editorial
Setting the stage for
a war in Nicaragua
It is history in the making. Once again the United States
is preparing for war and once again the target is Nicaragua.
President Ronald Reagan, in his own words, is now ready to
make the Sandinista government “say uncle.”
Reagan is obsessed with the idea of overthrowing the
government of Nicaragua. In recent months, his anti
Sandinista rhetoric has reached record levels. In a propagan
da campaign aimed at winning public support for his
military policy in Central America, Reagan has called the
Sandinistas* “drug pushers,” “terrorists,” “barbarians,”
“enemies of democracy,” and “totalitarian thugs.” On
Saturday, he took it a step further by declaring that
followers of Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Libyan
President Moammar Khadafy “are in Nicaragua — about two
hours by air from the United States border.”
This attempt to stir up fear and panic in the American
people comes at a time when 10,000 U.S. troops are engaged
in military exercises along the Honduran-Nicaraguan
border. The “Big Pine III” war games, as they are called,
duplicate in practice how the United States would fight a
war against Nicaragua.
Reagan’s red-scare tactics are also timed for the Tuesday
Congressional vote on whether or not to continue funding
the contras in their war to overthrow the Sandinistas. The
contras, led by ex-leaders of the dreaded National Guard of
Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle, have been
cited by Amnesty International and Americas Watch for
repeated human rights violations, including rape and tor
ture. But in Reagan’s words, they are “freedom fighters”
and the “moral equivalent of our Founding Fathers.”
Even if Congress rejects Reagan’s request for $14
million in aid to the contras, the war against Nicaragua will
go on. According to the New York Times, Reagan was
quoted as saying, “We are not going to quit and walk away
from them (the contras) no matter what happens.” This
statement shows Reagan’s willingness to continue suppor
ting, the war against Nicaragua, regardless of whether Con
gress or the American public approve or not. It is a policy
that goes against the very foundation of constitutional pro
cess and democracy in the United States.
Reagan’s goal in Central America has been made easier
by the fact that the Boland amendment, passed unanimously
by Congress in 1983, has now expired. The amendment said
that no United States money could be spent to overthrow the
government of Nicaragua. It is now legal for Reagan to use
U.S. taxpayers’ money to support his anti-Sandinista cause.
As if that isn’t enough, the Defense Department has been
lobbying Congress for a return to a military draft. American
troop numbers in.Central America have increased, as have
the number of U.S. military advisors and military equip
ment. In short, the stage is being set for an all-out war
against Nicaragua. That this is evident can be seen in recent
statements by President Reagan and Secretary of State
George Shultz. Both have made it clear that sending U.S.
troops into battle against Nicaragua can no longer be ruled
out.
Americans should realize that any direct attempt by the
United States to overthrow the Nicaraguan govenment will
only increase the chance of a regional war south of the
border. It will also reinforce the belief that when it comes to
United States interests, our government is capable of
violating international law and carrying out a ruthless
foreign policy rivaled only by the Soviet Union in
Afghanistan.
letters
Natural act
Tim Smith (ODE, April 15),
through interesting leaps in
logic, has implied that I want to
accept all acts of animals as per
missible behavior in society. I
for one cannot imagine many
humans capable of devouring
their mates after copulation, as
our spider friends sometimes
do. Assuming that one could,
this would be cannibalism and
murder in our society.
Cannibalism and murder do
occur in other species as well as
ours. However, as humans we
have formed laws to protect
each person’s right to a certain
amount of freedom. This means
we value the right of an indiv
dual to copulate without fear of
being eaten and to live without
fear of being murdered. These
acts have their place in nature,
but in human society disrupt
our ordered lives.
Breathing, pairing with a
mate, and eating (in most cases)
are acceptable acts of nature.
This is so because these acts do
not infringe upon anyone’s
right to freedom. Therefore, no
need to protect society arises.
No need for laws exist.
Homosexuality, a form of
pairing, infringes upon no
societal right to freedom. It is
natural (go to a library, Mr.
