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Show UTAH VOICES:The Humpty Dumptydoctrine. AA3 OPINION Drawn & Quartered AA2 Public Forum AAZ Russian View AA3 David Broder AAS WWW.SLTRIB.COM OurV1IEW Treat mental illness eople with mental illnesses are just that: ill. They aren’t bad; they aren't weak;their situation isn’t hopeless. They haveillnesses that are usually treatable, just as diabetes, arthritis and cancer are treatable. A presidential commission’s report urging more comprehensive, and earlier, care for mentally ill Americans reiterated this week muchthathas already been said. Butit does make recommendations that deserve attention. It cites a “patchwork”ofstate andfederal agencies thatfails to provide early and consistent treatment and assumes the mentally ill will never hold jobs, have families or own homes. Thereport suggests that each state draw up a plan that helps patients get housing and job training and develop social skills. It encourages programs that have high expectations for patients’ recovery,an attitude quite different from how governments now see the mentally ill —asa chronic burden. The report, like the surgeon general’s review in 1999,zeros in on attitudes toward mental illness as the biggest barrierto effective treatment. Too many people with mental illnessesare reluctantto admit the problem, and whenthey do, too often they have to deal with bias in those who should be helping. Thestigmaof mental illness is a throwbackto the past century andearlier when it was misunderstood and the mentallyill were mistreated. Today we know the causes and howto treat them, but the stigma persists. Outdated prejudices that discourage people from seekinghelp early also encourage Band-Aid treatments with drugs instead of more effective, long-term therapy. Mental illnesses are unique diseases in one way: Because they are not properly treated, they contribute toa hostofsociety’s problems, including homelessness, crime, domestic violence and poverty. A national survey by an advocacy group for the mentallyill says two in three mentallyill adults are unemployed and more than half have incomesofless than $10,000 per year. The survey of more than 3,400 people showed more than 40 percenthad been detained or arrested for minoroffenses. The report outlines the problems well andoffers creative solutions but isn’t very helpful in providing a road map for getting started. States’ programsfor the mentally ill are funded by combinations ofstate and federal money, with Washingtonoften mandating how federal money is spent. States will need more flexibility in order to implementthe recommendationsandensure this report doesn’t simply spark some discussion and then gather dust. 4 Ad ‘] “FERANALLY, | PREFER MEAT? BE REDAND <TheMo0-ING.” Report links 9-11 This correspondence from the Se ofthe Vice President to the ambassadorto the U.S. was redacted by the Office of the Vice President for nationaland electoral security reasons: Dear Prince MEG bin Thank you, myfriend, for the falcon. including mentions of your wife's Western compounds in Weneed little more than lip service bank accounts of twoof the hijackers. (Lynne says to tell Princess @igi we havefour tickets for the ballet at the Kennedy about quelling anti-American fervor overthere and cracking down on phony charities. You'vegotto at least give the FBI something to work with. Don’t worry. They'll screw it up anyway. Center.) We're noteven letting Bob Graham mention the name of your country. We eating small endangered woodland creatures at my Jackson Hole ranch. ut Not to worry that the report will shed any light be a game-changerfor us. on the ties between the hijJackers and your govern- The stock market killed ment agent needed that win, It could howfar a court can goif it feels the suspectposes a risk. The questions won't be settled by a ruling in one case. That may require a change in federal guidelines. The prosecutor saysthis case fits Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal program aimed at tougher enforcementof existing firearm laws.It calls for cooperation among federal, state andlocal agencies to keep guns away from people convicted of serious and violent crimes. But when guns end upin the hands of criminals despite the law, should the court actto prevent violence by keepingthe offender behindbars until the case goes to court? Sometimes. The broader question of predicting behavioris difficult to answer. But courts deal in specific cases, and in the Utah case, the argumentto detainis overwhelming. When case offers so muchevidence showing a disregard for law and a tendency toward violent behavior, the court should have the optionto hold the defendant. Lawmakers should consider changing existing guidelines if that is whatit takes to assure a judge this option. Gun-rights advocates are fond of the motto, “Guns don't kill people; people kill people.” Courts should be able to recognize that certain people who have guns are more likely to become one of those “people who kill people.” uw timing will help cover MAUREEN too. ‘THE NEW YORK TIMES } Dowp Whenthe 9-11 committee report comes out tomorrow,I think you will be well satisfied with our efforts to keep you guys out ofit. Wehave almostas much experience as you at keeping private matters veiled. It’s not good to overburden the American people with too much complicated information. Wedidn’t let a thing slip on our private energy meetings where we took care of our mutual friendsin the BD industry; we keptthe bidding closed on the Halliburton contracts to rebuild Iraq, and weset up our own CLA within the Pentagon to produce the intelligence we wanted to link al-Qaida to Saddam rather than to your country. We'veclassified theentire section of the 911 report that deals with the family’s support ofcharitable groups that benefit terrorists, Editor Sunny O'Basios (1989-1994) Nancy Conway Domante Waxem (1994-2002) — ‘The Salt Lake Tribune 143 Misin St, Sadt Lae City, Usk 4201 4 ———<$<$ Th Prreparmic —— yesterday, weshifted the blamefor the uranium debacle in the president's State of the speech from George Tenet at the CIA to Stephen Hadley at the NSC. I'd like to return your many acts of generosity. Why not cometo dinner at my Secret Undisclosed Location? Here’s the address: in jut now you have to throw us a bone. Al-Qaida cells are crawling all over your kingdom, planning attacks around the world. They've gotten even stronger since the May bombing of All thebest, Dick. NewYork Times News Service Getting here was just part ofthe fun Everybody’s first “real” job should be something like mine: washing milk jugs at Roberts Dairy starting