Your account does not include highlighter on images.
Searches Highlighted on Image
| September 29, 2006 Barnstable Patriot |  |
|
©
Publisher. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 7 (7 of 36 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
September 29, 2006 |
|
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader 
|
From the W
What's wrong with
America?
By Richard Elrick
r.elrick@verizon.net
While the most recent Rasmussen poll
has President Bush's approval rating at a
dismal 43 percent, it remains confounding,
amazing and discouraging that there are
still so many Americans who continue to
support this administration.
For the past sixyears, and particularly
since 9/11, George W.Bush and his pli-
ant Republican Congress have taken this
country to a dark and desolate place not
seen in its 200-plus years of history. Re-
gardless of the public policy category un-
der discussion, this administration has led
us in a direction that has caused the U.S.
to be less secure internationally and more
economically vulnerable than it was before
Bush came to power.
The president's economic policies have
created an environment where the wealthy
grow wealthier, while the outlook for the
poor and middle class grows bleaker by
the day.With the ever-growing income
gap between the rich and poor, opportuni-
ties for low-income Americans to join the
middle class continue to become more
elusive.
With less income and rising inequality,
the poor will have fewer chances to obtain
the education and job training so neces-
sary to move up the economic ladder.
Ultimately, while these kinds of policies
obviously hurt our poorest citizens, they
will also harm our business and corporate
sectors by depriving them of a well-trained
and skilled work force.
Under Bush what was once a substan-
tial budget surplus during the previous
administration has turned into the largest
deficit in our country's history, leaving our
children and grandchildren to shoulder the
burden. Using the guise of stimulating the
economy, GW's tax cuts, such as the repeal
of the estate tax, and the elimination of
the tax on dividends, have rewarded the
wealthiest 1percent with more tax cuts
than the bottom 60 percent combined.
As harmful to the working class as
Bush's economic policies have been,
they're dwarfed a hundred fold by his
failings in foreign policy. Through a combi-
nation of incompetence and malfeasance
that has been ideologically driven from
the start, Bush and his neo-conservative
supporters have moved American from a
place following the terrorist attacks of 9/11
where we had the support and respect of
the great majority of nations (even among
Muslim countries), to one in which we are
now despised and ridiculed around most of
the world.
While a full recitation of Bush's foreign
policy blunders would fill a column far
larger than this writer is allowed to pen,
just a cursory examination of this admin-
istration's failings shows how justified the
world's citizens have been in condemning
George Bush.
Beginningwith the war in Afghanistan
to avenge the 2001 September terrorists'
attacks on the World Trade Center, Presi-
dent Bush missed opportunity after oppor-
tunity to effectively respond to the threats
that Islamic extremists pose. By failing to
secure Afghanistan with a sufficient num-
ber of troops and capturing Osama bin
Laden, Bush has emboldened the Taliban
remnants and allowed them to regain their
strength and stature.
Most egregious and damaging of all, by
undertaking an unnecessary preemptive
war in Iraq, Bush has done more to help
bin Laden recruit for the terrorist cause
than all the promises of virgins and al-Qa-
eda propaganda could ever have accom-
plished. Remember, before we began our
brutal invasion and occupation of Iraq, the
terrorists, to the degree they existed as
an international menace, were a group of
primarily Saudis who commandeered some
planes, arid the small minority of religious
fundamentalists who supported them.
Now, as a result of the occupation, our
use of torture against alleged "enemy com-
batants," and our blind, uncritical support
of Israel, Islamic extremists are falling over
themselves signing up to join the Jihad.
The truth now is, contrary to the Or-
wellian propaganda we keep hearing from
the White House, that we are far more in
danger from Muslim fundamentalists than
we were before invading Iraq. That's not
just my opinion, that's the opinion of two
recent reports issued by agencies of our
own government.
First, last Wednesday,the Republican-
led House Intelligence Committee report,
and then this week, the National Intel-
ligence Estimate (a consensus view of the
16 spy services inside government) both
showed convincingly that the invasion and
occupation of Iraq has actually caused a
whole new generation of Islamic radicalism
CONTINUED ON PAGE A:8
ACROSS TIME & PLACE
RETROSPECTIVES FROM THE ARCHIVES
mmmmmmmmmmm ^m^^^m^^^mmmmK^m^^^^
WE STAND CORRECTED - Judy Segerman of Centerville wrote us this week regarding our
photographof MikeThe PeanutMan,which raninthisspace Sept.15.We placedhiminfront
of theIdleHourTheater,butshethinkswe werewrong. "Ibelievethetheater depictedinyour
Across Time and Placephoto was the Center Theater," she wrote. Offering proof, Segerman
was kindenoughto sharethe abovepostcard. Asthepictureshows,sheisabsolutelycorrect.
