Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:
Feb. 18
Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal, on President's Day, and the President's office:
Many adults remember celebrating the Feb. 12 birthday of Abraham Lincoln and the Feb. 22 birthday of George Washington each year when they were children. ...
The office of president is a very difficult job that can also be a dangerous one. Four of our 43 presidents - Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy - were assassinated in office. Others, such as Gerald Ford and especially Ronald Reagan, who was seriously wounded, had narrow escapes. ...
When the next Presidents' Day rolls around, America will have a new president living in the White House. That person, the 44th U.S. president, will face opposition from the first moment he or she takes office and will endure criticism that will last long after the 45th president has taken up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
It is an extremely difficult job in which it is impossible to please everyone.
Not every president has the stature of George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, but they all have earned their places in history, and they deserve recognition from their nation.
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Feb. 18
Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, on the foreclosure crisis:
Mortgage lenders and loan service companies insist the foreclosure crisis is a national problem that demands national solutions. Partly on that basis, the industry association, the Mortgage Bankers Association, rejected an overture last fall for mortgage companies in Ohio to join in a voluntary compact proposed by Gov. Ted Strickland.
The mortgage companies preferred to address foreclosure prevention through a national alliance, Hope Now. ... The alliance has not lived up to expectations.
The idea for Hope Now, launched last fall, was that participating loan servicing companies would be amenable to freezing low introductory interest rates and renegotiating loans for thousands of borrowers with subprime adjustable rates. The companies were required to notify such borrowers 120 days before the loans reset. Homeowners could call a toll-free number for guidance. So far, the effort has led to loan modifications for a mere 10,000 borrowers from the 176,000 callers to the hotline.
The less-than-satisfactory outcome hardly surprises. Essentially, Hope Now is little more than a phone service, not advocates, as one official put it, "trying aggressively to convince the lender to do something. "Which is precisely the problem.
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Feb. 16
The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo., on schools and guns:
Here we go again, but it has to be said: Northern Illinois University is another gun-free zone. So when a suicidal mass murderer showed up at a lecture hall Thursday, nobody had the means to stop him. As a result, he was able to shoot 21 people, killing five.
Illinois is largely a rural state, and lots of students at Northern Illinois University own weapons and know how to use them in defense. Unfortunately, the code of student conduct requires that all weapons be stored at the university security office.
We can be reasonably certain that the policy told the killer, who strategically planned a brief, rapid-fire assault, this much: Nobody in the crowd will take you out when you start shooting.
That, in fact, was the case. Everyone but the killer obeyed the school's gun rule, giving him the time and freedom he needed to kill. ...
Since those who administer schools aren't getting the message, it's time to consider state-by-state bans on gun prohibition at public universities. And it's time for states to require high schools and elementary schools to provide reasonable security for students. It's the least we can do.
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Feb. 12
Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette, on Michigan and its delegates:
... The Democratic National Committee informed Michigan Democrats that if they persisted in holding an early primary, the DNC wouldn't seat delegates from Michigan at the Democratic National Convention in August.
As a result, Democratic candidates ignored Michigan. The additional clout that state Democrats thought they would get by disobeying the DNC evaporated.
But that was back when it was widely assumed that the Democrats would certainly have a clear front-runner after Super Tuesday. Or that at least someone, probably U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, would clinch the nomination well before the nominating convention. That's not quite so certain now. ...
Should the Michigan Democratic Party schedule a do-over election this spring or summer? It depends.
If either Obama or Clinton has clinched the nomination by May, then Democrats would be best off to tell the DNC what it can do with its caucus. But what if neither Clinton nor Obama emerges with enough delegates by late spring?
Then Michigan Democrats would do well to go along and hold a caucus -- at the party's expense, of course. Suddenly Michigan would matter again. Clinton and Obama would both be forced to campaign hard in Michigan. ...
Although Democrats would like to see the nominating process wrapped up soon and the intraparty sniping laid to rest, Michigan might better benefit from an Obama-Clinton race that goes down to the wire.
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On the Net:
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Feb. 15
Bristol (Va.) Herald-Courier, on recovering from recent tornadoes
... The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced plans to send trailers to storm-ravaged counties in Tennessee and Arkansas. FEMA bought the trailers in 2005 to help the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but didn't use them. More than 6,300 trailers remain in storage in Hope, Ark., and 75,000 unused trailers are stored nationwide.
But this isn't a simple story of government waste or bureaucratic ineptitude. It's much worse.
Just two days after the trailers-for-Tennessee announcement, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of potential health risks. The CDC has confirmed that many of the FEMA trailers contain high levels of formaldehyde gas.
