editorial
Reagan — seeking a
war in Nicaragua
Trying to understand official U.S. foreign policy
towards Nicaragua is like trying to figure out a jigsaw puz
zle. In the process, the American public is left wondering
just what our government is talking about when it comes to
understanding events in Central America.
In 1980, Reagan gave the go-ahead to the CIA to
organize and train a counter-revolutionary army to wage a
guerrilla war against the Nicaraguan government. When
Newsweek magazine published reports about Reagan’s
secret war against Nicaragua, the president responded by
saying that the Sandinistas were exporting weapons to
revolutionaries in El Salvador. Reagan was unable to prove
this charge and two years later he dropped it.
In 1983, the CIA was caught mining Nicaraguan ter
ritorial waters, an act of war in violation of international law
as set down by the United Nations. When Nicaragua took the
case to the World Court with the support of some of
America’s closest European allies, Reagan said that the
United States would not abide by any World Court rulings
regarding Central America.
The CIA mining of Nicaragua’s waters was followed by
a Congressional vote to cut U.S. military funding to the con
tras, whose stated aim was to overthrow the Nicaraguan
government. Since then, Reagan has consistently maintain
ed that Cuba and the Soviet Union are using Nicaragua as a
base for destabilizing other Central American countries.
This ignores the fact that Nicaragua sent 100 Cuban military
advisors back to Havana last week. It also ignores the fact
that there are no Soviet troops in Nicaragua, as compared
with more than 2,000 U.S. troops in Honduras.
What it boils down to is that Reagan wants the
Nicaraguan government overthrown by any means possible,
including U.S. military force. This became evident in
January when Reagan declared that he would only be
satisfied when the Sandinistas cry “uncle.” It also became
evident on Friday, when the United States vetoed a portion
of a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on all foreign
states to “refrain from any actions or intentions to
destabilize or undermine other states and their institutions”
in Central America. Why would the United States veto a
Security Council statement calling on outside nations to
stop activity designed to destabilize Central American coun
tries? The answer lies in Reagan’s own military ambitions in
the region.
Solidarity leads struggle
for justice inside Poland
All the ingredients were there for a festive occasion in
the name of workers’ unity. It was international workers’
day, in a workers’ state, during a workers’ celebration
parade. There was just one problem: the place was Poland
and the workers were members of the outlawed Solidarity
labor union. The result was that when Polish citizens unfurl
ed a banner reading “Long live Solidarity” during a May
Day parade, the police responded with clubs and tear gas.
The Polish government, like most military dictator
ships, has had only one response to Solidarity’s calls for
political and economic reform: increased repression. Polish
leaders, like their Soviet counterparts, must realize that
Solidarity members are not the “declared enemies of
socialism.” Rather, as Lech Walesa has said in the past,
Solidarity is in a struggle for justice in Poland, not in a strug
gle to restore western capitalism. But Polish leaders, fearing
challenges to their authority, have lost sight of what justice
means. As a result, the Polish people continue to suffer.
letters
Well worth it
If you’re like most of us,
you’re concerned about South
Africa, but you’re not ready to
go out and get yourself arrested.
You’ve got responsibilities.
Besides, the thought of going to
jail is a bit scary, even just for
one night. Okay - Here’s
something you can do. It takes
about 15 minutes and it’s well
worth it.
This week, the State House of
Representatives is considering a
bill, HB 2001, that would re
quire Oregon to divest its
holdings in financial institu
tions and corporations doing
business in or with South
Africa. Such investments sup
port, economically and morally,
a system of brutal exploitation
based on skin color. By
divesting, Oregon will join
dozens of states, cities, and
public institutions in a nation
wide effort to unbind the closest
link in this chain of injustice.
Unfortunately, HB 2001 has
been amended to exempt cor
porations following the
Sullivan Principles, a voluntary
code of “enlightened” business
practices whose application,
claim their proponents, will"
nudge South Africa toward
equality. Yet, American
businesses employ under one
percent of all South African
workers - hardly a substantial
base for reform.
Repeatedly, South Africa’s
white regime has responded to
subtle pressure with superficial
change. For the black majority,
bitter realities persist. No vote.
Oregon daily , _
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No permanent legal residence
outside tiny, barren
“homelands! ” No travel
without a government pass. Im
prisonment without trial or a
bullet in the head for those who
protest.
Don’t let the Sullivan Prin
ciples cripple divestment. Sup
port HB 2001 - unamended.
Contact your representative to
day: State Capitol Building,
Salem, Oregon 97310;
1-800-982-1211.
Matt Gushee
History
Vital facts
As a veteran of the anti-war
movement, 1 read with interest
Mike Sims’ article on the evolu
tion of protest since the Sixties.
While I agree with Mike’s main
theme that today’s protests are
less violent than some in the
past, I am concerned by a cou
ple of significant historical in
accuracies in the piece.
First, Mike states that ‘‘a lack
of organization among the ac
tivists and police” led to violent
demonstrations. Quite the op
posite was the case. To start
with, I never attended a march
during the Sixties which was
less organized than the May 1
march to the Federal Building
(march leaders didn’t even
know where the Federal
Building was). Moreover, it was
not disorganization which led
to police riots such as those in
Chicago ’68 or at Kent State.
This violence was a deliberate
part of government policy, fuel
ed by “agents provocateurs”
who infiltrated the Movement
in conjunction with the FBI’s
Counterintelligence Project
(COINTELPRO).
Second, the idea that the anti
war movement “helped prolong
the war...by hardening the
resolve of policymakers” flies
in the face of the facts.
American involvement in Viet
nam increased steadily from
1957 to 1968, when massive op
position forced a reversal of
U.S. policy.
Whitewashing of these vital
facts shows a dangerous tenden
cy toward historical revisionism
which denies the lessons of
Vietnam and invites repetition
of its tragedies.
Larry Taylor
Linguistics
They would
Mohandas Gandhi and Martin
Luther King Jr. would doubtless
welcome into their company
Costas Christ and the other
courageous protestors of apar
theid who sacrificed so much in
their recent demonstration and
the resulting arrest.
Indeed, they like those great
leaders have selflessly thrust
their noble but fragile lives into
the perilous pit of passive
resistance. Here in Eugene.
Hal Zweben
English
Quiet no more
On May 1, 90 people were ar
rested while peacefully occupy
ing the Eugene Federal
Building in opposition to South
Africa’s apartheid government.
Some people are raising ques
tions about why we chose to be
arrested. I would like to answer
the questions by posing some
other questions.
Have the inert structures of
capitalism; the glass window,
the marble wall, the desk, the
elevator, become more sanc
tified to us than the flesh and
blood of human beings? Is it not
incomprehensible that the same
country whose very beliefs are
that of freedom and the pursuit
of happiness can stand by idly
and even comply with a govern
ment’s brutal oppression of its
own people? How many ears
must we have to hear the cries
for justice? How can we veil our
eyes and turn our heads from
the spillage of innocent blood,
the shackling of a people
because of the color of their
skin? Right now in South
Africa, a black man is being
beaten! Right now in South
Africa, a black woman is being
raped! Right now in South
Africa, a black child is crying of
hunger!
The fortunate virtue that we
ourselves are not directly ex
periencing this does not exempt
us from action. By trespassing
and choosing non-violence, we
are saying that the white power
structure will not hear one gun;
it will not feel one tremor, and
the only voice it will hear is the
voice of an outraged world
demanding freedom and justice
for the people of South Africa.
Sue Dockstader
Health
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