EDITORIAL
S. Africa elections
a worldwide lesson
The right to vote in this country is a right that is often
taken for granted or even overlooked. People turn away
from the polls bec ause the lino extends beyond tho doors
or oven down the sidewalk.
In South Afric a, tho voting lines are 500-people long
and have boon that way from 7 a.m. to 7 p in. People are
carrying others who can't walk and all arc? voting
because the* well-being of their lives depends on it. For
South African blac ks, this is the firsi opportunity in their
lives to vote.
The story of South Africa reads almost like a fairy tale.
Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for 27 years, was released
and vowed to fight for tho rights of South African blacks,
and he is: fighting his way into office and fighting to end
white-minority rule. Odds are ho will become the new
president and bring tho African National Congress back
into office. Mis election will end a long stint of white
minority rule that has deprived black South Africans
from many of their rights.
At stake is a life for those who have been robbed of
many of life's simple rights: things like a house and
equal education: things like honor and equal status. The
whites of South Africa have accumulated huge houses
and wealth while B million of the estimated 30 million
blacks live in villages without sowers. Tho ANC wants to
change this.
However, the road is long and the work plentiful if
ANC is elected. Its plan to effect change in the country
has been called overzenlous and ambitious. And it most
certainly is. But it is a plan where there has been no
chance of a plan before, if half of what the ANC aims to
do is accomplished, then opportunities will exist that
have not existed before.
Putting South Africa back on track will broaden tho
wealth of the entire country With the polls still open,
stock prices on the Johannesburg stock exchange
readied a record high. Developing a strong democratic
party in South Africa will help to stabilize the rest of
Africa as well. One of the most important trading part
ners for much of Africa, South Africa's trading status
will grow as its economy grows, strengthening trade for
tho entire country.
Conquering its race relation problems to the extent
South Africa has should provide insight to many others.
Tho majority of South Africa is black. They aro fight
ing for the right to run their country; they are winning
and they should. They havo overcome racial hurdles that
an? almost impossible to comprehend when compared to
tho racial problems people of other countries experience.
They have accepted their racial problems, opted for
change and worked toward it. A lesson that should be
learned by many.
Polls dose today, but tho election results won't be
tallied for hours. There is a lesson here to bo learned
by everyone, everywhere. South Africa has tangled
with colossal problems for quite some time but perse
verance has finally paid off. The outcome of the elec
tion will, most likely, reap benefits that have been
merely a dream for black South Africa.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
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COMMENTARY
Enough! Nixon was no hero
Robbh Rkk\ls
OK, so he's finally dead.
And not u moment too
soon
Unless you've been totally
oblivious to the outside world
for the past week, you probably
know tiiat Ki< hard Nixon, for
mer f irst Crook of the United
States, died Inst week in a New
York hospital following a stroke
It’s interesting to note that
before he died. Nixon was
looked upon as the criminal thot
tie really was. Hut now that he is
stiff, everyone looks ut him like
some sort of a hero
(bless what, folks? He's a dead
ex-president and nothing more
Sure, lie did some good
things After all. he did resign.
He also helped to thaw relations
between America and China, as
well as with the Soviet Union.
Hut the guy did next to nothing
domestically
Well, that's not entirely true. 1
guess Nixon did contribute to
modern American political
scandal in a way that no other
president has before After all.
he dug himself so far into a hole
that he had to resign. Coint idem
tally, Nixon's friends are putting
him into a hole of his own this
week.
I know that a lot of people see
no harm in respot ting the man
for a week or so. during the time
it takes them to get him into the
ground And they're right, there
probably isn't
What I object to is how some
people are making Nixon out to
be some sort of a god.
Some of the TV coverage of
Nixon's death was, uh. a bit
extreme Take for example CNN
Over the weekend. CNN had no
fewer titan a halt do/on camera
crews scattered around the
nation to s«<ek out people to say
good tilings about him Some of
these interviews got pretty old
after a while, how manv times
( an the mayor of the town that
Nixon lived in say that Nixon
walked around Ins condo in the
evening?
President Clinton went so far
as to dei lore Mar '17 a national
holiday There was no mail
delivery that day , meaning that
tlie average American will
remember Richard Nixon by get
ting a one-day reprieve from
receiving his or her phone hill
It s funny that almost every
politician can sav nice tilings
about Nixon this yveek Even
Jimmy Carter, the last living
Democrat!) ex-president, had
his glowing quote about Trh k\
l)ii k on the news
It yvill be interesting to see
how politicians, especially lib
eral Democrats, handle the
death of. say . Ronald Reagan
Helcha most of them won't he as
ghnving the next time around.
Nixon did leave behind quite
a legai y His library in Southern
California is a site to behold.
CNN actually did a tour of the
library oy er the yveekend, and
one would assume by the size of
the library that Nixon either did
a lot as president or had one hell
of an ego. 1 argue the latter
Yet the story is not totally
over. Even though the man is
dead, and by the time you read
this, safely in the ground, his
Watergate tapes have still not
been released. In the interest of
full disi Insure, it would only
stem fair, as well as legally
sound, that the tapes lx; released
to the general public After all,
Nixon isn't going to care any
more.
There is a lot that can be
learned from the life of Richard
Nixon For example, it is gener
ally not good to say that you are
not a quitter and then quit. Sim
ilarly. it isn't such a hot idea to
say that you're not a crook, and,
well, you get the idea
As president, it usually isn't
recommended that you be
involved with felonious crimes
in any way during your term of
office, such as a break-in. It gen
erally doesn't look good at re
election time.
You see. without Nixon,
politicians might not know
these things Then again, maybe
Watergate gave elected officials
some ideas Who knows7
But then, there is the ultimate
lesson, one whit h Nixon didn't
quite learn. 11 you're going to
commit a crime, don't get
caught.
But for the time feting, polite s
in America seem to lx- caught on
some fanatical pro-Nixon senti
ments Fortunately, these will
subside with time
Unfortunately, the same can
not lx- said about the memories
of Richard Nixon and his presi
dency.
Robbie Reeves is a columnist
for the Emerald.
COMMENTARY
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