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Show TheSaltLakeSribune Page A10 OP FRIDAY, JANUARY29, 1999 OUR VIEW The Salt Lake Tribune’s Editorial Position ‘Finding of Fact’ Falls Short Despite its unfortunate decision to depose witnesses, the Senate still shouldfocus on ending President Clinton’s impeachmenttrial quickly. Thetrial’s outcome is virtually a foregone conclusion, as Wednesday's votes on the motions to dismiss the chargesand to subpoena witnesses con- firmed. Both were decided byidentical votes of 56-44, suggesting that the Republicans could be at least 11 votes short of reaching the two-thirds majority necessary to convict the president on either of the two impeachment articles. That being the case, the Senate should move quickly to depose the three witnesses: Monica Lewinsky, Vernon Jordan and Sidney Blumenthal. Whenthatis completed, and assuming the likelihood thatnosignificant new information emerges, the Senate shoulddecline to take any further testimony and should move directly to a vote on the two impeachment articles themselves. If neither article receives the 67 votes necessary to convict the presi- dent,thetrialwill be over. Some Republicansare arguing for a different end game,in which a vote on a finding of fact would precede the vote on the impeachmentarticles. Essentially, such a scenario would allow the Senate to express the opinion that the president committed illegal acts, presumably someor all of the offenses outlined in the impeachmentarticles. However, the president would not be convicted of those offenses and would not be removedfrom office. The finding of fact could be adopted bysimple majority vote. This proceduresuffers the same defect as censure, namely, it is not pro- vided by the Constitution. It would be preferable to conclude the president's trial, and assumingheis not convicted, then consider a motion to censure. Short-circuiting the trial itself with someimprovised alternative,beit censure ora finding offact, paystoolittle deference to the process that the Constitution does provide. It is understandable,of course,that Republicans and Democrats alike wish to condemn the president’s behavior, whichcertainly should be officially de- plored even though it does notrise to the level of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” in the Constitution’s language, that would justify the president's removalfrom office. Butthe president already has been chastised by the House’s decision to bring impeachment articles are him, andhestill faces the prosecution on charges of perjury ae obstruction of justice after he leaves office. At this point, censure or some other extraconstitutional gesture, is both redundantandill-advised. Africa and the Olympics In their bloodletting exercise last Sunday, International Olympic Committee officials were careful to state that their findings were not race-specific or continent-specific. They had good reason to be defensive; the Olym- pic spirit in Africa has been seriously dampenedbythis bribery scandal. Of the 13 IOC members who have been disciplined in the Salt Lake City bribery scandal — four have now resigned, five others have been recommendedfor expulsion, three more are still under investigation and one was warned — seven ofthem are from Africa. And that doesn’t count the late Rene Essombaof Cameroon; it was the report of Salt Lake payments to his daughter that launchedthis sorry saga in thefirst place. If one were to count Essomba, who died last year, then of 13 IOC members from sub-SaharanAfrica, six are gone (dead, resigned or expelled), a seventh may be, and an eighth has been fingered as a Sydneyaidrecipient. That's a devastating wipeout of IOC represen- tation from one segment ofthe world. The prevalence of African namesin this scandal suggests something more than merely Salt Lake City’s worries about the “African bloc’ of votes. It suggests, as IOC vice president Keba Mbayeof Senegal said, that “those who are mostin needarealso those who are the most open to offers whichSometimes verge on the provocativ Vulnerability aside, the behavior of the implicated Africans wasnotlegitimate and cannot be excused, even if some sports officials on the continent do feel singled out by the IOC. It would certainly not be the first time in the post-colonial era that African officials have abused whatever trust their people have put in them But the conductof the African IOC membersdoes not changethe fact that their continent is the poor relation in the Olympic family. Africa has never hosted an Olympic Games, and the sports programs of the sub-Saharan countries need more ofthe kind ofassistance that the IOC’s Olympic Solidarity program offers for sports administrators. The Olympic goal of bringing different peoples together through sport is still a lofty one, despite the current stain on the Olympic movement. If the 10C wantsto reassure the sub-Saharan African nations that theyarestill part of the Olympic family, though, it must act tofill the vacancies created by the scandal and restore to those countries a voice that they have nowlost. ANOTHER VIEW From The Chicago Tribune The President Greets the Pontiff At the meeting Tuesday between Pope John Paul II and President Clinton in St Louis, the personal contrasts could not have been more dramatic: An elderly and feeble pontiff preaching universal and eternal moralprinciples, andahale and confident American leader who is a political escape artist and the most ac. complished situational ethicist of our day. The pope preached against abortion, the death