| Show t i- 7 Editorial Desk: 237-201- - I Zribunt celebration As bad as living conditions may be in Cuba the population generally isn't howling for President Castro's scalp Cubans are leaving their island country in sizable numbers either with visas to the United States or on treacherous rafts pushed into the Caribbean toward Florida 90 miles away But hundreds of thousands remain firm in the belief that as bad as it is Cuba is theirs to inherit such as those anihave aladministration the Bush mating ways resented the impertinence of a communist regime so close to the continental United States They are probably even entitled to the last laugh as the economic and social theory to which Castro hitched his wagon collapses from under the Cuban despot But plans for what to construct from the ruins are essential This country's policy toward Cas Anti-Castroit- es two-thir- i i i 1 L I '4' iF4114(4- ail I lt1 Img: 4 1 ' tioI'3414 A Pkel' 441Ft -- 6000011k amowee ea tgrot mama Drunken Who has control of Soviet nuclear weapons? Yikes! Maybe no one does Or maybe someone in Kazakhstan has control of the nuclear weapons Or maybe its someone in the Ukraine Does this sound like Dr Strangelove? Actually it may be worse And it does present quite a dilemma Many in the Soviet Union want Westernized democracy And fact is the Soviet Union is only a shadow of its former communist self Still there are all those Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles scattered throughout the disintegrating union And most of them are still aimed right at us But who is in control of them? Whose hand is on the big red button? During the recent failed coup the -- 'nn- ' IA'ASHINGTON POST SERVICE WASHINGTON — Judge Clarence Thomas' past speculations on the elusive subject of natural law" are threatening to become a hazard in his confirmation hearings — --not unlike the old article on neutral principles" that so plagued Judge Robert Bork Whether the result is that harmful is up to Thomas Professor Laurence 'rribe of Harvard Law School an adviser on legal strategy to the Senate Democrats pretends to worry that Thomas' attachment to natural law means that he might oppose such entrenched regulatory rules as minimum r laws It is a danger wage or approximately as remote as the danger that worried Chicken Little: but a whole chorus of people who wouldn't know natural law from natural childbirth have taken it up Comes now for instance Sen Joe Biden chairman of the Judiciary Committee echoing his guru Professor Tribe In a Washington Post Sunday article of pretended erudition on the subject of natural law Bi den says he is "initially heartened" that Thomas has criticized reactionaries "who seek a return to the most extreme aspects of the Supreme Court's 1920s jurisprudence" (whoever they are Biden does not name them) But Eiden says that be will insist that Thomas explain his natural-law views and be frets that Thomas believes that "economic rights are protected as much as any other rights" by the Constitution Well aren't they? It depends what you mean by "as much as" It is a fact after ail that the Constitution says that private property may not be taken for public use without "just compensation" and that states may not make laws "impairing the obligation of contract" These are economic rights and there is no fine print relegating them to a lower constitutional child-labo- the Philippines' largest trading partner and Filipinos are suffering from Pinatubo's recent eruptions they say the $203 million that the United States has offered to pay annually to stay at Subic another 10 years is insultingly low Even President Corazon Aquino y who led a large rally and march Tuesday apparently has given up hope of changing senators' minds or of seeking a voter referendum for the lease extension And communist rebels have offered to soften the blow of the US military withdrawal by declaring a cease-fir- e in their insurgency President Aquino now is considering giving US forces two or three years to pull out of Subic their largest base in Asia so that relations between the two countries might remain positive During the withdrawal the United States would gain access to Subic on a commercial basis There also is a chance that the 'next president of the Philippines to be elected next spring would try to work out a new base treaty By then Filipinos will be feeling the financial shock of the sudden base closure Either way the United States will come out OK Although US negotiators earlier claimed that US control of Subic is required as a stabilizing force in the wake of the Persian Gulf War and Kremlin crisis the White House and Pentagon came clean this week They conceded that US military force levels and stationing are being scaled back anyway and could be accommodated elsewhere if necessary The Bush administration has been discussing basing agreements with Singapore Thailand South Korea Japan and Australia and could