| OCR Text |
Show MONDAY,May29, 1995 The Salt Lake T bane OUR VIEW The Salt Lake Tribune’s Editorial Position Forever Honored Naturally, with the 50th anniversary of World WarII’s end occurring this year, memorial observances paying formal respects to the military dead from thatconflict deserve maximum attention. History and infinite appreciation require nothing less Although this country has lost tens of thousands of military personnel in wars since the 1942-45 struggle, and while that seminal episode introduced global conditions prompting subsequent armed conflict, the victory achieved five decades ago through superiority of arms and ingenuity assured that later threats to the free world wouldalso be confounded. Those Americans causing freedom to triumph over "30s and ‘40s tyranny deserve solemn recognition for the ages. It was called a world warfor ample reason. Few places on the globe were spared the shock, turmoil and tragedy that accompanied total defeat of Axis aggression. When eventually engaged, the United States suffered its largest manpowerloss from warfare, a death toll never since equalled Before the country emerged triumphant, 407,316 ofits finest men and women lost their lives serving with U.S. armed forces. More Americans died during this country’s Civil War — 498,000 — but that includes 133,000 members in the insurrec- tionary Confederate ranks. As a contribution to preserving freedom, democracy and representative self-government, the lives that perished during World WarIIstill represent idealism, patriotism and heroismat an apex.In simultaneously establishing the foundation for an allied and military bulwark capable of withstanding menace to postWorld WarIIstability, the contribution was also profoundly significant. In joining later military defenses of peace and liberty, the U.S. lost more young men and women — 33,641 in the Korean War, 58,000 in the Vietnam War,760in the Persian Gulf War — earning for those combat casualties eternally renewed gratitude as well. Memorial Day’s central importance conveys a national thanksgiving to each and every American whose untimely death during military service to the country preserved and strengthenednational principles and purpose. At a time when troublesome questions assail the proper role of governmentin a nation emphasizing individualism and self-sufficiency, there should be no doubt about the debt the living owe those who fought and died so the country could survive. They permanently remain “our honored dead,” for which a single day in the yearis not enough to rememberwith prayerandpraise their devotion and theirsacrifice. Going Wild in Secret It was logical that Utah's members of Congress should seek the input of rural county commissioners while crafting a Utah Wilderness Bill. But they didn’t have to seek their imprimatur. That's the perception the delegation created last week by holdingits briefing meetings with rural county commissioners Thursday and Friday. The group would have beenbetter off just revealing its wilderness bill to the general public all at once, rather than feed the impressionthat it has granted the counties a special stake in the process. Pro-wilderness advocates have protested Gov. Leavitt’s and the delegation’s wilderness designation process since it was announced in January. But even in the county-heariag and regional-hearing stages, the process was open to public comment, evenif it was difficult for wilderness advocates along the Wasatch Front to participate. But this last round of meetings, which was notoriginally listed as part of the process in January, wasoff-limits to the public and the press, giving wilderness proponents more evidence to buttress their contention that the pro- cess was tilted toward anti-wilderness factions all along. After all, why else would the delegation take their nearly completed bill back to the commissioners — andnotthe other stakeholders — for one last review? Of course, the early indication is that the delegation’s final draftwill further confirm environmentalists’ fears. From comments made by Congress members and by some county commissioners who saw the draft and actually foundit not protective enough, it is apparentthat the bill, scheduledto beintroduced in Congress June 6, would designate between 1.5 and 2 million acres of Bureau of Land Management land as wilderness — an inadequate amountofprotection. No matter what the delegation ends up proposing, it should have just unveiled its bill to Utahns in one announcement and skipped the county briefings and thesilly dance aroundthe state’s open meetings law. The wayit turnedout, the delegation simply added morefuel to whatincreasingly appears to be a justifiable cynicism about the process — and, evidently, the end result. ANOTHER VIEW From The Chicago Tribune Does Raid Signal U.N. Resolve? International diplomacy aimed at ending war in Bosnia-Herzegovina has been guilty of proposing peace plans and drawing up mapsfor partition only after they have been rendered meaningless by events on the ground On Thursday, the military arm of the U.N. mission in Bosnia proved that it is proneto actions that make the same mistake NATO warplaneshit the rebel capital, Pale, bombing an ammo depot near the headquarters of Radovan Karadzic, the psychiatrist-poet who is president of the Bosnian Serbs. Defiant Serbs replied with attacks on Tuzla, a Muslim-dominated city that is a U.N.