OCR Text |
Show Dene Barth The Salt Lake Tribune Friday, February 24, 1984 Describing Ones Lifestyle Can Be Quite Revealing Newsday Some years ago, my husband and I shared a starry night with Sepik River villagers in Papua, New Guinea. The villagers told us stories: of a bloody quarrel with another village, of a woman eaten by an alligator. We assumed the tales were old legends until some details made us realize that we were being briefed on current events. The young man who talked about the alligator was describing the recent death of his aunt The only way to reach that particular settlement was by narrow boat Some villagers had never spoken with white people and most were familiar with only a smattering of technological goods: boat motors, manufactured axes and knives, some western clothing and a few varieties of canned foods seen occasionally, tasted rarely. Some of the men, however, had traveled a few days on the river to a Sepik outpost with an airstrip and had actually seen a plane land and then take off. Even those who had not witnessed this knew a lot about it: Planes were made of metal and had motors inside them, and they existed to transport white men and their cargo. After we had listened to many stories, one young man asked us to tell of our village. Our village was Manhattan and we were silent as we thought about how we could explain New York to these Sepik people. Do you fly to your work every day? a youth asked helpfully. No, we take trains, underground trains, my husband explained. No one had ever seen a train. I plunged in and explained: We live on an island, a small island that too many people live on. There is no room for us to build our houses side by side like you do, so we must build one house on top of another house. We must pile the houses so high that many houses are too high for people to climb to. So then we build a little box and attach a motor to it that makes it go up and down, so we can get all the way up to our house, and come down again. My husband and I continued on this theme: There wasnt enough room on the streets for everybody to walk, or space on the water for boats, so we dug holes and tunnels underground that we filled with more motorized boxes. The rivers are too 'dirty for fish to live in; there is no ground left we eat food that comes in cans to farm and packages from far away. It occurred to me that the village we were describing sounded nightmarish. But our listeners thought Manhattan must be wonderful and the truth is, despite the evidence we offered, I agreed. I thought of this on Wednesday evening as my husband and I were picturing another American village for foreigners. We were composing a letter describing our home and community, Bay Shore. Our plan is to mail this letter to several Italian families who have listed their homes in an international house-swa- p directory. Three summers ago we exchanged our house and car with those of a French family. But that letter was easier to write because the French people who placed themselves in the directory were specific about who they were and where they wanted to go. Most of the Italians are vague or perhaps they're adventurous. So my husband and I have no idea whether were addressing a single person who might have little interest in a spacious lawn with a set of swings, or a family of seven who couldnt fit into our car, anyway. We dont even know if these particular compatriots of Columbus are interested in visiting America. So we face the challenge of selling the United States and our locality and house to strangers. Describing the house was easy we love our home. Praising Bay Shore isnt rough. Its near enough to the city for day trips and close to beaches and parks galore. The hard part is pushing America. I know, for example, that many Europeans think the United States is very dangerous. Should we mention, that as far as we know, no one in the neighborhood totes a gun? And, although its wise to lock ones doors against burglars, not one of our acquaintances has ever been murdered? Do we need to tell denizens of the land of the Red Brigades that terrorism is not a problem here? Should we, in fact, ask if well be safe in their hometowns? How far does news travel? Should we mention that its unlikely that Long Islands controversial nuclear reactor will be operational during their visit? Need we reassure them that although our car was made by General Motors, its not one of the with suspect brakes? And now that the dollar is so high, this land of streets paved with deficits must have the reputation of being terribly expensive. Should we advise Italians not to leave home without American Express cards or should we stress all the discount stores? Will they be insulted if we tell them they can drink the water and its free? Should we offer them a map of where they can clam without inviting hepatitis? Defining where you live tells you a lot about where you really are. U.S. Learned Nothing From Vietnam Military Might Doesnt Make Right full-sca- . The Way It Was Here are briefs from The Salt Lake Trib- The county already had acquired six miles of right of way and it was necessary to negotiate for the purchase of an additional half mile to complete the road. une of 100, 50 and 25 years ago. February 24, 1884 A Bad Blunder Yesterday a gentleman on his way to Salt Lake City telegraphed