4 OPINION Page 4 Friday, March 28, 1986 The Michigan Daily 4 I Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Wasserman IT WAS A &REAT DO'i CON&G2E6 of 'The UNITED &TRE-5 / Vol. XCVI, No. 121 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board Apathy and activism CONTRA MD VOTE rFORz Tg toti"%14 i9 .I I' MO0T ONLY DID WE REIST AU. ". 1 w 11 11 q STUDENT LEADERSHIP of the strong protest against Representative Carl Pursell's sup- port of military aid to the Nicaraguan Contras sought to dispel a myth: that University students have become politically passive. The student participants deserve applause for raising awareness and taking a moral stand on an impor- tant issue. It is unfortunate however, that too few people pay attention to politics and to issues of erucial importance. This general apathy could lead to disastrous results at the polls. When voters act to ensure that their voices are heard by their representatives in Congress, they are not ignored. The House ap- propriately shot down President Reagan's aid package, though the 222 to 210 vote was disturbingly close. Pursell constituents in Ann Arbor clearly cared enough about the Nicaraguan issue to vocalize their dissent. In general though, voters are not activists. When they per- ceive no threat, they remain silent, and open a gateway to dangerous situations. Such was the case last week in Illinois, when indifferent or uninformed voters nominated Lyn- don LaRouche supporters Mark J. Fairchild and Janice Hart to gubernatiorial candidate Adlai Stevenson's Democratic ticket. LaRouche's platform calls for mandatory screening for AIDS for everybody, "Nuremburg-style" trials for drug traffickers, and in- creased nuclear weapons stock- piles. Stevenson has expressed vehement disgust with the primary results and said he will not run with the LaRouche suppor- ters in November. He has criticized the lack of local efforts to disseminate information about his own choices for lieutenant gover- nor and secretary of state, George Sangmeister and Aurelia Pucinski. Their names evidently were not mentioned in sample Democratic ballots. The voter turnout was low-25 percent-and unknown numbers of Republicans crossed over to vote on the Democratic side in the open Illinois primary, and these may have been key reasons for the outcome. The LaRouchean candidates spent only $200 on their campaigns, so name recognition was clearly a factor. The Democratic party cannot af- ford to be overconfident, especially in these days of conservatism and far right morality. While it is the responsibility of the people to pay attention, they were given little in- formation on which to base their views. Stevenson may have to create an alternative party if he is to avoid running with Fairchild and Hart. But Democrats, instead of pan- dering to apathy, should lead the fight against the extremists, con- front their opposition, publicize the- ir positions, and demonstrate the activism and interest demon- strated by Ann Arbor constituents last week. When they do, voters will respond in kind, making in- telligent responsible choices when they go to the polls. i L _._.. -qlh.A I .. .. r I f- I AND MNWE12 W ITN At RESOUNDING " NO" - But To0 M EXT MAONTH S rE -O& 4' 1~Ve 'iii 11111111 ' _____ Ill~ N, K u-~ .1 /,/ f s ' iiIII)lii ' LETTERS: U. S. cannot allow Libya to draw line No confirmation THERE IS no independent con- firmation that Nicaraguan troops actually embarked on an in- cursion into Honduras. No repor- ters are not allowed into the area and the Nicaraguan government denies any action. The Nicaraguan gover- nment called for an objective ob- servatory committee, modeled af- ter the committee for peace with Costa Rica, to inspect the border and verify the United States claims. The Honduran embassy officially denied that any incursion took place until meeting with U.S. State Department officials, six days af- ter the alleged invasion. In Hon- duras, however, recognition didn't come until Wednesday; Honduran media beginning coverage only af- ter the official statement was issued from Washington. Both Honduran President, Jose Azcona Hoya, and Nicaraguan President, Daniel Ortega, met on Monday; the border conflict did not appear on the agenda. Soon after this meeting both presidents left to vacation, demonstrating little in- terest in the potential war between their countries. In Nicaragua it is Holy Week (an Easter holiday): the entire country has the week off, including television and newspapers which are not running. No aerial photographs have ap- ,novA aAs ni f nn+laa ho h a n seen. Only two prisoners, sup- posedly Sandinistas, were taken, and they were never available for comment. It is not certain that they were captured in Honduras. If Sandinista troops have invaded Honduras, as they have in the past to retaliate against frequent Contra attacks, they should be protected under "hot-pursuit." Yet, the State Department claims that "hot- pursuit" of the Contras does not apply to Nicaraguan troops as a reason to enter Honduras. It seems likely that the U.S. ad- ministration is trying to promote conflict around the Nicaraguan border. This mandate, against an agreement between Honduras and Nicaragua, is an excuse for con- frontation. False contentions have been raised by the United State before. In November 1984, the State Depar- tment announced Soviet MIGs were arriving in Managua; this was con- firmed by their experts. Four days later these reports were proved wrong. It is in the interest of the U.S. administration to promote con- troversy in the region to strengthen its appeal for military aid to the Contras. However, without free media ac- cess to Honduras and contradictory information received from the governments, it is impossible to ......«L.:. 4 -1 4 l A..