Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 1983)
Page 4 Portland Obaerver, August 17, 1983 Is Cuba the problem? EDITORIAL/OPINION The United States policy in Cen tral America Is explained by the Reagan administration as a response to Cuban/Soviet aggression In the Punish 'sales tax' Democrats The Democrats in the Oregon Legislature are trying to figure out a plan for tax “ reform” or property tax relief. Having wasted the entire legislative session on a sales tax plan that failed to pass the Senate, House members will be under the gun when Governor Vic Atiyeh calls a special session to deal with taxes. It has been discouraging to see the State’s leading "liberal” Democrats leading the charge to put a sales tax on the ballot. It is not only in direct opposition to the Democratic Party Plat form and all the party stands for, but it is an ab dication of responsibility. Eighteen Democrats met last weekend, but the consensus seems to be to put a "m enu” on the ballot to let the voters choose among several unacceptable tax options. Yet, all o f these Democrats know — and many readily admit — that a slight increase in the income tax would be adequate to meet the state’s needs and would be the most fair and just tax. The Multnomah County Democratic Central Committee will consider a resolution on August 23th that will deny support to any Democratic legislators who support a sales tax and will an nounce the decision not to support a candidate prior to the primary election. This action is necessary and should be adopt ed. It will help the voters differentiate between Democrats who support the party platform and those who use the name for political expediency. Immigration for politics' sake Reagan is using the threat o f "feet people” to scare the American people into supporting his war in Central America. He says millions of little brown people will flood the U.S. from Central America and Mexico if he is not allowed to destroy Nicaragua and wage war for his allies in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, etc. These hoards — poor, uneducated and disease- ridden — will take jobs from American citizens, he says. At the same time, the administration is on an all-out campaign to give "political asylum” to a Russian boy. This boy, the son o f a Soviet diplo mat, has been in the U.S. most o f his life but re turned to the USSR for school last year. Report edly, he has asked Reagan to help him stay in the U.S. The FB I, the State Department, the C IA , the Immigration Service and o f course the press, are spending thousands o f dollars attempting to meet with the boy to determine how they can allow or entice him to remain in the U.S. In the United States a 16-year-old boy is too young to legally smoke, drink, marry, have sex, work without a special permit, join the military, or vote. Yet our government claims a 16-year- old should be able to make the crucial and prob ably irreversable decision o f whether he wants to give up his country and his family and remain in this country — alone — when his family returns to the Soviet Union. The U.S. Immigration Serv ice is already holding a 12-year-old Russian boy who asked to remain with his school friends in Chicago when his parents, disillusioned immi grants, returned to the Soviet Union. Although the Illinois courts have found that he was de tained illegally, the government has refused to turn him over to his parents. While kidnapping children and breaking up homes for a temporary political coup, the United States refuses asylum to Haitian and Central American refugees, deporting them to certain death. The immigration policies o f this country are obviously based on political expediency and not on humanity. Why no military coups in U.S.? In a recent Congress on Latin American Poli tical Thought held in Caracas, a question arose: Why are there no military coups in the U.S.? Although many o f the Latin American coun tries have experienced several military coups since their independence, the military has never overthrown the government of the United States. Bolivian Roberto Jordan Pando gave an incis ive response, which was accepted to a greater or lesser degree by the bulk o f the representatives from Latin America, Europe, the U.S. and other regions. Although the Bolivian delegate spoke an ob vious truth, his statement encompassed so much wisdom and reality that no one objected: " In the United States there are no coups d’etat because there is no U .S. embassy in Washington.” The following is an interview with Evan Cecil Martinet. Cuban ambas sador to Trinidad and Tobago, b y a group o f professionals fro m the United States that too* place In Havana on August 3rd. M A R T IN E Z : Cube’* policy on Latin America has always been a very clear policy, clearly defined and based on principles. This policy has always been maligned and misinter preted, and said to be an unfriendly policy, by the different governments that have gone through the W hite House. This is far from the truth, because Cuban policy has expressed its friendship, brotherhood, and hemispheric solidarity in spite o f the aggressive U .S. position toward our country. This policy o f aggression began at the very beginning, right after the triumph o f our Revolution. The U .S . administration began a policy o f