page 4
daily nebraskan
friday, September 15, 1978
opinioneditorial
SOMOSU
. -
United States playing wrongside of
the field in foreign policy games
Heavy fighting continued in Nicragua Thursday
as Sandinista guerrillas held three northwestern
Nicaraguan cities, and reinforced manned barri
cades on the Pan American highway against Presi
dent Anastasio Somoza's National Guard.
Fighting was reported in Rivas, 80 miles south
of the country's capital, Managua, and 15 miles
from the Costa Rican border. The Sandinista
guerrilas also were reported regrouping for an
attack on Masaya, 18 miles southeast of the
capital.
In Masaya, the dictator has imposed martial
law and his troops have carried out house-to-house
searches of Masaya to arrest or shoot any
men they find.
The American people must help force this
barbaric dictator from office.
His troops are fighting children and killing
people with American-made guns.
How long must the economic gains of Ameri
can business rule in Third World countries?
We are supplying weapons to monsters such
as Iran's Shah and Nicaragua's dictator.
Yet, the weapons are now working against
Somoza. The Sandanistas have been acquiring
more U.S.-made weapons, which questions the
supposed upper hand of Somoza's troops.
Somoza has attacked the press, something
which must be free. Pedro Joaquin Chamorro,
a Nicaraguan journalist was assassinated, and all
fingers point to Somoza.
We can only reinforce UNL Prof. Roberto
Esquenazi-Mayo's opinion which says the dic
tator's regime represents "power to the ultimate."
The journalism professor also said, "It's a
tyrannical power without respect for any opposi
tion. The regime of Somoza is an insult to the
human race."
Americans must take a closer look at U.S.
foreign policy and not only express care for other
people, but demonstrate support for them.
Political unrest
shaking Somoza
Nicaragua's embattled dictator, Anastasio Somoza, is
hanging onto his job by the fingernails. His military sub
ordinates are talking openly about a coup to depose him,
and parts of Nicaragua have been paralyzed by a general
strike.
The resentment against the Somoza family has been
simmering for years. It openly erupted last January after
the assassination of Pedro Joaquin Chamorro. Chamorro
was a brave journalist who had dared to criticize the
dictatorship. His murder was the last straw for many polit
ical and business leaders.
jack anderson
We had worked closely through intermediaries with
Chamorro. He helped us to document stories about
Somoza. For example, we reported that the Somoza
family had its fingers in virtually every business enterprise
in the country. This was denied by Somoza's spokesmen
in Managua and Washington.
We now have obtained classified State Department
documents to back the story. One describes the Somozas
as fabulously wealthy. It is "highly unlikely," said the
document, that the Somozas "pay taxes proportionate
with their wealth." Another document charges that
Samoza has used his dictatorial power "to advance his
own business interest."
We also reported that the terrible earthquake in
Managua offered Somoza yet another opportunity to stuff
his pockets. This too was vigorously denied by his
spokesman.
Another classified cable, however, states that many
Somoza enterprises were damaged by the earthquake but
that "many will prosper from the reconstruction."
The cable points out, for instance, that Somoza owned
a company that makes construction materials. This was
expected to profit on the reconstruction of Managua. The
classified document also declares that Somoza's cement
plant "should hit full capacity."
According to the cable, the dictator's transportation,
banking, real estate and farm equipment companies could
expect "a banner year" in rebuilding Managua. Despite
the eqrthquake, the U.S. diplomats concluded, "we
believe that 1973 will be a good year for the Somozas in
general, and the General in particular."
Somoza survived the 1972 earthquake. But he maybe
brought down by the political earthquake that is now
rocking Nicaragua.
(Copyright), 1978, United Features, Syndicate, Inc.
For those who have found 'truth5: keep it to yourselves
Pythagoras, the sixth century philoso
pher who gave western civilization mathe
matical religion, supposedly said, "Life is
like a festival; just as some come to the
festival to compete, some to ply their
trade, but the best people come as specta
tors, so in life the slavish men go hunting
for fame or gain, the philosopher for
truth."
His observance seems born of a bit of
self-conceit, but then to live with yourself
you can't go around condemning your profession.
kate gaul
And his rhetoric is buttressed by other
classics that urge the earth-bound mortal
to hunt for truth. Eastern religions abound
with truth-hunting formulas and good old
Christian dogma urges God-fearing indivi
duals to traverse the path of goodness.
Supposedly the traveler will find a pot (a
pan?) of truth at the end of her quest.
Looking for truth
So here I am in Lincoln, Nebraska,
peeking about the nooks and crannies,
gleaning 0 St. for a nebulous thing called
truth.
It's not all that easy.
How do I know it when I find it?
I spend a lot of time seated quietly in
the union, eyes scanning the kaleidoscope
of sights and sounds, not a book spread on
the table before me. Sometimes I sit for
hours spectating. I go home and sit idly
before my typewriter, sigh, and watch
Starsky and Hutch. It's all vaguely un
settling. I don't think about truth very much,
actually, because if I did, I'd have to de
fine it. Is truth universal or is it different
for me than for you? Does it involve that
hazy social formula for behavior called
morals? Is it hot or cold?
There is one thing I see, read, hear
a lot of in my spectator's seat. Evidently
a lot of folks think they've found truth,
or something akin. Their insistence annoys
me. If it's so real, why can't I find it
for myself?
There seems to be a lot of individuals
and a lot of dogma, floating about, most
of which IVe scrutinized and rejected
(some accepted and modified). But they're
still panhandling it, on the streets, in
shopping centers, in churches. They seem
to follow the cliche that if it's good enough
for me, it's good enough for you. Hey,
maybe it's good, but it's not right for me.
In college I'm getting caught in a
vacuum as young people-some out from
under the parental thumb for the first
time, others just somewhat confused by
youth-rush headlong to grab themselves
a lifestyle. Presumably a lifestyle patterned
on what is right for them, but all too often
prefabricated on what was someone else's
niche.
Lifestyle peddlers
There's all sorts of lifestyle peddlers
on campus; several religiously oriented
groups had booths set up in the union
during the first week of classes. I guess
they're all promising truth, too.
Itfcrrfc&osr to
In the larger scope of beasts and things,
there are several movements that vie for
control of my being: Phyllis Schafly wants
to curtail my potential; she knows the
Equal Rights Amendment will actually
abridge my human rights. Anita Bryant
wants to tell me who I can love. Belief
groups who frown on abortion feel that
their disapproval should be written into
the constitution.
There are right-wingers, there are left
wingers; there are Moonies, there are Bap
tists. My head swims with all the truth
they've found. I wish they'd shut up and
let me sit in the union and at my type
writer and let me revel in my own uncer
tainty. Hey, there's an ad in the Village Voice
Bulletin Board which runs continuously,
issue after issue. It says, "Learn to leave
your body," and gives a phone number,
Wow!
1 bit f I ftofTA