CP Did Us All A Favor

It was disheartening to read in the March issue the articles by Terri Alvillar and Jim Scanlon regarding elderly abuse. It's no secret that Marin County courts suffer from cronyism, corruption and incompetence. It doesn't help that the office of the district attorney is dysfunctional. We haven't had a stellar county district attorney for years. To make matters worse, protective services do not protect. Alvillar reported a caseworker who embezzled from a client.

What do we do? Start at the top. We need to elect competent and fair judges who will not tolerate elder abuse.

The Coastal Post did us a favor by publicizing a problem virtually ignored by Marin media east of Bolinas.

Norman Carrigg, M.D.

San Rafael

Human Doings

Very interesting piece by Frank Scott in the March CP on the ills of our capitalist economic system. He certainly paints a portrait of a tyrannical, oppressive, "anti-social organization that treats people and nature as commodities."

That's what college was to me: learning to see myself as a marketable commodity for the post-college employment world; in other words, becoming a walking resume instead of a human being. After enduring three years of this indoctrination at three different universities, I finally dropped out hoping to be a human being instead of a marketable commodity. But human beings aren't in much demand in a capitalism-dominated system. "Human doings" are in demand, but the price for that identity is that at some level the human doing knows he is only valued for his performance and not for any inherent value he as a human being.

As long as individuals let themselves fall for the inhuman propaganda of our economic system's mind management network which tells them they only have value as human doings, then the capitalistic system will continue to dominate our culture even if only the privileged elite truly benefit from it.

Keith Bramstedt

San Anselmo

A Matter of Conscience

It's not so much a matter of whether Americans can handle the fact that the US is the new Evil Empire, destroying economies, cultures, and life itself with impunity; it's that world hegemony, led by American organized crime, is a fait accompli, and the only way to straighten out this mess is to overthrow the illegitimate government now in power.

We now know how the fascists took over Germany in the 1920s and 30s: the same way fascists took over America in the 1980s and 90s with corporate money, bribery, lying and cheating, sustained ideological propaganda, intimidation of media, repression of dissent, and threatening or attacking opponents. And just like in Germany, very few Americans are willing to risk their tenuous security, hoping that the deprivation of civil and human rights will end with the outcasts, the homeless, the immigrants, the blacks, the poor, the elderly, single women with children, and American Indians.

But as we know in our subconscious, it will not end there. The new terrorists on the world stage, led by Bush Junior, are already coming after the intellectuals, the organizers, and the moral authorities.

What gives these hoodlums the confidence to be so bold? The knowledge that most Americans, like their counterparts in Nazi Germany seventy years ago, are just trying to get by, looking out for themselves, and don't want to get involved.

Who knows, maybe their laziness and cowardice will pay off, and they'll be spared humiliation and deprivation. My question is, how will they live with themselves?

Jay Taber

Mill Valley

The DA Should Investigate Court Abuse Of Elders

It was good to see that the elder abuse through civil court action which is prevalent in Marin County has not been forgotten by all. Terri Alvillar's description of these conservator scams from beginning to end is right on the money. These unlawful court proceedings are initiated by unethical members of our legal community and County employees charged with protecting the elderly. Ms. Alvillar suggests county employees (Ms. Casino, et al.) regularly abuse their position of authority to illegally gain control over the assets of elderly victims. These actions are condoned and legitimized by county judicial officers (e.g., Commissioner Grove), who are all too willing to go along with unethical lawyers.

Ms. Alvillar notes that the Marin Courts and District Attorney's office are aware of these scams and yet refuse to act. Ms. Alvillar calls for an investigations of such matters:

"Police and the District Attorney's office must vigorously investigate alleged misconduct and prosecute any who abuse their positions. There must be oversight of all probate Court actions since the system itself is flawed." (3/02) And she is correct, but are investigations likely to take place with District Attorney Kamena in office?

In a related article Jim Scanlon suggests that a Riverside County Judge who perpetrated such a scam should face criminal charges. And Mr. Scanlon is right; Judge Sullivan's conduct should be investigated by the District Attorney and criminal charges brought against him. Mr. Scanlon should realize that Riverside isn't the only county with corrupt judges and a District Attorney who refuses to bring charges. He needn't look so far to see corrupt judges go unpunished. Mr. Scanlon should be calling on Marin County's district attorney to investigate the judges, lawyers, and county employees involved in the pervasive elder abuse scam described by Ms. Alvillar.

