OCR Text |
Show 1FTODOIM Sun Advocate 4b Tuesday, March 12, 1091 Judicial jitters Federal judges, protected at work by U.S. marshals, want the government to provide special sec-- . urity at home and in their cars as well. A committee of the U.S. Judicial Conference, citing an increased number of threats, asked the Justice Department for $1 6 million to pay for home security systems, car phones and other emergency communication devices. Wisely, the Justice Department said no. The rejection brought an angry response from some judges. In a highly charged letter to fellow members of the 1 1th Circuit, Judge Dudley Bowen Jr. of Augusta, Ga., warned of the dangers of "the unknown, the unexpected, the unpredictable, the unreasonable and the unbalanced act that will splatter the blood of you and your family on the walls of your home." That is an unsettling message, however One wonders, however, what security is there against the unpredictable, the unreasonable and the unbalanced act." Secret Service agents would probably say there is none. The fears of the judges may well be warranted. People are killed every day for no apparent reason, just sheer meanness. Children coming and going from school are hit by stray bullets. Women waiting at bus stops are slain for their purses. Teen gangs make war on each other with automatic weapons. More and more crime is marked with unspeakable well-intention- brutality. public officials are extra worried. But federal judges feel they are easy targets, the same can be said for local and state court judges, police, prosecutors and legislators, to name a few. The "grudge" list is almost Little wonder that high-profi- le if endless. The government is in no position to pay for k security for federal judges or most other officials who feel endangered by their positions. Such public servants do have options. They can resign or they can pay for their own car and home security systems, as do millions of ordinary Anything under the sun Success isnt spelled round-the-cloc- folks. Document for ages The 19th century British statesman William Gladstone once referred to the Constitution of the United States as the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man." Yet this magnificent document might never have been ratified in 1 787 without assurances that specific safeguards would be added soon thereafter. The Bill of Rights, ratified by the states 200 years ago, limits the governments power over its citizens. Under these first 1 0 amendments to the Constitution, Americans are guaranteed fundamental rights, including the freedom to speak openly, to worship as they please, to be safe in their homes from unwarranted searches and seizures. These constitutional safeguards sustain the flame of liberty and have inspired emerging democracies around the world for centuries. The Bill of Rights has been a constant source of strength for Americans whenever their rights have been threatened. No document in American history, except perhaps the Declaration of Independence, has been cherished so deeply. Yet a recent public opinion poll found that 59 percent of Americans could not identify the Bill of Rights. Many pundits doubt whether the American people would even ratify these liberties if they were put to a vote today. In fact, polls show that some Americans would gladly dispense with many of the liberties contained in the Bill of Rights. Take, for example, the highly emotional flagburning controversy. Bowing to public sentiment, President Bush proposed a constitutional ban on torching the national emblem. Congress rejected this misguided measure, thus preserving a Supreme Court ruling that such protests, however distasteful, are protected by the First Amendment. Another contentious First Amendment issue centers on military censorship of the press in the Persian Gulf. A large majority of Americans sides with the military on this point. Some go so far as to question the patriotism of journalists who report unfavorable news about the war. CNN reporter Peter Arnett, whose Baghdad reports were cleared by Iraqi censors, was branded by Sen. Alan Simpas an enemy sympathizer. Others son, have urged that Arnett be tried for treason when he returns to the United States. These First Amendment issues illustrate the degree to which the Bill of Rights animates and sometimes agitates our lives. In upholding the right of students to refrain from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in 1943, the high court held that freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much. That would be a mere shadow of freedom. The Bill of Rights has been described appropriately as the soul of the nation. On the 200th anniversary of these constitutional freedoms, Americans should reflect on the danger of taking them for granted. You probably dont want to hear this, its time you knew. More money doesnt necessarily mean a but better education. Its heresy, I know. Perhaps I should be whispering this instead of publishing it. Recent statistics released by the Utah Taxpayers Association make it clear the connection between more money and better education i3 not necessarily a lifeline. Take, for example, the Daggett School District. UTA reports it was first in per student expenditures in 1989-9- 0 and 39 th in average student scores. San Juan District, that ranked 40th (dead last) in student scores, ranked third in per student expenditures. Number two big spender, Tintic School District, ranks 34th in student scores. On the positive side, Alpine School District ranked 40th out of 40 in per student expenditures, but stood at an impressive fifth in average student scores. There has to be an explanation. In only a few days, weve almost totally destroyed what one expert after another had told us was the fourth most powerful fighting force in the world. And expert after expert told us that, yes, we would surely win a ground war, but it could take weeks, maybe months of desert warfare and at a great cost in American lives. Maybe I dozed off and missed it, but of all the retired generals