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ailure of policy
American Legion, United Nations support lifting of Cuban
Page 5B
embargo
listled and rolled!
londay’scerenr
as Han Joon-ki
at ran on theert ^;
msporting miliiioi
T
he 82nd
annual
American
ion Conven-
passed a res-
fighting lbrS> >li|tion on Sept. 7
o bncouragethe
Jijited States to
I ■the38-year-
)ltl embargo
igkinst Cuba.
CHINA
ijom
SOUTH
KOREA
IThe American Legion should be
iriised for taking such a stand
igainst the policy.
■The embargo is a source of suf-
ering for the Cuban people and has
■■vented the transition to a democ-
atic government.
Ironically, the embargo was in-
ended to have the opposite effect in
soth of these instances.
■ Numerous international organi
sations to which the United States
Delongs also encourage lifting the
jmbargo.
Stan The United States first imposed
in embargo on Cuba in February
1962, in response to Fidel Castro's
confiscation of privately owned
Demara' properties and other assets.
■ The original goals of the embar
go were to compel Castro to open
Cuba’s economy, to establish
democracy and to force Castro to
'elinquish power.
■ After almost 40 years, the em-
iHrgo has been witness to many pe-
•iipds of tension between the United
States and Cuba, such as the Bay of
i’igs invasion, the Cuban missile
crisis and the Elian Gonzales saga.
■ The United States should lift
he embargo immediately. The em
bargo is not accomplishing its goal
a “peaceful transition to a sta
ble, democratic form of govern-
nent and respect for human
ights,” according to the U.S. State
Department.
^Evidence from a report by Dr.
lichard Garfield and Sarah Santana
in the American Journal of Public
Health reports that, while the em
bargo is meant to promote democra
cy, it is instead decreasing respect
for human rights.
The report goes on to say, “The
embargo is shown to make the sup
ply of essential goods more costly,
more difficult, and more time-con
suming to procure and maintain.”
By making important goods,
such as medicine, more expensive
and hard to find, the U.S. is mak
ing Cuban citizens turn to Castro
for help.
>45 the Americon Le
gion's national com
mander, Al Lance,
said, "If we're going
to forgive Vietnam
and trade with
them and we're go
ing to forgive China
and start trading
with them, why
shouldn't we do the
same with the peo
ple of Cuba?"
Therefore, the U.S. policy can be
viewed as one of Castro’s best pro
paganda tools.
The American Legion is not the
only organization that supports the
elimination of the embargo. Other
world organizations, including the
United Nations, encourage an end
to the policy.
By a vote of 155-2-8 in 1999, the
United Nations decided that the
United States policy against Cuba
violated international law because
“the extraterritorial effects of which
influence the sovereignty or free
dom of trade and navigation of oth
er states.”
This is the 10th year in a row
that the United Nations has
urged the United States to lift the
embargo.
The American response was that
the embargo’s purpose is to “pro
mote peaceful change in Cuba,” in
the form of democracy.
However, no examples of
“peaceful change” in the country
were cited over the 38-year period.
Pope John Paul II also encour
ages the United States to lift the
embargo.
During his visit to Cuba in 1998,
the pope said, “Economic embar
goes ... are always deplorable be
cause they hurt the most needy.”
Most importantly, the embargo is
a double standard in policy. The
countries of China and Vietnam
have strong communist regimes in
power, yet China has been given
Most Favored Nation trading status
by the United States.
As the American Legion’s na
tional commander, Al Lance, said,
“If we’re going to forgive Vietnam
and trade with them and we’re go
ing to forgive China and start trad
ing with them, why shouldn’t we do
the same with the people of Cuba?”
If the federal government fol
lows this advice and lifts the embar
go, much will be accomplished.
There will be the opportunity
for American businesses and indi
viduals to invest in and expand the
faltering Cuban economy. Ulti
mately, the global community will
have one less reason to view the
United States as a international
bully forcing policy on some, but
not on others.
Reid Bader is a junior political
science major.
7NAL
9
i
000
m.
jr
No pay, no way Striking teachers
nationwide illustrate poor wages in secondary education
For many students, the
first few weeks of school
are meant for them to settle
in and get to know their
teachers.
|| However, in Buffalo,
N.Y., the first weeks have
been a mix between can
celed classes and picketing
teachers.
r Educators walked out after negotiations be
tween the Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF)
and the Buffalo Independent School District
(B1SD) stalled.
