| Show it Monday February 23 2004 A4 The Herald Journal Commentary Echos from past resound in current world situations By Jeffrey Shaffer The Christian Science Monitor A I listen to the ongoing media debates and diatribes! about ' US policy in the Persian Gulf I sometimes hear echoes of a familiar voice It's the voice of Walter Matthau portraying Professor Groeteschele in the 1964 film verThe professor sion of "Fail-Safwas never at a loss for an opinion as the ' crisis unfold- ed and always delivered his conclusions with total self-assurance While much of the plot became outdated when the cold war ended Mr Matthau’s character could walk off the screen right now and be ' a perfect guest for Chris Matthews Larry King or Fox News In situations where danger and uncertainty lurk there's something compelling about bold unequivocal advice As politicians and military men in the film react with growing anxiety about the wayward American bombers heading for Moscow Groeteschele offers his assessment without hesitation: “I think if thebombers get through the Russians will surrender" d but Undeterred by a cautious General Black the professor backs his hypothesis with rapid-fir- e e" : - - -- - - hard-nose- ' assertions iThe Russian aim is to dominate the world They think that lUnism must succeed eventually co it me Soviet Union is left intact They know that a war would leave the Soviet Union utterly destroyed Therefore they would surrender” Sounds like an open and shut case Or does it? The same kind of measured interlocking logic can be found in almost every Current discussion about fighting terrorism and bringing stability to Iraq and Afghanistan Critics say wedidn’tsend enough troops to maintain control of the rebuilding phase Others say a bigger military force would make our intentions look more sinister and spark new opposition Does anyone really know what the locals are thinking? Some pundits claim they want us to stay but are afraid to say so I’ve also heard reports about average Iraqis who are cooperating with the occupation by just putting on a good act so the Americans will hurry up and leave And when should we leave any- way? Setting deadlines and sched- ules is risky because the political ' damage can be huge if they don't pah commitments out But such as “We’ll stay as long as it takes” can easily be spun into simpler scarier terms such as “quagmire” For every viewpoint on every issue these days there are versions of Professor Groeteschele I'm a good listener but much of the ' time I’m not sure who’s telling the truth I did however discover one It enduring truth in comes during an early scene as two grizzled pilots are playing pool at an airbase in Alaska One of them com- plains about how military life has changed and says he doesn’t know his crewmen anymore because they’re constantly rotated around His pal says the policy is intended to eliminate personal feelings and then adds a line that will never go out of date: “Everything's more complicated now” open-end- " ' By Joan Ryan real-wor- ld has been e” : -- bovine methane emissions Pandering to business isn’t going to help Two weeks ago the mayor came " up with ‘Ten Commandments” for reducing air pollution In an HJ editorial he offered up “Remember Car Free Friday” and “Thou shalt cocoon during inversion” His worse-tha- at wheel asleep To the editor: Like most politicians who miss the point about dirty air and what’s to be done before it reaches levels for EPA : formance-enhance- Charlton-Heston-performan- ce ed : : gas-gu- z- '’ : - four-whe- : Dairy-farmin- ' char-acte- ng - n- theHJ reports had mayor Doug Thompson’s lament: it the bite of a toy poodle coming down “could hinder economic develop- from the mountain with'no teeth ment” Assuming the HJ reporter If the mayor wants to rid the valley ' took accurate notes this sounds like of air pollution he might spearhead ' the same message ah effort by leaders in Utah to elected officials usually offer as a demand from Congress higher emissop to folks who think unobstructed sions standards for vehicles (I almost wrote “higher emissions standevelopment and free markets are niore worthy than public health dards from Congress but there’s no Mayor Thompson is also reported escaping from that kind of gas) He ' as saying that he hopes for “latitude might take on our local auto dealers from environmental officials when it whose products disguise comes to making the nonattainment" zlers as “family vehicles” when classification” In other words ‘‘Can v they’re classified as trucks in order we cut adeal?” Is he out of his to allow them to escape emission mind? Cache Valley should have the standards applied to ordinary cars book thrown at it No thank you Secondly the mayor might give! inversions like this are not extrabrdi- - ' ' thought to how to make an indiffer-' nary events They are what' We ent public keep from killing them-deserve for lack of foresight and lack selves We do it with taxes on V of will Bad air didn’t exactly sneak tobacco products We do it with alco’ hol Why not do the same with gas up on lis We’ve been asleep at the wheel literally' guzzlers? Let’s tie stiff vehicle taxes Mayor Thompson isn’t the dimwit to emissions Let’s make it difficult he’s occasionally made out to be but V to own vehicles of any typb that if he made those comments he needs threaten our air and please no ' some higher wattage in his bulb: One " mumbo-jumb- o that it would be doesn't have to be Houdini to tinder- unfair to the little guy That’s the ' stand why polluted air is coming out biggest lie of all Little guys don’t d of our hat Note oversized — Humvees or SUVs they’re ' buy drives diesel gulping pick-u- p too expensive v trucks and tanks disguisied as autohas been' mobiles Scott Chisolm declining so there’s no blaming it on Paradise1:' short-sight- rs ever-high- ef : old-tim- e’ perfor- near-myth- ' ic ' : Joan Ryan is a columnist for the Sqn Francisco Chronicle Send comments to her in care of this newspaper or This column and other personal columns 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 V McCollum about a possible guest commentary (Phone: 752-2- 1 21 Ext 3020 See cmccollumOhjnewscom) information box at bottom of page for more details - V edge-ove- r : - - : - Lettersjpolicy The Herald Journal wsloomss letters to the fSI nf B(4tpXlylihifciitorreilWSiVt¥frwM not be published however and the editor The Opinion pegs is Msnded to acquaint readers with a variety of