| Show oA1 z 1 co!rzrz:TrAny The Salt Lake Tribune I'm Coqr v:T-- -- It r t 13 Ar II4C - tAt4D Wtte Ytts oi SucasottY 11: 441Z castRT PMCS LC-101S- s ikSINCY r4 V rf - ' j t A Ii 1W '' t fo ' i itz IF- -:p v 4rit - X : 0'' ' f ?r' 4''‘I :' t -' ' I ‘ ( i''''t'' ' '''4:': pr- -- Nt 4 ti k t- - 15r 574P 1 t it s) ' (1- rzo‘''" r$: 1ho1 --''-'' '' 01 4 t2 107 "te 11 Of - - ulzg 00 elrE LOV&IARNCE t IiimonomobonaNnimmmmon '1103111as CHICAGO TRIBUNE Should Hold to Convictions SERVICE WASHINGTON — Fearing he was in a minefield he could not es- - cape Clarence Thomas last week disavowed natural law and told Senate Judiciary he has never in 18 years argued the merits of Roe vs Wade the most controversial court decision of his generation Since 1973 said Thomas he had discussed Roe only "in the most general sense that other individuals express concerns one way or the other and you listen and you try to be thoughtful If you are asking me whether or not I have ever debated the contents of it the answer to that is no senator" Having watched Robert Bork go down to bloody defeat defending disputed ground Thomas has been slowly retreating from his advance positions He is buying time holding his Senate base for the few weeks left before confirmation Too bad For whether or not there is a natural law a higher law e law higher than than the Constitution is a question that might have been beneficially engaged Thomas Jefferson believed it After all his Declaration of Independence refers to the "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" And the great legal scholar Sir William Blackstone long ago asserted "The law of nature dictated by God Himself is binding in all countries and at all times no human law is of any vitlidity if contrary to this " Indeed is this not what we mean when we speak of universal human rights? Whence come those rights if not from God? And if there is no higher law than the laws of the state upon what ground did we put to death the German officers half a century man-mad- : ago? Though Hitler's regime was recognized by the West though his Nuremburg laws were validly enacted still men said those laws were unjust and invalid At the war crimes trials the Germans who offered the defense 1 Pat Ii Buchanan Lf - '1ini19111111111 that they were "only following or- ders" were given short shrift But if they were not to follow the laws of Germany or the orders of their commanders whose laws whose orders were they to obey? A graduate of Holy Cross Thomas was surely exposed to the natural-lateachings of St Thomas Aquinas at the heart of which is the dictum lex mak lex nulla ie a wicked law is no law at all The whole broad issue is one that divides conservatives Harry Jaffa of the Claremont Institute for Natural Law argues that the organic document of our Union is not the Constitution but the Declaration of Independence which proclaims that Americans "hold these truths to be that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life Liberty and the pursuit of w self-evide- nt Happiness" not only was the Fugitive Slave Law a lex trida and !lex nulla but John Brown and his band were morally right at Harper's Ferry Was their hanging a moral atrocity? Consider abortion To many of us who believe in natural law the unborn child at conception is endowed with a right to life and entitled to have that life protected (The only justification for abortics under this concept is to preserve the life of the mother The reasoning: If through no fault of its own the unborn child has inadvertently become a mortal threat that threat to the mother's life may be removed) And a Supreme Court that holds that the right to an abortion is embedded in the US Constitution has taken an action not only unconstitutional but morally repugnant Regrettably the confirmation process does not permit these issues to be debated Instead what we have is an inquisition and a phony inquisition at that The nominee renounces or abjures Ideas and opinions he !ls expressed and the senators declare they now have no reason to reject him — even though the senators suspect the nominee is not leveling and the nominee is trying to yield as few of his convictions as possible while retaining his self-estee- m