The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 4

JU. ENQUIRER I I I Kot i Kditor THOMAS S.dKI'H ARI) I' Associate Kditor HARRY II. BROWMNli Vice President Production JAMES E.JEROW Vice President Achertising A. ROBERT OEHKER Vice President in ula ion i CARL II. I.INDNKR Publisln-r ll.l.I AM J.

KKATIMi I'ri'sidint and Kditor Is A Lesson In Beirut -4v- There THE VIOLENCE THAT plagues Bei- is a good example of what happens to society when politics takes to the streets and civility and civil order are too w.ea,k to re-establish legitimate Lebanon has long been a nation where civilizations met, the gateway between the Arab East and the modern, industrial West; It has been a place where Christianity and Islam lived together and where persecuted religious minorities could find teUige. But no more. For religion, politics and economics are all at war in the streets and tiftere is little room for commerce and none' for civilized society. There is, worst of all, a condition Thomas Hobbes would describe; as one of "continual fear and clanger of violent death; and the life of man (is) solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and IX is this way, according to observers orj tji? scene, because law and order have btoken down. Beirut, then, holds a lesson for, Americans who believe violence is justified and demonstrations are the critical factor needed to produce political ol 20 of in New York State's Problems A Combined fommumf atinn Monday, November 24, 1975 where those violent roads may lead.

And believe me, it is frightening to be caught in such a situation. Mr. Vickers writes of the knock on the door at night from armies prowling the neighborhood, of hoping the walls will protect you from machine-gun fire, rockets, bazookas or grenades. He writes of scanning rooftops for snipers, of being pinned for hours in gutters when fighting breaks out again, of road blocks and barricades and "encounters with armed men who are so trigger-happy they often shoot first and ask questions later." The result is that "no street is safe." All this, then, in the name of religion, of politics, of economics. As Mr.

Vicker explains: It is fashionable, of course, for revolu-' tionists of all sorts to claim that violence is necessary to right wrongs and they usually accord themselves the right tc determine what is wrong. Members of the Meinhof gang in Germany, Puerto Rican nationalists in the United States ana guerrillas of various kinds all seem tc think that by destroying the system the way will be cleared for creating something better. But on the scene, one findi that anarchy contains nothing creative within its makeup. Ideologists are apt tc be among those first killed when the bullets fly. It is banditry and mayhem which thrive when law and order go, not social readjustments.

That is the warning Beirut holds for America. It is not the sons of the upper middle class who are the winners, but those whom Henry Kissinger has called the "tough guys." "The society which makes its decision" about a political issue in the streets, Dr. Kissinger warned, "will sooner or later be driven towards some form of Caesarism in which the most brutal forces in the society take over." It is a lesson which must be recalled when the streets are peaceful so it will not be forgotten when the temptation comes to make them violent. Footnote But now, if the testimony before the Senate committee deserves any credence, it develops that It was President Johnson's FBI that was prying into all aspects of Dr. King's private life, struggling to blackmail him into retirement, even suggesting suicide as the only escape.

These illicit activities, again if we lend credence to the allegations laid before the Senate committee, were occurring at roughly the same time Dr. King was contributing to President Johnson's re-election by warning the nation of all the nefarious, nightmarish things that might happen if Senator Goldwater were ever to become President. Heston a court ordered, against the will of her parents, a Jehovah's Witness to receive a transfusion of blood which resulted in the girl's recovery. THERE IS CRYSTALLIZING agreement that in cases of irreversible paralysis, doctors should be permitted to pull the plug if that is the will of the patient. The practical problem is ascertaining the will of someone in a comatose condition.

We know what Karen Ann's parents believe she would wish. But we do not, in fact, have her word on the matter. Her attending physician although one doubts that he would disagree that Karen, if competent would agree with her parents is simply not qualified to transcribe the desires of an unconscious human being. And the judge ruled that her parents were not authorized to make so grave a decision in their capacity as surrogates. What is coming up, then, Is the question of how to anticipate such circumstances.

Much thought has been given to the subject, and. in another article I propose.to pass along the specific form recommended by Dr. Heifetz. DAILY THOUGHT It luis bcvn said that disillusionment with human nature most often turns the mind toward Christianity. I know that in my period jejune optimism the concept of original sin seemed something archaically funny.

Now, years later, and after the experience of a world war, there is no concept that 1 regard as expressing a deeper insight into the enigma that is man. Richard M. Weaver. change. Let one observer, the Wall Street Journal's senior international editor, Ray Vicker, put this in perspective.

Writing in a recent issue of the Journal, Mr. Vicker says: A visit to Beirut should be a must for any American who has ever contributed a Ihin dime to the republicans of Northern Ireland, or who has argued for the rights the Weathermen to express themselves with bombs, or who sees the Symbionese Liberation Army as "freedom fighters" meriting honor or who feels police power the United States should be reduced to nothing. Here you have the case study of tripled from $4 billion to $13 billion over the past five years, while the city's debt has only doubled. The state and its agencies increased their short-term debt fivefold to a point where it equals about half of all short-term debt generated by other states and cities. As these debts come due and the state struggles to meet the obligations of its agencies, it will only add new constraints to what could become a tight money market in which interest rates rise for all borrowers, public and private.