The Idle Hour preceded the Center Theater, and it was infront of the latter, which burnedin
1971,that Mikepeddledhispeanuts.Thankyou,Judy.
From tRIGHT
By Steve Tefft
stevetefft@yahoo.com
A necessary reminder
Let's clarify something that shouldn't
need clarification, but apparently -even at
this late date -requires it: we, America, are
at war. This has been obvious to many of
us since that September morning five years
ago, but too many others have either forgot-
ten it, no longer believe it - or simply don't
want to believe it.
The last attitude is demonstrated in the
debate over terrorist interrogations. The
president has demanded a clear delinea-
tion of how Article 3 of the Geneva Conven-
tions relates to the interrogation methods
used by our agents; in other words, what
our guys may and may not do to extract
information from prisoners -and avoid
being tried as war criminals at the same
time. But the see-no-evil group seems more
concerned with how America is viewed by
our enemies, than with what we can do to
protect ourselves from our enemies.
Terror suspects are detained for a reason:
they're suspected of knowing something
about plans to attack Americans. That's
information our agents need, and must ob-
tain. If rough methods are needed to obtain
information that can save American fives, so
be it. It's not as if our treatment of al-Qa-
eda prisoners will change al-Qaeda's treat-
ment of American prisoners. al-Qaeda never
signed the Geneva Conventions so why
should they honor their limitations? Treat-
ing others as we would have them treat us
is a laudable goal, but only to a point. I'd
rather five now and worry about what oth-
ers think of us later.
Here's the thing about aggressive interro-
gation: it works. ABC investigative reporter
Brian Ross recently examined the methods
used against 14 al-Qaeda operatives. Each
one of them cracked within three minutes
including 9/11planner Khalid Sheik Mo-
hammad. The methods worked, and saved
American lives which is what the entire
war on terror is about.
We are fightinga fascistic, totalitarian
enemy that doesn't care for such intellec-
tual abstractions as the Geneva Conven-
tions; an enemy that will hate us no matter
what we do (unless we all convert to their
mutated form of Islam.) We must realize it,
and act accordingly. The alternative -trying
to curry favor by fighting a politically cor-
rect war -is as useful as fighting a pit full of
snakes with a fly swatter.
* * *
Hugo Chavez is a bad guy.The Venezuelan
president, who once went to jail for trying
to overthrow his country's government, is
quickly transforming his oil-rich nation into
a Third World hellhole. His childish ha-
rangue at the United Nations this month, in
which he called President Bush "the devil"
and America "genocidal" should not have
really surprised or disappointed anyone.
What was disappointing was the response
of the Cape's congressman, Bill Delahunt. I
talked with Delahunt a couple of hours after
Chavez' rant. After labeling the Venezuelan's
comments "offensive" and "inappropriate,"
Delahunt did what too many Democrats
always do these days: blamed President
Bush. Chavez' comments, said Delahunt,
were a manifestation of our own unpopular-
ity around the world caused, naturally, by
the Bush Administration's policies in the
Middle East and elsewhere. Delahunt, who
calls himself a "friend" of Chavez, famously
brokered a deal for low-priced Venezuelan
oil last winter, a deal that served two pur-
poses: helping low-income residents heat
their homes, and embarrassing the Bush
Administration. Delahunt didn't say that
Chavez' United Nations outburst would dis-
suade him from pursuing another such deal.
Is scoring political points against your own
president worth cozying up to a despot who
loathes what America stands for? Sadly, it
appears so.
* * *
What struck me about Bill Clinton's tele-
vised meltdown on Fox News Sunday was
not his everlasting denial of responsibility
for failing to act more aggressively against
terrorism. Nor was it his red-faced, eye-
bulging, finger-wagging demeanor, which
recalled his January 1998 denial of having
sex with "that woman." No, it was the sheer
narcissism of the man.Every answer to
every question was centered on him. Just
for larks, I reviewed a transcript of the most
combustible, 10-minute section of his inter-
view with Chris Wallace, and counted the
times the former president used the terms
"I" and "me." The count was 104 a rate of
10 first-person references per minute. As
always, everything is about Bill everything,
that is, except blame.
