ "'~~"' :"'

......\'l'o._~~ "~~'"l-t'·'

page 8

~""*"«"".""-,_""""" "_~ ~"~, ,,,,, ,,,,.,.

""- '....,,,, -"'"

April, 1986

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

i{ruirw tt1oru.m

Freedom of Choice

y',

of a sick indi vidual.

When hearing someone question whether

Ca tholics and any other skeptics on the

abortion should be permitted by law as it is

pro-c hoice poin t of view now probably want to

Finally. it is generally argued by pro-lifers

ability to feel pa in and even grimace from the

now . I personally have difficulty understanding

know how on e ca n defend the slaughter of

that the yet-to-be-born have rights too. In order

influen ce of pain at twelve weeks into preg-

why anyone whould want to remove the

mill ions of " peo ple." The human fetu s is is

to ha ve the right to live which is granted by the

nancy. Pro-lifers were quite excited about this

freedom of choice from men and (more im-

undo ubtably a living organism. but it is not a

Constitution. one must first be a " person. " So.

bit of news. What the doctors did not point o ut.

portantly) women in this country. The free will

living soul. The fetus is a part of the mother's

let us first consider what it means to be a

however. was that simply because a fetus has

of individuals to make their own choices is

body and cannot sustain and regulate its own

·' person." As previously mentioned. the physi-

funnioning nerves at such an earl y stage in

granted by the Constitution. Unfortunately. the

metabolism. Mothers are also the source of

cal aspect s of managing one's own metabolism

development does not indicate that the brain of

explicit right to have an abortion is not printed

their fetus' oxygen. Since it cannot rely on its

a nd breathing from one's own lungs are pre-

the fetus is far enough advanced. to interpret the

in the Constitution nor does it say anywhere in

own ph ysiology to keep itself alive, the fetus

requisites. The mental aspects, however. are

feel ings the nerves receive as "pain." People

the BiNI' that abortion is not permissible. These

ca nnot be considered a "being." though it can

less obvious. To trul y be a "person," one must

who are vegetables can react to pain stimulae

last two facts are ",hat makc this issue so

be considerl'd a Ii , ing form. Until the umbilical

have a co ncept of a self. This entails the

too. but this is meaningless pain. Just because

debatable but it should become ob vious that the

cord is sl'\cred . a nd the new "being" displays

recognition of a continuing sequence of ex-

the bod y delivers a physiological response does

" pro-choice" argume nl is unquestionabl y the

the abilit y to breathe and .to live on its own

periences which takes place in one's surround-

no t mean that the brain has interpreted a

stronger of the two.

physical support system. the fetus is not truly a

ing environment. In addition. one must see

mental message.

Catholicism should not weigh heavily in any

human soul. To calm down any religious

oneself as an entity. a physical. living form

Although the pro-choice argument for abor-

decision to change laws in regard to abortion.

reade rs who by now would probably be worked

which exists on earth. A "person" needs to be

tion defeats the pro-life arguments against

"':,

performed on embryos. Embryos displayed the

The Catholic majority in the "pro-lifer" group

into a frenzy. it is clearly stated in Genesis 2:7

able to realize that what he or she does has an

aborti o n. these two schq<>ls of thought are two

seems to think that all Americans should forfeit

that "God breathed into Adam's nostrils the

effect on his or her environment. On the basis of

extremes which will never be able to arrive at a

some of their free will in order to pay due

breath of life. and man be.callle a living soul."

these requirements for being a "person." one

compromise in the spheres of government since

respect to the Catholic religion . (Catholicism

Considering their stance on the abortion

must admit the improbability of a fetus being a

there is no true middle ground position to

presumes that human life begins with concep-

issue. one must wonder why pro-lifers have not

" person." Of course, scientifically. no one will

suggest and defend.

tion. Not to disappoint any hopes of these

protested the creation of test-tube babies. In this

ever know whether the embryo has intense

particular Catholics. most Americans do not

laboratory process. an ~ which has been removed from the mother's ovary is fetilized

thoughts or not . but it seems very unlikely.

share their views.) Moreover. why should the many feel obligated to appease the few when it

whith the father's sperm in a test tube . Then,

team of doctors filed a report to President

Palll Seltman is a Freshman in LSA and an Executive Editor of the Michigan Review.

To illustrate my point. a year or two ago a

.

