The Basque Problem
Martin, Benjamin
James Schlesinger's resignation and made it known that oil complete agreement that Carter should not be the President." decontrol would unfairly burden the poorest of Americans. But...
...younger ADA members, the older liberals clearly still partial to Israel, the younger ones displaying more sympathy for the Palestinians...
...Although not a stirring orator, solution and the present effort promises to be extremely arduWynn expressed the beliefs of many of the delegates, that the ous and difficult, especially in arriving at an acceptable comAmerican right "is fundamentally unchanged...
...To fully grant the violence will eventually lead to a military occupation of the them, it is also feared, might establish precedents that could Basque country, an action that would obviously have portenthave a deleterious effect on any future relationship between ous consequences for Spain's future political stability...
...obligation...
...But a formula that meets the desires of the au- Some Spaniards have become resigned to unchecked murtonomists while safeguarding the cohesion of the national ders of policemen and military officers...
...One of political parties are engaged in the Herculean task of the keynote speakers was William Wynn, president of the establishing a workable formula for the institution of largest AFL-CIO union, the newly formed United Food and regional autonomy...
...The configuration of the present problem, how- ETA...
...Recently my That was no problem...
...Once had, I am embarrassed to admit, a hard maple, in their rough state, simply re- my nephew and I had planed some we time of it...
...Popular support for ETA...
...ing on how the wood has been sawn, but won't quite identify itself...
...The bivalence towards political arrangements in that region...
...Displeasure him would be on the stump, proclaiming that he had seduced surfaced in their vote for a full economic boycott of El Sal- and betrayed them...
...For ADA is the largest and probably the most influential group instance, there were some reports that there was to be a call for formally to endorse a Kennedy candidacy...
...Others have become more pesdemands of the Basque Nationalist Party would require going simistic, concluding that the situation is now hopeless and that beyond what is permitted by the Constitution...
...is on the increase...
...If the ADA is angry enough to consider the idea Writing in the New York Times, Tom Wicker reminded then it is certainly no longer a `wild' notion...
...Regionalist sentiment has grown throughout much of the ADA National Director Leon Shull agreed: "We are seeing country...
...discovered the problem: there were only 3 August 1979: 423...
...the figure in the THE FOREST & THE TREES wood-the wavy lines left by cutting MASS PRODUCTION, MASS MISERY, MASS MAN through the tree's annual growth rings-almost looks as if it has been etched in with countless tiny strokes with the point of a pin...
...Because the Basques sup- tuted last year by small radical nationalist groups that includes ported the Republican side in the civil war, they were singled the political front of ETA...
...Developments at instrument of the people-haters...
...But the ash and the do not look like each other at all...
...Indeed, such important labor representatives as Keith Johnson, president of the International Union of Woodworkers, and William Winpisinger, president of the 0 NCE AGAIN the Spanish government and that country's Machinists Union, played large parts in the convention...
...The government maintains that to accede to the destabilizing consequences...
...they in the dusk or a voice over the and yellow birch...
...It succeeded in electing three out for harsh, vindictive treatment...
...Nor does A Basque labor leader recently tried to convince me that the the experience of other Western European countries offer situation was not totally without hope...
...I hope he is right...
...Now that mayors and much encouragement...
...they just with which to build a hay wagon and we problem either...
...In the end, though, what most provoked interest-as well as Debate over regional and cultural autonomy is deeply rooted derision-was the ADA's 500-0 vote to back Teddy Kennedy...
...The planed hardwood boards looking for some ash faint tone of grey...
...Until the end of the Franco deputies to the lower house, a Senator and many town counera the Basque country continued to be treated as if it were cilors...
...An accumulation of missed opportunities, bad judgment and BENJAMIN MARTIN political opportunism has led to a widespread feeling of frust- (Benjamin Martin, a previous contributor, is Director of the ration in the Basque provinces...
...diminish...
...There is little prospect it granting of home rule is viewed as a moral and political will end soon...
...The country is a composite of diverse ethnic As delegate Tim Black, ADA board member and veteran cultures and languages and through much of its history conChicago activist, said, "If there was one surprise, it was the troversy has raged between those favoring a highly centralized Commonweal: 422 national entity and those who have sought greater latitude for of preventing the frequent killings by the terrorist-separatist the regions...
...Madrid and the prospective regional governments...
...Their talent for myth-making and self-delusion is Perhaps-one of the most interesting debates-or lack of stunning...
...And in the Washington Post, David Broder policies, heartily approving the Panama Canal Treaties, wrote, "It is a safe bet that two years into a Kennedy presiSALT II, the Middle East peace and the maintenance of dency, many of the same liberals who are now trying to draft economic sanctions against Zimbabwe-Rhodesia...
...But because the matter was message has been heard at the White House, in Sacramento, in considered to be too controversial, it was not brought up for a the office of the senior Senator from Massachusetts and at the vote...
