opinions editorial opinion Time to face the nation, Mr. President Silence is golden. Except when you're dealing with elected officials, especially the president of the United States. Last Thursday's presidential news conference marked only the third time this year that Ronald Reagan has for mally addressed the national press, earning him the distinction of most inaccessible of modern presidents. Saul Friedman, White House corre spondent for Newsday, wrote recently that Reagan has held fewer formal news conferences per month than any of his post-World War II predecessors 41 in 80 months, as reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Since his re election in 1984, the frequency of Rea gan's press conferences has fallen off to once every four to six months. As it stands the president addresses the press about as often as the universe experiences an harmonic convergence, but the people of this country deserve more. 13LESSIN4 T#E PUSIA IVITI4 1416 PRESENCE The senselessness of war What do you say to a nine year old As a conscientious student I am a firm believer in a balanced breakfast you know, a can of soda, a bag of chips, and a healthy dose of the Collegian. This usually gives me all of the energy I need to make it through the day, but sometimes things go wrong. Last Monday was just one of those days; the soda was warm, the chips were stale and the Collegian was sort of depres sing. I could go on about the chips and soda, but that probably wouldn't make much of a column so I guess I'll concentrate on the news. Monday' cn contained articles de tailing the ilerke and civil unrest sweep ing the Philippines and South Korea: the letters-to-the-editor offered reader opinion on the war in the Persian Gulf and the long history of violence and oppression in Cen tral America Lest we think of these things as being problems that occur in other places. there was also an article that informed us of a person or group of persons who felt the need to express their hatred and intolerance by spending the weekend plastering racial slurs and threats around campus. Finally, according to the police report. four assaults occurred on campus last weekend and one was reported downtown at the Saloon. I don't know why Monday's news made such an impression on me. It was just a typical day in the world. nothing extraordi nary happened. Yet I suddenly found myself questioning the sanity of each of the five With the nation facing an unstable economy, proposals for an arms sum mit, a vacancy on the Supreme Court and mounting tensions in the Persian Gulf, this country needs a strong, ac countable, accessible leader. Americans don't need an actor who relishes simplistic photo opportunities with elementary school children or prefers to quip undiscernable answers over the racket of a helicopter lifting off from the White House lawn. But the president seems to enjoy those forms of non-communication, or the one-sided nature of his weekly radio addresses. Members of the press looked silly a few weeks ago when they shouted ques tions at the president as he finished speaking to a group of teachers in the Rose Garden. But how else were they going to get answers to questions which needed to be asked? Reagan's indifferent attitude toward the question of accountability to the press and public is incomprehensible. (( 4111M11w, )) billion people who inhabit this planet. Why is it that violence seems the logical response to situations that range from gov ernment oppression in the Philippines to a doorman's refusal to allow someone to enter the premises in State College? • • = /..\lairY4oll) I thought about it for the rest of the day and talked it over with a few friends. They were sympathetic and yet at the same time pragmatic. "You know, Gloria, you shouldn't take it so hard. Waving the peace sign doesn't always work. Sometimes you just have to flex a little muscle and kick a little butt to get your point accross." I was almost willing to accept this analy sis of the situation when a less tactful man made his point. "Oh, you're just a woman. What could you possibly know about what war means?" His statement about my womanhood was blatantly sexist, but after I recovered I decided his question deserved an answer. I grew up on a military base in German• Last Monday, when United States mili tary forces bombed Iranian platforms in the Persian Gulf, he flatly refused to even briefly address the press. Instead, he sent White House Spokesman Mar lin Fitzwater out to take his punches in an extended brawl with the national press. Thursday, when Reagan did finally hold a news conference, it was only about 30 minutes long and many ques tions were left at least partially un answered, or addressed only in terms of rehearsed rhetoric. In the face of current national and international situ ations, the people of this country de serve more than 30 minutes of their commander in chief's attention. President Reagan should keep in mind that he must be accountable to the press and the public just like any other elected official. If a mayor. bo rough council member, state represen tative or U.S. senator can't get away with such behavior, neither should he. whose father has just been killed in a helicopter crash? surrounded by warriors who called them selves peacekeepers: we their children just called them Daddy. For all of us war