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Show & TheSalt Lake Tribune COMMENTARY Sunday, May 5. 1996 CAST YOUR VOTE Q: Did subwayvigilante Bernhard Goetz get a fair deal? Clair Rees Lee Nelson YES NO Bernhard Goetz wasn't an innocentvictim. When he boarded the subway with a loaded handgun,he was looking for troubie He foundit. Goetz coldly gunned down four black youths who asked him for money. Helater admitted standing over an already wounded Darrell Cabey and sneering, “You don’t look so bad. Here’s another.” Then hefired another bullet into the youngster, paralyzing him for ife. When Goetz boasted of this before a Bronx jury, he was slapped with a $43 million judgment. Only the fact that his lawyer wouldn't let him testify at his originaltrial allowed Goetz to escape conviction of attempted murder and assault. Sadly, he won't have to fork over any- thing like $43 million — morelike 10 percent of his annual earning over the next 20 years. Goetz undoubtedly felt threatened by the surly youngsters he shot. All four wereadept at shaking down subway passengers through threats and intimidation. But Goetz wasn’t in mortal danger. Coughing up five bucks could have preyented the shooting and kept Cabeyoutof a wheelchair. An avowed racist, Goetz wantedto shoot some blacks. He called his act a public service. After shooting four black youths who demanded $5 in a New York subway, Bernhard Goetz shot himself in the foot when one of his victims demanded $50 million in a New York court. Goetz is an idiot thinking a jury of four blacks and two Hispanics could rule any way but against a white racist who views them as “spies” and “niggers.” Oozing with self-righteousness after being acquitted of criminal charges by a mostly white jury in 1987, Goetzfilled the civil courtroom with racial slurs and in- nuendos, inflaming the black andtan ju- rors to see color instead ofright. So they slapped a $43 million judgment against the nerd hero of the crime-weary New Yorkers. the poor buggers fight back, their attackers can sue the hell out of them and win, since at least one court believes racial bigotry is a more serious crime than robbing, mugging andkilling. The only one more upset with this deci- sion than Bernhard Goetz is 0.J. Simp- son, who is facing similar civil charges from the families of his alleged victims. The Goetz decision has established the Our cities will be truly frightening when they're prowled by Charles Bronson wannabes carrying a pocketful of ammoand subway tokens. Will the world bea better place when every down-at-the- judgment with bankruptcy, as Goetz has heels panhandleris greeted with a hail of done, until all the advancesand royalties builets instead of a handfulof change? Did Goetz get a bum rap? Hegotoff far too easy. If you agree Goetz should be rotting in a cell instead of garnering headlines and public sympathy,call: precedent for a $100 million racially mo- tivated revenge judgmentagainst O.J. — if the jury in his new civil trial is white. Only 0.J. won't be able to sidestep his earnedduringhis criminaltrial are gone. If you think the $43 million judgment against Bernhard Goetz is racially biased highway robbery rather than a legitimate civil judgment,call: 1-900-289-0011 1-900-289-0022 Calls on this question will be accepted by American TelNet’s 900-line service until noon (MDT)next Friday. There is a $9-cent charge percall. Clair Rees and Lee Nelson syndicate Cast Your Vote from Springville, Utah. Results of last week’s survey: Should medically assisted suicide be legal? tah Yes: 65% THE PUBLIC FORUM Letters from The Tribune's readers This judgment gives a green light to lawless gangs and hoodlumsto have their way with racist white males, because if even government of any sort. The Free- men in Montana and their like would overwhelm us with the philosephy that we need no government at all. The defini- tion of freedom is being blurred into a form of anarchy. The scary thingis that a younger generation will soon confuse this repetition for fact. It is classic advertising logic. The news media are frequently criti- cized for their negative alarmtactics. Nightly television has a piece on “‘this is your money” which drumbeats the negative side of governmentfinances relentlessly, and not withoutjustification. But it has becomeso one-sided thata point of real concern is imminent. Weare being conditioned for any Hitler-like character whohasthe charisma to reap est of mistrust. Wouidit not be possible for your daily edition to carry a small box score on the millions of positive accomplishments by governmentat various levels? It would serve to remind all of us how much we need d on the Collective efforts of got No: 35% = National Yes: 77% Harvest of Mistrust The headlines, TV pieces and talk shows climaxing in the recent April 15 tax deadline have produced a continuous drumbeat on the evils of taxation and No: 23% 6G u § § € ' ¥ 1 it to supply so many ser- vices ‘Otherwise could or would not be sorter ie., public health, foreign relations, security, infrastructure, social services, judiciary, and on andon.It is truly impressive in extent, and we would be lost without mostofit. So, let's accentuatethe positive to match the drumbeats If Not a Doctor for Suicide Help, of the negative. It would take very little papain and effort to do this offec- »THEODORE H. NOEHREN, M.D. Salt Lake City Oo Zoo Odd