6The Daily Tar HeelMonday, November 2? 1933
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91st year of editorial freedom
Kerry DeRochi, Editor
Alison Davis, Managing Editor
CHARLES ElLMAKF.R, Associate Editor
Kelly Simmons, vmvenity Editor
KYLE MARSHALL, State and National Editor
Michael DeSisti , Sports Editor
Melissa Moore, News Editor
FRANK BRUNI, Associate Editor
Michael Toole, City Editor
KAREN FlSHER, Features Editor
Jeff Grove, Arts Editor
CHARLES W. LEDFORD, Photography Editor
Chilly reception
If there were any doubts that the deployment of U.S. missiles into
Western Europe would cause Soviet retaliation, they were quickly dispell
ed last week when Russian diplomats left the talk of arms reduction in
Geneva bargaining rooms and began talking once again of escalation. It
was an attempt by the Soviets to show they would stand behind their
threats, yet it served only to further polarize East-West relations, worsen
ing the chance of equitable solutions to the nuclear arms race. By their
move, the Soviets departed from the realm of influence in Western
Europe. Now, it is up to the United States to make surp they do not stay
away from Geneva too long, or that the goal of reduction is not lost in the
eagerness to deploy.
The U.S. deployment of cruise and Pershing II missiles was the first of
a five-year deployment that would plant 572 new missiles in Western
Europe. The deployment was part of a plan adopted by NATO in 1979
designed to meld deterrence as a strategy with reduction as a goal. It was
called the two-track approach, a reaction to the Soviet 1977 deployment
of SS-20s aimed at European targets. As Helmut Schmidt, then West Ger
man chancellor said, "We are all faced with the dilemma of having to
meet the moral and political demand for arms limitations while at the
same time maintaining a fully effective deterrent to war." The deploy
ment was postponed until the latter part of 1983, in hopes that a reduc
tion agreement would be signed.
Since then, however, it has become obvious that the. "two-track" ap
proach has failed in allowing for the reductions of arms. Its philosophy
had rested on the remote possibility that the superpowers could pull away
from the numbers game and develop the trust needed for an agreement.
But the United States became caught in a race to achieve parity with the
Soviet presence in Western Europe. And the Soviets, in turn, called a halt
to all negotiations. Deterrence as a strategy, then, existed not with but
to the exclusion of any hope of reductions.
It can be argued that the NATO alliance has been strengthened by the
Soviets leaving Geneva, but the departure can in no way be called a vic
tory. The U.S. deployment of nuclear missiles cannot be termed a suc
cess. It was a cold necessity that only highlighted the need for greater at
tempts at negotiation. Unless last week's efforts are backed by attempts
to bring the Soviets back to Geneva, a greater loss will be suffered by all.
Don't eat the daisies
Motorists on the Cross Bronx Expressway may find themselves a bit
perplexed about the new scenery they are enjoying. What are those shapes
in the distance, covering the windows of crumbling, deserted buildings in
the South Bronx? What are they made of? Who put them there? For
what purpose? And, question of questions, what do they mean?
First, what they are large decals in the shapes of flowers and flower
pots and window curtains and Venetian blinds and assorted other subur
ban send-ups. Vinyl is what they're made of, and each costs about $6.
The New York City commission of housing preservation and develop
ment, under the leadership of Anthony B. Gliedman, spent more than
$100,000 in pasting them up. Their purpose to create the psychological
impression among both nearby slum dwellers and expressway passersby
that these buildings are neither forsaken nor forgotten,
Now, the hard part. What do these ludicrous vinyl decals tell us? Ac
tually, it's the easiest answer of all. They tell us that the poor in America
are in trouble, because those government officials who have some hand in
the fate of the poor fail to grasp the reality of poverty. They tell us that
government agencies do not have sufficient funds to tackle poverty in
tangible ways, but have just enough funds toxreate an illusion of govern
ment action. They tell us that American society is increasingly becoming a
place where the interests of the upper and middle classes, who flinch at
the thought of tax increases or contact with "the other half," tend to take
precedence over the plight of the indigent.
If anything, the vinyl decals will serve as bitter reminders to thousands
of tenement dwellers that they do not enjoy the typical luxuries others do.
