editorials tcmm
Young And Personalized Diplomacy
wnue many regret me departure
of Andrew Young as U.S. Ambas
sador to the United Nations, the only
real surprise is that he was not eased
out when President Carter purged
his Cabinet a few weeks ago.
We make this observation because
Mr. Young has from the beginning
of his appointment practiced a form
of personalized diplomacy uncom
mon in the field of foreign affairs. In
fact, many of Young’s friends and
political supporters had expressed
strong reservations about Young ac
cepting the U.N. ambassadorship.
They reasoned that as a member of
the House of Representatives with
considerable status and as a per
sonal friend of the President, he
would be able to effectively in
fluence national policy in many
areas.
Furthermore, these Young sup
porters argued if an administrative
position was desired let it not be the
UN post. This position, Young was
virtually told, was one of high visibi
lity but little power or influence be
cause the President, the Secretary
of State and the nation security advi
sor were the foreign affairs policy
makers.
Undoubtedly, in accepting the UN
post Young had every intention of
pursuing a form of personalized dip
lomacy. This had been done by for
mer UN Ambassadors Adlai Steven
son and Patrick Moynihan - men
who put the stamp of their own per
sonalities on the post. Young did like
wise. However, because Young is a
black man and thus is one who Has
been oppressed by the ravages of
racism and racial injustice he is
therefore philosophically rooted in a
form of individualism unlike Steven
son and Moynihan.
Wrong Man
Young’s roots are with the poor,
the oppressed, the civil rights cru
sades of the 1960s and the vivid re
minder of the wasteful killing of Dr.
Martin Luther King. Therefore, if
the Carter administration was seek
ing a status quo foreign affairs offi
cer for the UN job, Andrew Young
was the wrong man.
There is no doubt that Jimmy Car
ter was aware of Mr. Young’s per
sonalized approach to issues of cons
cience just as he was aware that Am
er ica needed to build some new brid
ges of trust and communication with
the Third World nations, particular
ly among the black African states. It
was therefore out of this setting the
Carter picked Andy Young to per
form a difficult task.
in performing mis task, the A.
Philip Randolph Institute noted,
“Ambassador Young acted consis
tent with his conscience, a rare qua
lity in political life today...He has
created new links for America with
- -
the Third World. He helped shape
and implement a new, more humane
and effective policy toward Africa.
He became a symbol of America’s
concern with the aspirations of the
developing nations and our devotion
to human rights.”
While all Americans should be
grateful to Andrew Young for his
contribution, and while we recognize
that many of his controversial state
ments were the outgrowth of his civil
right value-orientation, Young wise
ly resigned before totally destroying
his usefulness. Statements like call
ing Iran’s Ayatolla Khomeni a
“saint” while practicing mass kill
ings, that America has “thousands
of political prisoners” and that
Cuban involvement in Angola was a
“stabilizing influence” indicate im
pulsive thinking or a considerable
misunderstanding of the role of a
foreign service officer.
These and similar untimely re
marks and the climatic meeting
with the PLO were in Mr. Young’s
mind a way to demonstrate to the
world the practice of freedom and
democracy American style. What
Mr. Young overlooked however, is
the fact that chaos, not freedom will
prevail if every diplomat, corpora
te officer, military officer and others
ignored established policy to ex
press his or her personal viewpoints
the very freedoms and democracy
we cherish so dearly would be en
rianffprpH
Unjust Laws
Resistance to unjust laws and
racism was the nature of the civil
rights movement of the 1960s, and
with it statements contrary to estab
lished laws and policies, especially
in the South, is and was effective
in securing a degree of social, poli
tical and economic justice in a na
tion that has a greater policy and
commitment to freedom and justice.
It was this kind of mind-set that in
fluenced Andrew Young’s thinking
Therefore, if it can be said Mr.
Young failed, it was only his inabili
ty to understand that speaking out
freely to gain justice in a society that
is basically committed to justice is
one thing, but speaking out freely in a
world that is largely unjust is quite
another. Yet, it was some of Mr.
