Challenging Communist Rule

Norman Podhoretz (like columnist George Will) is at it again (Editorial Pages, Feb. 9). He deplores “the disparaging and sometimes even hostile attitude directed toward any and all people who are willing to risk their lives in challenging communist rule.”

Examples--the Polish Solidarity movement and our “caution” in helping the Poles gain a measure of self-expression and freedoms. What would Podhoretz have us do? He doesn’t say except that hand-wringing is not enough? Should we invade? Should we give contra -style aid or what? No intelligent response.

More lately the visit of Jonas Savimbi to Washington for aid in the Angola mess--how? Arms, again, contra style, or use our troops to drive out the Cubans there? No intelligent response.

And what about the contras fighting the Nicaraguan regime? More and more arms in a hopeless fight--by all accounts, they cannot win--or, to ask once again, send in our troops?

Haven’t the recent experiences in Vietnam, in Lebanon, in Afghanistan demonstrated that big powers cannot win the small wars? We, the Soviets, and the Israelis in Lebanon have found that out. Must we stupidly repeat these same idiocies?

For more than 50 years we have been almost solely concerned with the communist threat, the communist menace, the godless communists--we allowed the Francos, the Perons, the many military dictatorships all over Central and South America and Africa and Asia to be our “friends” simply because they profess to fight communism. Their regimes are every bit as oppressive--one party, military-dominated regimes--the same repressiveness, lack of freedoms, but we only single out communism? What, in the name of heaven is the difference--evil is evil whether from the left or the right.

JACK H. CHESNER

North Hollywood