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From: mjk@ttrdc.UUCP (Mike Kelly)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: I don't favor Apartheid, But....
Message-ID: <178@ttrdc.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 10-May-85 14:23:50 EDT
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Posted: Fri May 10 14:23:50 1985
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 >From: matthews@harvard.ARPA (Jim Matthews)
 >Chief Buthelesi (sp?) of the Zulu tribe,
 >one of the most respected black leaders in South Africa, has said 
 >something to the effect of "It is commonly believed that investment
 >in South Africa is extremely profitable, but morally indefensible.
 >The opposite is true: investment is a moral imperative, even while
 >the business aspect may present problems." (I can get the exact quote
 >if you'd like).  It's no wonder that a poll of South African industrial
 >laborers showed 75% opposed to a U.S. pullout.
 >

Well, Bishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the Nobel Prize, favors divestment.
Fine, so opinion is divided in South Africa.  (By the way, the New York
Times ran a story about five weeks ago on that poll, pointing out the
major flaws in methodology.  The questions were phrased to obtain the
answer the pollster wanted, i.e. that divestment is wrong.  

The issue, though, isn't what South Africans believe.   The issue is
what Americans believe.  It is undeniable that the technology, hard
currency and international respectability U.S. corporations provide the
South African government with helps maintain that government.  Those who
don't want that government supported with American money should
pressure to end that support.  That's what's happening.  I doubt that a
U.S. pullout will make conditions "better" for the majority of South
Africans.  Only the abolition of the apartheid government will do that.

It is also ironic that many of those so concerned about the effect of
divestment on South Africa are whole-hearted supporters of the Reagan
*embargo* against Nicaragua.  Does anyone *dare* to compare the internal
policies of those two governments?  Does anyone *dare* suggest that 
there is massive repression against the majority of Nicaraguans by their
government on the scale that the South African government squashes the
black majority in that country?  Are there internal passports in Nicaragua?
Are people "banned" just for speaking their opinions?

The differences are like night and day, as are U.S. policies.  How about
a little "constructive engagement" with Nicaragua and an economic 
embargo against South Africa?

Mike Kelly