Exemplar of Earth Day Where to Write @ When submitting letters to the Public Forum,please include yourfull name, signature, address and daytime telephone numbers. Information other than your name and the city in whieh youlive are kept confidential. @ Keepit short. Conciseletters developing a single themeare morelike- ly to be published. @ Please type and double space. & Letters are condensed and edited. i Because of the volumeof mail received, not all submissions are pub- lished. @ Mail to Public Forum, The Salt Lake Tribune, P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. Our fax number is (801) 2372022. In response to The Tribune’s frontpagearticle on “Earth Day” (April 23), 1 fail to see muchofa correlation be' being pro-zoo and pro-environment. The zoo is a place where animals, meant to live in the wilds, are placed in confine- mentfor the benefit of the people. They live in a habitat that does not sustainitself. There are no rivers that run in and out, no succession of new-growth vegeta- tion to old-growth vegetation, and little to no sign of a food chain.It is a habitat propagated and nurtured by people, and if left on its own, would surely deterio- rate and die, The animals donotlive off the land around them, as they would in the wilderness. They are fed and cared for by zoo pr rsonnel, totally dependent; otherwise, tiey would die, Anyonein any physical condition can go to the zoo. Wedrivethere, then walk very short distances to see things that we must otherwise put out much physicalef- Mother’s Day Gift Mother's Day is May12, and in order to fort, and sometimes money, to see. give a gift to mothers, Congress is consid- anywhere from about 30 minutes on, we ering welfare “reform”legislation which would devastate poor families and increase hunger in Utah. This is hardly an can drive home, get something from the fridge, and watch TV. pcre gift to mothers. The proposed welfare legislation dePag to be defeated. It would drastically Cut funding for food stamps and dismantle other safety-net programs which keep children from going hungry. The LDS Church, with its amazing welfare program, with other churches and charities would not be able to aecomnmodate the increase in need brought ai by cuts in these programs. || welfare reform is certainly Newt Gingrich is reaching when he tries to use his visit to Zoo Atlanta, and his earlier affiliation with the zoo, as a show of his deep concern for the environ- ment. I might also point out that anyone whoneeds a job, and has the right certification or timing, can teach enyironmental studies. To he believableto those of us who love wilderness by the originaldefinition of the word, Newt needs to somehow acquire a true love for the real, and oftentimes harsh, Mother Nature. Think that'll happen? JANICE ALMOND Salt Lake City called for by the overburdened system functioning today. The Earned Income ‘ax Credit, minimum wage increases, ae enforcement of child support and a anding for child care are better ways to how people don’t want to do things for themselves today. It used te be that the CHICAGO TRIBUNE SERVICE CHICAGO — “I don’t get it,” Slats Grobnik said. “Do I have the right to croak or don’i 7?” Which prompted the bartender to say: 1 “Hey, soa|00 Saree until you {pay your “Nah, hoe’ Sob, I'm notplanning oa are ween: Heey See iecardtonal tits T haven't tated after b Thats what faye it. So rf {wantth or a Coe.a want to get it over with and ‘paddle } across the River Jordan?” = | Because it is such a complicated legal, {moral and social issue. Many asaya Les prariehiliel dabei net to they ure opposed to form bof doctor-assisted suicide. o ! “I'm with them 100 percent,"” | But you just expressed concern about Pee ee | Well, i'm confused. I “Because I'm kind of a 1950s kind of y- Whatdo the 1950s have to do with it? ‘Because that was the do-it-yourself decade.” So you're saying that you believe in the rightto die, but you don't want a doctor to tbe involved? ty “Sure.If I got a sinus problem or somela hie ee Hor. But I don't need a doc to croak at's keting 8 cf Joato takeout + the garbage.” A ful analogy. “Year, but it's just @pother example of nf { only take-out food you could get was chop suey and maybe pizza. Now youcan get gourmet stuff dropped off at your front door.” Whatdoes that have to do with doctorassisted death? “Because if we make it too easy, you could end up with some kind of Dial-ADeath Delivery Service. A guy hasa fight wit wife and she walks out, and he might havea self-pity binge and ar) ae the phone and call Dial-A-Death had a Dial-A-Death service now, a the Bi ry fix, Nah, if they want to do it, that’s OK. Butlet ‘em show a little — anddo it themselves the old- way. But what about those who,for ore reason or another, can't do it themselves? Shouldn’s they have the right to seek the assistance of a physician docs already have enoughto do. Jusitry to get an appointmentor go to an room, les, there are lots of other people who cun handle the job as good or better than a doc.” Other le? Who would vouhire for that of work? “Are you kidding? Just look ct the news. There are ali kinds of characters who are already repping people for Senat Soe ae Ot ee registers, So why not pay ‘em to do a hit on thelegit?” Ahit shartbpd’s an outrageous suggestion. Are you saying that you favor homicide? down. And teli me why it would » to have a doctor-assisted suicide