Logansport Pharos-Tribune from Logansport, Indiana • Page 4

Page A4 Pharos-Tribune, Logansport. Indiana, Friday, April 16,1999 OPINION EDITORIAL The Refugees Kosovars should be close to home Deplorably, it does not appear that NATO strategists were prepared for the Kosovar refugee problem. To ease the problem, NATO allies have laid plans to airlift up to 100000 refugees. Germany is to receive 40,000, Turkey 20,000 and Greece Norway and Canada each smaller numbers. The United States was prepared to receive up to 20,000 at its naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but has put those plans on hold.

For now Americans can help the refugees by donating to rehet agencies NATO, working with the United Nations, must continue mobilizing every possible resource to provide sanctuary. But those sanctuaries must be as close as is practicable to Yugoslavia. The refugees deserve the greatest possible chance to return home. PROVIDENCE (R.I.) JOURNAL THOUGHTS IMAGES Berry's World by Jim Berry COMMENTARY Kosovars Replicating The American Trail Of Tears he bombs keep raining down. First on strategic sites in Kosovo, And then on key targets in Belgrade, With each passing day, the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations determination to bomb the Serbs into submission becomes more clear.

And with each passing day, the average American's view of what the conflict in Kosovo really is about becomes more confused. Military experts now are saying the only way to end the Serbian assault on Kosovar Albanians may be to send in troops. Should that occur, our resolve will be sharply tested. The uncertain U.S. strategy for Yugoslavia has dredged up frustrating memories of another no-win war more than 25 years ago.

Comparisons to Vietnam were inevitable. But there have been other comparisons in the debate over Kosovo that weren't so predictable. They have made people take another look at the darker chapters in this nation's history. I am talking about Americans' indignation over the forced relocation of Kosovar Albanians when we did the same thing to thousands of American Indians in the name of manifest destiny. For years, school textbooks treaded lightly on the decision by the federal government in the late 1830s HENRY TATUM Syndicated Columnist to move tribes in the Southeast to what later became the Oklahoma territory.

We were taught about the 'Trail of Tears" and saw pictures of the famous sculpture of a defeated Indian warrior slumping on his horse. But the comparatively brief message about the hardships of the tribes was offset by Hollywood's version of warring savages terrorizing peaceful settlers. Saturday morning kid shows gave us an easier lesson of good and evil and heroes and villains that we happily consumed. US. officials felt the nation wouldn't be complete until it stretched from sea to shining sea.

Just because Indian tribes had been residing on the land for scores of years before the pioneers arrived, that didn't mean they had the right to stand in the way of progress. It wasn't until I attended the University ol Oklahoma mat I began to understand the sheer audacity of what the federal government did to achieve its goals. About 16,000 Cherokees living in northern Georgia, east Tennessee, western North Carolina and northeastern Alabama were rounded up by troops and forcibly moved to the Oklahoma territory. The Trail of Tears followed two main paths. One was a river route via the Tennessee, Ohio, Mississippi and Arkansas rivers.

The other was a 993-mile overland trek from Charleston, to what now is Tahlequah, Okla. At least 4,000 Cherokees died along the way from exposure, disease and starvation. More than 160 years have passed since that fateful journey took American Indians away from their homeland. But it wasn't until 1997 that an organization began a serious effort to find and mark the graves of those who died during the trip. The Trail of Tears Association has met with chiefs of the five civilized tribes in Oklahoma Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole to encourage all descendants of those who died on the journey to provide information.

Sadly, the forced relocation of the Cherokees wasn't the only action taken by federal authorities to gain access to land where be mined or fertile.cropsMrveslec)..Th,e.list,of broken with Indian tribes is long and shameful. It is good that organizations are working to make certain that Americans have an honest reflection of this nation's history. There are touching stories that have emerged from the Trail of Tears that need to be shared. Perhaps the most moving occurred a decade after American Indians had been relocated to the Oklahoma territory. In the late 1840s, the US.

government made a plea for Americans to assist was going through a devastating potato famine. The first response was a $170 donation from' the Choctaw nation, which said it understood the hardships the Irish were undergoing. Scenes of Kosovars walking for miles to an uncertain future in Albania tug at the emotions. The bedraggled children waiting in long lines for a plate of food have affected even the most hard-bitten reporter covering the Yugoslavian conflict But in the midst of today's tragedy, we are reminded that nations have followed dark paths in order to reach their ultimate destiny. And for the United States, that path was the Trail of Tears.

Henry Tatum is an associate editor of Tlie Dallas Morning News editorial page. Readers may mite to him at the Dallas Morning News, Communications 75265fcr Northern Heights Committee Has Done Its Job With A Thorny Issue A fter reading the Pharos-Tribune last Friday, I was disappointed to see that our committee received a "thorn" for taking a vote on a choice between annexation and forming a regional sewer district without informing the general population that a vote was to be taken. Everyone agrees that the sewage and drinking water situation in the Northern Heights area is a complicated one. The Northern Heights Citizens Committee is a group of some 30 area households who volunteered at two public meetings in 1997 to meet monthly and study the problem. Anyone was, and is, welcome to join the committee and attendance at all meetings has been open to the public.

