The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 20

I 1100i4MilitiEN 101iObwmplONNOftilii3O0IPIWAIlWa I El Salvador's Odd Circle Of Friends Ltfte Oharlotte Observer RICHARD OPPREL7EditoirNE114 PaNiderwilendOSPublERAtherTO SUAREZ ovvratmonow hT Observer Forum I II 1 1 I JERRY SHINN ditor el the Poem MARK ETHRIDGE III Managing Editor JRonald ess Helms als fariefardienodf oRfobJeasrtsoe Helms D'Aubuisson -Odr Roberto D'Aubuisson Is a friend of Our Readers' Views ROLFE NEILL RICHARD A OPPEL Editor JERRY SHINN Editor of rho Editorial Pages President end Publisher ROBERTO SUAREZ Control Managor MARK ETHRMGE Managing Editor Ronald Reagan is a friend of Jesse Helms Jesse Helms is a friend of Roberto D'Au buisson Roberto D'Aubuisson Is a friend of Tho Observer Forum Our Readers' Views JACK CLAIBORNE Ataxia Editor Thursday JACK ULAJBORNE Anacleto Editor July 19 1984 I I ED WILLIAMS the Salvadoran death squads ED WILLIAMS Assoemic mom the Salvadoran death squads Editorials expulsion arose as a result of a slander emotional Propaganda that depicted expulsion arose as a result of a emotional propaganda that depicted Opening Doors Now Women Share Dream The death squads are friends of the Salvadoran land owners The land owners produce "economic refugees" The refugees are returned to El Salvador by Ronald Reagan What are friends for? SCOTT JARRETT Charlotte People Must Act In response to a June 29 letter from Jeff Norton of Northall England: How wonderful it was to read an appeal from a citizen of England urging US citizens to join in abandoning the concept of war As Mr Norton pointed out polls show 80 of American citizens favor a bilateral freeze on influenced so heavily by the military-industrial complex JANE LEIGHTON BURTS Charlotte Observer Hypocrisy The Observer has reached the pinnacle of hypocrisy in accusing the NC Republican Party of being a "closed society" There is no group or organization more closed than the elitist national media including Knight-Ridder Newspapers owner of The Observer Eighty percent of the print media in this country is controlled by a mere 17 families Yet editors of The Observer have the audacity to accuse the Republican Party of being a "closed society" simply be The refugees are returnea to Li bap cause delegates at the recent NC Republican Convention had representatives of the News and Observer of Raleigh removed from the floor The slanderous article which implied that Sen Jesse Helms had indirectly instigated an assassination plot against the US ambassador to El Salvador Thomas Pickering As delegates to the convention we know what actually happened when the News and Observer personnel were directed to leave No one else was required or asked to leave There was never any hint of closing the convention to the press or the public: only of expelling one member of the media community because of that member's incorrigible attack on the highest elected official in the NC Republican Party Sen Helms convention the News and Observer ran a second article on the Pickering assassination plot which said there was no evidence linking D'Aubuisson or Helms to It Maybe the expulsion forced the News and Observer staff to realize that expecting repercussions As convention Chairman Barry McCarty said "You either get it correct or you don't get it" Is that a "closed society" as The Observer claims? The truth that's all the Republican Party asks! JUDITH COLLINS LILIAN McGRATH Charlotte What 'Right' Morals? On June 28 I watched a program on nas gradually re- nucteur wettpuns uur vicuna ()Imam moved race refl continue to be unresponsive on this is In society we punish a criminal for chaic morals in Washington They have A' gion economic sue and those of us who are deeply committing a wrong likewise the Re- more respect for their beliefs and their 4A status and gender concerned over the escalation of the publican Party was punishing the News heritage than to exploit it Y--ttx 41t as barriers to the arms race particularly the deployment and Observer for what the convention LARA GIBBS I full exercise of of first strike weapons in Europe (both delegates perceived as a wrong Mineral Springs in England and on the continent) must In contradiction to what The Ob- 4' 12:21 citizenship Rep make ourselves heard at the polls server editorial said Sen Helms had i fl Ferraro referred nothing to do with the action by the 1 If citizens of England and A convention delegates The senator was merica do Nture a Cu res to th C'-at in a- 1 her not favor a continuation of the arms at Oxford attending a charity function ceptance speech race then we must work together to He did not learn about the expulsion Nature if left alone will cure the 'sde- when she said stop it We must educate our elected until he was questioned cancerous sores that man inflicts upon about it "American his- officials and we must elect to public other members of the press by it in the name of progress 4 41 or is about office people who will respond to the On the A Sunday following the conven- MARK ANTHONY BROWN 1 fears of our neonle rather than twine 1 A el I ele Wadesboro has gradually re' moved race refl gion economic v' 4'S 1 status and gender w-tx 4 'I as barriers to the N--41 gag4 1 full exercise of citizenship Rep i Ferraro referred 3 :1 to that in her ac- i I ceptance speech e' 1 when she said "American his- tory is about nuclear weapons Our elected officials continue to be unresponsive on this issue and those of us who are deeply concerned over the escalation of the arms race particularly the deployment of first-strike weapons in Europe (both in England and on the continent) must make ourselves heard at the polls If citizens of England and America do not