EDITORIAL

Dangerous U.S. doctrine

With his State of the Union address Feb. 6, Presi-
dent Ronald Reagan attempted to formalize the con-
cept of the U.S. as the final authority everywhere in the
world. It is a concept which, while guiding Washing-
ton’s behavior over the years, has been enacted witha
vengeance by Reagan.

It’s no more than might be expected from the
regime which declares its right to militarize space and
threaten the Earth with a Star Wars finale.

The Reagan doctrine enunciated on Feb. 6 imposes
an increased burden on the world’s péoples. The U.S.
has officially set its objectives as the instigating of
counterrevolution and anti-government insurgency
(at whatever cost in lives and freedoms) wherever
there exists an administration not to Pentagon and
White House liking. In the process the Reaganites see
a revival of colonialist seizure of resources.

The idea is not new but setting it in stone with
disregard for international law and ethics bears the
distinct stamp of the Reagan ultra-reactionaries.

Using his own dictionary of distortions Reagan
pledged U.S. imperialism’s “support for freedom figh-
ters”. Reagan’s freedom fighters are the right-wing
scum. of every continent, undermining socialism,
blowing the legs off democracy, killing progress, buy-
ing alive the struggle for equality, arranging the “dis-
appearance” of genuine patriots.

The danger lies both in denying sovereign peoples

their right to self-determination, and in the escalation
of the danger of world war — nuclear war. This
danger arises particularly from Reagan’s implied
intention of meddling in socialist countries. It also
ensures an all-out attack on living standards and on
rising national economies.

It applies not only undeveloped countries, phe in the
countries like Canada who are tied to the U.S. war
machine.

Perhaps Reagan believes that U.S. imperialism can
achieve the conquest of the world where Hitler fas-
cism, with the same conceit, went down to inglorious
ruin. Hangers-on of Reagan should learn from the fate

of hangers-on of Hitler when they had to face the —

wrath of their own countrymen.

There is another way for Canada. It is to choose an
independent foreign policy, to reject U.S. military and
economic domination.

~ New Zealand has stood up against U.S. nuclear
weapons in its ports. Australia has reversed its plan to
take part in testing the U.S. MX missile. The Greek
government is moving toward ejecting U.S. nuclear
weapons from its soil. Other NATO members are
listening to masses of their people demanding that
they break out of the U.S..nuclear embrace.

That is the kind of independent stance the Cana-
dian people have the right to expect from the Mulro-
ney government in Ottawa:

Dump policy with Coates

Defence Minister Robert Coates resigned from the
_ Tory federal cabinet, Feb. 12, and everyone who
stands for peace and against raw militarism will be

glad he’s gone. (Though the chance’s he’ll be back in |

Cabinet within months are excellent judging by the
usual record of monopoly politics.)

Coates is recalled as a firm disciple of Reagan’s Star
Wars and a hawk who was prepared to squander
billions to arm Canada in a way to please Washing-
ton’s dictates. He is remembered for the glee with
which he told U.S. Defence Secretary Caspar Wein-
berger of the jailing of peace activists in Halifax.

Now Coates is gone —at least from the
cabinet — at least temporarily. Having patronized a
porno bar in Lahr, Federal Republicof Germany, and
spent $100 on drinks for a stripper may or may not
have endangered Canadian security. At least it indi-
cates Coates’ tastes when he is not laughing it up about
jailed peace demonstrators.

All of which is not the point. All of which is no more

_ than a circus for the big money media. The point is:
Coates may be gone but the Mulroney government
policy of selling out Canada to U.S. imperialism, and
to the Pentagon in military matters, goes on unabated.
That is where the peace forces properly centre their
attack. They know that anything Coates did in a dive
in’Germany pales beside his undermining of Canadian
security while defence minister.

Coates deserved to be dumped for his total disser-
vice to Canada in the interests of U.S. policy. Now
what needs to be done is to dump the entire Mulroney
policy of subordination which is drawing Canada into
the Star Wars madness, draining the deficit-ridden
treasury for a renewed DEW Line in the north and
driving down the living standards and distorting the
future of Canadian workers and youth.

The peace mvoement should not waste too much
time celebrating Coates’ departure; the task is to
change the pro-war policies of the government.

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“TRIBUNE

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ritish Columbians are by now used to

Socred spokesmen playing fast and —
loose with statistics in order to rationalize
their unpopular “restraint” program. Top

People and Issues

arrangements “will mark the first invol-
vement of European countries in El Sal-
vador’s civil war and will step up Israel’s
deep military involvement in Central
America.”

awards in this field went to Education
Minister Jack Heinrich a few weeks ago for
his inflationless calculations concerning

of B.C.’s public schools.
But not to be outdone, even Socred
backbenchers are getting into the act, as

couver South MLA Russ Fraser before a
less than impressed audience of more than
500 students at Langara Campus Feb. 7.