Mr. Scanlon spoke up most eloquently last year in favor of retaining District Attorney Kamena, calling her "the most popular, open, innovative, concerned, prevention and treatment oriented District Attorney in the history of Marin" (4/01).

It seems we can't have all that and expect that the politically powerful in Marin will be investigated much less prosecuted. Kennard, Kinsey, Rose, Kress, Dufficy, and now Casino and Grove; how many of our public servants will escape scrutiny due to their influence over the district attorney.

Tom Van Zandt

Mill Valley

Hate Mongering Won't Help

In your March 1 issue there was a letter to the editor responding to Karen Nakamura¹s article on Israel. The letter suggested that the reason the US government supports Israel is due to, "the American Jewish lobby" that is , "well organized and very aggressive."

In response to this regrettably common belief about Jews I would like to suggest that the reason the US government supports Israel is strategic.

Israel is the USA's strongest ally in the oil rich middle east. The "Jewish lobby" angle does not explain US support of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Kuwait and other gulf states by the US government.

It also does not explain the military aid given to Columbia, Peru, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, pre-1990 Saddam Hussein, 1980's Osama bin Laden, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador etc. Unfortunately, our government supports any regime that suits the needs of our government/corporations.

If the Jews had a state, not in oil rich regions, but in some non strategic location, the Falkland islands perhaps, then we might see how efficient the, "Jewish lobby" would be in procuring aid.

I deplore the policies of the Sharon government and , as a Jew, am ashamed at what the state of Israel is doing to its cousins, the Palestinian people. I don't think that hate mongering will help the situation.

Andy Rader

Forest Knolls

Support The State Of Peace

Many editorial have been written about why the US is to blame for the violence in the middle east. Mostly, these articles make the stupid suggestion that the US should abandon Israel. Clearly, the US should not abandon ANY of her allies.

Israel holds a special place in the hearts of Americans. We have always supported the underdogs, the little guy in the fight. And there is little Israel, surrounded by enemies.

There is another, even smaller, state that is surrounded by larger enemies. Israel, supported by the US is working to ensure that this state never exists.

I am not talking about Palestine, I am talking about a state of peace.

The US has been complicit in the debacle because we have taken sides. We have chosen to fight for one nation at the expense of another. That is not the only option.

We can just as easily take a step back and say that we will support the side most that works hardest for peace.

In this conflict, the only one winning is war, itself. There are only two ways for Israel to achieve peace. The first is to commit genocide. The second is to join forces with the state of Palestine and fight together, against the common enemy.

Steve Wallis, MA

Petaluma

Anti-Israeli Propaganda Shows Need For History Lesson

Karen Nakamura's "Final Solution" article in the March, issue, aside from being a rather worn piece of anti-Israeli propaganda, shows the need for a history lesson as well as some basic instruction in political science.

The Palestinians, who allegedly have lived on "the land they'd owned for thousands of years", actually did not "own" that land until 1918, when the victory of the Allies removed the Ottoman Turks from the area, which the Turks had controlled since the Romans lost hegemony over that area sometime in the first few centuries A. D. In fact, the name "Palestine" didn't exist until sometime in the nineteenth century; and so, the people who lived there, alongside other ethnic groups, in the early part of the twentieth century, were hardly called "Palestinians", as the term derives from the Philistines, who occupied the land in biblical times, and who bore no connection to present-day Arabs.

In contrast, the Jews lived in that land since Joshua led the Israelites into the "Promised Land". Intermittently, they were ejected by foreign conquerors, including the Babylonians, Egyptians, Seleucids, etc., ending with the Romans in the time before Christ. Indeed, most nations in this world occupy land which they seized from other nations by force of arms, and this has not changed even today.

The Jews have a far longer claim to that tiny piece of land at the eastern end of the Mediterranean than do the people who now call themselves Palestinians. But claims are meaningless most of the time, when it is military might which makes the difference now, as it did centuries ago.

When Israeli military units occupy land which is fortified by a nation that attacks the citizens of other nations, this is called "war." Contemporary war often results in casualties among civilians, but these are not the direct intentions of the military force. When Palestinian kamikazes target pizza parlors and religious gatherings with their bombs, however, that is called an "atrocity" and it is unseemly for an American publication to pander to the expected propaganda of those who killed more than 3000 of our own citizens six months ago in New York and Washington.

Robert A. Fink, M. D.

