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EDITOR IN CHIEF
Sarah Kickler
EDITORIAL EDITOR
Mike Schmierbach
NIGHT EDITOR
Carl Yeh
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Latin America’s lesson: Make U.S. policy moral
The US. government’s treatment
of “our little region ” reveals the
sort of aggression for which
Clinton has lambasted Iraq
The manner in which former Secre
tary of War Henry Stimson re
ferred to Latin America is an illus
tration of how the U.S.
government has traditionally viewed the
area: “Our little region over here.”
The implication, of course, is that the
United States is in charge and responsible
for the fate of the region. This credo is as
tonishing in its arrogance, and yet the latter
part is plainly true.
The reason it is true has
nothing to do with U.S.
“hegemony” or "super
power status,” and it cer
tainly has nothing to do
with our "peacemaking
role,” as policy-makers
might like you to think.
It’s true because some
of the most hideous
crimes of the 20th centu
OPINION
12sSm
Jeff
Shaw
ry have been run in Central America via
Washington, paid for by your tax dollars.
Before we try to bring peace and justice to
other regions of the world, we might try to
work for them here in “our little region.”
These conclusions are mine, not neces
sarily Dan Goldrich’s, but Goldrich’s talk
on Feb. 17 helps explain the historical
background of the U.S.-backed atrocities.
His remarks come at an appropriate time to
assess U.S. objectives and the morality of
our foreign policy. More than ever, we are
trying to expand our sphere of influence —
the Iraq crisis being only the most visible
example. It’s fair to ask how we’ve done so
far.
Goldrich, a political science professor,
covered many nations and many years in
his remarks. I have chosen for the sake of
depth to concentrate on Nicaragua.
When the Sandinistas came to power in
1979, the efforts at land reform and public
health initiatives were derided as “creep
ing socialism.” Goldrich points out that
fear of international communism com
bined with Jimmy Carter’s brokerage of the
Panama Canal treaty left Carter vulnerable
politically. Reagan attacked him for “giving
away the U.S. position in Latin America.”
Of course, Reagan’s version of events left
out the government that came before the
Sandinistas: President Anastasio Somoza
and his murderous private army, the Na
tional Guard, were hated throughout
Nicaragua. In contrast, the democratically
elected Sandinistas had widespread popu
lar support. “But does anybody in the Unit
ed States know the history of Nicaragua,
that the United States set up the Somozas
in the first place?” Goldrich asked. “No,
but who cares? [The Sandinistas] are there,
and Jimmy Carter let them take over.”
In short, the violent regime we had sus
tained so alienated the people that the San
dinistas couldn’t help but look good to the
Nicaraguans. But once Reagan rode the Red
Scare wave (among others) into office, So
i&r*?- \ *
moza’s bloodthirsty legions were evacuat
ed by the United States. We trained them
in assassination, sabotage and kidnapping.
Then we flew them back to wreak havoc.
We called them Contras. Our president
said he was one of them, which meant he
was a murderer, too. And God bless him,
he was right.
He proved it when his CIA mined
Nicaragua’s harbors, killing innocent fish
ermen who presumably cared little for po
litical affairs. Even overlooking the eco
nomic warfare the Reagan administration
waged, the World Court still found it in vi
olation of international law that forbids, as
George Bush would say, “naked aggres
sion."
Don’t worry, Reagan fans. After 10 years
of economic and military warfare, the
Nicaraguans gave up. “The Nicaraguan
people voted in [U.S.-backed candidate]
Violetta Chamorro because they thought
the United States would stop the war on
them, and the U.S. did,” as Goldrich put it.
It probably didn’t hurt that Panama had
been invaded a month before — the
Nicaraguans saw what awaited them if
they voted wrong.
