I
Reagan's stances
revealing, scary
Pres. Reagan may consider himself a great
negotiator and compromiser, but more and more his “tac
tics” turn out to be poor administration.
For instance, consider his tactic of placing loyal ap
pointees who share his views in positions of government
leadership. Over the last few months, Reagan has had to
replace his appointees in the Department of Transporta
tion and the Environmental Protection Agency, among
others, with officials from previous administrations.
These officials either refused to undermine the agen
cy they were working for or, as in the case of former EPA
Director Anne Burford, were discovered in the act of
following orders.
opinion
Keagan gives up service to affirmative action and
reduction talks. But he then proceeds to choose someone
of the caliber of Kenneth Adelman for the Arms Control
and Disarmament Agency (ACDA), despite Congressional
opinion that the man is not prepared for the job or com
mitted to arms control.
Reagan, swept into office on an anti-government
stance, is finding out that government agency leaders
who do not believe in the mission of their various agen
cies do not work. Enter Ruckelshaus, Dole, et a!.
On the international scene, Reagan’s ‘‘negotiating"
has placed the country in a war of rhetoric with the Soviet
Union.
Reagan’s newest "defense” plan suggests the build
up of anti-ballistic missiles to protect the homefront.
Who’s preparing for war? Who overlooks treaties?
The United States signed an agreement with the
Soviet Union in 1972 limiting anti-ballistic missiles to two
per country — one to protect existing missiles and one to
guard the Capitol. This agreement was signed after $6
billion was spent on research of various ABM systems
from 1956 to 1972.
The national climate is ripe for arms reduction talks
— only 14 percent of the American public believe the
United States is behind in arms negotations and 60 per
cent believe the country is stronger in defense than the
Soviet Union, according to a recent Harris Poll. Numerous
states voted for a nuclear freeze initiative in the mid-term
election.
Yet, Reagan releases what cannot be termed
anything less than defense department propaganda show
ing fuzzy pictures of Soviet build-up and scary talk of our
military weakness. He does this despite the present U S.
arms build-up to the tune of S1.7 trillion by I985.
Reagan also bombed on his handling of the dense
pack MX missiles. After weeks of plugging dense pack
ing, Reagan is going to have to bow to expert advice to put
the MX missile in existing silos and to develop smaller
mobile missiles with single warheads.
.n a classic Reagan compromise, the president
supposedly is prepared to announce an alternative to the
zero-option of intermediate range nuclear weapons in
Europe this Thursday, This comes after many possible
negotiations with the Soviet government have been by
passed.
Reagan is asking for some $120 million for military
aid to El Salvador. The money further commits the United
States to support of a government known to be a sup
pressive militaristic regime.
Reagan’s compromising is nothing more than taking
an extremist's stance with the foreknowledge that it will
be diluted to a stance he can accept.
To put it mildly, the Reagan method is risky when us
ed to negotiate European-based missiles, nuclear disar
mament and aid to warring countries. His hard-line turns
out to be brinkmanship.
His absurd comments on the Soviet backing of the
freeze and studies such as the defense department's
strategically timed released report on Soviet “build-up"
try, or at least should try, the intelligence of the
electorate.
Much is being forgiven of Reagan’s folly because in
flation is going down and some economic indicators are
showing signs of a recovery. The long-term results of his
mismanagement and defense build up, however, cannot
be overlooked.
As Sen. Mark Hatfield said in an address Saturday
regarding the arms race, “It means a depleted amount of
resources that will be required to build such armaments
It will mean increased poverty in this country. It will mean
more unemployment in this country, and It will mean
higher inflation In this country. And this course should
not be taken lightly by any of us."
Nor should the rest of his policies.
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Build-up
I letters
Addendum
In the March 14 Emerald I
published a letter pointing out
the unfair and discriminatory
character of the federal
government’s new rule that
students not registered for the
draft would be ineligible for
scholarship or other student
financial assistance.
In addition to drawing atten
tion to the grossly unfair and
sexist character of this dic
tum, which targets only a
small special minority of male
students, I should also have
pointed out that within this
group of unregistered
students, in typical Reagan
fashion, the new rule hurts on
ly the poor, who need some
assistance in order to attend
college, and does not touch
those with sufficient means to
come, anyway.
In any case. I believe that for
the federal government to
deny the opportunity to get an
education to selected groups
of young people who happen
to disagree with some of a cur
rent administration’s policies,
is self-defeating and damag
ing to the country in the long
run.
Bayard McConneughey
professor, biofogy
Haughty
The recant letter entitled
“fashion’’is so contradictory
and haughty I feel forced to
respond. The author criticized
the conservatism of Oregon
dress, he then reprimanded an
individual for “flaunting a
mohawk " The author stated
an employer would “hesitate"
before hiring such a person.
Yes, I agree, this individual
would not be the ideal
stockbroker just as your Wall
Street businessman would not
be the ideal act to hire for
WOW Hall or BJ Kelley’s.
I consider fashion a matter
of comfort and mood and
although I occassionally put
on a pair of slacks for a night
at the Hult Center or a dinner
date, I can not wait to get
home and slip into those gray
sweats you find so detestable.
I live for my Levi 501’s and cut
off T-shirts. I resent the clone
implication, I mean how many
people on campus wear black
leather coats and Iron Maiden
T-shirts? I don’t own an um
brella, either.
I have lived on the other side
of the fence; I worked in the
nine-to-five suit-and-tie world
for two years. Perhaps after
such personal experience you,
too, will realize how nice it is
to be able to wear loose shirt3,
sneakers, and 501 s.
The comments on dresses
were appreciated, but how
would you like to walk to an
8:30 a.rr. class winter term in a
dress?
lighten up, fella, the clones
are on Wall Street, not on
campus
Tim McClosky
journalism
Oppressive
A student at this university
has been misrepresented by
quotation out of context in a
Soviet newspaper.
Rather than going out on
the streets and demon
strating rather than hurl
ing intimate insult or in
cendiary device in expression
of frustration at a non
responsive government, Eric
Stillwell did what every
legislator and teacher ever
told him to do: Write your
Congressman.
Unfortunately, for this con
servative young man, his
remarks were made to appear
sympathetic to the govern
ment policies of the Soviet
Union, our great rival in con
test of the idiocy we call the
nculear warms race. Now Eric
has to be afraid that he will be
listed with the CIA. Maybe he
thinks that our government
will soon indict him for
consipiracy.
Here in the United States we
are allowed by Constitutional
right to vocalize our opinons
no matter what these are,
without fear of reprisal or cen
sure by government agency.
The face that we have a right
wing president and a reac
tiona-v body politic does not
change the meaning of the
First Amendment. It's too bad
Eric’s remarks were misinter
preted by Pravda (a known pro
pagandist newspaper).
What’s worse is that the in
sidious oppressive instincts
of our government, particular
ly the present administration,
has produced a climate of fear
which threatens to limit ex
pression to accepted versions
of the truth (i.e. those which
favor the military/industrial
capitalist).
Craig Thomas
senior, biology
emerald
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