OPINION
Page 4 Friday, July 8, 1988 The Michigan Daily
Schultz rewrites
Unsigned editorial- represent the majority views of the Daily's
Editorial Board. Cartoons and signed editorials do not
necessarily reflect the Daily's opinion.
Environmental and human rights meetings:
Dark truths
TORONTO WAS RECENTLY the
setting of two remarkable and
unprecedented gatherings. Although
distinct and unrelated, these meet-
ings reached remarkably similar
conclusions from independent evi-
dence. Taken together, they form a
powerful indictment of the military
and economic policies of First
World nations as they are currently
carried out.
The first, a tribunal inquiry, co-
incided with the economic summit
in mid-June. Expert witnesses, hu-
man rights activists, and scientists
from around the world gathered to
testify about the human and envi-
ronmental rights violations com-
mitted by the Group of Seven Na-
tions (Canada, Italy, Germany,
Britain, Japan, France and the
United States).'
Two weeks later, a conference on
the changing atmosphere brought
together climatologists, environ-
mentalists and government officials
from 48 countries to publicize the
alarming degradation of the earth's
atmosphere and to call for interna-
tional action in checking the forces
of environmental destruction.
The tribunal, sponsored by the
Alliance for Non-Violent Action,
examined the effect foreign policies
have on the majority of the world's
population in the context of terror-
ism and criminality. Over 150 tes-
timonies examined the economic
crimes of the Group of Seven
against the poor and the- environ-
ment, and investigated the illegality
and terror of the nuclear cycle.
Tribunal evidence presented by a
variety of expert witnesses revealed
many dark truths: how the Group
of Seven uses the World Bank to
wage economic warfare against
Third World peoples; how U.S.
policies are structured to the poten-
tial use of nuclear bombs; how
NATO war testing destroys the en-
vironment of Native American
people; and how marine mammals
in the Atlantic Ocean have become
so contaminated by toxic waste
dumping that some would actually
require a "hazardous substance" la-
bel in order to be legally transported
on land.
The guilty verdict served up by
tribunal jurors after three days of
testimony was based on the
Nuremberg Agreements; the UN
International Covenant of Rights;
and Canadian Bill C-71, which
criminalizes crimes against human-
ity. This is the first attempted ap-
plication of this law, which calls
for the refusal of entry of foreign
citizens, such as President Reagan,
found to be involved in such
crimes.
Called by the Canadian govern-
ment, Toronto's conference on the
world's changing atmosphere pre-
sented predictions fast on their way
to becoming dark truths: The
spectre of recurrent drought in the
American grainbelt in wake of
greenhouse effect warming; massive
fish die-offs in the Great Lakes;
rotting tundra in the Arctic;
concentration of toxins in shrinking
underground aquifers; and increases
in human skin cancers due to ozone
layer erosion.
Like tribunal witnesses, delegates
to the atmosphere conference
identified specific economic policies
of First World nations as the root
cause of global destruction. How-
ever, conferees ultimately fell short
of the mark by framing their rec-
ommendations in terms of remedial
technological measures and restric-
tions on emissions rather than call-
ing for radical restructuring of the
First World economic institutions.
Reductions in carbon dioxide
emissions and rates of deforestation
alone will only slow down a devas-
tating process of environmental de-
struction, making the predicted sce-
nario simply a question of sooner
or later. If atmospheric disaster is to
be truly averted, then economic
systems which depend for their sur-
vival on endless production, limit-
less consumption, waste and re-
source exploitation must be dis-
mantled.
Both the human rights tribunal
and the conference on the world's
atmosphere in Toronto acknowledge
clearly how crimes against human-
ity and crimes against the environ-
ment are backed by the legality of
state power and its economic insti,
tutions. International treaties and
agreements with no official legal
status will do little to deter or pun-
ish the perpetrators of such crimes.
SECRETARY OF STATE George
Schultz visited Central America
this week preaching the contradic-
tory goals of isolating the Sandin-
istas and furthering the Arias peace
process. Schultz's trip can be better
described asa propaganda campaign
for the Reagan administration's
immoral Central American policy,
as his inflammatory statements
went beyond rhetoric to blatant lies.
Schultz hailed El Salvador, Costa
Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras as
democracies and attempted to
showcase their "progress" as an ar-
gument against the Sandinistas.
Schultz pointed out Nicaragua's de-
creasing standard of living, increas-
ing inflation, and unemployment as
inherent flaws of Sandinista rule.