-declared safe haven. Karadzic’s militias also stormed U.N weapons depots, seized mortars andartillery and turned the weapons on Sarajevo. The NATOraid was in punishmentfor recent violations of a ban on using heavy weapons and for an attitude described this way by NATO Secretary-General Willy Claes; ‘For weeks, the Serbs have shown no respect for any [U.N.] Security Council resolutions,” The Security Council gave U.N. forces in Bosnia three tasks: protect Sarajevo airport for deliveries of food and medicine, escort that aid throughout Bosnia and deter attacks on six designated safe havens. For months — not weeks,as Claes said — U.N. forces have done nothing in response to flagrant actions by the Serbs shutting down Sarajevo airport, halting food convoys and shelling the safe havens at will If Thursday's NATOraidis the start of a robust enforcementof Security Council resolutions, thenit is to be applauded. If it is just an isolated exampleofinternational pique, thenit is time tolift the arms embargo that has left the Bosnian government at a disadvantage — and for U.N. troops to admit failure and go home. TheSalt Lake Tribune THE PUBLIC FORUM Letters from The Tribune's readers Balance the Burden “Millions Unpreparedfor Retirement” (Tribune, April 30) should remind those in life’s sunsetthat the high cost of health care quickly can force them to do without, but even more quickly can separate them from any wealth they have acquired overa lifetime. If insiders in Washington are correct, Congressis in the process of causing most old folks to becomeseparated fromtheir meager wealth even morequickly. There is a moveafoot to reduce Medicare funding by 5 or 10 percent. Even the lowest fund reduction percentage is deceiving, since all health-care costs have been increasing by about 10 percent a year. This causes a 5 percent cut in Medicare funding to balloon to a 15 percent slash. Additionally, this would mean higher costs for Medicare supplemental health-care insurance for the nation’s elderly. There still is no government effort to put the brakeson private-sector healthcare costs. Is the plan to saddle the old folks with the paymentin the attempt to rein in health-care costs? Congress needsto find a meansof lowering the cost of government. But Congress needsto call onallof the electorate to share equally any pain thatwill befelt in its effort to get the nation on a financial even keel. Thefrail and the elderly have supported government for mostof this century. It's simply notfair, not Americantoinsist they carry an undue, heavy financial weight at the close of the century. CLARK BIGLER Payson Q AARPIs Dangerous The most dangerous group in America today is not one of the far right militia groups,it is the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), The AARP is a powerful, self-centered group that is determined to put their needs first, the rest of the country be damned, The AARPhasone goalandthat is to squeeze the most possible money out of the federal budgetfor the benefitofits members. If left unchecked, the AARP will leave a huge legacy of debt for future generations to pay. When these bills come due, current AARP members will have long ago checked out. The AARPis currently blasting Sen. Pete Domenici’s plan to “cut Medicare. Thetruth is that under Domenici’s budget, Medicare will grow to $1.6 trillion over the next seven years. The only “cut” is thatits rate of growth will be slowed. No one argues that as a nation we shouldn't take reasonable care of ourseniorcitizens, But given that thereis a limit to what the government can tax and spend, wouldn't we be better off to choose to invest in our youth rather than in the elderly? Programs like Social Security and Medicare already account for an unconscionable percentageof the federal budget. Head Start and similar programs are being cut because children do not have an organized voice in Congress, And childrendon't vote. Sen. Domenicishould be congratulated for having the political courage to make hard choices now so our country and our kids can prosperin the future. ROBERT A. WOODS Park City Oo UTAH'S INDEPENDENTVOICE SINCE 1871 PAST PUBLISHERS John F, Fitzpatrick (1924-1960) John W. Gallivan (1960-1983) Jerry O'Brien (1983-1994) PUBLISHER EDITOR Dominic Welch | James £. Shelledy EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Harry &, Fuller, Jr. f KEARNS-TRISUNE CORPORATION, 14) 8, MAIN ST. SALT LAXpcrry, mit - Got the Message OK, OK. We have had more than enough editorial cartoons and editorials portraying the right wing as a bunch of Nazis and illiterates. I think I get the message. You are saying that hate-mongering by the left wing is acceptable. Is that it? BILL SALMON Salt Lake City Where to Write @ When submitting letters to the Public Forum, pleaseinclude your full name, signature, address and daytime telephone numbers. Information oth- er than your name and the city in which you live are kept confidential. @ Keepit short, Concise letters developing a single theme are morelikely to be published. i Pleasetype and double space. @ Letters are condensed and edited. @ Becauseof the volumeof mail received, not all submissions are published, ™@ Mail to Public Forum, The Salt Lake Tribune, P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. @ Our fax number is (801) 2372. No Free Lunch I fail to understand why all taxpayers should be forced to pay for other people’s children to have breakfast and lunch.I can’t comprehend