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Show Page A16 The Salt LakeTribune OPINION FRIDAY, MAY 28, 1999 OUR VIEW TheSalt Lake Tribune’s Editorial Position China Spying Debacle Thesad, almost unbelievabletruth is this: Chinese spies have been spectacularly successful atstealing U.S. nuclear weaponssecrets. But the damage is done, and nothing can reverse it now. U.S.leaders should concentrateon pro: viding better counterintelligence at weaponslabs and reinstituting interna: tional export controls on high-powered computers and aerospace technology. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., got it right when hesaid, “I don’t think we should saythis is the fault of this administration or that ad- ministration.” Indeed, the congres- sional investigation concludes that the failure ofU.S.efforts to thwart Chinese espionage dates back two decades. Nevertheless, it is deeply troubling that after the United States became aware in 1995 that China likely hadpil- refused to seek a warrant to wiretap his communications in 1997, saying the request lacked probable cause. Unless these odd developments were part of some counterintelligence opera- tion, in whichcasethe public may never. learn the truth, they are inexplicable and inexcusable. Todate, the loss of nuclear technologyto the Chinese hasnotsignificantly altered the balance of power in Asia, since so far China has produced relatively few nuclear weapons. Butif the loss of secrets is as severeas it appears, it has allowed the Chinese to make a quantum leap in weapons technology, saving yearsof research andbillions of dollars. Presumably, China will deploy new weapons in the immediatefuture. Not only hasthe United Statesfailed fered the design of the most advanced small warhead in the U.S.arsenal, the to guardits nuclear secrets adequately, but it has allowed private firms to supply high-power computers and ad- Clinton administration apparently reacted slowly, almost lackadaisically. Sandy Berger, President Clinton’s na- vancedrocket, guidance and communications technology to the Chinese in clear violationof export licensing rules. the matter in 1996, yet he did not brief the president until July 1997 or early 1998 (Berger has given two accounts). Whythe delay? In addition, the FBI began investigating a suspect employee at the Los Alamos laboratoryin 1996, yet his ac- vampits counterintelligence operations, particularly at nuclear labs, is a tional security adviser, was informed of cessto secret information wasnottaken away, and Atty. Gen. Janet Reno Lio Lae 1Y AFTER INDICTME ON CHARGES OF MURDER, ATIC APPRENIGAN pol Re CAEN BY POA SWS Theneed for the United States to re- no-brainer. There's also not much doubt at the United States andits high-tech allies, the Europeans and Japanese, need to rebuild the export controls for sensitive weapons technology that were THE PUBLIC FORUM dismantled after the fall of the Soviet Union, Letters from The Tribune’s readers That Sinking Feeling Passengersofa cruise ship which recently caught fire naturally thought about the 1912 sinkingofthe Titanic as they bobbed about on the ocean inlife boats, watching the 30,000-ton Vista sink during the night,as they waitedfor rescue. The connection wasapt, but then so werethe differences differences that are reflecting of two distinctive eras, one in the early years of the 20th cen: tury and theotherin its twilight. Many of the Sun Vista’s passengers, after arriving in Singapore, complained abouttheir ordeal. The ship's officers waited too long before sending out a distress signal andthey didn’t evacuate the stricken vessel soon enough. And once naval vessels and ferries had transported all of the Sun Vista's 1,093 passengers to safety, there were complaints thecruiseline did not help with hotel arrangementsortransporta. tion home. When Sun Cruises gave passengers in Singapore $450 to buy some clothes — there was notimetoretrieve belongings whentheyleft the Sun Vista — somesaidit was not enough Although no one was killed and only All or Nothing of the pa passengers s¢ the 1998 film, “Titanic, to keep every: one’s spirits up. ‘This is a major contrast from the 1912 sinking ofthe Titanic, which went down after colliding with an iceberg south of Newfoundland, killing about 1,500 ofits passengers. Survivors of that maritime disaster were more keen on recountingtheir experiences than second-guessing the decisions of the ship's company or generally grousing about their treatment at the handsof the White Starline. Perhapsthe most poignant difference lies in the music. On the Titanic, passengers resorted to singing traditional hymnsin aneffort to reassure themselves hymns that had offered solace to generations of their antecedents. Whenthe Sun Vista was sinking, passengers chose a movie popsong to give themsolace. Amazing,thedifferences wrought by just ninedecades. The proposal down in Beverly Hills requiring fur-selling merchants to tag their merchandise with labels describing howthe animalwas killed has caused me to be quite fed up with this whole anti-fur thing. I was driving in down- town Salt Lake a month ago and saw a groupof some anti-furactivists picketing awayon the corner of South Temple and State. I admire their determination,but Ido