Tuesday, March 9, 1982
Eugene, Oregon
Oregon daily
Volume 83
Number 117
emerald
Cuba not directing revolution, author says
Photo by DavK) Coray
James Stephens
‘The guerrillas are the people’
j -
“Why is it whenever the poor and downtrodden
begin to ask for, not the whole pie, but a little slice of
the pie we raise the boogey-man of communist
subversion?”
That was the question James Stephens asked
Monday night in the EMU ballroom as part of his
chronological observations on “The Political Reality
in El Salvador,” sponsored by the EMU Cultural
Forum and the Eugene Council on Human Rights in
Latin America
Stephens, co-author of a 1981 Oxfam America
study on land reform in El Salvador, criticized the
Reagan administration's assessment of the civil war
in El Salvador The idea of Cuban-controlled com
munist subversion defies reasoning — but that is
something the present Administration is short on,”
he said
On Feb. 17, 1981. Secretary of State Alexander
Haig said the United States would continue to
support Salvadoran President Jose Napoleon
Duarte to achieve social justice and stability.'
Stephens recounted Since that time human rights
violations have more than doubled, he alleged
Stories by Ron Hunt
Of tha Emerald
When the Reagan administration drew the line at
El Salvador, a “mechanistic understanding" was at
work, Stephens said, adding that the concept of an
exported revolution was “patently absurd” because
each nation develops its own social change
The Organization of American States, the United
Nations human rights council, the American Civil
Liberties Union, and the El Salvador human rights
organization all disagreed with the Reagan admin
istration’s statement that human rights had recently
improved in El Salvador.
"How is that possible? They changed the defini
tion of a civilian casualty." The casualty numbers
were down, while the actual number of killings was
up, he added
"The political reality of El Salvador is truly a
burning issue," Stephens said, adding that the the
"ahistorical” methods of the State Department
ignore the deep, turbulent roots of repression in the
Central American nation
Stephens also said the U S. governments distinc
tion between guerrillas and peasants is misleading.
"Over 95 percent of the guerrillas are peasants
themselves. The guerrillas are the people.” Other
wise. he said, how would they know every nook and
cranny to set up ambushes. Do you actually think
the Cubans could come in and learn those things
overnight?"
Counsel denounces U.S. immigration policy
The U S government is returning 200 to 400
refugees to El Salvador each week. In violation of
U S law and international agreements, says Amit
Pandya general counsel to the private National
Immigration and Refugee Network
These people have a legal right to be here,
Pandya said Monday at the University law school
Although Salvadoran refugees have been labeled
illegal aliens,' the Immigration and Naturalization
Service is the biggest lawbreaker," he said
Pandya alleges that the INS is coercing Sal
vadorans to waive their rights to deportation hear
ings and depriving them of information on applying
for asylum
Many Salvadoran refugees enter the United
States without papers, but this does not make them
illegal aliens — someone who doesn't have a right
to be here ” said Pandya, director of the Washing
ton, D C . office of the National Center for Immi
grants Rights
American law clearly specifies it is acceptable
for refugees to enter the country before applying for
asylum and that a well-founded fear of persecu
tion' is the legal basis for granting asylum, he said
People just aren't going to wait for papers if
they re afraid of their heads being cut off." Pandya
said
The International Committee for Immigrant
Rights told the Inter-American Committee on Human
Rights Thursday that the United States has "violated
the right to life and personal security" of Salvador
ans who have been deported, he said
A national class action suit was filed Friday in
Federal District Court in Los Angeles which chal
lenges the apprehension and deportation” of Sal
vadoran refugees. Pandya said
Trickery" and widespread brutality" are INS
methods, he alleges
Pandya also charged the State Department with
making information available to the Salvadoran
government on those Salvadorans seeking asylum in
the United States
Pres Ronald Reagan’s proposed Omnibus
Immigration Control Act also drew fire from Pandya.
"Anyone with half a conscience" finds sections of
the bill shocking, he said
The bill would give the president power to
declare an "immigration emergency" and the sub
sequent authority to impound vessels and close
border roads, Pandya said, calling the bill a “dead
letter "
Sen Alan Simpson, R-Wyo . is expected to
introduce a similar bill Wednesday, he said
"There's some urgency on all these issues,"
Pandya said, adding that Simpson's bill might be
delivered to full committee within one month and —
"in the absence of any input" — might be approved
by the Congress.
Pandya s visit to Oregon was sponsored by the
Oregon Coalition For Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
Photo by Mark Pynos
Amil Pandya
' ‘People fust aren ‘t going to wait tor papers
it they're afraid of their heads being cut
oft."
J
City council approves cable TV package
By Julie Kurilo
Ot the Emerald
The Eugene City Council approved amendments to
the city's cable television franchise agreement in a
public hearing Monday night which commits Tele
prompter to spend $410,000 on community access
programming over the next three years
The amendments to Teleprompter's agreement
with the city are the result of a three-year review of the
cable company’s services, and follow recent one-dollar
basic rate increase to $7.95 a month.
The council approved the franchise amendments
on a 5-3 vote after hearing several opposing arguments
from various public access producers and other sup
porters, along with comments from a Teleprompter
representative
Brian Sullivan, local general manager of Tele
prompter, was alone in his testimony supporting of the
amendment, among nine opposing testimonials.
Sullivan stressed the importance of council ap
proval of the amendments "If approval is denied, the
only people who will be hurt are the subscribers — your
constituents," he told council members.
Sullivan said that Teleprompter and the Eugene
Metropolitan Television/Translator Commission
reached the package agreement in good faith and that
neither party is completely satisfied
Public access supporters claimed that service
Eugene was receiving from Teleprompter was not
comparable to that received in other communities
served by the cable company.
"The people of Eugene and Springfield got a bad
deal," said Steve Christiansen, an independent televi
sion producer in the area
Christiansen said that Eugene’s cable commission
managed to negotiate an "absolutely minimal'’ package
along with granting the rate increase, adding that
profits made in Eugene by the company may be shipped
to other areas not so profitable that were receiving more
services.
Diana Abernathey, producer of a public access
program, stated she was "appalled’’ that the cable
commission had approved the franchise agreement
without reading it due to lack of time
Calling the agreement an "outrageous package,"
community program producer Joe Weiner said it keeps
Eugene in last place for cable service to subscribers
The Lane County Board of Commissioners will
make the final decision on the package at their meeting
Wednesday.