wpehg ne Aah erg assisted suicide. shouid I have to mess around with an HMO when I can get the job done by Big Moe from Cicero?” Because Big Moe from Cicero is not a caring. compassionate physician. “Right. HomieTap basal = he won't have a guilty conscience e some doctors might.” You don’t understand. Ending a human life is too serious a decision to be left to someone who might not be capable of the alternatives. “Yeah? Tell that to the pro-lifers.” ‘Thatis another issue. ee Taking Offense I would like to reply to Alfred L. Pace (Forum, April 19), Speaking of deceased people not having a way to defend themselves, I have to agree with him.It has always bothered my farnily and ine that my father, who was (is) Catholic, upon his death is now listed as one of the Mormons. If only he could defend himself. econd, if The Tribune gave a disclaimer a timeit, or certain writers of the T, disagreed with what was being Leall they would not only be a poor newspaperbut would have to add a whole extra section just for the disclaimers. I happento be part of that “reading public” Alfred writes about and twice a year I take offense to payes of Mormon Conference news (?) taking up space in The Tribune, but you know what I do? Readit, get a good laugh,or be thankful I am not a “member,” or simply skip the whole thing. Perhaps, et the first offensive sign, Alfred should moveon to another articie. Pace asked if it is possible for an excommunicated member of the LDS Church to possess the ability to write an unbiased book aboutthis church. Well, call me crazy, but who better? If a member were to write some truths that the LDSleaders did not want published, { think they might end up in that “excommunicated” group. And finally, Pace had tu end by making his childish little comment about Michael Quinn being enamored with ity and suggested that Michael has “yearnings”for it. Well, as that old saying goes, methinks you protest a tiitle too much. JEANNIE BIGLER Sandy reform the welfare system. Reps. Enid Greene, Jim Hansen and Bill Orton, and Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett should vote againstthe legislation. Let that be the Mother's Daygift to families in our state. JOYCE DAVIS Logan a Libertarians’ Pledge The April 26 issue of The Salt Lake Tribune published an article regarding the Libertarian Party of Utah andits “pledge” which mem! mustsign.It is unfortunatethat, in a 1 h article, you chose notto printthe single-sentence pledge to allow your readers to judgeit for themselves. The pledge members must sign is: herebycertify that I donotbelieve in se advocate the initiation of force as a ween, of achieving political or social & As a member ofthe Libertarian Party, I have proudly signed this pledge. It clearly represents my views on whatis properin civil society. JAMES K. ELWELL Salt Lake City o Will Miss Summer Symphony Muddled Report recentarticle, “Utah Debates Minimum-Wage Hike” (7ribune, April 24), included a table under the heading “Minimum-Wage Earners.” The table showed that minimum-wage workers made up 12.8 percent of Utah’s work force. However, a closer review shows thatthis far overstates the numberof actual minimum-wage earners since it includesall people making up to $5.14 an hour in 1994. A true percentage of minimum-wage earners would be limited to those individuals making $4.25 an hour. A subsequentarticle, “Minimum Wage Has Minimum Impact” (Tribune, April 26), notes that 3.7 million minimum-wage workers now account for 5.3 percent of hourly workers nationwide. When ao ried workers are included, the percent: age drops to less than 3 percent of total employment. Another 7.7 million work- ers earn between $4.26 andwoe an hour. Based on these figures, it becomes clear that the Utah figure would be far lower than the 12.8 percent as stated in the article written by your reporters. A major newspaper has an obligation to its readers to present clear and accurate facts, eaten! The Tribune failed to do so in this ca: RONALD W* MORTENSEN Bountiful a I'm a 7th-grade student at West High Schoot. I totally with the editorial Oldest Alternative ‘A Sad Tune”(7riduns, April 14). I definitely don’t like the fact that the Utah \ It's unfortunate that in reporter Jim Symphonyis being canceled for the sum- Woolf's piece, “Alternative Papers Fiil= ng Info Niche” (Tribune, April 23), he understand why it’s being canceled, failed to look into Greta deJong's statebut I don’t understand Qo oYshiekant what's hat happeniing is 2 Greater Threat Instead ofraising all the ruckus over'a few gays and leabians who wantto have a Sakoh why don't the Utah a wyone who belongs to one’ ? Giass shouldn't be allowed in our schools. ‘There's more threat of your child becom- ing @ member of a gang than your child a homosexual iy affitiating with at school. ERIN GARLI e Salt Lake sad thing. The Utah Symphony ided Utah with a closer cultural balance.| perof these publication, as the The Eventensenally like alternative rock, hui some ee 16th year of publication this classical here and there les a variStar Wars \ While I wouldn't expect Woolf to mensound wonderful after listening te so tion every alternative publica‘ion curmauy drums beating and people singing rently being printed, aboutlove. ‘The Utah Symphony being taken away fe eres, even just for the sumTAMY MAESYAS ANDY MICKIg isaes ‘The Boent Newspaper a Sait Lake ome Sait Lake City |