at 4 a.m. for 75 cents an hour. Because, you see, once you've done this kind of work, every job afterward seems so pleasant. Andso lucrative. Of course, in winter I had to walk uphill in the snow to get to work. I am not making this ‘up. Since I was only 14, I couldn't drive, and the dairy was a couple ofmiles away from the northern Utah on July7, it was the realization of a dream that evolved from another childhood experience. | touredthe TribuneBuilding way back in the days when Dan Valentine was the state's premier columnist. My family read his column every day and we learned most of what we knew about Utah politics and Salt Lake Citylife from him. As | walked in awe up the high-ceilinged staircase (which looked exactly as it does now, more than 40 years later) to the Tribune news- farm where | grew up. Years later, how could | complain about going to fires in the middle of the night while room, I had a sort of premonition which was mostly wishful thinking. I thought, “Some day covering the cop beat, sitting through hours of small-town city council meetings or trying to come up with an intriguing lead from a boring campaign speech? newspaper.” Fora little girl from a Utah farm townin thelate‘50s, it was a pretty big dream. I'll work in this building, writing for this Andso many years later, [ have to admit I got a bit misty-eyed the first day I looked out the Writing editorials? Piece of cake. windows of what is now myoffice in the same old building I waslucky to know whatI wantedto do and Actually, getting to the eighth floor of the y/ MARILYN Karras Myreport was chosen, and when | saw it on thefront page of The Leader with my byline, well, that was it for me. The ink from that one story got into my blood and has stayed in my system since. When | came to workas an editorial writer at The Tribune pecans worry less about finding weapons in Iraq than building democracy. Thetrick is to keep moving. Just Ss and added a caveat to this one. The twobest stories of our fleld trip would be sent to the local weekly newspaper to be published. Managing Editor eS House, ie art of moving beyond what people once thought was important to look for. First, we switched from looking for Osama to looking for Saddam. Then we switched from lookingfor “weapons” to looking for “weapons programs.” Now Wolfie has informed the public that we need to and you've been generous with rides on your Airbus and Gulfstream and with invites to your beautiful estates in tary in Tremonton took a fleld trip to watch sheep being sheared. Our teacher, Mrs. Korth, believed in writing assignments an obseasion for which I thank herto this day * Here in the we've mastered T know you're worried that the whiny widows of You've been a great host to the Bushes years old. And while people have moved into and out of my life, that love affair has been constant. My fifth-grade class at McKinley Elemen- Editorial Page Editor Viows AxDERBON charity. get their darn closure. Buddy, we go back a long way. unlike that daily hike to Roberts Dairy, every inch has been exciting. I fell in love with newspapers when I was 9 Wittiam Dian Sinctueron less million for a terrorist’s fake because a few thousand families can’t with two windows looking down on Main Past Publishers Joun F. Freararaien (1924-1960) Jonny W. GaLawan (2900-1989) acongressman’s favorite charity is one 911 will throw another hissy-fit when they see all the blacked-out material, like they did when you whisked Osama’s family out of the U.S. ona privatejet right after the attacks, But we didn’t go this far down the road of pushing aside incriminating evidence aboutyou guys and blaming 911 on Saddam to turn back now Street, has been another long, uphill trek. But, Uran’s Lypgrenpent Voice Sivce 1871 etc. Butafterall, every million spent on . Tribune Building, where | have a cozy office TheSalt LakeTribune I hear you want to behead that ex. spook Robert Baer, who's been all over TV talking about the way you lavish moneyto influenceU.S. politics, donating millions to presidential libraries, anything foreign a government.”” We are pumped about the double rub-out of the on the killings. And the Rest assured that the FBI's taking thebeatfor 9-11 in the report tomorrow, not you. threatened to throw him in the federal slammerif he calls It survived the trip on your Gulfstream.It is now your royal| Utah case making its way through federal courts raises some interesting questions. Specifically, can a judge hold a suspectin jail until trial because thatperson has a history ofviolence and a propensity for-illegally owning guns? And the broaderquestion: Should a person be detained because of what he maydoin the future? In the Utah case, prosecutors say the defendant, previously convicted of assault, is a threat to the safety of his girlfriend. Defense attorneys argue you can’t predict a person with a gun will shoot someone. Police found a stash of weapons,including an Intra Tec 9mm, a semi-automaticpistol, a 12gauge shotgun and 45 rounds of ammunition when they wentto help the woman moveoutof the home sheand the suspectshared. The man was accused of several firearms violations and ordered jailed until trial because the judge said he poses “a serious risk .. . to the safety of another person in the community.” This suspect, whohas had four protective orders issued against him at the requestoffour different women, hasn’t shot anyone. But a person with a violentnature and a gun is dangerous. Simply possessing a gun illegally is not considered a crime of violence underfederal sentencing guidelines no matter whatthe suspect's history. So it’s unclear attacks and checks inexplicably winding up in the Hussein boys. We really Armed and dangerous e ; more fortunate in what I experienced and the people | knew along the way. If a movie had been made of Ogden in the ‘70s, Humphrey Bogart would have beenperfect for the role of Charlie Carver, who was managing editor when | was 19 und a cub reporter at the Standard-Examiner, 1 worked at the Deseret News, now Deseret Morning News, for 14 years and discovered therethat I most enjoy opinion writing. The editorial page of @ newspaper is the best expression of the freedom to ex: change opinion and ideas that, more than any otherprinci ple, defines us as Americans. I never aspired to work at a big-city newspaper, | know many writers andeditors s larger papers throughout the country, and | don’t envy any of them. Utah has everything a journalist needs: interesting people, some goofy politics and at least its share of peculiarities. And I'm just happy tobe here, in Utah and, finally, on the Tribune editorial page. t " |