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Grenada mission accomplished tisiae to get out
Last week's invasion of Grenada by
the United States may turn cut to be a
long, drawn cut sS.Vs.
When troops landed en the island
last week, first reports indicted light
resistance and government cCeiaLs
said American forces raight be with
drawn in one cr tv.-o dsys.
As the week were en, reports of
heavier fighting came from military
and administration clZcials and the
projected length of the stay of VS. for
ces was stretched to a week to 10 days.
Now President Her man may be given
until Christmas to pall the American
occupation force cIT the Carribcan
island because of a war powers resolu
tion passed Tuesday by the llsuse. A
Senate vote, expected this week, prob
ably will approve the resolution. -
While it is a positive" now for Con
gress to set a limit on how long Ameri
can troops can stay in Grenada, the
fct remains that they could be there
far two more months.
This is disturbing. Why should Amer
ican servicemen remain on an bland
where fghiing has ceased and where
there is no lender any darker to the
Americans that were rescued in the
invasion?
How about a need for the United
States (and the Herman administra
tion) to continue to assert itself as the
world's hope against communism?
That would be a coed reason, except
- that our military exercise in Grenada
and our continued presence there will
not end the threat of communism in
the world or deter future communist
agression..
Are we needed there to ensure that
a new democratic government is im-
pigmented and that order is restored
j : acwi
(&Fesia(fla Mvqqmm EntaSaEie
It's none of my business, but I dont
think Keshan should 'have invaded
Grenada.
He has my sympathy. It must have
been very frustrating this past month
when hardly anyone wanted to invade
Russia or Syria. So I can see why he
wanted to kick Grenada around. But if
truth be told, there's not much enthu
siasm on my block for declaring war on
Grenada either.
The one person for it was Captain
Haskell, U.S. Army Flying Corps
(retired), who lives at the corner. "By
jingo, we havent won a war in 37 years
and this is our chance," he said happily
at our Tuesday night Tupperware
party. "But I do wish we'd warmed up
on Nauru first."
Old lira, CadwaHer, who lives alone,
admitted she'd been nervous abcutthe
Grenada threat for years. "After a3, it's
21 miles long, has a population of
1C3.C0D known Communists and lias
only 20Q miles from our shores," she
said. But she was against the invasion.
1 think," she said, Leaking up from the
tea cosy she was tatting, "we should
have nuked them."
It was my dear wife, Gyada, how
ever, who summed up the feeling of the
rest cf us. "I never met a Grenadian I
CajxwmH CwtJt aX .m
cflC33 Gagged.
In all due modesty I must concede
that it was I who first suggested we
launch an all-out assault cn lied China
pie on our block have come to lock
upon the Chinese in recent years as
peace-loving agrarian reformers who
make baskets and hydroelectric pro
jects and love having their pictures
wl w41 A ua4 Imp! tJ
. That was before I read them a recent'
Associated Press dispatch from China
reporting that any del arrested within
the confines cf Beiiin? or its suburbs
would be executed without trial
"Do you realise that there are an
estimated 1C0.CC3 dogs in Bering who
will be exterminated under this bar
barous program cf canicide and," I
said, addressing this last remark to eld
lira. Cad waller who has a missratle,
y?jp2 cdsx stcimfcl fPkc3y
cocker
Caza-ed ca Fags- 5
cn the island? Not if we truly believe in
self-determination - and -respect the
rights of others to solve their own
pro j
What about a prolonged period cf
patting ourselves on the back fof "sav
ing" the people cf Grenada from the
Cuban invasion force entrenched on
the island? Thb seems like the most
likely reason though it is tinged by the
fact that we didnt know for sure that
there was a Cuban invasion force until
we attacked the island. With this sort
of reasoning, we could intervene any
where in the world on the slightest
suspicion that we may find something
that justifies our action.
Actually, there are no good reasons
for American troops to be in Grenada.
If their mission was to protect Araeri-.
can lives, as President Esagan has said,
then the legitimate purpose for their
intervention has been served and they
should be pulled out
The Essgan administration has not
totally convinced the American public
that the United States was justified in
its invasion cf Grenada. Anytime men
must die and their families must suffer,
the Questions that should be asked are:
Why did it happen and was it really
worth it? These questions remain to be
answered.
The Eeagan administration has tried
to present a convincing argument as to
why the United States had to step in.
Some of it has been hard to swallow.
But if our main mission cf saving
American lives has been accomplished,
it is time to pack up and get out Presi
dent -Reagan should not wait until
Christmas to give that present to the
American people.
Terry L. Ilyland
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