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Show PAGEA-12 | The Salt Lake Tribune TUESDAY MARCH 18, OUR VIEW Bush’s Gamble ndso it comesto this. Sad: A dam Hussein must leave Irag or face a U.S invasionina matterofdays. For the sake of both peoples those ofIraq and thoseof the United States we hopethat Saddam will flee ButsincetheIraqi dictator never has shown muchcare or compassion for the people of his nation, it is doubtful he will de vember, that Saddamwill risk verything to avoid fully verifiable disarmament. Hisfickle gameof half-hearted compliance the past four months has proved that Othernations argue that the U.N. weapons inspectors should be given moretime. But thein spectors can onlydotheir job with the full cooperation of the led invasion causing deaths and sufferingon both sides is inevita ble. President Bush made that of this cat-and-mousegame,as France has suggested, would ac. complish nothing but to further emboldenthe bloodthirsty Iraqi dictator part. Absent his doing so, a U.S terribly clear Monday night This loosingof the dogs of war will be aresult of President Bush’s unwaveringdetermina tion to topple Saddamfrom power, a determination cemented by strophic events of Sept , 2001. The president set his plan in motion with his appearancebefore the U.N. Gener Ssembly last September, in which he demanded thai resolutions dictating Iraq’s disarmament be enforced In theface of Bush’s unyield ing position, Saddam has brought himself to the brink of oblivion byrefusing to give up or destroy certain weapons, subject to U.N. verification, as he prom: ised afterthefirst Gulf War. We, like most Americans, con: template a second Gulf War only with the gravest of reservations. First amongtheseis that the UnitedStates is about to make war virtually unilaterally, in the face of the unqualified opposition of someof ouroldestallies and without the blessing of a major. ity of the U.N. Security Council Butin these dire circumstance es, with 250,000 Americantroops mustered for battle, the United must go forward. To delay or withdraw now wouldcall into questionthis nation’s willing: ness to carry out its stated diplo- Iraqi regime. Four more months Many thoughtful and fair- mindedpeople question Presi dent Bush’s assertion Monday night that Saddam'sIrag is an imminentthreat to U.S. security orhastiestoint ional terrorists, particularly al-Qaida, that justify war. Unfortunately, unlike his argument for enforeing U.N. resolutions, President Bushhas not made a convincing case on either of these other grounds. No oneshould doubt, however, that the peopleof the United States stand without reservation behind our men and womenin uniformon theeveofconflict. ansdebate thei nation’s sions end at the battle front. If Americansare ordered into combat in the coming days, we wish them quick anddevictory. ‘Iftheultimatemilitary outcomeis not much in doubt, what remains a huge gambleis the will andtheabilityof the Iraqi people, once liberated, to turn theirfracturednation into a peaceful, democraticstate. President Bushis staking this nation’s might, resources and global reputation on this gamble. And, since the United States is matic and military objectives. going it alone, we cannot count Superpowerscannotafford to bluff on so grand ascale. It has becomeabundantly clearsince the Security Council issuedits ownultimatum, by adopting Resolution 1441 in No- on othernations to help pick up the pieces of Iraq. Therefore, America must approach the rebuilding of a nation with as much determinationasit brings to waging war. THE PUBLIC FORUM Ricci Won't Come Home To Reach Us Elizabeth Smart is home at last. Phone Number: (801) 257-8888 Richard Ricci, those who hounded Mr.Ricci into his grave on onerous,false charges. LANCE HYATT WestValley City Care About Other Children Elizabeth Smart's safe return is indeed great news. And the celebrations, how heartening to know how muchUtahnsandpeopleall over care aboutthelife ofone little girl. it timeto extendthat caring s and families of possibly tens or even hundreds of thousands. American servicemen and women and their families. Imaginethe grief. Iraqi parents, losing perhaps thou sands of “Elizabeths.” Imagine the anguish. Please! Weareabout to perpetrate a heinous crimeagainst thousands of innocent people. Stop the war. Make yourvoice heard. MARVIN HAMILTON Salt Lake City Flamingo Fever group calling itself A “Friendsof Floyd”is ad. vancing the whimsical, but seri ously misguided, notionofcreating a flamingo sanctuary at the GreatSalt Lake. Basedonthe premisethat Pink Floyd, the Chilean flamingo who flew his coop at Tracy Avi ary 16yearsago, is thriving but lonely ontheshoresofthesalty lake,thefriends figurethe place couldbea havenforaflock of ex otic birds nowin captivity and thousandsof thepink birds could bea tourist attraction! O