WORLD The defence of Canada: what are our options? The electoral victory of New Zealand’s Labor Party, which is committed to creating a nuclear weapons-free zone in the South Pacific, and to renegotiating the coun- try’s military pact (ANZUS) with the USA, ought to shame our timid mainstream politicians into a similar reappraisal of Canada’s defence options. This does not appear likely in the current election. The Liberals and Tories seem divided only over the amount by which Canada should increase its contribution to the big U.S.-dominated military alliances, NATO and NORAD. The New Democratic Party continues its decades-long fit of indecision over defence policy, and only the Communist Party has stood consistently and unequivocally for withdrawal from NATO and NORAD, an independent peace-oriented foreign policy, and a nu- clear weapons-free zone in Canada. Meanwhile, the people of New Zealand have acted upon the realization that there is no security conferred by the presence of nuclear weapons upon their nation’s soil: indeed, to be a nuclear base is to be, unavoidably, a nuclear target. Also, they have clearly signalled their unease at membership in the U.S.-run military network at a time when American belligerence and imperial ad- venturism are on the upswing. Ironically in this dangerous age, non-alignment is not only a viable option for a small nation such as New Zealand, or Canada, it is one of the few steps that such a country can take to enhance its security. By disengaging itself from the U.S.-dominated, war-prone military blocs, and renouncing the insanity of the nuclear arms race, a country can place itself among the forces for peace and disarmament on our planet — a movement which is ultimately the only hope for our collective sur- vival. Right-wingers, who grow apoplectic at such talk, warn that neutrality merely makes a nation “‘easy prey to aggression’. However, this simple-minded assertion is contradicted by the experience of Sweden and Switzer- land, which have managed to stay out of all of Europe's interminable wars during the past two centuries, while bringing a high degree of security and prosperity to their people. It may be argued that history and geography have been kind to these nations but, in fact, a posture of determined neutrality and non-alignment has served them better. Canada’s freedom of action is strait-jacketed, our des- tiny controlled by others through our membership in NATO and NORAD; and our population is placed in daily peril because of our complicity in the nuclear arms race. e Our participation in NATO locks our armed forces into a command structure presided over by the Penta- gon. The critical decisions regarding the disposition of our troops are made in Washington, not Ottawa, and © they are drawing us into an increasingly hostile, and ‘ News Analysis Fred Weir possibly terminal, confrontation with the USSR and its allies. With no choice in the matter, we are now deeply involved in the political, psychological and economic offensives of the new Cold War, we are committed to a battlefield doctrine that emphasizes the first use of nu- clear weapons, and we are, God help us, subject to the consequences — including nuclear retaliation — of whatever conflict the leader of the alliance may drag us into. e Canada, like Europe, is perceived in U.S. strategic - thought as a ‘‘theatre’’ of nuclear war. More than any- thing else, our membership in the NORAD alliance makes us ‘‘the ham in the sandwich’’, a kind of nuclear no-man’s land between the U.S. and the USSR. NORAD was formed in 1958 at the height of the ‘“‘bomber gap” scare, in which it was alleged that thousands of new Soviet bombers were poised to attack an undefended North America. Although the ‘‘bomber gap’’ soon proved to be a myth — one of those ritual devices the U.S. military and arms manufacturers use to get their way at budget time — we are still stuck with NORAD. Today the bulk of Canadian airpower not as- signed to NATO is integrated into NORAD operations controlled from Colorado Springs, and the U.S. military enjoys broad access to the Canadian northland. NORAD is now moving out into space. Ronald Reagan’s ‘‘star wars’’ missile defence system is to be constructed under the auspices of NORAD, as are many of the other space-weapons projects. While Canadians have had no say in the American decision to launch a new arms race in outer space, the consequences will, quite literally, fall upon us. e Cruise missile testing presents yet another clear example of how Canada’s military subordination to the U.S. is drawing us deeper and deeper into the deadly logic of the nuclear arms race. It is a matter of national shame that Canada agreed to test and help refine the gir-launched Cruise missile, a weapon designed to be carried by Strategic Air Com- mand B-52 bombers as they prowl the fringes of Soviet airspace. We are clearly acting as partners in the development of this destablizing weapons-system, yet we were never consulted when the U.S. refused to nego- tiate limits on Cruise missiles under SALT II, and then torpedoed the whole strategic arms control process. . Now the news is that the USSR, in