favor a continuation of the arms race then we must work together to stop it We must educate our elected officials and we must elect to public office people who will respond to the fears of our people rather than being In society we punish a criminal for committing a wrong likewise the Republican Party was punishing the News and Observer for what the convention delegates perceived as a wrong In contradiction to what The Observer editorial said Sen Helms had nothing to do with the action by the convention delegates The senator was at Oxford attending a charity function He did not learn about the expulsion until he was questioned about it by other members of the press On the Sunday following the asking my money morals in Washington They have more respect for their beliefs and their heritage than to exploit it LARA GIBBS Mineral Springs Nature Cures Nature if left alone will cure the cancerous sores that man inflicts upon it in the name of progress MARK ANTHONY BROWN Wadesboro they may not print falsehoods without letter from Douglas -Filson who cnargea they may not print falsehoods without letter from Douglas Tilson who charged 1 SA dividi feuds union the utes I the know they Th buzz' powe Cuorr star tende Evi ing 1988: Tenno Clint( Cu Reagi eloqu Amer shrill orato of 40 ture Cu has dent 1 divith Th held ment avow the journey without tire trouble but I ct 11 I the journey without tire trouble but get involved with the local groups If discrimination is encountered alert the Channel 18 entitled "America Betrays Her Children" which attempted to raise money to support anti-abortion legislation in Congress The program was abortion as a murderous act and it reduced both patient and doctor to the level of heretical and heinous killers It was a flagrant abuse of both television and the Christian faith The host of the show used warped reasoning to convince viewers that they could not permit abortion in America and still call themselves Christians There was also mention of turning America back to its traditional paths and morals No specific examples of the "right morals" were given Some Christian groups in the South need a lesson from the Jewish community I have never seen a rabbi on TV for or legislating archaic Exaggerated Charges On June 28 The Observer printed a the gay community with rampant discrimination against others He ref erred to a young man who had represented a gay group on TV I am that young man and I know that his charges are grossly exaggerated Mr Tilson said that he is a former member of several gay organizations Since I can find no one in Charlotte who has heard of him I can only assume that his experiences took place in another city Charlotte's six gaylesbian groups are dedicated to the abolition of all discrimination In the activities of these groups intelligence talent and experience count for everything In a recent speech Virginia Apuzzo executive director of the National Gay Task Force said "Prejudice is something we don't have to accept but we contribute to it when we don't do anything in the face of it If you are not part of the solution where sexism or racism is concerned you are then part of the problem" Gays are of course only human and unfortunately this means that some members of this minority are guilty of racism sexism and ageism but not the majority of gays and certainly not the organizations I urge Mr Tilson and others who may feel the same way to Quordinators But take action to stop it The gay community already has far too many "armchair quarterbacks" DARRYL LOGSDON Charlotte Has Fallen AP Photo mold that most liberal Democrats come from the old "give-everybody-something" line so everybody will like you It's too bad I thought Ms Ferraro might be truly new and different THOMAS KNIGHT Harrisburg No Courage Needed Running from killer bees does not require courage just common sense When Walter Mondale rushed into the arms of "Ms Gerry" he showed that even the blind can see the light once they feel the heat Few would have given him a chance of defeating the Prime Minister of Patriotism Ronald Reagan without a major face lift So of all those vice presidential aspirants all of whom had the appeal of sleeping with a wet dog courageous Walter with both arms in a hammer lock and his carcass surrounded by killer bees of the feminist movement made what appears to have been an historical act of courage Courage indeed It was more a matter of fearing that he would awaken on Nov 7 to discover that while he'd been trying to appease the bees President Reagan had walked away with the honey and the nectar SAMUEL POOLE Charlotte he's simply preparing for the trip 1 ar I c44 I it 1 'Itvt8 I ea ershm or members of Oueen Citv I he's simply preparing for the trip leadership or members of Queen City Ferraro: Another Barrier It was Saturday morning in a Charlotte barbershop and an old gentleman maybe in his 80s and apparently a lifelong Democrat made the mistake of rejoicing out loud over Walter Mondale's selection of a woman as his vice presidential running mate In fact the man said he found Geraldine Ferraro so appealing he sort of wished she were leading the ticket His comments brought a chorus of jeers from the barbers and other males in the busy shop In hearty humor they worked the old man over indicating that they thought women had no business competing for national office and were not quite up to such heavy responsibilities views obviously shared by many people including some women How ironic that attitude is here and now In the 400th year after Sir Walter Raleigh's first efforts to colonize North Carolina we are reminded of the majesty and power of his sovereign Elizabeth I More recently Go Ida