The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 159, Ed. 1 Monday, May 4, 1992 Page: 4 of 14
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-4-A
THE BAYTOWN SUN
Monday, May 4, 1992
£ •
Opinion
Verdict a blow to optimism
Sun editorial
CANDII
One hundred thirty-one years ago, one of ' later Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of the
America’s greatest writers, Herman Melvil- dreams which have always been the struc-
le, tried to explain his idealism about this ture for America, despite all its problems,
country’s evolution. He managed to do so in But in between the words of a writer who
a simple sentence which has resonated j|nR wrote most passionately about travels on the
throughout the United States’ short and oceans and a leader who was gunned down
tumultuous history: “The Declaration of TSpHa in the tragedy of 1968 came the harsh
Independence matters.” Wmr p poetry of a black man who saw both the
On Wednesday, for millions of Ameri- 2c Ureg promise of American life for all people and
cans, Melville’s optimism was dealt another if Kahn the despair caused when that promise is not
ringing blow. —............., fulfilled
Our founding fathers’ passion wasn’t In the midst of presidential election year, Langston Hughes wrote his classic poem
hanned only because of Wednesday’s “not this country desperately needs politicians «A Dream Defened” during the post-World
guilty verdict in the case of four policemen who will talk about the problems tearing us War n Ampriran nntimism It was a wake
accused of brutally beating Rodney King in apart. The men and women who lead the "[ ™rLwSl,« S3
Los Angeles; instead, the events of this governments, churches, synagogues, “p ^ “the problems of *e ^
week merely put an exclamation point on a mosques and community centers across the beaaU^ despair rings as true today as it
long process of American disgust at consti- country need to at least try to address the did then. The lasting tragedy or the Rodney
tutional systems which appear to be eroding, people on the streets and the others who King trial is the perception that the realiza-
The sense that justice and the legal system hide from them, fearful of their anger. tion of those dreams is sliding further away,
are not equal for all, that our legal system is In the end, what will likely destroy us Until a leader emerges who is willing to
only a game played best by the wealthy and, are not big taxes or Japanese economic confront the deferred dreams of the masses,
particularly, by whites, is the most destruc- development or prison overcrowding but our until a man or woman appears who can lend
tive belief which could possibly permeate view that there is no hope for a large portion credence to Melville or Dr. King’s words,
the American populace. of the people in this country. All blacks
To witness the emergence of youth gangs who saw the King beating on tape and then
in Baytown or to watch rioters pummel heard the verdict need someone to tell
innocent bystanders in L.A. is to see people them there is hope, that their problems are
who have no faith in a system of laws. And being heard, that the Declaration of Inde-
the King decision only reinforces their pendence does matter,
belief, right or wrong, that the Declaration Melville’s idealistic comments were made
of Independence is ignored. in 1851, and a little more than 100 years nist.
Chance for
fresh start
.. Emm<
a. Hutto
David
■'■■lobby
ith the city election reflecting the voters’
desire for change, the opportunity to make
Baytown a better place to live has arrived.
We wish new Mayor Bot>by Credille well. We
hope his goals for crime reduction, fiscal accounta-
bility and openness to all citizens become a reality.
Baytown is a good city. The vast majority of our
residents are hard-working, law-abiding people. We
realize there are problems which cannot be ignored.
Now’s a great time to solve as many of these prob-
lems as we possibly can.
Now’s the time to bring our community together
realizing that in working for the common good, we
will all benefit. We may not agree on all aspects, but
constructive discussions about differing points of
view should bring about beneficial results.
We’re optimistic about Baytown’s future.
W
i- Eva
7 Beriav
£ Mario
Delgad
■„' Rollant
Pruett
. ' Rocky
* Rodrig
for many there will no longer be any dreams,
and the only way to escape will remain
through the violence of the streets or behind
the security of a locked door.
Jacksc
; Lawrer
* Ray J.
Wilson
Greg Kahn is a Sun reporter and colum-
.Ray
Swoffoi
wp-woem
Democratic Party moribund
H6A
Pete C.
Alfaro
*
IT
—Agree on a national health-care prog-
ram, despite the fact that every other
industrialized nation has one and our “sys-
tem” leaves over 30 million people without
any coverage at all.
—Agree on a national tax system that
would undo the regressive “reforms” of the
past 11 years and re-establish the notion that
Hodding the tax code has a higher calling than to
ment. I^^p1 AU p , comfort the comfortable and afflict the
Instead, it reflects a long-suppressed warier ill afflicted,
conviction that has been floating toward —Unite behind a demand that politics be
public utterance for over a decade. cynicism. Rather than offering a vibrant freed from its reliance on big money and
The Democratic party is dead on its feet, alternative to the Republican Party’s relent- ma(je m0re open to people of limited means
a zombie operating on post-mortem reflex less denigration of government as an instru- ^ new messages
long after most of its vital signs have bene ment of social welfare, it routinely chooses T rnnntrv hark
extinguished. It is time to admit the obvious, to present itself either as little more than “Jf1?
