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Show HERALD DAILY Monday, July 21. 2008 AS Editorials BOARD EDITORIAL Rona Rahlf, President & Publisher Randy Wright, Executive Editor Jim fynen. Editorial Page Editor CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER TOT ABOUT The audacity ofvanity MMOTOB. IDON'TftUEVtlN -- h rJul- ' VS 'fi ! ITODINTHE nomination, Obama declared it a great turning point in history "generations from now we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment" when, among other wonders, "the rise of the oceans began to slow." As Hudson Institute economist Irwin Stelzer noted in his London Daily Telegraph column, "Moses made the waters recede, but he had help." Obama apparently works alone. Obama may think he's King Canute, but the good king ordered the tides to halt precisely to refute sycophantic aides who suggested that he had such power. Obama has no such modesty. After all, in the words of his own slogan, "we are the ones Gate on the day of his "Ich bin ein we've been waiting for," which, Berliner" speech, he was repretranslating the royal "we," means: "I am the one we've been waiting senting a country that was prepared to go to the brink of nuclear for." Amazingly, he had a seal with its own war to defend West Berlin. Latin inscription affixed to his Who is Obama representing? it And what exactly has he done in lectern, until general ridicule his lifetime to merit appropriating was pointed out that he was not induced him to the Brandenburg Gate as a camyet president it down. in role his take was What prop? paign He lectures us that instead of the fight against communism, the liberation of Eastern Europe, the worrying about immigrants learncreation of what George Bush the ing English, "you need to make elder who presided over the fall sure your child can speak Spanish" a language Obama does of the Berlin Wall but modestly not speak. He further admonishes declined to go there for a victory called "a Europe whole and us on how "embarrassing" it is lap that Europeans are multilingual free"? but "we go over to Europe, and all Does Obama not see the inconif we can say is 'merci beaucoup.' " as a German It's pol gruity? Obama speaks no French. took a campaign trip to America His fluent English does, howand demanded the Statue of Libfeature many such admonia as a for venue ever, campaign erty tions, instructions and improvespeech. (The Germans have now ments. His wife assures us that gently nudged Obama into lookPresident Obama will be a stern ing at other venues.) taskmaster: "Barack Obama will Americans are beginning to notice Obama's elevated opinion require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your of himself. There's nothing new about narcissism in politics. Every cynicism . . . that you come out Barack will of your isolation senator looks in the mirror and never allow you to go back to sees a president. Nonetheless, has there ever been a presidenyour lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed." tial nominee with a wider gap For the first few months of between his estimation of himself the campaign, the question about and the sum total of his lifetime Obama was: Who is he? The quesachievements? tion now is: Who does he think senator Obama is a three-yea- r without a single important legisla- he is? We are getting to know. Retive achievement to his name, a former Illinois state senator who deemer of our uninvolved, uninformed lives. Lord of the seas. voted "present" nearly 130 times. And more. As he said on victory As president of the Harvard Law Review, as law professor and as night, his rise marks the moment when "our planet began to heal." legislator, has he ever produced I'm no expert on As I recall a single notable piece of scholarJesus practiced his healing this ship? Written a single memorable article? His most memorable just on the sick. Obama operates on a larger canvas. work is a biography of his favorite subject: himself. t Charle$ Krauthammer It is a subject upon which he is a columnist with The can dilate effortlessly. In his victhe Washington Post. tory speech upon winning arack Obama wants to speak at the Brandenburg Gate. He figures it would be a nice backdrop. The a supporting cast cheering audience and a few would be a fainting frauleins picturesque way to bolster his foreign policy credentials. What Obama does not seem to understand is that the Brandenburg Gate is something you earn. President Ronald Reagan earned the right to speak there because his relentless pressure had brought the Soviet empire to its knees and he was demanding its final "tear down this wall" liquidation. When President John F. Kennedy visited the Brandenourg i ; - ! al La rumiti ill - J - rTTl.'l.iSlt jfclisil 4 From the Providence Journal, Wednesday, July 16: week, crude-oi- l prices by about $10 a Then Iran tested missiles that could at some point be used to deliver nuclear weapons to Israel, Europe or the United States, and the prices shot right back Last up, sending tremors through the world economy. It's not just Iran. A Brazilian union of oil workers went on strike, threatening to cut crude supplies from that country, and Nigerian rebels pledged new attacks on oil platforms. But Iran is what is really spooking the markets. And for good reason. There seem to be signs that Israel fearful of a nuclear strike is preparing to bomb Iran to try to take out its capability to Jeproduce nuclear weapons. The rusalem Post reported that Israeli warplanes conducted maneuvers in Iraqi airspace, using U.S. bases in the country. Iran, meanwhile, has been firing missiles as a show of strength, and warning that it would retaliate against any attack by block- - ing the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which about 40 percent traffic of the world's goes. Iranian leaders for years now have been promising the extinction of Israel and pushing ahead with their nuclear program. Some leading countries have responded with economic sanctions, and the Bush administration is trying to both calm and warn Iran through back channels. The trick will continue to be to figure out just how rational the Iranians are. e Iran's recent tests of missiles are especially troubling. The nation's military is reportedly redesigning its Shahab-- missile to accommodate a nuclear warhead. In one of the nightmare scenarios, being discussed in the Iranian press, Iran could detonate a nuclear weapon over the United States, sending out