That Jaffa writes is an examreasoning As ple of natural-lafor the Constitution it was crafted to "perfect" a union that already existed for 13 years And "in defnaerence to man's ture" that Constitution "made certain compromises with slavery partly because of those compromises it dissolved in the presence of a great crisis The man — or the character of the man who bore the nation through that crisis seems to me the highest thing in the American regime" Jaffa's view of natural law of equality of Lincoln is not to put it mildly shared by all conservatives If all men are equal and have an equal right to choose their rulers then slavery is inherently evil and w non-angel- ic NEWPAPERS 1 1 - ti i I WASHINGTON — If the fight over Clarence Thomas had been a heavyweight championship bout it would have ended in a first round knockout Sure the 14 senators on the Judiciary Committee were still back pedaling around the ring throwing feeble legal flurries But barring a pratfall Thomas won a Supreme Court job with the first punch Give credit to his White House handlers who made their glare of dumb mistakes in the past for choreographing Thomas' early KO i I I I l i : 1 I ! A They knew Robert Bork had blown his 1987 shot at the Supreme Court by appearing to be a bizarre Dr Strangelove on television They had Thomas study videocassettes of Bork's blunders They tormented him in endless "murder board" rehearsals Thomas was prepped for TV like a Miss America contestant And they counted heavily on the "Pinpoint (Ga) Strategy" betting that liberal opponents would be flattened by Thomas' emotional life story As he began talking in a firm steady baritone about his black boyhood in a white segregated world Thomas aimed straight at the TV cameras "I can still hear my grandfather: 'Y'all goin' to have mo' of a chance than me' And he was right" said Thomas Cleverly because critics claim Thomas ignores the civil rights firebrands who paved his way he paid homage to retired Justice Thurgood Marshall and to Martin Luther King Jr: "They opened the doors" But Thomas' cool was shattered — he choked and fought back tears as he recalled the humilia Sandy F DALE WHIT Salt Lake City:' mod- No y 1 the most advanced- We have come My proposal is simple: Give Priority - technological medical society ino the world We are also the mot shameful society that exists We don't even know how to take care of our own people who are 1114 dire need of help There are meain cal problems such as catastrophie3 illness that we shamefully ignord' The demand that we have to mitt the roadway back to the people What better opportunity than now to turn newly reconstructed 500 East into a bicyclists' and walkers' route Local motorized access could be limited to a narrow lane in the gutter the way most bicycle routes presently exist There are already Inajor arteries to the east and west in 300 East and 700 East to handle the trafmajority of the north-sout- $100000 up front before a loved one can have a operat a tion is disgusting Most Americans toil and pay inia surance and pray they are protected only to have this dream de stroyed by an unfortunate: catastrophe which can happen: anyone Let lawmakers know that if this is nnt their No 1 priority then they no longer need our votes life-savin- h fic If thè Salt Lake Valley is truly to become a cosmopolitan city of the '90s it needs alternative transportation 1 am one resident who wouldn't mind the street on which I reside becoming the first alternative-traffic route GT KUCIA g HERB WOMBLE Woods Cross Salt Lake City RUI III 01 46314:4v V ) '") t r i 1'' ' ': P ilf:::i 'if ' 1 gre--10- Z: tj ii- - anti-femini- st 4 i pi !' tt I :::: 7: ! tro:1 34 k: ::q ‘- - IA ' ? 