Human Rights at the Summit

The INF treaty has been formally ratified. That’s a beginning. But that’s not enough. We need a breakthrough. We need to cut both the U.S. and Soviet strategic, or intercontinental, missile arsenals in half. Then, after that, we need to cut them again until we have no nuclear arsenals.

The American and the Soviet people are both tired of the war talk, of the bickering, the posturing, the rhetoric. We want it to end. We cannot endure the anxiety any longer.

Reagan chides the Soviet Union for its civil rights violations--and he should. Whenever any human being is denied his fundamental rights--wherever that may be--we should speak out against that.

But Reagan should remember that many citizens of this country are denied their basic human rights. When 33 million live in poverty, you know these people have been denied many of their rights. When 25% of children under 6 in this country live in poverty, the very stones cry out against this injustice. Civil rights is a two-way street; violations in both countries should be corrected.

DON RADEMACHER

Los Angeles