Throughout repeated boos and heckles
Fraser, who won distinction as a restraint
apologist at a meeting of parents angry
over school cuts last month, told the col-
lege students they shouldn’t worry about
an imminent tuition hike because south of
the border, their colleagues are forking
over at least $6,500 a year for their educa-
tion.

As pointed out by Tribune reader and
occasional contributor Ivan Bulic, a cur-
sory check of the calendars of such institu-
tions as Seattle Central community college
shows tuitions of around $320 yearly —
less than half of the $720 most Vancouver
Community College students pay.

Fraser's figures failed to make a dent
anyway, reports Bulic, because students

what goes on in B.C., not the United
States. Undaunted, Fraser went on to
make more erroneous claims.

Tackling pupil-teacher ratios (PTR),
the Socred MLA claimed that the situa-

the provincial government’s underfunding

witnessed by the performance of Van-~

pointed out they were concerned with ~

tion was improving since there are fewer
students in the public schools these days.
He was reminded that. according to the
education ministry’s own statistics, the
PTR this year is 17.76 students to one
teacher, up from last year’s 17.1-1 average.

Fraser also touted the Socred’s Student

. Venture Capital Program, claiming that

86 per cent of those who participated in
the student business program last summer
repaid their loans. In fact, it was noted, on
the 500 out of 100,00C otential borrow-
ers, far less than 86 per cent were able to
repay,.

VCC faces a $1.75 million cutback this
year, with the deficit being made up in
chopped services and a five-per cent tui-
tion hike. The college is traditionally the
institution where some 18,000 mainly low-
income students obtain trades and first-
year university credits.

So it’s scarcely surprising that one pro-
fessor was. moved to tell Fraser: “You’ve
given us no hope, and no way out.” Nor,
perhaps, is it surprising that Socred res-
traint apologists, despite the overwhelm-
ing negative effects of their “new reality,”
continue to prop up their arguments with
erroneous statistics.

* * *

W: often hear, ad nauseum, the claims
of the U.S. Reagan administration
that Nicaragua and Cuba funnel arms to
the popular Faribundo Marti Liberation

Movement in El Salvador. That claim,
despite the lack of a shred of evidence, is
again being touted as the U.S. president
presses Congress for additional aid to the
U.S.-backed counter-revolutionary bands
who regularly raid, and whose aim is to
topple the elected government of, demo-
cratic Nicaragua.

In that light, and in light of the
increased violence in El Salvador from the
ultra-right death squads against the Cen-
tral American nation’s people, a small
news item in the Globe and Mail provides
illuminating, if brief, insight into who is
really aiding whom, militarily.

The story, from Reuters, reports that
military academies in both Britain and
Belgium have offered their services to train
officers of El Salvador’s army. And, Sal-

vadoran sources are apparently thinking

of asking Israel for help.

According to the story, El Salvador’s
deputy public security minister, Carlos
Lopez Nuila, is heading to Israel to attend
a seminar “organized by the Israeli police
on criminology and fighting terrorism.”

The aid of the two European nations
came after a tour by Salvadoran president
Jose Napolean Duarte, the supposed mod-
erate installed with the aid of the Reagan
adminstration.

The report cryptically notes that the

While much space has been given in the
daily media to Reagan’s unfounded accu-
sations against his socialist neighbors, the
Reuters item takes up all of 7% column
inches. We wouldn’t mind seeing a little
more on the “deep military involvement”’
of Reagan’s allies in Central America.

* * *

e have a note that the folks from the
Create a Real Available Beach
(CRAB) group, still in the fight to get a
decent sized park along Vancouver's
waterfront, are hosting an upcoming
benefit to procure some needed funds.
The benefit, which features several
neighborhood bands and other talent, is
set for Sunday, Feb. 24, at Firehall Thea-
tre, corner of Cordova and Gore streets,
Doors are open at 7:30 p.m., admission is
$4 or donation.

* * *

a Alberni reader George McKnight
sends us a few corrections on the arti-
cle he filed concerning the history of
woodworker activist Hjalmar Bergren,
who died last month.

Hjalmar actually died on Jan. 12, not
Jan. 5 as the article stated. And the mem-
orial service was held Jan. 16, rather than
Jan. 9.

4 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 20, 1985