also move parts of the Subic Bay operations to Guam Hawaii and other US territory Such moves would cost money of course but that expense would be offset by smaller payments to the Philippines which now receives some MOO million a year in rental fees and military purchases Now that the Cold War has ended and Filipinos are demanding sovereignty an overt American military presence in the Philippines is losing its allure It's clearly time to move on pro-treat- 22-ye- ar : ' 4'47 ” :' ' pan - shot clot: Twe —I - 1 i 00 i ' J - 461 s — - r- w A 4 '44 - '7' —it 0406" —P-- f7 r s ' 7 a- '''''' '''i ' 07 'fr- - 71 caTh 's AF 111 -- r1P -- - !:-- " --- ' c iC n - 4":9447 had con Jew Ilex kt ' ' :' - was Ailitipatolle!uint - tide son day status than say the prohibition against ex post facto laws Which constitutional rights should enjoy priority is a complex argument hardly relevant to the Thomas hearings One thing however is clear If nudge Thomas responds to these esoteric queries in other than brief clear and crisp terms if he lets himself be drawn into deep or lengthy speculation on the bearing of "natural law" on minimum wage or child-lablaws —be will delight his enemies and cook his own goose Which would not be entirely lamentable: for be would show by doing so that he is too guileless to qualify for the court Tribe Eiden and Company are not disinterested philosophers pacing some shady Athenian pathway and musing for the love of law They are politicians who use legal ideas to promote and rationalize policies they favor as do many right and left Thomas should know a political game when be sees one If those who profess to be worried views will about Thomas' natural-laread his speeches they will find that most of what be has said on the subject was in the setting of a discussion of civil rights He has invoked the Declaration of Indedoc" pendence (certainly a "natural-lawument with its talk of -- unalienable rights" stemming from a 'Creator and of "the laws of nature and nature's God") by way of saying that these are ideas that animate and give moral meaning to the Constitution In so saying he is again indisputably correct But the hidden issue regarding Thomas or w has little to do with these esoteric abstractions It is whether a black judge Clarence Thomas may take an unconventional view of the legal interests of black people While his views obviously spring from identical inspirations (for instance the life teachings and example of Martin Luther King Jr) they depart in signal respects from those advocated by much of the establishment Roger Wilkins has said with reference to Thomas' unorthodox views on affirmative action that since the United States for a good 300 years pursued policies that oppressed and degraded black people it seems reasonable to him to spend at least 100 years undoing the damage That is a sentiment typical of Thomas' critics Thomas and other black conservatives might well agree if the redress does not devalue black accomplishment by associating it in the public mind with favoritism and does not revive racial stereotypes of black inferiority that the country has spent so many years trying to dispel But is Clarence Thomas entitled to be critical of these hazards of conventional remedies without being accused of Uncle Tom or (as one being a latter-da- y harsh critic put it) a "quisling"? Clarence Thomas' speeches now being combed for ammunition by his opponents show that be values constitutional "pluralism" an idea that recurs in them He should make it his mainstay in the hearings Measuring the breadth of that pluralism especially as it affects issues of special concern to blacks is largely what this confirmation fight is about ner civil-righ- ts civil-righ- ts xt E ing hug diOl hut cha mil rad emi he Nat the put an3 ' the het ing NIT Wi rot 0111 hot etc om prc out the Coned Thinking Shouldn't Lead : ltfc To Wimpy Journalism Afraid to Tackle Issues - tirr Politically boorish whether race and sexism were in- CHICAGO TRIBUNE SERVICE RESTON Va — Is "political correctness" invading the newsroom? Some journalists are beginning to wonder whether sensitivity to the feelings of women m- inorities and other historical victim groups has gone too far putting a chill on aggressive reporting and biting commentary in much the same way many fear "PC" speech and conduct codes could chill debate on college campuses With newspaper staffs finally becoming as diversified as the audiences they are trying to reach some editors particularly white males say the threat of being labeled racist or sexist by fellow staffers as well as the public has put new pressure on them to censor or pull their editorial punches on just about anything that anyone might find offensive The result could be a muddled mush that will cause even more of you dear readers to put down your newspapers perhaps never to return A example was the Philadelphia Inquirer's apology for an editorial that