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I r life 1 40P No 1 I ' I I your 1 - IA 1 I strisize k'' t t 4e )JI ' t (73) :::::::: :t I 1:At Ati3 ie ::''" 't :::::t: g:?: 0:11: - : g::''::::'::::-- u ' ' ':?:: ) :l -- 1 ‘4 i "- V -- ' i I i -- ife:':I' ?'': :(1'i' - J 0 I' j t - 47:::::::::::::i::::::::1i::::::: r7-- ) 1 ”" 17 ?J 1 i71 Now's the time For the counseling the encouragement the meals the morale that will help you get down to a healthy new size All you have to do is call : 1 I ' I A 1 1 c it " 00 r F00-wa- tt - 4 "Lt°°--11 ei J 71k level-heade- - g fire-eat- 500FF SPeciclINumnYsreferir todc?cises °ncincit irbr'cludiudeev°Itht14°nc°5tfeecit and cannot be combined with other otters Void OUR FULL SERVICE Tot only with the purchase ci a nem proorocn ci 'oportKipating center One discount per person See center for details Offer expires 02191 N lp-800-321-T- HI " er - 1 PROGRAM 0 ss P 4 i '! ern alternative-energsetting that the Salt Lake Valley could be- LI I ti' set- Id size - Id clean-energ- y n (- b D-- 0 i' J enthusiast It was in this slowed-dowting that I had a dream of the 1 ' modern thoroughfare for the LORIN TWEDE Magna Grady D-D- el ar rush-hou- d ously subdued uncombative and befuddled as he questioned Thomas In an addled way Kennedy tried to paint Thomas as self-hel- p As a resident on 500 East I'd grown familiar with the 7 am to 10 pm background roar of traffic from the busy street This summer's drainage project between 2700 South and 300 r backSouth ended the up in front of my house and surprisingly created a citizen's thoroughfare in the process Every evening after the construction workers go home bicyclists and walkers occupy the newly lain concrete and 500 East is transformed into an efficient Regarding the article entitled "World Events Prove End is Near Group Says" (The Salt Lake Tribune Sept 3) I want to clarify a few things and avoid some possible misunderstandings First I don't belong to the American Study Group although I did learn some interesting things at meetings I attended about six months ago As far as I know nobody actually joins or becomes a member but it is rather a public forum with guest speakers attracting a variety of Constitution-mindepeople some much more extreme in their views than others I did not notice a doomsday mentality as much as interested and concerned citizens who want to do more than sit back and watch as their freedoms are eroded by politicians and bureaucrats If you believe everything coming out of Washington and Moscow leading up to the New World Order (a global Big Brother) then you should "read their lips" as well as lessons of history along with the scriptural warnings of a phony world peace Don't be deceived by the smiling and flattering "wolves" with all their promises It is possible to know the truth of all things and not be led down the garden path to accept a global dictatorship Warren Court that were rooted in politics ideology and the agenda of a pack of judges most of whom are dead Hopefully Judge Thomas will be approved He is a good man in a bad situation handling it as best he can But looking back the defiant Robert Bork who would neither yield his convictions nor hide them from his inquisitors grows in stature Abortion? As expected Thomas ducked At least one senator Patvowed he'd oprick Leahy pose Thomas unless he got a straight answer on Roe vs Waft Fat chance tion of being black in Pinpoint Ga Affirmative action? Quotas? "I watched as my grandfather Thomas went unchallenged on his was called 'boy' "I watched as my grandmother controversial views that blacks must rely on not governsuffered the indignity of being dement power nied use of a bathroom" And Thomas went unscathed on At that moment the battle over his past as head of the Equal EmClarence Thomas effectively endployment Opportunity Commised sion where by liberal standards two of months Never mind the he was a disaster dissection by left and right of To the White House imagemeisThomas' legal opinions Never ters1 Sen Orrin Hatch Rmind the vicious TV ads There Utah delight their main cheerleader was no way 14 white senators four closed the by lobbing marshof them millionaires were going mallows at day Thomas "My job will to bully Clarence Thomas — or in be to the Constitution not uphold the end keep him off the court personal or political theories" After that dramatic punch the said Thomas flawlessly senators and Thomas fell into a No wonder when the gavel boring clinch Sen Joseph Biden banged Thomas leaped up with a the committee chairman grin Ile exuberantly engaged in a convoluted quiz on hugged everyone in sight includ"natural rights" ing Ted Kennedy Thomas switching opinions in Wary senators hadn't laid a midair like a