Investigator needed to hold top officials' feet to the fire
I was amazed as I read your editorial concerning independent counsels ("Independent counsel is worth saving," Feb 24). Almost every argument you raise would seem to call for letting the statute lapse, yet by the end of the editorial you call for some sort of independent counsel.
I think several statements, assertions and assumptions are simply wrong.
I don't think Kenneth Starr's efforts caused bipartisan support for allowing the independent counsel statute to lapse. Republicans were quite ready to get rid of the law in the aftermath of Lawrence Walsh's seven-year investigation of President Reagan. Mr. Starr just added the Democrats because he has been investigating their president.
As far as Mike Espy is concerned, don't forget that the special prosecutor obtained convictions of Tyson Foods officers.
A special prosecutor was appointed to investigate Henry Cisneros because he allegedly made false statements on documents filed with the government.
The aim of the independent counsel law was not to get a prosecutor without partisan influence, as you state, but to get a prosecutor who is independent of the executive branch of the government when investigating alleged wrongdoing by top-level executive branch officials.
In the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, many argued that the executive branch could not investigate itself. I would argue that is still true, with one example being Attorney General Janet Reno's refusal to ask for an independent counsel to investigate campaign fund raising.
I agree with The Sun that some kind of mechanism needs to be put in place to investigate high executive branch officials accused of misdeeds. Or Congress has to be a lot more vigilant than it has been since at least 1996 in holding the Justice Department's feet to the fire to ensure that investigations of wrongdoing are really done.
Jerry Hayward, Severna Park
Coverage of Broaddrick shows press has sunk far
Jack W. Germond and Jules Witcover say "the press is doing a little hand-wringing over the Juanita Broaddrick story. But not much" ("Broaddrick case now just another scandal," March 1).
What the press is doing is trying to justify the release of an unsubstantiated story of rape that cannot be proved by Ms. Broaddrick or disproved by President Clinton. Am I the only person who thinks that journalism has sunk to the level of pond scum? The media are trying to justify why they have told us this story, and I wonder why Mr. Germond and Mr. Witcover have sunk to discussing it as well.
The media want to sell their product, and sex sells. What is the point, other than to try to destroy the Clinton presidency once again and, by the way, make money? Mr. Clinton lied about consensual sex, but that wasn't enough to remove him from office. So the Bill Bennetts and other "virtuecrats" will keep this unprovable story going for all that it is worth.
An explanation is being called for, but if Mr. Clinton denies it, the Clinton haters would never believe him -- in the same way that they have never believed he has apologized enough or correctly.
Ronni Pearl, Lutherville
Convicted murder doesn't deserve success
Michael Olesker's column "Family sees a killer, not a success story" (March 2) got my blood boiling. I'm no lawyer, but I hope one out there will consider representing Selma Schuman and her children and sue Slim Butler big time for killing her husband and depriving her children of a father.
I am appalled that Butler got off so easy. And society rewarded him with a scholarship and accolades for his business success. Something is wrong with this picture. The least he could do is share his wealth and future earnings with his victim's family.
Allan Kaufman, Owings Mills
Governor should approve recommendation for tracks
Sun sports writer Tom Keyser reported that the racing study commission recommended $21 million to increase purses for thoroughbred owners at Laurel and Pimlico ("Panel asks $21 million for tracks," Feb. 27). Gov. Parris N. Glendening and legislators should approve the expenditure because both tracks generate revenue for our state.
The need for a competing track is questionable. Will attendance increase or draw fans away from Laurel and Pimlico? The Sun has written of Delaware and Charles Town luring Marylanders to wager on ponies and play slot machines. In addition, our citizens trek daily by bus to Atlantic City to relax and play the one-armed bandits.
The governor and legislators cannot disregard the 10,000 to 15,000 jobs the tracks support.
Bill Arwady, Towson
Knesset should find a way to change Sheinbein ruling
The Israeli Supreme Court came to the wrong conclusion. In a 3-2 split decision, it ruled that a U.S. citizen, born in the United States of American parents and carrying only a U.S. passport, was actually an Israeli citizen.
This means Samuel Sheinbein, who admitted to committing an horrific murder in the United States, can't be extradited to face justice and the family of his victim. The court majority based its decision on the fact that the alleged murderer's father was born in Palestine before Israel became a state.
This sad decision, against the Israeli government's wishes, gave precedence to a domestic law (designed to protect Jews from religious persecution) over an international extradition treaty. The only question of persecution in this case involves the young American victim who was dismembered and set on fire.
I hope the Knesset will serve justice by seeing that the accused American murderer of an American citizen is returned to face trial under American law.
Roger C. Kostmayer, Baltimore
Building Westminster road could U-turn Smart Growth
Regarding your editorial "Implementing Smart Growth" (March 1), am I the only one who supports Gov. Parris N. Glendening wholeheartedly on Smart Growth, specifically his refusal to fund highway bypasses in Carroll County?
The editorial appeared on the same day The Sun reported that houses are going up so fast in Carroll County that dispatchers can't find new homes and fire and ambulance crews are overwhelmed. Wasn't there some mention earlier this year about inadequate water pressure to accommodate new homes in Westminster and Manchester?
What your commentators such as Barry Rascovar and C. Fraser Smith don't seem to recognize is that Westminster had a perfectly good bypass back then. It was U.S. 140, and it worked splendidly until a series of bad land-use decisions squandered it.
Now Westminster demands another bypass at taxpayers' expense. Your writers fail to realize that the cost of not building another bypass for Westminster is $0.00. The projected cost of a 1.8-mile highway in Cumberland (the Canal Parkway) is reported in a Cumberland newspaper to be $31 million.
The governor seems to realize that highway bypasses enable the sprawl that Smart Growth seeks to prevent. Is there such a thing as a limited access highway that doesn't promote Wal-Marts?
Paul R. Schlitz Jr., Baltimore
Rise in racism calls for action
In a recent article in The Sun, police brutality has been called epidemic (Feb. 26). So-called radio shock jocks are having a field day. Many white supremacist groups are covertly clamoring for racial confrontations to enhance their "final solution" manifest.
What does all of this mean to African Americans and to a lesser degree, other minorities? Very simply, it means that ethnic groups must take immediate action and demand that the divisiveness and self-hatred so rampant must somehow cease. We must relearn how to love, respect, care for and interact positively with one another.
Crime, no-show fathers and the emergence of the violent illegal drug trade has devastated our neighborhoods, demoralized many of our people and hurt us deeply. We must close ranks and prepare for the ordeal ahead, which is to confront the juggernaut of racism that is hellbent on eradicating us from the face of the earth. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, there are difficult days ahead.
Garland L. Crosby, Baltimore
To our readers
The Sun welcomes letters from readers. They should be no longer than 200 words and should include the name and address of the writer, along with day and evening telephone numbers.
Send letters to Letters to the Editor, The Sun, P.O. Box 1377, Baltimore 21278-0001. Our fax number for letters is 410-332-6977. The e-mail address is letters@baltsun.com.
All letters are subject to editing.
Pub Date: 3/08/99