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Editorial roundup

From The Associated Press

Published: October 1, 2008

By The Associated Press
Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:
Sept. 26
The Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury, on free speech:
The kind of incident that occurred at an Aurora, Colo., school probably happens far more than the non-educational world realizes. Sometimes it is dealt with; sometimes it's overlooked.
Last week it was dealt with ... so naturally the parents are threatening to sue.
The short of it is that a sixth-grader wore a T-shirt proclaiming the Democratic presidential candidate "a terrorist's best friend," prompting a playground disruption that spilled over into math class. School officials gave the boy a choice: turn the T-shirt inside out or put on another one. He selected option C — none of the above — and was ordered home.
The boy and his dad say he did nothing wrong. ... They say the disruption was caused by other students overreacting to a political opinion that, however blunt, he should have been free to express.
The school says it has in fact permitted other anti-Obama T-shirts, and says it acted only in an effort to restore order. ...
Societally, we have for years tread so close to the precipice of the "school as free speech zone" notion that it's no surprise when legal brouhahas of this sort break out. Parents and in some cases teachers jointly have pushed this exercise, often under the guise of its value as a "learning experience."
But none of those notions stand above the simple notion enforced by the Aurora. Colo., school administrators, the right and responsibility of the district to provide — by imposing, if necessary — an ordered learning environment. ...
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On the Net:
http://www.themercury.com/
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Sept. 26
The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, on banned books:
As varied as "King Lear," "Call of the Wild," "Harry Potter," "My Friend Flicka" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" are from each other, the books all have one thing in common.
At some point in their history, they have been banned — some even burned — because there was something in them that someone deemed "objectionable." ...
We believe the availability of "Little Red Riding Hood," and "Arabian Nights" in a public library is a must. We can't imagine growing up without reading "Little House on The Prairie," or Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax." But somewhere out there are people who have successfully challenged all of these books, keeping them out of public libraries and out of the hands of the children who visit those taxpayer-supported institutions.
The American Library Association and other groups, including us, believe it's important that you know there are those out there who are challenging books. Banned Books Week — a celebration of titles that have been challenged or banned in public and school libraries across the country — began Sept. 27 and concludes Saturday, Oct. 4.
The observance celebrates "the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular, and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them." ...
When it comes to telling others what they can and can't read, we say "Mind your own business."
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On the Net:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/
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Sept. 27
Vindicator, Youngstown, Ohio, on eradicating malaria:
For most people in the West, malaria is one of those diseases they only think about when an epidemic results in a death toll that grabs the headlines. Such a disconnect is not surprising given that it is in Africa and in parts of Southeast Asia where this killer has survived.
But the number of deaths, approaching 1 million a year, demands our attention. In light of the fact that infants and toddlers are most at risk, ignorance of malaria is no excuse for doing nothing.
Indeed, the solutions seem so simple that it is almost criminal that this disease still exists. By providing better access to bed nets, indoor spraying, improved diagnosis and treatment, preventative measures for pregnant women and development of new vaccines, the number of deaths could be reduced to zero in just seven years.
... Nearly a quarter billion people get malaria each year, according to a WHO report last week. That figure halved an earlier estimate of 500 million, based on improved measurement techniques. WHO left unchanged its latest figure for malaria deaths: 881,000 people killed by malaria in 2006, most of them children under 5.
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On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/48ypa9
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Sept. 28
Houston Chronicle, on the nation's economy:
The crisis that threatens to bankrupt the nation's financial institutions and tank the economy has been widely blamed on greedy Wall Street executives. But greed has always been a component of capitalism and human nature. The causes of this financial meltdown are more complex and were long in the making.
As some economists have pointed out, underlying the housing bubble and mortgage losses is the United States' policy of encouraging homeownership: a tax deduction for interest on home loans and a de facto government guarantee to step in should mortgage underwriters Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac run into trouble.
Those conditions encouraged lenders to give mortgages to people who couldn't afford them. Initial lenders who quickly sold the mortgages to investors weren't liable when the housing bubble burst and the inevitable rash of foreclosures occurred.
Compounding those errors was Wall Street's creation of ever-more complicated investments derivatives, credit default swaps and the like which, as with Enron's business model, many investors didn't understand and no one could predict how the investment "instruments" would perform in a recession. The mortgage-backed securities are now so divorced from the mortgaged properties that no one can accurately value them, a primary challenge to making a federal bailout work. ...
But perhaps the worse lapse came when the world's shrewdest financial minds forgot to heed the best advice they give to every investor: diversify to limit exposure to losses. ...
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On the Net:
http://www.chron.com
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Sept. 28
Chicago Sun-Times, on the first presidential debate:
On Friday night, they got it right. At their first debate, John McCain and Barack Obama reminded the nation that two fine candidates are running for president, both of them smart, informed and passionate -- everything those silly attack ads would have you believe they are not.