Meir Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher have been extraordinary leaders The reaction in the barber shop was predictable At one time or another in various areas of this country the conventional wisdom has held that other groups the Irish the Germans the Italians the Swedes the Hispanics and of course the blacks weren't suited for political leadership As members of those groups have won power and demonstrated their skills the prejudice has diminished Americans sometimes forget that when our revolution was over many soldiers who fought in it couldn't participate in the representative government they had helped to secure They Hooray! America In announcing the expansion and modernization of the 21-year-old hot line between Moscow and Washington President Reagan rightly cited the agreement as a "good example of how we can working together find approaches which can move us towards a reduction in the risks of war" Those are comforting words The hot-line agreement however strikes us as a bit like the decision of a prudent vacationer who before embarking on a cross-country trip trades his worn nylon cord tires for some tough Notes And The Democrats By FRYE GAILLARD Observer Editorial Writer It began I think with Geraldine Ferraro not simply the fact that a woman was chosen to run for vice president but the impressive way she handled the moment Speaking with an appealing informality she offered a definition from the heart of lir" Nk what America is all fierAr about "American his r11 tory" she declared "is about doors being opened doors of op- portunity for every- A41001 one no matter who you are as long as you're willing to earn it These last few Gaillard hours I've got to tell you I've been on the phone talking with friends and sup! porters around the country There's an electricity in the air an excitement a sense of new possibilities and of pride "My good friend Charlie Rangel the congressman from Harlem said to me 'Gerry my heart is full' So is mine Fritz Mondale knows what America is really about and I'm honored to join him in this campaign for the future" The Pivotal Occasion It was a nice moment but the pivotal occasion I think in the Democrats' search for a voice for a common theme and vision around which to pull themselves together and lead the country forward came Monday night in Mario Cuomo's keynote address Cuomo the governor of New York and Geraldine Ferraro's Italian-American soul brother offered a stinging and specific critique of Ronald Reagan arms race the deficit the possibility of war in Central America But for a party as fractious and noisy as the Democrats whom many commentators had written off as nothing more than a peculiar collection of incompatible self-interests Cuomo accomplished something more important He fashioned a definition of what his party should be The Democrats he said share Ronald Reagan's belief that Amer ica is a land of opportunity Indeed if anything they feel it more deeply for as the sons and daughters of immigrants or as minorities still pushing at the fron his vice presidential running mate in fact the man said he found Geraldine Ferraro so appealing he sort of wished she were leading the ticket His comments brought a chorus of jeers from the barbers and other males in the busy shop In hearty hu- mor they worked the old man over tho indicatin hat hey tught women had no business competing for na- tional office and were not quite up to such heavy responsibilities views obviously shared by many people in- line between Moscow and Washing- ton President Reagan rightly cited worn nylon cord tires for some tough By FRYE GAILLARD she otteren a dem-sit tion from the heart of what America is all ek about :1 "American his ---7 'TT tory" she declared i' "is about doors being c--: opened doors of op- ii portunity for every- 't one no matter who 'tYA you are as long as az ti were of the wrong nationality the wrong color the wrong gender or even the wrong economic class In most states only the wealthy could vote and hold public office Over the past 208 years this nation doors being Ferraro opened doors of opportunity for everyone Over that same period cities countiesstates and the federal government have steadily increased the numbers of officers that voters could elect Originally North Carolinians could choose only their congressman their state legislators and a presidential elector All other officers were appointed by the state legislature As recently as 1912 legislatures were still choosing our US senators Now in the steady movement toward single-member districts in city county and state elections the doors of opportunity are opening even wider for men as well as women Mr Mondale's decision is not a radical experiment it is an acknowledgement that women have long since proven their ability Even if Geraldine Ferraro never serves as vice president she has broken yet another barrier to opportunity Got New Tires steel-belted radials A vacationer so equipped is more likely to complete On a vacation good tires are a tool not the goal The goal is to complete the trip safely An updated hotline is also a necessary tool but the goal is to reduce the possibility of nuclear war by controlling the proliferation of arms and reducing the hostility that can lead to their use So it's good that Mr Reagan has bought new tires Let's hope he's now Comments Find A Voice an inescapable obsession with the American dream But they also understand as Ronald Reagan does not that there are people in America who hurt and that the best measure of the country is the depth of its compassion struggle" It was a powerful notion dressed for the occasion in the most eloquent of language And then astonishingly enough Jesse