PUBLIC FORUM : SUSPECTS IN BALKAN ATROCITIES MUST BE TRIED.Never again! That is what the Western world cried after World War II, and after the Nuremburg trials. But before the century has ended we read once again of mass killings, concentration camps, torture, rape and beatings in central Europe Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. In addition, Northern, Southern and Southeastern Europe may variously delimit or overlap into Central Europe. . The United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and other NATO NATO: see North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO in full North Atlantic Treaty Organization International military alliance created to defend western Europe against a possible Soviet invasion. countries have stationed troops in Bosnia to restore peace and stability. Both the Dayton accords and the United Nations resolutions creating the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia require that persons indicted INDICTED, practice. When a man is accused by a bill of indictment preferred by a grand jury, he is said to be indicted. by the tribunal be surrendered for prosecution. The highest-ranking political and military figures indicted to date are Radovan Karadzic, former political leader of the Bosnian Serbs, and General Ratko Mladic, former military commander of the Bosnian Serbs. Common sense dictates that there can be no peace and certainly no justice while these and the other 72 indicted individuals walk about their communities with impunity. I and all other members of Amnesty International Amnesty International (AI,) human-rights organization founded in 1961 by Englishman Peter Benenson; it campaigns internationally against the detention of prisoners of conscience, for the fair trial of political prisoners, to abolish the death penalty and torture of , the nonpolitical international human-rights organization, encourage your readers to call President Clinton and remind him of the obligation for NATO-led forces to immediately begin arresting those indicted for war crimes. This is required not only by our international agreements, but also by simple decency. - Stan Lieberson Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Courts and initiatives Daniel Matonak's tirade against the initiative process (Dec. 15), would have been better directed against the growing tendency of non-elected, life-tenured, activist federal judges dictating public policy. It's one thing for an independent judiciary to protect individual liberty where a clear constitutional issue is involved. Quite another matter is Matonak's citation of ``the moon is made of green cheese proposition'' as an example crying out for judicial remedy. As for his premise that the people really don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what they're voting for, this could have been penned by any of a number of dictators. His hypothetical proposition may be stupid and wrong. But stupid and wrong are not the same as unconstitutional. What possible constitutional issue could be involved here? Or is his example more of the all too common pretext for the judiciary to function as a super-legislature? For all its flaws, democracy does offer the remedy of the ballot box to correct unwise public policy. ``We the people'' is the basis of our sovereign authority. What is the check on elitist e·lit·ism or é·lit·ism n. 1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources. government by judges? Again, we would do well to consider the words of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: ``I strongly believe that my agreement or disagreement has nothing to do with the right of the majority to embody their opinions in law . . . the best test of truth is the power of thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the marketplace.'' - Alan Benson Newbury Park It is legitimate for a judge to hold that an amendment to the state constitution, passed directly by the voters, can violate the federal Constitution. However, this is not the issue in the judicial debate over Proposition 209. The issue is that federal Judge Thelton E. Henderson did not do his job and he violated the law. Our founding fathers gave us a government of laws under which judges were not to enforce their own prejudices, but to interpret the law. Henderson failed to interpret the law and instead enforced his own prejudices. To Henderson, individuals are not primarily individuals, but rather are members of racial groups. He believes that when A commits a wrong against B because of B's skin color, then C deserves a remedy at the expense of D, simply because C shares B's skin color, when D is an innocent individual who simply shares A's skin color. Thus, he endorses ``racial'' remedies, a concept inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment. Therefore, to Henderson, racial preference programs are ``remedial'' and Proposition 209's elimination of them denies a remedy for racial discrimination even as the proposition expressly prohibits racial discrimination. People who think like Henderson don't understand the fact that a black victim of a racial injustice deserves compensation because the victim suffered an injustice, not because the victim was black, and that the compensation should come from the wrongdoer, not an innocent party. Proposition 209 does not prevent victims of racial discrimination from obtaining legitimate compensation, nor does it prohibit legitimate punishment of racial discriminators. It was Henderson's job to keep his prejudice out of his interpretation of the law. He failed. - Allan J. Favish Tarzana I was dismayed by the comments of Richard Wadholm in Public Forum on Dec. 11. In order to make his point regarding Judge Thelton E. Henderson's temporary restraining order temporary restraining order: see injunction. against Proposition 209, he felt it necessary to use racist statements. Although I applaud his contention that the will of the people must be tested in court before it can be allowed to become law, I cannot applaud his level of comfort in using racism to make that point. Los Angeles appears to be a long way from becoming a race-blind city. We have simply changed the focus of our racism. Thirty years ago, making racial slurs against people who were not members of your particular ethnic group was the accepted norm. Today, the situation seems to have changed dramatically to where the only acceptable target of racial slurs are white males. - Robert Baker Reseda Front yard parking I can see Frank