Show ISA Sunday May 7 1995 Standard-Examine- r Opinion Standard-Examine- r Our View Day: Reminder V--E of sacrifices victory "Only by the utter destruction of the Axis was a decent world possible " Oen Dwight D Eisenhower headThe two words line emblazoned across the Page One said it 13-lett- er Standard-- Examiner's all: On this anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe deep rooted animosities have been awakened and alliances have been rekindled Observances are being delicately arranged to focus more on the future than the past Day ushered in the longest stretch of peace in Europe’s history It also planted the roots for the Cold War that gripped the world for more than 40 years V-- E NAZI SURRENDER The war that had raged for 2076 days on the European continent left cities in ruin a trail of death and cowering starving refAmerican uges and battle-wear- y servicemen On May 71945 Gen Dwight D Eisenhower supreme commander of the allied forces in Eufountain rope took the solid-gol- d pen in hand and signed the document that signaled unconditional surrender of Germany Gen Jodi the humbled military leader of the German fighting forces nodded assent signed the surrender documents and in perfect English said: “I want to say a word" “General! With this signature the German people and the German armed forces are for better or worse delivered into the victor's hands In this hour I can only express the hope that the victor will treat them with generosity” Utahns were subdued and restrained as the word spread that V-- E Day had been achieved Defense plants continued to hum Total victory remained elusive Americans were engaged in fierce fighting in the Pacific War zone World War II cast a long shadow over the future The US emerged as the world’s superpower the global en- forcer of peace putting aside its pre-wisolationist policies Americans saw the Marshal Plan give aid comfort and food to the many foreign nations struggling in the post war era They saw the formation of the United Nations as a tool to foster worldwide peace Now 50 years later like the threadbare tattered uniforms reposing in musty trunks frayed battle ribbons nearby crumbling photographs the memories and lessons of World War II are fading Today veterans of some of the worst battles in modern history are feeling pangs of nostalgia Perhaps what this week’s E Day observances are really about are tributes to the spirit pluckiness and wisdom of Americans who answered the nation's greatest hour of need V-- Never fear facts A dramatic curriculum change that would greatly diminish significant historical facts in Utah’s era has been proposed by the Utah State Office of Public Education High school students would no longer be exposed to early Utah history Utah’s battles for statehood its unique culture ad politics the early conflicts would not be required only Utah history beginning with statehood would be pre-stateho- od offered Fourth-gradehowever would learn of history Seventh graders would take up events after statehood Otherwise Utah history would not be ofrs pre-stateho- od fered 50 YEAR CELEBRATION ar they established for statehood The proposal should be nipped The pending changes are just like a flawed theory of hiding inconvenient facts in a memory hole — lost forever Historical facts must never be oppressed If the state education decisionmakers are attempting to suppress inconvenient facts in Utah’s history because they think they are pleasing Mormon Church leadership they should have second thoughts The church is blessed with strong forwarding thinking leaderabout facing ship self-confide- nt its past The decision only serves to increase the paranoia that some S Utahns feel of the ostensible church control of the state’s education system We should never fear arming our children with facts Maybe we like gridlock in government In any case we would sec how Clinton CHARLES Q MCDOWELL Richmond Times-Dispatc- h WASHINGTON — Early in 1993 analysts from the think tanks politics and the press gathered to discuss “gridlock” in the federal government They were concerned that the voters had chosen divided government in six of the nine presidential elections from 1956 to 1988 Amazingly in the prior century and a half the president and a majority of one or both houses of Congress had been elected from different parties only three times What had changed? Whatever it was maybe the voters were getting tired of it In 1992 they elected Bill Clinton president and gave him a Senate and House controlled by his fellow Democrats Neither Ronald Reagan nor George Bush ever had a House controlled by Republicans At the 1993 conference there was support for the theory that the voters had gotten wise That is they had been voting for gridlock out of growing mistrust of government generally but finally they had realized that government would have a better chance to improve itself without gridlock Of course there was a cynic here and there who said voters actually liked gridlock — we had learned to send Democrats to Congress to get stuff for the district and Republicans to the White House so we wouldn’t have to pay for it performed with Democratic majorities So we saw and essentially the same con- ference of analysts met at the National Press Club this week to brood again about gridlock It had been reinstituted of course by the Republican sweep last November of both the House and Senate for the first time in 40 years The meeting at the National Press Club was sponsored by The Brookings Institution the Committee on the Constitutional System and The Council for Excellence in Government It went on all day A lot of bright people said a lot of things the point lending to be that voters arc angry for good reasons and bad but significantly angry Thomas Mann of Brookings: Clinton has been in “an almost constant state of political peril” since having assorted “difficulties in organizing his presidency” He had “a reasonably productive first year despite the Perils of Pauline" and “the policy of the Republicans” But the most compelling news is evidence that “we are in the midst of massive change that a visceral populism is afoot in our country” Hal Bruno ABC News: “The 1994 election was a referendum on Clinton They couldn’t fire him so they fired his slash-and-bu- rn party" Robert Reischauer former director of the Congressional Budget Office and a Democrat said the White House staff many members being new to Washington was “slow and confused” in preparing its first budget Some were “still trying to figure out how the phone system worked” Yet Clinton still reduced the deficit from $290 to $175 billion But 20 years ago MAY 7 1975 WEATHER: The threat of record flooding loomed in Weber County today as more storms packed additional moisture on already soaked watersheds Today there will be occasional rain showers with variable cloudiness forecast for tomorrow EMILY ANOERSON was chosen as Utah's healthiest baby as part of a March of Dimes campaign to promoic proper prenatal care LAYTON Employees hired in the future by Layton City will have to reside in or near Layton under a new policy approved by the Layton City Council TERRY Q WARR3N son of Mr and Mrs William G Warren of West Point was graduated from Utah State University in Logan this month and received a US Marine Corps commission DEAN HURST a Weber Slate College official has been elected the new president of the Rotary Club of Ogden He will take office in July SOUTH OGDEN - Harry H Struhs has retired after 48 years of service with the Union Pacific Railroad 50 years ago MAY 7 1945 WEATHER: Mostly clear skies today and tonight Cooler temperatures arc expected with local frost possible OGDEN The 1945 cilywidc marble champions arc Elmo Thurmond of lor in Earr School Howard Heckman of Washington Terrace Blair Read of Hopkins School Harry Davis of Bonneville School and Merrill Terry of Ixrwis THE OGDEN Standard-Examine- r Magazine baseball school for young men will get underway at John A fTletk Park June 6 OGDEN - In anticipation of the final Cincinnati Rcdv-Esquir- c word from Washington announcing the unconditional surrender of the Germans the Ogden Union depot stands alerted and ready to go on duty to hold potential celebrating in check NAZIS SURRENDER The German radio announced today the unconditional surrender of all German forces but no official confirmation has been received by the Third Army The news for which the world had been waiting for days came in an AsvKialcd Press dispatch from Reims I ranee at 7:30 a m mountain war time today Tomorrow is to be treated as day V-- F is “no political payoff” these days for being responsible Reischauer said Robin Toner of the New York Times said the White House health plan was “politically tone deaf” the work of Mrs Clinton and others who oddly shut Congress out of the deliberations The Republicans she added now would have their turn at big trouble in trying to cut Medicare Vin Weber former Republican Congressman said political parties are getting steadily weaker with no sign of revival which means power will continue to pass to “special-intere- st groups that finance campaigns” Ken Dubcrstcin former chief of staff for Ronald Reagan: “If a president is to succeed he needs to be revered and feared Clinton is neither I think he is a strong and capable leader but he needs to be viewed that way by more people on Capitol Hill" Lloyd Cutler White House counsel for Presidents Carter and Clinton: “The public officials of today are unquestionably more highly principled better educated more dedicated and competent than those 20 or 30 years ago As the quality and behavior of public officials have been steadily improving the public’s respect has turned to disdain” Howard Baker former Senate Republican leader and White House chief of staff denounced the tone of American politics today: “This churlish display of political animus turns off Americans by the millions Are we developing a politics that finds nothing good to say