| Show The Salt Lake Tribune COMMENTARY The Public Formn Ic el 1 : -- tartiirs o4:1110211-- : 166404 :' r"1 ' '714 ': - ' ' It1444 'It - ''' fIPrw '' 1 I ' :c' r7 f0 : Wk4k::' ili A ‘ I 6th----- : 'iQ''':'- ' 14 ' - 1' tAirglLi!'- - ' '111r lex' - i PLI ' : s A di At 011 - NYC IIP' witill mk ''''''' Lf: ' ' ' ::-:! - ' :: :' Ni4 USA Sexual Ignorance I am writing concerning the sto- 1111111111111 '' 0 i Yasser Arafat PLO Leaders Becoming Weak Point Of Political Agenda Once-Dynam- ic By Emile A Nakhleh FOR THE BALTIMORE SUN Yasser Arafat's support for Saddam Hussein during the Persian Gulf crisis significantly weakened the Palestine Liberation Organization as an international player and rendered it irrelevant in the Middle East peace process The decision-makinparalysis of Arafat and his advisers has become an impediment rather than an impetus to peace It is time for the Palestine National Council to elect a new leadership The peace process and the Palestinian cause would be better served if the pLo acquired a new chairman and a new executive committee with more representation from the West Bank and Gaza In talking to Palestinian leaders in the occupied territories one gets the impression that they are genuinely interested in peace with Israel they are also flexible and willing to compromise However they readily recite the statement that the PLO is the only body that can negotiate on behalf of the Palestinians and that they would not participate in peace negotiations without PLO approval It is clear to Palestinian leaders in the occupied territories that the position of the PLO has brought economic disaster to the Palestinian community — in the gulf in Jordan and in the West Bank and Gaza Arafat has been unable to recover from that grave miscalculation The coalition Arab states including Egypt have rejected his overtures and the Western coalition countries especially the United States and England have been equally adamant in maintaining distance from the g now-famili- ar pro-Sadda- PLO be translated into policy the PLO must rid itself of failed leadership West Bank and Gaza leaders well cognizant of the reality of the Israeli occupation and the poor economic conditions of their people are eager to see a movement on the peace front and to participate in it But they are frustrated by the paralysis of the Arafat leadership in Tunis Tunisia The Palestinian intifada has lost much of its momentum and direction Whatever psychological political and moral gain the intifada might have made in its first two years seems to have dissipated Again the weakened PLO and the disarray within the leadership have contributed to this situation Since the gulf crisis the economic conditions of Palestinians in the occupied territories have worsened and the level of violence against Palestinians has risen dramatically both by Palestinians and by Israeli occupation forces The widespread unemployment in the West Bank and Gaza and the policies of the gulf states have added to the economic hardships of Palestinians under occupation More and more Palestinians are calling for a change in tactics as well as in strategy A vast majority of Palestinians in the occupied territories still supports the creation of a Palestinian state as envisioned in the 1988 PLO declaration of independence But disagreements have developed over the implementation of independence The Palestinian press openly debates who should speak for Palestinians and in what context At least five positions can be distinguished The centrist group represented by such leaders as pro-PL- The Palestinian people's identification with the PLO for psychological and political reasons is understandable But for this bond to Hanan Faisal Ashrawl Radwan Abu Ayyash Hanna Siniora and others has called for negotiations with Israel on the basis of "land for peace" The Islkmist group represented principally by Hamas has argued that the policies of moderation have not produced any tangible results and therefore the Palestinian leadership Should no longer offer any concessions The radical secularists best represented by the Shabab youth leaders of the intifada oppose Arafat's leadership and advocate more hard-linpolicies The group represented by successful buci:assmen and entrepreneurs has dvocated a more active role by Jordan and closer coordination between King Hussein and the PLO leadership The new group of relatively younger Palestinian intellectuals e academics professionals and journalists has called for open debate of the issues in the press and has advocated solutions that are based on a pragmatic assessment of the realities on the ground New Palestinian initiatives and approaches to the peace process now seem to be coming from the West Bank and Gaza The PLO is becoming marginalized If the Palestinian people are bent on identifying with it as the embodiment of their political aspirations then the PLO must elect new leadership to better reflect the interests influence and demography of the West Bank and Gaza Palestinians Unless a new leadership is elected — one that is not associated with the disastrous Hussein policies — the PLO canin the not expect to peace process or to regain its stature as a regional player 4:40: 'r'"' I itn most elaborate political strategy can backfire In this case the White House was just too cute The opposition of the conservative Alabama Democrat doesn't mean the Thomas nomination is in any serious jeopardy Even after the Judiciary Committee split believed it Senate likely that Thomas would win confirmation by a comfortable margin But Heflin's decision should be taken as a warning that there are limits beyond which the White House cannot go in