William F. Buckley Jr. Amnesty International [A year or so back I joined the Board of Directors ot ‘Amnesty International, on the understanding that I would remain free to exercise my oom judgment co ‘cerning any of the organization's particular activites, All of this sounds defensive, and shouldn't because by and large Amnesty is concerned with the kindof thing decent people ought to be concerned about, mainly the imperative to help thers who are in trouble. In Amnes- ty’s case politcal trouble. ‘What are the rights of a natin to protect islt against certain Kinds of political dissent? Ideally, the isenter should be protected, even as he is in the United States. However, even in the Unted States, a ‘qualication is geeraly recognize, the qualification of clear and present danger. That (in my judgment is as it should be [At the other end isthe Soviet Union. There, poical freedom exist only inthe Newspeak in which the Soviet Union regulary trades, It id not surprise anybody back ‘in the Inte 4, Stalin's Rusia should have co-sponsored ‘the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, which Js as if Ralph Ginzburg had cosponsored the Legon of Decency. One cannot lecture Rusia on what she should o. One can only put pressure on Rusia to do what she should do, and that —to its eral credit — Arment is ‘eying to do, 1m Russia a poor Ukrainian lawyer, a citaen of Corchosiovakia, bas been Imprisoned since 17. His crime? None—because he has yet tobe tied. He was caught up during one of those salt seizure, for having defended someone somebody did't Uke for what- ever reason. He was found guiless of any known crime by a Polish cour, which however then surendered him to the Soviet Union, which sent hi of to a concentra: tion camp where he now—miraulously—stil ves, His ‘ame is Volodmyr Horbovy, Remember him in your Drayers Ife s feed, it will be by the wil of God, St, it fs Amnesty which has got word through to Horbovy that his mame is not dead among those few who care. ‘The second object of Amrasty’s curren attention poses more ditfcu, and more interesting, problems. ‘More interesting because ther isa ground of communi- cation between Amnesty, and the government of Portu- al, which continues to imprison a Toyearoid gentle: ‘man named Telo de Mascerenhas, The dissent of Mr. Mascerenhas is rather more complicated than that ofthe Czech, Mr. M. was a Goan =a lawyer, write, and agitator. Goa is perhaps forgot- ten as the tiny Portuguese enclave in western India ‘which was gobbled up by Netru between speeches against agaression. Mr. Mf. was delighted, inasmuch 25 for years he had been deleaiming against Portuguese colonialism et etc. But all of that happened in 16. And the technical case agaist Mr. M. was allays very veary bad, Tt svems to me that nothing is clearer than that Goa's attachment to Portugal was in clear and present dan- ger. Even so, the actual behavior of the Portugese appears to be uterly reprehensible, To begin with the Portuguese offered amnesty to anyone who returned to Goa. Mascerenhas took avantage of the offer — but ‘even so, the Portuguese whisked him off to Libson and {in due course sentenced him to al for 4 years. Accord- ng to Ananesty, he was no convicted of ary crimes of ‘ilence, merely of having advocated the detachment of (Gao from Portugal ‘At this point, one regrets the ideolgization of An nesy's lef, which tates, “AI efforts must be made to secure the release of this well known writer, profound poltial thinker and a great patio.” Now I do not Know whether M, isa profound poltia! thinker, and ‘what fs more, I donot care, I wil nat eleve that he is a great patriot until Tam shown the evidence that Goa ‘wanted to be incorporated by India, which evidence I have never seen, even as I have never seen evidence that Gibraltar desires to be Incorporate ito Sj believe in punishment for politica erimes, under certain circumstances, But I believe (who doesn't) in mercy, And that ought o be the principal pont, Portu- ‘gas Keeping. of this Teyearold physical wreck inj, ten years after the fate of Goa was irevocaby settled, {is simply uncouth. Monstrous, even, And I join Armnesty in respectfully urging the Portuguese government — respectuly because I for one profoundly believe that whatever the Portuguese internal politcal arrangement, ‘men ike Salazar and Caetano are essentially decent ‘men—to admit the legal eror, if tey are so minded; but i ot, to grant clemency — quickly and quietly. Quips and Quotes (Children are natural mimics: they act like thelr ‘areats in spite of efor to teach them good manners. = Mason City (Ia) Globe-Gazette, (One small jack can If a car, but it takes a lt of {Jack to keep it up. —Tulsa Word Perhaps the crutest thing a parent can do nowe ays is to push a bright child through schoo to tat. ‘What if be arives at allege too young o grow a beard? Wichita Eagle4 REE teen eat Sp at Opinion Page The Newark Advocate ‘And American Tribune D> ‘rut Wer, Por Pats aly et Sunny by The Aro Pring aap, 2 WMS, err, eh. Aone aed Awe Tbe 1. "rea sends mae ch, vc, Oi, Po Oe tr sett ae ‘he hava Ws mente To iin Pres. ‘Stern ete wel by bempapetoy Oey Mak Ha yea lus ty, sa ate a ered emp ORO 2 ‘arbi Co2 a et Spec mr ral aie On_The Newark Advocate - RICAN TRIBUNE = Pages ‘Advocate News, Features Read Today By ‘101 1408 OF the Best People in The World