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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 1985)
Page 4. Portland Observer, March 6. 1965 ______________ ____ EDITORIAL/OPINION OF T H E U M T E D STATES Spovx out T oday on CpUAU> 5 A iV THAT QU1CT P lP U M A C Y W A 6 NOT south A L W A V S E N 0 U 6 H .~ ¿7 » 1 Make foreign policy consistent Another example o f the double standard and hypocrisy o f the Reagan Administration’s fo r eign policy is its interoretation and perception o f actions toward Nicaragua and South Africa. How can demands for democatic reform be stressed for Nicaragua while South A frica’s bla tant sidesteps o f democratic rule is excused? W hy did the Reagan Administration criticize Nicaragua’s elections, where more than 50 per cent o f all Nicaraguans voted the current govern ment in power, while remaining mute and apolo getic on South A frica’s elections that excluded 85 percent o f the electorate? W ha, gives the Reagan Administration the right to become Nicaragua’s border and im m i gration officers as they condemn the presence of Cuban and Soviet advisers while they dabble in Third W orld countries without hesitation? When does a group’s confrontation challenge to their government cause the Reagan Adminis- tratin to classify them as “ guerrillas as in the case o f the African National Congress, while praising Nicaraguan’s an,i-Sandinista as free dom Fighters’’? There is no consistency in Reagan’s foreign policy, but there is plenty of exploitation, racism and imperialism. Everything was fine in Central America as long as American multi-nationals and a few Central American families controlled the wealth. Bu, when the people fought against economic oppression and social stagnation, Street eat by Lanita Duke and Richard J. Brown Americans were told o f an impending C om munist threat. The truth of the matter is, it makes no d iffer ence to a family farmer who shows him or her how to plant corn. The only concern is feeding, sheltering and providing for their families. The reality o f what one group o f elderly white males (Reagan’s cabinet) will offer Nicaragua is no d if ferent from what another group o f elderly white males (Russia) will provide. The only difference is choice. The majority of Nicaraguans chose the present form o f govern ment and humanity demands that all human beings be given the right of self-determination. The Reagan Administration is violating this right. They even re-wrote the rules to accommodate their narrowness by removing their actions from the jurisdictions of the W orld Court because Nicaragua called for accountability over this administration’s financial support and guidance in the bombing o f her harbors. As taxpayers, we should demand consistency in foreign policy application. We should ques tion why the Reagan Administration wants to spend our tax dollars to overthrow Nicaragua, while protecting the racism o f South Africa by voting ‘no’ on United Nation’s resolutions to boycott goods and services to a country ruled by those who stole and raped her. The mentality and implementation of Rea gan’s foreign policies places our tax dollars on a peculiar side — the wrong one. New Zealand’s refusal to grant port ac cess to American ships who may carry nu clear weapons made national headlines las, week. The Street Beat team asked, “ Should one country have the right to refuse another country’s ships who may be carrying nuclear weapons?” Lawrence Parker Custodian "Yes, nuclear weapons arc dangerous. A country has the right to deny access." Linde Tryner Houaewife AND re P1REÓTED TBE F ollowing AAESSA6F *ro v /HITI- SOUTH Willie Myers Retired "Yes. Countries have the nght to protect their ow n.” "No. Equal access to all ships." Israel linked to South Africa Along the Color Line by Dr. Manning Marahle South Africa is not simply a police stale which denies democratic rights to the overwheming majority of its people It is not just a racially segre gated society, in which 3 million Black children suffer from malnutrition, and in which infant mortality rates per thousand live births are 13 for whiles and 90 for Africans. Il is not solely a place where percapita spend ing on education is 51,115 for whites and 5170 for Blacks; and where dtcior/ patient ratios arc 1:330 for whites and 1:19,000 for Africans II represents in its totality a renegade, fascist state, a government lacking in basic human decency, a regime which views all people of color as permanently in ferior. Its grotesque character and Hitlerian social system would hardly seem the place in which historically oppressed people would Find any reason to cooperate, much less gain profits from. And yet the great irony is that the one nation which maintain the closest ties with the political economy of apartheid, other than the U.S. and the United Kingdom, is the state of Israel The February. 1985 issue of Israeli Foreign Affairs documents an extra ordinarily close relationship between Tel Aviv and Pretoria. Jane Hunter, a Jewish progressive, notes that Israel’s claim of 583 million in exports to South Africa does not include "pol ished diamonds, Israel's top export at 51 billion a yhear, which are imported from DeBeer’s Central Selling Organ ization"; “ military transactions, probably several hundred million dol lars annually"; joint undertakings such as Iskoor, "a marriage of the South African Steel Corporation and Koor, a corporation owned by Israel's Histadrut that conducts much trade with South Africa." Conversely, jobs.” But accotding to Sullivan’s own annual reports, progress along such lines is at best marginal In the 1983 report, it was noted that white employees filled 94 percent of all new managerial posts, and that non white workers "lost ground steadily in clerical-administrative programs over