Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1982. január-június (36. évfolyam, 1-25. szám)
1982-02-04 / 5. szám
2 AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÓ ■ Thursday, Feb. 4. 1982. The Reagan Hoax By John B. Oakes Already, the cost of Reagan policies is devastating to our country in economic strength, in diplomatic influence, in national security, in moral stature. On the domestic front, needed budget-cutting has devolved into shameful budget-gutting. It affects the health, the safety, and the well-being of every . American. Combined with skewed tax reductions favoring the rich, it has turned the war against poverty into a war against the poor. It is altering.the relationship of government to the people and of the people to each other. Behind Ranald’s Reagan’s disarming smile, the ethical role of American democracy as balancer of conflicting forces is being coolly subverted. But somehow Mr. Reagan Is not held responsible. A striking example of the contrast between the President’s benign public image and the reality underneath lies in the ongoing battle over protection of the country's natural resources. A dear two-thirds majority of the American public strongly desires to maintain present environmental legislation, says a recent New York Times/CBS Poll. An astounding 45 percent say that "continuing environmental improvements must be made regardless of cost.” The latest Harris. Poll reveals that 80 percent oppose any relaxation of the Clean Air Act.- Yet the Times/CBS Poll also shows that half the public still trusts Mr. Reagan "to make the right kinds of decisions about the environment’ ’—at the very moment that he hás been doing everything possible to cut the heart out of the environmental protective system (including the Clean Air Act) that the same public so enthusiastically supports. He is widely perceived to be above—or beyond — the battle. In fact, he is central to it Despite the image, Ronald Reagan has been a consistent enemy of natural-resource and environmental protection. His grossly disproportionate cut of 50 percent from the environmental budget included a proposed 90 percent wipe-out of funds for acquiring new park lands, a 70 percent cut in solar energy research and conservation (contrasted with a 35 percent rise in nuclear subsidies), an 85 percent reduction for coastal-rone management. At the same time, $4.2 billion in “water-resource” projects, including some of the most environmentally destructive political payoffs in American history, remain virtually unscathed. Mr. Reagan, whom half the American people still “trust” to make the right kinds of environmental decisions, was willing to go to the mat with Congress to cut food stamps, school lunches, education, Medicaid. But Mr. Reagan was not willing to disturb notorious sinkholes of waste, especially in his Southern and Western political bastions. The President’s unspoken animus against the environment operates not only via the budget. It takes on immediate life in internal orders, administrative regulations, appointments and firings already executed by such "fronts” as Secretary of the Interior James G. Watt and Environmental Protection Administrator Anne M: Gorsuch. Mr. Watt has been busily torpedoing his department’s environmental-protection function, such as strip-mining control, with Mr. Reagan’s “full approval.” Mrs. Gorsuch is in effect dismantling the E.P.A., making it impossible to administer the antipollution and toxic-substance-control laws it was designed to oversee. Her proposals for a cut-rate Clean Air Act are a guarantee of dirtier air. Senator Robert T. Stafford, Republican of Vermont, remarked a few days ago: “To make these laws unenforceable because of a de facto repeal achieved through cuts in money and personnel would be to perpetrate a cruel hoax on the American people." That is precisely what “good guy” Reagan is doing, right across the board. The question is: How long will the American people continue to be hoaxed? John B. Oakes is the former Senior Editor of The New York Times. Off POLAND The New York Weekly “Amsterdam News” in its January 2 issue ran an editorial titled “Why cry for Poland?” which we reprint below. The recent events in Poland appears to have the world astir. Jn the United States there is an endless flow of “news” on the situation in Poland. Marches, and demonstrations, resolutions and denunciations fill the air. The Polish government is roundly denounced as tyrannical. The American outpouring is not, however, spontaneous. For months President Reagan and the State Department have spoken of a crisis in Poland. At every opportunity the American government has supported Solidarity’s existence and its demands for greater liberty. For months the American public has been bombarded with talk of a Soviet invasion and the dire consequences that would flow therefrom. President Reagan has repeatedly given stem warnings to Soviet leaders regarding Poland. There is now the threat of Reagan’s righteous wrath. More sober men and women, who are Americans, will quietly reflect on what all of this excitement means. Is this really about freedom and liberty? Is this Polish struggle but an extension of the ancient efforts of mankind to secure and protect liberty and human dignity? We think not. We are not without some concern for Poles who are without political liberties taken for granted in white America. But the suffering Poles, the starving Poles, the desperate Poles? Who can say that they have seen in Poland any conditions that approach what is commonplace in Haiti? Who can honestly assert that living conditions or political liberty is anywhere near as bad in Poland as they are in Haiti. All of the Poles who