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Show To think is to speak low. . o To speak is to think aloud. ' ' F. Max Mueller, German philologist (1823-190- 0) I I "Tha DfeHy o I i i. if TD I 11 I I j j I IS i 4 Wednesday, October 6, 1SS3 Herald wMIq Bern ; As the crisis in Moscow erupted Sunday, President Clinton did what he needed to do. He reaffirmed this country's-support for Boris Yeltsin, then hopped on a plane to California to continue his sales pitch for health-car- e reform. InSomalia, the body count of American soldiers continues to rise but the president apparently will go along with the Pentagon plan to send more troops and more weapons to the African country. We thought we were supposed to be feeding the Somalis, not fighting them, J Meanwhile, in California, the president 'answers questions about health care and continues his propaganda campaign. Is there something wrong tfiththis picture? George Bush won strong support for his ability to deal with international events but lost the presidency because he was perceived to be weak in domestic affairs. Will Bill Clinton's problem be just the opposite? Since the consensus is that health care reform will take many months to work its way through Congress anyway, perhaps Mr. Clinton would be to curtail his campaign-styl- e stumping for a few days do deal with Somalia. In all fairness, he did all that could well-advis- ed i r.3 i ','v"r. MIU10E13CF6RPIEFUU SffiAS weil-femmm mm schaus lEfT d, be done about the Russian situation at that is to state his supthe moment The situation in SoYeltsin. port for is malia, however, different. Military officials are revealing that there have been more American casualties than originally thought and there are other U.S. soldiers missing who may be prisoners. Mohamed Farrah Aidid, the "warlord" who has shown an amazing ability to defy U.S. military forces, is turning up the heat in a war that was supposed to be a mercy mis- 17 Editor: I tun writing this letter in response to the letter written by Mayor B. Kay Hutchings of American Fork, who was responding to my letter published previously. I feel some important things were left out. The "issue" was overlooked. and his body My son was killed on taken to American Fork Hospital (which the mayor failed to mention). My son and wife and baby were residents of American Fork (which the mayor also excluded). Regardless of where he had his accident and who did the investigating, shouldn't the family, which are residents, be contacted in person by die local police department? I would think the loved ones' feelings should be more important than "Well, our officers didn't handle the accident, so we aren't responsible for anything." Instead of passing the buck, why can't we be sensitive towards other people's tragedies and feelings, and try to help instead of hinder. 5, Is 'the policy in American Fork that a resident must die within the city limits to receive any help from the local authorities? If so', I hope some changes are made so no other family has to endure what we have had to. Why didn't the nurse at the hospital call me police so they could contact my instead of the nurse calling her? The hospital personnel had to be aware that my son and family were residents from his phone number. I wonder how Mayor Hutchings would feel if his son was killed and they were notified by some nurse at the hospital because he wasn't killed within city limits. ; daugh-'ter-in-la- w, The mayor mentions that the American Fork police weren't aware of the accident. Don't they have their radios on? I find it hard to believe that when there is a fatal accident, and victims are taken to the American Fork Hospital, that the local police aren't aware of it. Isn't there any communication between the Highway Patrol and the local police? Shouldn't consideration for the victim's family be more important than the facts? The issue isn't "where the accident happened, who investigated it, etc.," it's "that my son andwife are residents and taxpayers in American Fork and help pay the salaries of the public officials, appointed officials, and other government employees," and he deserved a little time and consideration by die local police. They should have gone to the home and stayed with my daughter-in-launtil family arrived. I guess they expected her to drive herself to the hospital to identify his body. I owe an apology? I think ; Editor. ; I have seen ence again that the press has jumped on the bandwagon of big business, without clicking the facts. I saw on TV and read in your paper, the crying of the railroad about people crossing the tracks instead of waiting for the train to clear. Nothing was said ?bout why people are forced to take this chance. . Anyone sitting for 35 minutes for the train to get off the road, as I did recently on 500 West can tell you very succinctly why they do! The fact is that the railroad is always Hocking the roads in Provo. Any day at pood there is a train across 200 West, 500 West, and 700 West, for at least 15 minutes. When added to the fact that they cross the 9 'lii n li !.fll fi n; ' ( There clearly are decisions that need to be made by the president. Health care can be put on the back burner for a few days. The bottom line question is: will the United States continue drifting into a situation that will cost more American lives? WOT tow Jim teg, MS The debate about America's role in Somalia has already started in Congress. The president needs to get presidential and provide honest justification for keeping U.S. forces there or bring them home, now! to King's guest. That's die first time I ever tried to call a radio or TV show. But it is seldom that I see a creature such as King's guest being a national forum. given almost minutes 0 for every roads and sit He looked OK, a handsome, articulate back then and or the up hour of night day his early 50s, but with a much and repeat the process while