OPINION M Page 4 Friday, November 30, 1984 The Michigan Datly I Creating a dangerous climate of fear 4 By Madeline Kiser Maybe Daniel Ortega is pretending to prepare for a U.S. invasion as a ploy to unify Nicaragua. Or maybe he really is preparing to attack El Salvador and Honduras with his almost-but not quite-acquired MIG-21s. Maybe the United States is preparing to attack Nicaragua. Or maybe the Pentagon really did send General Paul Gorman down to Costa Rica just to check up on how the Costa Rican nor- thern guardia is doing. Maybe. THE PRESENT Central American situation is ridiculous. Soap-opera ab- surd describes the present situation rather well. Is Reagan planning on invading Nicaragua? N Is Nicaragua planning on invading El Salvador and Honduras? Where are the MIGs? 6 News headlines about Nicaragua would be downright entertaining if it were not for the law of subatomic physics that states that reality depends p on the observer. With this in mind, the Nicaraguan news headlines are far from funny because really, in our 4 modern media-saturated world, per- ceptions about reality matter more than reality itself. IN MANAGUA and Washington, the people with the push are acting on their perceptions. Subatomic physics in ac- tion: Managua's reality says that the United States is about to invade. But the United States does not em- phasize the possibility, that Nicaragua's build-up is a defensive one. No. The United States defines reality in { terms of box crates big enough to con- tain MIGs and mobilized students who are ready to attack El Salvador and f Honduras. t Thus, one week after Reagan was re- elected, one week after a news article 3;iwfut Edited and managed Vol. XCV, No. 70 about possible shipment of MIG-21s, Nicaragua declared a state of general alert and Caspar Weinberger begins mumbling "Monroe Doctrine." The idea that reality is what we make it has a dangerous Nicaraguan corollary which states that adults playing childish media mind games are dangerous in- dividuals creating a real war. NO ONE knows the real bottom line because no one is communicating. And rumors produce reactions. And reac- tions to rumors produce more rumors. Rumored reactions and reactions to rumors make people afraid, and frightened people create a climate of fear. We have created a climate of fear, and the problem with creating a climate of fear is that frightened people don't think very hard about what they are doing. In place of thinking, frightened people tend to act on their worst fears. Scared animals fight. Frightened people often fight as well. It is possible that Reagan will never invade Nicaragua because he is afraid of public condemnation. The governments of the w uwoid dprobably candmn an invasion of Nicaragua even more than they con- demned the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan-and certainly more than they condemned Reagan for mining Nicaraguan harbors. But Reagan also fears that Soviet- born and Cuban-bred communism is a creeping crud now incubating in Nicaragua, and he feels that it is his duty to eradicate this communist disease from the Americas and from the world. Reagan may be afraid of popular opinion, but popular American opinion just handed him a big victory. And although the possibility of a world- wide wrist-slapping after a Nicaraguan invasion may intimidate him, Reagan is a man with a mission. He is firmly convinced that the American way of life is threatened by Central American paste , coffee-picking is an issue. Or- tega may fear that his new government won't be able to unite the country without some rallying point, but remembering that people are hungry could make him fear more the reper- cussions of initiating a state of alert. BUT IT IS true that fear is making Ortega mobilize. What is he afraid of? Nicaragua is a third-world country. The United States is a superpower, and has invaded other countries when spurred by communist paranoia. America does not like Nicaragua.,Or- tega has reason to be afraid. He stuck his tongue out and nah-nahed the United States by acquiring communist friends and now he is afraid of the con- sequences. Acting on this fear may mean invasion. Americans have created a climate of fear. Nicaraguans have created a climate of fear. We are all frightening each other and creating one giant climate of fear. And within that climate of fear, we are making war evermore likely. Nicaraguan headlines would be soap-opera silly if everybody recognized them for what they are: part of childish war games and media mind-maneuvers. But just let a few people, a few significant somebodies believe those headlines and act out of fear and those silly headlines suddenly become serious. Subatomic physics theory says that we make our own reality. With this in mind, we should be thinking about . making a table big enough to seat both Sandinistan and American negotiators instead of creating a climate of fear in Central America. Kiser is a graduate of the University currently living in Costa Rica. Earlier this month 10,000 students demonstrated outside the U.S. embassy in Managua after the Nicaraguan government declared a state of alert against a U.S. invasion. communism, and thus, the fear that he will fail in his mission to protect the United States from the Evil Empire and its Libyan, Cuban, and Nicaraguan comrades looms large over any of his other concerns. REAGAN MAY also fear military failure. Twenty-thousand students, MIG-21s, Libyan, and Soviet support are indeed intimidating. But remem- ber: America is number one. In justifying a Nicaraguan invasion, Reagan would use the same logic that he uses in dealing with the deficit. The deficit is getting better. Period. Similarly, we would just out-mobilize mobilized Nicaragua. Period. Although Reagan may fear losing American lives and military failure, he also fears