.is actually .more pr.l~~i cal . r,()r.. , IhC' . \~lhO\ic ,.. .. ' .IN,~ q3,i,r-WWlh dot .oli p ro to plasm is i mplanlcd .;,\., .. ~ca&a~~~9~i~~J~~ re.~lts ()f an experiment

. pro-lifers to simply not practice abortion and

in the mother's uterus. ICone. considerS the '

for everyone else to do as they wish? After all. if

newly fertilized egg to be a "person," then the

the government where to heed the Catholic

lab technician must be a murderer. For, fewer

pro-lifers a majority opposition would be

than ten percent of all implanted embryos ever

stifled.

grow to maturity in preparation for birth. This

Also. as a general rule. Americans should not be prevented by the government from pursuing

pro priate to establish alws prohibiting abortion. one should immediately realize that this is too

remained intact over the years of this country's

grea t of an infraction of a women's rights. The

history. As a result of the government's and

fetus is an intimate part of th~ mother's bod y.

people's support ofthe separation of church and

and in this sense a mother should not be told

state. it should be also be noted that there is not

what she can or cannot do wi th a part of herself.

a " Catholic opposition" concerning the appro-

Also. what about the fifteen- year-old girl who

priatene~s

gets raped? Sho uld she be forced to bear a child

Catholic pro-lifers have an even weaker foun-

at such an early age? Worse yet. this would be a

dation on which to base their claims.

ch ild growing up without a father and a progeny

.

No Growth United StotM In the event ot the expected trOUble...tth EfIQIOnd, the Erie Canol would be the only mean. by which...,. could ...., move the sup-

ver 150yeorsogo, Martin Yon Buren . then GovemoI of New York . ......ote a leiter to President Jackson warning him that further develop' ment of the " evil" new rallrcods would disrupt bvsIness. boost unem· ployment , and weaken defense.

O

Whenever one thinks that it might be ap-

religio~~ interests if they choose to

of abortion laws which even exist. So

.;:,.'

is obviously a ludicrous thought.

follow any religion at all. The democratic ideal

their own

'. '

plies so vital to waging modem war For tn. ooove-mentiOned reasons the QOVerMlent should create on In· terstate Commerce CommiSsiOn to protect the Americon people from the evils of 'rollroads ' and to pre· _ the cono/$ tor posterity

January 31 . 1829 To: President .JaCkson As you may well know . Mr President . The conol system of this country is being threatened by the spread ot a 'roilrooer COfTiOQeS are pulled at Ihe enormous speed of 15 miies per hOur new form of transportatiOn known os by 'engines' whiCh. In Oddltlon 10 e,,· ·railroads ·. The federal government dongeri ng life and limb of pas ' must preserve the conals for the fOl· sengers. rcor and snort the" way lowing reasons thfough the countrySide . setting lire One n canol boots are supplanted to crops . scoring the livestOCk and by ·railrood$·. serious unemployment frightening women and children will result Captains. cooks . drivers. The A lm ighty ' certOinly never In · hOstlers. repairmen and lock tenders tended thot people shOUld trovel at will be left without means of IIveli· such bfeokneck speed hood. not to mention the numerous Martin Yon Buren formers now employed in growing Governor of New York hOy for horses. Two . 800t t:>ullderS would sutlef and Luckily for America. The leaders of towline . whip and harness ~~ Mr. Yon Buren'S day . men of wouid be left destitute. visiOn and hOpe . did not Three . Conal bootS are snore his tears absolutely essential to the defense of the

.:' '':,

HILLSDALE COLLEGE FOfo'" 01 3601 _ etIOY'l, _ ~.

~

n

_

._

110.0010 "- " , -

-.1IfocIIIOOn ~

c:ou.!<K . ...uoAU "",,,,""AN

<':"',


ailillllt

tl$8R_ n \ll.\:tl/{"oI..,uw.'H~~_~~~_

_

\_ _ _ _

"""" """'"""'"''''''

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

April, 1986

page 9

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Anarchy and Deceptio 's Abortion Business by Matthew D. Gutchess As a spokesman for U ofM Right to Life I am presenting a metaphorical analysis. Abortion is an emotional issue so many of my arguments are emotional. My emotion is simple: I hate abortion. The arguments used to justify abortion are like the polyp forceps used in abortion to crush the child's skull. They come from opposite directions and con\'erge on a defenseless victim. The right pincer argument. from the "no government" direction. I call Anarchy. Anarchy presents abortion as a "fundamental righ .... and waves the banner. "Get your laws off my body!" The left pincer argument. from the "big government"· direction. I call Deception. Deception presents abortion as a solution to social problems and waves the banner. "Every child a wanted child." Anarchy and Deception are sisters. A third actor in the drama. an unrelated woman. is Wisdom. the philosophical foundation of the pro-life or anti<hoice position . The actors play out their drama in a heavenly realm, as in national policy, and on a minute. personal scale as in the individual decision.