tailoring a candidate for political purposes What is most striking about the Heflin vote is that he originally was strongly inclined to vote for Thomas Heflin was favorably impressed when Thomas paid him a courtesy call as a part of the routine that has become preliminary to committee hearings Heflin was so struck by Thomas' story about how he had been shocked by some white reaction to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr that the Alabama senator made a point of eliciting that story from Thomas during his testimony Moreover the political equities all argued for Heflin supporting the nomination Thomas enjoyed heavy support among black voters who can cast 20 to 25 percent of the vote in Alabama as well as the backing of conservative whites who also have supported Heflin in large numbers No one would imagine that Heflin would gain at home from being identified with the liberal groups that have been leading the opposition to Thomas bomb thrower He is no But over the course of the hearings Heflin who served as chief judge of the Alabama Supreme 7-- Germond Jules Witcover v vote-counte- '1 'f 4 left-win- g Court before coming to the Senate in 1979 displayed increasing uneasiness about Thomas's obvious lack of candor in discussing his views Explaining his decision on the Senate floor Heflin put it this way: "Judge Thomas's answers and explanations about previous speeches articles and positions raised thoughts about inconsistencies ambiguities contradictions lack of scholarship lack of conviction and instability" With the bark off what Heflin was saying was that Thomas's testimony was neither believable nor persuasive And that in turn means that in trying to avoid setting off any controversy that might threaten the confirmation Thomas's White House coaches led him into behaving in a way that diminished rather than enhanced his stature That strategy also has backfired with some of the Republican conservatives who can be relied upon to support Thomas when the Senate votes on confirmation Although willing to go along with President Bush some of them are grousing privately that they would rather have had a nominee who didn't try to conceal his ideology with obfuscation Heflin's vote against Thomas is not likely to have an impact simi r 04 sq f ''' 11'-'-- t ' f Beverage Control With great effort I might find a ' more apt example of the blind leading the blind I refer to the hi governor's appointments to the Citizen's Council on Alcoholic Beverage Control as reported in :) The Salt Lake Tribune Sept The type of output expected from this board is a foregone conclusion considering the apparent i teria for membership I suppose the state seeks the ad- vice of celibates on the issue of sex:: education in the schools and would prefer to have white males:1'i re- impaneled to study inter-raclations Why not appoint a board'''' of nuns to advise the state on the ''' abortion issue? 1 13--- 1 e 1 J WALKER BLACK 1 Sandy triftizeTm 11q ' )''''' 1 4 ' (' I' i ti- 7 A I : : ': ' ' ' '6: 0' e: ' ! I k1 5 4 ' '' f '' i' 7 t4 ' -- Lyn Clark 0 NutriSystem client a t: ki 2- - I $ 11 It ! :1 nutrisize your ' ! i t ' - - ' : " Now's the time For the counseling ' 1 J 1 i ' 1 r '44"440'A' I t g it I °t i f fz 06 4 N 4 : ill the encouragement 1 the meals the morale that will help you get I lo down to a healthy new size All you have to do is call 1 o IJ el'"7 ( I f I r1 life I L' 1I ti :i ! if'' ' 4 !' iI sd r ' :d '‘ ' 1441t i ' z ' tC : ': ? t -Las '' ' 41 A : ) °' I H et 4'F '4ri ti' :: t c - - 4 f 'I'lio tdPi:o '" f' : 't a 4 ::i1644 11: 1 ( 5 feared he would be vulnerable on the two issues abortion rights and affirmative action that mobilized liberal opposition to his nomination As it has turned out Thomas made it through the hearings without ever discussing his position on abortion and without painting himself into a corner on affirmative action In both cases he succeeded in muddying the waters But Clarence Thomas has paid a price in credibility that is obvious in Howell Ileflin's decision to vote against him There are times when political games are just too cute se 121 - ' if : 'I I ea a ff'11 ''' ' :i : - a 4V4Vcf aioim § 401 - o ci:t!x the White House nominated 1 ifl ': ' 58-4- 2 7 1 i 'Al Emile A Nakhleh is professor of political science and chair of the Department of Government and International Studies at Mount Saint Mary's College 9-- ':: :d4 2 ir 0!‘tl pro-Sadda- case the Alabama Democrat's opposition was credited with being the one that provided political cover to other southern Democrats who opposed Bork but were concerned about white conservative reaction at home The Judiciaagainst ry Committee voted confirmation of Bork but passed the nomination to the Senate floor where it was defeated In this case several southerners — including J Bennett Johnston and John Breaux of Louisiana and Sam Nunn of Georgia — already have announced they will support Thomas Moreover it is unlikely there will be more than one or two defections among the 43 Republican senators in large measure because the highly respected John Danforth of Missouri has acted as Thomas's chief sponsor among his colleagues Thus the betting is that there will be no more than 40 votes against Thomas unless there are further developments in the next few days In the end however the vote will be closer than originally expected and for reasons quite different from what had been foreseen When Thomas was CREBS Sandy d simple-minde- g old size lar to the one he cast against Robert Bork four years ago In that Jack W buck-passin- g 14 Political Game Backfires on Thomas WASHINGTON — The decision by Sen Howell Heflin to vote against confirmation of Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court is a classic example of how even the child-abusin- The article "Mentally III Roaming the Streets" (The Salt Lake Tribune Sept 15) by Anne Wilson certainly displays Utah officials at work If ever a public program has been more mismanaged than that of mental illness it would be difficult to imagine In the early '60s President John F Kennedy was persuaded to revamp the national approach close state hospitals and only fund those states which complied with the community mental health center concept Utah had been trying to make its state hospital worthwhile but it was sacrificed foi the 12 mental health centers now operating in our state A program called The Therapeutic Community was terminated It was not costing the taxpayer much and there were no street people then The commitment laws were different during those years Now the law allows the person's mental illness to make the crucial decisions If he or she rejects medication it takes a court order to prescribe it and even then the illness overrides the system The patient simply throws his supply of medication away The revolving door system we have now is a program with patients wandering from one state to another Bus tickets are purchased by the temporary host state to its borders or beyond and this goes on It is a waste of money but worse it is a waste of human life EUGENE J FAUX MD Provo Are we to understand that it is becoming difficult or nearly impossible to have good just laws enacted by people that the majority of this state voted for because we cannot afford to defend them? We need laws defending the right to life for all human beings: the unborn elderly sick handicapped you me and our loved ones : CHICAGO TRIBUNE SERVICE Sun-Sentin- Ticket to Ride Defend Life LP I City Utah 84110 ry in The Salt Lake Tribune Sept 18 which described the debate over what kind of sex education should be offered in our schools There was a comment in the article from a woman who quoted the late Spencer W Kimball saying the best advice is to "be chaste" Unfortunately in many of Utah's families the best advice is no advice Even when advice to be chaste is given many parents don't realize that it is just that advice The decision to have or not to have sex ultimately rests with the individual We teach our children trigonometry chemistry and all these other skills that 95 percent of our youth will never use yet we hesitate to teach them knowledge about a subject that 95 percent of them will eventually use In this day and age ignorance can mean more than an illegitimate pregnancy It can mean the difference between life and death With all the knowledge available today for a child to make a mistake with lifelong consequences because of ignorance or a parent's naivety is truly a sin DAVE WAKEFIELD Kearns : For those concerned with the health and welfare of children the article by Debra R Gibbs of the in Fort Lauderdale The Salt Lake Tribune Sept 19 was infuriating and devoid of common sense Obviously Ms Gibbs believes that the right of a mother to procreate supersedes the rights of her abused children Unlike Ms Gibbs I will not presotend to offer a lution to the difficult question of reproductive rights of abusive parents I want to point out that 0 the restriction of individual rights by judges and juries is older than the Declaration of Independence If you murder or maim you are held accountable by society and incarcerated you lose the right to vote and carry a gun or you might : even lose your life In the case discussed by Ms Gibbs the mother'who abused her two daughters was sentenced to receive a temporary form of birth control presumably to buy the time needed to help the pitiful woman and to avoid new violence against a new small innocent and fragile citizen It is the right and duty of society to protect its members especially children from abuse inflicted by any poorly functioning person including a parent DENNIS W NIELSON School of Medicine ' University of Utah : Public Forum letters must be submitted exclusively to The Tribune and bear writer's full name signature address and telephone number Names must 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 Przference will be given to type written (double spaced) letters permitting use of the writer's true name All letters are sub ject to condensation Mail to the Public Forum The Salt Lake Tribune PO Box 867 Salt Lake earth-carin- g - 'Ilk INC i 0' 4ili 1it Aw it 040100 IlY CARTOONEWS c600001A g itlik:114?!trilltorr 4S' ittill117111 COPYRIGHT 41ri93 I 6111 01991 INTERNATIONAL 1fw 1iiiiik g1111ti Olt - Forum Rules Salt Lake City needs to elect a mayor who demonstrates real awareness of the city's environmental needs Recycling and planting trees is helpful but a much wider agenda of green lifestyle issues in Salt Lake City and other Utah communities must be undertaken The time has come for voters in Salt Lake City and elsewhere in candiUtah to vote dates into office PETER DURKSON Salt Lake City it0‘ 111 etL 4d(te it : --:47- - t- 'I - Mtit y: - iproA - ' - 1 41 :'i:2:1:- Icitilligaialiiiiiiigliall -- '11 c- - '11- - 1 II 9Z Tribune Readers' Opinions Elect Green Mayor Protect Innocent 1 4 -- f zt ' dporge411111Prilbri - i 'Ii '''''''-- 0 111114 ? ' All Monday September 30 1991 IL awy ' I FINAL 500FF SOe(d offer does not Include the cost of NutnSystern foods ond Ortit101 evoluorton fee and connot be comboed with other offers Vold ouR FULL SERVICE PROGRAM u WEEK ony voth the purchase of o new progr am at a porticipouno center' One chscount per person See center for detoils Offer epires 10591 1-800-321-TH1K t ' - t - 1 0101 mqAv 1h4ft1qN4&eo0-A-oAita-4!-4-- |
