4 OPINION Page 4 Tuesday, February 2, 1988 The Michigan Daily Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Nicaragua made concessions 4 Vol. XCVIII, No. 85 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. MLK day fought racism IN THE FACE OF RAMPANT institu- tional racism and racist attacks at the University, it is important to recog- nize the student groups responsible for the alternative classes and protests held on the national holiday for Martin Luther King. The United Coalition Against Racism (UCAR) and everyone else involved in the organization and promotion of these events deserve commendation for these alternative educational events while the University administration largely ignored the spirit of the day. Although some people on the picket line around Angell Hall in- correctly labeled students racists, 'this was not the position of UCAR and violated the spirit of the protest. UCAR has made an official apology for any such unsanctioned actions. A number of people have criti- cized the UCAR-sponsored boycott of classes and the protest around the Fishbowl. However, most the critics seem disturbingly unaware of the numerous alternative events. To condemn the entire holiday, as well as UCAR and the other groups involved in the activities, because of objections to the handling of the 1 class boycott ignores the general success of the day as a whole. There was an entire day of alter- native classes held in the Union on topics rarely discussed or presented at the University. These events were sensitive to student interest, as was evidenced by the large numbers in attendance at these teach-ins: at least 1500 people marched in the parade, classes and symposia at the Michigan Union were full. If any substantive criticism, albeit minor, could be leveled at UCAR, it is that the protesters were not suffi- ciently prepared for interacting with students attending classes. Also, more white students would have honored the boycott if UCAR had been able to spend more time edu- cating people as to its importance. But it must be remembered that a great deal of the anti-racist move- ment'stime and energy was taken up in the days preceding MLK day in dealing with Steiner's unantici- pated racist remarks. More importantly, those who criticize UCAR for not preparing adequately for the boycott should have helped to do just this. Those who didn't do anything to educate their fellow students about the im- portance of the holiday, especially in light of the rampant institutional racism that persists on this campus, are not in a position to criticize those who cared enough to do something. The unfortunate actions of a few people must not be construed as reason to condemn the entire block- ade. The aim of protesters was simply to make students think about the tacit statement they were making by attending classes during the boycott. UCAR reasoned that if students must go out of their way and use a side door, perhaps they would reconsider their decision to violate the boycott and begin to un- derstand the significance of that de- cision. Obviously this was UCAR's intention, since the side entrances to the buildings were left unblocked. Sadly, the more regrettable aspects of the boycott have been exagger- ated in the minds of many students to the point of equating UCAR's efforts with the kind of intolerance the protest was designed to over- come. That such thoughts are mis- taken becomes painfully obvious when one examines the motives be- hind the boycott in the first place. Students must realize what Dr. King stood for; that the injustice he fought is still prevalent in society; and that it is important to set aside his birthday as a symbol of a con- tinuing commitment to eliminate racism. With this in mind, it is dif- ficult to find fault with UCAR in its efforts to make King's birthday a holiday in the fullest sense of the word. By L.A.Vazquez As a student who desires Peace in Central America, I strongly oppose this latest attempt by the Reagan administration to subvert the Arias Plan. Continued aid at this point will only serve to plunge Central America into another period of bloodshed and death, all with our tax money - the same money that is needed in our own country to further our education, or to deal with other problems too numerous to mention. By now it should be evident that the CIA-backed contras do not want Peace, they are mak- ing too much profit from drug-running and skimming dollars from "aid" packages, in fact they would like very much for the conflict to continue. It should be evident also that the Nicaraguan government has continually made concessions in attempting to comply with the Arias accordI. They have lifted the "state of emergency," have released prisoners, have agreed to direct talks with the U.S.