Berkeley

Campaign Finance Reform & Big Money

When Big Money learned that the American people had rejected their candidate by more than half a million votes in the last Presidential election, they thought of ways to frustrate the people's will by resorting to extraordinary legal machinations. Faced with the grim prospects of a defeat, they even had to make the highest court of the land perform a judicial legerdemain that will remain as the most shameless travesty of justice in the annals of the US Supreme Court.

With the current passage of the Campaign Finance Reform bill by the two houses of congress, the American people have again spoken. And just like I the last presidential election, Big Money happens not to agree. This legislation is so popular with the people that Big Money cannot make their man in the White House exercise his veto powers to kill it. It will be political suicide to do so. They have a better way of skinning this particular cat. Let the same Supreme Court Justices who gave the presidency to Bush do their usual thing once more. While five of the nine justices in that august body are eager to jump whenever Big Money snaps its fingers, the "rule of law" will always prevail. This is a piece of cake, compared to what they did in the last presidential election.

Smart money is now taking bets that the US Supreme Court will ultimately decide, 5-4, that the Campaign Finance Reform bill is unconstitutional. Consequently, it will require a constitutional amendment to make the bill prosper, assuming that the US Supreme Court does not also decide that the required amendment to the constitution is equally unconstitutional.

With life time terms in office and not directly responsible to the American people for their actions, the members of the US Supreme Court have only their integrity to guide them in the performance of their sworn duties. And as any student of human behavior can tell you, there is no power more compelling in this world than Big Money when it comes to influencing that "integrity."

Big Money fully knows that with their man safely installed in the White House and five of the Justices of the Supreme Court always ready to abide by their wishes, what we have in this country is a government of Big Money, by Big Money, and for Big Money -- and no amount of reform initiatives can ever change that.

Antonio Serna

Rohnert Park

To California Voters

The following message is directed specifically towards California citizens over the age of 18 and thus eligible to vote. Unless you were in a coma during the Presidential election of 2000, you should have gotten the wake-up call proving that everyone's vote does count as the outcome was decided by the slimmest of margins. It should not be that you supposedly good people now exhibit the attention spans of the average fruit fly and ignore the lesson from 2000. Those of you that do remain apathetic are part of the problem and the problem is that this country has deteriorated into a "we don't give a damn-ocracy," which has allowed special interest groups to seize an inordinate amount of power from the citizens by bribing corrupt politicians.

When cancer spreads in the body, it greedily obtains an increased supply of blood in order to grow and destroy the health of its host. Anyone even remotely vigilant should see a malignant cancer growing and rapidly spreading its tentacles within today's government. Instead of red blood providing its sustenance, green money is what is feeding the disease. Unprecedented amounts of bribe money, dishonestly called "campaign contributions," have infected the political process. Corrupt judges have lacked the courage and integrity to do anything but spout deceitful rhetoric designed to legitimize the disease. According to them, "It is legal." Their parents, quit obviously, were too unfit to instill within them an adequate sense of what is morally right and wrong. Rubber stamp endorsing corruption is a testament as to just how "honorable" they are.

Look around you at the children and teens who, because of their age, cannot vote. As you see their faces, contemplate the following:

1) You have a responsibility to them to let your voice, your power, speak for them, the voiceless, the powerless. This country belongs to them and the kids they will one day have.

2) You teach the young by setting an example. If they see you not giving a damn, not voting, you are teaching them that it is all right not to be an active participant in shaping the future of the nation. You are teaching them by example to be less than responsible citizens if you don't vote.

3) If you either don't vote or vote for the incumbents, you are essentially voting to maintain the status quo. The status quo is what corrupt Democrats and Republicans both want to maintain.

It has been correctly noted that the strength of a democracy lies in the participation of its people. You should allow that truth to compel you. You should also care deeply about how apathy on the part of citizens acts to weaken this democracy. This democracy is supposed to be a beacon for all the world's people to look towards and admire. And as George Bernard Shaw observed, "We shall only be governed as well as we deserve." The 2002 California Lie-Athlon Competition is in full swing now with the finals to be decided this coming November. If you get yourself and others out there to be part of voting a good chunk of the incumbent politicians out of office, you will be loudly saying that you deserve better government. This is the only sort of language the lying, cheating, bribe-taking flimflamologists in office will understand. All other protests will fall on deaf ears, and amount to little more than Dear Abby column whining.