about I government? hope we can tone down our rhetoric We are not enemies but friends” Anonymous leaflet law Pandora’s box The latest example is the April 19 decision in the case of McIntyre vs Ohio in which the court by a 2 margin invalidated the Ohio ban on anonymous campaign leaflets — placing in jeopardy similar federal statutes and laws in virtually every other state non-LD- To erase Mormon history from public education is insensitive particularly to memory of the stalwart pioneers and the foundation there 7-- WASHINGTON — It is presumably not the purpose of the Supreme Court to screw up the political process in this country worse than it is already But if the learned justices had that intent they could not be doing a belter job The latest example is the April 19 decision in the case of Mciiurc vs Ohio in which the court by a 2 margin invalidated the Ohio ban on anony mous campaign leaflets — placing in jeopardy similar federal statutes and laws in virtually every other state A Westerville Ohio woman now deceased was fined $100 for distributing an flyer she had anonymous and rehome on her out computer typed produced at a nearby print shop Her estate pursued the case and the court ruled that she had had her First Amendment rights violated by the requirement that she put her name on the paper The court deliberately left in doubt whether the same ruling would apply if 10000 or I million letters were mailed anonymously on the eve of a national election but many of the campaign operatives with whom I checked this week are afraid of what it might do Ralph Murphinc the president of the American Association of Political Consultants said the reaction he has heard was "shock” He explained: "When is talking about the need for civil discourse not inflammatory rhetoric here the court says you cannot only say whatever you want but you can do it anonymously I’m a real First Amendment man but I think they have opened Pandora’s box" How far they have opened it is not yet 7-- anti-tax-lc- clear Hal Malchow a Democratic direct-ma- il specialist aid “I find it a terrifying prospect I think there will be a great temptation for individuals and organizations to distort and twist the truth even beyond what takes place in campaigns today and to do it with little or no ac- countability" Dan Hazelwood one of his Republican counterparts argued that “it is not likely to have a big impact on federal or state races From a political point of view it’s pretty stupid to do anonymous stuff for a candidate or political organization A smear attack makes people suspicious More often than not negative attacks backfire” I’d like to believe that but each campaign cycle the negativism seems to increase As Justice Antonin Scalia said in his dissent considering the "increase of character assassination" already seen in our politics one can only "imagine how much all of this would increase if it could be done anonymously" The court left itself room to approve some restrictions on wholesale use of anonymous election materials It explicitly restated its support for existing laws re- and political committees to disclose their expendi- quiring candidates tures The main opinion written by Justice John Paul Stevens said "a more narrowly drawn statute" than Ohio’s might pass muster "In for a calf is not always in for a cow" Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in her concurring opinion In upholding the right of this individual Ohio pamphleteer "we do not thereby hold that the state may not in njwA" — — " other larger circumstances require the speaker to disclose its interest by disclosing its identity" But for now the temptation to test the limits will be great and we may expect an increase in anonymous campaign mailings Currently party organizations that take advantage of special mass-ma-il it rates for groups must include a Post Office Box or organization name in their mailing But most political mail rates and goes out at regular third-clas- s there is no such disclosure requirement This is not the first time the court has thwarted sensible legislative efforts to improve the quality of elections The McInnon-prof- tyre decision explicitly follows the reasoning of Buckley vs Valeo which shredded Congress’ attempt to limit campaign spending That decision found a First Amendment right for millionaire candidates to write campaign checks to themselves as big as they wish and for groups that are "independent" of the candidate to spend without limit While speaking up for individual freedom lo buy elections and now to peddle anonymous campaign literature the court has been casually oblivious of individual freedom in other clcciion matters It upheld a Hawaii law — written by the Democratic Party in the is- lands that absolutely bans write-i- n votes in cither the primary or the general election By upholding extreme interpretations of individual rights in some eases and slate regulatory authority in others the court has made a hash of the election process |