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Show Monday, February 11, 1991 The Daily Utah Chronicle - Page Four Editorial U.S. must make its voice heard in Soviet crisis Life, it seems, used to hold a great deal more promise for Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and his nation. After assuming control of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev initiated sweeping economic and social reforms which promised to improve and modernize his nation, while at the same time opening it up to the international community. For his efforts, the Soviet leader was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Now, however, that great promise, if not completely crumbled, is at least severely tarnished. Muscovites have struggled through a particularly severe and hungry winter. The situation became so bad, in fact, that Gorbachev found himself receiving food aid from, of all places, India. Unrest has spread like a contagion across the Soviet empire, forcing Gorbachev to consolidate his power and thereby earn the label of "dictator" from disgruntled citizenry. SaSj5 KT 1 . naturally drawn toward that part of the world where half a million American soldiers wait in the desert for their next command. But the United States can ill afford not to give the pivotal situation in the Soviet Union the attention it deserves for long. On Saturday, repressive days of yesteryear. One of the only important statements by a U.S. official recently on the Soviet situation was a cursory one made by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, who said that the unstable nature of that nation steel-toe- d, Lithuanians directly defied Gorbachev and voted may prevent some planned U.S. military separate from Moscow. Other The current crisis in the Persian gulf will end someday, and then the United States will have to live with the Soviet Union, in whatever form it has evolved. At that time, we must know that we have done what we could to further the cause of well-beinrather than merely democracy and acting as disinterested spectators. overwhelmingly in favor of independence, cutbacks. independence-minde- d Soviet republics are closely watching to see what happens. With his Union threatening to crumble down around him, President Mikhail Gorbachev is faced with some profound decisions which will decide the course of history. He can, for instance, S3F f ' wvll either tolerate these independence movements, or he can send tanks into the streets of Vilnius. The United States must do what it can to keep the Soviet Union from either spiraling down into the abyss of anarchy or reverting to the These developments would naturally incite the intense interest of U.S. officials at any other period except now. Right now, of course, the attention of U.S. foreign policymakers is WHAT g, Americans don't take POI PofTHIS I CONGRESSMAN , consequences easily Who will ever forget the image of captured Navy Lt. Jeffrey Zaun renouncing his country's attack on Iraq? It was horrifying, David Dansie threatening and alarmingly personal. We watched with Chronicle Columnist wonder. Do you see the swelling? Are those bloodstains on his face? It was grotesque. It was a Vietnamese man in Saigon, being shot through the head all over again. It was unabashed terrorism. Why is Saddam's P.O.W. parade so uniquely offensive? Because it is a very real consequence of war, and Americans don't especially like "consequences." The word itself carries a sense Letters of finality. Consequences are what a Dead soldiers cannot resume 'prior status' Editor: Anthony Pori ("U.S. has done its part to bring about peace," Jan. 31) claims that we protesters "seem to not realize that we had peace not so long ago." Let me think about that a minute. In South Africa people are being killed left and right. Lithuanian demonstrators are being gunned down as they huddle about the barricades around their capitol. Some mothers in El Salvador had to kill their own babies while fleeing from death squads to keep from being detected. So clearly when you say we had peace you must have meant the United States had peace not long ago. And the United States would still have peace if we had not gone to war. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan we did not go to war. We didn't even mount a "desert shield." When Israel invaded the Palestinian territory we did not go to war. I don't know if you consider giving them money, nuclear weapons missiles and Patriot a reward. However, I actually agree with you strongly that anti-missi- le De Montreux Editor: Bel Ami de Montreux's column ("Consequences of Gulf War predicted," Jan. 7) that we should not be burning flags and taking to the streets chanting stupid slogans when our troops are out there dying for freedom. Montreux does not appear to support the war, he just is not going I agree with J. aggression and violence against neighboring countries should not be tolerated. But violence is only the last resort of a limited mind. Hum, maybe that says something in itself. If you had a weapon that could wipe out the enemy with no risk to any of your people, one that worked better the longer the enemy struggled against it, would you use it? We actually have this weapon; it's called sanctions. And we did use it. And it actually worked pretty well. In fact, our government said that their effectiveness was virtually unprecedented in history. And then at some