opinions editorial opinion Watt's in a label Americans were amused when Secretary of the Interior James Watt nixed the Beach Boys for Wayne Newton. They were amazed when he sent a . letter to the Audu bon Society commending them on allowing oil and natural gas explo ration on the Rainey Wildlife Sanct uary in Louisiana. But Watt's latest gaffe is on a different wind-blown plain. The Commission on Fair Market Value Policy for Federal Coal Leasing has "every kind of mixture you can have. I have a black, I have a woman, two Jews and a cripple," Watt told an audience of business lobbyists at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce yesterday. The remark was particularly shocking to Penn Staters because the "cripple" is Richard L. Gor don, a University professor of min erals economics, who cannot use his right arm. Gordon said he is unhappy about the publicity he is receiving be cause of Watt's remark. The com mission's work and its soon-to-be released report are more impor tant than Watt's poor choice of language, he said. Watt appointed the members of the commission in August after Congress created it to investigate charges that his coal' leasing program has cost taxpay ers $lOO million in lost bid reve nues. But the fact that Gordon cannot use one of his hands or that other members of the commission are not of Watt's race, sex or religion does not mean that they are in- dn;Collegian Thursday, Sept. 22, 1983 C)1983 Collegian Inc. Suzanne M. Cassidy Judith Smith Editor Business Manager The Daily Collegian's editorial opinion is • cist• US.Marines in Lebanon U.S. must support its 'boys' On March 12, 1947, U.S. President Harry S. Truman emphasized a drastic metamorphosis in the foreign policy of his country. Dubbed "The Truman Doctrine," the doctrine pronounced that "it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures." America was not any longer the timid isolationist, offering only condemnations for two blazing European conflicts before grudgingly being led into each fray. Ultimately, a realization of responsibility stirred the conscience of the Americampeople, cajoling them into arming many of their "boys" and helping to end the visciousness and devastation. Today, the United States continues to accept its influencial post its World War II traditions letting the burden of responsibility rest' upon its powerful shoulders. The scene is Lebanon, an integral piece of the enigma known as the Middle East: the land of Biblical gesticu lation, whose holy soil has been defiled by near-contin uous warring in modern times over religious and territorial rights. Lebanon is not immune to either schismatic fighting or United States diplomatic inter vention. In June 1958, President Eisenhower sent American troops into Lebanon in an attempt to put down an insurrection against President Camille Chamoun. At its outset, the upheaval was simply internal friction between Christian and Muslim factions, but adjacent Syria also entered the conflict. The incident serves as a historic precedent for what is transpiring in Lebanon today. Lebanon remains a troubled country, maligned with motley elements bent on the destruction of each other for self-aggrandized aims. In short, it is a piecemeal powderkeg of a country that has existed only by the suffrance of one part for the other. Continued civil war and the presence of the Palestin ian Liberation Organization ravaged the nation in the mid-19705, then unconditional chaos resulted when southern neighbqr Israel intervened in Lebanon in an attempt to remove the PLO threat from its northern border. From there, the situation got worse. The vengeful Israelis, employing a tactical error, continued northward to the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Once again Syria, which envelopes Lebanon to the north and east, competent. Watt himself called the commission an "extremely fine group of people" but that compli ment was lost amid the insult and insensitivity of his earlier remark. The commission's diverse mem bership is indeed admirable, but Watt's statement, particularly his use of the word "cripple," showed very poor judgment. Watt later defended himself, say ing, "It shows you don't have sense of humor if you can't laugh at yourself." However, Watt was not laughing at himself, he was laugh ing at others. And what he was laughing about was simply not fun ny. Moreover, the remark was made at a time when the Reagan admin istration is under fire from many sectors concerning its discrimina tion of and lack of support for minorities. If Reagan is indeed as concerned about minorities as he contends, he should harshly repri mand Watt for his boorish com ments. Labels are easy to apply to peo ple, but they signify insensitivity and ignorance. Labels haVe no place in a society that cherishes equality and those who apply them unthinkingly have no place in the president's cabinet. Some of Watt's remarks and ac tions have made him a rather col orful and controversial public figure. But it is time for Watt to think before he speaks. Or better yet, it is time for him to re-evaluate his beliefs about the people with whom he shares the environment. determined by its Board of Opinion, with the editor holding final responsibility. Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of The Daily Collegian, Collegian Inc. or The Pennsylvania State University. Collegian Inc., publishers of The Daily Collegian and related publications, is a separate corporate institution from Penn State. intervened. As the Syrians took up positions along the Bekaa Valley, the entire nation became embittered in a side-taking conflict. Today, the situation remains much the same. Israel has pulled back its defense line, but the fighting in Beirut continues to be caustic and confusing. To try to remedy the situation, the United States has thrown its powerful influence into the country as part of a multi-national peacekeeping force. The Christian Lebanese armed forces under President Amin Gem ayel want a peaceful end to the violence. U.S. interven tion is an attempt to save a government and a country. Reasons for American intervention range from altr uism to self-centered realism. The first job of a peace keeping outfit, is to end the killing. With religious passions so high, that will be difficult. Realizing this, President Reagan has granted U.S Marines the power to defend themselves to demonstrate America's se riousness. The United States also wants to preserve the integrity of a nation as an entity. Acting as a paterna listic referee, the peacekeeping unit wants to blow the whistle on the fracas and restore Lebanon's territorial independence. A West European diplomat in Lebanon said, "The Druse (one of the Muslim sects) and the Christians are just strong enough to keep up a fight that could tear the country apart, even if neither side is able to win a clear cut victory." • America's selfish reasons for being in Lebanon have their roots in the Truman Doctrine. The blocs of influence that emerged from the Cold War divided most of the civilized world into support of Western or Soviet Communist culture. This dichotomy remains as the Middle East, with its plentiful oil reserves and Biblical past, is positioned as a pawn in this game for world dominance. Using Soviet weaponry are the Syrians, long an extension of Soviet muscle in the area, and the Druse. It is the obligation of the peacekeeping force to achieve a settlement with the Islamic sects, while the Syrians must be forced to withdraw (as must the Israelis) if a Lebanese state is to exist. One of the great lessons learned by the United States in World War II was that America had to take initiative and responsibility in world affairs. This realization became a gluttonous thirst in the 1960 s as the United States entered a conflict in Vietnam, a debacle in which we had no justification for entering. But the tide of isolationism - created from the back lash of Vietnam cannot be permitted to innudate our consciousness. The ramifications of failure to achieve peace in• Lebanon make this situation in Lebanon a wholeheartedly different story. Thus, our responsible society must be clever, discerning that this is a time to use our influence and support our peacekeeping in volvement in Lebanon. Larry Bendesky is a senior majoring in history and a columnist for The Daily Collegian. clervicsiv-Prwanisoeve •04914( Wal„ If , (09 IVNT WANT OUR 14W; MAYBE you cao TRY reader opinion Just a front? To Miss Stella Tsai, Your picture included in your column, "Thanx just the same but no phonies needed," portrays a person who has a great affinity for Polo• shirts. Or are the pearls, upturnedcollar, and flashdance haircut just a front? Just call us Polo-drenched madras plaid clad Joe and Josephine College. James Holland, junior -mechanical engi- neering Betsy Hillerman, senior-English Sept. 21 Quality, bikes, funds I would like to take this opportunity to commend the staff on the quality of The Daily Collegian. There is,a, good balance between local and wire stories. What is most impor tant is that the local stories are carefully researched and well written. Having done some writing for my un dergraduate newspaper, in addition to edito rial work for a few organizational newspapers, I can appreciate the amount of effort you put in. On another note, I would like to com ment on a few issues regarding Penn State. First, I am appalled by the number of inci dents between automobiles and bicycles, and between pedestrians and bicycles. According to Pennsylvania law, pedes trians have the right of way. There have been U.S. should begin withdrawal Sgt. Alexander Michael Ortego, Second Lt. Donald George Losey, Cpl. Randy W. Clark and Cpl. Pedro J. Walle Ramos were all U.S. Marines. All were part of the peacekeeping force in Lebanon. All are dead. If the American people want a justification for having U.S. Marines in Lebanon, they deserve better reasons than what the Reagan administration is willing to offer. But first we should ask, how did we get involved over there in the first place and why? The whole incident started because of the Israeli invasion into Lebanon in June 1982. The Israelis at tempted to eliminate all foreign forces in Lebanon, especially the Palestinian Liberation Organization which was constantly launching terrorist attacks on Israel. Former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin gambled with a policy that was supposed to relieve Lebanon of all foreign troops, namely the PLO and the Syrians, who were considered antagonistic and hostile toward Israel. Israel shocked the world when its troops marched farther into Lebanon than expected. Even President Reagan criticized Israel for advancing all the way through Beirut. The reason that Israel is now in the process of withdrawing is three-fold. First, the United States criticized the Israeli military advance. Secondly, peace movements inside Israel put political pressure on Begin. And thirdly, Israeli soldiers in Lebanon became targets of continual harrassment. So what did the Reagan administration do? It sent U.S. Marines into Lebanon and subjected them to the hostilities of that torn political and social environment. If the United States really wanted Lebanon to be sovereign, why