Smith, and read any decent
biology text. Lorenz’s “King
Solomon’s Ring” will offer a
start).
Jesus did not speak a word
against homosexuality (Pearls
and Sine, perhaps). His em
phasis was love, not the fear
and hate of another people’s
way of life. Judge not, Mr.
Oregon doily
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Smith. Cast not first stones, Mr.
Smith. Love your neighbor. P.S.
Lot, you will recall, slept with
his daughters.
Scott Elliott
Law
And so it is
The Emerald recently ran an
editorial titled, “It’s important
for people to learn about
homosexuality.” I agree, let’s
start with the New England
Medical Journal.
Dr. Donna Mildian wrote in
1977 an article titled “Venereal
Transmission of Enteric
Pathogens in Homosexuals.” In
it she warned, “Our study pro
vides further evidence that
homosexual sex contributes to
the high risk of certain in
testinal infections of homosex
uals. It is probable that rectal in
fections with N. Gonorrhoeae,
Chi. Trachomotis, Herpes
Simplex Virus, Hepatitis A,
Hepatitis B, and human
tapillomavirus are usually
aquired by rectal sex.”
In another instance, Dr.
Michael J. Schmerin, who runs
a clinic in San Francisco, said
that in 1978 one percent of the
homosexuals entering his office
had HTLV-3 virus (which is
AIDS). In 1985, that number is
65 percent.
Robert Schwab, president of
Texas Human Rights Founda
tion, himself dying of AIDS
said, as reported by the Dallas
Gay News, May 20, 1983,
“...there has come the idea
that if research money is not
forthcoming at a certain level by
a certain date, that all gay males
should give blood. . . whatever
action is required to get national
attention is valid. If that in
cludes blood terrorism, so be
it.” And so it is.
Dan Goulet
Eugene
Oh the irony
I wish I could laugh at the
irony of the Oregon Commen
tator receiving $6,800 of our
student fees.
Imagine that smug, self
righteous mouthpiece of ultra
rightist propaganda dipping its
genteel hands into the muck of
the “public trough.” The
shame of it all.
Why, student fees help fund
all those “liberal” groups the
Commentator so frenziedly
denounces.
And you’d think that al! the
money it already receives from
off-campus ‘‘private sources”
would’ve been sufficient to
keep its fingers out of our
pockets.
But no. It seems even the
most holier-than-thou "conser
vatives” become crass oppor
tunists when it comes to public
funding.
More ironic than the Com
mentator wanting student fees
is its relative ease in getting
them.
In last year's general elec
tions. students voted down fun
ding for the Commentator by
over 2 to 1; nevertheless, this
year’s IFC, a committee of
seven, overturned that decision
made by the student body of
15,000, and gave the Commen
tator $6,800 of our money.
How could this have happen
ed? It happens when the
democratic process gets skew
ed, the people get screwed!
This was a brilliant maneuver
by the Commentator, snatching
bureaucratic victory out of
democratic defeat.
At best, the Commentator’s
extra funding will only mean
more grist for the recycling
mill. At worst, the level of
debate on campus will sink to
the Commentator's level, and
discussion of issues will
deteriorate to personal attacks.
Either way, we’re all going to
pay.
Tim Ingalsbee
Eugene
Appalled
If he was quoted accurately, 1
am appalled at John Wilson’s
arrogance and disregard for the
students of the University of
Oregon and their newspaper,
the Oregon Daily Emerald. He
has no right to throw copies of
the Emerald in the trash, nor to
insert his own unpaid fliers.
Would he submit to the same
logic that, because he
sometimes leaves his cart unat
tended at the corner of Thir
teenth and Kincaid, it is
“public property” and students
could thereby destroy it or put it
to their own use if they pleased?
The University community
should boycott Mr. Wilson’s
business until he apologizes for
his actions and pays the
Emerald for the unauthorized
flier.
Mike Thurman
Law