communist take-over in Central America in light of the New MIG-24 helicopters and Congress's unwillingness to continue supporting a secret war. Ac- ting an these fears could mean in- vasion. Nicaraguans are also capable of being frightened. Daniel Ortega may fear that his newly-elected government will not be able to unite Nicaragua and may believe that pretending that the United States is on its way down is a good way to go about correcting that problem. But Ortega must also fear the economic repercussions of an invasion fire-drill. It is coffee-picking time in Nicaragua, but not very many people are picking coffee because a lot of people are guarding Managua. Lost revenue from one coffee crop may not seem like much, but in a country where every week families stand in line for a kilo of rice, no meat, and maybe tooth- Ss. by students at The University of Michigan Wasserman 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board Not fit to print Paula and Jim had a long discussion with their son. Jim said he was concerned that their boy didn't have enough friends to play with in the neighborhood. Paula suggested that the boy could visit his cousin who lives in a neighborhood full of healthy, middle to upper class young people. Meanwhile, Nancy is upset with her stepson Michael. It seems that Michael called her a jealous wife in response to her statement that he had become "estranged" from the family. But his sister Maureen claims it isn't true that her stepmother isn't jealous. Michael just has a "vendetta" against Nancy, Maureen says. This should be a drama acted out in daytime soap operas. Yet these personal issues and petty squab- bles appeared in local and national newspapers and magazines where the names were not changed and the resemblance to real people is ob- vious. It is not surprising to find contrived stories about the sex lives of Hollywood celebrities or famous political figures in publications such as the National Enquirer or the Weekly World News. But when the New York Times, the Ann Arbor News, and Newsweek begin printing gossipy drivel on their news pages something is really wrong. The problem is not completely in the newsroom or with the editors who decide what should go in the paper. Americans will read about the family feud between Nancy Reagan and her stepson before they will peruse the contents of a story on U.S.-Soviet realtions. And where there is a demand Blanchard's decision to transfer his son out of an inner-city school and into a suburban one. It was an interesting little story that implied more about the decay of urban schools than it should have. Ethically, however, it should never have appeared in the press. A parent's decision concerning where his or her child will attend school is a personal one and politicians shouldn't be penalized for having private lives. It is expected that every aspect of a politician's work will come under public scrutiny since such scrutiny is a way of making an elected official accountable to the constituency he or she represents. But while the governor and the president should have to explain why they approve or disapprove of a piece of legislation, Blanchard should not have to reveal why he choses to send his son to a suburban high school and Ronald shouldn't have to read about his son's beef with Nancy in Newsweek. Such journalism is an invasion of privacy. Michael Reagan used the press as a medium for communicating his dislike of personal problems with Nancy Reagan. A responsible editor or repor- ter would have decided to keep Michael's comments out of the press. President Carter also suffered because he had a brother who had some strange habits. President Reagan has had to contend with stories leveling un- favorable questions about his son Ron and his daughter Patti. It's no wonder that many people shun politics for fear that their personal lives will be destroyed. The "responsible" press I LOY6 gUtx* TIMt~E, Ep - wE Lew. NE~WS ABOUT ?oSSI 6LE G6ENVIN& CWS.. THE FERS1A, SE(05CIVIL SEVANTS, THE POO -ThN'I LL RUN AOUND~ SERAIM~& I 'I7 h~Z 1Z .W-D, i2(I1T OWCUE, TVC- lROLE COUNWQY (DOES W1SRCAL AS ?PIN& W ThG TI HCRA6UA~l rm. -' y ' t V 0 0 LETTERS TO THE DAILY A ction needed to save old tree To the Daily: There is a rare Burr-Oak tree that grows along the side of the West Austin Road near the Village of Manchester. This tree has been determined to be over 300 years old and ranks as one of the largest oaks of its kind in Michigan. Unfortunately, the tree is just three feet from the county road, and due to the Washtenaw County Road Commission' s fear of liability suits, they have decided to cut it down. A local attorney has fought for years to save the tree, but feels he has exhausted all legal avenues and, if the coun- ty road commission has its way, the tree will be removed within the next few weeks. Speaking for the residents of Manchester, I feel this would not only be a great loss to our com- munity, but also everyone who loves nature. It is my opinion BLOOM COUNTY that, in the interests of the en- vironment, a guard rail or caution sign would be a much bet- ter solution. The county does this for culverts and bumps in the road, why not for this tree? The county concedes that even though the tree is close to the road, there are no recorded traffic incidents involving the tree. This letter is an urgent plea for you to use any resources available to you to influence the road commission and Man- chester township board members to change their minds. This tree has stood over three centures resisting the elements, now if a miracle does not happen, it will meet its end due to litigation hysteria. -Mick Lantis November 26 Unsigned pearing on editorials ap-* the left side of this page represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board. by Berke Breathed ---ZJI r rFN TA4RT a 6