appear on the television news have the look of well-dressed and well-fed people. It is deeply troubling that in the United States, with its large population of Polish and other eastern European immigrants, those who profess to be refugees from oppression are utterly silent about oppression anywhere but in Communist countries. When have you read that any Polish organization has uttered a word about tyranny in Haiti? What is it about the Reagan Administration that it can be so indignant about Poland and so concerned ciuout the welfare of Poles while it is so hard-hearted about Haitians? Are not these desperate Black men and women human? Are not their lives worth saving? Why the difference? The reasons are unpleasant. President Reagan is preoccupied with Poland not for reasons of principle but rather for political reasons. The propaganda success that the American government is enjoying and will exploit for months to come is the cause of the American government’s concern. In reality Mr. Reagan must be delighted by the failures of the Polish government and the Polish Communist Party. The Poles who will be welcomed to these shores will be hailed as freedom-fighters. They will be living proof of the superiority of the capitalist system. The Haitians have no propaganda value in the east-west conflict. The Haitians - and the Black South Africans - are another example of America’s hypocritical concern with political liberty - are not abused by a Communist tyrant. They are Black, unskilled and illiterate. President Reagan doesn’t give a damn about liberty and freedom. Anti-Communism is his passion. No government with a conscience could treat Haitian refugees so shabbily while beating its breast about tyranny and hunger in Poland. No government that respects human rights could denounce Warsaw while embraping Pretoria. Be not deceived by the weeping and wailing about Poland. It is not about liberty or human dignity. It does not mean that Ronald Reagan has seen the light or has been bom again. It does not mean that America will truly become the friend and ally of the downtrodden. All that you see and hear about Poland, at least that part which is not a lie, is sheer hypocrisy. It’s loo warm in here. I can't sleep in a heated room. My room can’t he heated properly. Switch on [off] the light, please. I can't see now, it is very dark here. My lamp's burned out. The fuse is blown out. Where can I get a new electric bulb? Call an electrician to fix it up. The light's gone out. Túl meleg van ideben- Nem tudok fűtött szobában aludni. A szobám kifűthetetler. Gyújtsa (gyújesa) fel [oltsa (olcsaj elJ a vi! lányt, legyen szívó Nem látok már, nagyi sötét van itt. Kiégett a lámpám. Kiégett a biztosíték. Hol kapok egy új (villany)körtét? Szóljon a villany- szerelőnek, hogy javítsa (javlccsa) me: Kialudt a világítás. DrAlJred Henley In mid-December over two hundred people gathered at the Washington Ethical Society to pay tribute to Alfred Henley, who died in Budapest, Hungary on October 27th, 1981. at the age of 70. Dr. Henley became an active member of the world socialist movement in 1930 and served that cause without interruption for over 50 years. As a young man, he was able to attend Columbia Uni versity on a Pulitzer scholarship and prepare for a career as a physicist. Later in life, he visited Hungary many times in this capacity, working closely with Hungarian scientists and economists. On his last visit this past October, Dr. Henley delivered a paper on the separation of aluminum ores to an international congress. However he was more than a scientist. As one of his Hungarian-American friends put it: “Alfred was an ambassador of goodwill from all of us who believe in true justice and peace.” According to the testimony of the many people who came to honor him, Alfred Henley’s contributions to the progress of society went far beyond physics. His friend, George Murphy summed it up this way: “Alfred was a soldier of science who used his talents to build a better world.” One of his many talents was teaching. Throughout his life he taught, lectured and lead study- groups. His students testified to the stimulating character of his classes and the sparkling wit with which his ideas were presented. Beyond the rich content his students remember his personal support and concern for them. In his later years he focused on the problems of his age group. He became a leader of the Gray Panthers in his area. Using his organizing skills, he helped mobilize a force to fight against the utility companies and to eliminate discrimination. The mayor of Tacoma Park, Maryland, Sam Abbott, who was well acquainted with Mr. Henley’s V efforts, pointed out that he knew the power of the word -written and spoken - but that he translated that power into action. He said this was the “heritage of Alfred Henley.” Dr. Henley is survived by two sons, two daughters and his wife, Lillian, who is described as his “complementary energy.” At the memorial service in Budapest several members of the circle of our readers eulogized him- as well as Dezső Nemes, Director of the Institute of Party History; all friends of Dr. Henley. AMERIKAI , MAGYAR SZO USPS 028-980 ISSN 0194-7990 Published Weekly, exc. last week in July and 1st 2 weeks in August by Hungarian Word,Inc. 130 E 16 St. New York, N.Y. 10003, Ent. as 2nd Class Matter, Dec. 31. 1952 under the Act of «March 21. 1879, at the P.O. of New York, N.Y. Szerkeszti a Szerkesztő Bizottság Előfizetési árak az Egyesült Államokban egy évre $ 18.— félévre $ 10.— Kanadabari és minden más külföldi országban egy évre $ 20.— félévre $ 12.— PostmasteríSend address changes to: Hungarian Word,Inc. 130 E 16 St. New York, N.Y. 10003. Let us learn Hungarian