THE ACTORS The role of Anarchy can be played by the National Organization of Women. and the role of Deception can be played' by Planned Parenthood Inc. The role of Wisdom can be played by Right to Life groups.

DECEPTION. Deception pleas for the love of money. She speaks to kings. governors. and presidents. Flattery and brazen promises are the tools of her trade. Innocent blood and the souls foolish men are her reward. Asking. "What if the child might be abused?"". is a deception technique used in attempting to present abortion as a solution to a tragic social problem. No one wants a.child to be abused. but the words are twisted to say that no one wants an abused child. The hard reality is. according to the National Center of Child Abuse and Neglect. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. that child abuse has increased over 500% since 1973. In individual homes and in the nation at large the protective instincts of the parents are violated by abortion. Compared to abortion. child abuse no longer seems heinous. Abortion as a solution to child abuse? Lunacy. Abortion is child abuse. Asking. "What about Rape?". is the same deceptive technique. No one wants a child to be the result of rape. but the words are twisted to say that no one wants the child who resulted from rape. Pregnancy as a result of rape is extremely rare. According to Hayman & Lanza (Amer. Jour. OB/ GYN, v.109. no.3. Feb. 1971). only 0.6 - 1.7% of all rape cases result in pregnancy. Rape does not justify an abortion. The mother should not suffer an abortion nor should the child be executed for a crime for which they are not guilty. Abortion is no solution to rape. The left wing of the abortion argument shows no mercy. Planned Parenthood. with their "Every child a wanted child" campaign hypocritically raises a banner of "Choice". yet fights

blood and guts to prevent Informed Consent (legislation whereby a pregnant woman should , be given basic information as to the biological dewlopment of life before birth.) Planned Parenthood of America was founded in 1942 by Margaret Sanger. Margaret Sanger. (b. Margaret Higgins) was a racist and eugenicist. She advocated a government I.Q. patrol in her book The Pivot of CMlization. "You must give each member of the family an I.Q. test. In most cases their scores will be low. others will be in the border-line This .will give you the evidence to take before the judge who will order the entire family sterilized for the good of society ."(pp.82-91) From 1917 to 1938. Margaret Sanger was editor of Birth Control Review the explicit theme of which appeared on the cover. "Bir/h COllfrol : To Crcarc a Race of Thoroughbreds . .. How flattering to think of oneself 'as a "thoroughbred." Right to lifers have been called facists. but this is absurd. Adolph Hitler. a eugenicist. was pro-abortion. The left wing' dictator used birth control in his attempt. to create his race ' of ihoroughbreds. l-ie m~de birth controiand abortion illegal for Aryans but in his speech. Tischgesprach illl FuhrerhauplQuartier (1942). said. "In view of the large families of the native population. it could only suit us if girls and women there had as many abortions as possible. Active trade in contraceptives oUght to be actually encouraged in the Eastern territories. as we could not possible have the slightest interest in increasing the non-German population."

ANARCHY. Anarchy rebels against all laws. thinking that this will make her free. She is a hypocrite. She claims that she has the right to impose her morality on the child by aborting it. but that no one has the right to '>impose their morality" upon her.

defenseless unborn. Abortions are performed in clinics. not in the bedroom : it is invalid to speak of abortion as a method of fertility contro.l. There is a vast difference between preventing a life from beginning and preventing a life from continuing. Abortion is a justice issue. In abortion. the child is innocent. yet is sentenced without a trial by jury. executed without due process of law. AbOrtion is murder. Regardless of what the Supreme Court said. abortion is illegal and unConstitutional. The 14th Amendment states. "Nor shall any state deprive any person of life. liberty. or property. without due process of law." It is self-nident that women get abortions because they do not want to have their babies. It is self-evident that if a woman did not have an abortion then she would have a baby. The Declaration of Independence states. "We hold these truths to be self-evident. that all men arc created equal and are endowed with certain unalienable rights. and that among these are life. liberty. and the pursuit of happiness." When balancing the right to life against the right to pur~~~happiness~' lhe scale iip~ i~e~orably in favor of the right to life. For the sake of those who miss this self-evident truth. there is a consensus as to the beginning of human life: Geneva Declaration (1948) of the World Medical Association. ") will maintain the utmost respect for human life from the time of conception: even under threat. I will not use m~ medical knowledge contral)' to the laws o. f humanit y." The First International Conference of -\bortion (1967). "The majority of our group (95%)

of sperm and egg. or at kast the blastocyst stagl' (several ho urs after conception). and the birth of the infant at which point we could say that thiS was not a human life." The American Medical Association (18 7 1). "There is no other time consonant with reason as to the beginning of human life than the moment o.f conceptio.n,"