He contrasted this to what he
claims are the economically and
socially successful "democracies."
The economies of all four of
Schultz's model nations are struc-
tured to benefit only the wealthy,
dictatorial elites. Schultz decried
Nicaragua, where "tens of thousands
of workers are paid less than the
cost of subsistence," while below-
subsistence wages are the rule in
Central America to ensure big
profits for U.S.-based companies.
Additionally, millions of U.S.
government dollars, in place of
popular support, are poured into
these four governments and mili-
taries to maintain the status quo.
In fact, it was the Nicaraguan
Revolution's threat to this status
quo which launched the Reagan ad-
ministration's terrorist attempts to
discredit and overthrow the popu-
larly-supported Sandinista govern-
ment. The Sandinistas made a clean
break from decades of corrupt, U.S.-
backed Somocista rule and insti-
tuted reforms.
For example, the Sandinistas
decreased illiteracy from the So-
moza-level of over 50 percent to
less than 15 percent. Polio was
eradicated. By 1984, infant mortal-
ity dropped from 125 per 1,000
births to 75 per 1,000 births. Addi-
=W -
history
Nicaragua's present problems. In
November 1981, Reagan authorized
$19.5 million to the CIA specifi-
cally for covert operations targeting
bridges, power plants, and other
non-military facilities in Nicaragua.
Since then, the United States has
invested at least $350 million in
funding a terrorist army against the
Nicaraguan people, economy, and
government. Whether legal or ille-
gal, the sole effects of aid to the
contras are the deaths of innocent
OUR MAN4 IN PANAMA,. NICRAGUA,, HOiJDLURt'$, 1AnI~t
tionally, the Sandinista government
won the 1982 UNICEF/World
Health Organization award for
making the most improvements in
health.
Schultz ignores the U.S. role in
One less pig
In the trough
CITIZENS CONCERNED WITH JUSTICE offered bittersweet toasts
across the United States Tuesday in recognition of Edwin Meese's res-
ignation. While anti-Meese activists enjoyed seeing the departure of
perhaps the most disgraceful Attorney General in American history, the
disturbing reality that Meese had survived in office for so long and the
apparent political benefits for George Bush and Ronald Reagan of
Meese's timely disappearance spoil the "victory" for everyone.
Listing Meese's crimes and improprieties while serving in the Rea-
gan administration is unnecessary; all that really needs to be said is
that, as the highest ranking law enforcement officer in this country (not
including the president), Ed Meese has come to personify injustice na-
tionwide.
Although there have been calls for Meese's firing or resignation for
several years, "The Pig" survived long enough to obstruct investiga-
tions of both the Iran-contra debacle and the more recent Pentagon graft
scandal - and, one can easily assume, long enough to make a small
fortune prostituting his office and relationship with the president to the
highest bidders.
Also, Meese's departure has been timed perfectly to allow his trail of
slime to dry before the presidential elections in November. Whereas
Democrats had been counting on Meese as an easy target on the
campaign trail, now they will have to settle for attacking George Bush
directly - not that it's so difficult to do.
So, farewell, Ed Meese. We're sorry we knew ye.
people and destruction of a strug-
gling Central American democracy.
When detailing Nicaragua's
problems, Schultz must take into
account the U.S. bombing of
Nicaraguan harbors, CIA-authored
assassination manuals, and the
purely ideologically-based trade
embargo against Nicaragua.
Americas Watch and the New
York Times have documented mur-
ders of health-workers, teachers, and
other civilians; rape, torture, muti-
lation, and mass murder as contra
standard operating procedure.
Schultz is welcome to lament the
depressing state of Nicaragua; but,
as Reagan's foreign policy hench-
person, he must take much of the
responsibility. Along with Elliot
Abrams, who shuns all efforts to-
ward diplomacy, Schultz has advo-
cated Reagan's militaristic solu-
tions. If Schultz is really concerned
with making peace in the region, he
should meet with the Sandinistas
and assist in the recovery of their
nation instead of spreading lies and
working against it.
There will be a "Nicaraguan Cof-
fee Party"at the Federal Building
between noon and 2 p.m. on Satur-
day. This is an opportunity to
protest the Reagan administration's
trade embargo against Nicaragua.
The protest will include live enter-
tainment and writing postcards to
Washington, D.C., in an effort to
lift the embargo.