Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 96, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 12, 1985 Page: 3 of 44
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Editorials, Opinions
Burleson Star, Thursday, September 12, 1985—3A '
The Burleson Star Poll
Apartheid sanctions ineffective
BY TERRY M. EVANS
President Reagan issued an ex-
ecutive order this week that,
though he insisted it was more
symbolic than real, in effect,
reversed his public posture on
South African Apartheid.
The president claimed that
measures to which he refused to
attach the term sanctions are
"aimed against the machinery of
apartheid Without indes-
criminately punishing the people
who are victims of that system.”
But, proponents of a House bill
given credit for forcing Reagan’s
hand, maintain that he adopted
the rhetoric of their bill but omit-
ted its teeth.
Jerry Falwell, an evangelist and
leader of a right-wing religious
group, condemned "a spineless
Congress and biased media” for
pressuring the president into
making the compromise.
Most of the sanctions are
already in effect to one degree or
another with the exception of the
measures directed at sales of
krugerrands—the South African
gold coin. While the House bill
would immediately ban the sales
of the coins in the U.S. and estab-
lish an American coin to compete
internationally against South Af-
rica, the executive order would
have U.S. representatives go
before the other nations of the
General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade “with a view toward
adopting a prohibition on the im-
port of krugerrands," and direct-
ing the Secretary of Treasury to
complete a feasibility study of the
production of U.S. gold coins.
Other sanctions include:
— House bill and executive
would prohibit American banks
from loaning money to the South
African government except for
purposes of financing educa-
tional, housing or health facilities
open to people of all races.
— House bill and executive
would prohibit sales of computer
equipment to any agency of the
South African government in-
volved in the enforcement or ad-
fministration of, apartheid. .......--
— House bill would bar any
j form of nuclear co-operation bc-
! tween the United States and
i South Africa unless South Africa
! signs the nuclear non-proliferation
I treaty; executive would also bar
: cooperation, but provides ex-
5 eruptions for improving safety
j> conditions at nuclear power
: plants or reducing risks of
? nuclear proliferation.
S —House bill and executive
l would Stop government export
marketing assistance to any U.S.
_ firm operating in South Africa
f and employing 25 or more em-
r ployees that does not adhere to
the principles known as the Sul-
livan Code of Conduct, which re-
quires companies to treat all
employee's equally and to lobby
for an edd to apartheid.
— House bill would require the
president to recommend at least
one additional sanction within 12
months unless South Africa has
made significant progress toward
ending apartheid; the executive
order contains no provision of
any kind about future sanctions.
JOEY LOGAN
The House bill has been with
the Senate for several days await-
ing a vole. Wednesday was to see
an end to a filibuster that bloc-
ked voting on the bill until
Reagan could release his execu-
tive order. While Republicans cry
that passage of the bill is a politi-
cal issue and unnecessary since
Reagan has imposed sanctions,
Democrats counter that the ex-
ecutive order does not go far
enough.
"The Republican Party is at a
crossroads,” said Senator Ed-
ward Kennedy of Massachusetts.
"It must decide whether to be the
party of Lincoln or (he party
of apartheid."
West European nations that
announced their own sanctions
following release of Reagan’s ex-
ecutive order said that while
their measures also are largely
symbolic, the message intended
for South Africa is that Europe is
unhappy with the failure to move
more rapidly toward ending
apartheid.
For more than one year, the
black majority in South Africa
have vehemently protested apart-
heid. They can no longer tolerate
the system which, among other
. atrocities, .denies, them,the,right
to vote, segregates them from the
white minority, denies them the
right to hold supervisory and
other higher-paying positions,
denies equal education, and pre-
vents them even from walking
the streets of certain areas after
certain hours.
Many protest rallies have es-
calated into riots, which have
resulted in the deaths of more
than 650 blacks and four
whites.
One of the latest manifes-
tations of black 'anger was the
death of two whites and injury of
two Others in Johannesburg
when a mob attacked construc-
tion workers in a car. The attack
followed an emotional mass
funeral service for 18 blacks
killed during a riot. The service
was attended by 50,000 in a soc-
cer stadium in a black area.
The man who received the
Nobel Peace Prize for his opposi-
tion to apartheid, Bishop Des-
mond Tutu, accused Reagan of
"bending over backward" to save
South Africa’s white-minority
CRAIG KERR
government. The president’s
measures left Tutu with the opi-
nion that: “If he were my pre-
sident...! wouid be ventashamed
of him.”
But, South African President
P.W. Botha called Reagan's
measures "a negative step" that
would hurt blacks. Botha main-
tained that sanctions cannot
solve South Africa’s problems.
