At Least They're Our Skunks Admittedly, the Shah, Somoza and a few others with whom we have had good relations, have been less than desirable fellows. Actually they may have been skunks. But if we must do business with skunks-and sometimes we must-we should always prefer those who are spraying in the other di- rection. Back in the hills of Virginia, we call that common sense. Jerry Falwell February 5, 1985 Living in an Ideal World WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (UPI)- American news organizations are "trying to tear down America" be- cause the press is made up of people from "a narrow fringe element on the far left of our society," the White House science adviser says.[.... ] "This country is looking toward things like investment in the future, education, respecting people who work hard and well," [George A. Keyworth 2nd] continued. "We have a pragmatic view of the world's com- petitiveness, not some artificial, ideal world where, for example, foreign policy is dominated by human rights. The American press as a whole is in- consistent with these trends." The New York Times February 23, 1985 In No Uncertain Terms United Press International A Nicaraan gornmft vmmission says it is ready to negotiate lim- peduutonomy forrndians on the coun- try's isolat datlantic cout, but rules out demands for independence. As the commision's 10-point plan was an- munced Mondq in Managua, battle between troops and rebels trying to overthrow the Sandinista government jgedin the north. he Defense mcistry said 15 rebels and six troops were killed. Te threelembj Ncaraguan ovecment commission announced a plan that en- vsions preserving he languages, relir- gionsandcultures of different Indian groups livng on he country's Alanpc coast. he plan includes futuj talks onutonomy, hiv would allow for In- diansto choose thur leaders and devel- op their and, the commission said, but added utonomy "dos not meanseqra- tion nor independence from Nicaragua." The annokcement came amidu deadlockmver autonomy cpeace tas between the gvernment and 9ne of two Indian rebel leaders, brooklyn Rivera of the Costa Rica- basedrMisurasata group. The governxnthas been widely criticized for 8ts treatment of ndian- groups that ere largely left agne until the vegvow of dictatocnastasv omba in 197. ReAN Adminiyration offiials have cwled the treatznt "genocide.' The Sandinistas' forced relocation of Inkansaway from mrtheastern zones under attackrby U.S.-backed rbels prompted housanstoflee ctoneiv- boring onduras and others to join the Indian rebelvrps. The Jersey Journal December 18, 1984 An "Omelette" in Every Hamlet The army's old habit of massacring villagers has been largely abandoned during the past two years. Two major programmes were initiated: the guns- and-beans campaign (fusiles y fri- joles), which offered food to war- shattered areas and organised the In- dians into a million-strong "civil de- fence force" whose members put in a day or so of patrolling each week; and the omelettes-and-work campaign (tortillas y trabajo) which offered the Indians pay in exchange for helping to rebuild their villages. The Economist London February 2, 1985 Kissinger Report Bombs? Asked what she and the Adminis- tration had failed so far to achieve in its foreign policy goals, Dr. [Jeane] Kirkpatrick replied, "Lots!" For one thing, she said, the Admin- istration has hardly responded to the recommendations made last year by the Commission on Central America, headed by former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. The report called for an $8.4 billion economic aid pro- gram to the region and "significantly Continued on page 12 Continued from page 2 increased" military assistance. "Kissinger said at Norman Pod- horetz's party the other night that the unused copies of the report should be dropped on Nicaragua," she said with a laugh. The New York Times February 1, 1985 By Cook County Standards. . . . The opposition is widely thought to be readying its excuses in case it loses [in the Belizean elections on] Friday. Party leaders continue to charge that the Prime Minister stole the election in 1979, in which eight races were de- cided by less than 5 percent of the vote. But U.S. Ambassador Barneby is skeptical that any vote tampering could have gone undetected in 1979, or will on Friday. "By Cook County standards," he said with a laugh, "this is going to be a clean election." The New York Times December 14, 1984 Lying Low "We've got two options," Mr. Durenberger said in an interview this week. "We can do it openly or do it covertly. The only difference is that when we do it covertly, we lie a lot." (Senator David Durenberger, R- Minn., chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, comment- ing on aid to the Nicaraguan contras.) The New York Times February 2, 1985
