Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 9

9Vkwvv' iu- '4 1 m1 'f jm 1 "W'w y11 y1 1 1 1 1 THURSDAY. JANUARY 28, 1988 MK.BU5H.iOU Anchorman Rather HAV3 ALWAYS 6REA1. I CAN GREAT! claimed you were-'outop W5 LOOP" ON EXPLAIN i winner THE ARMS DEAL ANDYET.NOW JLincoln Journal "Dedicated to the People of Nebraska, and to the Development of the Resources ot the State" Sept 7, 1867. Editorials: Opinions of the Journal Never-ending fight mum our you WERE AT OVER where, ami DISCUSSES DOONESBURYJ HI, BOB! vnil NEED GEORGE CtW ANY TIBS mis YOU'RE P-P-P0M3 WAT, I iHiHKtiiniPomTocsmTO WATCH BOB POLE DO SOME HEAVY-LIFTING ON THE SENATE FLOOR! 35 1 1 By Donald Kaul Shame on Dan Rather, shame, shame, shame! Not only did he lure the naive, Innocent vice president of the United States onto the CBS Evening News with the promise of free, prime air-time, he then proceeded to ask Vice President Bush questions about the Iran-contra affair which that noble statesman did not wish to answer. Further, when Mr.

Bush tried to lead Rather off the trail with a whining counterattack, Rather had the effrontery to persist in his questioning, trying in effect to control his own interview. Is there no limit to the lengths TV journalists will go in the pursuit of a story? The confrontation between Rather and Mr. Bush Monday night was truly extraordinary, perhaps unprecedented. The nation was treated to the sight of a sitting vice president and a network anchorman shouting at each other, interrupting each other. I thought it was quite wonderful and Rather the clear winner.

Apparently, I am alone. Not since Rather himself sassed back President Richard Nixon at a press conference 15 years ago you running for something, Dan?" "No sir, Mr. President are has a performance by a network newsman evoked such bitter condemnation. Calls to CBS stations after the broadcast ran as high as 20-1 against Rather. The public has spoken and the public is appalled.

It is also wrong. Twice in the past month George Bush has been challenged by a newsman on his role in the Iran-contra affair, and twice he has lashed out in an intemperate attack at his questioner. The first time was at the Republican debate in Des Moines when Des Moines editor James P. Gannon asked him about it and then again Monday with Rather. Both times Bush failed to answer the questions put to him, instead calling into question the fairness of his antagonists' respective news organizations.

Gannon, perhaps hemmed in by his role as moderator of a debate, beat a gentlemanly retreat but Rather rolled up his sleeves and went to the mat with the vice president giving as good as he got Unfortunately, it's hard to look good yelling at a vice president Both newsmen lost Bush is showing a late talent for counterpunchlng. That doesnt make him right however, merely successful The fact remains that there are serious discrepancies in Bush's explanation of his part in the Iran-contra affair and he refuses to confront them. Bush's assertion that he dldnt know he was going to be grilled on Iran-contra when he went on the CBS Evening News is ridiculous on the face of it You don't get 15 minutes live on a network news show to talk about your views on education; Bush knows that He keeps saying, "Ask me a question, any question except what I told the president and, 111 answer it" Then someone asks him a question and he goes bananas. There is no single, magic question that will unlock the George Bush-Iran-Contra mystery, not even what he told the president The real issue is the role of the vice president in this administration and his judgment If he didnt know more about the arms trade to Iran for hostages, why didnt he? If he did, what did he do to stop it? Those are legitimate questions to ask of a man who as- The report that a black FBI agent says he was racially harassed by white agents, first in Omaha and then in Chicago, is not breaking news. It was back as 1984 that Agent Donald Rochon filed a federal race discrimination complaint ultimately upheld against the elite federal agency because of events that took place in Omaha.

Last November, a civil damage action also was initiated against FBI personnel. But it probably was a piece in The New York Times this week by columnist Russell Baker that brought the matter to President Reagan's attention for the first time, or at least in a manner so dramatic that the president had to make an acknowledgement Reagan was reported "very upset" Wedenesday. He wants a full narrative from FBI Director William S. Sessions. Columnist Baker's detailing of what went on in the Omaha FBI office produces a sickening in the gut: "Like the time somebody took Rochon's desk photo of his family and taped an ape's head over his son's face.