U.S. actions against South Af-
rica will result in other nations
invoking tougher sanctions,
isolating the country inter-
nationally, Botha s^id.
MBMpomunkm
JOEY LOGAN, a route-sales
merchandiser lor Haynes, said
apartheid is wrong because God
created all men equal, but she
didn’t think Reagan or Congress
could make any difference with
sanctions against South Africa.
"Every person has a respon-
sibility toward his fellow man.
The United Slates is dedicated to
the support of freedom every-
where, and we should try to in-
fluence suppressive regimes to
change their policies.
DON TOLLIVER
In Pretoria, the capitol, the
government has frozen repay-
ment of nearly all foreign debts
for four months and announced
new exchange controls to halt a
currency crash.
Miners at coal and gold mines
repeatedly threaten to strike and
the mineworkers’ union said that
employers have sealed off the
mines and were preparing for
"total warfare.”
The Star Pull asked area
residents their opinions of
apartheid and Reagan’s seeming
reluctance to pressure the white-
majority government into giving
their people the same freedoms
he condemns Soviet-block nations
for suppressing. Of five respon-
dants, all condemned apartheid
and said it must end.
However, none expressed any
great hope that the sanctions will
have the desired effect.
RENA GRAY
“These sanctions sound like
they are not likclv to change
South Africa’s government I
heard they would hurt the South
African blacks before any change
would be effected. I don’t have
anv ideas for how we can change
things there, hut apartheid is
not right.”
DON TOLLIVER, of Burleson/
Bransom Insurance Agency, said
that while South African whites
developed the country and are
responsible for its economic im-
provements, in the United Stales
we believe that everyone should
have a voice in government
“Maybe the whites believe na-
tive blacks are incapable of mak-
ing decisions affecting policy,”
Tolliver said. “I feel that because
they're citizens, they should have
the vote and participation in
the government
“The United States is always
condemning violations of human
lights and dignities, and op-
pressed people should be sup-
ported. It does not mean the end
of the South African economy il
the blacks are given a voice”
Tolliver said lhal Reagan nor-
mally does riot hesitate to con-
demn human rights violations
but in the South African situation
he believes the piesident is under
a lot of pressure from U.S.
businesses.
“Any sanctions must be aimed
at businesses," he said “If South
Alrica cannot end apartheid
themselves, their economy will
collapse without the U.S doing
anything."
A delivery driver for Hillev's
Diugs, RENE GRAY, said Reagan
should have acted sooner.
"Being forced to order sanctions
against a system he has publish,
denounced makes the presidcrit
seem like a hypocrite."
“I dtm't think South Africa can
be forced militarily, but the Un-
ited States should definitely do
something.
"Reagan is always letting me
down and shaking my faith in the
American government. Instead
of speaking his mind and acting
the wav he really feels, he puts
things ofl too long waiting to see
what people want to hear."
DELORES WILLIAMS a home--
maker, said that while apartheid
is wrong, she believes outside in-
fluences are causing the pro-
blems in South Africa and
blowing the situation up to the
proportions the world is seeing.
“This puls Reagan in a bad
light and anything he savs is
wrong I don't know what the
solution is."
The sanctions in the executive
order are the minimum the ad-
ministration can do at this time,
Williams said. “The loss of bank
loans and sales of krugerrands
will be the most damaging ”
"( don't think the United States
can plav policeman to the world
when we have so many (human
rights) problems here However,
we cam't sir by and allow these at-
rocities to continue either
Apartheid is not right and should
stop.”
The owner of Flail Trophies
and Awards. CRAIG KERR said
the sanctions could backfire on
die United Stales because we de-
pend on access to certain South
African minerals
"I'm completely against apart-
heid,” he said “It's soil of like
somebody with a bullwhip forc-
ing people to labor Freedom has
no meaning over there compared
to what people enjoy here.”
Of the sanctions, Kerr believes
banning sales of krugerrands
and witholding bank loans will
be the most damaging to the
South Alrican economy. “Reagan
has done enough lor now, but if
nothing happens, suiter sanctions
are needed. He knew something
had to be done, but I think he
was holding off until he saw
what Congress would do”
'( hope this can be resolved
without harming U.S. and South
African relations.”
Zenger inspired freedom of press LeH To The Edjtor
I
Two hundred and fifty years
ago, a German-born printer
named John Peter Zenger
went on trial charged With li-
beling the royal governor of
New York, William Cosby.
The trial and its outcome
were pivotal events affirming
the role of a free press to chal-
lenge corrupt government of-
ficials.