could we not let the Israeli army do the dirty work instead of U.S. Marines? If the United States wanted Lebanon to be rid of all foreign forces, why did it criticize Israel when it invaded? Conversely, if the United States does not want Leb anon to be sovereign, or if it is indifferent to the situation, then U.S. Marines do not belong in that nation in the first place. But can American, French, British and Italian troops bring stability and peace to Lebanon? It is doubtful, unless they are carrying magic wands. too many times when I have seen a cyclist almost hit a pedestrian. Often they ride on the sidewalk when they should be riding in the street. When they are on walkways that aren't designated for cyclists, they speedily zig-zag on their way. Please show a little more consideration! As for automobiles, seldom do drivers allow pedestrians to cross streets such as Shortlidge Road, College Avenue and Beaver Avenue. There are clearly marked pedestrian walks and signs for pedestrian crossing, but drivers continually streak by ( I was almost hit stepping onto a curb from Beaver Avenue as a car turned the corner). For the time being, it isn't too bother some. However, when inclement weather Housing Op-ed Every fall University students swarm into State College, bringing with them problems including excess noise, limited parking space, litter and crowded dwell ings. State College officials are trying to alleviate these problems with the cooper- ation of borough residents and University students. Do students destroy neighborhoods and lower property values in the borough? What role must State College residents play in maintaining a harmonious relationship between students and other members of the neighborhood? Are new or amended codes and ordinances necessary I; )k andofr A The Daily Collegian Thursda SWING YOUR hits, I hope drivers, both on and off campus, will show some good old-fashioned road cour tesy. Finally, the cry for more funds is common, both from individuals and institu tions. One way the University could raise additional funds and help the environment is through recycling. There is an abundance of paper, newspapers and aluminum cans dis carded daily. Granted, it won't help raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, but a thousand dollars is better than none. Glenn S. Berman, graduate public administration Sept. 19 or is increased enforcement of existing codes and ordinances the answer? On Thursday, Sept. 29 The Daily Colle gian will devote its Op-ed page to the rental housing situation. Let people know what you think about these and other housing issues by contributing a letter or forum. All letters should be one to two double spaced typed pages and forums should be three to four double-spaced typed pages. Please include your name, address, phone number and semester/major or title. Sub missions should be marked "Op-ed" and should be received in the Collegian office, 126 Carnegie Building, by 4:30 p.m. Mon day, Sept. 26. Lebanese factions, especially those fighting in the Shouf mountains, are likely to tear each other apart despite the presence of the "peaCekeeping" forces. The political turmoil in Lebanon is only a result of opposing fanatically religious and militaristic faCtions: the Lebanese Army under President Amin Gemayel, the Druse militia of the leftist Progressive Socialist Party, Lebanese Forces of the Christian Phalange movement, the Amal militia of Shiite Moselms, and the Mourabitoun militia of the Sunni Moselms. The U.S. administration's belief that the simple removal of all foreign forces in Lebanon would restore peace ignores the nature of the highly fragmented Lebanese political and social fabric. With these prem ises in mind, how can the peacekeeping forces keep order without intending to occupy the entire nation? Besides Lebanon's internal problems, there is the complication of Soviet-supported Syrian troops, which Israel had attempted to drive out of Lebanon. And due to proximity, U.S. military presence in Lebanon is akin to Soviet presence in El Salvador. Our operating in the. Soviet hemisphere could draw the two superpowers closer to a direct conflict. Israel had the common sense to start withdrawing from Lebanon when its approach went sour. And it did go sour. More than 500 Israel soldiers were killed in Lebanon and more than 3,000 wounded. The United States, like Israel, should realize the impracticality of solving Lebanon's internal and exter nal problems and should get out. Essentially, the United States inherited Israel's problem and mistake. Meanwhile, Syrian President Hafez Assad did not and will not pull out his troops contrary to American expectations. Trying to solve Lebanon's social and political prob lems is impractical. If the peacekeeping forces are willing to fix the problem by military presence, they would have to: • Increase their forces • Prepare for a bloody encounter with Soviet backed Syrian troops and possibly with other troops as well. a And occupy Lebanon, forcibly restoring order Even if the peacekeeping forces occupy Lebanon, given the country"s torn social and political fabric, there is no guarantee that the peace will remain after they withdraw. The Middle East is a volatile area with perhaps unsolvable problems. Already everything that former Presidents Nixon and Carter gained in peace negotia tions —like those at Camp David has been lost. The less we are military participants and the more we are political observers willing to negotiate for peace, the better off we and the world will be. Erik Randolph is a senior majoring in political science and a columnist for The Daily