JULYD-a.
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PA 5
. . . .
. America's double standard of violence
.,
It i amazing tbat the United
States constantly seeks to im­
pose non-violence as a stra-tegy
on liberation movement triv­
in 0 acbieve freedom and self­
determination for their people.
Pre ident Bush recently
red away at elson an­
dela repeatedly during the
South African freedom fighter'
visit to the U.S. pressi Man-
dela to reneunce tbe e of
tolence. President B b al 0
uspended "dialogue" with 1.be
P .L.O. over Yasir Arafat'
refusal to puni b a P .L.O. f -
. - tion hich carried out an abor­
tive raid, along Israel's co t
recently.
It appears that tbe U.S. i al-
" ays attempting to impose con-
dition on liberation
vemen th t it i u illing
to beJe 0 itself. The United
St te j simply not a "non­
violent' tion wben it co to
conductin U.S. fc)reign policy
or pur uing U.S. intere t
abroad.
In the frist place it i gro Iy
bypocritical for the u.S, to lec­
ture liberation movements on
non-violence ben America it-
If born out of' bloody,
violent revolt against England.
The American Revolution
not an exerci c in non­
violence. As Malcolm X once
rved most re olutio are c
vi lent. They involve blood­
bed beca e thosc who are in
po er scI relio' b that
po er in respo 10 raJ ap-
peal or a well verse of ·We
Sball Overcome".
l.Jberation ments are
fon:ed to Ieftr at
their disposal iDdudio DOn­
violent sn· tile use of
vio eDCe, if occessraJ, 10 fiDally
overcome.
, In CODbODlliDa
cio
all a sud n tbere is this
. elf-ripteo, moralistic
� that Nelson Mandela
tbe ANC abandon armed
tragic.
. kind of double standard
it re Sed to the use of violen­
ce is also blatantly applied
ben it comes to the P.L.O. and
olber liberation movemenlS.
In the case of tbe P.L.O., tbe
Palestini are constantly told
that they m t renounce armed
e (often defioed by tbe
terrorism). But the
violent Israeli incursions into
Lebaoon, the regular attacks
a,aiDSt "suspected" terrorist
DOt to mention the brutal
violence of OCcupation on the
West Bank and Gua seldom
recei� more than a mild pro t
from tbe United States. And
there IS DOt even the slightest
sUllestion tbat tbe U.S. ill
drastically reduce or uspend'
the U.S. military aid to Israel
bicb enabl Israel to carry out
. i violent policies apimt the
Palestinians in the fint place.
T United States b s no
. moral autbority to lecture
,anyone about violence. Tbe
U.S. is certainly DOt exbortinl
UNIT A ta be non-violent in An-
10 a. On the contrary, the U.S.
continues to arm UNIT A to tbe
bilt.
Tbe armiDl 0 tbe RenalDO
baDdi in Mozambique in their
reckless de truction and de
tabilization of that country also
"� ..
�J\,nU,t"�
is tl,e hryht
t\,nt l(nns ro
C"(\'1'�l1H 'J \ ",'( h\ ."
'-c4-tT\mn ��
does DOt land out a mpdel for
non-violent resolution of con­
flict. And of co the stubborn
U.S. support for the contras in
Nicaragua as in bope of
achieving a violent overthro
of the Sandinista government.
The litany of U.S record
of violence-co Id continue
througb a recitation of
numerous iDatio, inter­
ventions, invasions etc. What is
very clear is that violence is
seen a acceptable iDStrument
of policy by the U.S. and those
wbom tbe U.S. perceives to be
its friends.
Hence it is perfectl y
legitimate for friends oftbe U.S.
to u e violence to. suppre
libiration movements. Ho -
ever, the U.S. ould like to
force liberation mo�men to
. Community vole _ :
Teach our youth about the; roots
Rod (U.S.A.) su.ncd in 16t9 and A d�lt, we need to tr n -
B K eth Snodona' Africa" by Walter ney
y en .. th t in 1885, European mit t is to them not once a
and Mannina Marable'
R tl I a' invited to "Ho Cap.' tal,' m Under- countrie decided to divide ye r ut daily, Our youth
ecen y w J must be ch llcngcd to ex-
on of our Oetroi t public developed Black Amcric ." up the continent of Africa
hi h reboots during it. ob- among themselves and to pand heir minds to become
ervt nee of Black/African colonize them, problem olvers, to become
I decided to: U lcti h h' k b I ,.