suggested poor black women should be provided with free contraceptive implants Ironically the apology kicked off a second round of mail criticizing the newspaper for wimping out on a stand that was rare in its boldness and candor about a subject that remains rightly or wrongly on a lot of people's minds If newspapers won't tackle important controversies who will? episodes Among other editors cite is the suspension of Pulitzer liberal columnist Jimmy Breslin at Newsday for among other incivilities yelling racist and sexist slurs at a female reporter who had complained by way of a public "bulletin board" in the newspaper's computer system that she thought a column he had written about his politician wife was sex long-cherish- Nor-pla- Prize-winnin- g Korean-America- n As: :: Clarence Page - ? 1st Closer to home for me a syndicated colMike Royko umn by Pulitzer Prize-winnthat lampooned racist and sexist remarks Los Angeles police officers communicated to each other in their car computers was pulled then reinstated minutes before the presses in his home newspaper er the Chicago Tribune rolled after three female staffers two of them black complained that they thought the column itself was offensive These cases and others significant in that they generated more controversy at least initially in their newsrooms than among the readers were discussed by a couple dozen editors and writers and one seminar at cartoonist invited to a the American Press Institute here this week to investigate whether journalists should bf afraid of the "PC threatA session called "Sensitivity or Censorship: The Debate Within" referred by yours truly transpired vigorously and remarkably without blood on the floor and revealed several observations that are worth passing on to meeia critics everywhere a group that includes just about everybody Internal disagreements did not begin the day minorities and women entered the white male preserve that newsrooms were known to be everyone agreed nor are they necessarily unhealthy when properly handled Breslin's behavior was two-da- y volved And "PC" is in the eye of the beholder For every critic who thinks editors shut out news of interest to women and minorities there is another who thinks newsroom liberals are censoring coverage of demonstrators or other conservative causes As US News & World Report's John Leo said "If we're going to Pri be( ab( Hit tio gat scE re' anti-aborti- be fair to minorities let's be fair to all minorities" Agreed As a member of the first generation of blacks to be hired by major dailies for any job ranking above that of janitor I would be the last to say that newspaper editors and staffs don't need to learn a thing or two about sensitivity to the concerns of all groups that traditionally have been left out — or for that matter might be left out in the future Editors ultimately have to be sophisticated enough to serve as their own "thought police" to be mindful of their diverse audience's diverse concerns yet courageous enough not to back away from controversy when they think they're right When in doubt don't "take it out" as the old saying goes Instead let it out Let the readers decide Chances are good that the public is not nearly as upset about it as some staff members are Either way it is better to know for sure than to try to your audience Dave Bo Idt the Inquirer's embattled editorial page editor wisely suggested that maybe we in the media should accept the fact that "the media always gets it slightly wrong We're shooting from horseback We're writing the first draft of history The question is can we have a vigorous debate on important issues under circumstances that permit that degree of error?" If the alternative is wimpy journalism it's no contest bri rig mc thf rot po Pr eu th( se er Ut no st1 'or to 4e secon- d-guess se tat In stl rig Couldn't See Straight to Fire Missiles s the 72 hours of ": - ''' ks Christopher Smart - - ealli goo( A by a law-revie- w fice Castro built in 32 years cannot be instantly dismantled and replaced no matter how corroded and decrepit it is This means carefully preparing for subsequent days following Castro's tumble into the dust bin of history along with other failed communist systems not simply hastening the arrival date for that fateful fall — 6:4- that ' 0 A He i one te4f41 Utinu ) ''''''''t 13( - nu 044010 IN 1 1(k hemisphere But to fully distinguish democracy and freedom in this regard the transition needs political and economic patience an understanding that the edi- 1 t r't!'::1Z k viet Union The results could be even more explosive While they may be willing to see Fidel "retired" Cubans who stuck with him remained in their country developed what they consider to be a personal commitment to and stake in Cuba's future whatever that may be are not likely to view returning emigres as lawful heirs making a priority claim on a lost possession Yes Cuba could use some of the financial