Show The Salt Lake Tribune Saturday November 4 1989 Al 3 ! Nicaragua Reminds US That Real Communists Play to Win New York Times Service WASHINGTON — For accommodationists this week was the best of times and the worst of times The spring of Hope blossomed with the revelation of a summit session at sea symbolic of President Bush taking the plunge into helping the Soviet dirtator rescue his economy in payment for freedom in Eastern Europe (The ''who lost Gorbachev?" threat got to him) But simultaneously the winter of Despair blew in with the decision by the Nicaraguan dictator to give war a chance — thereby causing embarrassment to doves from the US Congress to Central America who had insisted that peace would flow from our cutoff of military aid to the Contras What does this jarring juxtaposition of events teach us? How can President Ortega's double-cros- s pre P t'"'S' f I it Ilt to deal us pare lt ' -- William Safire - with President Gor- bachev? First we should thank the Nicaraguan strongman and his junta for reminding us that real communists play to win Staying in power is the name of their game Ortega's prom ises of free elections reiterated as his I20000-maarmy breaks the are intended only to fool cease-firour Congress and disarm his opposition Second we should never tuiderestimate the capacity of accommoda e ous despot to pretend our inaction is a clever way to avoid giving communists an excuse for canceling elections and to continue to be the patient pygmy of the North Take a parallelogram: While Gorbachev permits thugs and tyrants to be ousted in his sphere of influence Bush permits the likes of Manuel Noriega and Daniel Ortega to repress freedom in our sphere That cannot be our foreign policy Nobody suggests that we send in the Marines by jingo but we bear some responsibility for human rights in our back yard We should have learned by now that no chorus of tionists to fall back further After he shock of the communist declaration of war on its opponents wears off we will hear a cacophony of alibis: We should never have given humanitarian aid to our debilitated allies: the remaining Contras deliberately thrust their noses into communist fists etc Third we should remember that appeasement does not always lead to war sometimes it leads to surrender Amid outraged cries on Capitol Hill the White from at House and fierce the UN one waits in vain for a call to the opposition "If Mr Ortega wants to resume the killing again" intones the White House spokesman "that is his business" Our business it seems is to prattle about "the peace process": to rub the noses of the gullible Central American leaders in its failure to luxuriate in world condemnation of the victori hand-wringin- g re-ar- miffed outsiders shouting put up pedestrian overpasses (for about $250000 each) at the various schools such as the one in Taylorsville where a child was run down? Our legislators and the backers of the Olympics are telling us that it will only cost each man woman and child about $30 a year for of years but not every man woman and child pays taxes Children the poor the unemployed far outnumber the bonafide taxpayers If we cannot afford to give the firemen or the policemen a raise or hire snore of them then give the money back to the taxpayer to whom it belongs Our wonderful lawmakers on Capitol Hill have no right to gamble taxpayers' money on something that is a shot in the dark and that will only benefit a lot of businessmen PETE C RONDAS West Valley City Forum Rules Public Forum letters must be submitted exclusively to The Tribune and bear writer's full name signature and address Names must be printed on political letters but may be withheld for good reason on others Writ ers are limited to one letter every 10 days Preference will be given to short typewritten (double spaced) letters permitting use of the writer's true name All letters are subject to condensation Mail to the Public Forum The Salt Lake Tribune PO Box 867 Salt Lake City Utah 84110 - visitors expect Supporting the Olympics bid will give Utah a golden opportunity to become one of the winter sports meccas of the world It is well worth the small taxpayer investment we are asked to make to give our state an international reputation that will last for decades SUSAN MARIE SHERLOCK n I (6 7 -- 7 4- - '' ''!:?1441 i - e ' - N S'Va io: Still Tax Money After the report of Olympic games in Calgary (Tribun( Oct 29) it brings to mind some points to pon- y d are ex- traordinary opportunity to show off to the rest of the world the beautiful cities glorious scenery and excellent winter sports facilities of the Wasatch Front Visitors and millions of international television viewers will also learn that tliahns are not the narrow-minderrigs that many assume us to be We will have the chance to show them that Utahns arc d - a s 111 ' ' - WO' 47 '1470LPVIIPIPPert: ) 1 I 11ret 4 4 sOlhomon: 01t 0 4k '4 Vtelt I4 y Miller can raise $55 million for his Utah Jazz arena when he couldn't get help from the city then why don't these promoters put their money where their mouths are? Will our federal government kick in $200 million like the Canadian government did? I think not When it's all over will the ski resorts inherit the ski jump and the bobslediluge runs or just get competition from them? Past experience tells us that when state or federal government money is used for these things whether it's sales tax or other revenue it is still tax money Let's take care of our schools and get more homeless people off our