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Show Page The National Enterprise, July 6, 1977 twenty-tw-o The Prince Column Kissinger to blame Henry Kissinger is worried about the electoral progress of Communist parties in Europe, and the threat that by taking power they might weaken the Atlantic Alliance and the prospects for security and progress for all free nations." In a June 9 speech delivered at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, D.C., Dr. Kissinger warns the Carter Administration against encouraging such electoral gains for Communists. Specifically, he is afraid that the United States might, through its actions in Europe, augment the chances of Communists taking power in Spain, Italy, and France. Dr. Kissinger has reason for worry on that score, as do we all. It was the practice of all previous Administrations, to deal with the Left at a long arm's length. By contrast. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance has met personally with Socialist Party leaders, and has let it be known that other State Department officials have been meeting with Communists. These incidents are serious enough to prompt a formal protest from French President Valery Giscard coalition dEstaingthat his conservative-cente- r is being undercut. The threat of a parliamentary majority on the Left, following next years elections, is a very real one. And yet, if Carters State Department is in danger of upsetting the political balance in n acceptance of ComEurope by a munists, Dr. Kissinger must shoulder no small share of the blame. For it was the policy of too-ope- THE NATIONAL detente, of which Kissinger was the principal architect, which has made Communism acceptable to so many, both here and abroad. As good a teacher as he is, Kissinger could never adequately explain why detente was all right, but Communists were not. BY John Prince am at the age of 36 and Im still tapping people on the shoulder during movies and asking them if they couldnt talk just a bit nnipfpr Its a small thing, but it does tend to show how utterly some people are. Dont get me wrong. I look at the world from the inside out just as you probably do. I can be pretty selfish too. I do, however, try to operate with a certain set of rules. What, I keep asking myself, goes through the mind of the loud talker in a movie? They must be aware that they are spoiling other peoples fun. Im 6 foot 2 inches tall and often, Im afraid, block the view of the person behind me at a theater. Therefore, if at all possible, I will always select a seat with another empty seat just behind me. This doesnt guarantee that I wont block someone's view, but it does mean that any view I mess up will be that of someone who deliberately chose to sit behind me. The simple truth is that the man on the street can be a real drip. I'm convinced that people join private golf clubs for the people more than the facilities. There is nothing wrong with the 18 holes at Park City for example. Nothing, that is, that turning it into a private club couldnt cure. self-center- The contradiction between theory and practice sapped the support of the American people for the war in Vietnam. Why," they asked, should we defend the South Vietnamese against Communists if it is all right for President Nixon to drink toasts and attend operas with Communists in Peking and Moscow." No doubt Kissinger could keep it all straight, but the rest of us were not blessed with his powers of abstracanti-Weste- rn tion. In a recent article in Commentary, Michael Ledeen puts it this way: Despite Kissingers evident intentions, and regardless of his continued pronunciamentos on the evils of Eurocommunism, detente sent a signal to the West that it was now possible to sup with the devil." The Carter Administration is sitting down to cat. as invited. Kissinger warns that there are now many people on both sides of the Atlantic who have permitted themselves to be convinced that European Communism is only Social democracy with a Leninist face." He must himself be counted among the primary convincers. Scaevola ed At a private club, for example, a foursome with space ahead lets a twosome go through. How often does that happen on the public courses? Ever notice how much more careful a private club member is to rake a sandtrap after blasting out than is an average person on a public course? asking myself. Obviously I dont know if its true, but I have the theory. At a private club, everyone knows or can find out who the other people are. To some extend a person is accountable for his actions at a private club. Why? I keep At a public course, on the other hand, you can do any damn thing you want and no one will ever know your name. In short, the real person comes out on a public golf course and, by and large, I dont like what I often see. guess I just simply dont understand where some people become so oblivious of the rights of others. I We had a guy last year (someone must have killed him since he isnt around this year) who used to honk his horn every weekday morning about 6:00 a.m. You may well be up at 6:00 a.m. every morning but we arent in my home. The horn honk wasnt really that bad. The thing that really woke me up was wondering how anyone could be such a jerk. self-center- ed How about crossing the street? Let me set the scene and see how you do it. There is no light only a crosswalk. Eight cars are coming in a group but behind them there are no cars. What do you do? Do you step out and make all eight cars stop (you do have the right of way), or do you wait a few seconds and cross after the eight cars have passed? In my opinion, if you make all eight cars stop (even though you have the right of way) when you could have easily waited a few seconds, then you are at least a latent jerk. The list of incredible things that people do is endless. What is the cigar smoker in a restaurant thinking? Or speaking of restaurants, how do you like the loud talker who apparently feels that his stories are so great that the whole place wants to listen. Does the driver going 20 miles an hour in the middle of both lanes ever even consider looking in the rear view mirror? I had a friend in college who wanted me to take off with him and bum around the world. I told him Id better not since I was afraid that Id never get back to finish. Anyway, he went and about a year later, he walked into my room. Bob," I said, you have been all around the world. You have seen many things and many people. What have you concluded? The masses," he said, are asses." Hardly the kind of quote one would use when kicking off a political campaign. Nevertheless, there are times when it has a certain ring of truth to it. |