not think manyof them even understand the cause for which they are standing. Casein point, most ifnot all of these picketers as I drove by were wear- ing leather shoes, or were sporting a leather belt. Now| ask, whatis the difference betweenfurandleather, besides thefact that the latter has been shaven? Asfar as lam concerned, a leather jacket shouldbe just as revolting to afur activist as one madeoffur. And whyfocus on just mammals? I sleep on featherpillow every night, and Ihaveto admit that manya night I wake up in a cold sweat with an eerie echoing of chicken screams pounding through my head as though they were being pluckedin front of m: s. Where are the anti-downactivists? Iam certain if they were to coalesce with the furs, they could become a mighty movement indeed. And what about animal food products? If you are anti-fur, thensurely ANOTHER VIEW you must be antipathetic towards any one who consumes meat, drinks milk, andeats eggs. It is true that many animalssuffer in order to give us humanssomeofthelux: From The Detroit Free Press Flag AmendmentBad Idea Sometimesoon, the U.S. Senate may force a vote on a proposed constitu: uries oflife. the American flag. Appealing as this may seem with a creeping up in2000, it’s just a bad idea. It would put an unprecedented and un necessary limit on the very freedom that Old Glory has cometo represent in Americaand around the world. done in this country under protectionof free speech that are a lot more hateful and damaging than defiling a flag. The voices that Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh heard werea tional amendmenttobandesecrationof Such an amendment would require a two-thirds Senate vote to be submitted to the states for ratification as thefirst Thereareplentyof things I admire people who are cognizantoftheplight of the animals and pushfor better treatment. However,if flag desecration, most recently and definitively in 1989. Thus cametheefforts of recent years to change the Constitution and start America down a slip: peryslope of limiting free expression. war on in Yugoslavia andanelection said and you arefor animal rights, you hadbetter be aware of your stance, and make sure you are not hypocritical in your ap: proach. So myadviceto anti-furactivists is: drop theanti-fur stand and become an ucts, and anyother products that come from non-human animals, then and only then will your wordbe worthy of an au dience. Goodluck. Americans despise w DANIEL MAXWELL The threat to freedom posed by an anti-flag-burning amendment is far u centuries. from desecrating the flag. There has been no recent rash of flag burnings, expression, the freedom to makea ges: ture of insult or defiance to the govern ment or people of the United States Such gestures provoke understandable outrage from most Americans, inp ticular those who served underthe ff. or lost loved onesin theU.S. military But the U.S. SupremeCourt hascon: sistently struck down efforts to outlaw Salt LakeCity greater than any harm that might come and, in fact, the al reaction to such incidents is the ostracismof the defiler, as opposed to any undermining of Americanprinciples or spirit Burning the American flag is a stu pid and tasteless thing to do. But stupid and tasteless are not standards for illegal activity in this country. If they were, we'd have a lot less garbage on televi sion and at the movies. Ratify Treaty In 1996, the world took a major step toward global security with the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), One hundred andfifty countries, including the United States, have signed the docu ment which holds the promise of a world free of nuclear explosions. But signing is not enough. The CTBT needs to be rati fied, madeinto law, by all 44 countries that have nuclear capability. The U.S. Senate must ratify the CTBTas early as possible in 1999. Forover a year The Salt Lake Tribune UTAH’S INDEPEND iT VOIC! + SINCE 1871 andahalf, the Senate has taken no action on the CTBT. No hearings have beenheld, and no vote has been scheduled even though there is widespread convictionthat a vote would PUBLISHER Dominic Welch pass thelegislation, Over 80 percent of Utahvoters overwhelmingly support the ratification of the treaty, Weurge our Sens, Orrin Hatch and Robert Bennett to John W, Gallivan (1960-1983) EDITOR them to demanda vote by the Senate on Jerry O'Brien (1983-1994) James B. Shelledy PAST PUBLISHERS John F. Fitzpatrick (1924-1960) KEARNS-TRIBUNE CORPORATION,1435, MAIN ST, SALT LAKE CITY, MILL y @ Because of the volume of mail received, published not all submissions are @ Mail to Public Forum, The Salt Lake Tribune,P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110 @ Ourfax numberis (801) 237-2316, publicly support the CTBT by asking the CTBT. ARCHIE and UNA STEVENSON Salt Lake City Henry Thoreau once wrote that when you've lived in one cabin long enough that you've worn a path to the door,it’s time to moveon.I've lived overa score of years here in Zion and signs of the path are becoming evident. Afterthis letter, a lotof folks will no doubttell meif I don’t likeit here, I should moveon. Perhaps. The beaten path is evident in that whenI first heard ofthe closing of Main Street (it was already a donedeal), I actually