trapeze artist lost glove on him Thomas had been some credibility Repeatedly he articulate d if a bit oddball fool- slippery His early emotion-packe- d recanted right-winishness: "I disagree with the artipunch that made every cle That was a throwaway line network sound bite had won the I don't believe that" Battle of Television In effect Thomas seemed to say After the first round there of his "natural law" utterances: seems no way Thomas can miss the "That was moonshine I used to Supreme Court — unless he reveals he's a secret Ku Klux Klan softsoap conservatives" "Every time he was confronted member a hashish addict or an with his record he backed away" admirer of "Mein Kampf" said Kate Michelman of the NaClarence Thomas has been tional Abortion Rights Action poor black young and gifted a novelty the senators cannot resist League "I found it astonishing" Sen Ted And he's no Bork That will be Usually a enough appeared curi Kennedy Walkers' Route five-ye- I( 1 These men who clutter our streets begging for money are a discredit to suah Pnfittractive city and are getting as numerous as i rabbits in Australia With free prepared meals and lodging supplied by Concerned Citizens for Community Re sources is it essential these parasites be on the streets? I handed out four cards which read "Free prepared meals" giving the time and place of such As I handed these men the cards I told them to go here for food and then it will give you more time search for work One man refused the card and the other three crumbled them up and threw them on the sidewalk L watched the man who sits in front) of ZCMI and he crammed dollar after dollar into his pocket Most of the money was given by womeh- tone of whom possibly had lea than he did I lived in Fort Wayne for 50 years and can't member ever experiencing such person appealing on the streets i These men are not hungry not are all homeless but instead live) off the public as a mistletoe lives off the tree it strangles They wanti money to come easily and are asa useless to society as last year's bird nest Since the city has made provisions to feed and house thegei: people can we now have an orai- nance prohibiting such a practieet Public Forum letters must be submitted exclusively to The Tribune and bear writer's full name signature address and telephone number Names milst be printed on political letters but may be withheld for good reason on others Writers are limited to one letter of 300 words or less every 14 days Preference will be given to typewritten (d3uble spaced) letters permitting use of the writer's true name All letters are sub Jett to condensation Mall to the Public Forum The Salt Lake Tribune PO Box 887 Salt Lake City Utah 84110 Clarifies Views 4- Outlaw Begging- - -- A: Forum Rules I " The nominee be he Judge Robert Bork Judge David Souter or Judge Clarence Thomas is forced to compromise his convictions by having to hide or deny them in exchange for his seat As for the Grand Inquisitors they have their own rigid orthodoxy — the precedents of the Thomas KOs Senators in 1st Round KMGHT-RIDDE- irmoonommommoimmmemenor (Forum "Baptism Aug 30) a pathetic example of humor I also read the article in The Salt Lake Tribune to which be referred and viewed it with anger and disgust I was angry at the people who correct inforgave the mation to the reporter of this newspaper However I was really disgusted at the way The Tribune presented it to readers I don't think you have to worry about whom you should contact to stop yourself from entering the "pearly gates" as a Mormon The reporter of the article you refer to forgot an important part of her journalistic duty for she didn't add all the facts Nobody (including Mormons) has any guarantee of getting into Heaven FERN H HUNT Salt Lake City Post-Mortem- -t ' 1 No Guarantee I found Mickey Bryner's letter 'ri:7: N 0 1' 1 - t ii k-'4-'k tti i A t 4 11 i141i) I i lA- 4 i 'Ali - -- I Tribune Readers' Opinions I - -- )1-til- 1 : v4 'e -- lot 1 14:440 - 11:14KYOU CLARENCE —:!"14: --- - -- LE t Tile D 1 ul3he Forum V17134i Nll t To facca us Clow) NG fft7--t--"'71C- trier 07401160 P T-- Cil TAT:MIS tr--) P IN IN rzt IVAs MOW (AMARA) Cilrilir Fnr) aft? MAN A9 Monday September 16 1991 '' I - |
