Show MOB Thursday April i 242003 A4 The Herald Journal National view Have we forgotten Eisenhower’s warning? Houston Chronicle N ow that the sounds of the war arc fading the dink clink of US business interests in Iraq is clearly audible The US government’s concern for US profits it turns out is at least as strong as its French counterpart Highly evident and troubling today the swift revolution of doors between Washington and the corporate world evokes President Eisenhower's warning about the dangers of the military-industri- al complex Houston-base- d Halliburton run by ' Vice President Dick Cheney until he became George W Bush’s running mate was hired by the Array Corps of Engineers to put out Iraqi oil fires perform emergency oil field repairs and clean up spills and pollution The big plum went to the Bechtel Group a construction behemoth based in Competing o in a Pentagon invitational tourna- ment Bechtel won the right to bill as much ast$680 million over 18 months rebuilding Iraq’s roads utilities and other infrastructure Aside from its substantial campaign contributions to both parties Bechtel’s most visible link to the Bush administration is George Schultz A longtime Bechtel director Schultz was secretary of state during the first Bush administration and chairs the advisory board of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq Having encouraged the taxpayers to underwrite much of the recent destruction in Iraq Schultz now wants the taxpayers to pay his company to make repairs Perhaps these two companies got the job because they are the best qualified But the fact remains that the companies with the best political connections won and those without such connections lost time to help take care of the serious problem of pet overpopulation -- 1 Tt Writers is nothing like being on a road trip especially a Weston triad trip On die road anything is possible The rest of life falls away into another dimension If it isn’t a frontier of possibility it’s at least a paved with us through rush hour there were ribbon of it maybe six with more than a single On a trip years ago I remember person inside hiatus all the in Truth or During that stopping Consequences linear of living stuff NM to eat lunch in the park with I went about my bank poof forgot my wife and two young sons After account about my work Back in the we ate I walked across the grass to “real” world we roared into war get the car and with Iraq? the stock market flounit around bring dered the Celtics stayed four games to the swings back and our pet rat accustomed hertodwhere the self to the scene at a friend’s house dlers were All of it flew out of my consciousI playing ness I have to admit that to a signifdrove to the icant extent I encouraged that flight end of the When hesblock and halfway along we could have ' called the housesitters Marypat and itated before shrugged and turning I v “never racked up die phone could juspdrive away I thought I instead What Tim left with from ' could turn left and get on die highway towards Mexico go off and live that time is a collage of images unmoored from the mother ship of a different life This impulsive crazy thought my life: watching the boys pick a flashed across the mental landscape couple of lemons from trees lining a I then turned toward the swings highway near Ventura Calif how long it takes spit to fall to the ocean where I saw the boys and my wife from the middle of the Golden Gate Weird I've just returned from a Bridge how toneless and soft Snow White’s arm looked as she waved break road trip to California More than 3000 miles encompassing such from the parade which ads every workday at Disneyland the ragtag disparate experiences as Las Vegas line of cars parked next to a straw- and Disneyland on one end of the spectrum and on the other groves of beny field where migrant workers ‘redwoods and the Pacific coastline plants stooped over boy-lade- n In there too imprinted sharp and Jumbled between them: the grayness vivid ait the nervous hand-lik- e of Nevada the glittering mountains motions made by the flipper of a at Donner Pass the impression that cell phones have evolved into physibaby elephant seal we saw abandoned or waiting on a beach near cal appendages and the stupendous the Channel Islands Or the time glut of traffic in Los Angeles where thousands of vehicles among jostling who I stopped to look closely at the 12-d- ay To the editor: My friend and I received a call from Four Paws asking us if we female could foster a puppy that had been tossed from a car out by Four Paws Sanctuary on Easter Day This puppy was matted and filthy and obviously in pain She was taken to a veterinarian by Four Paws for assessment of injuries After she was taken to the vet she was brought to our home for foster care for two weeks After bathing her we realized how badly hurtsne really was Her back pads had been completely ripped off and all pads were in terrible condition We call her Easter and Four Paws called her Bunny so we like to call her Easter Bunny Having her in our home for less than one day we found her to be the sweetest little dog For the people who did this and you know who are shame oh you! And for those of you who are thinking about it shame on you! We realize that we are not a big city and have no ASPCA to make people accountable for their cruelty to animals Being two friends with dogs of our own we were horrified at the treatment of Easter Bunny People need to realize that w hen they bring pets into their home they become family members You don't discard family members do you? We understand that not everyone feels the way that we do but you must realize that bringing a pet into the family is a lifelong commitment and please don't take this commii- ment lightly! Family pets have feelings too Easter Bunny will be up for adopi-lio- n in Salt Lake at the PelsSmart oh approximately 800 South on May 2 3 and 4 If you have the love to give and would like to see Easter Bunny and give her a new lease on life you can contact us at Jebony 5 £ aolcom People y ou need to lake more responsibility for your pets and have them spayed or neutered There is The Big Fix which help out there is a mobile unit comes to Logan V