CONCLUSION Human life begins at conception . As ovcr a century ago. the Supreme Court was wrong. In the Drl-d Scoll decision the Suprcme Court said that slaws are "not persons" in the full sense of the law. In the Roe v Wade decision the Court said that unborn human beings are "not persons" in the full sense of the law. The response. as it was to slavery. is to 'amend the Constitution 10 dl'c1are that the urlborn are '''persons.'' Abortion solves nothing. It is impossible for abortion 10 be a virtuous act because as President Reagan has said . "Abortion is a sin ," Reasonable people agree that abortion is a national tragedy. but miss the mark if the \ respond by suggesting that the solution to abortion is more birth control. The problem is not that woman art' getting pregnant. Thl' problem is simpler and deL"j)l'r: men and women are having sex without being willing 10 raise the child that may result. Our vision is so narrow that death to the child. B dead-end . is all that WI? can see. Thnl" I~ no right to kill innocent human life. \\ \\111an a fl" 10. « honorl'd for their abilit) 10 gl\l'ilk

,liall/7cll' D. Gllfchcss is . 1 .\}\ '/I/,/I II/ COli/pilfer Science alld a sfafrll/('I/Iha offhe Jlichigan Rene'\\'.

could find no point in time between the union

.-\rtarchy oppresses women by dressing herself as Equal Rights for women. She states that to be eC!ual to men. women must be able to legally abort their babies. "Reproductive Freedom." Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment refused to accept the ERA bill if it contained the Sensenbrenner Amendment. a little clause which would guarantee the bill to be abortion neutral. By defending "abortion rights" Anarchy disdains women's special ability to give life. How pessimistic to say that a 'woman has r~hts only when she' can be devoid of the one thing she can do that a man cannot! WISDOM. It is Wisdom's direction against which Anarchy rebels. In Western culture. Wisdom calls forwomen to be honored for their ability to give life. A man is to honor a woman by opening doors for her. by standing when she enters the room. and by giving up his seat for her. A husband honors his wife by devoting his life to providing for thefl' family . By such acts of politeness women are honored for their ability to give life. Women are to be honored for their ability to give life. Wisdom' !.i:eks not to restrict a woman's control of her fertility. but to protect the lives of

~"::...~

AN

~

~ flft )\NGE.-\t\ti \t-t 'ffiE ~\M.~~


_

. . . ._ _ _ _. . ._ _ _" " " _. _ . _ ..... r",""AA_}_WNJ<,II.'jj;&_ _ _ "~

~""_~.~<_'~~

p"~,, i : l l HF \llCHI(J~;'\; RFYI[vi

April, 1986

.........................................................................................................................................

My Science' Project by Professor Joseph Q, Typho

I decided to write my science project on the history of the hydrogen atom. Everyone knows about hydrogen in water and gases and so on. But I hate water, ammonia, and hydrogen gas. I guess it's envy-envy of the other friends of the hydrogen atom. If you spent your life studying one topic like atomic physics, you'd develop an attachment too. And you'd be jealous of anything else that attached itself to your beloved, even if it's other atoms. Especially when hydrogen attaches to itself. Yucko. However strong emotional forces are, they can't overcome the pull of overlapping orbitals. Hydrogen was born in Iowa in 1875. No, wait, that was Herbert Hoover. Damn this encyclopedia. Hydrogen has done a lot of things, I guess . . . Golly, looking things up is fun. If indigo is between one color and another, what is between one atom .~n4,allQ~~~~? In:v.~rtig9+

...

!fRusie In

Who is this goomer Pauli and why did he want to exclude things? I think he was some cliquish twerp who probably will be featured in the next "brat pack" film. Hydrogen had a lot of fun at first. All of these weird scientists wanted to poke around with him yet he could completely ignore them. And he did for a time, a time equal to h-bar over the energy (the energy being the notorious FermiRingwald Energy). This was the first proof of the uncertainty principle, which states that one cannot tell when a film like "Pretty Pink Breakfast" will open due to the interference of reporters asking studio executives silly Questions. Hydrogen went to school. Wow. What a fool. If you go to school all you learn about is dumb things like nuclear freezes. Freezing the weapons won't solve anything. You know how hot an H-bomb gets when you light the fu~,.,~,tM;l, set)t {off? It is pretty

