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Show THE ZEPHYR MARCH 1991 PAGE 2 threat and he gave or now one could then question the complex. It a name - the Allied Commander, oversaw the defeat patriotism or loyalty of the man who, as the Supreme saw Ike the dangers of weapons production II. But In 1960, War World by of Nazi Germany On bucks. January 17, 1961, he said this: when It means big business and big "The conjunction of an Immense military establishment and a large arms Industry Is new In the American experience.... we recognize the Imperative need for this development Yet we must not fall to comprehend Its grave Implications.... In the councils of government we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted Influence, whether sought or complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of unsought by the military-industrwill persist misplaced power exists and Yet his warnings went unheeded. A decade later companies like Boeing and General Dynamics sold 65 per cent of their output to the U.S. Government Lockheed sold 81 per cent As John Kenneth Galbraith pointed out In The New Industrial State, a company developing a new fighter jet for example, "was In an admirable position to Influence the design and equipment of the plane. It can have something to say on the mission for which It Is adapted, the number of planes required, their deployment and, by Implication, on the choice of the enemy toward which It Is directed. Since then, defense contractors have extended their "marketing areas across the globe. They will sell horrible weapons of death to any renegade nation that will pay the price. They will modify weapon systems to fit the needs of a particular army. To me, the company that willingly and knowingly sells arms to a tyrant Is ust as Immoral as the tyrant foresaw this growing Thirty years ago, President Elsenhower military-industr- page two Jim Stiles ial A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the last Issue of The Zephyr went In late December. We are at war with a country that very few Americans could even to press locate on a map Just a year ago. On the evening of January 16, was as far from "civilization as a person can be. I found myself In one of those Third World countries, somewhere south of the Rio Grande and somewhere north of Tlerra del Fuego. With me were three new friends I had only met a couple days before Buzz, a seagoing barge captain from Philadelphia, and Eric and Al, analysts from Vancouver, Canada. We were In the jungle, In the shadow of the ruins of an ancient civilization that had vanished hundreds of years ago. Enormous stone temples that took centuries to build rose above the canopy. From the trail beneath the trees we could see spider monkeys swinging from branch to branch. Parrots, macaws, and toucans flew past the roof combs of pyramld-llk- e 1 non-destruct- ive ruins. easy to forget about the rest of the world In a setting like this. But that some afternoon, Europeans with a portable shortwave radio heard news that the air war had begun. We learned that President Bush planned to address the nation that evening, and so we made our way to a small open-a- ir cantina. Inside, two gas lanterns hung from the open rafters. There was not an English-speakisoul In the place, but a group of men from the village gathered around a transistor radio that sat on the counter. Momentarily, we could hear the familiar voice of President Bush, but he was quickly drowned out by the Spanish translator. Obviously, we werent going to learn anything from this conversation. But we were wrong. The owner of the cantina leaned over the bar next to the radio, taking In every word of the Presidents speech. But then he rose slowly, placed his hand to his heart, closed his eyes, and shook his head sadly. He turned and left the room. It was remarkable to me that even In this very poor country, thousands of miles from the fighting, Its people took such an Interest In a war that could touch their lives In only a very Indirect way. But In this age of Instant communication, thats the way Its been across the planet .... everyone Is watching. It was ng It wasnt until returned to the United States that I saw the sense of unity I In the country and the overwhelming expression of support for the war. Saddam Hussein, after all, Is an easy man to hate. Hes ruthless, Immoral, egomanlacal... he Is everything we could ever want an enemy to be. But Its Important to remember that thee are countless other cheap, Immoral, tyrannical weasels who will never have the power or opportunity to disrupt life from one end of the planet to the other. They will never have the power or the opportunity because all the great nations of the world will not provide them with every tool and armament they need to wage war, as they have