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Show J T The Daily Utah Chronicle - Page Nine Thursday, December 6. 1990 Letters An Open letter to Pres. Gorbachev Dear Mr. Gorbachev, I'm writing to congratulate you for being chosen as the recipient of the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize. Certainly the award must have been an honor and a surprise to you. The news surprised me as well. Having spent three months in your country, from Aug. 21 to Nov. 19, memories of the beauties of its monuments, the half-empt- y food stores, the frequently negative comments that people had to say about you, are still vivid in my mind. In some ways I ask myself how much you deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. While we have seen many changes thanks to your policies of glasnost and Perestroika, it still seems too early to hand you such a prestigious award, especially since no law on glasnost has been published, debated or enacted. We could see your reforms disappear as quickly as they surprisingly appeared to us. Nevertheless, now that the award is in your hands, it would not be just to take it back. In many ways, you are the one to thank for a reunited Germany, for the acceptance of political parties in the non-commun- ist Soviet Union, for not crushing independence sentiments in the Baltic republics, and I personally thank you for allowing me to come and spend three months in your country, staying with Soviet families. I realize that before you came to office, no foreigner could legally spend a night in a private home. Some things have changed, I do admit, but the road is long. Some examples: You still have portions of your country, such as Kalliningrad, Vladivostok and Kamchatka, officially closed to foreigners. You still refuse to relinquish the Baltics, James Polychronis Chronicle Guest Columnist despite admitting that they came under Soviet power as a result of a Pact in 1939 and 1940. You now have a Nobel Peace Prize, yet you threaten to spill blood if the Stalin-Hitl- er Baltics or other republics try to attain independence. Things are changing, but much of what is occurring in your country is not legal change; it is merely a tolerance of the wave that shall bring an inevitable collapse to your system, a system which both you and I admit is corrupt. The people who are breaking the law in your country are not necessarily thieves; they may be assembling and publicly protesting against your government; they may be practicing religion freely; they break the laws only because you have not yet changed the laws. Consequently, you are still entitled to lock them up if you wish, as such activities are still against the law. Mr. Gorbachev, it seems that the committee bestowed the Nobel Peace Prize upon you just a little too early, but it's yours now. Perhaps that medal, diploma and $710,000 that you received as a result of your g policies will fill you with a sense of obligation to push for changes in your country's laws and justice system. Furthermore, to put it bluntly, $710,000 is a large amount of money, especially in a country like peace-forgin- the Soviet Union. Since you've already admitted to being corrupt (in a speech a few days ago, where you admitted that you and your buddies are to blame for the sorry state in the Soviet Union.) I will surely not shock you by suggesting that whenever you need rubles, it is best to change at the black market rate of 18 or 20 rubles per dollar. The official five or six rubles per dollar is far too low. I realize you have the right to spend the money as you wish, and I can already picture a few new fur coats making their paths into Raisa's closet. Before you blow all your money, please stop and think twice: when I left Leningrad two weeks ago, the cold was just setting in, the lines were just beginning to get longer, and the people were just perfection to satisfy people Editor: Isn't it interesting observing the types of virtues, credentials, experience, skills and perfection, both enumerated and unenumerated but intimated, that our future University President must possess before qualifying for that august position. But we can rest assured, that once this perfect candidate in possession of all the perfect credentials etc. is found, she will, in reality and deed, be able to "walk on water" as suggested by one advisory group venture the observation or prediction, that even with a candidate, Sadducees and Pharisees will still abound. member. I water-walkin- g Glen Moosman by Buddy Hickerson THEQUIGMANS starting to complain a little bit more about the hassle of buying food in Leningrad. Leningrad has a long winter ahead of it, and your $710,000 could give its 4.5 million inhabitants a boost sometime down the road. For example, you could supply each Leningrad household with a half-lite-r or so of juice, or with a liter or two of milk. As I said, you are entitled to spend the money as you wish. However, I s well-deserv- have seen that the people in the Soviet Union, as a whole, do not regard you with endearing eyes, and we must admit that a lot of people across your land do not like you. Hoarding your money selfishly would not be the wisest public relations ploy. It would be in your best interest, and in the best interest of at least a portion of the Soviet people to whom you recently apologized, to keep the diploma and medal as a memento, and to spend the money on the people in the country over which you preside. James Polychronis, a senior in commercial recreation and tourism, and stringer for the Chronicle, will send a copy of this published letter and a handwritten version in his sketchy Russian, to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. Time is running out! The new year will soon be here so register NOW for Winter Quarter 1991 Telephone Registration ends December 1 8 ! Instructions for registering are on page 11 of the Winter Class Schedule. There is a $20.00 late registration service fee if you do not register by telephone. Call the Registration office at 3 if you have any questions. 581-897- New U. president will need "Run for your LIVES! It's BIG MAN ON CAMPUS!! AAH!" tyiflfcg Info C? REGISTER NOW FOR WINTER QUARTER Q INSTITUTE e THURSDAY CLASSES 6 10 p.m. -- "Fuddy Night" (Study Fun Fuddy) snacks, too Institute Lounge & Library 9 p.m. - Midnight FRIDAY Salt Palace Convention Center LDSSA CHRISTMAS FORMAL Live Band: "Probable Cause" Tickets $1 3 per couple in advance at institute SUNDAY 7 p.m. SYMPHONY HALL Christmas Fireside Elder Neal A Maxwell Council of the twelve LDSSA DECEMBER 14 Park City Annual after Finals Ski Day. Cost will be $21 ski pass. Tickets can be purchased for an at Park City that day from 8:00 a.m. 12:00 Noon. LDSSA ea -- December 319 p.m. 1a.m. Cottonwood Mall New Year's Eve Dance come, it's going $7 per person to be Rad!! |