penalty, euthanasia and other acts he identified as “the culture of death.” He likened abortion to slavery drawing 4 sharp parallel betweenlegal ized abortion and the 1857 Dred Scott decision by the U.S. SupremeCourt that declared that slaves werethe property of their masters. And a papal spokesman dismissed the state of Missouri's decision to delay an execution for two weeks in deference to the pontiff’svisit as a meaningless “mockery.” Not surprisingly, Clinton didn’t ad dress this or any other complex moral issues, but instead declaimed about how the U.S. was striving to be what the pope wantedus to be — “an exampleof justice and civic virtues, freedom fulfilled and goodnessat homeand abroad.”” Given thenational torment the nation is going through — primarily of Clinton’s owngross moral lap: Letters from The Tribune’s readers Forgo Olympics Altruistic Defense This year the Pentagon is getting a $9 billion raise. Taxpayers might ask what weare goingto get for this —moreballistic missile defense, F-22 fighter planes, or nuclear submarines? In this kind of warfare, 90 percentof the casualties are innocent womenandchildren. Nowour greatestthreat to national security is not military. Our potential ene- mies areless visible, and more able to penetrateour borders and targetcivilian populations, even with the strongest military defenses. Our infrastructures, food and water supplies are vulnerable to ter- rorism and disease warfare, and we are at the mercy of whatever good will we have sownin other countries. Wedon't need more powerful military arms — we need a new ethic which works It seems that the high moral ground that this state pretends to standonisn’t as heavenly as we would haveothers believe. Anotherdirtylittle secretslips out Where to Write Hi Whensubmittingletters to the Public Forum,please include your full name,signature, address and daytime telephone numbers, Information other than your name andthe city in which you live are kept confidential Keepit short. Concise letters developing a single theme are more likely to be published. Please type and double space. Letters are condensed andedited. MH Because of the volume of mail received, not all submissions are published. 1 Mail to Public Forum,The Salt Lake Tribune, P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. Ourfax numberis (801) 237-2316. about Utah, compliments of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. All that posturing by the Mormon church to showcase themselves to the world, down the toilet. The constant embarrassment this state has brought down onitself has even exceeded the expectations I had for them, and I had very grave doubts about the “powers that be” being able to pull off this Olympics. Local spin doctors, such as LDS spokesman Mike Leavitt and KSL radio and right-wing mouthpiece Doug Wright, want us to believe that it couldn't be helped because, after all, others were paying bribes before we were. Whatwere we supposed to do?It’s too bad being honest didn’t occur to any- in everybody’sfavor:international altru- ism. Our new weaponsshould not only include better diplomacy, but using the Golden Rule, taught in all the world’s greatreligions, in dealing with other na- Devoid of Character one. be treated. Really caring for the good of The supporters of President Clinton have been quick to cast blame for the current crisis at the Republicans and or spending $1.4 billion a year for the next 10 years to fortify our embassies big believers in personal responsibility and blaming others makesit easier than casting the blamefor the currentcrisis at tions: treating others as we wouldlike to all. There would be no need, then, to worry about terrorists, our water supply, around the world. We should hasten to cooperate with other countries in crafting and polishing the machineryfor peace, laying out the rules of law by which we expect each other to operate. Before we can have peace, we haveto havejusticefor all MERRIDY C. AYER Salt Lake City oO Dominant Culture The Olympics at any cost attitude has finally caught up with this pretty great state. Corruption will forever be the world’s first impression of the wonders of Zion. LDSRepublicans who controlthe gov- ernment also controlthe Olympics, Utah politics are debated on Sundays and rubber-stamped on Mondays. Being of one mind, there is no need for the normal checks and balances that keep democra- cy strong. If the GOP can make the phrase “If you don't like the waywelive Ken Starr. Democrats have never been themselves. During the 1992 election, liberals were quick to inform the American public that character doesn’t matter. They then set out to elect a president whohad no character. Americans shouldn't be surprised we havea president who dishonored his office, because he has never had anyrespect for his office or the nation. Remember,this is a man who said he onstrated little regard for this nation. Considering President Clinton's lack of respect for what this nation standsfor, it is not surprising that he has not steppedaside. It is not surprising liber- UTAH'S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1871 PAST PUBLISHERS PUBLISHER Dominic Welch John W. Gallivan (1960-1983) EDITOR Jerry O'Brien(1983-1994) James E. Shelledy KEARNS-TRIBUNE CORPORATION, 143 5, MAIN ST. SALT LAKE CITY, 4111 onies ccnaod by their own party? Now that the feds are hereI hope they stay awhilelike the independent counsel. Whiletherich get tax breaks, the masses get traffic jams, pollution, lousy public schools, high taxes and zerovoice in gov remove President