Your vote matters and your voice matters. Let them be heard, not silent.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Democracy is like a garden requiring constant attention to thrive. The weeds of apathy will kill it." -- President Gerald Ford.

James Samuel Kor

Soledad

Former RMI Chief Justice

The Chief Justice of the Republic of the Marshall Islands is selected by the RMI parliament and Minister of Justice, not by the US government. You Bay Area boneheads will take any opportunity to fling baseless charges and innuendo at the President, won't you.

Check your facts next time.

Michael K. Vredenburg

vredenbum004@hawaii.rr.com

Editor's Note: Would you be kind enought to let me know how I can check the facts? I am interested in knowing how this man was nominated and chosen to be what seems to be your highest judicail official, and his reasons for resigning. For instance, who nominated him? How in the world did you manage to pick this guy? Do you have a lot of rich, senile elders living alone in the Marshall Islands?

Jim Scanlon

What Is and What Should Never Be?.

On October 30th of last year, local members of three prominent human rights organizations attended a planned event on Colombia at the First United Methodist Church of San Rafael. I remember attending

half-heartedly, knowing that all the effort put into the event would not have attracted more than a handful of attendees in the aftermath of the devastating September 11th attacks. Upon arriving at the event,

I found that the original speaker had not been able to make it, and instead another speaker who had just completed an exhausting tour of the East Coast would take over the lecture. In fact, this tired speaker

would now take over the entire scheduled West Coast speaking tour.

Mr. Marino Cordoba, president of the Association of Displaced Afro Colombians (AFRODES), began his lecture with an attendance of less than 30 people. All attendees, except perhaps two teenagers and church

staff, were dedicated human rights activists, the event having drawn virtually no one from the community. Translating for him was an activist from Witness for Peace, who provides protection for people like

Mr. Cordoba by living in his community and exposure by sponsoring such speaking tours.

He started by describing the village he used to live in on the shores of Rio Sucio in resource-rich northwestern Colombia, using a stencil to draw sketches of his village and the river which meandered through the community. As he wrote dates on the top right corner of the stencil, he started describing the meaning of such dates to the audience. Prior to 1991, Afro Colombians, descendants from the African slaves brought over by the Spaniards during the first decade of the 16th century, had no recognized rights to their ancestral lands. In 1991, due to intense regional activism, a new Colombian constitution gave

official recognition and right to collective ownership of those lands to the Afro Colombians, but no land titles and thus no real control of their lands. As these laws were made official in 1993, it drew the ire of

landowners and big business, and soon vigilante groups appeared throughout the landscape which started targeting community activists. In the meanwhile, Mr. Cordoba worked with a local organization to

obtain those land titles and thus control of their ancestral lands. Due to their tireless and effective activism, the first installment of land titles was issued on December 3, 1996, with more titles to be distributed thereafter.

Seven days later, at 5:00 am on December 10, paramilitary units entered Rio Sucio village while everyone lay sleeping, and rounded up the people whose names appeared on the first land titles. As the town

awoke in the midst of screams and gunfire, Mr. Cordoba, who was awarded one of the land titles, ran from his house and fled to the river. Soon after, members of the Colombian military attacked the village with

US made helicopters, communicating and coordinating with the paramilitary units on the ground and referring to the villagers as "guerrillas." For three days the attacks continued, as members of the

Colombian army and paramilitary units attacked the villagers as supposed guerrillas with US made and supplied machine guns and grenades. This was witnessed by Mr. Cordoba and some of his fellow

villagers, who survived by hiding in the river for the entire duration of the attacks. In the end, the entire village had been either destroyed or forced out of the area, those inhabitants not killed being separated

from each other and their belongings. Some of the refugees were able to move in with other relatives in the region, but most ended up homeless in the major cities of Colombia, reduced to begging for

subsistence.

Plan Colombia, approved during the Clinton Administration in May 2000, provided roughly $1.3 billion dollars in aid to Colombia. Eighty percent of this money went for weapons, most of the remainder to

fumigation of coca crops, with some token money for human rights education and the like. The primary recipients of this aid, the Colombian military and paramilitary units, were clearly identified by the US

State Department and human rights organizations as responsible for over 80% of all gross human rights violations in Colombia. However, President Clinton conveniently waived laws prohibiting the transfer

of military supplies to known human rights violators and the bill sailed through both the House and the Senate.