arbitrary point they decided we should go to war instead. It was not because sanctions kill civilians but because, as our general tells us, "these things happen in war." With no power, and no no refrigeration, sanitation, the Iraqi civilians who have not been blown up are dying now. And it was not to save the United States money because. ..well ask Tony, he's a mathematician: does it cost more to maintain a defensive, "Patriot hasn't realize that there are alternatives to war besides appeasement. So before you counter-protes- t, think. War has not stopped missile attacks, Patriots have. War has not silenced Hussein's call for terrorism, it has amplified it. Could be that after Kuwait rebuilds its cities and scoops its chief export back out of the sea, it can assume its "prior status." But dead Americans cannot, and they are dying every day in the war. Some of us are a little shook up about that. Volunteers do not have volunteer families. The final blow for me was to watch tactical fighters fly over the Superbowl. Before that I, too, questioned the value of protest at this point, but now I think: I didn't want a war, but I got it. I don't want to pay for war, but I pay for it. I don't want to hear about war, but I can't escape it. Do I also have to like it? Dave Segal Graduate student molecular biology sold out on his values to say anything about it right now. I bet he will be writing critically after it's over. Montreux also does not like George Bush, but I remember he endorsed him strongly during the last election. I will never forget his e memorable Jackson article or his article that tore apart Michael Dukakis. Does he care to comment on where he really stands politically? It anti-Jess- packed" posture, or fund a war? I think Mr. Pori and many counter-protester- s seem not to is good to have him stand up for women's rights when everyone thought he was a chauvinist. It is good to see him stand up for minority rights when we all thought he sold out his values to "big brother." We are proud to read his columns. They are very professional. A. Cook and P. Morrison non-negotiab- le schoolteacher uses for discipline. A trip to the principal's office. A missed recess. A chair in a corner of the room. We didn't like consequences then, and we still don't. But now that we're big people, we can do something about it. Enter the legal system. Sometime after the incident in the principal's office, we learned about loopholes and technicalities and our eyes glistened. If only we had known. We go to traffic court protesting a speeding ticket from several months ago. If the police officer doesn't show, we win. If he shows, we conjure up an elaborate statement of defense. Our guilt or innocence is immaterial. We are choosing to avoid a series of undesirable consequences, all under the umbrella of legal process. Maybe we don't go to court. We just fashion a plausible excuse for the officer when he peers his head into the car. Do we ever argue when he says, "I'm' gonna let you off with just a warning this time?" Former Rep. Dionne Halverson nearly got off with just a warning. Ultimately, her forced resignation came, but then she lambasted other lawmakers for not facing up to transgressions of their own. Hmmm. I guess if anyone would know how to circumvent legal consequences... According to Halverson, we have "many, many more problems" in the House. But we hear that all the time, from individuals condemning local government for its "moralistic" and "regressive" policies. What do they expect from a representative government in a conservative state? They like the mountains but not the morals. They want the benefits but not the consequences (Incidentally, I have a suggestion for such individuals that involves the Ryder Truck Company and a good road map). Our distaste for consequences seldom hinders us from expecting others to suffer through their own. It is easy to heave responsibility on our neighbor, which is why virtually everyone thought Dionne Halverson had it coming. And why Halverson thought virtually everyone else did. When we perceive some injustice against us, we feel a make to need someone anyone pay the price. We approach our lawyer friends and casually ask, "Hey, can I sue for something like this?" Some of them are only too anxious to help us claim punitive damages. It is the mentality that begins with seven magic words: If You've Been Injured In An Accident. The lawsuit that blossomed from the ACDC fatalities lists several defendants the band, the concert promoters and Salt Palace security. Apparently the plaintiffs are more concerned that they are compensated than that the appropriate parties pick up the tab. For a while there, the war was without excruciating consequences. Launch another sortie. Show another video clip from the smart bomb thrill-caAir raid Baghdad some more. But as soon as we open Time magazine, there is Lt. Zaun again, just as he looked on television. We are shocked. Saddam is sending us all to the principal's office and we can't even sue him for it. Where is the loophole for this one? Some potential draftees are planning extended vacations in Canada. The rest of us pause to realize this is a rare and painful consequence of being an American. Could we have expected anything different when we took on a government notorious for such outrage? It is time to tighten up and take responsibility for the actions of our elected leaders. |