- To the Daily: The Daily is reaching ever greater heights in its ability to shock and dismay students on this campus who see the world around them clearly and think realistically. You've gone off the deep end in your seemingly limitless capacity for knee-jerk fascist-baiting and defeatist pascifism. Illustrative is the Opinion page, whose 4 major headlines are, by anyone's stan- dards, severely skewed to the an- ti-American left. Particularly egregious was "U.S. Out of Libya", pursuant to the recent air-sea action in the Mediterranean. The Daily makes no mention of the fact that Khadafy is an international outlaw, a maniacial murderer who assassinates his opponents as "stray dogs", and a professional terrorist, who has been authoritatively connected to the 1972 Munich massacre, the assassination of Anwar Sadat, the slaughter of American Peacekeepers in Beirut, and the recent Rome and Vienna massacres. His formidablear- senal of modern weapons is sup- plied by the Soviet Union for the dual purposes of military expan- sion into central Africa (e.g. Chad) and giving muscle to his world-wide campaign of terror. The Daily presents as conten- tious the location of Libya's sea Nervous hens To the Daily: I should keep my mouth shut, if only to let the whole business dry up of its own polemical, and thereby vaporous nature... nonetheless ...r Who, really, are these persons (or person) going about by the name of 'spock', acting as such virile champions of 'campus knowledge?' So certain are they (he?) of the content of true knowledge, they feel impelled to point their accusing fingers at heresies here at home, at the Harvard of the Midwest. A Mr. Weisbrot, poor fellow (by print date, his fate will be set- tled anyhow and this will be water over (under?) the barrel), seems to be the latest to have been found-out by the all- knowing ones; I gather they are having, trouble seeing anything but red. And what of the rest of us? It is enoughrthat some arrogant short- tempered poseurs in their fathers' clothing utter the dam- ning phrase 'Marx', for us to breathe easier and think, "Ah, well then. ther's annother loadrof National Guard will help Honduras To the Daily: Once again the Daily has shown its ignorance of military affairs, specifically in its editorial "Guard stay home" (3/19/86). If the Daily must publish opinions perhaps they should be informed ones, not opinions based on popular liberalism and miscon- ceptions. ThePresident's intention to send the National Guard to Hon- duras is not belligerent, nor is it a pretext for action against Nicaragua. It is a signal to Nicaragua not to use its rapidly expanding armed forces to spread communism to neigh- boring nations. Nicaragua possesses military personnel and advanced aircraft which far outstrips the National Police Force upon which Hon- duras relies for defense. Having the National Guard perform its Summer training in Honduras will send several signals to the communist bloc. First, it signals that America will honor its commitment to Hon- Reagan rhyme INTIMATION I wanna kill an Iranian! I wanna kill a Cuban! I wanna kill a Nicaraguan! I wanna kill a Libyan! I wanna kill a Salvadoran! I wanna kill a Russian! My name's Ronald Reagan! I'm a rambo-ling macho man! I've designed the master plan for all men, women and children. It requires human destruction, with a little torture thrown in. We've got the ultimate weapon duras if they are faced with ar- med aggression from Ortega's regime, and second, that we have the ability to deploy troops should the occasion arise, without letting up on our other commitments elsewhere in the world. There are many benefits to be gained by sending the Guard. The Guard is not a combat force that would be sent in case of need, but the training they receive in a dif- ferent environment will broaden their scope. They will, as all American forces have done on such exercises, provide enor- mous assistance to the local civilian population through con- struction, medical care, and the supply of food items. Sending the Guard - citizen soldiers - in- stead of Marines, who have been there repeatedly implies a de- escalation. Embarking full com bat troops would seem much more threatening to most rational people. One last point, if Honduras felt it would be a set- back to regional stability they probably wouldn't have invited is to participate in exercises within their SOVERIGN state. The Daily's naivete on military affairs constantly amazes me. I sometimes wonder if you are ignorant, or just attempting to create controversy where none exists. If the Daily wants to know about the armed forces then talk to those who have been there! Ignore the liberal B.S. of the small fringe element and listen to those with actual experience. t -John Scott Mathews CPL USMC (RET) March 21 boundary. This, to use the Daily's words, in ludicrous. Under Inter- national Law, Khadafy (who mocks and attacks such law every day), may claim 12 miles outward from Libya's shores. Even disregarding the nature of his regime, his claim to the entire Gulf of Sidra is the geopolitical equivalent of the U.S. claiming the entire Gulf of Mexico. Whether or not the Sixth Fleet needs to exercise south of 32030' N as opposed to north of it, which the Daily uses in its polemic, is irrelevant. As a matter of prin- ciple we cannot allow someone like Khadafy to draw a line across the Mediterranean Sea in defiance of every convention of International behavior and Law. and call it a "Line of Death". Sin- ce none of our allies nor any other free country has the assets to decisively challenge this in- tolerable affrontive claim, the duty fell to us. The Daily's claim that this ac- tion is linked to administration policy in Central America (where Marxist Nicaragua, with a Soviet supplied arsenal similar to Khadafy's, has invaded Hon- duras) is preposterous and jour- nalistically irresponsible, for the location and nature of our exer- cises were anounced through all proper international channels months ago. When Khadafy fired missiles at U.S. planes in inter- national airspace, we necessarily responded, and in a surgical and limited manner. The Daily should be lauding the efficient and effec- tive performance of US. arms (an encouraging rarity) in defen- se of International Law. -Mark Powell March 27 Abortion is catastrophe To the Daily: In response to your article co' -vering the "march for women's lives" in your March 10 issue, how can you morally give front- page priority to such a national catastrophe as abortion? These women who march for "women's rights" are choosing to forget the rights of the children they are killing. NOW President Eleanor Smeal is fighting to retain "women's rights" to an abortion. How can we, as people of God, say tiat women have the right to destroy a life? God did not exclude em- bryos when he commanded "thou shalt not kill." As for the vatican 24 who say "that which makes us human is choice".- that which makes us human is life - the life which God grants us - the life which abortion kills. If abortions con- tinue at the rate they are oc- curring, they will someday be the demise of our nation. Please don't contribute to this injustice by giving abortion front-page at- tention. Sheri L. Hull March 12 4 Correction: The editorial, "Wire service politics" Daily (3/17/86) in- correctly reported the analysis of. Amnesty International. The ar- ticle should have read "Amnesty did report that the Contras use torture and mutilation as "routine practices." The Daily regrets the error. I I do