was not an abstract danger that might happen elsewhere, it was a distinct possibility that could happen right there at any time with very little warning. There were regularly scheduled evacua tion drills for family members. but we all participated with a grain of salt knowing that Soviet nuclear missiles could reach our position in 10 minutes. Not much of an advance warning. Knocks on the door in the middle of the night meant that my father had to go on alert: just another drill or maybe it was the real thing this time. To us, war meant being prepared. Our fathers were often away for long periods of time on training exercises. Sometimes training accidents happened and some fathers never came home at all. What do you say to a nine year old whose father has just been killed in a helicopter crash? I never figured that one out so I just remained silent. A few years ago war began to mean something else: it became an unseen enemy with nebulous purposes. He came in the middle of the night bringing unwanted good ies that took many lives and destroyed many others. He called himself a freedom fighter, we called him a terrorist and a murderer. While Americans here expressed their displeasure and fear by refusing to travel reader opinion Cabin rent I would like to clear up some misun derstandings concerning the use of the United Campus Ministry-Penn State Outing Club Log Cabin in Shin gletown Gap. First, the log cabin is not owned by P.S.O.C. It is owned by U.C.M. and is rented through the office of the United Ministry at Penn State. P.S.O.C. receives a rental dis count in exchange for annual mainte nance and repair of the cabin. Second, the cabin will not be avail able to rent until next spring. After the water is shut off in November, the cabin is used only for P.5.0.C.-spon sored trips. Third, the cabin is not rented to individuals for weekend retreats. It is available only to student organiza tions for the sponsored activities. And finally, the purpose of the cabin is not for fraternities or any other student organization to host parties where alcoholic beverages are served. This policy will be strictly enforced in the future. The purpose of our cabin renovations has been to create a more enjoyable atmosphere there, and to instill an attitude of respect for its use. cabin chairman Penn State Outing Club main division Peace plan I think it's time to defend the choice of Costa Rican president Oscar Arias Sanchez as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Arias' plan is by no means carte blanche to the Sandinistas to continue their oppressive measures. The plan requires the lifting of restrictions on civil liberties in Nicaragua ( the op The Daily Collegian's editorial opin ion is determined by its Board of Opinion. with the editor holding final responsibility. Opinions ex pressed 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 publica tions. is a separate corporate insti tution from Penn State. Assistant Opinion Editor Jeannette portion newspaper, La Prensa, and an opposition radio station are both back in operation even before the Nov. 7 start date of the Guatemala accord). The treaty restricts support not only for the Contras but for the Leninist guerillas in El Salvador as well. The ideas behind support for the Contras are based on cold war hyste ria and are, ultimately, very short sighted. Contra supporters continual ly claim that no Marxist-Leninist government has ever voluntarily stepped down. I hasten to point that few governments anywhere in the political spectrum step down volun tarily. The cold reality Contra supporters overlook is that most attempts to violently overhrow a Marxist revolu tion have resulted in that government being more firmly in control. Two examples are the Bay of Pigs debacle in Cuba and the assistance of the west during the Russian civil war. While it is true that popular support for the Sandinistas has dimished in Nicaragua recently, due mostly to their poor handling of the economy, it is also true that the majority of peo ple in Nicaragua do not support the Contras. Many people there view the Contras as a return to the oppression of the Samozas. Lee Tobin Increased U.S. military pressure on the Sandinistas could very likely result in an increased Cuban and Soviet presence in Nicaragua not a pleasant prospect. The Contra war is an attempt of a "quick fix" solution to a very compli cated problem. The Arias plan is, as I said, a start towards a peaceful solution. It is a chance for stability in Central Ameri ca which is certainly in the best interest of the United States. abroad, we sat in Germany like ducks in a shooting gallery. War now meant that we had to alter our lifestyle to protect our selves. Identification cards were required for admission to the base: new, less conspic uous license plates were issued to Ameri cans. Unattended packages or briefcases in the library resulted in visits from the military bomb squad. We simply could not take any chances. And still the bombings and shoot ings continued. The situation climaxed with President Reagan's decision to retaliate against Libya for its part in the murder of Americans. While Americans here celebrated this "muscle flexing," Americans abroad were busy dealing with the consequences of this action. We met in our town hall like frightened sheep and listened as we were informed