isolation, a policy o f political and economic blockade, including a policy o f psychological and propa ganda war. In spite o f this, our country has always thought that Latin A m eri cans and the Caribbean people were brotherly and friendly countries who were suffering the same prob lems o f underdevelopment — de pressed culture, lack o f scientific and technological development, social and racial discrimination, severe problems o f women and children, health problems, lack o f resources — which could only be faced with the closest unity and, in a real sense, by national and social liberation. O ur foreign policy, from the very beginning, has been a policy of friendship toward the people o f the United States. W e do not have any type o f prejudice towards the North American people. However, the multinational corporations based in the United States, which have a big interest in our resources and which formerly controlled our economy, tried by every means to show that Cuba was hostile to the United States as a whole. Nothing could be farther from the truth. From the very beginning, the top leaders o f the Revolution went to the United States to show the friend ship which our Revolution feels toward the people o f the United Sûtes. Then, when one o f the North American administrations barred United Sûtes citizens from travel ling to Cuba, they made it appear that it was Cuba that was not allow ing North American citizens to visit us. In a general sense, our policy o f principle rests on the fact that we have solidarity with all the progres sive movements, with all the libera tion movements, with all the parties and groups that are fighting for the independence of Latin America and ihc t arihhean ” HERE—HAVE SOM DiMXXhCY.'" Portland's largest black-owned newspaper. iPO R TW N D OBSERVER News fo r and about you. Subscribe today! ■ I This does not have anything to do with intervening in the internal affairs o f those countries. It is a show o f solidarity with the people and with the new forces that strive to take their countries from deep underdevelopment — social, political, social underdevelopment — in which they’ve been suffering for more than a century. We believe — and this is some thing very important to the Cuban Revolution which we discovered very early — that the world needs a new international economic order. The world needs the humanity to develop. And we believe, like all non-aligned nations, that a world in which a few have everything and the great m ajority have nothing is not possible. Starting from that basic element, all o f our political action has been directed toward this new interna tional economic order and toward Yea. I would like a s u b s c rip tio n ! to the Portland Observer. □ I have enclosed my check or money order for 915, for a one year subscription. Oregon Newspaper Publishers 1 MEMBER N a m e _________ ____________ A d d res s __________________ C i t y ______________________ - S ta te In a recent speech, a member of the U.S. Intereet Section In Cuba asserted that Cuba’s foreign policy Is a slaws to Soviet foreign policy — that ell of Cube's military supplies corns from the Soviet Union, that there Is massive economic aid from the USSR, and therefore Cube's foreign policy follows Soviet foreign policy even closer than the countries of Eastern Europe that border on the 8ovlst Union. W ell, as for Cuba being a satellite o f the Soviet Union, it is something at which any Cuban would laugh. Do North Americans consider Canada a satellite o f the United States? Do North Americans consider England a satellite o f the United States? Do North Americans consider Israel a satellite o f the United States? I think the economies o f the countries I ’ve named are linked to the North American economy and there is a predominance o f North American international corpora tions in the economies o f those countries. But North American propaganda has never said that Israel is a North American satellite. What happens is that if the North American people might think that Israel is a satellite, it is because Israel is a small country. Big coun tries are called allies and small countries are called satellites. Israel is an ally o f the United States as much as Canada is. Canada is a member o f N A T O . N A T O is m ilitarily controlled by the United States, but I ’ve never heard that N A T O countries are North American satellites or from the "N o rth American b lo c." I hear them say "Soviet bloc,” but 1 never hear them say "N o rth American bloc." And I hear talk about the "Cuban satellite,” but 1 never hear (hem talking about the "Israeli satellite" or the "Canadian satel lite.” We are allies. We are close friends of the Soviet people. W e are o f the same ideology. We agree on the same principles — we believe in co existence; we believe in pluralism — and this is why we are close friends. Friendship cannot be confused with subordination. The aid the Soviet Union renders us m ilitarily and economically could be provided by the United States, too. W hy doesn’t the United States, instead o f blockading us, give us dollars for our development; instead o f talking about Radio M a rti, why don’t they send us machinery for our development. Instead o f talking about the need to invade Cuba, why don’t they send scientists to