viewpoints on matters ' of public importance and provide members of the community with a foniffi for their views Personal counnsc9rtoons and tetters from readers reflect the opinions of ttieir writers and creators EdNoriaisundsr the hearing T)ur ’ represent the views of the Hereld Journal Members of the eritoifal board: adtorialM V DARREllEHRUCKcity eritor "aNDYYURTHrtBreurMedHor-BRUCE 8MnVpiiUahar - ‘gfit amdusions are more tf tobegatfimioutof a CHARL£8MoCOUUMAnanreprgedtor — at ?eend her Editorial policy’ r r” w Herald Journal v- ’’ In his State of the Union address President Bush devoted several lines to what he perceives as a national crisis “The use of performance-enhancin- g drugs like steroids in baseball footballand other sports is dangerous and it sends the wrong message r--- that there are shortcuts to accomplishment and that performance is more important than the president said But in today’s pro sports perfor-mance is more important than character and no one in Washington " knows that better than Bush a former owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team He didn’t hire players ' because they spent Thanksgiving dishing up food at a homeless did- ter He hired players because they could deliver and got rid of them ' when they didn’t These' are the times we live in whether we want to say it out loud or not These are times too 'in which consumer-driven prescription drugs are advertised bn television for everything we want enhanced from moods to erections So I’m wondering why profession- al athletes shouldn't have the same freedom to make informed choices and fake managed risks for the sake of something as substantial as their livelihoods ' ' Having written this I admit to thinking about the future with some ' dread knowing that every generation strives to top the one before it: M(hat' ' on earth will the sons and daughters of today ’s athletes have to do to sur- pass their superhero parents? dangerous when used improperly But steroids and human growth hormone themselves are not “bad” Doctors prescribe diem for any numhe more I read about the ber of medical and cosmetic reasons steroid scandal spreading across the' So if you concede that these drags nation from the California nutrition are hoe to stay in sports wouldn't and supplement company BALCO the players be safer if they didn’t go the more difficulty I have working to backroom hucksters with no medup a good fit of outrage I find ical background but rather to doctors myself wondering if the time has who can prescribe and supervise come to ask ourselves the radical makShould consider we usage according to a player’s medquestion: ical history physical condition and ing performance-enhancin- g drugs in professional goals? This wouldn’t legal professional sports? Whether we ate ready to acknowlguarantee that players would not suffer damage from die steroids But edge them or not here are the facts: Professional sports have evolved into wouldn’t players be safer if a doctor cutthroat busi- thoroughly explained the risks and benefits and let the players make nessesin informed choices? which perforAlso if safety were so much of a mance is the wouldn’t we stop pumping concern measure only football players full of cortisone and of worth Athletes have painkillers on the sidelines so they can play with broken arms and legs? increasingly I’m willing to bet more football play- turned to pharmaceuticals to os have been irreparably damaged " by simply playing the game than push their per- have been damaged by using formances to the highest and most ' steroids rewarded levels The other main reason Athletes who abstain from the risk falling drags are banned the with hastodo stan-' below the integrity of the playing dards and thus risk losing their jobs game I understand the argument It would not be fair if “juiced” players Teams and leagues' are hardly vigi' broke the records of lant about catching users because players the money pours in when paying cus-- - who didn’t have the benefit of mance-enhancers We’d have to tomers and television executives the some asterisks records watch characters crush by put home runs ur break downfield tack- say Perhaps they’re right ' But I wonder how we take into les ' ' The account other advancements in most important thing to keep ' in mind: The drugs aren't going equipment medical know-ho' away no matter how many rules are physical conditioning and game strategies that give today’s players posted on locker room bulletin boards The horse folks has left the advantages over their predecessors bam Pitching for instance has become so r specialized that closers rarely pitch “Players are willing to do whatev-e' more than air inning at a time allowit takes tb give themselves a chance to be competitive ’’ said one ing them to rack up saves at rates NFL football coach who works in the unheard of in previous generations ' Should therebe asterisks by their Bay Area VWe’ve sold them the ' records? dream (of playing pro football) and One could argue actually that then tell them if only they were 20 or 30 pounds' heavier they might make ' making performance-enhancin- g it So if they’re maxed out geneticaldrags legal in professional sports " would help the integrity of the game ly at 215 they have to find another ' because the playing field would be way to add die weight ” niore level Every athlete would have As I understand it performance access to pharmaceuticals So playenhancers are illegal in sports for ' their two primary reasons One is the safe-t- y ers would find an of the athletes This is an impor’competitors not in a syringe or a pill — - because everyone who wants thetant concern Steroid abuse has been linked to all kinds of physical and syringes and pills could have them — but in their own talent and hard ' mental problems even death Like work most prescription drugs steroids are T Your view Valley the meaning of 'irony' Give pro players an edge ed “Fail-Saf- Today you’re going to learn ' : reserves the right to adtal totters to conlomi to ttrelsnglh and style requirements of the Letters should btc : ' ' ' peiiodAddreesE-mawilhinany y letters to hpntterOhneiii rnm finest nom manlarisearaaisowstcomoandareronat toeeritor’sdtocretioa jurist (1872rl961) - v Typewritten and double-space- d No more than 450 words in length Addressed anld include daytime phone number for purposes of verification Signed by toe author f IhdMduais are Imlted to one published let-to- r 30-da- : ’ ' V ‘ |