New York State, like the city it created, has been the leader in social-welfare programs. Now everybody else will be paying the price. An Ironic AS CONGRESS continues to delve into allegations that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was committed to the destruction of Dr. Martin Luther King influence, many. Americans will be struck by an Ironic footnote.

In the course of the 1964 presidential campaign, Dr. King was one of several Americans of similar persuasion who were moved to warn their countrymen about what they perceived as disturbing aspects of Sen. Barry Goldwater's campaign for the White House. "We see dangerous signs of Hitlerism in the Goldwater campaign," Dr. King himself solemnly warned.

Jesuit disagreed. And everyone, including the Judge, studied the relevant phrases of Pope Pius: quite properly, I should think, since ethics are best defined not by legislators, but by moralists. THE POPE BEGAN HIS address to the anesthesiologists in 1958 by saying that questions of science, such as when is someone in fact dead, are best settled by scientists. But "considerations of a general nature allow us to believe that human life continues for as long as its vital functions distinguished from the simple life of organs manifest themselves spontaneously or even with the help of artificial processes." The question concerning which there Is discussion is the emphasis that Is properly placed on the word "or." It would appear, if read literally, to make the word "spontaneously" entirely meaningless. Either vital organs are working spontaneously, or they are not.

If, as in artificial respiration, they are made to work by artificial processes leading to their resuscitation, after which they will resume working spontaneously, then the answer would be clear. Indeed, in John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital vs. I-' NEW YORK CITY'S problems with default and the city-state-federal effort to avoid it may only be setting the pattern I for an even more interesting fiscal crisis I'fbr New York State. pl While New York Gov.

Hugh Carey says state itself can manage through the fepring, even if the city defaults, the the state has created to shoulder its could be in real trouble. '6r Its Housing Finance Agency, which i'Jias $4 Million in moral-obligation bonds the voters never got a chance to accept or reject; jnust come up with more than $1 illi6hto meet short-term debt by September. On top of that, the state will have to icit of between $300 million and million before the end of its fiscal on March 31; it will have to find $800 in advance aid for New York City; must raise $2.5 billion in April through notes to meet seasonal portages of cash. 'Z-l "Ax must do all this not just in the wake default of the Urban Envelopment but in the face of a daggering load of debt that is out of proportion to what other governments "are doing. 7 New York State has 8 of the nation's population and 9.7 of its personal in-'; but its $37-billion debt is 18 of the total state and local debt.

Compared to its state, New York City is of a saint than a sinner. Debt "generated by the state and its agencies Ms Soon As He Reloads, Readers9 Positive Sign TO THE EDITOR: What a joy it was to read the article "Housewives Embarrassing Massage Parlor Customers" (November 13). How refreshing It was to read of women not protesting "inequalities," or their unhappi-ness with some materialistic thing. It was hard to believe that as many as 200 women were attacking commercial sex, hopefully recognizing it as a basic root of trouble in this sex-filled and sometimes sex-crazed United States. Are the odds too great to imagine that a seed has been sown? A good seed, one that will grow in the minds of Creation's most attractive and most influential beings on Earth.

A seed that will grow and crowd out the resentment, the anger and the hatred that are created by society and Women's Lib groups (under the guise of equal rights) that divide and foster an unnatural situation between men and women. Letters submitted lor publication should be addressed to Readers' Views, 617 Vine Cincinnati 45201. For the sake of public interest, good taste and fairness to the greatest number, the editors reserve the right to condense or reject any letter. Again, are the odds too great to envision legions of women protesting another gross form of sexual commercialsim? I refer to the rape of our children's minds and morals. I refer to the abortion and parenthood-planning "parlors" that have aroused our 13-year-olds through health-education programs.

I refer to "Planned Parenthood," which, by Its promotional programs, has created a problem, and in its "concern" over nine-year-olds, must now develop a new program to accommodate these same "sexually active" nine-year-olds and provide birth-control means (does this include abortions?) and advice, without the parents' knowledge, since this is their policy, according to your front-page article (October 25). Perhaps all women could probe deep Into the recesses of their minds and question themselves: Is it moral to stand aside and let our children's vulnerable minds be warped with the belief that all sex is good? Is it moral to stand aside and allow hundreds of thousands of innocent victims to be slaughtered in abortions and allow Planned Parenthood to guide our children down that same dangerous path by performing early abortions, using tax monies? perhaps, after deep examination of self and the realization of the degradation of womanhood, motherhood and now children that has taken place in America, women could shake the sophistication syndrome and realize their vast potential of natural influence. Perhaps they could exert this influence on the immorality that exists in this nation, with full confidence that they are "equal" but totally different. Only then will the song "I Am Woman" have a deep, true and natural meaning. GENE SCHMIDT, 3754 N.

Berkley Cir. 'Inadequate Coverage9 Let me express my displeasure over the coverage given by The Enquirer to professional basketball. Tom Callahan, unfortunately, must see himself as the Howard Co-sell of sportswrlters: caustic, negative and a great second-guesser. His article (November 12) entitled "Basketball: Pro or a new low for him. In my opinion, it was a vicious attack on pro basketball, despite his self-serving assertion that "1 like pro basketball." While' Cincinnati has proved to be a great baseball and football town (although perhaps due to the fact that we have winners), It has proven "bush league" with respect to pro basketball.