study how we can better use our mineral resources. Instead o f attempting, through the C IA , to kill our leaders and, instead o f introducing viruses into our country to kill our children and our people, why don’t they give us assistance. I f we have weapons from the Soviet Union, it is because the United Stales wants to conduct ag gressions against us. I f they don’t do that, what would we need wea pons for? W e need them because the United States wants to annihilate us. Cuba can never be a danger to the United States. Cuba can never be a danger to the United States unless its security is very weak. So I think the issue o f satellites is a matter o f propaganda. Only the communists are satellites; the capi talists are allies. What Is tha situation with Cuba's technical and military help to othar nations? The presence o f Cubans in other countries is based on agreements signed between Cuba and other na tions. They may be giving medical or technical assistance and, in a few cases, military assistance. The west ern press is always talking about Cuban troops, which are there only by invitation, not as aggressors. The United States has half a million sol diers in Europe and there’s no prob lem with them and there’s no prob lem with our soldiers. It is different when soldiers are in a country and nobody wants them there — like is happening to North American sol diers in the Panama Canal or in Guantanamo, Cuba. W e do not want them here. la there e contradiction be tween wanting e pluralistic world that Includee Imperialist countrlee that dominate under developed countrlee? What makes achieving a new world economic order difficult is not pluralism. It is the fact that the interests o f some countries are alienating interests, dehumanizing interests that are not for the benefit o f humanity. They are interests that are only for the benefit o f corpora tions. Sweden is a capitalist country, yet it is really helping Third W orld countries. But when the strongest western countries have an aggressive policy toward the world, the prob lem is there. They believe the re sources o f the world not to be re sources for the world, but for them. For the United States — not for the people but for the corporations — what is happening in Asia is as im portant as what is happening in Latin America. M any o f the Third W orld countries that suffer are not socialist countries, not communist countries or progressive countries. However, they are suffering the eco nomic aggression o f the trans national corporations. Therefore, pluralism is not the problem. They have the same ideologies, but have different economic conditions. How does Cuba decide who it will aupport In countrlee like El Salvador when many different groups are oppoelng the govern ment? We do not choose groups. Our solidarity is with the Salvadoran people. The Salyadorans will have to choose. W e support all those who fight for the people against a crim i nal regime. Doee Cuba militarily aupport the FMLN In El Salvador? W ell, we do not support it m ili tarily. W e give them all types of soli darity, international support, all types of possible support, but not military support. In fact, they do not need it. A ll the Israeli weapons, the North American weapons, the western weapons, are taken away from the oppressive regime o f El Salvador. Perhaps if they requested it, if they needed it, perhaps we would give it. Will the Sendlnletae be able to defend their revolution? The Nicaraguan Revolution cannot fail because o f one thing — the majority o f the people support the Sandinistas. Once a revolution triumphs and the people support it, it is impossible for that revolution to fail. Why doee the United Statee hate Cube eo much — even more then the Soviet Union? Cuba was the country most subju gated to the United States — even more than Puerto Rico. Everything in Cuba was dependent on the United States. A ll we had was North American; nothing was Cuban. Then one day the Revolution triumphed. We were the first in the hemisphere to throw o ff United States imperialism, the first to build socialism. W e threw out the North American companies that controlled our country and took back our land. I think they hate us so much because they were so shocked that we could do anything ourselves. And for 25 years they have not been able to destroy us. Portland Observer «sa’rossai The Portland Obterver IU SPS 959 6801 it published every Thursday by £«ie Publishing Company, Inc . 2201 North Killings worth. Portland. Oregon 97217. Post Ottice Bo« 3137. Portland. Oregon 97208 Second class postage peel at Portland Oregon The Portland Obwrvrr was established in 1970 Subscriptions 115 00 per year in the Th County area Poet master Send address chengee to the Portland Obwrvrr. P 0 PLEASE PRINT Mail to Portland Obaarvet Bo. 3137 Portland Oregon 97708 international peace — and. there fore, toward ideological pluralism and peaceful coexistence. These are the basic fundamental requirements which have oriented Cuban foreign policy, and specifically our policy toward our hemisphere. Z'P Bos 3137, Portland, Oregon 97208 Alfred L. Henderson. Editor/Publisher A! Williams, Advertising Manager Aaaociehon - Founded I tt S SItavtst* I «a I I «as 283 2486 National Advertising Representative Am algamated Publishers Inc New York