The money apportioned for military aid and fumigation went directly to a handful of US based corporations, which provided substantial campaign contributions to numerous members in both Congress and the Senate. In the end, our elected officials chose to overwhelmingly endorse a corporate welfare

package thinly disguised as a War on Drugs, in which the clear winners were the corporations bribing our elected officials. The clear losers were Colombian civilians and their environment in the short run, and

all of us along with them in the long run. After all, US Taxpayers will bear the brunt of the violence in years to come should terrorism spawn from the violence generated by our money in their land. President

Bush is now trying to push forth an additional $93 million in military aid to Colombia to protect oil pipelines; rebel forces regularly target oil pipelines in an attempt to diminish government and paramilitary

military revenues in the four decade long civil war. Our elected officials are in the process of escalating US involvement in the Colombian conflict in order to protect the interests of corporations, even though

American taxpayers have nothing to win from choosing sides in this bloody conflict, and everything to win by insisting on the implementation and protection of human rights in Colombia and throughout the

world.

The fumigation is now taking place, being used only in rebel controlled territories but not in their paramilitary counterparts, both of which grow coca to finance their armed conflict. Each country bordering

Colombia (Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador) raised strong objections citing environmental concerns, but were disregarded by both Colombia and the United States. So the aerial spraying has continued

unabated, and reports on the ground indicate that the highly toxic fungicide has been sprayed on people, food crops, animals, and into rivers. To prove this point, Mr. Cordoba passed around the photograph of

a young child burned by the fungicide.

Mr. Cordoba also stated that the coca plant has been used for centuries as a medicinal plant, and that the coca leaves could not be turned into the illicit cocaine without chemicals being shipped down from the

United States or Mexico. There are no efforts to limit the shipping into Colombia of the indispensable pharmaceutical chemicals for cocaine production, or of limiting the manufacture and distribution of

cocaine by Colombian paramilitary units. Instead, the emphasis seems to be on using violent means to force local farmers in rebel held territories out of their cash crops, a policy which is having a devastating

effect on local land workers and their communities.

The ancestral lands of the Afro Colombians are rich in oil, mineral deposits of all kinds, and largely untapped forests. Multi-national corporations and big landowners are claiming economically important

swaths of their land, employing the services of paramilitary units and the military officers that maintain them. In addition, the US army bases, which closed in Panama after the Panama Canal was returned to

Panama, have been relocated to north-western Colombia. US military advisors are now able to work closely with the Colombian military and the multinational corporations in order to further US regional

interests, be it the Drug War or support for Free Trade, at the expense of the people who have lived in these forests for centuries.

The Colombian government cannot or will not restrain its armed forces in Afro Colombian territory, so all the work in obtaining land rights and federally recognized collective ownership have become moot.

Furthermore, our own elected officials become fervently passionate enough about the drug war in Colombia to dismiss all accountability about human rights abuses in Colombia or any notion of double

standards in our approach to the conflict. The only option afforded to Mr. Cordoba and others like him is to travel abroad in order to raise awareness about the plight of their people, at the risk of great personal

harm to himself and his immediate family. Paramilitary units in Colombia are adept at uprooting grass roots activists by the most despicable and violent means possible, often with intelligence provided by

the Colombian army. Activists in Colombia are murdered with total impunity, totaling half of all the murdered activists around the world on a consistent basis.

But all the hard work and great risks facing Mr. Cordoba will indeed be worth it if Afro Colombians and others like them are one day able to live with peace and dignity in their ancestral lands. A just expectation, which will depend in its entirety on the level of awareness and compassion Mr. Cordoba is able to stir up during his lectures. Right or wrong, his level of success will determine whether if his people obtain the basic human rights to which all human beings should be entitled to, the same ones most of us take for granted in our relatively affluent society. In essence, his very survival and that of his people depend on our regaining control of our elected officials before we loose it through inaction??

Alistair Lizaranzu, P.E.

Member of Amnesty International Group 142

Inverness

Limits to Stupidity?

So now California is facing a $14.5 Billion budget deficit.

How about a solution to this financial disaster that costs us essentially NOTHING? All we'd have to do would be to enforce our current immigration laws - this would mean repatriating the 3 million illegals now in California - and to reduce the number of legal immigrants to a remarkably generous level of 100,000 per year.

According to Carrying Capacity Network's study (http://www.carryingcapacity.org), immigration cost California $28 Billion per year (in 1996, after subtracting taxes paid by immigrants). The cost is much higher today.

