EDITORIAL Alarming signs of impending direct U.S. intervention against the Nicaraguan re- volution are everywhere. ClIA-backed contra bands continue attacking from both borders, sabotage is increasing. The U.S. troop build-up in Honduras has reached 5,000 men. A U.S. naval fleet sits off the coast and a U.S. army battalion has been sent to Costa Rica. Over 25,000 U.S. troops are now in the area. All proposals by the Nicaraguan Government, specifically three draft treaties presented to Washington on Oct. 19, were rejected by the USA. Instead, the U.S. revamped the so-called Central American Defence Council and called to- gether 14 military leaders from the region on Oct. 22-23. They drafted a document outlining _ step-by-step aggression against Nicaragua. It says “a war situation is inevitable” and speaks of “an international pacification ac- tion” and “direct participation by the USA with all its resources” against the Sandinista revolution. That’s clear talk. It’s a direct threat. _ At the same time the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) in El _ Salvador warned Nov. 5 that on U‘S. or- _ ders, El Salvador’s defence minister has _ Prime Minister Trudeau has left for the Far East on the second leg of his “mission for peace” having completed the European part. What remains, according to the press, are talks with the USSR and USA. _ Few can argue that any action to help promote world peace is positive. All can agree that the world today stands in dire peril, as the nuclear arms race accelerates and as new missiles are being delivered to Western Europe further destabilizing the situation. Herein lies a major flaw of the Trudeau mission: Surely his credentials as a states- man for peace would be enhanced if Trudeau would match his words with deeds. It’s difficult to be in favor of Cruise _and Pershing-2 deployment, as Trudeauis, while talking about “arms suffocation”. . It’s difficult to be convincing with world leaders as Canada prepares to test Cruise _ In the next short span of time it will be federal budget season again. Finance Minister Marc Lalonde will try to juggle _ Capitalism’s fortunes into a rosier picture than that which attended the disastrous MacEachen budgets. If the budget were to take hold of real solutions to the mass unemployment crisis, the economic crisis in everyday life, that would make it welcome. But in these times of outright attack on the working class, on democratic and trade union rights, the _ will be those the government is compelled to include because of united mass pressure. Back on June 28, 1982, then Finance Minister Allan MacEachen introduced the infamous six and five wage restraints: a ceiling of six per cent on pay raises in. 1982 and Eve per cent in 1983. This under- mined the living standards of the almost PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 23, 1983—Page 4 only things positive in the federal budget - U.S. hands off Nicaragua! requested that Guatemalan and Honduran troops enter into the war in E] Salvador to prop up government troops which have taken a severe beating in the past two months. The FMEN says these troops are now poised on El Salvador’s borders. “Once again as in Grenada,” the statement says, “Reagan has managed to use a group of governments as pawns to betray their own peoples. “It is Reagan who will decide the date of the aggression, and if it is to be directed first against E] Salvador then Nicaragua, or if the order is to be reversed. Both aggres- sions form part of the same plan. ... ~ The valiant people of Nicaragua and El Salvador have pledged they will not give up their gains or their struggle for inde- pendence and liberty. Central America will never return to the barbaric days of super-exploitation that existed before the wave of national liberation broke the grip of colonial pillage. The utmost solidarity by Canadians is now needed. Ottawa should be pressed to declare Canada’s support for indepen- dence in Central America and against Rea- gan’s dangerous and aggressive positions. These are times to be counted. ~ Mission needs less bias missiles for the U.S. and keeps: manufac- turing guidance systems for the U.S. mili- tary. Hardly an even-handed approach. The question of peace or war Is so vital, so all-embracing, that every citizen can do nothing less than wish any peace effort well. But Trudeau will have to decide whether he’s part of the answer or part of the problem. A case in point is his proposal to keep outer space for peace. The PM should have added that the USSR proposed this very thing at the UN in October — while Reagan talks of “star wars”. Some objectivi- ty, some reciting of facts, some mention of the many resolutions for nuclear disarma- ment made by the USSR and rejected’ by the USA would help set the record straight. This, added to Canadian action (not only. words) for disarmament would give Tru- deau’s mission a real chance. Make budget heed labor 500,000 public sector workers affected, be- cause inflation was at a dizzying 11 per cent. Ottawa openly urged the provinces to enact similar restraints which most of them did eagerly. Economists dismiss six and five as having had any useful effect on lowering inflation. It moderated slightly because buying power was cut off, layoffs, closures and runaways became rampant as corporations withheld investment. The Liberals must not be left quietly in their think-tank to fantasize that another such budget will do. Now is the time for working people to raise hell and demand real answers, real jobs, real social benefits, and an end to the pretext that slipping millions of dollars to corporations will solve the problem. Flashbacks TEST THREAT TO LIFE “We are denying the most important right of human beings by continuing to test nuclear weapons — the right to stay alive”, said Dr. F.M. Kelly in an address to the Indiana State Teachers Col- lege. He ridiculed the claim that the U.S. could not stop testing. With 35,000 nuclear weapons _ stockpiled, Dr. Kelly said the U.S. is “surely” able to swing into action on retaliation or offensive mea- sures without continued test- ing. He predicted that about 100,000 persons will “some day develop fatal lukemia or bone cancer” as a result of nuclear fallout from the tests . already made. Tribune, November 17, 1958 For Imperial Oil Ltd., Toronto, the nine months ended Sept. 30 - brought in $226,000,000 in after-tax profits, to add to $220,000,000 7S; for that period a year earlier. Despite the bonanza, capital spend ing declined from $750-million to $540-million. Editor — SEAN GRIFFIN : Assistant Editor — DAN KEETON Business and Circulation Manager — PAT O'CONNOR Published weekly at Suite 101 — 1416 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. V5L 3X9. Phone 251-1186 Subscription Rate: Canada $14 one year; $8 for six months. Second class mail registration number 1560 EIGHT SENT TO HOLE Thrown into the “Hole” because they protested to the warden against the treatment | meted out to Tom Cacic by _ his being kept in prison for 40 days longer than his sen- tence, the Eight Communist leaders are again the victims of vicious discrimination om | the part of the prison authorities. The “hole” is an isolated cell without light, where the victim has a stone floor to sleep on, where he is fed on bread and water and may be subjected to barba ous treatment such as being are in good health. tied to the wall with arms — outstretched while standing — on his toes. None of the eight oN The Worker, — November 18, 1933. | Profiteer of the week — 4