The disagreement over teachers’ pay and
health insurance concessions emphasizes a
growing problem in many towns and cities
throughout the United States — instructors are
not paid enough for the work they do.
| While many, including first lady
Hillary Clinton, argue that the
teachers need to be in the
classroom instead of on
strike, these teachers
have been working
without a contract
since June 1999.
|| The critics fail
to Realize that the
olame does not
fall solely on the
eachers.
■Teaching is
inlimportant
md influential
ob. Many peo-
)le do not real-
ze how poorly
nany educators
re paid.
■According to
J.S. News and
Vorld Report, “The
verage starting
jacher earns $25,012
year, and, even after 20
ears, a classroom teacher
arely makes over $50,000.”
• When compared to other jobs
lat also require a four-year degree,
iaching has one of the lowest starting salaries.
Meanwhile, a degree in computer science
411 earn a person, on average, $36,964.
U.S. News goes on to say, “The Education
Department estimates that America will need
220,000 new teachers a year for the next 10
years — compared with 150,000 a year in the
recent past.”
This shows that America needs teachers and
needs to pay enough to keep them.
According to Newsweek, 20 percent of new
teachers leave the profession within five years.
Many teachers students see now will not be
there within the next few years.
Students are ultimately left with a stream of
new and inexperienced teachers.
From new friends to more responsibilities.
the world changes daily for children. They
should be able to depend on their teachers.
By giving teachers increased salaries and
benefits, schools can ensure one stability in
these students’ lives. While people contend that
teachers should not strike because it hurts the
students, striking should not be the only option
teachers have.
Federal and local authorities need to work to
raise the budget for teachers salaries.
Many politicians, including presidential can
didates Al Gore and George W. Bush,
have been pushing the idea of
better education.
The Buffalo teachers ?
strike is the beginning of a
problem that will
continue to
grow.
Already,
educators
throughout the
country are becom
ing disillusioned and
leaving the profession
in search of salaries that
can support families.
Teachers in Philadelphia
are also working without
contracts and threatening to
go on strike if agreements
are not worked out.
These teachers are trying to
continue working, but still
fighting for what many see as
reasonable raises and compen
sations.
If the local school districts
could work with the idea that they
should do what is best for the stu
dents, schools would become bet
ter environments.
By relieving the stress of money
troubles, these school districts will
have more productive teachers.
The best way to keep teachers and
entice more to the profession is to of
fer competitive salaries.
Brieanne Porter is a sophomore
chemical engineering major.
Mail Call
Displeasure with
proposed condom
dispensers
In response to Stephen Met
calf’s Sept. 15 article.
Margaret Griffith, chair
woman of the Texas A&M
HIV/AIDS Committee, states
“health vending machines” in
residence halls that distribute
“condoms ... and other com
mon medicinal items” are to
combat the problem of sexual
ly transmitted diseases.
Since when have condoms
cured diseases or relieved
pain? Such are the attributes
of “medicinal items.”
I find the suggestion of con
dom dispensers in residence
halls disgraceful. It falls below
the Aggie standard.
Are we — as leaders of the
new millennium — going to
place latex penis covers in Uni
versity vending machines to fit
the convenience of sexually im
moral students?
I chose Aggieland as my
place of higher education be
cause it is different. Many of
its students are persuaded to
reject the liberal, short-sighted
and amoral norms of American
society.
The suggestion from Griffith
fails to demand a solution to
the real, underlying problem of
premarital sex.
This will only help feed the
moral dissolution of our stu
dent body.
Carson Weber
Class of ‘01
Accompanied by 18 signatures
Justification for
Olympic financing
In response to Nicholas
Roznovsky’s Sept. 18 column.
Roznovsky missed the point
of corporate sponsorship of
the Olympic Games.
He did not mention that the
■money the United States
Olympic Committee (USOC) re
ceives from companies such
as NBC and Coca-Cola is the
very money that funds the
USOC.
While every other national
Olympic committee in the world
receives at least partial fund
ing from their national govern
ments, the USOC remains a
private entity.
Not one dollar of tax money
goes to support the USOC or
the athletes that compete un
der it. Without such corporate
sponsorship, the USOC would
cease to exist.
The USOC is proud to be
able to say that “America
does not send its athletes to
the Olympic Games, Ameri
cans do.”
Unless people are willing to
contribute some of their own
money to the cause, I suggest
they be less critical of the fund
raising strategies.
Christopher Shull
Class of ‘02
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■;"****# : 'y>’