Why are we funding free health care and K-12 education for illegal immigrants? With proposition 187, California said loudly and clearly that we were tired of it. Thanks to Gray Davis, 187 was swept under the rug.

Governor Davis just signed a bill to provide $11,000 a year tuition subsidy to each illegal resident attending California colleges. And you thought there were limits to stupidity? Ha!

It is time to repatriate the illegals and it is time for a sensible level of legal immigration. We're tired of energy shortages, ugly sprawl, overcrowded schools, ridiculous traffic, inflated tax bills, toxic air ... and just wait until the next drought. Over 92% of California's population growth in the last decade was caused by our utterly unsustainable level of mass immigration.

And let's be absolutely sure of one more thing: the 9/11 disaster was a failure of our immigration policy. We welcomed people to America who hate us. How dumb can you get! We have imported a fifth column into America and we are now appreciating the results. President Bush still wants to legalize the millions of illegals already here. And you thought presidents were supposed to protect America and enforce our laws? Ha.

KR Hammond

Berkeley

When You Declare War...

Time could be running out on Ariel Sharon's policies. The only people who can halt the Palestinian attacks are the Palestinians. The Israelis have one chance left to solve their enigma. They must in response to an attack from the PA clear back from the border refugee or other housing from which the Palestinians are attacking. Give them warning and then just take Israeli bulldozers and clear a "Cordon Sanitaire". Each time the Israelis without killing any Palestinians will push them deeper and deeper together. The wide open borders can then be lit up if necessary and policed from the Israeli side. Mr. Sharon and to all the Israeli people the Palestinians have declared war on you and you must use your creativity to nullify their attacks. In addition all people who have been put out of work by the travel reduction should go on emergency military duty to fully patrol the nations borders to prevent Palestinian action against Israel. Do it now Sharon. The longer you wait the more you loose.

* * *

Enough Arafat Condemnation

President Bush, Secretary of Defense Powell, Vice President Cheney, Envoy Zinni, UN Secretary General Annon, Arab States seriously seeking a just peace

and Israeli people all expressing their outrage should give Arfafat and Palestinian Authority 48 hours to root out Islamic Jihad and lock them up and throw the keys away. Anything less will bear truth to the fact that most know that Arafat is really behind bombings or has no control of terror groups.

Palestinians have 30,000 guns delivered by Israelis to them for the purpose of maintaining order in PA and fighting terror groups. This ultimatum to Arafat will determine if he is a serious peace partner. At the end of 48 hours of no results Israel should be given a free hand to do whatever is needed to protect it's citizens. The United States had no qualms of joining Northern Alliance to fight bin Laden and Taliban for harboring terrorists. Israel must use the same rational. NO CLOSURE OF ISLAMIC JIHAD AND OTHER TERROR GROUPS NO PEACE TALKS. US demands for Israeli restraint is fine but represents hypocrisy in view of Bush action in Afghanistan.

* * *

Sharon Manipulated By US Oil Hunger

How many more suicide bombings and missile attacks must Israel put up with before the world understands that Arfafat has no control over the terror squads. This doesn't mean that he in no way is unhappy with their successes of wearing down the spirit of the Israeli people. Arafat has been able through plausible deniability to disassociate him self from the terrorists as have the royal Saudi family disassociating itself from the Saudi bombers of 9\11. All Arabs are of one people and there are only imaginary and fictitious lines of nationhood which are maintained by military power, oppression and with the help of the United States saving its bottom for a bit of oil. Arafat should be made to return 30,000 guns which the Israelis in their stupidity handed over to the PA before the resumption of any talks.

Sharon is being forced into renewal of peace talks by US and is willing to talk with only 5 minutes of peaceful calm. More and more it appears as though Sharon is not the man to end the conflict. It is because of his failure to understand the nature of the enemy, his inability to plan a defense against suicide bombers and not to marshal his nation into the fact that it is at war. The world should realize that the US pressure on Israel to stay out of Desert Storm with out toppling Saddam Hussein and the irrelevance and disquieting comments from Kofi Annon all go to providing moral support to the Palestinian Authority for the fueling of the conflict against Israel. Oil is the greatest catalyst for the United States selling its soul to Saudi Arabia and other monarchical dictatorships. Peace may have a chance when the oils fields of Arabia are put out of commission and the free world manages to live with less. The air will be cleaner and we will survive with conservation and real friends.

Dr. Norman E. Mann

San Diego