-backed contra mercenaries. It seems to me that Nicaragua is unfairly fo- cused upon by the U.S. media, who simi- larly ignore flagrant violations of the Arias Peace Agreement by other countries L.A. Vazquez is a graduate student in the school of Public health. in the region, as recently evidenced by the downing of another CIA-contra plane car- rying guns to the contras. Contrary to statements by Elliott (I lied to Congress) Abrams and the State Department, there is freedom in Nicaragua. Opposition parties take to the streets, give speeches in the National Assembly, make statements to the press - and then com- plain loudly that their civil rights are be- ing violently suppressed! La Prcnsa, fi- nanced from the U.S., publishes daily whatever distortions and "interpretations" it sees fit to print. Different political points of view are expressed regularly over the airwaves. Every kind of religious movement or sect does house-to-house proselytizing, billboard advertising, or ra- dio broadcasting. If the Nicaraguan people had Peace, they would prosper and " advance beyond previous levels of accomplishment they had aspired to before the current U.S. em- bargo and CIA/contra war. The Nicaraguan successes of the literacy campaign, their vaccination programs, their land reforms, and any future measures of achievement would make them the envy of all Central America. The people in power in the rest of Central America (with the exception of Costa Rica) know that the crushing poverty and injustice that is endemic in their societies will produce explosions if the Nicaraguan experiment is allowed to succeed. The military dictatorships in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador want to see the Sandinistas fall from power so they can maintain the "status quo" in their countries. The Reagan administration wants to keep its "friends" in power in 4 these countries, no matter what the cost in suffering and human lives. The Reagan administration paints the alternative in the most frightening way possible by calling it COMMUNIST!! at every chance, thus stampeding the U.S. public into support- ing what it would have no part of if it re- ally knew the truth and the people in- volved. How long are we going to allow this needless bloodshed and destruction to 4 continue in our name? Will the Reagan administration stop asking for contra aid after this request ? Of course it won't!! That is precisely why we must try to stop this madness now. I urge all peace-minded individuals on this campus to write or call their congresspersons and ask them to vote "o to further contra aid. Reagan calls the contras "freedom fighters," and I do agree with this, they have been fighting freedom for 7 years now. It is high time America started sending doctors and teachers, engi- neers and mechanics, food and medicines to Nicaragua, to help rebuild this tiny sovereign nation torn apart by earthquake, civil war, and foreign aggression. Stop beating Palestinians 4 By Hana Salah, Dina Khoury, Dima Zalatimo, Cheryl Ajlouny, Paul Singh Buttar In the occupied territories,,protests and demonstrations against Israel's oppressive and barbaric iron fist policy are still widespread. As these protests entered their seventh week, the Israeli regime implemented a new policy of force in the West Bank and the Gaza. Under this latest tactic, the army has beaten hundreds of Palestinians with clubs, fists, and rifle butts. "The first priority is to use force, might, and beatings," Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin said of the new policy. The significance of the crisis in the occupied territories is that Israel's oppressive response shows it has been put on the defensive over the Palestinians for the first time in 20 years. Israel and Prime Minister Shamir overlook the fact that the The authors are members of the Association of Arab American University Graduates (AAUG). restrictions - bullets and tear gas, raids and roundups, illegal deportations, and curfews and censorship - are seen as a change of course by friend and foe alike. The Israel which was in no hurry to make up its mind on the fate of the lands it seized in 1967 is being forced for the first- time by angry youths to face the fact that it cannot remain a "democracy" and an occupying power indefinitely. It is now the time for negotiations to come about. There must be a just and comprehensible settlement for the region. "The question is how to start negotiations. And the crux of it is Palestinian representation. It's no use waiting your adversary to be represented by people so pliable that they're not representative. You make peace with those who were at war with you [the PLO]. The people we talk to should be moderate enough to be negotiate with and yet immoderate enough to be able to give us a signature with a commitment behind it. Otherwise you go through the fiasco of our [Israel's] 1982 negotiations with the Lebanese. We sat up there with very amiable people, and we d-ank wine, and we spoke French to each other. And they signed an agreement with us. But they were like people who sign a check without having a bank account." This was a quote taken by a New York Times correspondent in an interview with Abba Eban, Labor member of the Knesset, Chairman of the Committee on Security and Foreign Affairs, and former Foreign Minister. Israel and it supporters must realize that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole and legitimate representation of the Palestinian people and any sort of negotiation processes must include them. The first step to bring about a solution and an end to the apartheid-like policies for the occupied territories is an international peace conference where both Israel and the PLO are represented under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council. The road to peace is through dialogue and Yasser Arafat and the PLO have agreed to recognize Israel if she is willing to recognize them through an international conference. So now at the University of Michigan, dialogue must begin between Jewish and Arab organizations in order to put pressure on Israel to negotiate with the representation of the Palestinian people - the PLO. 4 Recent U.S. activities in Nicaragua Pursell: oppose contra aid THE HOUSE OF Representatives will have the opportunity on Wednesdays to end a disgraceful chapter of U.S.