History Month to tal about pon cornp eung t e t In e, • to ecome eauer'-
traveling. abroad, spccif'ical- Shu our tude nts what pre entation, I realized that not fO�ilower or mere con-
ly 'my trips to Africa, i.e , Africa nd African, really the majority of question, sumer. /
Scncg: I and Egypt. look like and to explode any ere good hut they. as well; WH N OU,. youth react
While overall I felt the T rzan myt . ' howed the limited to seci g pictures of African
r cepuon went very well and To explod the myth lh' t knowledge our youth have people by aying "look at
most of the uudcnt w re only the rich and r mou about our roots a� African how d rk they are," then we
able to tc rn and experience could tr vel and s ow the American' that our ncestor have f· iled them. When they
lot from my: lid pre. enta- need for them to tr vel were kings. queens and w r- laugh t how small orne
lion. there ere ome que'- . bro d for th exposure and rior; that we were made Africa home re or wh t
tion and comment hieh pie ure. . laves, that we were they're made of. Le. wooden
'ho ed our. youth definitely To exelorc: ho �fnca, coloni�ed and endured. nd hut or hack, then we have
h' th the riche t conti nt In the ent on to becom'e doctors. failed t em.
ne d more t an JU t mon 'k We, as· educator', as
d tand their world, cou.ld be'come 0 lawyer, pre Jd nt, eeper
per year to un er r h f 'I . t' I' leader. as parent have
hi lorical rOOI'. economically, politically 0 t e ami y, clen I s, In-
1 . 'r lh' rde and oCI'ally depre cd due ventors, inlellectu I ,skHled failed t give our childi" n
n preparang or IS S I workers, am a 'S' dors, .etc,; hi tori al under I nding of
pre. entation. I gave a lot of to coloniali m and nco- that we 'created the form 0 our roo sand th orld we
thou ,ht to hat my Joal coloni lism. . d Il've in To nOI un er tand
should he and what oal� I To explore ho our own j zz which I� recognl7e
. hould recommend to our fu- limited understanding of around the world ror. i 1. thi pa i to be Ii
ture adult, I felt my gnal� Africa ha to do with the greatnc!'\�; lhat the Blac �ithout root, like
ere clear but I wouldn't unique devclopmcnt 0 community once w,p, the without a tage 0
h ' safest community in with apt.
have time to explain t e con- r ci m in America, h BI k Our outh need t
h f I 0 ld I wanted to make cjear America; thet I t· e ae
cept., t ere ore w u I th �tand t at our ki
have to recommend that they that while there were many f mi y a!'\ once e
t' date of importance for them tronge t family in Amenca, 'v ry lik a rainbow becau e
foil \ up t pr en allon The e fact arc only a few we wer slave in merica
r dIn tit t 0 v ry to know, J would only em- h d and our Crican wo
b s 'How ph ize two: That, th beg,in- of the thing our yout nee
Importan 00: to know and to understand. frequen ly abu ed
Europe und:e:r�d=e�v�e�lo�p�e�d��n�in�g�o�f�l=a�v=er�y�'n�A�m_e_n_c t- -t �--�II�;-r_---r-----�-
Ron
Daniel
VANTAGE:
POI T
use "non-violence" when these
movements are engaged in
struggle again t one of
America' friends.
As alway U.S, foreign
policy i marked by tbe height .
of hypocri y, e on M dela
was wise, to ignore the
hypocrites.
Ron DIUI�ls serves as Presi­
tUN of tM Institute for Com- .'
munity Orga,niza�ion and
Development in Youngstown,
Ohio. He may be COIIltICte4 at
(216) 746-5747.
and raped by their
stavcrna ter nd gue t .
Wh� would our youth be
,0 quick to laugh t things
different from American cul­
ture? Do they b-elieve lhat
everything in Americ i the
world? Do they believe that
today', . car have Iw y'
been I- rgc, that we all live
In lar 'C, bca utif I ctcan
homes and cat wei I? Ho c­
fully nc t!
How the A rican con­
tinent could be a rich it
i!\ yet it people 0 poor is
. uch an imporl nl qu tion
and our youth need t know
and under t nd the e dilem­
ma . They n cd to be en-
couraged to u their min
to become thinker. to be­
come Ie der .
That' why e.(Jucator'
. hould not be jut about the
purpose r gelling 0 J-0-8, •
hut aoo t the purpo e or
govern! ng our communi t�
and .our ociety. OUf d' tin
i in fro�t of u . Will e h
Jove rned or wi II we 0 th�
overnin � We mu t take
ontr 1 ur de tiny, The
ind I terr!hle thi
ate.