thought, “Yeah, well, maybe it’ll be nice.” What's happened to me? I’ve tried too hard, I guess, to accept the constant in-your-face assaults of the Mormon Churchagainst those of us who are different; they're after all well-meaning folk who just (like Thoreau) want pleasant gardens. Exceptthat, in this case, as soon as the inkis dry, all these restrictions appear. Another CIA Blunder President Kennedy approved the Cu- ban“Bayof Pigs” invasion in 1961 after the CIA assured himthat local Cubans would rise up and defeat Castro, which they did not. Travel writers such as Rich Steves,visiting Eastern Europe and the USSRin the mid-80s, were writing that the communist economies and govern- ments were failing and coming apart. Yet, when the USSRbrokeupin1991, the most surprised person was former CIA director and then President George Bush. Using 1992 obsolete maps, we have bombed the Chinese Emba in Bel grade. I had thought Laurel and Hardy were dea They must be running the multibillion dollar super ret CIA, Or is it Moe, Larry, and Cur JOHN A. THORSON Salt LakeCity able to shun all leather and fur products, feather products, meat and milk prod toleratetheirright tosa Flag burning or desecration comes @ Whensubmitting letters to the Public Forum, please includeyour full name, signature, address and daytime telephone numbers. Information other than your nameand the city in which you live are kept confidentis @ Keep it short. Concise letters developing a single theme are more likelyto be published @ Please type and double space. ® Letters are condensed and edited. animalrights activist, if you can handle it | amstill too weak. Onceyou are change in the history of the Bill of Rights, a set of freedoms that has held up remarkably well for more than two under the heading of free speech, free Time To Move? Whereto Write 16 of the passengers wereslightly injured, the incident was grave for many Trivializing Freedom 1 believeit's timetotell the American Civil Liberties Union to go jump in the lake. Their pettiness in threatening a lawsuit against the proposedplaza to be built by the LDS Church shows bias to champion oneconstitutional right over another. Apparently, they've run out of important issues with which to harass. Talk about trivializing the Bill of Rights. Everyday cities all over the country decommission streets and sell them to adjacent property owners to become pri: vate property again. Constitutional property rights are not acknowledged by the ACLU; not politically correct enough, I guess. What has the LDS Church asked forthis proposed garden, for whichthey paid $8 million? Simplythat people act respectfully. However, acting with respect and responsibly are mutually ex: clusivefor the ACLU. The ACLU policy that an individual has a right to be disrespectful and threatening contributes to situations like Littleton, Colo, But heaven forbid that peoplebe asked to follow reasonable rules, But then, when have the ACLU's liberal policies ever shown anything but defending only those rights in the Bill of Rights theyfindpolitically correct? This is just another exampleof their selective indignation. RAND E. OER’ Springvije “You'll be welcome on your own public thoroughfareas long as you adhereto the tenets of the Doctrine & Covenants and don’t embarrass any of the members here with your unruly and (frankly) sin- ful behaviors.” Asinall such issues, the vote on the City Council followed party lines; the token gentiles were safely overruled. I can’t imagine what the hierarchy were thinking, just two years before they hope to make the world welcomehere. How many French folk do they really expect will snuff out their Gauloises just because they’re so damn happy to see that block of Main Street? Of course, our ethnically sensitive chief of police will have madesure that the only different. type people down there will be carrying foreign passports. As I thinkofit, I do have a sense of the plan here; it reminds mea bit of Berlin in 1936, when the Olympics were intended to showcasethevirtueofan elite. Thank Godfor Jesse Owens. I'm no athlete, but I might just join those foreigners with their foul cigarettes, and thus reseed my cabin path. PERRY ANDERSON Salt Lake City Q Olympic Reform TheSalt Lake Organizing Committee has the opportunity to help shape the new, more democratic International Olympic Committee. The culture oftak ing and ing for gifts and expecting royal treatment is over. The IOC must offer an eptable reform policy to keep the organizationalive. And SLOC must start a new andrealistic plan in the treatment of the IOCorganization. All the free services formerly de manded by the members and furnished by thehostcities must be stopped. Ifthey attend the Games, no more free airfares, limousine service, lodging and hotels, no food or drinks, entertainment, transpor: tation or rentalcars,or tickets to events. In other words, they pay their own way The SLOC had planned on spending $4.5 million for visiting IOC members. ‘This moneycan be savedand help with the $80 million IOC deficit Mitt Romney said the SLOC is facing. If SLOC would like to give IOC members something to rememberthe 2002 Games by, how about adishof greenJell-O? It is the samecolor as money! VERN L, OPENSHAW Salt Lake City i poor ¢ |