They volleyed back and forth for an hour and a half, with tight grins and shaking heads, on a number of the most pressing issues of our day, and as Americans watched and listened on TV — 50 million or more of us — we actually learned. This was a debate built on substance, largely free of scripted zingers. ...
This was American politics at its best.
Who won? We'll leave that to those who score politics like baseball.
Clearly, McCain succeeded in reminding America that he is by far the more experienced candidate, a real player for decades in shaping American foreign policy. He discussed with impressive command such matters as tensions among Eastern European nations. But Obama, not to be outdone, demonstrated his own firm knowledge of foreign affairs and, perhaps more important, his unapologetic belief in finding common ground with at least some adversaries. ...
It was that kind of debate: Shades of gray were revealed and we, the voters, gained valuable insights.
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On the Net:
http://www.sun-times.com.
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Sept. 29
Post-Journal, Jamestown, N.Y., on North Korea:
If there is a crisis that seems to occur with more frequency than those involving the economy, it is, of course, North Korea. ...
Just months ago, diplomats from the United States, Russia, China, Japan and South Korea were patting themselves on the back after having "defused" the nuclear threat from North Korea. In exchange for concessions and material help from the five nations, Pyongyang had agreed to suspend work on nuclear weapons.
Then last week North Korean officials kicked U.N. inspectors out of a nuclear reactor and began breaking U.N. seals on the equipment. They informed the U.N. inspectors that plutonium production will resume at the plant. The plutonium will be used for nuclear weapons.
This is not the first time North Korea has made a deal, then gone back on its word. In each and every instance, Pyongyang has taken help from other nations in exchange for suspending weapons programs — then broken its promises and started a cycle of negotiations all over again. ...
Kim and his generals have grown accustomed to being able to bully the rest of the world. For reasons ranging from the expense to the danger presented by North Korea, that simply cannot be allowed to continue. At some point, the five powers must find some way to force Pyongyang to stop playing its dangerous game. ...
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On the Net:
http://www.post-journal.com
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Sept. 30
Press-Register, Mobile, Ala., on the public's response to the bailout plan:
... Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Democratic and Republican leaders made a good-faith effort to produce a bill that would avert a meltdown on Wall Street. But they made major mistakes in assigning most of the risks of the bailout to taxpayers and downplaying the long-term consequences of this government intervention in the financial markets.
Bush administration officials and congressional leaders need to get back to the negotiating table as soon as possible. They should start with this proposition: For the good of the economy and the American people, the government will rescue foundering financial institutions, but with the understanding that those institutions will pay back any debts they end up owing the taxpayers.
Also, the negotiators should require the small percentage of homeowners who acquired mortgages they can't pay off to shoulder the responsibility for their mistakes. ...
The point is to turn the hated bailout proposal into a payback plan. ...
A payback plan would have a good chance of calming the stock market, which plunged more than 700 points Monday, and gaining the support of the American people.
More important, it would protect taxpayers and preserve the free market principles that have made America's economy the envy of the world.
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On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/3phl6h
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Oct. 1
The State, Columbia, S.C., on politicians' response to financial crisis:
... our nation is suffering from a shortage more profound than the looming collapse of credit — a leadership deficit.
The president can't lead, and it seems painfully obvious that he knows it. As for Congress — after "leaders" worked across party lines for several days, we were treated to appallingly petty displays of partisanship before, during and after the 228-205 House vote against the rescue plan.
While sincere people had valid objections to the plan put forward by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, its rejection ... helped crystallize the fact that however flawed it was, there was one worse option: not passing it. ...
What now? House leaders of both parties need to line up the votes they failed to corral ... But that won't solve our leadership problems.
Whatever happens the next few days, either John McCain or Barack Obama will be elected president on Nov. 4, and the nation will turn to the winner for what is missing now. Sen. McCain took a bold shot at leadership last week, but fell flat. Sen. Obama had played it cool — too cool — but on Tuesday belatedly stepped up to back the need for a rescue unequivocally.
These men have the nation's attention. How they use it to address the nation's leadership void in the coming days could decide more than the presidential election.
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On the Net:
http://www.thestate.com/opinion
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Sept. 28
The Observer, London, on presumed consent for organ donation:
Within a few weeks, the Organ Donation Taskforce, a body set up last year to review the system for finding organs for transplant surgery, is expected to report to the Department for Health.
It will consider the introduction of 'presumed consent' - the system by which those who do not wish their organs to be used in the event of their death would 'opt out' of donorship in advance. At present, organs can only be taken from those who have "opted in." In January, The Observer launched its Donor for Life campaign, arguing in favor of presumed consent. The case is as strong today as it was then.
