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Letters

By VVAW

VVAW welcomes letters, poems, articles, photos, jokes and donations of a monetary kind. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee we will use anything.

Afghan Veteran Addresses VVAW

Our feelings pained through the war are very much in common. You are older and more experienced and we believe that our communication would help us to solve many problems.

About two years have passed since the Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan. The dirty war was over at last. But, it had swallowed thousands of lives and had left thousands and thousands of injured individuals, broken souls and saddened fates. There are over 1 million (<1000000) participants in the Afghan war. Most of them are in need now. They are in lack of social, psychological and medical help for rehabilitation.

An Afghan syndrome—a heavyache disease—are suicides, drunkenness, drug addiction, bumming, crimes. Is it normal?

It is very important for us to know your experience of overcoming Vietnam syndrome. Pity it is, but in this country we have no chance to get elementary means for that, we could not be provided with a skillful help. It makes our life unbearable.

Perhaps you would be interested in our own way of activity and we would have an opportunity to cooperate. We want peace. We are looking forward to goodwill and consciousness. We are the real hopeful force together. The force of good and peaceloving.

Let us communicate together, live together and further.

With best regards for all of you,

Studio of best experimental workmanship

Address:
USSR, LENNINGRAD
191040
Ligovsky Prospect, 65
"Xpam Mupa"
("Russian alphabet meaning palace USSR of peace."

Homeless
Rick Tingling-Clemmons
Washington DC VVAW

(The following is a copy of a letter sent by VVAW's Washington DC coordinator to Jack Kemp, Secretary of Housing. Rick Tingling-Clemmons has been involved in the issue of housing and the homeless for a number of years.)

Dear Secretary Kemp:

I write to you to express my concern that your office had denied the Board of Directors of the National Tenant Organization (NTO) an appointment to meet with you. NTO is an organization with a substantial interest and important role in your work developing a viable, effective housing policy and program for our nation.

Earlier this year, an NTO position paper criticized racist policies of the federal government, reelecting NTO conviction (based on the extensive experience of its members) that current housing policies have racist effects, borne out by continuing patterns of racial discrimination. Yet, I have been given the understanding that your office has accused the NTO Board of attacking you and the President, and is demanding a written apology from NTO as a precondition for scheduling the requested meeting. A criticism of unjust federal policy based on the very real and painful experience of the victims of that policy should not be construed as a personal insult to the President under any reasonable circumstances.

It would appear that there is a clear breakdown in communication resulting from overreaction and misunderstanding. The only reasonable course for resolving misunderstanding is dialogue, not denial. As a Vietnam veteran, I have seen firsthand the excessive costs—in lives and resources—that can result from not talking with those you disagree with. Denial of tenants' rights to due process and dealing with drug problems—in America in general, in public housing in particular—is certainly worth talking about. The stakes are too high to allow the personal discomfort experienced by Mr. Albright when confronted by the justifiable anger and frustration of public housing residents determine your willingness to dialogue with NTO representatives. VVAW is an affiliate of NTO, and our members also suffer from housing discrimination. Our commitment to the betterment of our nation is a fact proven with our blood, sweat and tears—and too often, the lives of our comrades. We urge you to unite with our efforts to improve the housing conditions for all in our country.

Our nation's housing is in crisis, and could only benefit from open and productive communication between you, the nation's highest ranking housing official and one of the country's largest housing advocacy groups—and of a constituency far too often unrepresented in such dialogues.

The NTO Board and membership share with you a dedication and commitment to effecting a better, more equitable housing policy for our nation's citizens. I appeal to you to open dialogue with NTO by contacting Maxine Gree, chairperson, and inviting her and the NTO Board to meet with you, so that we can join forces to create a stronger national consensus on housing policy. Our nation's public housing residents certainly deserve no less.