...The "regrets" won, by a vote of 11-10 and thereby (A former aide to Senator Hubert Humphrey and Consignaling some greater loyalty to Israel...
...In the meantime, ETA For the new Spain, therefore, the dismantling of the cen- relentlessly pursues its goal of polarization in the region .tralized structure inherited from the Franco regime and the through an endless cycle of killings...
...Yellow birch has the surface left by the planer knives is nephew and I went through a hundred got a pinkish'heart, but it's muted with a tight, uniform, solid, close...
...The ADA convention," he added, "will be the har- self-rule scored unexpected gains significantly altering the binger of the dominant political coalitions of the 1980s...
...in Spain's past...
...Regional autonomy in Spain From a strategic point of view, ADA seemed eager to get greater participation from organized labor...
...In one of the working group conferences, there was a dozens of incipient Kennedy campaign headquarters around vote on whether to say that the ADA found the absence of other the country...
...Tensions over the issue of auIt should be noted that largely because of a relatively strong tonomy have reached such disturbing proportions in the Baslabor involvement, the ADA rejected a call for wage controls que region that it is considered the most serious challenge in addition to price controls...
...In the March 1st parliamentary elections and the the greatest liberal/labor unity and cooperation of the past municipal balloting of April 3rd, parties advocating regional decade...
...confronting the government of Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez...
...It is still the promise for the violence-torn Basque region...
...Arab countries from the peace talks "regrettable" or "deplor- PETER KOVLER able...
...new boldness...
...debate-was on the rights of Palestinians...
...ever, is primarily a legacy from the Franco regime...
...With this in mind, Socialist leader Felipe Gon- services in the near future, people will gradually come to feel zalez, despite his sympathy for the regionalists, recently ob- less alienated and distrust of Madrid should lessen...
...Doubtless, that an independent Palestinian state...
...As much as any Whatever the potential problems, it is certain that ADA's other organization, ADA reflects the American liberal's am- stance has given the Kennedy candidacy more credibility...
...But they are their own seducers-and their vador, Nicaragua and Honduras...
...We are ready to give battle in our end to the blood letting is nowhere in sight...
...country's political balance...
...Understandably this has left many in the Obviously these changes have compounded the difficulties region with a deeply ingrained hostility and suspicion towards of the moderate Basque Nationalist Party in arriving at a the government in Madrid...
...But the daily media, even the liberal media, saw this as a But nationalization, as one delegate told me, "represents a ridiculous ADA mistake...
...The present level of structure has thus far eluded the government and the political violence, they believe, can be endured without politically leaderships...
...Correserved he expects the issue will still be around in the year 2000.spondingly, the extremist appeal can be expected eventually to But the Basque region requires urgent and rapid solutions...
...it's vaguely familiar but a bit darker than the color of brick dust...
...strongest and most effective position-that of solidarity...
...own victims...
...During the The March elections resulted in lessened support for the 40` years of authoritarian rule, expressions of local cultures, political moderates and an impressive advance by the radical languages, or folklore were rigorously banned as were move- separatist Hem Batasuna (Popular Unity), a coalition constiments favoring regional self-rule...
...of those who overvalue prop- this writing suggest that some progress has been made but an erty And undervalue life...
...realistic understanding with Madrid...
...I knew (or thought I knew) fused to distinguish themselves...
...Of several minds: Thomas Powers So we dgcided to run some boards through the planer and let the grain of the wood announce itself...
...That wasn't much of a boards are obviously different...
...The situation has reached a Spanish Labor Project of the Carnegie Endowment for Interpoint of advanced deterioration and the police seem incapable national Peace...
...The problem has long eluded satisfactory Commercial Workers Union...
...Cherry turns a rich red have got varying kinds of figure, dependphone...
...Most interestingly, gressman Sydney Yates of Illinois, Peter Kovler reports reguthere was an almost complete division between older and larly from Washington for Commonweal...
...Maple, cherry and A ROUGH-SAWN board is like a face what was in the lot: ash, maple, cherry yellow birch are all close-grained...
...Ash has got a coarse open grain...
...readers that in 1948 the ADA had made a similar judgment about Truman and had pushed for Eisenhower as Democratic O N FOREIGN POLICY the ADA seemed to like most of Carter's party nominee...
...occupied territory...
...No democratic nation has thus far suc- city councilors of their own choosing have been elected for the ceeded in fully accommodating the demands for devolution first time since the civil war and the Basque regipnal council without doing violence to the unitary framework of the can be expected to assume added responsibilities for various nation-state...
...Very aware of the liberal versus labor split during the Vietnam war era, Rauh, ADA President Patsy Mink and others tried to emphasize that T8E BASQUE PROBLEM the time was ripe for the New Deal coalition to come back ETA'S PURSUIT OF POLARIZATION together...
Vol. 106 • August 1979 • No. 14