Collegian. t._22, 1983 *l?,. • I 4,6 eader opinion Not yet proven It is refreshing and enlightening to hear someone ardently speak out against the evils of propaganda and twisted facts as Kathleen Parker has. But in doing so, she must also hold herself accountable for the statements she makes. It would be sheer hypocrisy for her to say,"All forms of propaganda and twisted facts must be stopped now," when she is speaking half-truths herself. But this is exact ly what she has done. Specifically, her testimony that "the only certain fact concerning the KAL 007 issue is that the aircraft did not respond to Soviet warnings" is not true. The statement is false simply because it has not been verified that the Soviets gave warning to the Korean aircraft before shooting it down. According to both Japanese and Ameri can transcripts, KAL 007 was shot down at 1826:20 Greenwich mean time. Use fire carefully. In the revised State Department tran scripts (released on Sept. 11), Soviet pilots are recorded as saying, "I have• broken off lock-on. lam firing cannon bursts." These words were spoken at 1820:49 Greenwich time. It has not been proven, no matter how much Miss Parker would like to believe, that these shots, fired six minutes before the destruction of the plane, were warning shots. In addition, there was a transmission at 1823 Greenwich time a full two minutes after the "cannon bursts" were shot. And most impor tant, the pilot made no mention whatsoever that Soviet aircrafts were in the vicinity or that shots had been fired. In essence, the evidence overwhelm ingly indicates that the pilot was unaware of the Soviet planes and that any visual, radio, or gunfire warnings were given. David Tubbs, sophomore-political science Sept. 21 a growing part of State Cdlege IV Supply 232 S- ALLEN • 814-23a-6021 . _ • ire.,0 0 ,,..„ hard work while putting up with all the distractions, Gu If you be ready for anything. Including graduation. What's more, you II have a real education. Tor, For a free color poster, send your name and address to Free Poster. Dept. C, P.0.80x 1166 Pittsburgh PA 15230 Gulf Oil Corporation —1983 Not related What does the Korean Airlines crash have to do with the Middle East? Never missing a chance to take a slap at Israel, the Organiza tion of Arab Students has compared this incident to the downing of a Libyan jetliner by Israel in 1973 over the Sinai peninsula. The Daily Collegian also supported this claim by titling the letter "A crime is a crime," with out regard to the different circumstances surrounding these two distinct incidents. 1. The Libyan aircraft had crossed into the Sinai, which at the time was an international ly recognized war zone. • 2. The flight time from Sinai to Israel is about 20 minutes. Arab terrorists had pre viously said on occasion that they planned to crash a civilian jetliner into a major Israeli city. 3. The pilot of the Libyan plane thought the planes sent up to intercept him were friendly Egyptian Migs. DIM 10.V52 IRA 11 G . L 0 111.111110 . raw 1,t...,.11 MR,. - 7-.."212145 t. ? s N - 110 .-.. ----. ---- -' • ‘.'. ~ ik l'‘ _-----......_ -----:._ ,~\ 11Q - z` . l -r ° 3 - " 1 s . , fs\ ."---,--. _-_- --, 6 0 ~, F'l .- - --- - --7 . ,-: 't—,-•--F". 4. The government of Israel claimed full responsibility for the incident and launched a public investigation. 5. After the investigation it was determined that the pilot of the Libyan plane was un aware of his position and had not understood the Israeli efforts to land the plane. 6. The government of Israel has sent repa rations to the, families of those who were killed. • The KAL flight did not fly into a war zone. There were never any threats by the Koreans to crash a plane into a Soviet city. The Soviet government did not take responsibility for the crash, refuses to launch a public investigation and dismisses any possibility of paying repa rations. So as one, can clearly see, there is no relation between these two incidents. Jeffrey S. Elias, -senior-general arts and sciences Sept. 20 Cinematheque Department of Theatre and Film 7 - .1; VI; ' 1 Woody Allen Film Festival SLEEPER Thursday and Friday, September 22 and 23 7 and 9 pm HUB Assembly Room $1.75 ... ..,.. ... -,, •.- ,6,4 RI r . : 1: - . 1§..,b 1 .-. • .'-.'.... 1 4: ..-.f. yi - • 1. q.. ._ ,J.. ... e., „ sil k ~!. 4,k, i: j 74 (c) . t . lit.,n .:........ .___ :..... . 4 ,.. .. 6 4f ... ) ,, g , - . )-----' ± I • A. , i cr . : ~...4. e c g ~.. • ~.* , 5tt54 , 3 etk i 10 . ...: 14 \ ...'!* ‘ ,.o.'s - ,./; . %.. - I.wfm 17 V? 0 -- 17/ • 5 The Daily Collegian Thursday, Sept. 2Z, 1983-9 Detrimental articles This letter is in regard to the articles in The Daily Collegian Sept. 20 and 21 about the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. I think that these articles were examples of very poor reporting the articles seemed very biased and very confusing. The incident that happened at the Universi ty of Pennsylvania was tied to the chapter here at Penn State. These articles had to be read more than once in order to distinguish between the incident at the University of Pennsylvania and the Penn State chapters. I feel that the Collegian could have handled this whole incident in a more professional way. Being close friends with many of the brothers, I think the Collegian should have reported this incident in a more factual, unbiased and clear manner. These articles were very detrimental to the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and to each brother. Kim Papp, senior-home economics education Sept. 21 • ';;t2 re\ % i .) ) 1 0 t- -e:,...). i
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers