| Show The Salt Like Tribune All Saturday September 19 1987 Drawn and Quartered not "THAT'S ? A PLAMT — IT'S AM INCUBATOR “ OeSN'T AMYfcW HeoeewiNG REAW16 TVlf SHOW VAueriTUAVM will HAV6 A SOCIALLY Nov 15 As a result of these deadlines the political and military leadership of the Nicaraguan resistance faces heavy and unavoidable responsibilities Since it will take 30 days for most of the Contra guerrillas deep inside Nicaragua to retreat in good order to the border areas the resistance leadership will have to give the signal for withdrawal no later than Oct 15 Determined not to allow hungry and unarmed guerrillas to be killed or captured by Pigs" Faced with this coherent and compelling argument that US aid cannot be delayed until November the Reagan adminstration is reconsidering its legislative strategy and House Republican leader Robert Michel has already indicated he will seek early action on Contra aid But the humanitarian aid agreement he has apparently reached with House Speaker Jim Wright does not address the longer-terand major problems the Contras face What the Contras need is military assistance in an escrow account while humanitarian aid continues to flow By this means the US can keep the resistance in place and also allow full exploration of the possibility of a genuine cease-fir- e As the deadline for decision approaches the eventual reaction of the US Congress to these pressures is hard to predict Neither Speaker Jim Wright nor his fellow southern Democrats are anxious to be held responsible for the forced withdrawal of the guerrilla army from Nicaragua Moreover by the time of the American elections in 1988 the spreading and disastrous consequences of a Sandinista victory will be increasingly apparent throughout the region and could become a major issue in the electoral campaign as a new wave of refugees seeks asylum in the United States Jack W Germond and Jules Witcover Biden Talks Himself Into a Political Pinch Chicago Tribune Service — The St Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch published a cartoon the other day showing a Lincolnesque figure wearing a “Biden for Prez" sash around his stovepipe hat and reading a newspaper with a headline saying "Biden Speeches Borrowed" The Lincoln-Bidefigure is saying- "Oh oh better drop that part about ‘Fourscore and seven years ago' ” And an adviser is shown thumbing through a book and saying “How about this? ‘Ask not what your country can do ’ ” for you The drawing by cartoonist Jerry Fearing is the kind of thing that political professionals consider one of the truly reliable indicators of a candidate's political health When the cartoonists begin finding you a subject for ridicule you are in serious trouble indeed Nor is that the only barometer of the damage Sen Joseph R Biden's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination has suffered from the disclosures that he borrowed language from other political figures without always attributing it to them and that he was law student guilty of plagiarism as a first-yee- r at Syracuse University For years now politi- cians have watched Johnny Carson's monof logues on the NBC "Tonight Show” as a to a candidate in trouble with middle America And Carson has already weighed in “reporting" that Biden reassured worried staff members by telling them: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself" This ridicule index is only one of several elements of the situation that suggest Joe Biden's campaign has been crippled despite his insistence in his press conference here that “I m in this race to stay I'm in this race to win here I come" For one thing the nature of the disclosures is partice'arly damaging for Biden because the Delav are Democrat's most obvious strength as a potential candidate was the reputation he had earned as a dynamite stump speaker who could evoke emotional support from voters N w he will be confronted with the obvious wise-guquestions about w hether his rhetoric an! his emotions are his own or those of Neal Hnnock or Robert F Kennedy or whoever Moreover ‘ he flip side of Biden's strength has always be n the suggestion that he was more a candidate of style than substance That accusation mav have been grossly unfair but it is also one ti at will gain a great deal more weight in the afteimath of the controversies over the quota'mns and the plagiarism as a ir law student WASHINGTON n tip-of- y t About the ’People’ mid-Octob- attempts to sabotage the chances of peace Even more vital to the determination of a deadline for renewed assistance is the actual situation that the 15000 Contra guerrillas confront inside Nicaragua As the Contra representatives have explained to the White House the $100 million of US aid has been used with remarkable effectiveness to consolidate guerrilla strongholds within Nicaragua But this vital assistance terminates on Sept 30 The remaining logistical supplies and weaponry still in the pipeline will be exhausted by Nov 15 at the latest and funds for transportation will run out even earlier Since there has been some confusion on this point all the relevant information on remaining supplies is being given to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees of the US Congress for them to reach their own conclusions But Pentagon officials believe in fact that the spigot will run dry even before Finally Biden will suffer from the political context created for this campaign by the troubles of Gary Hart Although there may be worlds of difference between unattnbuted quotes and a weekend with Donna Rice Democrats searching for a presidential candidate are looking for one who is squeaky clean That is one of the reasons that such a notorious straight arrow as Michael Dukakis seems to be prospering despite the fact he never has been accused of being charismatic It would be foolhardy in the extreme to say that Biden's campaign has been fatally compromised by the controversy He has enough money and staff to continue through the first caucuses and primaries and give the voters a chance to make their own findings As he put it here "The American people will judge" But Biden was dead wrong when he argued that the whole thing is "much ado about nothing" because although he had done