Jackson topped it on Tuesday night In a speech that was rough in places but goose-pimply in the soaring moments near the beginning and the end Jackson made good on his pledge to play the healer Anybody who knew him knew all along that that's what he would do But nobody could be certain he would do it as well asking forgiveness for his mistakes calling for a reconciliation between blacks and Jews and quoting the deathbed wisdom of Hubert Humphrey: From this vantage point what I have concluded about life (is that) when all is said and done we must forgive each other and redeem each other and move on" And Now Walter Mondale It seems possible now that the Democrats will do that that they will rally around the wisdom of Cuomo and Jackson's plea for unity and the elegant symbolism of Geraldine Ferraro There is an irony however After several days of such extraordinary oratory such powerful expressions of vision and purpose they now turn to a leader who after seven months of intensive campaigning has uttered only one sentence that anyone remembers: "Where's the beef?" Notes and Comments is an occasional column of personal observations and reflections by staff writers ment nave steaculy mcreasea tne ready to undertake the trip the selection of Rep GeralddinaeFer 1 as the vice presidential candidate andte 111 I do not believe that this team will be ready to undertake the trip the selection of Rep Geraldine Ferraro as the vice presidential candidate While I do not believe that this team will be tiers of democracy they are caught in I wts atpAptauu 1111b I I tiers of democracy they are caught in point We should however applaud this 'The Family Of America' vate sector as women are holding top "We declared Cuomo "we jvoebrswei till! companies mmtpuanbi es and producing ItA k' 4- must be the family of America recog- lin of this barrier 11 'I nizing that at the heart of the matter we to the top echelon of the government A are bound one to another that the prob- could produce a comparable achieve- 4-e zi lems of a retired school teacher in Du- ment of women into top government I positions as well luth are our problems That the future of 3 1 the child in Buffalo is our future That ROBERT HAITHCOX the struggle of a disabled man in Boston Charlotte I :::10 to survive to live decently is our strug- ti 4- V' 'The Family Of America' "We believe" declared Cuomo "we must be the family of America recognizing that at the heart of the matter we are bound one to another that the problems of a retired school teacher in Duluth are our problems That the future of the child in Buffalo is our future That the struggle of a disabled man in Boston to survive to live decently is our sector as women are holding top jobs with companies and producing very well The tumbling of this barrier to the top echelon of the government could produce a comparable achievement of women into top government positions as well ROBERT HAITHCOX Charlotte Mondale Ferraro arrive at convention Not only Democrats should rejoice at elected the selection is nevertheless an historical milestone in US politics Some more negative elements will proclaim only how long it has taken for the status of women to proceed to this action because it has happened The selection by Walter Mondale supports the contention that a constitutional amendment for women's rights is not necessary It is evident that women are advancing on their merits as seems to be the case with Rep Ferraro This advancement is seen in the private Ferraro's Views In recent comments Geraldine Ferraro indicated that she is a follower of the Baltimore Catechism yet she votes in favor of abortion As a graduate of a NY city Catholic college during the same generation I'd like to point out that Lesson 19 in the Baltimore Catechism states the Fifth Commandment of God is "Thou shalt not kill" The Fifth Commandment forbids murder The right to life is fundamental It is probable that every developing human fetus is a human being To deliberately kill what is probably human is murder Ms Ferraro states she cannot tell someone else what to do But by her favorable votes for abortion she must be considered an accomplice and not a follower of the Baltimore Catechism PATRICIA WARD Matthews Dangerous Ad When I read the black-bordered political ad submitted by Looper Motor Sales of Hickory in the Sunday Obseryer I was dismayed The very idea of using the scriptures to downgrade all women and to try to throw in some personal political suggestion to the public is getting very close to dangerous I had already made up my mind to vote for Mondale and his charming run fling mate but had I not this insane ad would have made me vote for him for sure CHARLES TIMME Chester SC Avoiding The Heat Ms Ferraro likes to play it both ways Just a few days after her nomination by Mr Mondale she started blasting President Reagan with that ideological mess the Democratic leaders pedal I am referring to the comments Ms Ferraro made about Mr Reagan's Christianity Saying that President Reagan has been hard on poor people and lacking in church attendance she tried to come across as the big spiritual person The problem is that when it comes to major issues like abortion she wants to be spiritual without taking the heat Ms Ferraro is against abortion but says that each woman must make her own choice and she is not going to tell others what to do That is like saying "I am personally against murder and stealing but everybody has to make his own choice and I am not going to stop those murderers and thieves" President Reagan has made up his mind and stuck with it He has taken the heat for it That's Christianity fighting for God without compromise Ms Ferraro is from the same old.