University of Virginia Library

Messrs. Falvery and Muddiman's
letter, while being a remarkably
sterile and at least partly correct
description of the Biafran political
situation, is not Germaine to Thursday
night's fast. What is pertinent is
that the food drive is a people to
people effort. It is seldom indeed in
this age that we can offer aid as
individual Americans to such a
cause, rather than have those in
Washington decide our commitment.
Their hands may be tied by
political considerations, but ours
are not.

In regard to the food on the
island of Fernando Pao, we do not
feel that Mr. Falvey or Mr. Muddiman
have the right to judge what
is "absurd" in such a time of strife
for the Biafrans. As to their point
on the well being of the lbos, who
stayed behind in Nigeria, we would
only ask why the Tories faired
better than the Patriots with the
English during the Revolutionary
War? Furthermore, Messrs. Falvey
and Muddiman, as well as anyone,
should realize that the action of a
government doesn't always reflect
the wishes of its people. Millions of
innocent people caught in between
the warring parties are now
starving. The fact that the Biafran
government has made some rush (if
they were rush) decisions in time of
stress should not condemn the
Biafran people at the rate of 25,000
per day (figures for December).
Finally, to say that the Biafran
army is "well fed," while they are
better off than those innocents
trapped between, is a denial of
reality.

It is ironic that the authors
attack "bleeding heart" liberals
when slightly over a century ago,
the "conservative" South of the
United States found itself in a
similar blockade. The spirit with
which the Southerners fought has
become a heritage for many, but
obviously some have forgotten, or
never have known, such spirit.

We do not argue with the need
for more help to our own suffering.
Christmas should be a time of
deeper personal commitment to all
the suffering of this world.