streets Meanwhile let the promoters finance their own spending Just vote "no" to spending tax money for Olympics BILL NIELSEN 3 1101618eanolt -- ti § single-handedl- 0- lill ': ' ' — -- - ' ' - — '11011114"111111111111‘11- Not 4 A r 4:0: 11111:11r 10 I'm 6tA0 To SE5 II RIN6 yoNe A1301 AigRANE SotAFTHINc SAFETY I" MO 1 °wet Nom anomo OWNS - "I FRI Kg ttlatE I A LOT ace t o ft : s t'"hir 10111 ''' "' - 141 ( oil - ' i'- 10Jea VAC - 71 lit --‘''''4:' ' - '' -- z °e 3 - ' - ' li '':':: 'L 23 - ' Lso tjdfI - i i) illa trt 1 al ‘ " - t- - ' :t if - 0 4 'A ' tAttaii ' ' - - !r4f t Like in the good old days of roadside medicine shows the pitch-me- n touting the Olympics are inundating the state with snake oil promising a cure for our economic ills and an everlasting improvement in our image All of this will cost each one of us a paltry $3 per year for the next 10 years this measly sum to be extracted from the sales taxes Quoting the recent ads directed at older Utshns "This sales tax money will be repaid from the first profits generated by our Olympic facilities" Further the ads promise "Even if the Olympics don't ever come here the cost is still ciPt -- 4 ' oi r ? li 101 7 :IV 11 I t'''''11' yi ' ' lI 'tist 41 i '' LP i - mwrictit4 Ily- t k- '7 - I I Z671 V6tWiCA ' ' vtgampkgr '1' gil' 11 't 1!:11!' 1 '11 ii i ' ' p)a ' r ZUbabgtlatab I ''1 AVeviv1t1wmpir Alitt It14' Aftoss tl--- qt141 1 wEgrei 050: i 'hiplo 1 ? 1 '1 Cl"91 !1: IS eAtzt11 r I' ''' i silo 6f(pe PW-le- ' lo '1 ! P 14'Iiiii I 411 0111 - - 07 T r : t 111j114141 l' i'1!1 k "-- '1111 I: ' i''! - i ' A 4 - ir t ' "Ntt - litop - ' o l't' IF''' ' (Ili o- ' a litt'' : --- - 1' If '' ftli'4 '4P 1114 L 1 1 :) 11411ii: i I :11:!isil1411c41: 'I i $3 per year per person" As a member of the anti-ta- x lobby which a Tribune editorial of Sept 30 '11:11:41' 4 - I- N I t‘'131iri Alm i Ittl('°' jv''IV41:dt just ludicrously charged with "huffing and puffing bellowing and bluffing" to intimidate the lawmakers I view the Olympics propaganda as rhetorical garbage The hyperbole is reminiscent of the techniques practiced by scam artists everybody investing in the scheme is a winner Short of giving us a guarantee in writing the promoters and supporters of the Olympics venture are trying to assure us that we have everything to gain and nothing to lose by supporting the scheme This has all the aspects of a proposition which is too good to be true and deserves a "no" response to the question which will appear on the Nov 7 ballot WALTER MARCELI Bountiful 4 I A: : itlow 4 der H - 1 i bir oAmolorniiilmonno ' :s -- 1 — -- MP' : ‘ - 11 — — sc ' N" 1111111k' '111 - 1 -- tto ot! vommeno ik Sees Snake Oil Salt Lake City and Provo with their magnificent mountain backdrop are two of the most beautifully situated cities in the country And mountains are more the close-bthan just pretty They promise world class skiing within a half hour's distance of the city center Those of us who live here appreciate these features but few people on the East Coast or in other countries know about them When they think about a ski vacation they usually think of Vail or Aspen maybe Lake Tahoe Now for the first time we have the opportunity for millions of people from other countries to learn first-hanhow special the Wasatch Front cities and mountains really The Olympics bid gives us an - Helper World Class Chance - czzsk ' the If Larry identical point across Is it too much to expect the fiber pas preparing the floating summit session to suggest a way to improve the atmosphere beforehand? One way would be to get their clients in Cuba to call off the dogs in Nicaragua — to refrain from taking advantage of US irresolution in Central America just as we refrain from taking advantage of Soviet weakness in Eastern Europe Linkage lives Bush extracted nothing from the Gorbachev need for summit spectaculars but that was before the Ortega double-cros- a The Soviet leader wants abiolu- two in advance for crackdowns to come Not only should that trap be sidestepped and Baltic indepen- dence urged but the Soviet subsidy of the Cuban subsidy of the Ortega offensive should be put down as az unfriendly act Drawn and Quartered Tribune Readers' Opinions Have No Right gracious people who are happy to essential amenities that Why is it that we have some $5 million a year to gamble on the Olympics but we do not have any money to give the firemen or the policemen a raise? Why is it that we have some $5 million a year to spend on the Olympics but we cannot afford to —For shame!" is going to oust the communist regime in Nicaragua More effective than this diplomatic pressure will be a combination of (1) a clear presidential articulation of the goal to help Nicaraguans replace a regime that will find The Public Forum provide any excuse to kill its opposition (2) serious and sustained military pressure by Contras supplied with plenty of the most lethal aid and (3) economic pressure beyond an embargo Now we come to the confluence of the Dickensian epoch of belief and epoch of incredulity to see how the best of times can be used to ameliorate the worst of times The communist regime repressing freedom in Nicaragua is supported financially by the communist regime repressing freedom in Cuba which in turn is kept afloat by a massive subsidy from the communist regime in the Soviet Union which is led by the man who needs our help We should not expect Gorbachev to pick up the phone and say to Castro "Tell Ortega to hold a free election in February or I start saving a billion