Clinton. If the Senate does not act now, they ton must look in the mirror and point the finger at themselves as the ones who have brought disgrace to this nation and bringing our Constitution to the edge of collapse. DONALD W. GUYMON Bountiful Oo A Latin Solution highway nightmare have destroyed the bra”) to describe a process for resolving environmental disputes is a use of language that may help to resolve another simmering problem in Utah. Utah should adopt a law making Latin the offi- Whodoyou think would pay forthat? PAUL CUNNINGHAM Salt Lake City JAMES D. SMITH Pleasant Grove Clinton Superiority It is obvious to the most casual observ- fense, They just continually demonstrate ton. The perjury offense, if in fact there is determined to be a perjury offense, that the Republicans keep running their mouths about is not an impeachable offense. It was about a private matter and should be settled in a court of law I also believe the real reason that the Republicans are intent on carrying on this ridiculous and senseless attack (dirty politics) on Clinton is because he has continually proven time and time again that he is much moreintelligent and has a better vision of what is good for all of the people andthe country, As wheel and deal with their agendaof rep- Gov. MikeLeavitt's use of Latin (“enli- cial languageofthestate for conducting all state business. If Latin is all that’s needed tosettle environmental disputes, surely mandating Latin as the official state language should resolve the “Eng: lish only” debate try and understand our Constitution and what constitutes an impeachable of- a result, the Republicans are unable to ThePoint of the Mountain used to be world-renowned for hang gliding. No road, to movethe people. Wouldn't it be ironic (Karma) if by destroying the mountain they destroyed theair flow of warm, wet air from the south, just enough to changethe weather pattern? Can you imagine after two years of seandal viewed around the world on TV (fundamental polygamytrial, Legacy Highway, bribes, ete.) that the greatest snow on earth went somewhere else? destroyed, back to the Olympic Games. an obvious hatred toward PresidentClin- such as PresidentBill Clinton. The United States Senate now must allow a fair ays. mountain to take the dirt to build the would be to finally take the high road considering what they stand for. If Americais to remain strong, it must have moral leadership, Americans made a mistake in electing an immoral man ernment. Corruption is always there, al more, The brains behind the Olympic only moral answer to that question er that most Republicans don't care to and the Americans whoelected Bill Clin- Freedom is not theability to do anything we want. but the abilityto live responsibly the truth ofour relationship with Godandwith oneanother To a U.S. bullish onits material suecess, a reminder of the importance of personal spirituality and moral responsi bility might be the most timely message ofall ‘The question we now haveto ask our- selvesis: What do we do aboutthis scam we have pulled on the world?I think the als continue to stand behind this man, popuican so quick to condemn the president, standtall to denouncethe fel- Olympics? dent was fortheoffice; his life has dem- his State of the Union address, energiz- ing his supporters and confounding his all that “humanitarian aid”will be when the taxpayers are paying for a failed Therestofus will just have to get used to the black eye that we haveto carry. trial to proceed that will allow the facts of the case to be brought out and then critics. But if Clinton proclaimed“freedomfulfilled,” the pope reminded participants at a youth rally in St. Louis that vitt just found out about SLOC corruption. It was their responsibility to know what was going on. Wheredo you think nation which stood against everything the Constitution stands for. The only reason President Clinton wantedto be presi- the United States in the Soviet Union, a the governor know? We saw photo-op MikeLeavitt at everyturn standingright beside Deedee Corradini. Will the LDS anything How deepdoesthis corruption go? Did Talso don't believe that Joklik and Lea- and resign as the host city. The time has cometo step aside and let a more suitable city try to bring the dignity, that we just leave” into law (Prop 5) and sneak it in behind Bambi, they think they can do tions bumpwith nary a blink ‘A week ago, the president delivered According to Frank Joklik, a handful of International Olympic Committee members abused our “generous impulses.” I’m afraid thatI don't see bribery and pandering as generous impulses. despised the armed forces. During his collegiate days he led protests against less-skilled blabmeister might have gagged on such pieties. But not Clinton, whorodeover this potential public rela- TheSalt Lake Tribune John F, Fitzpatrick (1924-1960) THE PUBLIC FORUM if thereis any ratio- nal reason for adopting an official state languagein thefirst place. JOHN J, FLYNN Salt Lake City 4 resenting their wealthy constituents as well as they would like, The Republicans don't have one per- son in their whole arrogant mouthy bunch who can come close to Clinton when it comes to carrying out the presidential duties as they should be carried out for the good ofour country, Because of this, they and their wealthy backers are doing their very best to get rid of him, in spite of what is in the best interest of our country and its people. I can summarize the entire Republican party and their dirty politicseffort in just one word: greed. DENNIS McCLUNE Layton, < ‘ |