Young’s controversial personalized
diplomacy remarks that has un
doubtedly led to improved relations
with the African states.
Young’s personalized diplomacy
is a new dimension in the American
foreign service. Even with its poten
tial for chaos and the straining of
policy considerations, it may be a
useful short-term diplomacy stra
tegy to get some tasks done. If this
is true, thank you, Andy.
* BLACKS WHO WANT TO
FIGHT CAINE BY BLACKS
AGAINST SLACKS *VST
NOT BE INTIMATED,
CHARLES COBt
nCRAL
Tvwt
Blacks Should Not Just Be Spectators To Their Own Doom!
Problem Of Specialization
By Gerald 0. Johnson
Post Columnist
A guy got promoted to vice
president at his office and
came home bolstering the fact
to his wife. As days passed the
guy continued his bragging
until his wife got fed up. She
finally replied, “Vice Presi
dents are a dime a dozen, they
have one in charge of prunes
at the grocery store.” Well,
the husband just couldn’t take
this. He was outraged that his
wife would treat his promotion
so lightly. He immediately
raced to the phone and called
the grocery store in an
attempt to refute his wife’s
comments. Hie reply he re
ceived after asking to speak to
the vice president of prunes
was, “Which Kind? Packaged
or bulk?”
This story was used in “bits
and pieces” to demonstrate
how specialized our society is
becoming. This specialization
has helped this country be
come very productive. Unfor
tunately, specialization has
the drawback of not properly
exposing people to other con
cerns. Consequently, we all
are developing “Tunnel
Vision”.
Tunnel Vision is the pro
perty of not seeing beyond the
special problems and con
cerns of your own situation.
It’s a narrow-minded, one
sided view of issues, accord
ing to the “Wall Street Jour
nal”. It’s caused by working
hard trying to be competent In
an area and succeeding. As
Gerald 6. Johnson
one becomes more competent,
the more important the work
becomes, and the less sensi
tive one becomes to other
viewpoints.
Some of the most prominent
tunnel visionists are religious
fanatics, self-made business
men, college presidents and
vice presidents, lobby groups,
unions, black people, white
people, etc.
One remedy to this problem
is the ability to listen. Nobody
really listens to anybody
anymore. You can talk to
people and while you are
talking they are busy trying to
figure out what they are going
to say next. We are so busy
thinking and talking and not
listening, that we can’t help
but be narrow-minded.
Another remedy la to read.
A diversification of reading
material is a good way to get
various opinions on a variety
of topics. Unfortunately, tele
vision has contributed highly
to Tunnel Vision. People tend
to watch television instead of
reading.
But most importantly, keep
an open mind. Don’t reject
ideas or opinions simply be
cause they aren’t in agree
ment with your own. A habit I
have been criticized for is
arguing a point that I don't
believe. Many have said I
argue for the sake of argu
ment. The truth is I argue to
give all sides a chance to be
heard. I believe that regard
less of the issue there are two
sides. To help myself from
being tunneled about issues I
like to argue both sides. It
gives me a proper perspective
of the issues. Try it! It will
open your eyes to the world
around you.
Quote: Lord, when we are
wrong, make us willing to
change and when we are right,
make us easy to live with.
UGDA Seto Criteria
WASHINGTON-A new U.S.
Department of Agriculture
rule should result in more
consistent state standards for
defining scnoois in severe
need of a breakfast program.
Such schools may qualify for
higher rates of reimburse
ment.
The new rule will help make
breakfast available to more
needy children on a more
equitable basis.
——by Vernon E. Jordan, Jr
TO
BE
EQUAL
Congress Should Shape Up
There’s a lot of talk about the lack of
leadership in national life, and a major respon
sibility for that situation must be borne by the
Congress.
The institution of the Presidency was wounded
by the war in Vietnam, by Watergate, and by the
combined effects of inflation and unemployment.