something “very stupid" in the law school episode 22 years ago he was "not malevolent in any way" That is not the point The point is that voters examining and little- - known candidates seem to understand that they are being asked to take a risk when they choose someone to be president of the United States So they want to feel as comfortable as possible with the candidate and most of all to be assured they know who that candidate really is Court decisions not withstanding Edward McDonough's argument that "the people" in the Second Amendment refers to the collective right of the people to bear arms as members of a state controlled militia is illogical on its face: the members of a military organization constitutionally provided for could hardly need any constitutional right to bear arms In addition the argument is inconsistent with other provisions of the Bill of Rights For the Second Amendment to be a right of select individuals would mean that when James Madison drafted the First Amendment he used “right of the people" to mean the right of the people but 16 words later in the Second Amendment he used it to mean the right of members of a state militia — and then 46 words later in the Fourth Amendment he switched meanings again so that the phrase meant right of the people once more Such a conclusion is completely spurious The only logical conclusion is that the phrase "the people" means the same thing in the Second Amendment as it does in the First Fourth Ninth and Tenth amendments — that is each and every free person A position incidentally supported by the 64 percent of the Utah electorate that ratified a 1984 amendment to the Utah constitution declaring the right to keep and bear arms in Utah as belonging to the individual ALAN CARVER Bountiful Needs Help Since the Utah Girls Village first opened in their homes have provided special programs to help troubled young girls There are many girls in Utah who are unloved or abused and lack the resources they need to cope with their daily adversities Some of these troubled girls (between the ages of 12 and 18) may be fortunate enough to enter the Utah Girls Village Program Here the basic purpose and philosophy is to provide care and affection along with training and treatment to enable the girls to return to their families or the community and become responsible adults it As a private organization Girls Village relies on volunteer efforts as well as public and private contributions to help the number of troubled youth Urgently needed contributions to this deserving organization are a vital investment in the future of our youth in desperate need JACK SMITH Grants ville 1975 non-prof- ever-increasi- The same is true of those Democrats now choosing the candidate they will support in the long march toward the nomination Thus it is no surprise when a leading Biden backer in a Midwest state privately expresses his chagrin and worries about how idealistic young students attracted to Biden would take the news about their candidate The Biden strategy now will be to lie low and concentrate on the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the Robert Bork nomination over which Biden is presiding They are clearly hoping the voters are not as tough as the editorial cartoonists and that the furor will die out But running for president is no laughing matter and right now Joe Biden is a target of the kind of ridicule politicians rarely survive coKrnrjL oammcmbalu Tribune Readers’ Opinion the Sandinistas the resistance leaders have warned the Reagan administration that they have to have a guarantee of continued humanitarian aid by and at the same time the promise that sufficient funds for renewed military assistance will be held in escrow so long as the peace process continues If the adminstration and a bipartisan majority in the Congress cannot meet this deadline imposed by conditions on the battlefield the resistance leadership is deadly serious about withdrawing its forces safely and in time They have no intention of sacrificing their guerrillas “on the altar of a new Bay of tm The Public Forum Contras Give Congress a Deadline North America Syndicate WASHINGTON — As Samuel Johnson observed “When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight it concentrates his mind wonderfully" Facing this kind of grim deadline in the application of the Arias peace plan to their situation the leaders of the Nicaraguan resistance have thought through their alternatives more realistically than the Reagan administration Before meeting with the legislative assembly of the resistance in Guatemala this week representatives of the Nicaraguan directorate met on Sept 11 with White House chief of staff Howard Baker and national security adviser Frank Carlucci in Washington They explained the imminent and irrevocable decisions they would have to make in the absence of an early assurance as to when they could count on new American aid In starkly realistic terms these Contra leaders described the inherent limitations of even the best motivated and led guerrilla army of volunteers They pointed out that the Republican leaders of the House and Senate would be making a fatal mistake if they tried to delay a vote on additional aid to the Contras until after the Nov 7 deadline for democratic reforms called for in the Arias plan First the Contra leaders pointed out that the one or two weeks after the Nov 7 deadline would be the worst possible time to try to push through the US Congress a favorable vote on renewed assistance This would be the period when the Sandinista leaders would be implementing a senes of cosmetic reforms intended to prove their democratic bona fides As La Prensa was temporarily allowed to publish again and the Catholic radio to broadcast there would be a euphoric assumption in the I) S Congress that the Sandamsta leopard had changed its totalitarian spots and administration icquests for aid to the guerrillas could be too easily portrayed as deliberate -- wser Lowest Form Mr Gray is right (Forum Sept 5) celebrations for the death of a human being are a pretty low form of entertainment But can we really expect any better as long as we allow innocents to die dally by the thousands? Selby and other prisoners have