‘No Interest in Peace’

Your editorial described how Reagan Administration has once again tried to sabotage any peace plan in Central America. What a sad day for the Americas.

All we talk about is supporting the “freedom fighters” and getting rid of communism, and feel rightist in doing that. We do not take into account the profound social, economic, and political crisis Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua is experiencing. Two-thirds of the people live in poverty; 40% have no access to health care; 60% have no potable water or sanitation.

Meanwhile, the wars and violence drag on, become accepted, become institutionalized, strike hardest at the children, the mothers, the refugees. As many as 250,000 children in Guatemala have lost one or both parents; exact figures are difficult to obtain, but the picture is clear.

Over and above the personal tragedies it causes, war in the region is destroying fundamental moral values and trust, contributing to corruption from the arms trade and from the massive inflow of dollars. War is sagging the economies.

We can not continue in the direction that we are going. We are destroying the “Americas.” This nation must become congruent with the principles it was founded on. We believe, encourage and are proud of the diversity and self-determination that exists within our borders. We allow communism to co-exist with other points of view in this democratic society. Yet once we step out of these borders we refuse to tolerate this diversity and try to stop it by force.

We must recognize that war does not work any more, that resolving our conflicts through violence will not work, but changing our thinking by supporting solutions like the Arias plan is the only way for lasting peace. It is time to allow the Central American countries the right of self-determination.

BEVERLY SINCOCK

Torrance