Fremont Tribune from Fremont, Nebraska • 6

Page A6 Fremont Tribune Friday, April 19, 1985 There's no way to make human executions humane John Healey saw it coming: Eventually they'll find someone they cant get a vein on. Like with a cancer patient youre searching for hours and they keep breaking down. Its going to happen. Its like the guy being electrocuted who sat there and they hit him with the juice. He stayed alive, started smoking.

Hey! Hit him again! That eventually becomes torture. Healey is executive director of Amnesty International USA and he was commenting, in an interview earlifer this year, on the latest refinement in execution methods lethal injection. It did happen, essentially as he die after technicians had search-foresaw it, in Huntsville, Texas, ed more than 40 minutes for a on March 13. Stephen Peter usable vein. Morin, convicted of the murders They tried both arms and one of three women and accused of leg without success, then made a two other killings, died by the nee- second stab at the right arm.

The shot, fried or pumped full of giving much pause as yet to-1 poison. authorities in capital punishment The person dies, says states. The list is likely Healey. lengthen with New But that isnt the worst of it. ana possibly others, currently: Those people say they are considering joining it.

humane, yet they are into this If the infatuation with high tech thing that sits in your arm six in- continues, Healey says he fully: ches or so for a long period of time expects the next innovation to be- Id want to be hung to avoid death by microwave. 1 that. Thats torture. Would that be any more- There is another aspect of ex- humane than death by injection ecution, regardless of the method, or hanging, shooting, that Healey-and Amnesty believe trocuting, gassing or beheading? needs probing. That is the ethics The question answers itself for-of involving medical profes- Healey and Amnesty, which is sionals in the taking of life.

working for the abolition of. The introduction into the death capital punishment worldwide, chamber of the doctor, pledged by There is no way to execute a oath and otherwise compelled by human being that is humane. law to preserve life, is, as Amnes- ty sees it, a complete distortion of Don Graff writes on political values. issues for Newspaper Enterprise It is not one, however, that is Association. needle held.

Morin, a drug user abusers. Whah they may have in whose veins were deteriorated mind as acceptable alternatives from long abuse, was pronounced to the trial and repeated error dead 11 minutes later. method used on Morin is not The active ingrediehts in the in- clear, jection that ended his life were Texas is one of 12 states out pavulon, a muscle relaxant; of tbe 38 in wich the death penalty potassium chloride, which has the is on the books currently carry-effect of halting the heartbeat, ing out capital punishment by and sodium thiopental, a quick- lethal injection, acting lethal agent. It is, Healey says, a natural It was the most prolonged effort enough development. Hanging to date to kill a prisoner by the and shooting may strike much of needle, at least on record in the public as crude these days, Texas, wich has been the leader but lethal injection is different.

It in this area and where there had is science, been five previous lethal injec- Get a doctor in, dress it up. tions. In none had inserting the Then its high tech, and it isnt as needle required more than 10 bad because were a high-tech minutes. society. Theres always this in- In the light of the Morin ex- stinct to cover up whats really perience, state correction happening," he says, authorities are reviewing pro- And that is the same whether a cedures in cases of known drug condemned individual is gassed, OLIPHANT Fremont Tribune Sara M.

Bentley, President and Publisher Tom Grain, Managing Editor Pat Waters, Acting Managing Editor The First Amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for the redress of grievances. REPRESENTATIVES GOVERNOR Gov. Bob Kerrey, Box 94848, Lin- -coin, 68509-4848, 471-2244. UNITED STATES CONGRESSMEN Hal Daub, District office, Room 8424, Federal Building, Omaha, Neb. (Tel.

221-4216); Washington, D.C., office, 1019' Longworth Building, Washington, D.C., 20515. (202-225-4155). Virginia Smith, Room 2202, i Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20515, (Tel. 202-: 225-6435). Doug Bereuter, Washington of-: fice, 2446 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington D.C., 20515, (Tel.

202-225-4806; District office, 1045 P.O. Box 82887, Lincoln, I 68501 (Tel. 471-5400). UNITED STATES SENATORS Edward Zorinsky, 443 Russell Of-; fice Building, Washington, D.C.,: 20510. (Tel.