a year in bailing out Cuba" nothing so crass as that Subtler diplomatic channels exist to get the 5ewrst3ce Ntu to -- 141145 MO41141 I' ''iwii -- n Allori--411141-6 witAllabto50tagralintiPP tlPimw 1111A &Ctin Amelica s Top Trend Economic Indicator? It s Golf of Course - Chicago Tribune Service Many deep thinkers make careers of looking for evidence good or bad that tells them if our society will survive or go the way of the Greek and Roman Empires socioloEconomists historians gists scholars of all sorts at universities think tanks and government agencies juggle statistics and sniff trends In other cultures they were known as witch doctors or voodoo men who flipped dead chickens in the air and looked for "omens" Omens are comparable to today's "white papers" and as reliable But they wouldn't go over on Ted Koppel's show So I place my trust in the visions of Dr tM Kookie the nation's leading expert on lots of things Recently Dr Kookie found an omen It tells us that were in deep trouble In a recent interview he explained why he fears for the future: "It's been right in front of us Story after story But nobody has seen he significance the threat facing society Arc iltoi talking- about crirne Obi- ' 77:A '' ': A ara -- 40 71' "'fid ' -t Niike Royko x6a "Ns eracy drugs or computer trading? too But what we've overlooked poses a more subtle but terrible dan- - ger" What is it? "Golf" Golf? "Yes golf the fastest growing game in the United States especially among the generations known as Baby Boomers the masses of squall- ing infants born between the end of The War and the invention of The Pill People who care about their lats pecs blats and fiber content They love their hods even more than their little foreign cars They were our hope for the future a nation of finc physical specimens But no they betray us by taking up golf" So? It is just a game " That statement tells me you know little of history psychology physiol- ogy or w hat turns a decent human being into a real Golf does that? "Yes golf is the embodiment of everything that is foolish self-de- structive wasteful and goofy in yo-yo- " man" I n what ways ? "Consider the very act of hitting a golf ball All other sports are natu- ral Take football It's natural to run And when a large hillbilly or black person is chasing you — the very es- sence of football — it's natural to run even faster It's natural to throw or catch as with a baseball or basket- ball Or to run as in track Or to punch a fellow human in the face as in boxing Or to roll a ball as in bowl- in g All other sports are natural acts Except golf Hitting a golf ball re- quires unnatural posture unnatural physical movements and in every way is an unnatural act" Having tried it I would have to agiee "So think about it There was a time when performing an unnatural act was grounds for flogging or im- prisonm eat Now it's the fastest grr owing activity in our society Is that not a matter for concern?" I suppose so But they've been playing it for centuries in the British Isles "Ah and what has happened there? Once the world's greatest power it has become a bunch of clinks eating fish a chips eight percent of English secret agents wear dresses in private and defect to Russia" You blame golf? Nit self-hatre- d fits of rage shortness of breath and worst of all the putting yips Have you seen a golfer smile as he finishes?" Now that you mention it no " Of course not They shuffle from the final green heads down in self- contempt It's not until they pour large doses of hootch into their ul- n bloated bellies that they can muster a smile of self-pitThen they spread their virus" To whom? "Helpless wives Every weekend millions of defenseless women wait for a pitiful creature to come home whining about a bad bounce a tree cer-ridde- y middie t that permits a middle-clas- s aged white man to dress like a black pimp' And let us not forget econtim lc disaster There's more "Yes the worst of it What is s tu pidly described as the Golden Age of golf in this count ry was the first 30 years of this century That's u ben the first great golf courses were built and American males took to wearing knickers and strutting about the links They squandered time energy and money on trying to break 90 And this indifference to their re- sponsibilities led us into the Great Goee looked at a golfer Not the ones on TV who are paid to achieve that lean zombie look but those at the nation's many golf clubs?" I've seen a few yes "Then you know They are the athletes in the world and I include elderly ladies who embroider pillows Most are walking blobs of cholesterol And in seeking to master an impossible game they suffer psychological ailmentsc — depres sion frustration d - cnance for greatness That s why government figures say 91 percent of all golf marriages end in divorce while another 9 percent result in the wife murdering her husband in his sleep- That's 100 percent ' 'Probably more And thats what we have to look toward to: millions of Baby Boomers turning into middle- aged golfers taking part in what the great philosopher Robin Williams once dscribe d as the only game ' Depression' lf did all that? "Yes so forget the market indica- tors Watch the sale of golf balls As they go up the Dow Jones will go down For every cry of fore there will be a cry of 'I'm ruined' When the next Great Deprssion comes Nou can surely blame it on the golf boom" This has been enlightening "Yes but I must go now' Do you have a seminar? tee trne Golf "No a I o'clock ! gieat gart' : is a' |