__Editorial
De Klerk's reforms
are positive signs
On Friday. 28 million South African blacks got a
glimpse of something they've been waiting for a long
time: a chance at freedom.
South African President F.YV. de Klerk’s historic
announcement to legalize the African National Con
gress and other anti-apartheid groups unleashed a
stream of praise throughout the world. Desmond Tutu
called it "incredible,” George Bush labeled it "posi
live,” and organizations such as the European Eco
nomic Community cautiously approved the speech
However, before de Klerk is elevated to the; level ot
Great Liberal Thinker, as some groups appear willing
to do, some things have to la; sorted out De Klerk has
promised to free Nelson Mandela, but as yet, that
hasn’t happened. When it does, de Klerk's proposals
will take substance, hut until then, they're just talk
Although it wasn't an across-the-board plan to
change the entire South African way of lite. de Klerk's
speech was the first bit of good news to come out of the
country in years The South African cabinet wants to
give blacks equal voting rights. Such a plan just one
vear ago would have been unthinkable to the South Af
rican government, and unexpected to the rest ot the
world.
Hut then again, if Eastern Europe can fall in a wave*
of tloinoc racy. maybe* it's South Afric a’s turn.
Perhaps the* best way to gauge the importanc e of <le
Klerk’s reforms is not to look at the reaction it has pro
duced in anti-apartheid groups, but the anger shown
by the right-wing parlies in South Africa On Monday,
the leader ot the South African Conservative l’artc
urged his members to light the "revolutionarv. left
wing’’ proposals, and added that whiles are not ready
to live under a black majority rule
Though opposition to tin* reforms has been small
(the (ionservative parly controls about 11 pen ent of the
white vote*, about ;t percent of tin* total population), it
should warn dc Klerk that his proposals c mild produi e
problems in his own country. However, he should ig
nore these and push forward as much as he can
President Hush has announced he will consider
lifting some sanctions on the; South African govern
ment. Suc h a plan is not a good idea at this time.
Though de Klerk has promised to give blacks the vote,
lie* has not even addressed yet or attempted to correct
the problems of segregation and educational discrepan
cies. Until he; does that, he; deserves support, but not
concrete bribes from the United State's Bush should
deal with de; Klerk quid pro quo: more reforms, fewer
sanctions.
“REAGAN’S DIAEY
s ’-a ‘'
• f*r u»v* <l
Ji/^r
.Letters__
Analyzed
Attn ic-.nimu ( umnientai it's
11\ ASl ( ) President Andv ('I.irk
in tin' i'mer.ilil .mil the ()rei;nn
( liniment.itni mm eriunn till’
proposed iiiiiiiitiitiir\ lii'.ilth in
siirmii i‘ polii \ it is i In.n tli.it
( lark inis not rigorousls ana
l\ /mi llin polii \ his Student
I lealth Insurant r ( aimmittee
appi iintffN has e proposed
( lark i hums that In iin mas
niK the niimhn ul parlii ipants
the i list ut thf polii \ i mild hf
lowmml iiiiilfi $300 lint even
at that pi ii e thf i urrmit plan
would mmaiii ^rossli inailn
ipiati' Sludfnts mi a tii;ht
luiil^ft i aniiot ittnul a S-'nit dn
dm tilde Also, the $l!tl (Mill
i filing makfN the poliil inaile
ipiatr tul i atastrophii health
i am t 'aiiin or extended hospi
tali/atiou would eat up SJO.lHJO
in mi tune
\llhimi>h students mi tm.in
i ial aid have a health t are allut
limit ut S (All a S IIMI pul ii \
u mild make the prospei t ul
denial and eve i are ufi.dtord
ahle An la. peri nil nl I 'uiversi
Is students rei five some (man
i ial aid in era 11 attention to
these Iwo areas would drop sin
min antis il the proposal Were
iniplomuiitud
\\ hull \ Hill ( '1,11 k mill Si 1)11
U \i kull ran in lilt1 I'lH'l slu
ilenl eloi turns thui uiprossed ,1
goal ill involving tin- flitin* stu
iifiit hodi m tin* voting pm
i i'ss ('lurk uml \\ vt kotf liu\f
ujipurt'iil!\ lurgottun tlivii goal
ut u 11nif ulu'ii stuili'iit involvi'
inimt i mild not hi' inorr impor
taut
riu- pii'still*nt uml tin* v ii i'
president along with tlu'ii
SI lit uppuintu's i iiiitiiiui' to
support an mi'tti'i ti\i- and
grossli untaii proposal that
i oulil pntentialli double stu
ili'iit Ii'i's without lulling for a
ri'ti'ri'inlnm
Dai ul Knight
Mathi'inatii s
Debate
Anti life radii als such as
K i islcn Hraiiilt |( >1 >1 I oh , i
halo omo again domonstrutod
win tho ahortiun "debate’ is
"evtreuielv emotional" arid
novel rational I ho issue ot
ahortion is rareli dohatod hi
those soil i I a ssr I it'd pn i
chon ois Instead. tltol must
w hiue that pro lilo i Inldieii
urn- prrsrut .mil prntrstiug the
.mil hlr n.illiriin^ in \ovrm
I u ■ r
In i ,isr vmi ui'if umnlrrmi;