Saddam. The United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium. Every weapon, every fighter jet, every tank, every SCUD missile, every piece of ammunition has been provided to Iraq by defense contractors and corporations with the permission and sometimes the blessing of the countries In which they reside. In fact according to Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, Saddam paid about $50 billion In cash for arms during the 1980s. B know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform thdr discretion. Thomas Jefferson No ial B himself. When this war Is over, the nations of the world need to make sure that the complex Is brought under control. It Is Inexcusable that young men and women should die so that defense corporations can show a profit The easiest way to stop a bully Is to take away his slingshot "military-industri- al This was the most miserable winter Moab has seen In twenty years and Im glad missed most of It With snow piled chest high on Main Street and sub-ze- ro temperatures, I hope we can at last dispel the myth that Moab Is southeast Utahs answer to St George. If we still plan to promote Moab as a retirement community, maybe we should aim the those crazies advertising at senior citizens who hold membership In the Polar Bear Club who like to skinny dip amidst the Ice flows. Just thinking about It makes my nose run. I think a better Idea Is to shut down Moab altogether and go south with the birds. After waiting out an Inversion, It takes weeks for everybody to shake off the depression and gloom and get happy again. So let's shuter down... pull out the Bermuda shorts and sun screen and head for the coconut palms. Nobody makes any money In the winter around here anyway. Thats why I headed south myself... I'd rather be sunburned than burned out And yet, you can run, but you cant hide. The little Island to which I fled bore frightening similarities to Moab, despite the tropical veneer. Uke Grand County, the Caye stands at a crossroads. It used to draw Its living from the sea (with Its fishing Industry) just as we used to extract ours from the land. But now tourism looms over both communities as the Industry of the future, and the response In both cases Is mixed. Some on the Island want to promote the Island, Improve Its Infrastructure, build bigger and more substantial hotels and develop more of the shoreline. One conservationist wants to stop all development and turn the south end of the Island Into a bird preserve. Another faction wants limited development and a scaled-dow-n bird sanctuary. Some want an air strip to provide quicker access to the Island; others prefer the Isolation. Sound familiar? But, In my mind, one Incident links our two communities more than anything else. I was walking along the waters edge on my way back to my room one day when an unsuspecting bicyclist passed me on the foot path. I tried to warn her but she was moving too fast A couple minutes later, here she came again, pumping furiously and with abject terror In her eyes. Just behind her and closing fast, a machete-waviman named Ignacio screamed obscenities and threatened to lop off her head. Ignacio Is the somewhat looney owner of a small cluster of cabanas on the south end. Although the biker had every right to use the path, Ignacio does not take kindly to peddlers. He finally gave his pursuit, but continued to wave the machete over his head. Later, I would swear I saw up Ignacio howling at the moon. I ng 1 THE CANYON COUNTRY ZEPHYR P.O. BOX 327 (801) While I was gone, I got away from the TV and thought Id kicked the habit But since Ive been back, I have to admit, Ive been mesmerized by that goldfish on Channel 6. I missed the Moab Public Radio Dinner because I could not pull myself away from the screen. I would bet cable hookups have Increased dramatically since the fish made Its debut But now Jim Corwin Is threatening to pull the goldfish, bowl and all, and put the scanner back on. I urge all citizens to urge Mr. Corwin to SAVE THE FISH. I feel like I know this fish.... as If weve become pals. Put him on Channel 19 If you have to, but don't make his viewing public say goodbye. ftp MOAB, UTAH 84532 259-777- 3 subscribe to JIM STILES, PUBLISHER THE ZEPHYR Trish West production manager moab city reporting Ken Davey environmental issues Jack Campbell Despite a 28 postal rate increase a subscription is still only contributing columnists Ken Sleight Jane Jones contributing writers Jean Eardley Damian Fagen 12 DOLLARS (1 1990 The Canyon Country Zephyr all rights reserved The Canyon Country Zephyr is a monthly newspaper, published eleven times a year at Moab, Utah. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of its vendors, advertisers, or even at times of its publisher . year, 11 issues) name address renewal new subscription |
