European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 31, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 a the stars and stripes William Safir lithuanian revolt Isnit same As . Civil War a soviet Diplomat buttonhole me to say he had read my Book about Lincoln a and Wasny to there a remarkable similarity Between the Challenge of secession that Lincoln faced in 1801 and the Challenge Mikhail Gorbachev faces from the Baltic secessionists today How could i Square support of Lincoln a decision to preserve the Union with my incendiary column titled a free the bal tics told him the parallel he was attempting to draw was ill informed and dangerous adding that i knew Abe Lincoln he was a Friend of mine and that Gorbachev was no Lincoln. Of the Southern american states seeking to secede Only one a Texas a had Ever been an Independent Republic and All had entered into Union voluntarily. But in the Case of the three Baltic republics each had been an Independent nation until seized by the soviet Union As a result of the infamous Molotov von Ribbentrop pact. Therefore any soviet a integrity of the Union justification was based on a false analogy. Free people and states can bind themselves into an indissoluble Union but no such contract applies to states coerced conquered and held captive. That a free the bal tics culmination ran Only i0 months ago in a subsequent visit to one of the Baltic nations which afforded the Opportunity for the dateline a Riga soviet occupied Latvia i asked to see a Leader of the popular front pressing for Freedom. His associates said he was Busy that week working on a draft of a statement that would Lead after the March 1990 elections to a declaration of Independence. That was a stopper if this were 1776, would i have said a look Tell or. Jefferson to set aside that when in the course of human events stuff because a Bigfoot pundit wants to Sec him Quot fortunately that routine was unnecessary because the latvian Leader recognized the need for any support from America. Loud unwavering insistent support for the rectification of a Stalin Hitler wrong is Central to the cause of Freedom inside and adjacent to the soviet Union. The fax machine is the secret weapon of independency a new committees of correspondence. Soviets a capt a .-style executive a Tom was in -7/$ % Abraham Gor amp Chev even after the freeing of other nations of Eastern and Central Europe Baltic subjugation remains the most damning evidence of stalinist expansionism. Latvia is the Baltic state most a russian Izeda by immigration and is accordingly moving most cautiously Lithuania however remains 80 percent lithuanian and is in the Vanguard of self liberation. Having declared its Independence Lithuania is now being subjected to a War of nerves by Gorbachev. Russian armoured troop carriers rumble through the streets of Vilnius. Moscow ordered that phone lines to the outside world be Cut and journalists and tourists denied entry shotguns have been ordered confiscated from Hunters and Farmers who have not even threatened to take up arms. The lithuanians Are not Kuckling under. When general Taurinskas the frankly Pelano g3�th�v commander of Volunteer civil defense forces began meekly to comply with the Roundup of arms and to turn Over 16,000 vehicles lithuanian deputies moved to replace him. Nobody in newly free Lithuania is threatening violence that would be self defeating. The Only person getting into position for the use of Force is Gorbachev he proposes to rip the shotguns out of the hands of peaceful lithuanians thereby inviting the violence leading to crackdown while telling the world he is merely disarming them to Avert violence. The soviet Leader last week gained the Power to declare martial Law and Rule by decree will he use it a curious version of this question was asked of Bush thursday a does it seem to you that he has the political ability to let Lithuania go a the president s reply based on deep Cia analysis a i Richarp Milhous  honestly done to  i think Gorbachev super Czar now has both the Power to crack Down and to not crack Down. If he were a strategic planner a chess player he might View Baltic Independence As the prelude to a greater problem of disintegration in the Ukraine a and be tempted to provoke suppress Ible violence now. Gambling on flaccid Western a a understanding on the false Lincoln analogy. If he is a Brilliant improviser As 1 fervently Hope Gorbachev will find a Way to get angry and throw the lithuanians out of the soviet Union. Latvia and Estonia would follow and he would continue to enjoy bankable International popularity. Provoking violence in the name of confiscating arms is a transparent trick. Forget it Gorbachev continued Baltic Rule is pure stalinist adventurism. Let Lithuania go. C new York times Tom Teepen Gorbachev gives gun lobby More ammunition the Tough minded lithuanians bless pm May yet get away with declaring their Independence from the soviet Union. But whatever the outcome there they will leave us americans even More firmly in the tyranny of the Domestic gun lobby. Funny How these things work. Somehow soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev did t pause to consider the effect on americans gun politics when he undertook his ugly game of Chicken with the breakaway lithuanians. Among the intimidation his schemers concocted a demand that lithuanians turn in their guns and a threat that authorities tracing registration records will confiscate the guns if they done to. You needed to see Only the headline to know bumpers in this country soon will Blossom with sticker slogans equating wide open gun ownership with Protection from the commie hordes. How ironic that the death throes of communism should provide an excuse for reviving one of the More charming and pernicious of the gun lobby claims. Among the arguments cited in the past against licensing gun owners and registering weapons a basically the system we now use to assure generally responsible automobile ownership and operation a was the touching belief that if America were Ever pounced on by the rookies or insidiously taken Over by red plotters at Home an aroused yeomanry prickly with Hunting guns and sock draw pistols would Send them packing. The notion is absurd on its face. And often made More so in application it has been used to defend saturday night specials you done to Stop tanks marching divisions tactical nukes and air superiority with pop guns. But the vision has just enough John Wayne heroics in it to Appeal at least a Little even to americans who recognize it As nonsense. That particular hype had All but passed from the guns at All Cost lobbying kit until the depressing showdown in Beijing last year. The poor chinese who were slaughtered at the Tiana men Square massacre weren t cold before american pick up trucks of the sort that favor gun Racks were sporting the so there bumper sticker a China has gun  As if Small arms among the students and workers would have mooted the Peoples liberation army and the willingness of China a regressive party oligarchy to use it. Yes China has gun control but then so do Canada. Britain France Japan a indeed virtually All democracies. Only the United states turns Over the Fate of civil peace Bleness to the gun making lobby and its acolytes and then tries to make up for the inevitable consequences with huge police forces and vast prison sys tems. Polls going Back As far As the 1930s have shown in a most americans favor a sensible level of gun con but the majority has rarely been sufficiently Ammu on the topic to override the clamorous and re ten gun lobby. Sadly Gorbachev has revived a half forgotten p gun paranoia just when it appeared most amen were becoming fed up enough with the violence their Public lift to insist on a few controls a saturday night specials and military Sty e As. Weapons for example and waiting periods that let police Check purchasers  common sense will prevail on such 111a despite Gorbachev a Gimme to the National r me citation. To do so however we will now Nave amp Back and renew an old Battle whose political Cias Clatter had All but faded from the Battlefield. C co news service