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From: orb@whuts.UUCP (SEVENER)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: A Pleasant Precedent
Message-ID: <986@whuts.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 12-Sep-86 09:16:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: whuts.986
Posted: Fri Sep 12 09:16:42 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Sep-86 05:26:19 EDT
References: <7802361@inmet>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 60

> 
> Zimbabwe's leader Robert Mugabe, speaking at the non-aligned
> meeting in Harare, denounced the Libyan raid and the US support
> for the Angolan insurgents as acts of "international bullyism".
> In a very short while, he learned the happy news: the USA stopped
> bullying his country with any further foreign aid.
> 
> People often ask why there's so much anti-American sentiment
> abroad. Why, it's because this kind of normal and sane response
> has been so rare on the part of the State Department.
> 
> But is this the way to make us loved? Yes, it is: in many places,
> people know about the USA mostly what the national  leaders,  and
> controlled  media, tell them. If the leaders get the incentive
> not to vilify the US, that makes a difference.
> 
> Foreign dictators sure  have  the  right  of  free  anti-American
> speech  -  but  not  paid for by the American taxpayer! 

1)Robert Mugabe was *elected* Prime Minister of Zimbabwe in Parliamentary
  elections which also reinstated Ian Smith, (still racist after all 
  these years!), former Prime Minister of white-ruled Rhodesia, to
  that Parliament

2)This is *exactly* the kind of action which makes the US hated
  throughout the world.  Reagan considered it an insult to point out
  that, while the US was celebrating the gift of the Statue of Liberty
  from the French people, who had also helped the US gain its freedom
  in the American Revolution, that the US was continuing its support
  for a racist repressive government in South Africa, which was
  conducting war against its neighbors.
  Not only are Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, and the other border
  countries not supposed to retaliate South African attacks on
  their territory, they are not even allowed to *speak about it*!!
  What an arrogant, chauvinistic attitude!

3)According to Jan's attitude the acceptance of any sort of aid
  precludes the rights to any opinions or free speech.  By this logic
  if you receive unemployment benefits, social security benefits,
  student financial aid, aid to the handicapped, corporate subsidies,
  you have therefore negated your right to voice your opinion.
  I often wonder if Jan has truly learned the lessons of American
  democracy and freedom or if he is still imbued with the authoritarian
  attitudes of Communist systems.  He has simply transferred his
  authoritarianism and desire to repress free speech to the other
  side.  The methods of repression are the same.

4)According to NPR, the American cutoff of aid to Zimbabwe (which
  incidentally has one of the most market-oriented economies in
  Africa and consequently the best agricultural production in Africa)
  was universally condemned by the nonaligned nations and may actually,
  paradoxically, lead to an *increase* in support for Zimbabwe from
  other nonaligned states in terms of economic aid.

5)Hypocrisy abounds!! Reagan cuts off aid to Zimbabwe for stating the
  opinion that South Africa has no business raiding and bombing its
  neighbors, but Pinochet murders the editor of a leading newspaper
  and the aid keeps flowing!
  Such consistency of principle!!
                    tim sevener  whuxn!orb