~euie1U

Victor Borge by Eric Winiecke

""

Many exciting and talented performers make stops in Ann Arbor, but none that can entertain like Victor Borge did on Friday, April Eleventh. Borge teased and taunted the audience with his talented piano playing and his witty humor. The fun began when Borge entered the stage with a warm welcome from the audience. Borge responded by exhaling a puff of smoke and exclaiming, "Holy Smoke!" The stage was bare except for one prop, a baby-grand piano that served as the center of Borge's performance. This was evident from the start when Victor tripped over it. Victor really wanted to perform Mozart for the audience, but kept getting sidetracked by one thing or another. Much to the audience's delight, these tangents were hilarious anecdotes. When he got around to playing, he started with an elaborate version of Happy Birthday. After playing this under the guise of different composers (Brahms and Gershwin to name a few), he stood up to talk to the audience, only to re-

member his original goal of playing some Mozart. He did, but it turned out to be a Mozartian version of none other than Happy Birthday. As a writer, I really did not know what to expect of the performance, or what kind of performance to expect for the matter. I have twice seen Borge on television, the first time on The Electric Company. I was five years old at the time and remember laughing for hours just thinking about him. Victor appeared on the program from time to time reading stories in which he verbally expressed the punctuation marks. The next time I saw him was thirteen years later on a show broadcast live from the Kennedy Center. That time, Borge downed around the piano with another pianist as they gave a hysterical performance of Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody #2. Borge has had a long career of performing. He is in his upper seventies and is no doubt an extremely funny comic as well as gifted pianist. Shortly into the program last Friday

damn hot, hot enough to melt any freeze mechanism. Hydrogen reached puberty and began to develop romantic interests, n,pt too successfully. Oh, it tried to attract electtons by stripping off its energy levels, but even the electrons • weren't ready to hang out with the hydrogen atom. But hydrogen did have nocturnal neutrino releases. Hydrogen had a life of triumphs and tragedies. One of its great victories was its win over Bohrdom. Niels Bohr was a dull Danish scientist. But Bohr was a break-dancer on the side and thought he could spin pretty fast. Until he met hydrogen, that is. Hydrogen's intrinsic spin beat the pants off of Bohr. Hydrogen's greatest failure came in 1937 when the Hindenberg blew up (Es hat geschnauft. ja Eric?). Much hydrogen was lost, enough to incinerate an entire campus of lame duck Marxist Student Association members, if a bomb went off. Too bad one didn't. The entire atomic community was despondent. In fact, due to the tragedy, helium went inert. Hydrogen reached a mid-life crisis and decided to try self-examination. Hydrogen realized that it was made up

evening, I knew I could expect the same kind of humor and more. But I did not expect Borge to captivate the audience for nearly three hours. Even though Victor is a one man show, he did not appear alone. In the first half, a young man (who later turned out to be his son) came out onto the stage to turn pages of the musical score. He wore. floods and appeared extremely incompetent. This young man did not waste any time in performing his task. While Victor talked to the audience, the page turner was behind him at the piano obediently turning pages. The fun climaxed with Victor playing piano while kneeling on the ground in order to see under the page turner's arm, and at the same time pulling the man's tie when he wanted one of the peddles of the piano depressed. In the second half of the program, Victor introduced soprano Marilyn MUlvey. This routine was slapstick at its finest. Borge embarrassed Marilyn by continually reminding her to keep her hand off of the piano. She started to sin&, an aria accompanied by Borge who howled like a dog while she sang. A few sl,lrprisingly loud notes knocked Borge off of the piano bench and caused him to produce a safety belt from underneath the bench. Finally, even Marilyn burst into laughter. The show had its serious side also.

only of proton and electron, two rather moronic particles that just span around. Protons were made up of Quarks which were rather confused particles because they didn't know up from down. In fact, protons were made of two ups and one down, which should add up to one up (or even add down to one up). But to unadd ups one must add unups which aren't downs. To further confuse matters, not only are there ups and downs, there are tops and bottoms. After that (see, I didn't start a paragraph with "hydrogen"), hydrogen decided that it had lived a long life. But it won't decay too Quickly, at least I don't think so. However, even virile gluons get worn out after a while. So I suggest we wait and see what will happen. Okay? !8

Professor Joseph Q. '. Typho was a Student in Natural Resources and Buddhist Studies, but received his Professorness from Bud's Professors, Inc. He now is studying the problem of censorship among illiterate Aborigines.