roll the corpse into the crypt and create a right-wing Republicanism with a humane toward a common understanding that we
replacement. face or as an open microphone for entitle- must stan<* together, or watch the republic
If the party is not literally dead, contrail- ment junkies. fall apart,
ing as it does Congress and most of .the Top rnany congressional Democrats sue . Not surprisingly, a party that fails on all
nation’s state governments and big cities, too knowing, too much the seasoned veter- these fronts, and many more, while pretend-
then it is something worse. As constituted it ans to die in the ditch for principle, ing to speak for the “common man” is a
is hopelessly corrupt, not merely in the Independent operators held in deteriorating party that has nothing meaningful to say.
narrow sense but in a much broader, orbit by the gravitational pull of a shared Having chosen to play on Republican
systemic form of corruption that has eaten lust for power, their universe is most groun(j wjth a shrinking electorate whose
away its moral core. threatened when the party tried to pull itself part|cipatory remnant is basically conserva-
It has forgotten its roots, lost faith in its together around something more visionary £ f. ^.mrirr.Hr Partv the
historic mission and become the captive of than the possibility of a return to the White
the money and narrow agendas of organized House. opportunity or nght to victory except in
groups that speak for everything but the Consider just a few of the things that the moments of total Republican collapse.
national interest. Rather than reflecting a “party of the people," the “party of new - ;: ' J '
central philosophy, it reeks of a tired ideas," cannot do. It cannot: Newspaper Enterprise Association
1
What follows has nothing to do with the
identity or qualifications of the next pres-
idential candidate of the Democratic party.
It is not even a back-door prophecy about
the outcome of November’s national elec-
tion, which as of this writing is still wide
open, or a lament about the frustrations of
divided government, which this month drove
two more front-rank senators into retire-
t~ i
75
Don M.
v, Hullum
'rigt&ezC
Vi
t
DonCar
Coiemai
Godwin
fi®
Norman
Ponder
NOT
NOT
Guy M
Andersc
From Sun files
1972: Severinsen
performs at REL
PRECINf
From The Baytown Sun files, this is the way it was:
In 1932
Mary Cooper and Bessie Pruett tie for first place in a flower
show sponsored by the Tri-Cities Garden club.
Goose Creek City Commission holds a closed meeting. The
session was unofficial, says Commissioner R.C. Goodman and
“what happened at the meeting is nobody’s business yet.”
Pelly Fire Chief Q.S. Powers tells plans for a dance to be
sponsored by the Pelly firemen.
Mrs. M.M. Carter is elected vice president of the County
Council of Parent-Teacher Associations at a meeting in
, Aldine.
PLACES
PRESS COMMENTARY
Wayne
Pecos Enterprise on death penalty: would get 30 percent; Clinton would get 20 percent. Remove the
The pros and cons of the death penalty continue to be debated and Perot candidacy, and Bush beats Clinton 48-32 percent, according to
more than likely will be the subject of controversy for many years to the poll.
come. The true test of Perot’s impending candidacy will come later,
The most recent debate comes about due to the many last-minute when he faces the same searing scrutiny that on occasion has
appeals by Robert Alton Harris before he was finally sent to the gas scorched Bush and Clinton. The media so far have given Perot a flee
chamber Tuesday in California. ride. He has some explaining to do and the media no doubt will
There were many protests about the gas chamber being inhumane demand that he get far more specific about how he intends to wipe
in California. It was California’s first execution in 25 years. out the federal budget deficit.
Something seems to be forgotten in all these arguments about Granted, he has a huge reputation as a take-charge businessman,
being humane — that is the victims. Did they get any consideration However, the strategies that make good business policy may not
about humane treatment? In the Harris case, it was said the two boys work in government. But it may be that voters, who have had it up to
he was convicted of killing begged for their lives. They were obvi- their ears with government paralysis are willing to try something —
ously shown no mercy. anything — new.
Our system was established to punish those convicted of crimes.
Although human beings are by nature generally kind, we should not San Antonio Express-News on congressional service:
forget there are some people in society who must face death for their This is the last year veteran members of the House of Representa-
crimes. tives can retire and keep for personal use the money left in their
We believe in the death penalty, not just as a deterrent to crime campaign war chests,
but as a means of punishment which, after all, is the main reason for There are 161 representatives who qualify, and none could feather
justice in our world. his nest more by quitting than the almighty House Ways and Means
Committee Chairman Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., whose campaign
coffers are bulging with $1.1 million. !
Beaumont Enterprise on possible Perot presidential candidacy: However, Rostenkowski is staying, and so are others, such $
Dallas billionaire H. Ross Perot has yet to make it official.... But local Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez. His re-election fund is nowhere neqr
a public opinion poll ... says that among Texans Perot leads in a $1 million, but he could take his money and run..... I
three-way race for president of the United States. Representatives are offended by the presumption that they would
What should we make of this poll? Not much, at least for now. retire to take advantage of the loophole to keep campaign funds. But
The Texas Poll does throw out some interesting numbers. The poll many are doing so. •
says that Perot, when matched against President George Bush and Don’t weep with those who shed tears at the end of a long career.
Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, would get 35 percent of the vote; Bush Between the campaign booty and the fat pension, they will survive
Gray
Roger
In 1942
O.A. Brown is teaching a course in civil defense in
Wooster.
A campaign for pledges to buy ward bonds and stamps is
under way in the Tri-Cities, with Mis. M.M. Carter and Mrs.
Roy Elms in charge of a door-to-door canvass.
In 1952
James Hutson and Harry Hartman are winners in the school
board election in the Goose Creek district.
Elected to the Cedar Bayou School Board are incumbent
D.C. Mangum and O.C. Shoemaker.
L.E. Krenek and Floyd Rcmkes, incumbent Crosby school
trustees, are re-elected.
Mercedes
Renteria, l
: Oswali H.
Harman
Cindy
McNeill
In 1972
Trumpeter Doc Severinsen will be the guest soloist with the
Robert E. Lee Band this weekend. ~-
Formcr Baytonian Frank Thompson, now of Louisville, Ky.,
is in town to move his farftily to Louisville and to see his son
Mike graduate from Texas A&M.
Ronald Buescher and Vicki Harding, students at Sterling
High School, are National Merit Scholars.
Cedar Bayou Junior School girls selected for the Lee Briga-
diers next year are Kim Lounsberry, Carolyn Andrews, Terri
Dacy, Rhonda Tyroch and Kathy Watkins.
Ray Cotton is valedictorian at Crosby High School, and
Mickey Smesny is salutatorian.
In 1982
Dorothy Sutphin of the Pilot Club of Baytown is appointed
to a three-year term on the board of trustees of the Pilot Inter-
national Foudantion.
Four new police officers are sworn in by Chief Wayne
Henscey. They are Bryan D. Adkins of South Houston, Char-
les E. Edge of Mont Belvieu, Paul Dorman of Baytown and
Chris Goss of Humble.
Dianne Strangmeier of Ross S. Sterling High School and
Celeste Wilcox of Robert E. Lee High School win Good Citi-
zen awards from the John Lewis Chapter, Daughters of the
Amerrican Revolution.
:*
de
CRO
Crosby
Six s
elected
j
new
Today in history
1821: Napoleon Bonaparte dies in exile
Thou
where l
■
board. 1
by fellc
In th
In 1955, West Getmany became a sovereign state. i
In 1955, the baseball musical “Damn Yankees” opened oh
Broadway. j.
1961, astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. became America’s first
space traveler when he made a 15-minute sub-orbital flight in a
capsule launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Today’s Birthdays: Actress Alice Faye is 77. Actress Ann B, Da-
vis is 66. Actress Pat Carroll is 65. Singer Tammy Wynette is 50.
Comedian-actor Michael Palin is 49. Actor Jean-Pierre Leaud is 48.
Actress Tina Yothers is 19.
On May 5,1821, Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile on the island
of St Helena.
In 1494, during his second voyage to the New World, Christopher
Columbus first sighted Jamaica.
In 1818, the political philosopher Karl Marx was bom in Prussia.
In 1891, Carnegie Hall (then named Music Hall) had its opening
night in New York City with a concert that included works con-
ducted by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Walter Damrosch.
In 1892,100 years ago, Congress passed the Geary Chinese Ex-
clusion Act, which required Chinese in the United States to be regis-
tered, or face deportation.
In 1904, Cy Young pitched the American League’s first perfect
game as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Philadelphia Athletics,
In 1912, the first issue of the Soviet Communist Party newspaper
Pravda was published.
In 1925, John T. Scopes was arrested in Tennessee for teaching
Darwin’s theory of evolution.
feated
•• defeat u
- 38 and
in
Shmii
votes, ai
5 race.
Incun
Blanker
McAl
Paptoton £§>un
Gary Dobbs.....
Wanda Orton..
Bruce Guynn...
..........Editor and publisher
..................Managing editor
Associate managing editor
1.
BIBLE VERSE
Baum
LETTER POUCY
Indud* an iddrm and tetepnont nunfear tor vriHoaton purpoot. Only tha name and oonmunty of
fWKfcnoa wiaooonpany tha tellar nprvtf. No anonyrroustettarawilbaaooqjlad.Langthahouldba no
(ROM than 300 wotdi and Mm should ba typad or hand-written legbly, Tha nawipapar tasatvas tha
._c ... rt*’01 Sun-^•*l,nm 10
Editor, Baytown Sun, PC. Bo* 90. Baytown Taxaa 77522 or bring Ih* tolar! lo out offioa at 1301
mi
“I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice,
and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with
him, and he with me.”
Bl
who rec
21 vote
nght to rafusa of adit any tetter.
Revelation 3:20
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Dobbs, Gary. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 159, Ed. 1 Monday, May 4, 1992, newspaper, May 4, 1992; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1154311/m1/4/: accessed July 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.