editorial
Invading Lebanon —
Israel*s big mistake
In June 1982, calling it a mission for “Peace in Galilee,”
the Israeli army crossed into southern Lebanon. The pur
pose, according to Israeli military authoriites, was to clear
the border region of Palestinian guerrillas, who had used the
area for bombing raids on Israeli border towns. Israel never
stopped at the 12 mile point which it had publicly stated
was its limit in crossing into Lebanon. Instead, Israeli troops
marched into Beirut, and in the ensuing violence and
military chaos that followed, thousands of civilians were
killed and tens of thousands were made homeless.
Three years later, Israeli troops are still in Lebanon. Far
from bringing peace to the region, Israel’s military adven
ture has proved to be one of the biggest mistakes that coun
try has made. It has tarnished Israel’s reputation in the inter
national community, demoralized soldiers within the Israeli
army, and led to political divisions and social turmoil at
home. More than anything else, it shows that military force
will never rid Israel of the Palestinian issue. That will only
come about through a negotiated settlement for a Palestinian
homeland.
Israel must withdraw completely from Lebanon and do
it fast. The longer Israeli troops remain, the longer they will
be the target of violent attacks by various anti-Israel militias.
In the words of Abba Eban, “Hostility arose as a result of the
prolongation of our military presence (in Lebanon).”
The suicide car bombing on Sunday that left 12 Israeli
soldiers dead and 14 wounded, followed by Israel’s
retaliatory attack on the village of Zrariyah, killing 34 peo
ple, demonstrates the endless cycles of violence that con
tinue to operate in Lebanon. Israel’s attempt at an “Iron
Fist” crackdown, including dusk-to-dawn curfews and
military raids on towns still under Israeli control, is a big
mistake. It will only serve to escalate the violence and has
already led to a condemnation within the U.N. Security
Council, a condemnation unfortunately vetoed by the
United States.
The Israeli Peace Now movement was right when, in
1982, they declared the Israeli invasion of Lebanon to be a
military blunder and demanded an immediate troop
withdrawal. Ignoring that advice has led Israel down a path
of military chaos which has brought suffering upon both the
Lebanese and Israeli people. There is no more time to waste.
Israel should get out of Lebanon now.
Forcing U.S. objectives
on New Zealand is wrong
It seems that the Administration of President Ronald
Reagan has chosen to make New Zealand an example of
what happpens when a previously strong ally refuses to par
ticipate in U.S. nuclear weapons strategy. The unfortunate
result is a growing animosity between the peoples of these
two countries.
At the heart of the issue lies New Zealand’s desire to re
main free of U.S. nuclear weapons. They don’t want the
weapons on their soil or in their territorial waters. Fearing
that New Zealand could set an example for other U.S. allies
to follow, the Reagan administration has hit back hard. Joint
military exercises with New Zealand have been cancelled.
Trade sanctions have been threatened, and defense
agreements such as intelligence sharing have been ter
minated. All of this is to try and force New Zealand to allow
U.S. ships carrying nuclear weapons to enter that country’s
waters. In so doing, the United States is showing that it cares
not for the democratic wishes of another country, but only
for its own military objectives.
letters
No evaluations
The publication of teacher
evaluations has been proposed
by the Student University Af
fairs Board (SUAB) “to aid
students in selecting classes.”
(Feb. 18) As a student, I am
against the SUAB proposal,
because even if the evaluation
booklet may aid students in a
few minor ways, its actual
benefits would be minimal.
One favorable result of the
evaluation booklet would be
that students get an opportuni
ty, although minute, to let other
students know how teachers
teach. That is, however, not
good enough to compensate for
its cost, because the major part
of the cost includes the uncom
fortableness of faculty members
with the unfair judgment by
students. Student opinion alone
is not a good judge.
It is also doubtful that many
University students will use the
booklet as a tool in finding
teachers who will benefit them
most. The number of those
students wouldn’t be so much
as SUAB expects. At the
University of Washington, for
example, it is said that approx
imately 10 students used the
evaluation booklet each quarter,
so that its publishing was, at
last, halted.
I dare to assume further that,
with that booklet, most students
would be looking for a so-called
easy teacher to get a good grade
rather than an academically
prominent one. Then, which
teacher would be more
beneficial for students in terms
of education? College educa
tion, which should have been
called an ivory tower, seems to
be like a stock market just for a
grade in the Eugene area.
Jan Jin
Political Science
Serious issue
The February 27 speech by
the young Nicaraguan in self
exile and its ensuing coverage
by the Emerald would be amus
ing for its naivite were it not for
the serious implications such
propaganda poses for those in
search of peace, in Nicaragua.
Serious criticism of the elected
Nicaraguan government is cer
tainly warranted, as is serious
criticism of any government
forced to militarize its society.
But rationalizations and misin
formation such as those put
forth by Mr. Montalvan pale in
the face of his statement that,
“Although Somoza was a dic
tator, his government usually
did not interfere with the peo
ple’s lives as long as they stayed
out of politics.”
How can we take seriously a
young man who implies that
Somoza’s Nicaragua was
tolerable for the Nicaraguans so
long as they quietly accepted
the hunger and unemployment
of their backward republic? The
truth of the matter is that the
ing break). In Eugene, the
following items will be on the
ballot:
1) Funding request: Eugene
Library.
2) Funding request: Lane
Community College.
3) Openings: school and
special district boards.
4) Street-widening project for
6th and 7th Streets.
Typically, 3.to 15 percent of
the voters in central Eugene—.1
percent on campus —. vote in.,
speciai elections, as opposed to- . ■
30 to 35 percent of the rest of the ■
city. This leaves the community ®
with the impression that per
sons in this area are apathetic
and thus not worth consulting
about local affairs.
Lane County voters wishing
to vote who will be out of town
should apply for an absentee,
ballot. Send a letter to the Elec
tions Division, 135. E. 6th St., .
Eugene, OR 97401. containing:
1) Absentee ballot request in
writing signed by the applicant
(full legal signature).
2) Brief statement: why you
cannot vote in person.
3) Residence address and ad
dress where ballot is to be
delivered.
It is important for central
Eugene residents to vote in
special elections to ensure that
local officials take an interest in
this area, If you ignore these
elections, the local covernment
Oregon daily _
emerald
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very reason the Nicaraguan peo
ple began to challenge the
status quo of repression which
kept their families imprisoned
in poverty is that the conditions
in Nicaragua were intolerable
under Somoza’s rule.
Peace in Nicaragua will not
be achieved through uninform
ed rhetoric but through our con
scious decision that people
have the right to determine for
themselves how best to live in
dignity.
Guy Burton
Kevin Perry
Eugene
Please vote
A special election is schedul
ed for March 26 (Tuesday of spr
will feel justified in ignoring
you.
leffrey Osanka
PPPM
Bigotry
I was shocked to see the
graphic depiction of religious
bigotry in the EMU display case
this week. If the Maranatha
Christian Ministry wants to
display their intolerance of
other religions, one would hope
that they would be somewhat
discreet about it. 1 mean, like,
there are childen who walk
through the EMU. What if a six
year-old girl were to look at that
disgusting display?
Jack Straton
Physics