Short-term exposure to the pungent gas causes respiratory problems, nose bleeds and eye irritation. Long-term exposure can cause cancer. ...
Now, FEMA is looking to unload its tainted trailers on unsuspecting Tennesseans. Outrageously, the agency issued a statement vouching that the Tennessee-bound trailers were safe even after the CDC issued its warning. The agency has since said it would test any trailers sent to tornado victims. Tennessee leaders should not accept FEMA's word on the matter. The agency has a poor track record. ...
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Feb. 14
Chicago Tribune, on the Westminster Kennel Club dog show:
A merry little hound.
Behold the beagle, the wiliest counter-surfer in dogdom, slow to housebreak, rarely the valedictorian in obedience class and eager to eat itself to death, given half a chance. The beagle has a lot to say -- ooooooooooo ooooooooooo -- but can't hear you calling if its nose is to the ground, which is always. It ain't nothing but a hound dog, in other words.
So it was a treat to see Uno, the beagle, fetch top honors this week at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Garden. Though he represents a breed never absent from the 10 most popular lists, he's the first beagle to win Best in Show in the competition's 132 years.
He bested 2,600 dogs, including finalists Charmin, an "elegant" Sealyham terrier named for the squeezably soft toilet tissue; Remy, a standard poodle described by one writer as "a cross between a Victorian magistrate and a young Farrah Fawcett;" Marge the Weimaraner; Macey the Akita, Vikki the toy poodle and Deuce, an Australian shepherd just back from maternity leave.
With his perpetually wagging tail and his tendency to engage spectators with a burst of look-at-me baying, the underdog charmed crowd and judge alike. The morning after, thousands of people were no doubt in the hunt for a beagle of their own. Uh oh. ...
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On the Net:
http://www.chicagotribune.com.
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Feb. 20
The
It was age and illness, not the free voice of the Cuban people, that finally led Fidel Castro to announce ... that he is stepping down as Cuba's president after a mere 49 years of absolute power. Mr. Castro's immediate successor is likely to be his 76-year-old younger brother Raul. Still, the post-Fidel era is clearly at hand, and the Bush administration has done almost nothing to prepare for it.
Cuba is a closed, repressive society. But the administration has gone out of its way to ensure that it has no chance of influencing events there. In the name of tightening the failed embargo, it has made it much harder for academics, artists and religious people to travel to Cuba and spread the good word about democracy, and much harder for Cubans to visit here. Rather than probing the ongoing political transition, the White House has dismissed it in advance as insignificant.
A policy that made little sense in the cold war makes still less in today's age of globalization when America does not hesitate to trade with and invest in other repressive countries (China, for example), recognizing that commerce is more likely than isolation to nurture positive political change.
The embargo provided Mr. Castro with a built-in excuse for his own failed economic policies and ruthless political repression. It made it easier for him to wall ordinary Cubans off from American friendships, political ideas and affluent lifestyles. It handed him a propaganda tool to discredit courageous Cubans who openly campaigned for greater democracy. Continuing this policy of isolation will only make it easier for whoever succeeds Mr. Castro to continue the same repressive policies. ...
For millions of Cubans, the wait for Mr. Castro to go has been almost interminable. Now that he is finally stepping down, Washington needs to do all it can to help encourage a peaceful transition to democracy. It needs to shake off its own ghosts and start talking directly with Cuban politicians and the Cuban people.
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Feb. 20
Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune, on how the massive beef recall is one more strike against the federal inspection process:
If the recent recall of 143 million pounds of beef, four times the previous record, does not prompt a long-overdue update of the food inspection process, Americans should impose a vote-free diet on lawmakers who ignore the risks of the status quo.
The recall was issued Sunday, several weeks after the Humane Society released a disturbing undercover video showing slaughterhouse workers using forklifts and other means to prod cows that were too ill and weak to stand.
Besides the cruelty portrayed, the video raises questions about the thoroughness of U.S. Department of Agriculture inspections. ...
The Food and Drug Administration, which checks 80 percent of the nation's food supply, receives about 20 percent of the food safety budget. The USDA gets the rest of the money, but the recent recalls have raised questions about whether the money is being used wisely or if it's sufficient to do the job.
A complete overhaul of the inspection system isn't likely in an era of tight budgets. But -- as we and others have repeatedly said, recall after recall -- federal officials need to begin the work now. A 143 million-pound recall certainly shouldn't be treated as a routine matter.