frabjousday! Callooh! Callay! Masterof whimsy Lewis Carroll aside, this simplistic and sentimental theory, no matter howsincerely or whimsicallyof. fered, is absurd. Introducing a non-native species to enhance a novelty would placenativeanimals andhabitatsat seriousrisk. Utah has too manyexamples al ready of non-native species brought by immigrants,in packing crates or ontheairThestarling, for example, came with earlyBritish settlers. The ubiquitouslittle bird has displaced native bluebirds. The dandelion originally was a European breed, but now is cursed by American gardeners.Pioneers introduced the Asian tamarisk, which has choked Utah water- ways anddisplaced nativecot tonwoods and willows. Therainbowtrout andGermanbrowntrout, introduced into Utahrivers and streams by overzealous anglers, have harmedcrustaceans and frogs anddevastatednative cutthroat trout populations. Besides the threat to native shorebirds suchas theavocet, a flock of flamingos in Utah may not bethe best thing for thetropical birds. Althoughthe Great Salt Lakeis similar to the birds’ high-altitudehabitat of saline lakes in Chile, Utah is nottypically on the flamingo’s flight path. Just because Floyd has managedto survive on his own does not mean other flamingos should be subjectedto such an unnaturalexistence. Nevertheless, Friends of Floyd areforging ahead. Businessman JimPlatt hasoffered theaviary $1,000 forits four flamingos. And the group is taking out advertisements in Salt Lake City newspapers with a draft proclamation creating the “State of Utah Great Salt Lake Wild FlamingoSanctuary.” They ask supporters to sign the document and sendit to Gov. Mike Leavitt forhis signature. Utahnsshouldresist, and the Friends should give up their cause. Floyd is enough flamingo for the Great Salt Lake. the falsely accused, will never come home again. An apology is sadly in arrears here from No Logical Connection It’s wonderful that Salt LakeCity, the LDS Church, the Huntsman, Eccles and Sorenson foundations and many others have joined to improve the SorensonCenter in the Glendale area. The centeris helping lot of our friends and deserves all the help we give. But this isn’t an act of generosity, because the city-church-foundation coalitionis only offering to trade the were really a generosity offer, it wouldbeoffered without conditions. I am happy that the Shoshone Tribe is able to acquire the sacred resting placeof their ancestors who werevictims of the Bear River Massacre. It must be of immense importance to the tribe to possess such a sacred spot so that the lessons of that tragedywill continueto be taught to Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Martin's Cove and its handcarts rep- resent a calvary, a place of trial whose lessonsare infinite and enduring.” Jerry O'Brien (7983-1994) Dominic Welch (7994-2002) Editorial Page Editor ‘The Salt Lake Tribune Managing Editor Tim Fitzpatrick 143.8, Main St. Salt Lake City, Usah 84112 Vem Anderson (Tribune, March 14), Wouldn't building the Utah Countystretch of the Legacy Highway down the west side of Utah Lake be an economical solution? Although the news media were inly instrumental in helping to find Elizabeth Smart, now is the time forall of us to step back and allow her to heal and reunite with her family. She has been through an ordeal none of us could ever imagine, and she will be unabletofully recover while under the constant spotlight. successful and shares profits with workers. Latino workers who come here should be greeted by businesses that share profits with them and offer them good benefits. Anything less than that represents corporate greed and a Legislature that panders to greedy businesses. Weare all curious as to her wellbeing and the details surrounding the past nine months, but we will eventually know the wholestory. For now, please, walk away, leave the family alone, and let them become a family again. Think of the other Smart children, the parents, the extended family and the neighbors. They need their peace. JOAN ERICKSON West Haven Misleading the Masses the White House, President George W. Bush would love to be known as administration to lead them astray on majorissues. A classic example of misleading the masses is shownby letter writer Tom Quammen (Forum, March 11). Quammenwrote, “I now have come down fully on the side of war. Why? 1 finally heard President Bush speak of matter, Had they educated themselves on the issue of the war, as well as on other issues concerning the welfare ofournation, then they could have made decisions based on fact instead of propaganda. All of those who have taken the trouble to get informed are fully aware that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a brutal dictator. We know that he must be dealt with be we also knowthatit is not the business ofthe United States of America to “Kick his butt!” The