Hr,null i hihlrrn happen In Ur
tllr issue ill tills i nlillll I I’m
Iilrrs »i'ii' mil till' uiih uni's
ginllv ut tins i ruin', anti liters
hruunht m Ihr pin su .ilk .mil
lllflll.il k illsiililrtl Ini llim
i .him* ,il thr s.mir talk Ironi
i.ilk I Ilf st' s.imr peuple .nr
sniin* nl thrsr killed In thr *17
prn 1'iit nt uliortioiis prrlurtiii'il
tnii mu i'lli«*in i’ mill
l.rt us ilrli.itr thr real issur
1 hr mrilii.il huts prnvi' th.it
.ihurtinn trimm,itrs an inilr
priulrill Imm.ill hlr Ahurtinn
is muiilri \i it tin murder of a
spottril owl hut ul a vinillk
i hlltl a \ ihiiui I llilil that dr
srrvrs to live as mill it as lull nl
I
Kevin Mini
Histuri
Die-hard
I takr r\i option to thr Irttoi
written In Mark llarthn IOPI
I rh M i uni rrnillK 4‘ter pus
rrs Hnsidits tin uh|rtluin to
thr strong rpithot at thr end
(stu ki I do not apprri lair that
hr has taken sm h a superior at
tltliile and feels he has a right
to indite who rna\ or mm not
root (or a partn ular team
I root tor tin' 4'lers tree arise
the\ an' near in proximity {I
also root tin ttie Seahawks),
and it is tnn to wall ti the prn i
xion and talent sy ith yy Ini h the\
pi.is e\ers Rattle
I hei ame a die hard I'ler fan
last season upon their bei mu
mi; W i it Id (humps lot the third
time Kememliei Joe and i mu
pans .ue there on the playing
tie Id loi eseryone's enjoyment
Mil hurl I Indies
Soi mingy
Chill out
\\ osv! 1 nes et though ills art I
tie on Don Majkossski (1)1)1
|an Jti| ssould i ause sue h a
stu I guess (wing a life-long
resident ol Madison. \\ is has
lelt me unasyare ol the magni
tude ot lose people in the "out
side world" have for Joe Mon
tana
\\ hen I ss rote the letter, I
kness ms admittedly biased
opinion would he ,n i epled by
tew 1 hi I host* who didn I
agree I was m hopes ih.it thm
would hud some humor in nn
incredibly unpopular argil
iiii-nt As it turns out though,
it seems some were ai tuallv ol
tended In m\ letter, enough so
to respond to it
I lie tai t is those w ho did
write in made the mistake that I
was i homing Majkowski is the
greatest ipiarterhai k ever. W ell,
get some glasses guvs! W hat I
was i homing was this Mon
tana is not the greatest ipiartei
back ever, and Majkowski was
arguahh the lies! in I'lti'l
As tin Montana's lifetime sta
tistii s they have no hearing on
who was hotter m ItIH1) As fm
his statistics in lttHtt. "quarter
hai k rating" isn't evervthing
And as lor Ins post season per
formani e, well, there's a good
reason win I’ro Howl voting
doesn't take this into consider
•ition |Ma|kowski made it m
I A erett didn’t |
Montana's great, but great
and best aren't svnonvms Who
is the best/ Lighten up guvs; it
doesn't matter that mm Ii
.Mil haul Simon
Finance
Pentagon stockpile disgusting
List l-ridav ,i Senate Budget (’ommittce
repiul was sent In l S Defense Sim retar\
|)n k (!hane\ l lii' report stall'd tin- Pentagon
has at t umulated a stockpile ol morr Ilian
Sin billion worth u( i*«|uipinuut imifnnns
and s11.111■ ports tin- Pentagon din's not need
ami !11.i\ ne\ ei lie able to use
l lns slot kpile has been building up lor
dei tides and grew to even greater propoi
turns during the Reagan Administration's
whirlwind ol e\iesst\e mililaix spending
Not sinpiisingK the Pentagon has orders
tot more e\i ess supplies, to the tune ol SI M
billion
The stud\ .ind resulting report .ire part
ol the Demoir.itii majoritv’s eftorts to pin
11.i\ the Hush Administration's unwilling
ness to redin e the mditaix budget Rxi.exs
spending is <i well known Pentagon ti.ut <nid
mam in Washington want to see it stop
It is disgusting to see sin It a waste ol
monel Ameriians titisl the government to
use olli federal tax dollars wiseh and pro
dm tiveK It is hard to justify $ to billion
worth of span? parts, uniforms and equip
ment sitting in warehouses foi vears and
years as a produi live use of our money
\nd this is just one example of e\i essive
military spending
Novy is the time for some healthy < uts in
the military budge! In his speech to the
Senate Budget (ommitlee Monday , (ilieney
defended niiOntainillg a strong strategu de
tense budget, because it "preseryes the ele
ments of wh.it v\ e flunk is essential in terms
of protec Img the nation's sec only
There arc- many uays to ensure the safe
ty of our nation Maintaining the military
may he one of them, hut being able to c 0111
pete in the international trade market is just
as important to maintaining national safety.
It is past time for the goyernment to lake
.1 good look at the global situation and real
i/e that v\ e need to re-direc I some of the mil
itary budget into education and economic
growth, bec ause- e< iiiiimui power and pro
ductivity are quickly becoming the- tools of
the 20th 1 entury