whatgives the governmentthe authority to set up soup kitchens for schoolchildren and day-care centers. Weshould tax only parents to pay for the school lunch programif that is what they want. What gives the parents the right to force other taxpayers to pay for their children’s lunch and/or breakfast? There is something basically wrong with this program. Weshould notjust cut back on this program, we should eventually cut it out totally and quit teaching our children that the governmentwill provide a “free lunch” for the rest of their lives. MARGO CONTA Salt Lake City oO Rednecks Awaken Late It is so funnytolisten to rednecks complain about the rights they currently say are being taken away from them. They seem to betotally oblivious to the fact that these rights were lost over 20 years ago, and that conservatives themselves are the ones who wereresponsible. After the assassinations of Black Panthers, the Kent State murders and years and years of police suppressionoflegitimate left-wing political dissent, everything of which they complain today was inevitable. Any person of foresight knew exactly what was happening, but we had no luck at trying to get the ‘‘silent majority” to comprehend the fundamental concept that all persons have to. have the same rights, or noneof us will have any. The Nixon Supreme Courtis the one that declared that our Constitution does not contain the right to privacy. The National Rifle Association thought thatit was perfectly acceptableto violate the Second Amendment by prohibiting gun possession by drugaddicts, mentally ill people and ex-felons, Oncethis precedent was established, however, it was simply too late to start arguing that the Second Amendment should mean exactly whatit says. Where were the militia types when ‘no knock” searches were being created for use in the “War on Drugs’? Why, they were on the sidelines cheering on the efforts, of course. Things like the Fourth and Fifth Amendments are not only now being eroded, they have long since been emasculated, When it is legal to make a man pull his pants down on a public street to check for a drug stash, or for the government to force you to give them the very blood or urine from your body,it is not reasonable for right-wingers to argue thattheystill should be allowedto live in a free country. ‘ DARRELL PROWS Salt Lake City Indenturing the Grandchildren In this year of the Great Budget Debate, we would like to go on record as favoring, urging, advocating that our 5ocial Security be means-tested and that ne cost of living allowance (COLA) be applied to us until the national debtis paid: We are not amongthewell-to-do. We are among those with multiple grandchildren for whom weare deeply concerned. BILL AND ARLENE HARMER Salt Lake City a Eternal Death It has been referred to as the ultimate actof all violence, andfor those of us who understand its implications, it offends deeply oursense of decency.It is commit: ted in a spirit of vengeance andretribution with a long andtragic history whieh has leftin its wakea trail of brokenlives and the darkestside of authoritarianreli? gion. It is Mormon excommunication, and to the manyprotesting Latter-day Saints,it is spiritual murder, having been me thodically designed to separate the individual from God, spouse and loving dren for eternity. It is eternal death. .: In the case of Janice Allred of Provo, motherofnine children,it was exécuted on May 9 by an LDS Church court fonao oe en athher es eat openly explore theologic: ues Within. her church. Allred is SGhaned Latter, y day Saint, scholar, moderate fernini rf LDSdoctrine, carried no mtal known her ar compassionat stay of the aad of nome ‘nt fagnifyth most of us id This heinous Ga aN ice must stop, rre4 is nothing within the character of Jegny Cast to eeeee fs an evil f ‘or it genérates # of repressi hypocrisy and féfror among faith church membérs of cotwcience. In last two years, the Mormon Church A become a national abuse becauseofIts increasing vin excommunications. We who cate deeply must publicly address this issue. ‘= JAMES E. CHAPMAN Salt Lake @ity a Clutch Failure Tam sick andtiredoflisteningto allthe whining Jazz fans who cannot stomach the fact that “our” team lost to the Houston Rockets. An NBA championship is basically built upon talent, coaching, teamwork, hard work, execution, consistency, heart, fan support, money, luck, and — holdonto yourseats, Jazz fans — the ability to deliver in the clutch. “ The Jazz's moneyplayers failed to deliver when it was time to deliver in the playoffs. Again. No huge baskets, no hugesteals, no huge assists, no huge ne> bounds, and no franchise player stepping up. Add it up and that equals no NBA championship. John Stockton and Karl Malonedid notgetit done. The ability,of marquee players to deliver in crunch time separates the champs from ‘the chumps. a “Our Year” is over. Wipe the tears from your eyes. Life goes on, especially for the players. They will pack their bags, stuff their wallets with plenty of cash) peel outin their sports cars, and vacation in places most of us can only dream about. They will return in the fall, rested and tanned, ready to continue their foray in fantasy land. Meanwhile, the rest ofus get to trudge into work every day, punch time clocks, and balance checkbooks with finite incomes, 1 Stop bellyaching, Jazz fans, and: de something worthwhile with all the free time you have been given. [t is “Your RALPH TAYLOR |