to have "a horse and phaeton meet him at the depot, but the operator got it a hearse and phaeton. The mistake was discovered in time to correct the blunder. February 24, 1959 Brigham Young University will change its academic year from a quarter system to a semester system beginning in 1960, Dr. Ernest L Wilkinson, president announced. The decision made after several weeks of consideration was the result of the unanimous recommendation of the Utah Conference on Higher Education, which is composed of the faculties of all universities and colleges in the state. February 24, 1934 The Weber County Commission inspected land in the West Weber district, which will be purchased as a right of way for the Hooper-Pai- n City road, now under construction. By Frederic B. Hill The Baltimore Evening Sun It lasted 17 months, not 15 years. The nature of the involvement, passive peacewar in Vietkeeping as opposed to nam, differed substantially. Though the total, and the ratio of deaths to servicemen sent there, may yet go higher, 259 Americans have died, compared to 55,000. And unless the Marines are suddenly forced to leave in a rush like the liftoff from Saigon in 1975, the long-terdamage to U.S. and Western prestige may be less than shattering. But in a number of striking ways, the parallels between the U.S. intervention in Vietnam and the intervention in Lebanon overwhelm the differences. The most immediate similarity is clear Another American government chose very poor ground on which to take a stand, and lost However President Reagan may try to put a cheery face on it and lets remember he is now a candidate for office, the reality is plain. Lets quote a more neutral source. Withdrawal of the Marines, wrote Wolf Blitzer of the Jerusalem Post last week, is a loss for the U.S. and its friends in the Middle Blast including Israel. Reagan has emerged from these dramatic developments looking foolle last-minu- te m black-and-whi- te ish. But the parallels of these two failures go much deeper than the simple a tendency to compare that is a column peculiar hangup for the United States in the murkier fields of diplomacy anyway, and may in fact lead to our headlong military interventions all over the map in search of "a win. The rhetoric and rationale (credibility, national honor, commitment) echo shrilly from the Vietnam quagmire. So too the temptation to use military force, the lack of fatal mix expertise and now the once-agai- n of American idealism and global designs. While they disagree on which parallels won-and-lo- st are the most important, many officials, historians and political specialists on Vietnam and the Middle East feel that these two foreign misadventures hold similar lessons for U.S. policymakers. The overiding consensus is that once again the United States intervened militarily in a complex situation of marginal strategic many points, but he agrees that the nature of initial U.S. involvement in both places was similar. We do have a propensity to care about many parts of the world; we want them to be more peaceful, more just We were trying to be too generous in Lebanon, Luttwak says. We wanted to win something without sending an army. We want to invite people to lunch, but we dont want to pay the bill. However, Luttwak, an expert on military affairs, feels the international price will be very high for different reasons. He said he believes the United States should have undertaken a more sustained military role. He doubts, however, that the U.S. military was prepared. The Beirut bombing and the failure to retaliate, he says, symbolize a breakdown in elementary professional competence, a paralysis of commanders more interested in bureaucratic concerns and acquisition of resources. Arnold R. Isaacs, a former correspondent for The Baltimore Sun in Vietnam and author of a new book, "Without Honor, Defeat in Vietnam and Cambodia, says he sees several parallels. The historical and political circumstances are quite different, he says. Also, in Vietnam, the military was not restricted, they had lavish equipment and firepower. But in both cases, there was a notion that military force can solve tremendously difficult political problems. The most compelling parallel, he says, appears in the dynamics of decision-makin- g in the two conflicts, and how they became hostage to circumstances. Once the Marines were killed in the bombing, the price suddenly became much higher, and the merits of the original decision kind of vanished. The real problem became to show that the Marines didnt die in vain, not because the administration made a mistake in persisting in its policy. As in Vietnam, the stakes became that much higher and we had to justify ' the price that had already been paid. interest It was then drawn ever deeper into a mo- rass in which political and military leaders disagreed on basic objectives, public support dwindled sharply (if it was ever there on Lebanon) and an American government became entrapped in a desparate conflict with its own vision of our strategic imperatives and its need to save political face. I think the clearest parallel, says George W. Ball, is that once again we got into a situation that was poorly examined and thought out Then we came to the conclusion that we can't win, and then we cant figure out how to get out leadBall, the very first of the high-levers