Zenger’s paper, the New
York Weekly Journal, had
mounted a continuing attack
agaipst the governor for as-
serttdly attempting to fix an
election in Westchester Coun-
ty ii| October, 1738. It was a
story of corruption and fraud
that ho other colonial newspa-
per would print. The governor
called the charges “false,
scandalous, and seditious” li-
bels, had four issues of his
paper burned, and had Zenger
arrested, holding that no one
should attack public officials.
High bail kept Zenger in jail
for nearly 10 months.
A crony of the governor’s,
James De Lancy, became the
presiding judge, wholeheart-
edly supporting the then cur-
rent legal interpretation of
libel that “The greater the
truth, the greater the libel.”
The governor further bol-
stered his case against the
printer by having his attor-
neys disbarred. But a promi-
MOULD TOO MOT BC ABlC TO AFToRO AM
attoknet, -iw* erxri win. psoyioc one non
V0U! ON THE OOT*XDe CHANCE YOO SHOULD
0ft CONVICTED PND ACTUALLY 60 TO T^tU,
the wwe mow provide more attorneys
to endlessly pursue appeals on your.
Oft* UNTIL YOU ARE RELEASED OR THE
THE SffATE aoet broke . whomever
ComeS) first: &
|4 j*
nent Philadlephia lawyer
named Andrew Hamilton
came to his defense, charging
no fee.
The law then held that it
made no difference who wrote
the criticism; only the printer
was responsible. So it was that
Hamilton stunned the court
when he acknowledged that,
yes, John Peter Zenger did in-
deed print the Weekly Jour-
nals with the alleged libels.
The prosecutor was sure
that he had won, but Hamilton
expanded brilliantly on his
points: Free men are entitled
to complain. Truth is a de-
fense against libel.
And a libel jury has the
right to judge the law and the
facts.
But the judge ruled that the
law was simple — to print is
to libel. So Hamilton turned to
the jury and, declaring that
liberty of the press is as vital
as any freedom, said;
“...it is not the cause of a
poor printer...it is the best
cause. It is the cause of liber-
ty..^ noble foundation for
securing to ourselves, our pos-
terity and our neighbors, that,
to which nature and the laws
of our country have given us a
right — the liberty — both of
exposing and opposing, arbi-
trary power...by speaking and
writing truth.”
The jury took just 10 min-
ute^ to acquit John Peter
Zenger.
In that pre-Revolutionary
War era, Hamilton’s descrip-
tion of a free people and a free
press reinforced the growing
oppostion to a despotic Crown.
It helped fuel the civil disobe-
dience that led to resistance to
the tea duties, the Stamp Act,
and the British Army at Lex-
ington and Concord.
The patriot Gouveneur Mor-
ris, who more than anyone is
credited with writing the Con-
stitution, said: “The trial of
Zenger in 1735 was the germ
of America’s freedom, the
morning star of that liberty
which subsequently revolu-
tionized America.”
The Zenger case also led to
the First Amendment to the
Constitution, with its cher-
ished principles of liberty. For
kindling the cause of truth,
freedom of the press, and re-
sistance to an abusive govern-
ment, Americans can thank
John Peter Zenger and An-
drew Hamilton.
(rvepnniea oy permission of
The Sacramento Union)
Please tell me what measures
need to be taken to get a four
way stop sign installed at the cor-
ner of Dian and Irene. This cor-
ner is by the high school and
with all the cars parked along the
streets and the shrubs blocking
the view, it is almost impossible
to see your wav clear to proceed
onto school. I hope this problem
can be solved before we have a
fatality at that comer. Surely the
stop signs are minimal in price
compared to a life.
If any readers share this same
view, please help by expressing
your views.
Laura Nall
Burleson
(Editors note: Director of Public
Works Bill Davison was out of
town due to a death In his
family, however, Dave Stringer,
the city street superintendent,
will will look into the need for a
four way stop sign and take the
appropriate action if it is
deemed necessary.)
ELECTRICITY.
HANDLER
SEIF
BURLESON STAR
(I SP-4179799»
Second-Class Postage paid at Burleson. Texas
;w»2x
Busan Hutson-TIce
lames Moody
Chris Akey
Dottle Wilson
President
Editor A Publisher
Advertising Mgr.
News Editor
Subscription Price fl.lfil Per Year
In Johnson and Tarrant ( aunties
Other Areas of Texas. 11 * 77
Outside Texas. SIS.95
The Burleson Star Is aa Independent news-
paper published twice weekly an Monday and
Thursday in the interest of tlurtesan and adja-
cent areas by Burleson Publishing Company.
Inc. 319 V Burleson Blvd , Burleson. Tx. 7C92N.
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Moody, James. Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 96, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 12, 1985, newspaper, September 12, 1985; Burleson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth760903/m1/3/?q=music: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Burleson Public Library.