They will remind families living in poverty of how little the government is
presently doing to help their situations.
It's doubtful that the interests of the poor are really at the center of the
commission's intentions. It seems more likely that the decal plan is really
intended to make all those Westchester County, N.Y., commuters who
must pass through the Bronx on their ways to and from the high rise of
fice buildings on midtown Manhattan believe that government agencies
are well-endowed enough to improve slum conditions.
That the decals wiLl work as a balm for the consciences of the middle
class is also unlikely. EvenAnthony B. Gliedman, housing preservation
and development commissioner, seems to realize that, below the surface
of good intentions, his agency's newest program is ineffectual. As he told
The New York Times, " We don't want anybody to think we're doing this
instead of rebuilding. But that will take years and require hundreds of
millions of dollars. And while we're waiting, we want people to know
that we still care."
A daisy for your hunger, laced curtains for your hopelessness.
The Daily Tar Heel
Editorial Assistants: Bill Riedy and Gigi Sonner.
Assistant Managing Editors: Joel Broadway, Tracy Hilton and Amy Tanner
Assistant News Editor: Gary Meek
News Desk: Cynthia Brown and Pam Weber
News: Tracy Adams, Dick Anderson, Diana Bosniack, Keith Bradsher, Amy Branen, Lisa
Brantley, Hope Buffington, Tom Cordon, Kathie Collins, Kate Cooper, Teresa Cox, Lynn
Davis, Dennis Dowdy, Chris Edwards, Kathy Farley, Steve Ferguson, Genie French, Kim
Gilley, Andy Hodges, Reggie Holley, Sue Kuhh, Thad Ogburn, Beth O'Kelley, Janet Olson,
Rosemary Osborne, Heidi Owen, Beth Ownley, Cindy Parker, Donna Pazdan, Ben
Perkowski, Frank Proctor, Linda Queen, Sarah Raper, Mary Alice Resch, Cindi Ross,
Katherine Schultz, Sharon Sheridan, Deborah Simpkins, Jodi Smith, Sally Smith, Lisa
Stewart, Mark Stinneford, Carrie Szymeczek, Liz Saylor, Amy Tanner, Doug Tate, Wayne
Thompson, Vance Trefethen, Chuck Wallington, Melanie Wells, Scott Wharton, Lynda Wolf,
Rebekah Wright, Jim Yardley and Jim Zook.
Sports: Frank Kennedy, Kurt Rosenberg and Eddie Wooten, assistant sports editors. Glenna
Burress, Kimball Crossley, Pete Fields, John Hackney, Lonnie McCullough, Robyn Nor
wood, Michael Persinger, Julie Peters, Glen Peterson, Lee Roberts, Mike Schoor, Scott Smith,
Mike Waters, David Wells and Bob Young.
Features: Clarice Bickford, Tom Camacho, Toni Carter, Margaret Claiborne, Cindy Dunlevy,
Charles Gibbs, Tom Grey, Marymelda Hall, Kathy Hopper, Charles Karnes, Joel Katzenstein,
Dianna Massie, Kathy Norcross, Jane Osment, Clinton Weaver and Mike Truell, assistant
features editor.
Arts: J. Bonasia, Steve Carr. Ivy Hilliard, Jo Ellen Meekins, Sheryl Thomas and David
Schmidt, assistant arts editor. .
Photography: Lori Heeman, Bryce Lankard, Jeff Neuville, Susie Post and Zane Saunders
Business: Anne Fulcher, business manager; Angela Booze and Tammy Martin, accounts
receivable clerks; Dawn Welch, circulationdistribution manager; William Austin, assistant
circulationdistribution manager; Patti Pittman and Julie Jones, classified advertising staff;
Yvette Moxin, receptionist; Debbie McCurdy, secretary.
Advertising: Paula Brewer, advertising manager; Mike Tabor, advertising coordinator; Laura
Austin, Kevin Freidheim, Patricia Gorry, Terry Lee, Doug Robinson, Amy Schultz and Anneli
Zeck, ad representatives.