After Marilyn left the stage, the lights dimmed and Borge began to play a soft melody on the piano. Soon Mulvey joined in to sing one of the most beautiful offstage arias I have ever heard. The audience was hypnotized too by the beauty of her voice. This set the tone for Borge's performance of a piece written by F. Kriesler and displayed Borge's control over the audience. Not many performers can have the audience rolling in the ailes with laughter and then within a matter of seconds turn their mood completely around. It was as though we were sitting in an old vaudeville theatre and then magically transported to Carnegie Hall. Victor Borge is a genious who loves to perform. He jokes, clowns, and plays the piano, treating his audiences to performances that never have a dull moment. This was the case at Hill Auditorium, in which most of us lost track of the time. As we walked out of the auditorium, people looked at their watches in amazement: it was 11 o'clock. Where has all of the time gone? Only the master, Victor Borge, knows. ~

Eric U'iniecke is a Freshman in LSA and a staff writer for the Michigan Review.


'I_a .:

!oj

. . . . . ,_~, .......--~_ J"I'~~""'- .....,.,..,..

.........,.. '..-~.

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

April, 1986 ~

pajte

II

.•...................•.•....... ...................................................... .....................•.....•..............•.••

~

NATO

l£ttttrs "')ntinued from page 3

continued from page 4

Fortunately, any first-year college student should be able to read beyond this journalistic drama. For ifMr. Evans looks deep enough into the history of this " New Conservatism ." he will likely stumble across thl! names of such great Americans as Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon, George Wallace, Jerry Falwell. and an inspiring fellow named McCarthy. About the only fact Evans accurately describes is that the French Revolution happened before the Industrial Revolution. I am sorry to report his "Changing Republic" is nothing more than an over-indulged belief floating in an ideological bottomless pit. and creeping up during election time just long enough to utter the word: Mandate! In conclusion. I wish to reiterate that from the information and data I have presented. there is no political reallignment or shift to the right. "The Future of Conservatism" is full of assumptions and misleading arguments. Without concrete evidence. this article cannot be taken seriously. I strongly suggest Mr. Evans become acquainted with statistical analysis before he attempts to describe the essence of American political behavior.

SiIIcaeIy. Cons-land ino Koual is

!!

should also improve its combat readiness by completing the U.S. POMCUS program. POMCUS (Pre-Positioned Material Configured to Unit Sets) deploys equipment for a number of U.S.-based divisions and support units in Central Europe so that personnel can be flown directly to their equipment. The full program would provide for a prompt, powerful, mobile reserve in each army group sector that would improve the balance of conventional forces at the most critical point in the build-up process: two weeks after the Warsaw Pact begins mobilization. Furthermore, NATO can incorporate a much-needed system of tank obstacles backed by field fortifications. Obstacles such as ditches, minefields, and concrete forms are comparatively cheap and simple to provide. Fixed fortifications include prepared emplacements fur tanks and artillery, observation posts for controlling long-range artillery, clusters of anti-tank guns, remotely controlled, precision-guided munitions, and small concrete bunkers to provide shelters and support for light infantry forces. NATO should also consider increasing the number of reserve . . divisions; Reserve forces can provide '

a powerful addition to active-duty forces at approximately falf the cost per unit. Another way to narrow the gap between NATO and Warsaw conventional forces is to preserve and exploit NATO's present lead in areas of military technology. For example, smart weapons can hit and destroy their targets with a probability of 50% or more under battle conditions; the effectiveness of smart weapons was demonstrated in the Falkland Islands operations. Smart weapons now being developed will carry multiple targetseeking and target-descriminating warheads. A single round could destroy several tanks, artillery pieces, and infantry-fighting vehicles. Used with tank obstacles and fortifications, smart weapons provide a powerful deterrent against tanks. Lastly, NATO should raise its stock supplies to a short term goal of thirty days of supply and to a long term goal of at least forty-five days. The estimate cost to make these changes over a period of six years is around $100 billion. This increase in defense expenditures would be below the current level of three percent that NA TO members agreed .to in 1975 and farbetow the 'four percent in~ '

crease proposed for the 1983-88 period by General Bernard W. Rogers, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. These funds could easily be acquired from the money that will be saved by reducing the number of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe. By signing the No First Use Treaty and making the aforementioned policy changes, a number of benefits to the United States and NATO will follow. First, the U.S. will be in a more advantageous position at the nuclear bargaining table in Geneva. Next, public opinion of the United States in Europe will also improve once the United States removes the tactical nuclear weapons that have been drawing so much criticism from our European allies. The removal of U.S. missiles may also result in a stronger commitment by Greece and Spain to NATO, a decrease in terrorism in Europe directed at America, and increased support by o~r European allies for the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative. All of these effects will lead to a much stronger NATO. Lastly, once the tactical nuclear weapons are removed from Europe, it will be more difficult for the Soviets to convince their Warsaw Pact allies to attack an enelnY that does not present tbat great a threat to their existence anymore.