in the Johnson administration to oppose U.S. escalation in Vietnam, says, that as in Vietnam the United States did our best to support a weak series of governments. Lebanon, he adds, is only of marginal interest to the United States, not a vital area as Reagan has repeatedly said, until now. It has no natural resources, it is not a military power capable of aggression. Its simply a small place with a bunch of warlords. el One major difference between Vietnam and Lebanon, he stresses, was the initial purpose and nature of U.S. involvement. At least Kennedy and Johnson thought they knew what they were doing: trying to stop the advance of communism. Here, we got in by inadvertence: Sweeping up after the Israelis, we were suckered into a peacekeeping role that was totally inappropriate for us, and then we began to take sides. Edward Luttwak, a senior consultant at Georgetowns Center for Strategic and International Studies, differs with Ball on . The Public Forum Tribune Readers Opinions City official. He told me that he had never seen anything like it in his life. He also said that during his term all meetings were open William A. Stevenson (Forum, Feb. 10) to the public and to any response people commented on a Jan. 18 Ask Andy column cared to make. A former councilman called which gave some attention to the work of Dr. me and stated that their meetings had alW.E.B. DuBois. Stevensons comments are ways been open meetings, A little lively at not completely accurate and more importimes, but always open meetings. tantly appear to be an attempt to discredit In Midvale City, people can be replaced the name and work of one of the giants without comment. We have had two fine men life during the first half of the 20th released by Mayor Jeppson, Ted Anderson Century. the city manager and Justice of the Peace In October of 1961, a few months before Warren D. Cole. Mr. Cole has always held an his 94th birthday, Dr. DuBois officially honorable court None of his decisions have joined the Communist Party of the United been reversed. He has tempered his judgStates. He shortly thereafter voluntarily rements with Justice and empathy for those nounced his American citizenship and in who have appeared before him. Mr. Cole can 1962 while residing in Ghana became a Ghastand on his record. naian citizen. On the eve of the 1963 March I am certain the mayor feels he is right I on Washington at the age of 95, this remarksay only, that I disagree with his methods. I able person died and is buried in Accra, Ghaam personally against any city business bena. ing conducted behind closed doors, meetings While opinions vary about Dr. DuBois being held under armed guard and without later ideological beliefs, nothing should decivic dialogue. ter from the significance of his lifetime work What is Mayor Jeppson afraid of? I am a as a scholar, author, editor, poet, teacher, grandmother, so short he could and champion for equality and justice. tuck me under his arm. What could I or any RONALD G. COLEMAN Midvale citizen say to him or the councilmen that would harm them? How many meetings are to be conducted in this manner? President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, We have nothing to fear but fear Feb. 4, at the early hour of 7 a.m., a meetI afraid! I fear for myself, for the ing was held in the Midvale City Hall for the itself. am of Midvale, for those who serve incitizens Peace of the of Justice purpose replacing Warren D. Cole, or for the record, installing office, and for the beloved city we have all a new justice of the peace. Midvale citizens lived in and loved so dearly. What is this the beginning of? who entered a packed council room found armed policemen posted at the doors, in the Where will it end? hallway, around the room and one standing SHIRLEE B. FERRIN behind the mayor and councilmen. Midvale My husband and I were the first people to arrive. When we signed the register, I indicated that I would like to speak to the motion. I was Immediately told by Mayor Trent Congratulations to the Hidden Valley G. Jeppson that I could talk to the council-meJaycess, inmates of medium security, Utah State Prison, for their outstanding meeting but not In this meeting. The meeting was called to order. Mayor on Feb. 9 with the Kaysville Jaycees aqd was Hidden Jeppson told the citizens that no one would JCKs (womens auxiliary). This be able to speak In this meeting. A prayer Valleys first meeting with another chapter. was said. The mayor presented the name of Their guest speaker, a psychologist, spoke on Dee W. Alldredge to be the new Justice of the labeling, stress, and other aspects of human behavior. peace. All councilmen voted to confirm his These inmates recently presented a appointment The meeting was closed and Christmas show to help raise money for the the mayor and councilmen left the room., fam- which assists a former elected Midvale , prisons I sat next . Champion for Equality Justice in Midvale Outstanding Jaycees n, i a, 0 ilies annually. Also, these Jaycees are developing a prerelease program to eld inmates in their search for employment priorto their release from the state prison. n Kudos to the 30 members of the Hidden Valley Jaycees. And a special thanks to their chapter officers: Harvey Dorton, Greg Abrams, Calvin Smith, Ron Lancaster and Archie Fernandez. D. RICHARD DIEHL