Mary Polacheck 
Dec. 7, 1992 
Mary B. Polacheck, Of West Chestnut Street, Wilkes-barre, And A Guest At 
Leader West Nursing Home, Kingston, For The Past Two Weeks, Died Monday 
Evening In The Nursing Home.

To Run Dec. 6, 1992 
Olga Ross 
Dec. 4, 1992 
Olga Chernavsky Ross, 76, Of Bayway Avenue, Elizabeth, N.j., Formerly Of 
Hilldale, Plains Township, Died Friday Afternoon At Home.

Tuesday, December 08, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A QUICK WORDS: SOMALI AFRICA 





Somali horror brought home by Steve Corbett &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Times Leader Columnist &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (COMMENTARY) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Somali horror means little to most AmericansIn typically American fashion,
sick jokes have even circulated about the fly-infested babies wasting away in
the scalding desert sand -- babies with saucer-shaped eyes crying for food and
then dying when it doesn't arrive. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One joke advocates pest-strips as Christmas presents. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Now, however, American sensitivity might change. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 U.S. soldiers should land sometime today in Somalia as part of an armed
United Nations humanitarian relief effort called "Operation Restore Hope." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Our mission is to save hundreds of thousands of Somalis who spent this year
starving in a barren nation on the eastern horn of Africa. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Grave images of skeletal black babies have regularly appeared on American
TV for months, prompting more national awareness to the plight than ever. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yet, although I follow the news for a living, until a few days ago I would
have failed to pinpoint Somalia on an unmarked map of the world. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But no more. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The troops have landed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As faraway as Somalia remains in the American psyche, however, this isn't
the first time that U.S. weapons have shown up on Somali shores. Many rag-tag
militia men are carrying weapons marketed freely during America's support of
former Somali dictator Mohammed Siad Barre during his Cold War reign of power. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The former Soviet Union also played the arms game, selling everything from
AK-47s to rocket launchers to various Somali factions and warring groups of
gunmen. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some of those same wild rebels will likely place a Marine or two in the
crosshairs during the coming days. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Still, more than 30,000 American troops will join a token force from
several other nations in a noble mission. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Standing up for people who cannot stand up for themselves is moral and
right. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Over the years, many Americans have died doing just that. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some might die again. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Still, everybody's not in love with the idea. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ne State Department critic of U.S. troop deployment has already wisecracked
that "If you liked Beirut, you'll love Somalia." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Supporters, however, argue that somebody has to save the children. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Part of me cheers the action to guarantee that food will get to the dying
who try to survive the greed, politics and violence. Part of me wants to wave
the flag as American soldiers do the right thing -- including many
African-American soldiers who will literally be coming home to their ancestral
beginnings. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That part of me believes in standing up for right against might. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Most of us will share those emotions in upcoming weeks as news reports show
American soldiers holding dying children, wiping tears from grateful humans
too weak to move and fending off bandits who sit like vultures on the horizon
in customized Toyotas equipped with heavy caliber machine guns. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Still, those irregular troops who are part of no nation's army and take
orders from whomever pays them, can kill. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For more than a year, these men have pillaged food meant for the weak. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bartering others' survival for their own wealth, they have boosted the
power of warlords and clan chieftains who are no different from the slave
traders and homicidal colonialists of old. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They have killed for too long. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And now we can stop them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But what happens when empty Somali bellies are full? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Will we leave the rebuilding of Somalia to Somalis? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Or, will the White House hand-pick a leader of our choosing to do our
bidding and rule in our interests, as we have done so often during our own
dismal and imperialist past? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Humanitarianism is the American Way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But sustenance of Somali nationalism is best left to those who live there. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nourishment involves so much more than food. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Steve Corbett's column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Somali Horror Brought Home By Steve Corbett Times Leader Columnist (commentary) Somali Horror Means Little To Most Americans.