That left a vacuum in leadership and Congress
rushed in to fill the gap. But in assuming
expanded influence it has proved incapable of
exercising it.
One reason lies in its size. Over 500 members of
Congress and a complex committee structure
simply cannot provide national leadership.
The decline of party loyalty is another
contributing factor. Party leaders can no longer
round up votes for their own members. There are
too many wild cards going their own way.
Still another factor is that Congress has fallen
victim to the selfish negativism spreading in the
nation. "What’s in it for me?” is the prevalent
attitude. There was a time when Congressional
leadership offered many instances of legislators
voting their conscience, even when it meant no
immediate benefits for their constituents.
One thinks of Senator Dirksen rounding up
conservative votes to pass a civil rights bill, or
isolationist leaders coming round to back the
Marshall Plan.
There’s little of that these days. A major
international agreement such as the Panama
Canal Treaty or the SALT Treaty offers opportu
nities for grandstanding and attempts to abro
gate the authority of the executive by offering
headline-grabbing amendments.
Thp nilhlin’fi HiQilliiomnmnnt urifVt
leaders derives largely from Congressional
cynicism. We’re told how serious the energy
crisis is, but it took Congress over a year to reach
a compromise bill that no one can understand
and is already outdated by events.
A good portion of Congressional business is
spent on attempts to stop school busing, thus
undermining progress in desegregation and
attacking the legal and moral authority of the
Courts.
Federal programs that aid the poor with jobs w
or income are regularly attacked. When it wants •"
to demonstrate that it is a defender of the public
purse, Congress cuts aid to the poor. Often
amendments are tacked on to bills that result in
added burdens for the poor. One such amend
ment may mean sharp cuts in federal welfare
aid this year. Others limit abortion options for
poor women. The list is long and getting longer.
While conservatism in spending is a favorite
Congressional rhetorical device, the strictest
budget-cutters are big spenders when it comes to
pet projects that they think may benefit their
districts or special interest groups.
While slicing job programs for the poor,
Congress keeps spending billions on pork barrel
ripoffs and on unnecessary and wasteful pro
jects. Inner city housing or job programs are
slashed by the same Congressmen who voted
themselves the most expensive office building in
the country.
The usual excuse for Congress’ lack of
leadership is that it simply reflects the mood of a
public that’s become more negative in recent
vaort
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The Block Beat
Your Vote In The Upcoming Election To Decide City’s Future
By Milton Jordan
Special to the Poet
How you vote In the upcom
ing elections will help deter
mine this city's future.
Charlotte sits at a critical
Juncture In its history, faced
not only with unparalleled
growth opportunities, but also
armed with the experiences of
similar cities that erred dra
matically when sitting at a
similar Junction 10 years or
more ago.
So Charlotte can become a
showcase city, a Jewel of the
New South, capable of proving
that urban living need not be
an “either, or" situation. Or
Charlotte can become another
urban statistic, a city that
grew to its own destruction.
The deciding factor, then, of
Charlotte’s future is how well
it manages urban growth.
Most cities haven’t manag
ed well.
For the last decade or so,
urbanites have had to choose
between the urban area’s pro
gress, and the peace and tran
quility of suburbia. Faced
with this choice, many people,
with characteristic “self
interest," tried valiantly “to
have their cake and eat it
too.”
Business people, Industrial
ists, workers, etc all flocked
to the cities by day, escalated
the demand for urban ser
vices, and fled to the suburbs
by night Thus, they robbed
the cities that served them of
the needed tax base to pay for
the daily demand.
And today, the chickens
have come home to roost.
Our cities across the nation
are declining rapidly.
. They are weighted down by
masses of impoverished citi
zens who couldn’t afford to
flee, and who can’t pay for the
services demanded by those
who fled. Our cities are chok
ed by miles of constricting
concrete, ribbons of escape
that bring the service deman
den to us by day, and provide
them with rapid routes to their
suburban cocoons by night.