This committee never sought to replace the due process by which residents can express opinions. The committee's task was to study the problem and seek solutions. The committee recommended an THORNS ROSES KARL MYER Guest Columnist income survey to the county in 1998. The committee carried out the income survey and found the, area eligible for grants. The committee secured grant-required "matching" monies from LMU last year.

The committee worked with the commissioners to secure a planning grant saving Cass County $27,000. The committee met and reviewed engineering proposals to be certain the engineers selected would listen to Northern Heights' needs. The committee received the engineer's report and worked for over six months to get the system as cost- effective as possible. All this was done so that the people who will have to pay for the wastewater and drinking water systems in the Northern Heights area will have a part in keeping costs affordable, A key part in keeping costs affordable is the way the area is organized. Some structure must exist as an "owner" of the sewers and drinking water system in the area.

The actions of the committee on March 25 were the same as all the other actions the committee has taken. The committee will bring a request to Cass County officials to establish a regional sewer and water district for the area. Any committee "vote" was never anything more than a committee action. It was certainly not a referendum. It is unfortunate that a group of citizens who have worked hard for nearly two years should receive a "thorn" because of a lack of understanding of proper roles.

The committee has done its part in this matter. The general public decision process has not even begun. It doesn't make sense to me that two weeks ago, the committee received a "rose" for making the derision to form a regional sewer and water district, and then a. week later we received a "thorn" for the manner in which we made the decision. Perhaps next week, the Pharos-Tribune should give a "thorn" to itself for taking one negative comment and printing it Perhaps in the future, rather than being a thorn in each other's side, we can all work through this and come out smelling like a rose.

Karl E. Myer, a retired Logansport firefighter who works for Smith Office Plus, heads the Heights Citizens Committee that is working to resolve drinking water and septic system problem in the Northern Avenue area. Thorns and Roses is a weekly feature highlighting the best and worst of the week as recognized by readers and staff members. Suggested items may be submitted by contacting Dave Kitchell at 722-5000, Ext. 5150.

Roses To Habitat for Humanity. The organization and its volunteers have made progress in improving housing in Logansport through their most recent effort at 18th and Spear streets. Habitat is a good habit for the community to support To all the volunteers from the Izaak Walton League and otther organizations who helped dean up the river banks last Saturday. This annual river cleanup is the best insurance policy the community has for keeping one of its great natural resources clean and beautiful. Thanks for the coverage.

To Conservation Officer Brenda Louthain and David Hood. Your effort in cleaning up the Battle of Olde Towne area near Adamsboro shows we can win the battles against people who dump trash in areas the community appreciates most To those supporting Trinity Holiness Chapel. They are now worshipping in a new building in the community of Lincoln. A new church is a great thing to incorporate in one of Cass County's unincorporated communities, To Brooke Bowditch, Ty Maloy, Travis Pyle, Allyson Corn, Jennifer Kemper, David Tolson, Jimmy Bibby, Bekka Gaby, and advisers Ann Lines and Ken Fraza. These Thespians recently fared well in state competition.

Their success is no act To Lewis Cass pitcher Ryan Leininger. Your 18- strikeout performance against Delphi shows that you are the King of the hill. 4 To all the students who worked on the Logansport High School Jazz Cabaret Swing choir and jazz band performing together makes for a dynamic duo. To Kathy McKeever. She was recently recognized at the statewide level for her United Way volunteer work It's good to know Logansport's online staff member is on board with United Way.

To Krysta Hamilton of Pioneer. This softballer has inked a college scholarship to Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, meaning her work on the diamond has enabled her to cover her educational bases for the next four years. To the Logansport Memorial Hospital lab employees who sponsored a food drive. You just tested positive for contributing to a great cause. To Mike Schmidt The Logansport High School pitcher has made a name for himself that happens to be the name of the Hall of Fame third basemen for the Philadelphia Phillies.

After a 10-1 performance against West Lafayette, batters will be saying, "Oh, that Mike Schmidt" To Logansport State Hospital employees; They continue in their effort to start a museum for the hospital. Your special care reaches beyond patients to the care of the hospital's history. To Logansport native Aaron Heilman, a pitcher for the University of Notre Dame, He was named Co- Big East Player of the Week last week after holding opposing hitters to a .137 average. He had wins over Detroit and Pittsburgh, and if he keeps it up, he'll be pitching against the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. To Lu Ann Schroder, teachers, staff members and others involved at Columbia Elementary School who provided a cross and a guardian angel following two recent deaths affecting students at the school.

"It's wonderful to see a school and people who care." Thorns To those who have littered and trashed our river banks. Rivers are our natural resources. You are our natural eyesores, To the Immigration and Naturalization Service. It refused to come pick up a man Logansport police arrested. Police later discovered the man had several false IDs and had failed to show up for his deportation hearing.

An immigration judge had ordered that he be deported to Guatemala. For the people who are charged with the responsibility of upholding the meaning of the Statue of Liberty, their actions just torched the credibility. "Trie basis of our government being the opinion'of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right: and were it kft to me to decide whether we should 'nave a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter," THOMAS JEFFERSON DOONESBURY PHAROS-TRBUNE Founded 1344 517 Broadway, P.O. Box 210, Logansport, IN 46947 (219) 722-5000 PHAROS-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL BOARD Heather Nava Dave Kitchell.