‘Grow Up America’

Prof. Ronald Steel’s article (Editorial Pages, Feb. 8), “Grow Up America,” offers us a perspective from which to view the world situation today that is both a simultaneously harsh but needful view of reality. Many of us would like to remain the innocents abroad as well as the innocents at home, but that is neither our role nor a possibility.

We cannot divorce ourselves from the policies of administrations or the consequences of our actions, whether they be to aid humanity or to annihilate humanity. As the President so instructively reminded us in his State of the Union address, we are, after all, a government of the people, for the people and by the people. Never has the time been more imperative in letting our individual voices be heard and never has there been a more urgent need to do so than in reference to our actions in Central America.

As the situation in Central America worsens and we stand on the brink of war, other paths do lie in the offing, paths that preclude the use of violence and call for diplomacy, pragmatic strategy, dialogue and negotiations. Of course, I am referring to the efforts of the Contadora nations and their supporting allies. As Tad Szulc points out in his article (Opinion, Feb. 8), “Remember El Salvador? A Crisis Anew,” the situation in all of Central America is rapidly deteriorating and he reminds our policy-makers to “broaden their focus and ponder what is happening over the length of the isthmus.”

Clearly our choices in Central America will be determinative. We can no longer have our way or our say in Central America or any other part of the world without experiencing the consequences. As Steel points out, “There may be good reasons to involve ourselves in other people’s civil quarrels, to take sides in regional balance of power struggles, to topple governments we don’t like and assist those we do. But none of this can be done with the illusion that American citizens can remain aloof and blameless for the course of events.”

We owe it to ourselves and to all Americans everywhere to consider the price tag of each decisions we as Americans make. It is time for each one of us to consider the broader perspective and encourage the kind of actions by our elected officials that will insure the betterment of all life on this planet for all peoples everywhere.

FRANCES EINHORN

Canoga Park