Thursday, October 27, 1C33
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The French were entrenched la Vietnam far years
because cf it, The United States also was e ntrenched
there for years because of it. Ar-d now. we are
entrenching ourselves ciia for that ever elusive
Ideal honor.
It took the French years to realize they could not
control a nation that did not obey or recc jniie their
authority. It took years alter that to realize that
honor could never be regained and that Vietnam
could not be subdued. Similarly, President Lyndon
Johnson would not pull out U.S. troops after his
cabinet told him the difficulties of "winning" a war in
Vietnam. Me simply did not want to be the first
president to lose a war.
Now, President Reagan has vowed to revenge the
deaths of more than 200 Marines killed In Lebanon
because its the "honorable" thing to do.
But who do we smite with our retribution?
There are a myriad of factions warring in that
miserable country. Who do we retaliate against? The
Syrians? The Druse? The Shiltes?
None of those factions want us there. Only a
shaky, temporary at best, "supportive government"
appreciates our presence. As in Vietnam, most of
the country's people don't want us there. We can
bomb them, napalm them and cut them down with
machine guns, but that wont stop them from
resisting.
Honor is moot in Lebanon. Indeed, honor and war
have little, if anything to do with each other. We lost
honor when the first Marines set foot in Lebanon.
We do not belong in Lebanon, or El Salvador, or
Grenada. It simply is not our place to tell other
countries what is good for them, or to force it on
them. Reagan justifies his actions by saying we can
not let these people be dominated by terrorist
thugs and that we, meaning the Marines and
troops, cannot be pushed around by these hood
lums once we move in.
Although the Soviet-backed governments may be
brutal, is it any better or more honorable for us to
invade and impose our will on these countries? No
one has appointed us the righteous keepers of the
world. We degrade the values of free will and self
determination when we force our will on others.
The world view of the United States can only be
deteriorating. Instead of fearing what might happen
if countries saw us withdraw, we should fear what
they think of us invading and subverting. Our coun
try can only be seen as greedy, imperialistic and
brutal as long as the current hit-the-commies-before-they-hit-us
policy exists.
We should seek to avoid forcing our will on others.
Few United States citizens would let the Soviets
invade New Jersey and impose communist rule. Why
should we expect the Grenadans, El Salvadoreans
or Lebanese to tolerate our presence?
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i say chap, 'ow 'bout a tour?'
London What a rewarding two weeks of sight
seeing! I don't wish to boast but I do believe that
when it comes to notching up sights in the old jour
nal we can hold our own with any tourist group
extant (excluding, of course, Germans).
Amitu
Hopp;
I fear, though, that my dear wife, Glynda, nay be
coming to the end of her tether. Take yesterday. I
had planned an exciting two-hour bus ride down
through Magdalene (pronounced "Maudlin") Com
mons, across Gloucestershireingham (pronounced
"Glum") Green, past quaint U'wymtUtn'OyIl (pro
nounced "UVjin'gJnn'flygU") to the famed tourist
raecca cf Wapping-on-Ende (pronounced "Admis
sion ED pence").
Glynda said she'd prefer looking at vacuum clean
ers at Harfod's. But she relented at last when I told
her this wa3 the List siht we'd see in Enand.
And I must say she proved a 3od sport when we
finally reached our destination and I pulled out my
trusty "Guidebook for Serious-Minded rc"crs."
"As we pc3 ever the 1 Cth century Eride of Penit
ent Tinkers," I read aloud to her, "we come on our
left to a large Cray reck which, some antiquarians
believe, was employed by the ar.cirr.t Druids in their j
" inexplicable mass cuticls prjrir: ccremcrics held on
the night cf the crescent moon nearest the vernal :
equinox" ' ' ...i.
Glynda nodded. That is a rccV sha said.
"By maldng a riht thrcjh VIIl Ccpplccate's
Gate (circa 1073)," I ccr.tLvucd, ;2 vJ. see a pile of
seven rounded stones v;hich are all that remain of
The Great Yail of Commulus the Leaner, the Roman
commander cf what b now Southeast VVeasex."
"That is a pile," said Gljuda.
"Leaving the Municipal Waterworks (1022) cn our
left hand," I read, "our path leads us to Mudirr.sre &
Basket's Gravel Quarry, site of the well-chrcnicled
Toppling Tower cf Tuppermore."
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