orb@whuts.UUCP (SEVENER) (01/29/86)
Michael Lewis does not have a very good sense of history when he says: > What do the exploits of a united Germany 40 years ago have to do with the > capabilities of largely demilitarized (by WW 2 standards) West Germany? West > Germany is largely demilitarized for one reason: the Soviets wouldn't have it > any other way. > Michael, West Germany is relatively demilitarized for the same reason as Japan - because the US was content to foster German economic development via the Marshall Plan but wished to prevent a resurgence of German militarism. Japan was encouraged by General Douglas McArthur to put her zealous military efforts into economic development. Japan did and now, partly due to not wasting her efforts on the weapons of war, threatens American companies in many major industries. So, of course, Reagan now is encouraging Japan to re-arm again in reverse of McArthur and past American policy. This may well be successful in reducing Japan's economic development and growth rate but I think the world will be worse off for it. East Germany and the Warsaw Pact in general, as I have previously pointed out, is not that militarized independently of the Soviets for similar reasons - the Soviets don't trust either East Germany or the Warsaw Pact nations. tim sevener whuxn!orb
tw8023@pyuxii.UUCP (T Wheeler) (01/29/86)
Once again Sevener's paranoia with Reagan clouds what might have been a perfectly fine article. It seems that no matter what happens in the world today, it is Reagan's fault, in Sevener's view. Now we have Reagan encouraging Japan to rearm. Hogwash! Every argument that Sevener puts forth has an element of "I hate Reagan to the point of paranoia" as its premise. But, at least he is consistent. The other morning, I heard through the grapevine, that Tim's car would not start so he dashed off a letter of protest to the White House. The guy definatly has a problem. T. C. Wheeler
orb@whuts.UUCP (SEVENER) (01/30/86)
> Once again Sevener's paranoia with Reagan clouds what might have > been a perfectly fine article. It seems that no matter what > happens in the world today, it is Reagan's fault, in Sevener's > view. Now we have Reagan encouraging Japan to rearm. Hogwash! > Every argument that Sevener puts forth has an element of "I > hate Reagan to the point of paranoia" as its premise. > T. C. Wheeler I do not disagree with *everything* Reagan does but just 90% of it. I was shocked when I saw the Treasury I tax reform plan: it was actually something that I could support. I also noted my support for the aim of genuine tax reform in an article on the net. It is an indisputable fact that Reagan has been encouraging Japan to re-arm. Unfortunately it is not just Reagan who is promoting this foolish and shortsighted view but others as well. Just as with most of Reagan's policies - it was the Committee to Promote the Present Danger who laid the groundwork for the current arms race under Reagan's administration. It was the Committee to Promote the Present Danger who gave the push to reject the SALT II treaty. It should therefore be no surprise that Max Kampelman, one of the negotiators in Geneva, was a member of the Committee to Promote the Present Danger. (who of course has obtained *no* agreements!) Reagan is not "the focus of evil" in American politics, as always he is the representative of powerful vested interests who first promoted him when General Electric hired him as a spokesman after they had been caught in the price-fixing conspiracy in 1959. "We need somebody to improve our image" GE said, and Ronald Reagan fit the bill. After all he had proved his credentials by supporting the blacklisting of actors earlier in the 50's. But Reagan *is* the symbol of these type of militaristic and repressive politics and he *is* the President. As President he bears responsibility for the actions of his past and present appointees like James Watt, Anne Burford, Ray Donavan, and now Ed Meese. My view of the extremity of Reagan's current policies is not mine alone: a Republican speechwriter for Nixon and Ford who supported Reagan in 1980 just had a piece in the NYTimes castigating Reagan's policies supporting a tax giveaway of $750 billion while launching annual deficits of $200 billion as antithetical to the whole idea of "conserving" the American way of life. This lifelong Republican experienced in politics saw quite clearly through Reagan's fog of accusations at Congress for monstrously increasing the deficit that it was Ronald Wilson Reagan himself who was to blame. tim sevener whuxn!orb
ka@hropus.UUCP (Kenneth Almquist) (02/04/86)
According to T. C. Wheeler, > Once again Sevener's paranoia with Reagan clouds what might have > been a perfectly fine article. It seems that no matter what > happens in the world today, it is Reagan's fault, in Sevener's > view. Now we have Reagan encouraging Japan to rearm. Hogwash! Once again Wheeler's infatuation with Reagan clouds what might have been a perfectly fine article. It seems that no matter what happens in the world today, it hasn't happened if it puts Reagan in a bad light, in Wheeler's view. Now we have the New York Times Index saying: U. S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger urges Japan to acquire sufficient power to defend nation "within this decade." Action is another step in increasingly specific campaign by Reagan Administration to persuade Japan to rearm. (March 26, 1982, under "Japan") Wheeler believes that this is hogwash! > The guy definatly has a problem. T. C. Wheeler definitely has a problem, with his spelling if nothing else :-) Kenneth Almquist ihnp4!houxm!hropus!ka (official name) ihnp4!opus!ka (shorter path)
mahoney@bach.DEC (02/06/86)
---------------------Reply to mail dated 4-FEB-1986 20:52--------------------- On the rearming of Japan it is not just Reagan who has pushed this idea. I beleive Jimmy Carter also asked them to start taking some share of the responsibility of defending the Asia. I don't know if I agree or disagree with this policy but Reagan this time is not at fault. Brian Mahoney