And the way somebody would scrawl 'Donl come' on Rochon's invitations to office parties. And the time he was taking scuba diving instruction when somebody put a picture on the office bulletin board showing two scuba divers emerging from a garbage dump, with a picture of Rochon's face pasted over the face of one of the divers." In Chicago, "Rochon arrived to find his desk had been turned away from the others and a piece of melted chocolate placed in his telephone 'Such undenied "pranks," according to an FBI supervisor, were "healthy," the kinds of sophomoric hi-jinks illustrative of "esprit de corps." Lord help the "corps" if that's the kind of "esprit" that still animates it Which is now very unlikely. Unfortunately, evidence of overt racism in Nebraska locations other than Omaha continues to surface, we are chagrined to admit The occasion of the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday observance provoked an ugly, beer joint-style commentary in a weekly Nebraska newspaper. These episodes only affirm that with all the laudable gains made in racial tolerance in the last American generation unquestionably because of the hydraulic pressure of federal laws and court interpretations the attack on ignorance and bias cannot be relaxed.

A practical a way we know of for all thoughtful white Americans to battle racism is on a direct personal level. Speak up and speak out objecting, on every occasion when such verbal garbage is spilled. Don't let bias seem acceptable, or normal If some jerk begins to tell what he thinks is a funny story with racial or ethnic overtones, stop him dead or refuse to listen. Make the racist embarrassed. question either, incidentally.

Let us never forget this: The sale of arms to Iran was a bad idea from the word go, regardless of the hostages. What would "moderates" in Iran do with missiles? Where would they say they got them? And if It were made public that they were dealing with the United States, wouldn't that discredit them in the eyes of their fellow countrymen? And how could it fail to become public, given the sleazy nature of the people involved? There may be answers to these questions but Bush wont provide them by beating up on poor, defenseless, f3-rrullion-a-year anchormen. What is George Bush hiding? 1 988 Tribune Media Services plres to the presidency, and throwing tantrums does not answer them. A close reading of the record renders it implausible that Bush was as innocent of guilty knowledge as he claims. He has been put forth as one of the antiterrorist experts in the administration and was in close contact with major players in both the Iran arms deal and the illegal resup-ply of the contras.

It strains credulity that he would not have picked up even a hint of what was going on. He doesnt seem that dumb. He cant have it both ways. He cant say he has spent the past seven years on the cutting edge of administration policy, then plead ignorance when things go bust As Alexander Haig put it to him: "Were you in the cockpit or were you on an economy ride in the back of the plane?" Bush didnt answer that Journalism now, then N3 HEALTH HAZARDS BREATHING SKQNWW lArpsffl CIGARETTE TpO The opinion offered in an adjoining columnist by Donald Kaul is not as Kaul immediately concedes universally shared. But there seem to be at least as many people who think CBS television anchorman Dan Rather was as much neatly exploited in his live interview of Vice President George Bush as there are those offended by Bather's worked-up style of abrasiveness.

Set aside the foolish question of "who won," as if that were the competition. What this stunt makes once more lamentably plain is television's earthquake influence in the political arena and the opportunities television dangles for the glib, adroit political operator. The George Dan Show became an instant topic of continental conversation. We've become a nation of critics on screen style, image and deportment Only secondarily did there seem chatter about whether Bush has satisfactorily shed the liabilities of his linkage to the Iran-Contra scandaL Inevitably, the very nature of television makes journalists and others in the medium distinguishable personalities and, as such, valuable "properties." Inevitably, the basic entertainment nature of tele vision makes almost no question, no matter how brazen, out of bounds. How much journalism has changed can be illustrated in a delightful story told by Don McGillivray, a columnist for Canada's Southam Newspapers chain.

It deals with Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. He was a notorious drinker and, McGillivray says, newspaper reporters didn't know how to deal with the occasions Macdonald "showed up drunk in the House of Commons or at a public meeting. "One decided to report verbatim a rambling, incoherent speech the prime minister made at a public meetingThe next day he was summoned to Sir John's office and found the prime minister reading his account of the speech against the tidied-up versions in other papers. 'Young said the prime minister, "I just wanted to advise you that if you want to make a career of reporting politics in this country, youll have to stay WelL there's been some advance.

