Reagan encourages continuing military aid y - A . "if V w. )Vf v By GINIE LYNCH First it was a Salvadoran archbishop, then four American nuns and a few U.S. citizens here and there and now most recently, a U.S. Navy officer has been added to the VIP death list in the Sal vadoran civil war. Despite the rising death toll (the number of Sal vadorans killed has reached approximately 100,000), the Reagan administration continues to foster the notion that military aid is the best solution to solve the Salvadoran crisis. v It seems ironic that the U.S. government, renown for its demo cratic traditions, would actually support die government of the military backed dictatorship in El Salvador. The Reagan adminis tration's frighteningly simplistic way of dealing with the problems in El Salvador and indeed all of Central America, by reinforcing the role of the military in a region resisting the military's repres siveness, only further serves to illustrate its inability to see the crisis in more than one dimension. Guns, ammunition, military advisers and millions of our taxpayers' dollars these are the methods the Reagan administration deems best to solve the civil war in El Salvador. There is no attempt to pursue negotiations between the leftist guerrillas and the lightest military backed government. It appears that the current administration almost fears such negotiations. An example of this fear, is the transferral of Thomas Enders, the assistant secretary for Inter-American Af fairs, away from El Salvador because he favored talks with the Salvadoran rebels. Enders, interestingly enough, was known for his hardline stance against Communists. One can't help but won der just what Langhorne A. Motley, his replacement and the cur rent Ambassador to Brazil, will be like. For if El Salvador is ever to have a stable democracy, negotia tions must take place. There is no other viable solution. The inter nal struggle of too much land and wealth in the hands of too few is the historical lynchpin of the Salvadoran crisis. But getting the landed oligarchy the real power behind the current government which is supported by the military to agree to the implementa tion of reforms for the poor (one of the basic aims of the guer rillas' platform) will be extremely difficult. This would be to go against the status quo grain they've held historically for genera tions. Nevertheless, some attempt to compromise must be initi ated soon. It is doubtful that this will happen as long as our own . North, American "dictator" (Ronald Reagan) stays in power. In terms of El Salvador, Reagan administration could do well i CMC I Q F y to heed the words of Abraham Lincoln: "Whenever there is a conflict between human rights and property rights, human rights must prevail." But the Reagan administra tion is much more interested in continuing its outdated foreign policies than helping the plight of the Salvadoran people. So we will continue to send economic and military aid to this tiny war-scorned nation to keep communism out of El Salvador and all of Central America to "safeguard Democracy." Democracy for. whom? Obviously not de mocracy for the Salvadoran peopled And there is really something bothersome about this definition which implies that all conflicts in this region be viewed in terms of East West confrontations. We no longer live in an isolated bi polar world, and it is not necessary for the Reagan adminis tration to cry the "Communism wolf" every time there is a problem in Central America, unless one can be certain of real Soviet subversion. Maybe this is Reagan's way of han dling a situation that is too complex for him to understand. It follows that the greatest threat to democracy in El Sal vador and in the entire Central American region is the cur rent administration's backward foreign policy. Need we so quickly forget some of the basic principles upon which our own government was formed? Doesn't the notion exist, that when the government is unjust, that revolt may be neces sary and preferable to tyranny? And should we be so fright ened at the word 'revolutionary'? George McGovern, speaking to UNC students in the fall of 1981, said that rev olution in El Salvador is somewhat comparable to our own; that if we were living in El Salvador today, we'd probably TOBSPflY S1.CJ3 fer ell v:ho enter before 10:09 2 drafts for .2D con specials ' (HID; MUCH .MORBIII nocture TJEDHESDCIV".- 2 DUaFTS FOR .25 .75 cens .50 for members 1 .50 for goests before 10:30 cn3 other specie!? v:q cennet advertise . ; rods'n roll ell night long U U on Franlilin n n 1 1 T" ry t A 7 A U be fighting with the guerillas too. Thomas Jefferson, one of our nation's founding fathers, would certainly be considered a radical if he were alive to day. Jefferson said, "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." He also said, "Laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. Each genera tion has the right to choose for itself the form of govern- . The Reagan administration should listen to his wise words to deal with the Salvadoran crisis. One would prefer to believe that Reagan's inept foreign policy in El Salvador and all of Central America is more a result of ignorance than anything else. But reappraisal of our actions in El Salvador is still vital. If we as a govern ment choose to get involved in El Salvador, why not help negotiate for a peaceful, viable alternative to the violent bloody road already paved? If the Reagan administration does not learn to listen to our Latin American neighbors and carefully weigh the im plications of military aid to impose our kind of "order," then what small amount of credibility we have in this area will probably be shattered. Let us rather use our tools of foreign diplomacy wisely so that we do not make a mockery of our own democratic ideals. The recent death of another North American in El Salvador should only make us aware of and able to question U.S. military aid to El Salvador. Ginie Lynch, who graduated from UNC this spring, is from Richmond, Va. She is a staff writer for The Tar Heel. THURSDAY' Greatest Specie! Till 12:00 MORE, MORE, nOREU! FHIPQY'S BEST 2 DRAFTS for .25 (Thefs a pitcher for .7 5 J 1.00 memben2.00 goests :00-9:00 Ccrr.3 to H0PPY HOUR cml GET in FUSE FRIDAY rilOHT 4 ' ' ' - i Sdmnior Special Guy one yogurt of cny . ' : . ' size Gt receive the second one for 12 Q?M sveentf sanring must b ol sual or smolw size J 106 Fronkin St at th fomir locatioA of flwstki't ! ! Sno-coAU. BtuMn i. Gotti' & Pizza Hut bhind Bourn Jsuiclrv Sanday-Thcnday 11-11 Frlday-Satartiay 1 1-12 mid. Phons 942-pump j P!os present coupon when ordering -j i i me yOOURT wf .,... ii.i... -f A LANDMARK OF CONSISTENTLY HIGH QUALITY CHINESE FOOD IN DOWNTOWN CHAPEL HILL FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS. Th? Cc'dtn Drcea A PLACE WHERE THE CONNOISSEURS OF CHINESE CUISINE CAN ENJOY A DELICIOUS MEAL. Alwoys fresh Always the best available ingredients ' " Always at a low cost Always served with efficiency so your wait is never very long 1 30 E. Franklin St. Ooen 7 davs a week Thursday, June 2, 1933 The Tar Heel 15