investments that Cubans who became wealthy in Florida might provide Surely "democracy and freedom" will be crucial as the island country strives to catch up with the rest of the '' " -- - Edwin Yoder new-foun- I A10 u tro's Cuba has been significantly influenced by those Cubans immigrating to the United States settling principally in Florida It's an ethnic population as apt to make a claim on the remnants of failed communism in Cuba as the vari"inous republics asserting d dependence" from a disintegrating So- Coup-Motto- ci ' dOMPAINIEME Let Philippines Go It Alone Prospects for the Philippines extending US leases on Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Station are dimming by the day However the base agreements' expiration is no cause for American alarm The fate of Clark is sealed now that Mount Pinatubo's eruption has cally destroyed the base and US nego tiators have offered to give it up next year But the United States had proposed holding on to Subic another 10 years With 12 of 23 Philippine senators in opposition there is little chance an extension on Subic will be granted when the 1947 lease expires Monday The apof the senators or proval of 16 is required for such a treaty The sentiment is simply too strong that the last vestiges of American colonial trol must go even if the departure cuts deeply into the Philippine economy Sen Aquilino Q Pimentel has predicted that the Philippines would be a more independent nation stronger without Subic despite the projected loss of the hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of Filipino jobs connected to the base As it is he explained the Philippines has become too dependent on the United States for its fense security and economic survival And in the view of some the nomic impact will be less drastic than portrayed While the United States is "" TI" 'Freedom Democracy' in Cuba Means 'After Castro' Planning litical ascendancy could spoil the ' Thomas Must Avoid Political Bait in Game Where 'Natmeal Law' Is Mere Legal Pawn rEldDITORIALS While the Bush administration does everything it can to propel the eviction of communism from Cuba it ought also to be conjuring what the consequences will bring Hollering out "freedom and democracy" isn't answer enough Almost jumping out of his skin with excitement at the news that Moscow is recalling military forces it previously stationed in Cuba US Secretary of State James L Baker HI reflected the Bush White House's intention to be there smiling when Fidel Castro is displaced An ugly violent struggle for po- : SATURDkY September 14 1991 9 ZEht5alt A! 7 Tribune Staff Writer "Stupid Committee of Eight" as they have come to be known took the nuclear codes from Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev had the red That's right the hard-liner- s button And they could have launched a nuclear war mybe And it has recently come out — this is no he folks — that a number of the Stupid Eight were drinking heavily during their reign They were literally drunk with power Of course the Stolys didn't hurt either Gennady Yanayev the former Soviet vice president and ousted Prime Minister Valentin Pavlov were apparently so blitzed as they wandered around the Kremlin clutching bottles of vodka that they could barely keep track of events as they unfolded during the coup Imagine them in one of those towers of the Kremlin looking down on Moscow right after the KGB refused to fire its tanks at Boris Yeltsin who was holed up in the Russian Parliament building l'anayer Those damn borsht eaters won't fire their guns Pavlov Perhaps we should have a drink comrade N'anayev: To whom shall we drink corn rade Boris Yeltsin? Pavlov: You are taking this whole thing much too seriously Let's toast to power Yanayev: If they don't shoot Yeltsin the coup will die and we will die with it Pavlov: Let's drink then We don't have much to lose Yanayev: Pour me another one comrade Perhaps we should nuke someone while we still have the chance Pavlov: But who shall we nuke comrade? Yanayev: Let's nuke Yeltsin That will teach him to stand up to communism Pavlov: But comrade that would be like nuking ourselves First of all each missile has many warheads Secondly one warhead would level all of Moscow And not only that we don't know how accurate those things are anyway Yanayev: Don't bore me with the details comrade I want to kill something Let's nuke Germany then I never did like them anyway Pavlov: But what about Yeltsin? Yanayev: To heck with Yeltsin I want to nuke something Let's nuke New York City We would be doing people h favor Pavlov: That may be true but then some people might label us as irrational Yanayev: Pour me another vodka comrade Let's drink to the old times to Len-fito Stalin and to Marx Pavlov: Let's drink to power and the n party Yanayev: OK how about this: we nuke Disney World and hit the capitalists where it hurts most That will show them Pavlov: But what about Yeltsin t A a |