response, is The F-18 Hornet and armament: Canada bought this unflyable fighter from the U.S. at a cost of $5-billion. our NATO and NORAD membership draws Canada ! exorably into the cold war and the nuclear arms race. developing its own Cruise missile. The United States, ! is reported, will shortly demand that Canada deploy 4 fleet of AWACS early-warning aircraft to detect Sovié Cruise missiles coming over the pole. : Thus we are inexorably, being drawn in by the diale’ tics of Cold War, the nuclear arms race, and by t domination of the United States over key elements of out foreign policy. Only an act of clear, decisive political on the part of Canadians can change this. Canada does have legitimate defence requirement but none of these are very well served by our presem™ alliances. We need a strong capability for coastal aM maritime patrol; we should be able to participate in Ur ited Nations’ actions where the Canadian people deem in the interests of peace; and we must maintain at home adequate defensive military forces to deter threats to oul sovereignty, from whatever direction they may come: We desperately need, also, to re-assert our econo independence. Canadian industry has gone so far dow? the road of integration with the U.S. military-indust! establishment that we no longer produce even — simplest weapons-system on our own, and must pu!” chase at exorbitant prices whatever the U.S. decides we should have. By regaining control over our own ecor omy, and broadening our secondary manufactull”? base, we would among other things develop the ability” supply ourarmed forces with whatever equipment # Canadian people find necessary to fulfill made+™ Canada defence policies. If nothing else, the pathet® saga of the F-18 ‘‘Hornet”’ unflyable fighter, acquit! from the U.S. at a cost of $5-billion (and climbin®! underscores the urgency of the economic dimensio® any deWate about Canadian defence policy. International Focus Tom Morris It depends who you are On Aug. 9, 1974 Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace. Key members of his team were either in prison or facing charges for a variety of crimes revolving around misuse of power to stay in power. The five Watergate burglars spent from four years to four months in jail. Nixon’s attor- ney general, convicted of con- spiracy, obstructing justice and perjury, was jailed for 18 months. His two top aides, Haldeman and Ehrlichman also received 18 months each for the same crimes. — Lesser lights, found guilty of crimes ranging from. con- spiracy to perjury spent an av- erage of seven months behind bars. In all 12 men caught ina wide variety of criminal acts, from burglary to conspiracy to ob- struction of justice; three of them former CIA agents, and attorney general, two presi- dential advisers, lawyers, re- ceived a total sentence of 188 months. That works out to about 15'2 months per crook. The man who started it all, a former security guard at Watergate, was caught in 1982 stealing a pair of running shoes from a Georgia department store. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison. And in case you think the U.S. justice system has two * sets of laws, look again. It has . ee. The top crook, Richard Nix- on, was pardoned by the man he named to succeed him as president. Today Nixon lives on his $119,000 a year govern- ment pension, gets another $300,000 yearly in government expenses, recently pocketed $500,000 for a CBS interview and added another $1.5-million to his bank account from the sale of some New York property. If you'll just fill this out... Seven years ago in Palo Alto, California, two brothers filled out forms at Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor which was offer- ing free cones as a promotional gimmick. Eric and Greg Hentzel used fake names, but correct ad- dresses and last month a Selec- tive Service notice arrived at the Hentzel home for ‘‘Johnny Klomberg”’ advising him he’ had 30 days from his upcoming 18th birthday to register for the draft. The boys’ father, Paul Hent- zel, an army veteran, said he was disturbed the government could be using ice cream parlor mailing lists to keep track of youngsters. “‘If Klomberg did exist,’’- he remarked, “‘he might get a free ride to a world hot spot instead of a free ice - cream cone.” Selective Service officials admit they have mailed out some 3,500 draft notices a. month based on Farrell lists. ‘‘We never did get the free ice cream cones,” Eric and Greg complained. He’s a very funny person One of the features of _ Reagan’s presidency are the weekly radio broadcasts he makes to Americans, all don¢ in his cozy, folksy manner. And since everyone knows | Reagan likes to joke about, his comment two years ago: picked up by control room microphones, that Polish lead- ers are ‘‘a bunch of lousy, 19 good bums’’, must hav — evoked giggles. Hey, that’s good old Ro#- giving it to em. Last week, thinking the mikes were dead, good old Ro? said: ‘‘My fellow Americans: am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which out laws Russia forever. The bombing begins in_ fiv® minutes.”’. That’s a joke. Get it? Bang! Humanity, has vanished. We’re all dead.