1!

Savimbi continued from page 5

Cuban military personnel had arrived, along with approximately 10, 000 civilians. The arms and equipment the MPLA had received amounted to almost 500 million dollars. Over the next decade UNIT A systematically drove the MPLA out of southern Angola. They established a rear safe zone, built schools and hospitals and developed semi- regular and regular forces to complement their guerillas in larger scale battles. UNIT A now has 20,000 regular or semi-regular forces, along with two to three times as many guerillas. It currently controls one-third of the country and is hotly contesting another third. This success has been due to the significant amount of time it spent developing a secure rear area. UNIT A now claims to administer 6,951 primary schools and nine secondary schools. It also has a very sophisticated democratic political structure that includes representatives from every town free from the Marxist government's control.

Ironically, what had been the MPLA's greatest strength, now became UNIT A's biggest asset, as the Cubans and Soviets began to take advantage of their newest gain. Formerly a major food exporter, collectivization has reduced Angola to where it now must import 90% of its foodstuffs. Blessed with abundant natural resources, the government has taken gold mining and turned it into a losing operation, while most of the wealth from the diamond mines and oil wells are not spent on public services but rather are used to par for Cuban soldiers, a cost to the tune of 1000 dollars a month per soldier. Understanding the trap that the MPLA is in, UNIT A is now carrying out an interesting strategy. They have turned to outside governments to obtain officials recognition for themselves and to raise the political cost for the Cubans to maintain their presence. Their call for a negotiated settlement has been endorsed by the Catholic Church of Angola. The United States Senate has repealed the Clark Amendment, which prohibited

any foreign assistance from being given to a rebel faction in Angola. This was designed to provide the Administration with a bargaining chip in negotiating for the Cubans' withdrawal. The Cubans c1everty changed things around by claiming that they were there to protect country from the South Africans. This covet story was blown wide open when the Nigerian government offered to replace the Cubans with· their own troops, to be used to keep out the South Africans. As they could not afford to lose the Cubans' support against UNIT A, the MPLA was forced to show its hand and refuse the offer. UNIT A has also fought to raise the cost of the Cuban occupation from the inside. It has stopped the Benguela railroad and has shut down many of the mi~"s' tqat are used to hire the Cubans. W.hether they go for structures or eriemy units, UNIT A always concentrates on hitting where it will hurt the Cubans. This is because Savimbi believes that "some true Angolan nationalists have been forced by the Cubans to' fight with the' MPLA '

. .. Every UNIT A victory strengthens the hand of the nationalists with the MPLA and hastens the day when they will join us in driving out the Cubans and Soviets." In effect, Savimbi hopes to help the MPLA escape from the trap of foreign dependence that they became caught in over two decades ago. The difficulty in running a successful revolution is to be able to resolve it quickly without selling out the ideals of the movement. Too often groups are satisfied with replacing European colonial governments with their organization, supported against their people by a foreign power. The revolutionaries thus find themselves being used as pawns, a position no better than the native sellouts they criticized many years before. The choice is clear, a liberation movement can stand by its ideals and keep faith with the people, or they can succumb to the temptation and run the risk of betraying the revolution.

!!

.' 1

,t,

'I ' "

, ,


.r

•.

- - -- -.-

I'

' ''c'

I~

rHF \flnil< i\,\; REVIEV.,

\priJ. 1986

.............................................•.•.........................................................................................

mooks

..

In

meuiew

Privateers 1)\ Charles D. Lipsig

PRIV ATEERS. by Ben Bova. TOR. New York. 1985. 383 pages. As in other scholarly fields. science fiction writers have taken sides over SDI. The writers opposed to SDI include Isaac Asimov and Arthur Clarke. Among the writers in favor ofSDI are Robert Heinlein. Jerry Pournelle. Larry Niven. Paul Anderson. and Ben Bova. While some have written essays for and against SDI, Ben Bova, a former president of the Science Fiction Writers of America. is the first to have written about the effects of SDI in a science- fiction book (although anti-missile defenses have made appearances in previous science fiction works. such as Heinlein's The Moo)] I s . ~ Harsh ,\/istress) Pril'ateers is primarily a novel supporting the building of SDI. In the novel. America's indecision over SDI has allowed the USSR to build a system first. After demonstrating the system' s effectiveness. the USSR demands that

10.

i.

