|[ opinion
Active opposition
needed right now
There’s no doubt the Reagan administration is
preparing for continued and increased participation in El
Salvador.
Recenty the State Department released a white paper
showing Cuban training of leftist El Salvadoran guerrillas.
The document, “Background paper: Central America,”
says Nicaraguan Sandinistas (Cuban aided and therefore
Russian-backed in the State Department’s view) have
been training handfuls of guerrillas and sending them
back over the border.
While not particularly noteworthy, the paper is part of
the administration’s attempt to make the civil war into an
East-West conflict and justify escalation. The president
refuses to negotiate on even terms with the leftists.
The white paper was released the same day Pres.
Reagan replaced Thomas Enders, assistant secretary of
state for Inter-American Affairs, with Langhorne Motley,
the ambassador to Brazil. Motley came to the position
vowing to raise more money and support in Congress.
Enders, who supports Reagan’s policy in El Salvador,
apparently disagreed with the need to issue the white
paper. Senior White House officials criticize Enders as
"conciliatory.” The current ambassador to El Salvador,
Deane Hinton, also will be removed.
Neither is sympathetic toward the lefist cause in El
Salvador. In fact, Hinton was a Reagan appointee.
However, both men after experiencing Salvadoran
politics, say the regime impedes possible negotiations
with the rebels.
Gen. Alvaro Managa’s regime is the result of a
U.S.-forced election last year. The Senate already ap
propriated half of Reagan’s $60 million emergency war
pav/r\ayc.
Yesterday Reagan announced his plan to send 20-25
medical advisers. Reagan has placed 55 military advisers
in El Salvador. This year 2,400 El Salvadoran soldiers will
be trained in Honduras by the U.S. military, and this sum
mer 525 Salvadoran officers are training in Fort Ben
nington, GA.
Last week the first American soldier. Lt. Cmdr. Albert
Schaufelberger III, died in El Salvador. The guerrillas warn
of more deaths. For some reason the guerrillas view the
U.S. military advisers in the same light as the government
they are fighting to overthrow.
It could be that Motley and the new ambassador to El
Salvador, will, like Enders and Hinton, start questioning
the president’s position. After investigating both sides of
the conflict, they may suggest negotiations.
However, they were chosen for a specific reason: un
questioning obedience to the president.
It could also be that special envoy Richard Stone will
succeed with his Central American peace mission.
However, his chances are extremely limited with a send
off by the secretary of state asking him to "put forward a
strong shield” against the Soviet, Cuban, Nicaraguan
axis” in order to “move toward” negotiations.
With diplomats believing this war is an East-West
conflict, military advisers training larger forces, and
possibly a medical team leaving for El Salvador, the presi
dent is reducing chances for negotiations and leading us
towards a war.
Congress is not likely to stop the president. It already
has appropriated $30 million for El Salvador. If the opposi
tion is only as strong as the University audiences who
show up at Salvadoran campus films and speeches, the
president knows he can hold on to the same course In El
Salvador.
And he will continue his course, until the American
people and press raise some active opposition.
L
Commencement
As a member of the
graduating class of 1983,1 feel
the quality of our commence
ment could be greatly improv
ed. For many of us, graduating
from college is a memorable
occasion which I feel the
graduation ceremony should
represent. I think the simplici
ty and informality of the an
nouncements is really an em
barrassment to an institution
of higher education. My high
school announcements had
more class and honor than
these.
The ceremony also lacks the
honor bachelor degree can
didates deserve. We will all sit
for two or more hours only to
stand up anonymously and
receive an empty diploma
holder. I understand the time
involved to recite each in
dividual by name, but
somehow I feel after
dedicating four or more years
here at the University, we all
deserve recognition for our
accomplishments.
I would also like to know
why a U.S. representative from
Illinois is our speaker? So
what if he went to the Unlversl
ty years ago, someone
reputable from Oregon would
have been an improvement. I
think the University is lacking
in Its responsibility in honor
ing graduates with bachelor
degrees. I would like to see
graduating classes having the
option of choosng the type of
announcement they prefer for
their class and a chance for
students to request a speaker
to honor their class. Some
Universities hold their
ceremonies for two days to
honor all graduates individual
ly, this is another way the com
mencement could be
improved.
If the University would like
to have more faithful alumni,
they should concentrate on
honoring us while we are still a
part of the University. They ex
pect graduating students to
contribute $15 to the “Library
Project ’83” over the next
three years and I ask myself
"Why should I?”
Karan Beaman
senior, psychology
One-sided
Enough is enough. Leslie
Scales' May 31 letter on
American involvement in El
Salvador is a perfect example
of one-sided, extremist views
all too often expressed by the
University community. It is for
exactly these reasons that our
government as well as the
general population disregard
these opinions.
Take for instance Scales'
assertion that "The ‘com
munist guerrilla' who killed
the U S. adviser is crying out
for human rights in the only
way he can.”
Crying out? Be serious
Leslie! Could it be said that
the bombing of the U S. Em
bassy in Beruit was also a cry
for help? Can any form of ter
rorism be acceptable?
Scales also mentions
atrocities on the part of the
Salvadoran government.
These are well documented
and cannot be condoned. But
what of those of the guer
rillas? Though less well
known, they have happened.
Are these any less important
than those committed by the
government?
Then Scales makes the
claim that being a University
community, we should be
more thoughtful than most,
and correctly so. But being
thoughtful means examining
both sides of an issue, and not
just regurgitating tired popular
slogans.
Protest if you wish Scales,
but realize that no situation
such as this is easily describ
ed in black or white.
Scott Haynes
political science
Microbes
The results of the sexual
revolution are in folks. AIDS
disease is doing in homosex
uals faster than Fidel Castro,
herpes is taking its toll on
white upper-middle class,
college-educated types, and
gonorrhea and syphilis are still
with us and going strong.
I’m not surprised that those,
and other neat little diseases,
are at epidemic levels. What
else can you expect when so
many people have fewer sex
ual morals than the canine
species?
Darn it. Biology always
seems to spoil a good thing,
doesn’t it? Just when your
sex-ed instructor informed you
of how to avoid pregnancy and
your sociology professor told
you how oppressive the old
morality and family system
was (Engles said so, you
know) here comes a whole
bunch of nasty microbes ready
to stay with you for life,
regardless of whether their
original host is willing to make
any commitments or not.
All things considered, I
guess there’s something to be
said of old-fashioned morality
after all. Sorry to spoil your
fun, folks.
Michael Cross
senior, political science
Oregon doily
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