No unashamed public lush seeking great public office in this country, or Canada, is going to get a free ride again. PublicMind In a paragraph U.S. security policies due for reshaping By James J. Kilpatrick WASHINGTON Just about, everyone in the Washington press corps count me in recently missed the most significant speech in months on U.S. defense policy.

It came on Jaa 13 from Navy Secre-. tary James H. Webb Jr. It was a blockbuster. Speaking at the National Press Club, Webb urged a complete re-, thinking of our defense posture around the world He called upon our European allies to assume a far greater share of the defense of Europe; implicitly he recommended a significant reduction of our own forces there.

Turning to Asia, he asked that Japan take over large obligations at sea. Looking at our own hemisphere, he provided ominous figures on the extent of Soviet penetration. His message was clear: The United States is overcommit-ted. Our resources must be reallocated. Our friends most pick op a great part of a worldwide burden.

We have to assume that so important an address was cleared by Defense Secretary Frank Carlucd and by the president himself. This was high policy enunciated from a low level, which is the way things often are done around here. Listen to what Webb had to say: "We are being told in no uncertain terms, and from many different fronts, that due to fiscal realities the U.S. military of the future must be smaller and more efficient We are also hearing, quite frequently and with equal fervor, that in the aftermath of the INF agreements the conventional threat in Europe will be larger, and that conventional force structure there should receive more emphasis. We also know, and there is no question about this, that our future as a nation is very closely tied to Asia in economic and political terms, and that we must do a better job of attending to the economic, political and security issues in our own hemisphere.

"And the overriding reality is that it should be obvious that a smaller United States mihtary, no matter how efficient, cannot attend to all these matters by itself." Webb called for a fresh look at our commitments everywhere. Since the end of World War II, both our allies and our enemies have regained their strength In this same period, while they have prospered, the burden of global defense has drained both our economic and military resources. Webb concluded, as he might have been expected to conclude, with a ringing defense of the importance of seapower in the coming century. He is absolutely right on that score, but put that to one side. The key point is that the administration has accepted the reality of reductions in the budget for defense.

Because we can do less to meet worldwide commitments, oar allies mast do more. The alternative Is to abandon the commitments and to let the Soviets move la 1988 Unlversaf Press SyndlCHte ka, can do. He will soon be the retired director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission but Eugene T. Mahoney still has clout within the Legislature. The probable evidence is Sea Bernice LabedVs designation of LB814 as her priority bin of the 1988 session.

Carrying a priority tag, LB814 is reasonably assured of being acted upon before adjournment What does LB814 do? Among other things, it will allow, for the first time, the expenditure from the State Recreation Road Fund for 1-80 interchanges leading to state recreation areas or state parks. Such as the $1.2 million already earmarked by the commission for interchanges to Platte River State Park and the new Eugene T. Mahoney State Park. The better-than -national -average increase in Nebraska's cattle of feed total as of Jan. 1 will be a statistic probably used to advantage by defenders of Initiative 300, and understandably so.

Only Texas leads Nebraska in the feedlot industry, 2.25 million head to 2 million. Nebraska's 8 percent inventory gain compares with the national average rise of 6 percent If you're looking for a bright side to defeat of the motorcycle helmet bill in the Nebraska Legislature, there's always the experience of trauma surgeons. Take it from the docs; the Legislature's vote should help maintain the Nebraska supply of transplantable human organs taken from brain-dead bikers. We doubt the Journal's editorial recommendation Tuesday that city government tear down abandoned buildings on downtown Block 35 was the spur behind Mayor Bill Harris' announcement Wednesday that just such demolition will be scheduled very soon. Nevertheless, thanks goes to Harris for moving in a positive way in the wake of the first-shot downtown redevelopment disappointment The report from the Kingdom of Omaha is that Gov.