of the new curfew. Because cars and buses now had to be carefully searched at the gates there were often two-hour waits for admission to military bases. War now be gan to mean a waiting game waiting for the next attack. To me war means all of these things. It also means actually seeing victims of the Lebanese truck bombing as they lay in a military hospital in Germany hoping they would soon be well enough to make the journey home, still wondering what the hell happened. War means flying out of Frankfurt Inter daily Collegian Thursday, Oct. 29, 1987 1987 Collegian Inc. Editor Chris Raymond Business Manager Glenn B. Rougier Board of Editors Managing Editor Megan 0 Matz Opinion Editor Jim Higgins Gibson News Editors Eric Schmidt, James A Stewart CopylWire Editors Jill Bedford. Mike Carlin Beth Anne Gidlund, Jill Graham Celeste McCauley Town Editor Jane Kopacki Assistant Town Editor Shelly Napoli Campus Editor Carolyn Sorisio Assistant Campus Editor Lauren Young Sports Editor Bob Williams David Pickering sophomore-telecommunications The Daily Collegia Thursday, Oct. 29, 1987 Assistant Sports Editors Stacey Jacobson. Megan Culhane Magazine Editor Mark Ashenfelter Assistant Magazine Editor Dave Sottile Arts Editor Ron Swegman Assistant Arts Editor Amy Raskovsky Science Editor Christine Kilgore Graphics Editor Andy Capitos Photo Editor Cristy Rickard Assistant Photo Editor Dan Oleski Board of Managers Assistant Business Manager Lori Spossey Accounting Manager Amy Constantine Office Manager Kelly Moffatt Assistant Office Manager Jan Miller Sales Manager Walter R Dewees Assistant Sales Manager Harvey J. Shapiro Layout Manager Michele Morrison Marketing Manager Dante ()razz' 111 Assistant Marketing Manager Kellee J Kurtz Complaints: News and editorial com plaints should be presented to the editor. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager. If a complaint is not satisfacto rily resolved. grievances may be filed with the Accuracy and Fair Play Commit tee of Collegian Inc Information on filing grievances is available from Gerry Lynn Hamilton, executive secretary. Collegian Inc Letters Policy: The Daily Collegian en courages comments on news coverage editorial policy and University affairs. Letters must be typewritten, double spaced and no longer than one and one half pages. Forums must also be type written double-spaced Contra policy Concerning Rick Wetzel's letter of Oct. 22, I would like to pose a ques tion. Does President Reagan's contra policy equal the United Stated for Mr. Wetzel? I doubt this, yet he claims that criticism of a dubious policy like the contra war is "an insult to the United Stated of America." Arias' peace plan, called the Guate mala accord, was signed in August 1987. Recently negotiations between government and rebel forces in Gua temala and El Salvador have taken place, and for the first time, a similar dialogue is being worked out in Nica ragua. The accord has also resulted in great strides toward a solution of refugee problems concerning Nicara gua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. And because of the agreement, La Prensa and other op position media has reopened in Nica ragua. This seems to be an impressive record for a two-month old peace process in a region as war torn as Central America. I fully acknowledge Mr. Wetzel's right to support our president's poli-, cies. However, I cannot understand why he is ignoring these hopeful signs from Central America. The Nobel Committee Chairman said it was a function of the prize to contribute to peace NYT Oct. 14, 1987). Their selection of Arias was clearly such an effort. The Commit tee's choice focused international at tention and support on Arias and the other leaders who are taking grave risks in an effort to normalize the situation of their region. Why feel offended by the selection of a person who is risking his life in a bold, creative, and promising at tempt to bring more peace to our planet for the Nobel Prize? Alex Gravesen national Airport the day after an attack there in which several innocent bystanders including children were shot and killed. The presence of German police armed with machine guns frightened me more than it reasured me that day. War means there is a good possibility that terrorist activity against Americans over seas could increase again as the American presence in the Persian Gulf escalates it means that I worry about my parents and sister who are still in Germany and I con stantl.), scan the newspapers for internation al news. War also means that my brother will soon follow in our father's footsteps, beginning his own military career in an age plagued with conflict around the globe. Finally. war means to me what it should mean to everyone. It means that we have all surrendered our power to reason and denied our ability to compromise, instead giving in to the irrational desires to decide issues by physical strength and to see the world on a "them against us - basis. In the end war means a failure for humanity. Maybe I shouldn't have asked myself why Monday's news was so upsetting to me. Maybe I should have asked why it isn't equally upsetting every morning. Gloria Hampton is a sophmore majoring in political science and is a columnist for The Daily Collegian. Her column appears en, other Thursday.
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