European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 8, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Clinton Clear on South Africa but what about Haiti Clarence Page a a a y f you ask me one thing i have Learned in a i my life growing up As a Young boy in the. I segregated South a president Clinton said a it is that this is something that you never solve you just have to keep improving you have to keep working with  his subject was the formidable task facing South africans who now must find ways to live and work together As they never have before As equals. He was granting a request to be interviewed by Richard Steyn editor of the Johannesburg Star South africans largest English language newspaper and Aggrey Klapste editor of the so Wetan its largest Black newspaper. Anthony Lewis of the new York times and i were invited to join them. In South Africa said Steyne his voice showing the Strain of Jet lag and frustration Over the tensions in his Homeland a this business of tolerance Between people is just  it s not going to be easy the president said. His administration is prepared to help. He will invite South africans new leaders to visit the White House he said. He will push for a a substantial increases in financial Aid beyond the s35 million America is giving now a just to Tryr to make the political process work right a he said. ,. Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown is inviting american business people to a june conference in Atlanta to urge More investment in South Africa. But the biggest challenges facing South Africa Are not financial the president said. He recalled How his own interest in politics was a inflamed overwhelmingly by my opposition to racial segregation in my own state. So i thought Well you know when i grow up maybe there a something i can do to solve this. And when i ran for Public office and Vohen i served As a governor of my state and then when 1 became president i think that ill always be Able Sci say i did things to make it better. A but this is not the sort of thing you solve. Unfortunately human nature being what it is identifiable Dif Ferenc swill always be used by narrow minded people or frustrated people or ignorant people or sometimes bad people As a lever a wedge a Means of acquiring Power or influence or dominance or just inflicting harm. But it can get better and better and better. A that will be the test. The ultimate test of your democracy will be whether a disciplined Effort can be made to take the attitudes represented As you acknowledge by your leaders and keep working until they become More and More and orc real in the daily lives of every citizen in your country. A but it is not a Job that will Ever be completely done. It will always be something you have to work on a at least that a our experience Here. It will get better but you la always have to work on it a pressed further he added a first of All people will always tend to show a certain Affinity to organize their living patterns around people who Are More like them. But some people will seek a More integrated life what is unhelpful is if that is used As a Way to Divide people and if it leads to some sort of Legal or practical discrimination.�?�. The president offered what he called the a a appalling example of this country a failure to immunize a third of its children under the age of 2 with All the recommended childhood immunizations. A it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that one of the reasons is that children under 2 Are More Likely to be children of color and More Likely to be poor than adults Over 50 who tend to make the decisions that control Public policy in this  agreed. Yet As auspicious As the occasion might have been i detected an awkward irony in it. While we sat and chatted about the Good news out of South Africa across town Randall Robinson head of Tran Africa and a principal organizer of the modern anti apartheid movement was ending his first week of fasting to protest Clinton s Haiti policy. Robinsons charge Clinton a policy is racist. Candidate Clinton rejected president Bush a policy of re turning haitian boat people As a a economic refugees while welcoming cuban refugees As a political Rufu gees Quot even though Haiti a bloodletting is beyond dispute. A candidate Clinton called the Bush policy a inhumane a but president elect Clinton embraced the Bush policy. Lately the murder and rape have gotten worse. I asked the president if he had a message for Robinson he said he was not pleased with his own policy either. But he was not yet ready to announce a change in it. A for the last 10 Days except for Niy forays on health care in be done almost nothing but work on Bosnia and Haiti and one or two other foreign policy issues a he said. I find Clinton on the subject of race to be uplifting yet perplexing. Me knows human nature Well enough to sing the right words and music. Yet when his feet hit the floor on thorny issues like Haiti they seem to dance out of step. Chicago Tribune. Following football hockey Golf and horse racing Alvy Rooney i feel the same was about sports As i feel about Desseau i like ice Cream better than any other dessert but i like most desserts. I like football better than any other sport but i like them All. Recently i made myself a Sandwich for a unch and took it in the living room to see what was on Tele Islon. I was crazing through the channels and found a soccer came on some High number channel., soccer is most like hockey. The tall goes to the person it s kicked to Only about to thirds of the Ime. The Ruck does t go to the player its passed to Ime in hockey. Hockey Isnit very Good on television. You done to have time to savor anything. Things happen too fast for the camera to follow. Hockey on radio is absolutely ridiculous. Alt you get is a the scoop cores a and then the players jump All Over each other. There Are several russian players in the nil now but they done to play As Well As they did when they were with the soviet National team a few years ago because they be adopted the Canadian style of slam bang hockey. Years ago the russians usually beat our teams because their teamwork was better and they passed the puck More skilfully. In hockey when a player is penalized he has to leave the game. It would be interesting to impose the penalties assessed in one sport in another. For instance playing for five minutes with Only 10 men would seriously Hurt a football team but it would make the game interesting. If football penalties were like basketball they a give the Field goal kicker two free tries for one Point each from the 40-Yard line. A foul kick it would be called. Baseball does no to have any penalties. They make a player leave the game for screaming at an Umpire but a substitute plays for him. They should make the team play with eight men. They might also try giving the Best Batter on the opposing team one or More extra strikes when a player screams at an official. I watched Dwight Gooden pitch. The papers said Gooden pitched a great game but he pitched Only six innings. What a so great about that if its a nine inning game it must be True that pitchers Arentt thing As Many nine inning games As they once did. The racial makeup of teams is interesting. In baseball there Are fewer Black baseball players Lorduy and More hispanic ones. There arc an increasing number of Black basketball and football players. I know of no Black hockey players and no major league Black jockeys. Something wrong there. Hockey is so much a Canadian game and there Are so few Blacks in Canada that its understandable that there would t be Many Black hockey players. But ?.thc stables in Kentucky and Florida arc filled with Black grooms and Black exercise boys. Its hard to understand Why there wont be a single Black jockey in the Kentucky Derby. This Winter an association of Black basketball coaches complained because there were so few Black coaches at major colleges. They better be careful. Some association of White players will demand equal numbers of White players on the teams. You a have to be a golfer to watch Golf for Long on television nil still expect Arnold Palmer or Jack Nick Laus to win. Come to think of it there Are no outstanding Black golfers this year either and no Black Tennis champions. I remember hearing Arthur Ashe say in about 1980, that there would be a lot of Good Black Tennis players coming along in the future. He smiled and said a and they wont All be As Well mannered As 1  that has t happened. It May be the same problem ghetto kids have playing baseball no place to play. Tribune Media serve cos Andy Rooney is a Lormor stars and sir los reporter