every year to help with low-co- st spaying and neutering Take advantage of it They are wonderful and caring people who give of their own ' ByAlanKesseffieim on the Range Your View Pet3 require commitment Traveling west of the daily grind Jane Young and Deborah Pitcher day-to-d- Logan No you snap out of it Mr Gregory To the editor I read with interest the letter with the headline “Snap Out of it Ameri- ca’ Mr Gregory you ask “Why is this man so popular?” I’ll tell you why Because die majority of the Ameri-8S- h peopft are'giiided by their con- science rather than some left wing playbook like so many of you liberals are And by the way where were you and your kind when Bill bless his heart was bombing aspirin factories and killing janitors to divert attention from his immoral acts with an intern? Where were you when an American government airplane crashed loaded with many top business leaders and Bill’s men aboard who were on a mission to try to drum up business around the world for some of Bill's corporate contribu- - tors? Where were you when Bill personally leaned on Russia’s top dogs to buy more chicken produced in Arkansas by top campaign contribu- tors? It would appear to me that America snapped out of it sometime ago leaving only a few of you left wingers with your heads buried in the sand (or some other dark place) with nothing else to do but whine Boohoo! ay J Preston Christian Science Monitor X These letters and other opinion pieces in The Herald Journal may express opin- ions that do not align exactly with your own If you disagree please respond with a letter to the editor or contact editor Charles McCollum about a possible guest com- 1 Ext3020 mentary (Phone: cmocollumOhjnewscom) See information box at bottom of page for more details 752-212- il: Internet has allowed many Americans faster access to government whether it’s to find a ZIP code renew a driver's license file a tax return respond to a jury summons or even cheek the endangered-specie-s list More than of Americans now have Internet access at tome work or school A remarkable 75 percent have visited a government We site and a similar number say such sites make it easier to stay informed about government services two-thir- ds Non Sequilur ‘e-governm- according to a survey by the nonpartisan Council for Excellence in Government But the survey also reveals some ambivalence about privacy and more Internet access to government services percent said that submitting personal information to government sites may risk the security and privacy of that information Twenty-tw- o percent said they’re not confident about the protection of their privacy online 20 percent don’t think the Internet is secure Thirty-thre- e percent said the government’s top priority for its Web sites should be to make them more Forty-tw- o The Opinion page is Intended to acquaint readers with a variety of viewpoints on metiers of pubic importance and provide jnsmbsts of the community with a forum for Mr views Personal columns cartoons and tetters from readers reflect tie opinions of their writers and creators Edtorfab under the headngOur — VI0W FBOffNIll inf VWWS OT Wit ntflKI JOUmH — I1M jJ m§ tunonii or dowu Momoeri dowo 1 i- DARRELL EHRUCKfcKyedNor CINOY mhwmpout cf a multitude die impulsive impossible-to-susta- in abandon of road life but that I also might not be able to recapture the openness to the fragments I found there those bits to grab told of before they float away I say loss because in the long run I’m not at all sure whether it’s more important to know what I have in the bank or whether to hang tight to the supple way a newborn flipper can move in the sand grabbing and stroking knuckles working under the shiny dark skin with the surf of the Pacific boiling in over the black rocks Alan Kesselheim is a contributor to Writers on the Range a column service of High Country News (hcnorg) He writes in Bozeman Montana ent’ Herald Journal rcronmnar 1 vusyew corvfasbns are more after-mat- Other views Concerns about Tom Rowley bark of a redwood tree how there were dozens and dozens of tiny spi- der webs hanging in the clefts and overhangs hundreds to every tree their webbed baskets draped with dew waiting for prey I was struck for whatever reason by a gathering of men at a McDonald’s we stopped at somewhere in California: a bunch of guys in their 70s hanging out drinking coffee and eating breakfast burritos jovial and at ease Driving home across Nevada I thought tow an underpinning of desperation squats in the air there a kind of decay in this state where the whole enterprise is driven by gambling Now I’m back and it’s the h of war that’s in the news The kids have homework waiting I am rudely reminded just how much I do have in the bank account I’m back but unable to shake a nagging feeling of loss of a closing window of per--' ception It feels on the treddmiil1 ' again as though I have not only 16st tftoiywtfantfao - Mooffov cmft any YURTHMurse sdlor BRUCE SMTHjpuMsher CHARLES McCOLLUMAnanaging edtor secure for conducting business Last year Congress authorized $345 million for expanding at the federal level over the next four years Yet congressional appropriators so far have funded only $5 million of that amount for fiscal year 2003 It’s up to the White House Con- gress and governmental agencies to shepherd foe fledgling idea along As they do they’ll need to work to build both privacy safeguards and trust Meanwhile end-use- rs themselves have a responsibility to become more educated and informed about security on the Web BSK I nt novSK) journal woiconwf MBit V) Hi edttor Potentially ttrelous or offensive totters 1 k an k WM hN 0QROT m N pUCTHntO nOWtVtff HQ reserves tie right to edit el Mere to conform to Ire length and style requirements of tie Letters should be: Typewritten and double spaoad No more than 450 words In length Addraesed and include daytime phone number for purposes of verilicaSon Signed by the author Indviduals are limited to one published lat- ter within any period AddrecsE-ma- l lettets to hjletterOhjnewexom Quest commentaries ere also welcome and are run at 30-da- fte editor’s of autumtatiut selection' — fdgi Leanedfind America jurist J (1S72-196- discretion 1) |