I read with concern that Chinese President Jiang Zemin is to make a state visit to the United States embellished by no less than a 21-gun salute and welcoming ceremonies with President Clinton on the South Lawn of the White House. I implore Harvard, scheduled as a stop on Jiang's itinerary, not to forget that Jiang is the official head of the thug government which killed and imprisoned thousands of peaceful demonstrators, many of them students, in and around Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989, a day that will live in infamy.
Though demonstrations are planned in every city which Jiang visits, what do killers care about public disapproval? I suggest that perhaps a firmer message would be sent by Harvard "disinviting" Jiang. Jiang is not welcome here. By opposing the Landmine Ban, Clinton is already leaving a fatal legacy. Now he has also reassured human rights violators around the world that their interests are safe in the hands of either major American party.
If our universities do not stand up for civilized standards of behavior against governments who use guns and tanks on their own citizens, who will? --Ralph Lopez, Cambridge
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A Couple of Summers