-sponsored terror- ism by ending support of the con- tras. President Reagan has pro- posed $36 million in additional aid for the band largely made up of ex- Somoza National Guard members. A portion of this aid package is termed "humanitarian," yet spon- soring a terrorist organization is hardly humanitarian. In addition to $3.6 million in lethal aid, $18 mil- lion of this "humanitarian" support will go to repair military hardware. Food aid will be used to free other funds for the contras to buy weapons. The. contras have stock- piled arms, collected from air drops by the CIA, in anticipation of fur- ther aid being voted down by Congress. The Sandinista government has made broad concessions in order to comply to the Arias peace plan. They have lifted the six-year old state-of-emergency, reopened La Prensa and opposition radio sta- tions, and offered amnesty for con- tras. Nicaragua has done much more to comply with the Arias ac- cord than have the major U.S.- - ra .tr 1 Sa r- n n . - ort __.,tn T contras over $250 million. During the same period, the contras com- mitted thousands of murders, in- cluding many civilian. They also used U.S. tax dollars to destroy over $237 million worth of health and daycare centers, schools, and cooperatives from 1981 to 1984 alone. Contra attacks are characteristi- cally on unarmed citizens and so- cial institutions such as health cen- ters and farms. They typically commit premeditated torture, rape, mutilation, and mass kidnappings to force men into contra service. In- timidation is crucial to contra victo- ries - they successfully terrorize local citizens out of cooperating with education, food distribution and community resource projects, and murder clergy who support the government. (Crime and Social Justice, nos. 27-28) Contra aid passed by one vote in the House in late December. Many representatives bowed to their de- sire to get home for the holidays and their support for the massive spending bill to which the aid was attatched. The vote will be close again on Wednesday; therefore citi- zen input may sway the final vote. A A I T , 'I ,, .I ~ The following in a partial timeline of CIA and U.S. military activities in Nicaragua: -October 1983: The CIA sets fire to 1.6 million gallons of oil in Corinto, Nicaragua. -February-March 1984: The CIA mines Corinto and El Bluff harbors. -October 1984: The New York Times re- ports the CIA published and distributed how-to manuals on assassination and overthrow of the Nicaraguan government to the contras. -1982 to 1984: The United States conducts military maneuvers over Nicaragua and flies spy planes over Managua. -October 1986: Eugene Hausenfaus shot down in plane flying over Nicaragua. CIA ties to aid the contras revealed by several journalists and independent organizations. -November 1986: Conspiracy by the Rea- gan Administration of selling arms to Iran and diverting profits to the contras uncov- ered. Other funds reportedly used during 1986 U.S. elections to smear candidates who opposed Administration policy in Central America. -1986: Repeated break-ins at U.S. offices of contra-opponents. Objects of value ig- nored while files and other information stolen. -January 1988: Files released by FBI under Freedom of Information Act reveal intense surveillance of anti-contra groups and in- dividuals by the Bureau. Information taken from Crime and So- cial Justice, vol. 27-28. ++ a LETTERS Zinn Rather exposed Bush QQ °" ALW AYs FMET t RULE EIGHT yti1 f' i i ,. . %/ " r a%, To the Daily: Last Monday's Bush-Rather fiasco reaffirms t h e overwhelming power of the media to shape public opinion. Unfortunately, the adversarial aature of the interview has oc- cuded the real importance of the interview-that George Bush inadvertently implied his involvement in the Iran-contra affair. For months, Bush has in- sisted that he only became aware of the arms-for-hostages- for-profit scheme after the Congressional hearings last surfaced in the Iran-contra hearings. During the interview, Bush attempted to excuse his actions with a reference to the torture of a CIA agent in Lebanon. Such an attempt to swell American patriotic pas- sions, however, is misplaced as Bush knew of the agent's death well before the arms-for- hostages swap occurred. Rather achieved his goal, but the point was lost on the public due to the excitement of an argument on live television. Hopefully, the crest of pub- lit h..t.r a ...ll ,, _ n o i1 .. } LW 4 44 A