. '''<,,:, . -"

~

the United States disband all space and military research facilities. Thus the United States ceases to be a world power. The world teeters on the brink of Soviet domination. mainly prevented by an alliance of Japanese technology with Chinese manpower. Into te breach steps Dan Randolph, a former NASA astronaut and entrepreneur. He operates a space-industry organization. nominally controlled by Venezuela. and uses it to challenge the Soviets by finding loopholes in Soviet controls on space mining (for example. redirecting an asteroid into Earth's orbit - an idea the Soviets han~ not thought of). As the Soviets procede to challenge him and assassinate his friends . Randolph and his crew become pirates and disrupt Soviet commerce. Simultaneously. Randolph courts a lovely young lady who is also coveted by his Soviet ad\ersary. In the end Randolph triumphs. in both love and war.

Pril'(//eers is good escapist science fiction. The story is fast moving and holds the reader's attention. The quality of adventure is up to science fiction standards. Bova's scenario is as realistically plausible as any other proposaL The main flaw of the scenario is that the Soviets do not react as harshly as they would in reality. However. if they did . there would be no story. Read as escapism . the story has no problems. Unfortunately. as serious literature . the novel is impaired by one-dimensional characters. Dan Randolph is the two-fisted all- American hero stubborn. swashbuckling. and always in controL Every woman in the story either sleeps with him. or is alcoholic. Even so. Bova's message and the quality of adventure might overshadow the stereotypes but for his portrayal of the President of the United States. Bova seems to break a stereotype by making the President female . However. she was elected vice-president and became President only after Soviet pressure caused the President. her husband. to die of a heart attack. In her past. she has had an alTair with

Dan Randolph. Furthermore. she v"ants Randolph to marry her for em o tional support. E\(~n \vhen Randolph giws the United States an opportunity to return to world power. she is too cautious to accept it. In short . the President may be female . but she is as weak as every other female in the novel. However. the main thrust of Pril'atc('rS concerns SDI. While many people argue over whether or not th world would be better if the United States had SDI. Bo\'a ignores this question in favor of asking another. neglected question: what would the world be like if only . the Soviet Union had SDP Bova's answer is clear: ' an America without SDI will lead to Soviet world domination. Ifthis ·happens. one will have to look elsewhere than the United States for a way oul. That message is clear. and in presenting it. Pril'atcl'rs is an unqualified success. ~

Char/cs D. Lipsig is a Jllllior III Sfaril/ics and a PerSOIl/lel ;\f(lllagcr/()r fhe .\Iichigal/ RCl'i'c\\'

')'~\'1H:,:.. ~':- ,,''',' ':;,,' :

:!

(l)IU.'I NEWS ~RVlCE J.~~ ~\q&'i SfIIDIEeOIJ«IOtI

,

~\5H0\JlD

W1 REA5ON\NG WlTH H\M...

F.J<.ED~"brings you right into the action with true MTS* Stereo sound. Say good·bye to bonng one -dimensional TV sound . Say hello to dynamiC MTS Stereo With F.R.E.D. He's the Fnendly Recoton Enter· talnment Deco der that delivers superb Clnema·like sound through your t)ome stereo system Fabulous FR .E.D. is easy to install. And he brings you ngllt ,nto the action, so you feel like a partiCipant -not a spectator. Get caught In the middle of a bust on Miami Vice Be a guest or, The Tonight Show. Rock into a role on Friday Night Videos. Join tile team on exclusive Sports SpeCials. Only F.R.E..D lets you add the dramatic new dimenSion of MTS Stereo to VIrtually any TV And FR.E.D IS so versatile, he even slmu· lates extraordinary stereo sound on any non·stereo broadcast . The future IS ~~~-with fR .E.o., the Friendly Re~oton Entertain· ment Decoder. Take him home today and put your ears In gear for action . Reo t .:<. i 1 ; t · 1 :; i i '-i Ij r r' r I ;: "'; i i 1:, c, 0 :; t r. :; , ' :' !'" t f '::.•~

-:0

!

" 1

:

1 :'

~

.- ; '

r

i_

~.

r

'j

~' . I ~. ~

[ l

t

I?

d

RECOTON®

,

t'lDi'l E 1 Eo C t r on I C = p.O. 80 > 45 7 3, Ann Arbor. NI ·MTS 1\ t r~ 0 111) tI..l ~~'h)v ~d mi'lI l00 01 Oh. ..dO(,clsl ,ng ..,tt'rto 'iV r:)1 ~ I6m~

48106


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.