Much of this is a function of the press. For a newspaper which has so much class In other areas, it is unfortunate that the pro-basketball coverage Is both inadequate' (I constantly must go to other papers to find box scores) and often incorrect. As I am happy that Cincinnati finally has a World Hockey League (WHL) hockey team, I would hope that soon Cincinnati would obtain a pro-basketball franchise, Try And Be Views For Women? such as the contemplated move of the Spirits from St. Louis. The American Basketball Association (ABA) has reached competitive parity with the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning 31 of 47 exhibition season matches between the two leagues, and the caliber of play is exciting and excellent.

Hopefully, the journalistic reception to this possibility will, for a change, become complete, accurate and (most Importantly) supportive, not the type that Enquirer readers have so often been receiving from Tom Callahan. G. A. FOX, 811 Erin Oxford. 'Utter Falsehood9 In response to the remark made in The Enquirer (November 14) by Hassan Rahman, deputy permanent representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (which, by the way, claimed credit for the murderous bombing of Zion Square in Israel on November 13, to "commemorate," they said, the anniversary of Yasir Arafat's appearance at the United Nations) that Israel "denies citizenship to persons who are not Jews," I wish to correct this utter falsehood.

Jews, Christians, Moslems, Druze and others are all citizens in Israel, granted citizenship by the Israeli government. Rahman is either misinformed or wishes to misinform. Whatever the case, does he really expect the public to believe that the PLO, which claims responsibility for bombs and murders, really wants peace? If this is an example of the PLO's "peace," I'd like to see its concept of war. JAN GOLDSTEIN, 7818 Newbedford Ave. 'Not Overshadowed9 The Enquirer (November 17) contained an article entitled "Charles Taft: Mr.

Indestructible." Associated Press writer O. Esper said of Mr. Taft that he "has been overshadowed by his father, his illustrious brother, the late Sen. Robert A. Taft, Mr.

Republican." If Mr. Esper's meaning of "overshadowed" is "publicity," then Charles P. Taft has been overshadowed. But if "overshadowed" means thoughts and action for good government, Mr. Esper is wrong.

For 29 years, Charles Taft has persistently and positively shown his consistent high-level concern and action for good city government. For 20 years or more, Charles Taft has been active in and for many years chairman of the Natlonal.Fair Campaign Practices Committee. Almost every country in the world has cities that know about Charles Taft's contributions for good government, which affect the central governments. I submit that Charles Taft has not been eclipsed by either his father or his brother, and that he has been more effective than both combined for the promotion and implementation of good local and central governments all over the world. R.

N. CLIFTON, 4431 Carnation Ave. THE ENQUIRER 1 17 Vin CiiKinnofi, Ohio 45202 DY MAIL OUTSIDt Of CARRI6R DHJVtRr DISTRICTS IN ZON8S I. 2 Daily one year Me 80 Sunday one year 26 00 ZONE 3 AND BtYOND Daily one year IM 60 Sunday one year $31.20 Second clou poitoo poid at Cincinnati, Ohio The Enquirer is a co-operative member of the Associated Press and is a subscriber to the services ot the United Press International, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Knight News, Dow-Jones and Copley News Service. The Associated Press Is entitled exclusively to the use or publication of all local news printed in this newspaper as well as all news dispatches.

NEWS BUREAUS D. C. 20045 )7 Notional Bldo. Cotumoui. Oti432IS 6l4BooBido bosioj Sit Hamilton, Ohio 4501 1 1 10 N.

Third St Middteton. Oh 45042 U47 Afc Lawr.nc.ixif M. 47025 202 Hmj, Lebanon, Oho 45014 Rm. 304 Bar Blda. SAWYER -FERGUSON-WALKER INC NEW YOWK Of-FhCE 661-6262 GENERAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Thoughts On The Quinlan Case By William F.

Buckley Jr. I THE KAREN ANN Quinlan case settled vlnot very much, but brought to prominence rr the- whole question of the right of the indi-Cyidlial to command the movements of his under dire circumstances. Dr. Mil-'-ori Heifetz, a prominent Claifornla neurosurgeon, has written a subtle and informative book on the subject called "The Right Die." He testified In the Karen Ann J-'pumlan case on the side of the petitioners, who begged the doctor to i-pull the plug," the earthy term, for which -hoever there Is no satisfactory substitute exactly that meaning. The dis-CWnftion Is between letting a patient die of Natural causes, and causing him to die.

ft "Is in the opinion of Dr. Heifetz the -Critical distinction, and it has a distinguished ethical lineage. Karen Quinlan's are Catholics, and before ap-r preaching the doctor to recommend that he the respirator that keeps their r'Niegetated daughter technically alive, they consulted their parish priest. Relying on a 1-pal allocution 17 years old, that priest them to go ahead. There was contro- the line, wnen a rancisciii priest '--wrCirig in Ossevatore Romano called for keeping her alive.

But a prominent Italian.