202-224-6551) J. James Exon, SH-330, Hart: Senate Office Washington, D.C., 20510. (Tel. 202-i 224-4224) Reforms are needed spending in military punishable with a slap on' the wrist when caught, but an act of thievery that can land culpable corporate executives of high or low rank behind bars. When and if that message sinks in, fewer defense contractors will indulge in creative accounting at taxpayer expense.

Miami Herald: Less that two weeks after announcing the sanction amidst a great flurry of publicity, Defense Department, spokesmen quietly acknowledged that the (GE) ban will not cover critical equipment of which GE is the sole supplier equipment that constitutes most of the companys $5-billion-plus defense business. The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon awarded $5 billion in new business to General Dynamics Corp. while the History could repeat itself if conservation is ignored Sunday marked the anniversary of an event that should serve forever as a vivid reminder of what can happen when man ignores Mother Nature and the environment. EDITORIAL April 14, 1985 was the 50th anniversary of Black Sunday the granddaddy dust storm of them all in the Dust Bowl-era of the 30s. On that day a huge black cloud of dust rolled across parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico and Taxas.

The fine dust obliterated the sun, seeped into homes, food, vehicle engines and the lungs of animals and people. Survivors of Black Sunday and the Dust Bowl remember the storm they recall the blackness so complete that they couldnt see their hands in front of their faces. They remember those who died from dust pneumonia; housewives recall fighting a losing battle with dust that filtered through cracks and crevices. The great Dust Bowl was the result of several factors drought, abuse of the fragile prairie soil, ignorance of the importance of soil conservation. Many fled the devastated Dust Bowl areas in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Those who remained learned from the devastation. With government aid, trees and shrubs were planted to reduce wind erosion; manmade lakes were dug to control flooding and provide irrigation; farmers discontinued unwise practices that laid bare topsoil to the strong prairie winds. But the dust could blow again. Experts say that given the right circumstances an extended drought, barren land and farmers or a federal government so broke that conservation practices are not pursued the land could suffer severe erosion again. With the anniversary of Black Sunday barely behind us, it is timely to reflect on the consequences of poor farming practices and note the importance of conservation methods and funding.

The Reagan administration has recommended withholding farm aid from producers who plow up highly erodible soil. On the other hand, Reagan also has proposed cuts in the Soil Conservation Service budget (which makes one doubt his dedication to preserving the soil) Congress should include sodbuster legislation in any new farm plan adopted as well as consider restoration of conservation funding. For their part, farmers should not over-work the soil, not engage in recreational tillage just because they like the looks of a newly plowed field and install what conservation measures they can afford. Those who lived through Black Sunday and the Dust Bowl dont have to be reminded of the devastation, but the rest of us do. As one Oklahoma farmer told the Kansas City Times, Oh, dont kid yourself.

It was us that caused the Dust Bowl by the way we Defense Department was in-; vestigating corruption charges against (it.) -j So much for the shibboleth of free-market discipline. The Defense Department ought to ap-; portion projects of critical j. strategic significance among 1 more than one contractor. Whenj 1 economies of scale or security considerations dictate that, responsibility be vested in onet; contractor, the contractor should be subject to constraints. The General Accounting Office-! (GAO) lacks the authority to'! regulate monopolies.

If Congress hopes even to capture the attention the most entrenched defense con- tractors, much less discipline them, it will have to put teeth inO the GAOs bite. The above editorials were com piled by th Associa ted Press. Editorial board Unsigned editorials are the views of the Fremont Tribune editorial board. Members are Publisher Sara M. Bentley, Managing Editor Tom Grein and News Editor Pat Waters.

Other articles on this page are the opinions of those whose names appear with them. Readers' Views welcomed You are invited to express your opinions in signed letters to the Fremont Tribune. Correct name, signature, addressand phone number must be included. First preference will be given to letters shorter than 300 words, and the Tribune reserves the right to condense and edit letters for clarity. Letters of thanks and praise will not be printed unless they are of compelling public interest and involve non-commercial topics.

Lost and found and poetry will not be published, nor will letters of a libelous or personal nature. Send your letters to Readers' Views, Fremont Tribune, P.O. Bdx 9, Fremont, 68025. Chicago Tribune: At least four congressional investigations are under way into defense procurement. The overwhelming majority of disclosures have been made by the General Accounting Office, the Congressional Budget Office, individual senators, congressmen, the press and whistle blowers.