Kay Cot's quite reasonable suggestions for tightening down some on the multimillion-dollar pickle-card Indus-I ry are about as popular as a serving of pickled herring at high tea. If the kingdom sets its face against gambling change, there's probably not much that its junior partner ally, the subdivision called Nebras deep. She made two much-publicized trips to Hanoi in support of the Communist aggressors. She said the POW's were "not being tortured and were healthy and repentant" Veterans point out that this isn't just a veterans' issue it's an American issue. The people of Waterbury hope some day shell be embarrassed enough to finally apologize for what she did to her country.

Mrs. Alice B. Paine Fremont Billfold missing Whoever took or picked up my billfold on Jaa 21, please return it If there's a dollar or two in it keep it if you must I need my driver's license, Social Security card, senior LD. card work permit hospital insurance I.D. card and several Veteran's organizations cards.

There's an eye glass prescription in the pocketimportant addresses and other information. There's no credit cards or anything like that for anyone to use. My name is on nearly everything, so it really is of no use to anyone. I cant drive a car or anything without all this information. Mrs.

Betty J. Meehan Lincoln adopted by the five Central-American republics. The recent award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Arias symbolizes world opinion. If our president can make peaceful agreements with the leaders of the two communist giants, the Soviet Union and China, he should be able also to relent in his hostility towards the government of a small country, like Nicaragua, even if it may lean towards communism. We taxpayers and voters must let our president and our representatives in the Congress know that we are moved by President Arias' plea "that Congress 'take a risk for peace'" and that we want our government to stop military aid to the Contras and to support the ongoing peace process even if it cannot attain the expected results with the desirable speed Albert Schrekinger Lincoln How gullible? The same administration whose poor judgment led to sales of arms to Iran and furnished arms to Chile, Haiti, Afghanistan and Israel has a constant request for arms to the Contras.

This obsession led to subversion of law and the Contra hearings. The arms furnished to the other nations have not settled anything. They have been used against civilians. The obsession with Communism has blinded the administration to the danger of right-wing dictatorships. Once again we are asked to compound past failures by more aid to Contras.

How gullible are we? Marilyn A. Thomas Lincoln The Journal welcomes readers' comments, but cautions that letters submitted lor publication must be signed and capable of verification. This requires both mailing address and a telephone number. The editors reserve the right to condense letters, retaining the writers' points. Except In very unusual circumstances, pen names or Initials are not permitted.

Legislative pay Nebraskans who bother to vote have always denied their legislative representatives a wage comparable to their peers elsewhere despite the perennial pressures to be "decent" about the ostensible disparities in state pay scales. The problem is a fundamental one: promises made that resulted in higher taxes to cover increased spending. As in Washington when the big pay boost socked it to us while budget-busting ran alongside, we see the pay-raise pitch in Lincoln as a resolution whose time has but probably, gone. We didn't have a chance in Washington to put in much against a raise. Do we have a voice in Lincoln? Fred Oetgen Nebraska City Insensitive remarks One might have hoped that Prof.

Richard Shugrue could have been a little less callous and a bit more sensitive than to air his personal views about abortion "Abortion rights protect privacy, says law professor" (Lincoln Journal, Jan. 25) while presenting himself as a professor at Creighton, when those views are so diametrically opposed to the philosophy of the university and the teachings of the Catholic Church. He presupposedly has the credentials of a scholar but it was scarcely the act of a gentleman. Rev. Thomas J.

O'Donnell Rector Lincoln Oocesan Seminary WavBfly Not forgotten Human Events, Associated Press and Cable News Network have all reported that Jane Fonda is not welcome in Waterbury, Conn She plans on making a movie there this coming spring. Memories of Fonda's activities during the Vietnam War still run IUMSullomvKB nir i rtl- aiHf INK ill ixwwrw iv Take a risk The report (Lincoln Journal, Jan. 19) under the headline, "Reagan to resume lethal aid to the Contras" is disturbing me because I believe that violence or the threat of violence are bound to result in the aggravation, rather than the solution of conflict between people, both on the personal and international leveL President Reagan's threat comes at a time when public opinion is welcoming the recently signed INF treaty as a promising step toward military disarmament and world peace. Similarly welcomed has been the peace plan initiated by President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica and.