Three people die every day after waiting for organs. The waiting list is growing while the number of donors is falling. There are 7,901 patients currently in need of donors, but just 3,524 transplants were carried out last year. The heartrending story of one such patient, one-year-old Bethany Dawson, is reported in today's Observer. Reading about her battle for life, it becomes clear that the system must change.
Presumed consent would be a radical measure and controversial. There would be resistance from those who, out of religious conviction or lack of trust in the medical establishment, for example, abhor the state assuming a right to their bodies. Those concerns are fair, but they can be addressed by making the choice to 'opt out' sufficiently easy and by allowing bereaved families the right to refuse donation on behalf of deceased relatives. The overriding moral imperative is behind presumed consent as the surest way to alleviate the suffering of those who desperately need organs, those who, like Bethany, will die without them.
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On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/43medy
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Oct. 1
The Manila (Philippines) Times, on compensating Filipino soldiers:
Filipino soldiers who fought under the U.S. Army command in World War II will have to mount a third campaign to win equity and recognition as legitimate veterans under American laws.
The new front is the US Senate-House Conference Committee, the bicameral panel that will attempt to narrow down differences between the Senate and House versions of the Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2008. The Senate had passed its version on July 4, 2008, promising a regular monthly pension, but the House counterpart grants only a one-time lump sum that has displeased many Filipinos.
The veterans had asked for the bill to correct a law that stripped them of veterans status and that would grant them lawful compensation for their services to the US government during the violent Japanese invasion and occupation of the Philippines and other Asia-Pacific countries. ...
The battle now moves to the Senate-House Conference Committee which must decide on an omnibus version of the two bills. ...
We hope S. 1315 would prevail in the conference committee. It promises a more generous monthly pension (to) the veterans and their families. There is money for the widows, too. The House counterpart represents a sad break in the US policy toward veterans and threatens remaining shreds of kinship between the United States and the patriots who risked their lives in its defense. ...
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On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/3t6ssr
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Oct. 1
Khaleej Times, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on violence against Christians in India:
The continuing violence against Christians across India and the shocking apathy of both the federal and state governments toward the killings of innocent citizens by extremist Hindu organizations reflect poorly on the country's secular credentials. Not surprisingly, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was pulled up by European leaders at the India-European Union summit in Marseilles on Monday.
French President Nicholas Sarkozy, who heads the European Council, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso sought an explanation from Singh about the "massacre" of Christians in Orissa and Karnataka. The visiting premier, who has in the past condemned the attacks, admitted that the violence against the minorities was a "national shame."
But the escalating violence, which has now spread to other states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhatisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, and the growing intolerance on the part of militant Hindu outfits, calls for much stronger action on the part of the United Progressive Alliance government. Expressing remorse at international gatherings and issuing sympathetic statements will not restore the confidence of the minority community in the ability of the government to protect its citizens. ...
India has in recent years witnessed several shameful incidents where state governments have abandoned their responsibility of protecting citizens by allowing organized attacks on minorities resulting in thousands of deaths. ... It is time now for the federal government to take effective steps to prevent such tragedies.
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On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/3fpkce
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Sept. 30
The Age, Melbourne, Australia, on U.S. presidential election:
Those who fear that democracy is losing its vigour in the modern West should have been reassured by the first debate between the U.S. presidential candidates. Not because of anything that emerged from the debate itself, for it revealed almost nothing that was not already known about the two candidates and their views. But because, if polls are any guide, American voters are beginning to show a real shift in their allegiance. And that shift seems to be based not on what the candidates had to say to each other, or on what spin doctors had to say about it, but on the voters' own assessment of what is happening in their country. ...
The Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, has long performed well in estimates of the national popular vote: he reportedly leads his Republican rival, John McCain, by an average of 5 percent across all polls. But Senator Obama has struggled to win enough support in the states he is likely to need to win to secure an electoral-college majority.
This week, however, for the first time in several months, the polls show that if the election were held now the electoral college votes in one of those crucial states, Virginia, would go to the Democratic candidate. The balance has also swung in another state that had hitherto inclined to the Republicans, North Carolina. Senator McCain has a slight edge in Ohio, a "swing" state that the eventual victor is expected to have to win, but the evidence is that the college count is shifting in favor of the Democrats.
Does this reflect a stellar performance by Senator Obama in his opening debate with Senator McCain? It seems unlikely, for even the staunchest of Obama supporters would not have scored the encounter that way. Few observers of the debate saw it as an emphatic win for Senator McCain, either.
If there was a general impression created by the clash, such as it was, it was perhaps that, while the two candidates were trading predictable accusations, the events most likely to influence the election outcome were happening outside the university auditorium where the debate took place. ...