been judged guilty of criminal actions against society there were trials and victims The babies killed in abortion clinics and hospitals had no trials their death sentences are decided by : their mothers andor fathers andor grand- parents with cooperation of doctors and counselors What are these babies guilty of? Being born when Dad was planning for a Ph D or a cruise when Mom was due for a promotion or they would be an embarrassment to the grandparents? Violence begets violence and violence to the helpless unborn human beings must be the lowest form of it DENISE MAXWELL Forum Rules Public Forum letters must be submit ted exclusively to The Tribune and bear writer's full name signature and ad: dress Names must be printed on political letters but may be withheld for good reason on others Writers arc 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 subt ject to condensation Mall to the Public Forum The Salt Lake Tribune PO Box 867 Salt Lake City Utah 84110 ? Right for Utah I propose a change in the state bird from the slow seagull to the roadrun-ne- r (found on the desert around St George) The roadrunner when approached runs with blazing speed frequently changing directions erratically with no apparent rhyme or reason Reason for the change? Answer: The roadrunner more closely resembles Utah's average freeway driver d DOVLE McBRIDE Wasteful Patrols I just returned from a trip to southwestern Colorado going through Fillmore and taking to Grand Junction and then returning by way of Monticello through Moab then through Price and into Salt Lake City I have never seen so many highway patrolmen as I did on from Green River to the border and in fact all the way from Salt Lake City and back I think we are becoming fanatical about speed enforcement to the point of being ridiculous Traffic should flow and the biggest need we have is for motorists to stay out of the left lane and let it flow I counted at least 50 highway patrol cars on the road and we certainly are wasting a lot of money which this state does not have to waste People don't need to be harassed unless they are a danger to themselves or others What really causes accidents is not speed but lack of courtesy in not allowing everyone to use the left lane to pass There is no question that DUI is the greatest killer What needs to be stressed is courtesy on the road and no drinking and driving All the officers cannot get this to happen without the cooperation of the people W REID HORNE Everybody Loves a Rainy Day Don’t They? Chicago Tribune Service It s raining It s a gentle steady rain I hear it on the roof see it running down the window panes The grass out there obviously loves it The garden by the side of the house is gulping it down Call it perverse if you wish but I love a rainy day This is no recent love affair for me I remember liking a rainy day when I was a child I think I know why too When it’s raining it cuts down on the number of options you have for action that day There are things you know won't be possible to do so you don't worry about them A rainy day is special On a normal day we are all faced with so many things we ought to do that we go through It with the vague gnawing feeling that we re leaving a lot of things undone On a rainy day we can't mow the lawn go swimming play golf tennis have a out Everything except staying picnic dry is simpler We needn't leave the house at all on a rainy day if it's a Saturday or Sunday All inaction is excused by the unavoidable cir- - cumstance of weather "It’s raining” I even recall my mother saying she w asn't going to do the wash because it was raining and she wouldn't be able to hang it out in the backyard to dry Many of you may hav- - thought that even though Adam and Eve bad no clothes they had a washing machine and a dryer but that is not true A sunny bright day doesn't call itself to your attention the same way a rainy one does You appreciate life more on a rainy day A day with the sun out is an average day You don’t inspect it much Even the weather reports on radio and television are dull when the sun is shining 1 People think better on rainy days This is not a scientific observation but I'd be willing to bet it's true The sound of the patter of water coming down in equally spaced drops on everything drowns out distracting noises and it's easier to concentrate Sun on the other hand is bad for the brain Left out in it long enough the brain becomes frazzled and inoperative I'U bet Albert Einstein never got a sunburn Even though I could stay inside all day today I know I won't Just as soon as I finish this I'm going to lace up my old shoes with the waterproofing on them put on my yellow slicker that really sheds water and find some excuse for going out in the rain One of the good things about rain is the fun to be had trying to stay dry It's a game and people tike it even though they seldom win it The best raingear usually leaves you wet somewhere If everything else works the dnps run up your sleeve when you lift your arm or your headgear is less than perfect and the ram finds its way down your neck The space between the bottom of your runcoat and the tops of your shoes is vulnerable too While I like to go out in the rain properly dressed there is still some work to be done on rainwear An umbrella is great fun in a good rain It doesn’t really keep you dry but having the rain spatter overhead without actually hitting you gives the illusion that you're defeating the weather Umbrellas are efficient from the top of the head to somewhere around the waistline but from there down umbrellas don't help at all Also while umbrellas are good when rain is coming straight down ram is so often accompanied by high winds that drive it in a slanting directiou that umbrellas are of limited value in the average ram Cars have been made remarkably impervious to rain I'm always surprised that you don't get wet at all driving a car in a rainwindstorm I wish they'd make truck-sizeshield wipers for cars that went straight back and forth across the windshield instead of shape I imagine wiping in that they'll get to that because the shape leaves too much of the windshield d half-moo- half-moo- n un-wip- There now That's done play in the rain I I I can go out and 1 |