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On the Net:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080220/OPINION/802200313/1008
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Feb. 20
The Times, London, on Pakistan:
The triumphant opposition must not overplay its election victory The first reaction of observers from the U.S. Senate, Western governments and nervous politicians in neighboring India to the outcome of Pakistan's parliamentary elections was relief. The vote was credible, legitimate and a significant landmark in returning the country to democracy. The moderate majority of the people expressed their desire for change. This has been accepted by President Musharraf, despite the huge setback to his political authority. Notwithstanding sporadic incidents of intimidation, there was no systematic attempt to rig the vote. The violence and suicide bombings that marked the start of the campaign, and almost sabotaged the entire election, did not dampen the stoic determination of millions of voters to make their voice heard.
Democracy, however, is far from entrenched. The election raises questions that must be resolved if the vote is to be respected. The first is the position of President Musharraf. He has brought much of the odium and turmoil of the past six months on his own head through his ill-judged attempts to bypass the courts and political establishment in prolonging his rule. His brief imposition of military rule was a fatal miscalculation that turned the middle class and millions of moderates against him, damaged his standing abroad and, in the end, forced him reluctantly to doff his army uniform. But recent statements have shown a more realistic assessment. His insistence that he will work with whichever government emerges suggests that he understands the change in the power balance. If he has any role now, it is to maintain Pakistan's standing abroad, guarantee continuity and act as a ceremonial civilian head of state. ...
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On the Net:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading--article/article3399856.ece
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Feb. 19
The Moscow Times, on Kosovo:
... A concentrated ethnic majority -- Kosovar Albanians -- is establishing an independent state in Europe without the consent of its parent state, Serbia.
Western policymakers might be hoping that the integration of all of the Balkans into the EU and NATO would minimize the consequences of the Kosovo precedent.
But these hopes are limited by how many nations and ethnic groups the EU could absorb or anchor before ... threatening its economic, security and political viability.
The Kosovo example also risks starting a chain reaction elsewhere in the world, including former Soviet republics.
International recognition of Kosovo's independence would be fraught with negative consequences for Russia, which has its own ethnically distinct republics such as Chechnya.
In addition, such recognition would force Russia to take a stand after years of ambiguity on so-called frozen conflicts within the former Soviet Union. It is becoming increasingly difficult for Russia to offer tacit support for separatist regimes while officially backing the territorial integrity of former Soviet republics. ...
The ambiguity in the Kremlin's approach toward frozen conflicts in its neighborhood demonstrates vividly that its real interest is to anchor former parts of the Soviet Union to Moscow, not to support the self-determination of self-declared republics or the territorial integrity of its neighbors. ...
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On the Net:
http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2008/02/19/005.html
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Feb. 20
The Star, Johannesburg, South Africa, on Cuba:
No one sits on the fence when Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro is concerned - he is either a terrorist and agent provocateur par excellence, or a liberator effused with a messianic zeal.
Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said yesterday that he will not return to lead his country, retiring as head of state 49 years after he seized power in an armed revolution. Castro (81), who has not appeared in public since undergoing stomach surgery almost 19 months ago, said he would not seek a new term as the communist country's president or as military commander in chief when the National Assembly meets on Sunday.
Condemned by the West as a dictator, Castro is much admired in the Third World for standing up to the United States and providing free education and healthcare in his impoverished country. Closer to home, he sent more than 350,000 Cuban troops to fight against Unita and South African forces in Angola, leading to Namibian independence in February 1990 and hastening to the end of apartheid and our own freedom in 1994.
It needs to be admitted that Castro's Cold War alignment with the former Soviet Union helped push the world closer than it ever had been to nuclear war. It is still early to predict if Castro's stepping aside with make any difference to the poverty-stricken Cubans at home or in the diaspora.
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On the Net:
http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fArticleId4262976
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Feb. 20
Gulf News, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Pakistan:
The labour of any democratic process is long and demanding, and Pakistan is no exception to the rule. There is no question that the recent parliamentary elections were decisive as far as the future of the country is concerned. But what is more important here is how the nation will move forward in the right direction.
Perhaps a majority vote for the opposition parties was expected, and did not come as a surprise. The country last year experienced major events including the return of opposition party leaders Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. Then there was the assassination of the latter, President Musharraf's giving up his military uniform, and the bombings that have affected the security situation throughout the year. There is no doubt that all these events have left a great impact on the political scene. ...
Pakistan today faces grave challenges, both on the internal as well as the external fronts. For one thing, there is a general lack of stability, unity, and consensus, which are critical for building the country's institutions and civil society. Holding an election is just a part of a larger framework that seeks to facilitate the democratic process. The first step to bringing about such changes has already been set in motion and this should be built on and taken forward.
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On the Net:
http://www.gulf-news.com/opinion/editorial--opinion/world/10191071.html
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