As far as American-backed atrocities in
Latin America go, we could go back a long
time and discuss a lot of examples — such
as U.S. military support for El Salvador,
ruled by stand-up guys such as Roberto
D’Aubuisson (nidaiamed “Blowtorch
Bob,” after his favorite instrument of tor
ture), who once commented to a German
visitor: “You Germans were very intelli
gent. You recognized that the Jews were re
sponsible for the spread of communism
and you began to kill them.” The good
news? D’Aubuisson is dead. The bad
news? His government, with the help of
billions of dollars in U.S. aid, slaughtered
approximately 63,000 Salvadorans. His
ARENA party still runs El Salvador — and
still gets U.S. support.
The story is just about the same, no mat
ter which country you look at. Two lessons
leap out at us from these sad examples.
First, the United States has much to an
swer for in these nations. Goldrich notes
that “people in the U.S. aren’t accustomed
to taking responsibility” for the govern
ments we inflict on other countries. It’s
time to start.
"There are ways that almost anybody
with any discretionary time could partici
pate in promotion of human rights in Latin
America if they contact an organization
with people working on it,” Goldrich said.
He recommended local groups like CIS
CAP, the University’s Colombia Support
Network or local Amnesty International
chapters.
The second lesson is simpler yet. Let’s be
vigilant and not deluded when our govern
ment acts to protect “national security in
terests.” The lessons of history suggest the
opposite happens, and not just in our little
region.
Jeff Shaw is a columnist for the Emerald. His
work appears on alternate Wednesdays. His
views do not necessarily represent those of the
newspaper.
Homosexuality is unnatural
Hannah Dillon’s column titled “Dear Lon”
could have been addressed “Dear Americans”
since over two-thirds of this nation agrees with
Lon Mabon and opposes homosexual marriage
and adoption by homosexuals. Mabon is simply
the focus of her hatred because he dared to pub
licly disagree with this perverse movement and or
ganize opposition. The two most admired individ
uals of this decade agree with Lon, so she might as
well have addressed her letter "Dear Colin Pow
ell” or “Dear Mother Teresa.” Powell said you
have no constitutional right to engage in sodomy
and to demand the state elevate it to protected sta
tus. Washington state agrees with him as they re
cently defeated, by a 60 to 40 percent margin, an
initiative attempting protected status for homo
sexuals in the workplace. Dillon could also have
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
addressed her letter “Dear God,” as the Old Testa
ment unambiguously condemns homosexual be
havior as wicked, sinning greatly against the Lord,
an abomination and detestable. The emotion God
feels is fierce, burning anger. The New Testament
refers to homosexual behavior as vile affections,
error, degrading passions, unnatural, indecent acts
and states the homosexual will not inherit the
Kingdom of Heaven and will suffer eternal pun
ishment. Could God have homophobia or be a big
ot? These terms are simply liberal propaganda
used against the two-thirds of Americans that still
dare to disagree with this absurd, perverse move
ment.
Homosexual behavior is unnatural/dysfunc
tional. It is using the wrong devices in the wrong
locations. Not once in the history of humankind
has it succeeded in producing offspring! There is
no need for confusion over your sexuality. Look
straight down from your belly button and even a
toddler can figure it out. Homosexual behavior is
unhealthy and results in 1 to 2 percent of the pop
ulation having 29 percent of Hepatitis A, and 30
percent of current 20-year-old homosexuals will
be either HTV-positive or dead from AIDS within
10 years.
No homosexual is trapped. Jesus guarantees
power over and freedom from the bondage of sin.
You are what you are only if you love your sin
more than you love God! Currently four national
ex-homosexual networks are ministering to more
than 10,000 former homosexuals. Not one who
truly chooses God over sin will fail, because God
will be in him. Sin aborts who we were intended
to be.
Bany Williams
Lane County Oregon Citizens Alliance
CORRECTION
The article
“ASUO protests
cuts in aid”
(ODE, Feb. 20)
should have
said the ASUO
wants legisla
tors to support
amendments
that would
negate funding
cuts included
in President
Clinton’s cur
rent budget
draft.
The Emerald
regrets the er
ror.