President Kaysville Jaycees agression and threats, is totally misinformed of the fact that the Soviets have been on a war mobilization footing since early 1982, and that the highest level of their military planning is involved in how to defeat the e United States in a nuclear war. Soviet battle manuals deal at length with how to wage and win nuclear war, and any statements by the Soviet leadership about the unthinkability of nuclear war are for European and American consumption only as propaganda. Halperns suggestion that the Soviets reaction to an American nuclear disaster would be increased cooperation, vast amounts of aid, an opening of Russian society, and immediate arms reduction agreements are, to be generous, pipe The Common Carrier article of Feb. 12 dreams. The Soviets most likely reaction would by Francis Halpern was frightening not because of its content nearly as much as by the be to take advantage cf our confusion by perspective behind it I respect Halperns launching a real nuclear strike or by bluffing-uinto disastrous concessions. If Halpern has any competence in technolForum Rules ogy, as claimed, he would recognize that the Public Forum letters must be submitted solution to the threat from nuclear missiles, exclusively to Tbe Tribune and bear writers from any source, accidental or intentional, is full name, signature and address. Names the development and deployment of defen-- , must be printed on political letters but may sive weapons based on advanced physical be withheld for good reasons on others. Writprinciples, as called for by President Reaers are limited to one letter every 10 days. gan last March 23. The possession of such defensive weapons by both superpowers is Preference will be given to short, typewritten (double spaced) letters permitting use of the only basis for arms reduction and real tbe writers true name. All letters are sub- peace. DAVID BRYCE JONES ject to condensation. Mall to Public Forum,-TbSalt Lake Tribune, Post Office Box 867, .Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. U.S. first-strik- Frightening Perspective s anti-ballist- ic credentials in physics, but it is obvious he is in the dark as to current world politics. The thesis of his article is based entirely on the hope that an American city be accidently destroyed by a stray nuclear missile, which would lead to the destruction of U.S. sovereignty and the establishment of a diabolical, aristocratic world government In this, Halpern follows the lead of Bertrand Russell, who, following World War IL wanted to use American nuclear weapons to destroy the Soviet Union and set up an world empire which would keep the rest of the world in line by its monopoly on nuclear weapons. This is exactly what Halpern proposes. His view of the Soviet Union as a peace-- . s due to loving nation which is acting as It Anglo-- American they may be, have ever counseled. You, I, we must do whatever is necessary to rid our personal lives of the roots of hatred, fear and of all that causes us to focus on the differences, and, therefore, allows us to treat our fellow man as something less than ourselves. DAVLO DELION Change Drug Laws I want to congratulate the police for their recent arrests of the suspected heroin dealers. News reports say this should double the price of the drug on the streets. Now where, do you suppose, an addict who is in dire need of a fix and has no money is going to get it? Maybe Britain has a solution to this dilemma. They provide the drug to addicts free and they certainly dont have the robbery and violent crimes associated with the underground drug traffic as we do in this country. I believe this is preferable to spenduning taxpayer money on an eight-mont- h dercover program which only perpetuates crime. LESTER LEE Murray Prosecution a Sham Id like to share my thougts on the Judge Claiborne supposed prosecution in Reno, Nev., with you and your readership. It is obvious that government is not seri-- . ous about convicting Judge Claiborne. Seasoned know that when they In The Salt Lake Tribune of Feb. 6 there are really serious about a conviction, at least was a picture of Lebanese Prime Minister one count of conspiracy is included in the Shafik warzan, smiling as he resigns his pocomplaint, and heres why: As one famous judge said, Conspiracy sition in the Lebanese government Feb. 8, 200 Lebanese were reported killed and more requires almost no evidence to convict It is than 300 wounded. Why do they smile in the governments most effective tool to use face of so much death and destruction? against criminals. (J., D. Winner, USDC Christian kills Moslem kills Christian Denv., Colo., USDC, SLC, US v. Solomon, CR at transcript) kills Moslem. Their deeds blaspheme the CR76-12souls names in and Therefore whose act otherwise, the supposed very they And whose side are we on? Christian? prosecution against Claiborne is a sham and Moslem? Syrian? Palestinian? Jew? Arab? fraud against the people of Nevada and the Humanity's side, I hope. And we should be U.S.A., prosecutdHal discretion notwithdoing everything in our power to cause a halt standing, and is calculated to clear him, rather than convict to such inanity. WALT P. MANN III You say, But what can I do? What all of St Geojfge the great men and women clour race, few Blasphemy in Lebanon court-watche- 6, rs 77-1- I |