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come a way of life. We seem determine not to learn from our prior mistakes, a still repeat the missteps of a period of hm tory some would rather forget.
ternal affairs.
Later, he states that Augusto Sandino “signed a peace treaty with the [Nicaraguan] regime in power’ ’ shortly after the complete pull out of our troops by President Franklin Roosevelt. This is a very revealing statement when followed by, “Sandino was killed by officers loyal to Anastacio Somoza Garcia.”
Mr. Kolb implies that it is within our interest to uphold government-backed totalitarian-style repression. Let it be recalled that Ho Chi Minh was forced by the Geneva Conference to accept division of his country in exchange for the promise of elections to recreate a unified government. He was, in fact, elected president in 1946 and then received a clear slap in the face when the French reinstalled Bao Dai as emperor of the State of Vietnam in 1949.
There is much evidence to indicate that our present political and military involvement in Central America parallels uncannily to the roots of our role in the Vie1 nam War. The length of time between cause and effect in Vietnam has cloude our leaders’ perceptions of the ramif|ca tions of our activities in Latin Ameflca- Our foreign policy has become fossilize into an “America good, communis * bad” frame of mind that threatens to be
Ban Pornography
Pornography in the Sea Services must be purged.
There appeared in a recent nationwide press release a small brief about an investigation ordered by the secretary of transportation concerning pornography on board a Coast Guard cutter. This investigation was prompted by the court martial of two personnel from that vessel, their conduct toward one another, and their performance of duty. According to this article, trial testimony indicated that pornographic reading material, pinups, and movies were available throughout the ship day and night.
This material, printed or electronic, has no place in today’s Coast Guard or any other branch of the armed forces. As a professional in the Coast Guard, I am embarrassed by this incident not because of two individual’s real or alleged impropriety but rather that the U. S. Coast Guard’s name could be so closely tied to the distribution and consumption of pornography.
For a command to allow pornographic material on board shows a narrow, distorted view of social values. This material discriminates against women, fosters contempt for women, and projects women as little more than sex objects. Consequently, many civil
ian communities have banned some pornographic reading material previously available over shop counters as have some “fast-stop” type stores, which have been notorious for selling such material.
The Coast Guard has recently instituted an active family advocacy program, stressing the importance of the family as integral to the Coast Guard framework and attempting to help deal with problems that families sometimes face in today’s world. As an extension of this program, we in the Coast Guard must operate as a “Coast Guard family,” caring for one another as we would members of our own family.
The “Coast Guard family,” however, is empty rhetoric as long as our organization condones and supports attitudes debasing to women.
Many service personnel upon whom the Coast Guard relies to function are barely young adult men and women, and many of them will formulate values based on how their superiors and peers within the service behave. Consequently, what they learn should certainly not be molded by trashy magazines and movies portraying ideas considered outside the bounds of good taste or social standards.
While the service should not tell people how to run their lives, personnel would abide by a command policy prohibiting activities like the distribution' reading, or viewing of pornography °n its installations. And this behavior would probably carry over to off dul- as well. In a similar situation, the Pen alties and social stigma about drug use have reduced the abuse of drugs on board many units, reflecting the poS1[ tive influence an active anti-drug P°'lC has had on service personnel.
The Coast Guard and the other armed forces are seeking quality men and women to meet the needs of a more technically advanced service. Since the so-called “men’s” magaZ'nC' have no socially redeeming value, th'5 should be enough to keep intelligent people away; however, the younger- more impressionable service people tend to emulate their peers. We, as leaders, should provide a positive r°‘e model by establishing a base for a 111 a ture, professional working relationship between men and women. This starts by banning the distribution of pornog raphy in the military.
There are many problems that sod' ety has faced and that the military haS dealt with sooner, more completely- and with better results. By prohibit!)1- pornography distribution on their ship1” and bases, the Coast Guard and the other armed services could show othe communities, by example, that indee men and women are equal.
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Proceedings/February