the last three years " About three fourths of all unskilled workers in firms signing the Sullivan Principles were Africans, while only 0.3 percent were white. Two percent of all man agers were Black, 97 percent were white. Clearly, the strategy of reform- from-within makes about as much sense as trying to convince Hitler pas sively to give up fascism. There are also hundreds of Afro- American artists and athletes who have performed in South Africa dur ing the past decade, obtaining huge fees to entertain white audiences. Their presence legitimates the regime, providing tactical support and com fort to the opponents of Black free dom. Just a short list of these enter tainers includes: Aretha Franklin, Eartha Kitt, Johnny Mathis, Steph anie Mills, Della Reese, Betty Wright, the Staple Singers, Ray Charles, and Nikki Giovanni. Throughout the U .S., Blacks have organized to boycott the performances and records of all artists — Black and white — who have profited from apartheid. The system of tyranny in South Afri ca is crumbling, and within the next decade will fall before the forces of democracy. What we do inside the U.S. can speed up that inevitable process. South African firms provide 35 per cent of all non-U.S. foreign invest ment in Israel. The military links between Israel and apartheid are even more striking according to Hunter. South Africa has purchased Israeli attack boats "equipped with ship-to-ship Gabriel missiles, Dabui Coastal patrol boats and Klir jet fighters, radar stations, electronic fences, infiltration alarm systems, night vision apparatus." South Africa is instrumental in the de fense posture of the Israeli state as well. Apartheid firms help Israel to improve its own modest steel industry; they arc helping to bankrole "devel opment of Israel's fighter bomber for the 1990's, the l.avi." Such extensive ties help to explain why some Ameri can Jewish leaders were reluctant to become involved in the free South Africa Movement demonstrations this winter But the fact that "Israelis have trained South Africans in every thing from naval construction to counterinsurgency techniques" must be addressed by Americans who main tain unquestioned support for Israeli's policies, while at the same moment offer moral condemnations of the brutalities of the apartheid regime. Black Americans are not immune from criticism on these grounds. For nearly a decade, the Reverend Leon Sullivan has pushed the so-called "Sullivan Principles" concept, which sets racial standards for U.S. firms doing business with apartheid. In theory, the signatories of the Sullivan Principles attempt to humanize the barbarism of the system by promoting desegregated workplace facilities, mandated equal pay for jobs, and training nonwhites for “ supervisory, administrative, clerical and technical Dr. Manning Marahle teaches p o litical sociology at Colgate University, Ham ilton, N ew York. "Along the Color Line" appears in over 140 news papers internationally. Letters to the Editor The Observer welcomes letters Io the ed ito r L etters should he typ ed or neatly printed and signed with the a u th o r’s name and address ta d dresses are n ot published). We re serve the right to edit fo r length. Mail to: P o rtla n d O bserver, P O. Box 3137, Portland. OB 97208 Clarence Severson Press Operator "That depends on if that country is an ally. If they are, they should let the ships enter. Hut the other country should tell them if they are carrying nuclear weapons." James Carter Retired "It should be the other country's choice. I’m against nuclear weapons expanding ’’ • Ml" • Portland Observer Association • Founded 1U5 283 2486 Bos 3137. Portland. Oregon 97208 A lfredi. Henderson. Editor/Publisher A l Williams. General Manager This is an open letter to the parents in North/Northeast Portland It has been brought to my attention that a strange man has been hiding in the shrubs around Humboldt School’s playground, taking pictures o f chil These two incidents happened after the TV airing of the Atlanta children’s murders. I feared this kind of thing would happen. We do have a lot of mentally deranged people out there who would use this kind of movie to imitate such a thing. The Humboldt staff and parents have met to discuss the issue. The school district security is aware of this The police department has been in formed But we parents living outside of the Humboldt area are unaware of this. It could happen at other schools. If you have small children, you cannot use too much caution to pro tect your children Don’t let them play outside too late. Talk to them about strangers. If possible, walk the little ones to and from school for a while. Most of all, know where your children are at all times Be alert and concerned now, and don’t wait until a tragedy happens It will be too late to help them then. YES IN D LOVING »15to< oo« V««' »25 loi two Bo* 3137 Portinoli OR 9120« The Portland Observer wet ettab. ned in 1970 MfMBtR To the Editor, He was said to be driving a green pickup and is of light brown com plexion or o f foreign descent He has been seen on two different occasions. The last time he had another man with him and was wearing a mailman’s uniform. 15 PORTLAND OBSERVER The P n n lan d Observer 7USPS 959 5801 i t published every Thursday by E>ie Publishing Company Inc 2201 North Killings worth Portland Oregon 97217. Pott 0M.ce Bo. 3137. Portland. Oregon 97208 Second class postage paid at Portland Oregon Subscriptions »15 00 per year in the Ir County area P o tt m a tte r Send ad drett changes to the P o rlk a d íM itrrvrr. P O Report strangers dren during recess and when school is dismissed about 2:30 p.m. National A dvartitlng R apratantativa A m algam ated Publithera. Inc N ew York I I t ÍI ClT "1 J) 2 Í X 5 - 5 -s Apt STATE ZIP 5 * * o </» -i > jo