Our local governments wres
tle dally with the problems of
having to provide so much for
so many with no one to pass
the tab or the hat to.
To add insult to Injury, ur
banites, operating under their
suburban disguise, demand
that cities put on a false face
of progress and success. Cities
have tall, air conditioned bank
and office buildings, ritzy res
taurants, shops and shopping
centers, broad streets, compu
terized traffic control
systems, spiraling parking
decks and the like so these
urban traitors can work and
indulge themselves in an at
mosphere to which they have
become accustomed
Small wonder, then, that the
people left to roast in the
gruelling heat of similar
Milton Jordan
wants with fewer avenues by
which they might be achieved,
become the parasites of crime
and decay that feast on the
putrid spectacle of decline.
The result of all this deceit,
this unfairness of demanding
urban services and suburban
lifestyles, has created a mon
ster called urban sprawl.
So now the prodigal urban
ites are returning home,
bringing their condominiums
with them.
Charlotte has escaped much
of this.
One reason is the state’s
liberal annexation laws that
allow our cities to reach out
and bring suburbia back to
"urbania.”
Another factor has been that
for yean Charlotte was “off
the beaten path.” Few people
knew about It, and fewer still
cared. It was not exactly
"easy” to get here, flying,
riding, or walking. Everyone
was interested in Atlanta,
Miami, Houston, Dallas, and
other shinier Jewels in the
fledging crown of the South.
Still another factor is that
Charlotteans, themselves,
have played their develop
ment cards close to the cheat.
Whether wisely or selfishly,
Charlotteans have not raced
out In wild abandon and sold
their city to the highest bid
der. In the past, newcomers
were carefully selected, both
for what they brought to the
city, and how little they dis
rupted what the city already
had.
But momentum is taking the
power of selection out of our
hands. People now know that
Charlotte is the largest city
between Washington, D.C. and
Atlanta. It’s easier to get here,
and getting easier all the time.
People are coming to Char
lotte uninvited and whether
we want them or not.
City progress, then, is in
evitable. In today’s world,
there’s no way for a city to
survive without growing. So
Charlotte must grow.
The question facing all of
you in these upcoming elec
tions for mayor and city coun
cil is how do you choose to
grow, and how will this growth
be managed?
Do not kid yourselves, trans
portation is an issue in this
campaign only to the extant
that transportation relates to
growth management. Annexa
tion is an issue only as It
relates to growth planning and
management. Taxation is an
issue only as It relates to the
ability to adequately finance
growth management without
overburdening taxpayers.
Housing is an issue only as It
relatea to growth manage
ment.
Orowth management is
THE ISSUE in this campaign
What are Charlotte’s option
as the city facee and grapples
with this critical question of
growth management?
The choices are quite
simple:
+ Charlotte can choose to
grow to the Southeast, leaving
the rest of the city to fend for
itself.
+ Charlotte can choose to
grow as evenly and fairly aa
various costs and other bar
riers allow, actually accelera
ting growth in some areas to
help them catch up with the
Southeast section of the city
that has been growing for
years.
There are advantages and
disadvantages in both of these
options
Unquestionably, SouUieast
Charlotte is the city's post
card. Its beautiful, tree-lined
boulevards, rolling yards,
stately homes and relatively
peaceful environment are at
tractive and easy to sell.
Folks around here, who
years ago Invested In the
concept of southeastern
growth stand to reap hand
somely aa a result of their
faith and patience. But the dis
advantage of southeastern
Charlotte growth at the ex
panse of the rest of the city is
the same as the consequences
of an uneven activity In any
living organism.
If, for example, you never
used your left hand, Jiat be
cause you’re right-handed,
your left side would eventually
let the message and become
J*jloea. But the death of the
left side would be painful. But
more Importantly, thoiwh the
right side would be stronger,
there would surely come a
time when you would need
both hands, and the left hand
wouldn’t be there. So it is with
Charlotte