Jacobs' dilemma (``Front yard parking,'' Public Forum, Dec. 6). I also see this from the other viewpoint and understand his neighbors' feelings. Jacobs gives the impression he thinks it's OK to park an RV in his yard because of his age, income, fulfillment of obligations and military record - though I fail to see any justification. I'm sorry he's ill and on a limited income and that he has to make frequent visits to the VA Hospital, but these conditions do not allow him to break the law. There are many, like me, who are sick and tired of our neighborhoods getting to look more and more like Third World areas, where a person's status seems to be measured by the number of vehicles he owns, operable operable /op·er·a·ble/ (op´er-ah-b'l) subject to being operated upon with a reasonable degree of safety; appropriate for surgical removal. op·er·a·ble adj. or not. Our neighborhood has vehicles parked on front yards - I can't say lawns, there are many dirt and weed front yards on our street now - as well as on parkways, across sidewalks and at the curb, many left for weeks, even months. Our street can't be swept properly due to these clunkers - and I'm sure most people have to be aware of when the street cleaners are due in the area. The overflow from vehicles choking driveways flows over to other areas, too. Trash cans are left out week to week or left barely off the public sidewalks, because they won't fit past the vehicles parked in the front yard or driveways. People can't use public sidewalks because cars are blocking them. Yards are full of breeding areas for rats, and on and on. Granted, moving a vehicle every 72 hours is not going to be much better and it only adds another clunker clunk·er n. Informal 1. A decrepit machine, especially an old car; a rattletrap. 2. A failure; a flop. in the streets, but front yard parking brings down the whole neighborhood's appeal. - Anita Work Sylmar Federal blackmail Enough is enough. Now the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and and federal government have resorted to blackmail. We implement Smog II, or we get no federal funds Federal Funds Funds deposited to regional Federal Reserve Banks by commercial banks, including funds in excess of reserve requirements. Notes: These non-interest bearing deposits are lent out at the Fed funds rate to other banks unable to meet overnight reserve . These federal funds are our tax dollars. We do not need to be blackmailed by our government. - J. Michael Johnson Michael Johnson or Mike Johnson may refer to:
Tujunga Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. rebutted Perhaps it is difficult for columnist Richard Cohen Several people are named Richard Cohen:
It would be educational for those people to put themselves in the shoes of black Americans. To maintain true pride of who one is or what religion one practices or how ethnic one is in today's society, takes more bravery than anyone can muster. The black race has not only put up with having historical atrocities like slavery or lynching brushed off as insignificant, while watching the government pay retribution to Jewish people, Japanese people The Japanese people (日本人 Nihonjin, Nipponjin and other nonblack non·black or non-Black or non-black n. A person who is not Black. non·black  adj. races for the same, but keeps its dignity when its members are called ``whiners'' for telling the truth. I have yet to hear any other race addressed as ``whiners'' when its members cry foul. We have been, and will continue to be, a nation that is accustomed to being unfair when it comes to black people. The problem is that supposedly ``open-minded'' individuals refuse to accept this while a large number of black people already have. Why was more energy used infiltrating the Black Panthers Black Panthers, U.S. African-American militant party, founded (1966) in Oakland, Calif., by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. Originally espousing violent revolution as the only means of achieving black liberation, the Black Panthers called on African Americans to arm than was used to dismantle organizations like the Ku Klux Klan Ku Klux Klan (k  ' klŭks klăn), designation mainly given to two distinct secret societies that played a part in American history, although other less important groups have also used ? Why do civic leaders support racially divisive measures? It is simply the practice of the American way The American way of life is an expression that refers to the "life style" of people living in the United States of America. It is an example of a behavioral modality, developed from the 17th century until today. . Unfortunately, it will be a practice that will most likely outlast out·last tr.v. out·last·ed, out·last·ing, out·lasts To last longer than. outlast Verb to last longer than Verb 1. everyone reading this. So before attempting to label every black organization for ``reverse discrimination,'' understand a very important point: Celebrating pride of one's heritage in the shadow of blond-haired, blue-eyed and primarily white standards is not racism; it's courage. - Natalie Martin Burbank Benefits for domestic partners Re the letters by Kelly Benning and B. Thorpe (Public Forum, Dec. 16) rebuking Los Angeles school The Los Angeles School of Urbanism is an academic movement emerged during the mid-1980s, loosely based at the University of Southern California and UCLA, that poses a challenge to the dominant Chicago School of Urbanism. board President Jeff Horton: They said that because the school district is strapped for money, maybe not even having enough for new books, that equalizing medical benefits for domestic partners should be scrapped. Horton wants all families to have the same benefits just like much of mainstream corporate America includes domestic partners in benefit packages now. Nondiscrimination, fairness and equality of benefits is a worthy goal; and Horton should be applauded for his efforts. The bottom line is that domestic partners are in fact equal to married partners and should be included as family members. All schoolchildren schoolchildren school npl → écoliers mpl; (at secondary school) → collégiens mpl; lycéens mpl schoolchildren school , including gay and lesbian students, can be told why this is being done: Fairness. - Marshal A. Phillips Los Angeles CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Fairness: Los Angeles school board President Jeff Horton wants to extend benefits to domestic partners. |
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