and military analysts on the tube, did even one of them say that in four days the worlds fourth most powerful fighting force would be looking and acting like haggard recruits on their first day in boot camp? And the loss of American lives would be fewer than we suffered in a routine World War II skirmish? As a matter of fact, someone did predict it. No, not me. Im no military expert, and I believed all those retired genwho erals and think-tankesaid it was going to be long, hard and bloody. But on Jan. 15, long before the ground war began, an article appeared on the d page ofthis newspaper. It was writr, ten by Professor John J. chair of the political science department at the University of Chicago and a military scholar. When I read it that day, I shook my head and thought: I rs op-e- Mear-sheime- So how about Park City, with its number one ranking in test scores? It ranks eighth in expenditures. Carbon County ranks 17th in expenditures and 31st in test scores. Emery County is spending more, but just barely edged out Carbon. It ranks 11th in student expenditures, but ranks 30th in test scores. Standardized testing, which went into this year, makes such comparisons among districts possible. Comparing test results to all categories of.per pupil expenditures, the association effect found no relationship between higher spending and better scores. In fact, the association claims scores slightly decreased as spending increased. So what makes the difference? Obviously, a new chore awaits Utahs educators as they assess the work they are doing. IIow does Alpine School District, with its low funding and overcrowded hope hes right, but..." Here are portions ofthe professors remarkably prophetic article: Many Americans fear that throwing Saddam Husseins army out of Kuwait would be a very tough job for the American military, with U.S. casualties ranging into the tens of thousands. ...This pessimistic view is incorrect. In fact, the U.S. military is poised to clobber Husseins forces and score a stunning victory in Kuwait. ...The campaign should be over in a week or less and probably fewer than 1,000 Americans will die in combat, a very low number for a large army fighting in a major armored war. Why would it be that quick and decisive? Mearsheimer pointed out that our forces are better equipped, better trained in armored warfare and that we controlled the skies. In contrast: The Iraqi army...is a Third World military that is incapable of fighting mobile armored battles. This crucial Iraqi shortcoming in tank warfare was demonstrated often in the recent Iran-Ira- q war, a conflict in which the manifest deficiencies of the Iraqi military were laid bare. In fact, even by Third World standards, the Iraqi e fight army is a below-averag- m-o-n-- e-y classrooms (really overcrowded), achieve such high test scores? Education is highly valued in Utah County. Students have access to many educational and cultural opportunities that arent available in places like Wellington and Clawson. There is an abundance of qualified tutors and teachers outside the school system to enrich a childs education. So how do you explain Piute County School District? Piute, which encompasses such urban areas as Marysvale, and Junction, ranked qn impressive second in student scores and fourth in expenditures. Explain that one. It breaks all the rules and expectations. What is the common denominator that puts Park City, Piute, Provo, Logan and Alpine in the top five in test scores? When we have the answer, perhaps the 40 percent of Utahs schools that reported scores below the national average test scores will have a chance. ing force. It i3 certainly not in the same league as the North Vietnamese army, and it does not even measure up well to the Egyptian and Syrian armies. If the Israelis can consistently score impressive victories over the Egyptians and Syrians, even after being com- pletely surprised in 1973, why should we not expect the U.S. military to rout the Iraqis? He then explained the ground strategy that would probably be used, and it was pretty close to the strategy that was used. And he concluded: ...Saddam Hussein should understand that the American military is going to inflict a devastating defeat on his military forces in Kuwait. He will be left in much the same position that Gamal Abdel Nasser was in after Isreal destroyed his y War. The army in the American public, on the other hand, should recognize that although there is certainly cause to be concerned about casualties, the United States Six-Da- is not about to become involved in a war of attrition with high casualty levels. In fact, American forces may suffer as few as 500 fatalities, roughly the same number of troops the Israelis lost against Egypt and Syria in the Six-Da- y War. The professor called it, and thats impressive. But it also raises some questions. Circ-levil- le If a University of Chicago professor knew with such confidence that the supposedly ferocious Iraqi army was even by Third World stan-dards..- .a below-averag- e fight- didnt our vast intelligence establishment ing force, know it? And if they knew it, why and over again that Iraq was not merely a menace to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, but the entire Arab region? It would be were we told over understandable if some Americans though Saddam would be storming the beaches of Florida. If the Iraqi army was as overrated as the professor says and as the past few days have proved, then what might have happened if our ambassador to Iraq hadnt told Saddam that we werent interested in Arab border disputes. What would his reaction have been if he had been told: Dont mess with Kuwait, or youll be up to your ears in American bombs. Maybe down the line when the euphoria has passed, some military and political historians will pore over all the decisions and events that led to the war. Until then, Im glad we won and that the price in our blood wasnt steep. But Im going to wait a while before being convinced that the entire adventure couldnt have been avoided. |