Military

DATE=09/19/01

TYPE=EDITORIAL DIGEST

TITLE=WEDNESDAY'S EDITORIALS

NUMBER=6-12464

BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS

TELEPHONE=619-3335

CONTENT=

INTRO: Although there are one or two other editorial topics in Wednesday's American daily papers, the aftermath of last week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington continue to dominate.

There are at least a dozen sub-topics related to the attacks; including the gradual return to normalcy, and the importance of baseball games resuming; a discussion of the President's actions and rhetoric; revamping the intelligence services; the civil liberty dangers of the anti-terrorist sweep; and heroes of the disaster. Other topics covered include our relations with Mexico; and the resurgence of former Nicaraguan Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega. Now, here with a sampling is ___________ in today's U-S Editorial Digest.

TEXT: Slowly, and in most cases painfully, the nation continues to grope back to normalcy eight days after the attacks. Several newspapers are celebrating the resumption of professional baseball as a heartening sign. "Yes, it's just a game" says the Houston Chronicle, but:

VOICE: ... baseball... again serves as a cultural phenomenon that helps to unite ... us both on and off the field.

TEXT: The Seattle [Washington] Times agrees, suggesting:" The resumption of the beloved pastime is as important as the respectful cancellation of six days of games ... there is comfort in routine after a grievous trauma. ...Flags and tears welcomed baseball back in Seattle last night.

Today's Oklahoman in Oklahoma City was pleased the state's September 25th election and others around the nation will be held as scheduled.

Other papers are debating President Bush's latest comments on the situation, especially his desire to get alleged terrorist leader Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." The Palm Beach [Florida] Post cringes at that comment, agreeing with the French foreign Minister that such talk could lead to:

VOICE: ...a worldwide conflict that falsely pits Christianity against Islam. One way to avoid that trap is for the president to rely on cold fury, not hot rhetoric.

TEXT: The New York Times is concerned as well, noting:

VOICE: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill understood the power of words and put them to effective use ...[rallying] America and Britain during ... World War Two. President Bush...must also find the right rhetoric to lead the United States and a coalition of diverse nations in this unconventional battle. ... The "dead or alive" comment may have made the country feel better for a short period, but it was unsettling to leaders of other nations...

TEXT: As for Mr. Bush's use of the word "crusade" The Honolulu Advertiser winces because that brings back memories of the Middle Ages crusades, pitting European Christian soldiers against Islamic "infidels." The paper calls the President's use of that particular term "astounding."

Today's Fresno [California] Bee says using that word was "careless," adding that such talk does not "project an image of a leader with a sense of history and a willingness to describe the challenge in a context that transcends simple military action. Jacksonville's (Florida) Times - Union has a very different view.

VOICE: President Bush had the right idea when he hinted that he wanted Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." Presumably, that means the United States, at the least, won't make it a priority to spare bin Laden's life in any response to last week's vicious attack on this nation.

TEXT: Moving on to other sub topics, today's Detroit [Michigan] News is angry at the intelligence failure to detect the plot. It quotes a pair of official reports dissecting the problem.

VOICE: ...an overabundance of red tape, a lack of coordination and a squeamishness about infiltrating terrorist organizations with turncoats as key factors in limiting the ability of American security agencies to prevent the vicious attacks ... [of] last week...

TEXT: In Salt Lake City, Utah, The Mormon Church-owned Deseret News [dez-uh-ret] agrees, suggesting: "Congress ought to support the Bush administration's requests to loosen restrictions on spying ... The nation needs both electronic eavesdropping and human agents to effectively combat terrorism.

However, several dailies are worried about possible excesses in the current F-B-I and police anti-terrorists sweeps. Says Portland's Oregonian: "Beware zeal in terrorism laws."

VOICE: The civil liberties of all Americans face true threats after last week's terrorist attacks - - just as they have during previous wars. ... Turning the country into an electronic internment camp is the end of liberty - - and with no guarantee of safety.

TEXT: Don't sacrifice [our] freedoms to save the United States, pleads today's Seattle [Washington State] Post-Intelligencer. And in San Francisco, California, The Chronicle warns that Congress must: "... ask tough questions about each proposed expansion of law-enforcement powers. ... the U-S Constitution is worth defending too."

The disaster's heroes continue to be honored. In Texas, The Dallas Morning News says the men and women on United Airlines flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania, deserve the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor. Says the paper: "In the face of certain death, they wrestled with the terrorists and forced the plane to crash [in a field] ...rather than into the White House or the U-S Capitol.

The San Francisco Chronicle also remembers the hundreds of New York Fire Department members, who rushed up into the burning towers and certain death, as the occupants fled.

Internationally, there is talk of why Pakistan, which borders Afghanistan, should cooperate with the U-S in the counter-terrorism effort. Delineating Islamabad's dilemma, Michigan's Detroit Free Press suggests:

VOICE: ...Pakistan is caught between U-S demands for cooperation in tracking down Osama bin Laden and ... internal fears that its largely Muslim population and Afghan neighbors will violently oppose any overt action ...[destabilizing] the government.

TEXT: The Dallas Morning News says Pakistan should cooperate for its own sake because "... the Taliban have created a monster that threatens to consume ...Pakistan [which] has lost control of the situation in Afghanistan.

If any good news could come from such a horrific disaster, it is the cease-fire declared between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. Several papers are pleased with that, as the Boston Globe calls it the Mideast's "silver lining...[and, though an unintended consequence...a welcome development..."

Portland's Oregonian feels it "could be the opening ... of a new chapter in the Mideast."

Briefly in other international issues, today's Los Angeles Times says the emphasis between the president's of this country and Mexico on a new relationship may suffer because of the terrorism.

VOICE: No doubt Mexico will remain patient as [President] Bush goes about the all-consuming business of war. But the United States must not forget that its relationship with Mexico remains unique.

TEXT: And in Central America, the resurgence of former Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega, currently running for president of Nicaragua, draws a scoff from San Antonio's [Texas] Express-News which suggests: "Nicaraguan voters should know better ...[than to] elect [Mr.] Ortega ... on November 4th..."

That concludes this sampling of editorial comment from Wednesday's U-S press.

NEB/ANG/RH