Saridinista human rights violations
By PETER REINER
I was completely appalled when I read Loren
Hintz's article on Nicaragua ("U.S. Wrong on
Nicaragua, DTH, Nov. 9). All I could think when I
read it was, where does she get her information? She
says she's visited Nicaragua several times during the
past few years, but where has she gone? And in what
frame of mind? Unfortunately, important details are
left out of her article and others like it, and many
students come to accept what they read as indisputable
fact, when in reality such articles express only the one
sided, day-dreamy bias that romantic would-be
revolutionaries are infected by when they think they've
found something to believe in. They want to believe so
much that they block out certain facts, and refuse to
accept them. Somoza was a tyrant there is no doubt
about that but to paint the Sandinista government
in the messianic colors that Hintz uses is an utter
outrage. Why does she leave so many holes in her arti
cle? Because if she were to look at the whole
Nicaraguan picture, she would have to burst her bub
ble and open her mind. Admittedly, there have been
improvements in some areas, for example, medical
care and housing, since the Sandinistas took power,
but consider the following as well:
Complete Sandinista control of the media and
censorship of information. Although this is justified
by the alleged "emergency war period" Nicaragua
finds herself in, much of the information censored has
nothing at all to do with Nicaragua. For example, arti
cles about the fighting in Afghanistan are censored.
The Sandinistas are conducting the systematic
genocide of the Miskisto Indians, because of their
refusal to submit to communist rule. Many are sent to
labor camps, many are found in prisons, and many
have simply disappeared. (Reminiscent of Cambodia?)
Indoctrination of children about Marxism
Leninism. School-children are taught to chant,
"Americans are the worst evil." In their math classes,
they are given sketches of automatic rifles to count.
Basic necessities are rationed, and coupons to
purchase them are only available to those who par
ticipate in government "re-education" meetings.
The government ridicules religion. Pro-Sandinista
demonstrators shouted down the pope when he visited
there.
Hintz writes that because the United States is sup
plying anti-Sandinista rebels, Nicaragua is forced to
spend its scarce resources on defense weaponry. She
fails to mention two things. One, if these resources are
really scarce, how do the Sandinistas dare to ship so
many weapons and so much ammunition to the El
Salvadoran Marxist guerrillas? If the Sandinistas are
so concerned with the poor, why are they exporting
their revolution to El Salvador? And secondly, those
anti-Sandinista "rebels" are Nicaraguans, too, who
refuse to be doniinated by the Sandinistas. If they had
government representation there would be no fighting.
But there are no free elections. The Sandinistas have
promised them for 1985, but Castro promised them to
Cuba in 1958, and he still hasn't delivered. Naturally,
the Sandinistas justify this exactly as Castro did free
elections would destabilize the country. Besides, the
Sandinistas have the popular support, right? (Conve
nient for them, only government opinion polls are
allowed in Nicaragua.)
If Hintz thinks the Sandinistas are the solution, she
could have stayed in Nicaragua to help them build
their workers' paradise. But in reality, America com
mitted a. dreadful mistake by giving up Nicaragua to
the Sandinistas. People like Hintz should be involved
in pressuring the United States to bring true
democratic reform to Central American nations, not
to abandon them to Sandinistas and the like, who of
fer no solution to the problem of human rights. That
involves developing the potential of true democracy in
this nation as well through education. It means
overcoming racist, nationalist, sexist tendencies. Our
politicians and businessmen have to develop the heart
to serve others, not to take advantage of them.
Peter Reiner is a member of CARP living in
Raleigh.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Know options before deciding
To the editor:
A baby boy or girl should have the
right to be raised in an atmosphere of
love by caring parents who will devote
time to nurturing the infant. An un
wanted child born into this world is a ter
rible thing.
Likewise, it is a terrible thing to be
forced into giving up the possibility to
bear a child if that's what one really
wants to do. Unfortunately, Donna
Turner ("A perspective on abortion,"
DTH, Nov. 17) wasn't given the choice!
Aside from her first pregnancy (in
which she asserted herself and went
against the wishes of the Navy), her
course of action was determined by fami
ly and "friends" who decided that she
shouldn't carry her pregnancies to full
term. They forced her to undergo abor
tions when she herself was not prepared
to do so. What woman would not feel
resentful placed in this same situation?
"Pro-choice" means that a woman is
given the opportunity to select for herself
in what way she wishes to conduct her
life; she has the option to practice paren
thood, give the child up for adoption, or
terminate her pregnancy, if she so desires,
but her choice is not limited to abortion
alone!