The Pentagon has typically resisted public disclosure and criticism. Congress must share blame. Pentagon proposals for such reforms as multiyear contracts, base closings, curtailment of obsolete programs and more competitive bidding have been repeatedly blocked in Congress for fear of stemming the flow of military pork to home districts. The recent Senate Republican ploy to reduce military spending by making wholesale manpower cuts while maintaining the full menu of procurements projects was the height of either irrespon-siblity or cynicism. The defense mess can be cleaned up only if the system is reformed.

The first requirement is for accountability. For four years, Mr. Weinberger has come before Congress insisting that everything in his budget has been vital to American security and challenging critics to prove otherwise. After all these endless procurement horror stories, he has exhausted his credibility. It is he who is going to have to do the proving.

Los Angeles Times: As part of an administration effort to win back public con- for the mussels, claims the NOIA release. Continuously swept by plankton-laden currents of the ocean channel, the mussels grow plump and sweet on the ar- tificial reef provided by the platform supports. Unlike bottom-grown mussels, the cultured mussels lack grit, pearls and parasites. Now doesnt that make your mouth water? Politics never end A Washington truism holds that this is a city obsessed by politics long after the last vote is cast. Proof comes in the latest edition of Brookings Rivew, publication of the Brookings Institution, one of the citys leading think tanks.

Topic of the just-out, special winter issue: last Novembers election. Without breaking new ground (Reagan still wins), articles in the magazine provide fascinating nuggets. Had only 9.2 percent more voters in every state gone Democratic, one reads, Democrat Mondale might have cut Republican Reagans massive landslide to only 50 percent of the POINTSOF VIEW U.S. Newspapers fidence, the Justice Department is currently investigating more than 30 cases of fraud by major defense contractors. The only real cure is a change in the corporate climate that encourages fudging of the books to get more money from the government.

Large defense contractors are so vital to the design and production of complex weapon systems that the Pentagon cannot live without them. Small firms are frequently barred from defense work for cheating the government. GE is the first giant of the defense industry subjected to such treatment even temporarily. Punishment should reach beyond the corporation as such to the individuals who planned, committed or tolerated illegal acts. 0 The message must go out that cooking the books on federal contracts is not fun qnd games, popular vote.

However, Mondale still would have been 38 votes short of the 270 needed to win in the Electoral College. Everyone wants credit Theres nothing like a new idea to excite congressmen tired of wrestling with old ones, so when a seemingly new one comes along, there's a rush to claim it. One such new idea is whats called the Individual Training Account (ITA), a plan for a tax-deductible fund to retrain workers who lose jobs in declining industries. In introducing this bill last week as part of an economic growth plan, Sen. Gary Hart, one of the young Democrats new idea gurus, claimed the ITA as part of the new Democratic approach to economics.

Actually, a bipartisan group of more than 60 congressmen with liberal to conservative views have been pushing the proposal in the House for a couple of years, so far without success. Obviously we consider this more than a Democratic idea, said the aide to one GOP sponsor. Inside Washington is compiled by Gannett News Service. Fall of Vietnam has many hidden secrets WASHINGTON As the 10th anniversary of the fall of Vietnam approaches, newspaper pages and TV screens are filled with items about the Communist takeover of Saigon on April 30, 1975. Here are a couple of intriguing things reposited in national intelligence files, not generally carried in the anniversary coverage: Ho Chi Minh, the late leader of the victorious North Vietnamese and American bete-noire of the 60s and 70s, lies in state in Hanoi, sort of.

Each fall his body is removed from its mausoleum and shipped to Moscow to be re-embalmed. Heres another that may help explain why we lost: Scrutiny of the victors dialect shows the language has no word for everday suffering. The word sacrifice means only death no other hardship and pain is worthy of the word. Heres another: Whenever northern volunteers were solicited for suicide missions in the South, invariably, so many people stepped forward they had to hold elections to choose the lucky fanatic. Oil rigs produce food The National Ocean Industries WASHINGTON Gannett News Service Association represents companies involved in all aspects of offshore development, chiefly oil and gas.

At a Washington reception recently, association members sampled an edible byproduct of offshore oil development mussels harvested from oil platforms off the Santa Barbara, coast. According to an NOIA press release, the mussels are cultivated by a commercial grower from beds attached to the drilling platform supports. The offshore platforms optimal growing conditions.