arranging their man in who appearance. younger for people load, it gets very frustrating But as to King said in his introduction: home or the to tracks have to cross get "Ten years ago, the crime shocked the work. nation. the explanation. In 1983, Tonight There is going to come a time when David Rothenberg was a pawn in services someone is in need of emergency in a bitter divorce battle. is train the and of southwest the part town, "His father, Charles, at that time an going to be sitting there while the engineer is waiter, flew him from New unemployed doing who knows what, and a life is going to to York California, supposedly to visit to vehicles reroute be lost while emergency Disneyland. is and there Center or Street, University "Instead, as David slept in a motel railgoing to be a huge lawsuit against the room, Rothenberg doused his bed with road, the city, and the state. and set him on fire. Nearby kerosene some see responsible Someday I hope to the boy's life, but David had saved guests reporting on the part of the press. Some burns over 90 percent of his reporter will check all sides of the story body. will before writing the story, and everyone "He's since had more than 100 skin be surprised at the result. Bill Peterson grafts. His father served 6 12 years in Provo prison... 'Now a man who admits to a horrifying crime against his own flesh and blood faces the public for the first time since his release. Charles Rothenberg joins me in Washington." Editor: While King talked, we were shown a I am extremely disappointed in Peter g boy before he picture of a Mathes' (KTVX's general manager) deciwas burned. Then we were shown a grosion to air "NYPD Blue." KTVX had the tesque child after the burns and years of chance to join 57 (25 percent) other ABC surgery. affiliates in sending a message to the purveKing asked Charles Rothenberg: material yors of pornography that Charles, did you decide to come "Why, television would not be toleron prime-timand talk about this tonight?" forward ated. KTVX and Utah are now in the duRothenberg: "Well, my son has been bious position of favoring such exploited for the last 10 years by his surrmgramming. roundings and by many of the press, and I Mathes is wrong when he argues that an am tired of it. And it also puts me in a informed decision about the program could position where I'm being exploited. So I only be made after watching it. The content had a long talk with a friend of mine ... and beforehand. I of the show was we decided that you (the King show) read accounts in Newsweek and U.S. News third-degr- ee Disappointed normal-lookin- ed e anti-fami- ly well-kno- According to my analysis of the first show, the following questions should be asked of this representative sample. Should KTVX prime time offerings in- clude programs that: 1. Have four violent episodes showing that broken noses, heads smashed against disthe wall, and killings at point-blan- k tances are ways to solve problems? 2. Have dialogue that on 26 different occasions is laced with vulgar words and phrases. 3. Denigrate a woman by calling her vulgar names. 4. Have the. two leading men engage in graphic heterosexual episodes of irresponsistand" variety ble sex of the "one-nig- ht where all parts of die male and female anatomy are shown except the genitals. Darwin L. Thorns Spanish Fork t i;i i sion. (Sept. 20) and knew that the program would push the limits of television to new lows with high rates of sex, violence, and profanity. I, along with thousands of others, called KTVX, pleading that they not expose Utah's children to this type of material designed to increase our most serious social problems. After watching the show, I now know the information was correct. Mathes had much more pre-a- ir time information than I did in order to make a responsible decision, but chose to hide behind the "lie" of the entertainment industry that they are just giving people what they want by offering a choice. For the past 10 years Michael Mcdved has systematically exposed such lies from entertainment representatives who refuse to take responsibility for their programming and production decisions. If Mathes is really concerned about serving the public, I dare him to ask a few simple questions of a "representative sample" of Deanna Davis Utah viewers and then make programming Springville decisions based on that information. frdn frustrations mm so-call- ed w not! :iifVl .ru i " he served only half of his tence. And his own son has said that he would never feel safe until his father was dead. : c Yet, there Rothenberg was on TV with an audience of millions grousing ' about how ' 'the media' ' treated him. Not wishing to offend his media host, be turned into a TV critic, saying: "A lot of ' i " talk shows I want to exclude you, Oprah ' Winfrey, Koppel, and Barbara Walters they're only interested in ratings. " That's when I grabbed the phone. But 1 couldn't get through and in a few minutes the show ended. On an incongruous note; ' -incidentally, with Kins savin?: "Tomor-- ; "J row night Jimmy Carter." From a"1 f That's showTi monster to an biz. What I had intended to say to Rothen- berg, which King couldn't say because he4 ' is polite to everyone, was this: "In some countries, you would not be H on TV. You would be rotting in prison for the rest of your life. Or you would have been dangled by the neck long ago. But";''3 because of our frequendy ridiculous crimK nal justice system, you are a free man. fears you, and your- "Now your mutilated son fears you. And they will live"'-i- n ' V: fear as long as you are on the loose. "So serving six years in prison and' '' saying you are sorry in a calm and unemo-tional way really isn't an adequate expres- - ' sion of remorse for your actions. ' "You should do the right thing. And-that, I suggest, would be to get a bucket of kerosene, pour it on your head, and light ' i up. ' ' Do that and I assure you that many of' 