Any woman who finds herself in the
situation of being pregnant and not sure
of what to do needs to talk with someone
who can help her sort out her options and
help her feel comfortable with the deci-
Bring; it back
To the editor:
On Saturday, Nov. 12, the Carolina
Union Film Committee presented a night
of B-movies in the Great Hall. The fun
with Batman, Bruce Lee, The Beatles, etc.,
was publicized in part by a contest con
ducted during that week. Students com
peted for prizes by identifying a collage of
"B" pictures mounted on a poster.
Unfortunately, the poster was a bigger
success than hoped for and during the
midnight showing of Let It Be the B-movie
collage went the way of the Talking Heads
banner and other Carolina Union publici
ty: Someone stole it. A great deal of work
(not to mention students' money) goes into
such projects, and frustration and disap
pointment result when students find the
product of hours of work ripped off. The
B-movie poster's disappearance also poses
another problem in that the prizes
(albums, movie posters and tickets) pro
mised to contestants cannot be awarded
until entry blanks are judged. And judging
will be extremely difficult without the
poster itself. The Film Committee is
therefore asking that the person who
removed the poster return it to the Union
(in the auditorium lobby, at the desk, in
Room 200, or wherever) as soon as possi
ble so that the contest can be fairly con
cluded. Daniel Streible
Union Film Committee
Don 't squeeze the 'DTH'
To the editor:
I am happy to inform the DTH that the
back page of the Nov. 7 and Nov. 16 issues
was used for toilet paper. I felt that this
was the most appropriate use for some of
the garbage that was printed on these days.
In particular, I refer to articles by Ber
nardo Garcia ("U.S.. no Messiah),
Balram Kakkar ("Longing no more") and
Kerry DeRochi ("On Reagan and posse
politics").
The United States seems to have become
the Polish joke of the world. It appears
that no nation can resist the chance to kick
the United States in the teeth they know
that the next handout is formcoming no
matter what is said.
To the dissident international and
American students I say that ypu must
broaden your myopic outlook. America's
economic and military strength has thrust
it into the leadership of the free world.
That all people will be granted freedom is a
statement indigenous to the American
spirit. Unfortunately, the myopic
dissidents fail to realize that those with
freedom must accept freedom's heavy
responsibilities. The death of America's
sons in Lebanon and Grenada must bring
tears to your eyes, but such a sacrifice
must be weighed against the actions of
those whose objectives include the usurpa
tion of the freedom of nations.
As an Australian, I see the invasion of
Grenada as something positive, where the
United States was calling the tune, where
the petulent outbursts of European na
tions did not water down American policy
into uselessness, and where the objectives
of the non-free world were stuffed back in
their pants.
From Australia's standpoint, the United
States is unequivocably the leader of the
free world and we are honest enough to
admit that fact. However, do not consider
us America's puppet, for we are stubborn
ly independent. Could it be that this
"unusual" stance is due to the fact that, as
a young nation, we are unbiased by history
a history that tells us that the United
States is the first dominant power not to
attempt to usurp the rights of other nations?
Greg McLardie
Craige
Wrong definition
To the editor:
Robert Ragland's only purpose in of
fering a scholarship to an openly gay
medical student was to stimulate "open
discussion by both gay and non-gay peo
ple. . . so that gay people can be seen as
human beings not much different from
others."
It's too bad that the non-gay side of the
discussion has been represented by the
naive and hostile words of Kelly Walker
in his letter "Animal lovers, unite" to the
DTH (Nov. 14).
Walker needs to be reminded that love
and sex are deeply personal and
therefore private aspects of human
life. To define people by their sexuality is
wrong, just as it is wrong to do so based
on age, race, sex or other differences that
too often become barriers to human
understanding.
As for Walker's hostility, perhaps he
didn't realize that in the flippant attitude
of his letter, he summarily invalidated the
lifestyles of 10 percent of his fellow
Americans, perhaps including friends,
neighbors, co-workers, professors or even
relatives.