an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that could fry its entire communications system. Until the threat that Iran poses to the world can be substantially reduced one hopes through peaceful measures oil prices will probably soar, with grim implications for the world economy. DOONESBURY long-rang- - Garry Trudeau I I I w't'",' I Churches vastly different A recent article in the Dairy Herald July 10, "Polygamous groups assert their LDS heritage" stated that the FLDS Church, often referred to as a cult, is rankled because the Mormon Church has defined them in unacceptable terms. The similarity between the two basically ends with the names. They differ as does the brightest day from the darkest night. This becomes abundantly clear from a reading of the book "Escape," which reads like a horror story giving the life of Carolyn Jessop, mother of eight children who lived under unbearable conditions in the Texas compound. It was a life of fear, intimidation and bullying by a husband she referred to as a monster. Women and children are brainwashed from birth. Escape from the compound is rare, but Mrs. Jessop somehow gained the spiritual and emotional strength to do it. She never knew compassion and love until she got out. The differences between the FLDS and Mormon churches can only be explained and understood in spiritual rather than secular terms. Some pundits who have come to the defense of the FLDS Church failed to distinguish between the quality of life existing in the two groups. I've barely scratched the surface. Read the book and get the full picture. Fay S. Parker, Orem Why did the beetle cross the There is something to say about tenure in the job and the experience needed to get it done. Holding to rigid principles isn't going to get the job done; you need flexibility to give and take as well as reach across the aisle. This takes time, knowledge and a strong sense of insight as it pertains to fellow congressmen. So, you staunch supporters of the newly selected congressional contender for the 3rd District seat, be prepared for a long, arduous, uphill journey in the House. Unless you enter the D.C. political arena with a solid game plan and an ability to compromise, you've lost the battle. Mr. Chaffetz has some noble goals, but are they realistic in a liberal Congress? It will be interesting, should he win, to monitor his first term in Congress, since typically, most first term or freshman congressmen are no more than errand boys for those in tenure that is, until they learn the rules of play and intrigue Congress has to offer. -- live in the Japanese area of Orem, so when I saw the trucks this morning (July 14) spraying across the street, I hurried up and closed all my windows so they could do mine, as they always had in the past. Imagine my surprise when they sprayed the east side of each road around me, but nobody's yard on the west side. I called the city and was told that the man from the city who usually is in charge was not there, but a state employee was in charge today, so I called the phone number given me by the city employee. Just imagine my shock when I was told the determination for I Iran and oil I A r L LETTERS road? MEDIA VOICES economy ! iw iV'J-U- x beetle-infeste- d How to comment letters to dhlettersheraldextra.com Fax to 344-298- 5 Mail to P.O. Box 717, Provo, UT 84603. I Letters must include the author's full name, address and daytime phone number. I We prefer shorter letters, 100 to 200 words. Letters may be edited for length. I Writers are encouraged to include their occupation and other personal information. I Because of the volume of letters, we cannot acknowledge unpublished letters. I Letters become the property of the Daily Herald. I Vincent Jack, American Fork people who choose to put themselves in this situation. Where is the learning curve in this? Homeowners share blame As with the rest of the world, I have witnessed over the past year how the housing market has declined and the price of gas inclined ... and have debated to which should the government step in and give a helping hand. First and foremost, the fault lies with the mortgage companies for making the availability of loans very today's spraying was that the beetles liberal, offering loans like interest-onl- y were all living on the east side of evloans just to name one type. The sectold them street that). (the traps ery I out offender is the homeowner. Yes, ond and better I said to him, Well, go the homeowner. I know that everyone tell those little beetles that are eating on my fruit tree leaves to move across wants a home and deservedly so. But the problem comes when people desire the street because they are not supis I a home and a lifestyle that they cando the here. be to city hope posed not afford and try to do so by putting not paying for today's spraying, since themselves in a position where they only half a job was done. I Betty L. Johnson, are living for their homes. The government stepping in and Orem bailing these individuals out is saying that it is OK to live outside one's Long uphill journey in means and whenever they get into financial trouble, the government will Congress be their crutch. I read an opinion calling the Chaf-fet- z I am a homeowner. I bought a home win a revolution. You might call that I could afford and live within my his win a result of a groundswell of means. I know my financial limits, as discontented voters who actually think this man can bring about change do a lot of people. I feel that it is unfair and unjust that help is being given to overnight. This isn't going to happen! MALLARD FILLMORE I Darren Cooper, American Fork Bungling vigilante mother took my My stepdad to the surgical center in Provo. After the surgery, she came out to the car, which was parked in a handicap parking spot. She noticed that the tire on her side was flat, and she asked for some help from the people inside the center. They came out and noticed that the rear tire was flat too they were both slashed. She forgot to hang her mirror for sticker from her rear-viehandicap parking. The people in the Surgical Center took both the tires off her car for her and took them to the tire shop to get repaired. While they were being repaired, they brought her a sandwich for lunch. They truly helped a desperate woman. I just wanted to thank them. For the vigilante who took it upon himself to slash their tires, well I hope he feels guilty for disabling a disabled woman and her . husband even more. Bruce Tinsley Wally Day, Payson |