Some things never change.
Page A:8
LETTERS
COMMENTARY
By William Zammer
Ed
Maroney's recent
article ("Time to
sound the death
knell for tourism?" Sept.
22, pg. A:9) and my com-
ments regarding tour-
ism at the Cape Cod
Technology Council have
engendered a great deal
of discussion, and I would
like to place these ideas
in perspective with details
on the background and
context of my message.
As Chairman of the
Steering Committee of
the Regional Technol-
ogy Development Center
(recently re-named the
Cape Cod Technology
Development Center), I
was speaking to the Cape
Cod Technology Council
regarding the creation
and mission of the RTDC
as a vehicle to create and
attract high-payingjobs
to Cape Cod.
The governor's Regional
Competitive Council, of
which I am a member,
designated Marine Ocean
Technology as one of
the economic clusters
that Cape Cod needs to
develop and focus on in
the future (Tourism is still
the number one economic
cluster).
My comment regarding
tourism was in response
to a member of the Tech
Council who felt that the
Cape Cod Chamber as
well as local chambers fo-
cus primarily on tourism
to the detriment of other
industries, which I believe
is not true.
Perhaps years ago the
primary focus was tour-
ism but now I believe
all of the Chambers of
Commerce on the Cape
look beyond tourism to
improve the economy
of the Cape. No one is
suggesting that we have
forgotten tourism; how-
ever, the scope has been
broadened to include
other industries. I noted
that many of the tech
groups are not members
of the Cape Cod or local
chambers and I believe
they need to participate
with the chambers to
further promote their
interests.
As to tourism -of
course Cape Cod is still a
major tourist destination.
And the fact remains we
still promote tourism on
the Cape. Therein lies the
dilemma. As we promote
tourism, we now see many
properties converting to
rentals and condos, which
CONTINUED ON PAGE A.8
The hospitality industry and
the Cape's economy
pgauvin@barnstablepatriot.com
B
arnstable is a study
in contrasts as the
nation faces 300 million
in population this month
and Hyannis tries to
house it.
On the one hand, the
town expends consid-
erable energy to place
certain properties -and
an entire roadway (Route
6A) -on the histori-
cal register to preserve
the unique character of
distinctive places and/or
properties. And it buys
open space where the
majority of people seldom
go or notice.
On the other hand, the
municipality,pressed by
the state, seems bent on
creating zoning mutations
everywhere else that will
undo protections against
oppressive growth, defoli-
ate green space in neigh-
borhoods where what
foliage and space is left
is treasured, and nullify
the dearly held protective
expectations of residents
living in family- zoned
areas.
All this to create more
affordable housing, a rela-
tive term if there ever was
one. Affordable to whom
and at whose expense?
Devices such as the
amnesty program that le-
galizes illegal apartments
can sometimes invite
shenanigans capable of
changing neighborhood
character for the worse.
Along with state Chapter
40B, such contrivances
threaten to roll over es-
tablished neighborhoods
like Sherman tanks on a
blitzkrieg of urban sprawl
The latest assault
on protective zoning is
the Affordable Housing
Overlay District sched-
uled to come before the
town council again on
Thursday.An AHOD can
pop up anywhere, m any
neighborhood, in any
zoning. That's important.
At first glance it appears
to be another weapon of
mass zoning destruction
that will undo what many
homeowners do not want
undone -their protective
zoning, their little and im-
mediate green spaces.
Some residents see
danger in allowing a carte
blanche overlay where a
few years later some plan-
ner will propose an over-
lay over the overlay. This
would be similar to the
potential condo builder
in downtown Hyannis
who now wants to go four
stories by special permit
instead of the established
three-story limit passed
in the growth district that
was sold to the public.
The next developer will
find reason to rational-
ize five stories and so on
until the village spelling
changes to High-annis.
That's the pessimistic
view and it stems not
so much from what the
town is attempting to
do -short- circuit 40B to
create affordable housing
while giving deference to
local control -but from a
learned unease with the
CONTINUED ON PAGE A:8
AHOD, on
other hand,
seen as threat
to zone
protections