4 us in the media will have nothing but for you. Such as: 'Way to go, Char- - "' 13-ye- ar sen-N- -- n&o 1 Boy !so " 4 15-2- epolog vwoMim mm t VfW While watching the Larry King show, I found myself grabbing the phone and dialing the number that would allow me to talk Mb 31REMA ( Syndicated Columnist would be the best for this. " King: "Why did you do it, Charles? How could you do this to your own son? ' ' Rothenberg: "It's terrible. I don't want another parent to do what I did under stress. Or if they have problems. ' ' 'King: "And the stress was what?" Rothenberg: "I had a lot of problems, you know. With my marriage. Worked a lot. Marie and I were divorced ..." My jaw dropped. Stress? Millions of Americans are under stress, from divorce, poor health, poverty and thousands of other problems. But they don't give their kid a sleeping pill, douse him with kerosene, set him afire, then run away while others save his life. He went on talking in so calm a tone that you might have thought he was discussing the Dow Jones or the price of pork bellies. ; And it appeared that what bothered him was that he didn't like the way his case had been presented on some TV shows and in the tabloid press.' He said: "The media, as you know, Larry, they're only interested in ratings and money. They don't care about my son. And they don't care about me, they don't care about his mother. " I couldn't believe my own ears. Here was a guy who committed a monstrous crime against his own child. His motive: If he couldn't have his son, he wasn't going to let his wife have him. But because of California's parole laws, : 1 " 1 tz w f -1- J-i ex-wi- fe kind-word- lie."' s ' So maybe Charlie will read this. And if you do, Charlie, you don't have to bother1 with the kerosene. A high bridge or roof top will do. And you won't have to worry about any stress. ' ntcm n glwusly inspired by words of JFK At our request, 31 WASHINGTON President John F. Kennedy years ago, penned "to an unknown youth somewhere in America" some advice on how to prepare and handle the Presidency . We recendy came across his response and it sent chills down our spine, considering it was written at the very time when he was a hero to a young high- - schooler named Bill Clinton. One of the most enduring images of the Clinton campaign was the picture of the young Clinton at the White House, shaking hands with his idol, President Kennedy. It was considered the coup of the campaign when a campaign worker found it at the JFK library in Boston. Since then it's been clear that Clinton, in his words and his deeds, wants to emulate the vision and characteristics of Kennedy. That's what makes Kennedy's response, which was published in Parade magazine on Sept. 23, 1962, so moving. Kennedy responded to this question: "Somewhere in our land today there is a high school or college student who will one day be sitting in your chair. If you could now speak to this future president, what advice and guidance would you give him or her?" President Kennedy began: "The first lesson of the Presidency is that it is impossible to foretell the precise nature of the problems that will confront you or the specific skills and capacities which those problems will demand." He pointed out that "there is no pro- - ( ) .liafl frl'iAl 1 Second, Kennedy tutored, it's vital for a presidential aspirant to "have a deep sense of history. For of all the disciplines, of the folly and achievements of man is best calculated to help develop the criti- -' cal sense of what is permanent and mean- -' ingful amid the mass of superficial events and decisions which engulf the Presidency." ' Third, he continued, and "most important of all, and most difficult to consciously pursue, is an understanding of the people you will lead." The last paragraph of Kennedy's letter demonstrates the ennobling qualities tliat inspired the nation: "No one can guarantee that if you follow this or any other advice you will become a great President. For the Presidency is peculiarly an office which is shaped by the individual who holds it. And greatness depends on the times as well as the man. But if you work toward your goal, practice discipline and unremitting effort ... then, if some chance keeps you from the Presidency, you will still know that you are prepared to serve well your nation as a the-stud- Syndicated Columnist gram of vocational training for the Presidency; no specific area of knowledge that is peculiarly relevant." Presidents have included great scholars like Thomas Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson, the president cf Princeton University, he noted. But nine of the presidents, "among them some of the most brilliant in office, did not attend college." President Kennedy advised youngsters like Clinton that presidents have come from all walks of life, and "have been drawn from the wealthiest and most distinguished families of the nation, and have come from poor and anonymous beginnings." (Clinton was a poor child, raised by his mother after he stood up to their abusive father, who left the home.) JFK felt he could not counsel "you about what subjects to study or what vocation to follow. But whatever you do, you would be well advised to practice stern discipline and vigorous, unremitting effort. Kennedy did offer sonic concrete pointers. First, Kennedy advised, "it will help , citizen." Tragically, a year later, President Kennedy was assassinated. But not before he' had inspired young Bill Clinton and countless others to serve their country to the best, which has been JFK's of their ability greatest legacy. y . ' :" '"' 1 you to know the country you seek to lead.' It was one of the great strengths of a' President such as Theodore Roosevelt that he knew and loved the diverse magnified ence of our fields and mountain ranges,; deserts and great rivers, bur abundant' farmlands and the thousand voices of our' cities." lll.jilMWHMTaiwX )'-- "i I |