UCLA battles Trojans this weekend in two SPORTS
trojan
Volume C, Number 58
University of Southern California
Friday, April 11, 1986
MIT linguist speaks at Bovard
Noam Chomsky attacks U.S. foreign policy
By Daphne Nugent
Staff Writer
Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor of linguistics and philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spoke last night in Bov ard Auditorium about U.S. national securitv and foreign policy.
In a 1 1/2 hour speech that was followed by a standing ovation, he described how U.S. foreign policy has been influenced by our immediate economic and trade interests, and not by what is best for the people in whose countries we are involved.
In his introduction, he accused the current administration of "fanatical lving" and accused the American public — including the "intellectuals" — of ignoring it.
"American intellectual elites feel it normal that the U.S. adopt ideas somewhere between Adolph Hitler and Attila the Hun," he said.
Illustrating this point, he cited the success of Ronald Reagan's "classic P.R. campaign" against Nicaragua, saying, "There was hardly a sentence (in Reagan's speech Wednesday) that was not an outright lie — including the invasion of Honduras. . . . We are now living immersed in a culture of deceit which is to-
talitarian in nature. . . . There is no resemblance between what is being discussed in the U.S. (about Nicaragua) and what is really going on there."
He outlined different perceptions of U.S. foreign policy and compared the official doctrine to both the "Marxist, radical viewpoint," and what he called the documented, or historical, evidence.
The official doctrine states, according to Chomsky, that the purpose of our foreign policy is constructive, that we don't want to convert anyone to a specific political or economic system.
"We are to believe the official doctrine for only one reason," Chomsky said, "and that is that our leader said it — regardless of whether it is true."
He described the "so-called Marxist, radical point of view" as being one that states that the United States behaves just like any other country. Its foreign policy is designed to benefit the interests of those within the country, who have the resources to protect it.
These interests, in the case of the United States, are those of business and trade, Chomsky said.
"The fact that this is called radical," he continued, "is only
just to warn us that they are heresy and to keep awav."
In order to prove this point, he cited the ideas of George Kennan, a moderate policy planner of the post-war period. Kennan, Chomsky said, advocated the use of violence and the suppression of human rights over raising a country's living standards, if it proved necessary to defend "our resources" in foreign countries.
As far as raising the standard of living, Chomsky pointed out that in most countries over which we have political influence, there occurs an increase in production and export of food, and a simultaneous increase in malnutrition and starvation.
Chomsky showed that the kind of policy outlined by George Kennan has been carried out by our government in places such as the Philippines, in 1972.
"We supported a military coup there when the Philippine legislature tried to put through land reform policies that would threaten American agri-businesses' abilities to purchase land," Chomsky said.
He went on to say that this same ideology is responsible for our policy toward Nicaragua.
JAY GOLDEN/D AIL Y TROJAN
NOAM CHOMSKY
Fraternities hold health-related charity events
By Tommy Li
Staff Writer
By Tommy Li
Staff Writer
SAEs sponsor volleyball for muscular dystrophy
Sigma Nu blood drive to aid medical center
The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity sponsored its 23rd annual volleyball tournament Thursday, raising $1,500 from its six sponsors.
The cash raised by the tournament was presented to the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Los Angeles County chapter that morning, said Chris Murray, district director.
The sponsors of the tournament included Cloister's Restaurant, Nautilus Aerobics Plus, Domino's Pizza, Coca Cola, Budweiser and Bag-it Beach Wear.
A blood drive, sponsored by the Sigma Nu fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority and designed to help a youngster with leukemia, was held from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday at the Sigma Nu house.
The drive was to benefit Charlie Rowe, a ten year old boy who suffered from leukemia and who was also the nephew of Gail Vannelli, a third-year law student at the university.
However, late in the day, members of both houses received some distressing news.
"(Rowe) passed away last night," Vannelli said.
SAE house raised $1,500. . .'It's great that a fraternity is willing to donate money to help others. . .'
The blood drive exceeded its goal and received 150 pints of blood from 90 student donators.
In addition to raising money from its sponsors, SAE also asked the people who attended the event to donate one dollar to MDA, Murray said.
The tournament consisted of 14 sorority teams, each having an SAE coach, competing under double-elimination rules, said Tim Chelf, a member of SAE. Double-elimination rules mean that if a sorority team loses twice, it is automatically eliminated from the tournament.
Trophies were awarded to the first, second and third place teams.
This is the first time SAE has donated money to MDA from its volleyball tournament, Murray said, and they will also be donating money to MDA in future volleyball tournaments.
Murray said he thinks it's great that a fraternity is willing to donate money to help others, especial ly since the MDA does not receive any money from government grants or the United Way.
The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity raised $1,500 for Muscular Dystrophy in its 23rd annual volleyball tournament Thursday, in which fourteen sororities participated.
Vannelli said she was not aware of the Sigma Nu and Alpha Phi blood drive for Rowe, but added, "It's so nice" of them to help Rowe.
When the co-chairman of the blood drive, Brian Gibson, was notified of the recent death of Rowe, he said, "It's a shock. It's absolutely terrible."
An executive council meeting was held between Gibson, Pat Gilmore, president of Sigma Nu, and Brian Hirahara, co-chairman of the blood drive. They concluded that Sigma Nu and Alpha Phi will donate the blood, first meant for Rowe, to the Loma Linda Medical Center in Rowe's name, Gibson said.
About 90 students donated blood, which will be available to anyone who is in need of blood at the hospital, he said.
Rowe was being treated at the Loma Linda Medical Center.
(Continued on page 6)