. Marc Eisdorfer
Carrboro
A pleasant surprise
To the editor:
I was pleasantly surprised to see Donna
Pleasants' reply ("U.S. not perfect,
but. . . ," DTH, Nov. 16) to Balram Kak
kar' s column "Longing no more" (DTH,
Nov. 7). As another foreign student at
UNC, I was disappointed with Kakkar's
attitudes toward the United States and it
was heartening to see an American stand
up to this criticism.
To Kakkar I have only one thing to say:
You are in this country as an uninvited
guest (on a foreign student's visa), and if
you are so disillusioned by it you are free
to leave to return to your Afghani
paradise. No one will discourage you from
departing. I think it says a lot for this
country which allows foreigners to use its
media to criticize its policies and actions. I
am also surprised that as an ethnic Indian
you conveniently ignored one of the basic
axioms of our culture which (roughly
translated) says that a guest has no
business to spit in the plate after his host
feeds him a meal.
Rahul J. Shah
Craige
sion that she herself decides upon. No
one should be forced into a situation that
she doesn't feel is right for her.
I commend Turner for work in helping
other women who have suffered from the
psychological strain of inner conflict. But
I would consider changing the name of
her organization to WEBO (Women Ex
ploited by Others), for it is not the act of
abortion itself which is exploitive
many women who have chosen this route
for themselves feel good about their deci
sion. Rather, it is those individuals who
pressure you into making a decision that
you can't live with who are exploitive.
It is best to investigate all options
before you act. Pregnancy Support Ser
vices, Student Health Service and the Sex
uality Education and Counseling Service
stand ready to help.
Brian Richmond
Sexuality Education and
Counseling Service
A clouded perspective
To the editor:
I, too, have a perspective on abor
tion, one based on five years of
volunteer work at a birth control clinic.
There are girls and women who have
had abortions and are determined
never to have one again; who are
shocked to learn that they are pregnant
even though they don't want to be;
who become pregnant even though
they don't want to be; who become
pregnant despite using contraceptives.
I've heard about 13-year-olds pregnant
because of incest or ignorance, of
women who couldn't cope with a child
just now. I have been asked if it was
normal not to have sex. I've seen how
few boys and men care enough to come
along with their girlfriends. I have a
friend who had to have an abortion
because the pregnancy seriously
threatened her life.
We activists have to spend all our
time and energy fighting to keep legal a
woman's right to control her body. We
would prefer to start people talking
about the ethics of sex, abortion,
pregnancy and child raising. And
wouldn't it be nice if men would take
their responsibility to prevent pregnan
cy? Andi Weiss Bartczak
Craige
To the editor:
Must we really cloud this issue
again? In the column "A perspective
on abortion" (DTH, Nov. 17), Bill
Riedy ends his tirade with a message:
We must despise abortion as a form of
exploitation. Let's talk about exploita
tion. This article is the very definition
of that concept. The youthful confu
sion, and later, the idiocy of one
woman and her apparently unscrupu
lous doctor are supposed to impress us
(disgust us?) so that we condemn the
tool they abused.
Condemn, instead, the lack of
knowledge that causes a woman to
have an abortion when she is seven
months pregnant. Condemn the so
called doctor who allows such a thing.
And condemn a "journalist" who is
too narrow-minded to recognize that
pro-abortion does not mean pro-death.
Do people really believe, still, that an
abortion is an option lightly chosen, as
blithely undertaken as a trip to the den
tist? It is a difficult decision, one that
can be hard to live with, but it should
be ours to make. The real exploitation
we face comes from ignorance and, it
seems, from the authoritarian figures
who control without compassion or
judgment.
Lori Kirstein
Chapel Hill
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On an emotional level
To the editor:
ABC's The Day After served one
vital purpose: It brought home to an
emotional level the consequences of
nuclear war. Since the invention of the
bow and arrow, man has been freed
by distance from the emotional effect
of killing his fellow man; he has avoid
ed his opponent's anguish, the one
thing that would hurt him, too, and
cause him to reconsider his action.
"The button" is housed in a brief
case h ancle titled to a man that is
always near the president. A man in
Washington once suggested anotner
step in the protocol of pushing the
button that the president would
have to cut the man's throat before
setting off a strike that would kill hun
dreds of millions of others. Why
doesn't this sound absurd?
Alex Washburn
East Franklin Street
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