FBI and the CIA have concluded that none of the known terrorists responsible for 911 had any connection with Iraq. We know for a fact that the majority of those terror- FRANSJ. KOHLSCHEIN 4, inevitable about cheap labor. This is excellent benefits. They are constantly ranked top in food quality, value, service, atmosphere and cleanliness. This is a companythatis Leave Herin Peace BOB WELTI Salt Lake City workers from afar. Business interests, like McDonald’s, for instance, want us to believe that they couldn't operate with- an hour. Full-time workers receive ists were Saudi citizens. Scholars have declared that Saddam Hussein was a bitter enemy of Osama bin Laden, you know, the terrorist still thumbing his nose at us. Salt Lake Mayor pable economic force that draws proven by the In-N-Out restaurant chain. The starting worker makes $8 Rocky Anderson and his birdJoving friends would claim that the road would disrupt groundhog habitat. Probably not. supply of cheap labor as an unstop- notall submissions are published. grammar and accuracy. Due to volume, (and the Sierra Club) wouldaffordthe Mormon people the same privilege and respect regarding Martin’s Cove in Wyoming, where so manyhand- dustry’s demand for an unending out a labor force making at, or near, minimum wage and often without benefits. In actuality, there is nothing the cost of 9-11.” Obviously his decision has been madebylistening to the cart pioneers perished in the winter of 1856. As stated in a 1998 article in Sunset Magazine: “For the Church of caused by corporate greed and government “for big business” rather than government “for the people.” The opinion column “Latino Power” printed March6 cites American in- Letters may be editedfor length, administration’s propaganda on war with Iraq. Quammen, like many others, apparentlydid not listen to what those in the know have to say onthe Surprise! [45 through Utah County will soon be a parking lot James E. Shelledy name, homeaddress and day and evening phone numbers. Only the name andcity of residence are published all people. I just wish the federal government Utah's IndependentVoiceSince 1871 William Dean Singleton general interest. Letters must include full if people were indeed educated, it would be much harder for the Bush The Salt LakeTribune Editor Jetters of up to 250words on topics of the “education president.”Ironically, Remember Martin's Cove Salt Lake City John W. Galliivan (1960-7983) Utah 84110 Letter Guidelines: TheTribune welcomes Like manyof his predecessors in DALE K. NELSON Salt LakeCity KEVIN ANDERSON John F. Fitzpatrick (/924-1960) Mail: Public Forum, TheSalt Lake Tribune, P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, easement on the Main Street Disrupt the Groundhogs? Past Publishers : (801) 257-8525 ers@sltrib.com e send text only, attachments will not be opened) Plaza for dollars to help Glendale. There's no logical connection. If it Latinos Deserve Benefits The recent Latino workerrally isa symptom of labor force woes in Utah Sandy BILL NICOLICH Salt Lake City Community Pulls Together Henries Dry Cleaners and our customers would like to thank all the LDS Business College students, by- standers and the volunteers who helped us remove our clothing and personal property before the flames arrived. From irreplaceable Olympic jackets to wedding and prom dresses, our customers appreciateall your efforts. Wewould also like to thank all the firefighters for their efforts in trying to save the strip mall. We are privileged to live in a community where in timesof emergency we pull together. Thank you again. MIKE HORRALLand BOYD HENRIE Henries Dry Cleaners Salt Lake City Seagulls Deserve Respect Recently I found a young seagull with a broken wing. I thought that, because it is our state bird, someone would care. I was wrong. After calling three different veterinarians I was told thatit was a wild animal and thatI would have to give it over to the state. I was told to just call animal control andlet them have it. I called a few and found out that cities apparently don't care about animals on Sunday, only Monday through Friday,8 to 5. Next I tried the Division of Wildlife Resources. They “ care during the work week as well. On Mondaythe bird and I were at the animal shelter at 8 a.m. The first person talked to said I had to takeit to the state wildlife facility incw ville. As he was getting me that dress another person said, fre only going to put it down” so why don't you just leave it here? I asked, “This is our state bird, why would they just kill it?” He replied, “These birds are so plentiful, what’s the point ofsaving the few who get hurt?” I don’t think quantity should matter. It's our state bird. Let's treatit with respect. Why doourkids learn in schoolthatit’s a special bird when no ‘one outside ofschool cares? MATTHEWREDD Orem |
