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OpEd
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Kerry won’t force out chairman;
wants him to mind P’s and Q’s
WASHINGTON Pres
idential nominee-apparent John
Kerry has no intention of forc
ing out Terry McAuliffe as
Democratic National chairman
for the time being but wants
him to watch his words more
closely.
After Sen. Kerry clinched the nomination in
Super Tuesday's primaries, an aide told
reporters the campaign wanted to get
McAuliffe entirely off television. That is not
exactly the campaign's position, but the sena
tor's aides do want to restrain the chairman. He
recently publicly declared that he would con
tinue to attack George W. Bush's National
Guard record even though Kerry disapproved
of that approach.
McAuliffe's job appears to be safe at least
through the party's national convention in
Boston this summer. A Washington deaimaker.
McAuliffe was not a popular choice to head the
Democratic National Committee following the
2000 election. Bill and Hillary Clinton insisted
on it. and Al Gore decided not to make a fight.
The two Johns
Sen. John Edwards ended his presidential
candidacy just in time to avoid being written
off as Sen. John Kerry 's potential running mate.
The Kerry campaign did not relish the
thought of dipping into its diminished war
chest to battle North Carolinian Edwards in
Texas and other Southern primaries coming up
next Tuesday. The message was conveyed to
Edwards that Kerry wanted to save available
funds for the campaign against President Bush
and Edwards had better get out.
A footnote: Kerry's strategists made a calcu
lated decision to expend major resources in
Tuesday's Georgia primary to block Edwards’
big effort there, and they barely won the gam
ble. A victory in Georgia would not really have
moved Edwards any closer to the nomination,
but the Kerry high command did not want him
to have another Southern triumph to go along
with his win in South Carolina.
North Korea’s choice
North Korea's communist dictator Kim Jong
11, a keen student, of everything American, is
privately predicting that George W. Bush will
be defeated for re-election and that will
improve relations between his regime and the
U.S. government.
Kim's forecast was made to subordinates in
the North Korean regime, who in turn passed it
on to Japanese friends. It subsequently found
Robert 1 fW
Novak
LX “I
contacts with President Bill Clinton and
expressed hope that the same kind of coopera
tion might be possible if John Kerry is elected.
McCain’s warming
As George W. Bush's re-election campaign
was launched Wednesday, the Republican
chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee
Sen. John McCain conducted a hearing
on climate change with testimony strictly from
witnesses whose views contradict the presi
dent's.
The leadoff witness was Sen. Joseph
Lieberman, who is not a member of the
Commerce Committee. "I feel we are within
reach of finally taking action to combat this
global warming." Lieberman began. McCain is
co-sponsor of Lieberman’s global warming bill,
which was a keystone of the senator's recent
unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic
presidential nomination.
Lieberman was followed by a panel of five
expert witnesses, all of whom disagree with the
Bush administration on climate change. They
included staffers from Conservation
International and the World Wildlife Fund.
Lugar’s Democrat
The Texas Democrat who ran against
Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is host
ing a SI,OOO-a-ticket fund-raising reception for
Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the Republican
chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, at the Hotel George in Washington
on the evening of March 29.
Richard Fisher, though a Democrat, praised
Lugar's unsuccessful GOP presidential candi
dacy in 1996.
A Dallas financier, Fisher in 1997 was
named deputy U.S. trade representative by
President Bill Clinton.
In 1994, Fisher was the surprise winner of
the Democratic Senate nomination to oppose
Hutchison. He claimed to have been an adviser
to Conservative British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher, who said their association
was minor. Hutchison defeated Fisher by 23
percentage points.
Robert Novak is a nationally syndicated
columnist and a television commentator.
Take a break for some fresh perspectives
I've often observed that
international travel helps
increase understanding - not
only of foreign cultures, but of
one's own. The differences
from home stimulate thoughts
about things and issues which
are normally just taken for
granted. However, it is not nec
essary to travel far afield to
obtain such insights.
A number of years ago I
took a trip through the Grand
Canyon. For 12 days, 16 of us
challenged the rapids in four
small rafts. We slept under the
stars, bathed in the icy river and
streams that fed it. and explored
canyons that looked untouched
by man. Except for what we
brought with us, and an occa
sional river-tour group which
flashed by in noisy, smoke
spewing, motorized rafts, we
were out of sight of any signs of
civilization for almost the entire
period.
It todk the first day or two to
flush the rest of the world from
our minds, but eventually, the
walls, the river, our group, the
local fauna and flora, the sun
and the brilliant night-time sky
became our entire universe.
Then the last night, with the
rafts tied together, we drifted
across Lake Mead, to be picked
up in the morning by a bus and
to be dropped off in Las
Vegas! I can remember the
reaction of the group. We were
stunned by the noise, the
smells, the light, the enormous
level of activity. It was an
incredibly strident reintroduc
tion to the "civilized world!"
Interestingly, many of us had
begun the trip from Las Vegas n
driving or flying to Lee's Ferry,
our put-in-point. Though less
than two weeks had transpired,
the Las Vegas we found upon
our return was not the same one
we had left, and for me. it has
never been since then.
As I write. I’m in Arizona,
surrounded by magnificent red
rock formations that, in some
what anonymous fashion, are
familiar to most of us, thanks to
John Ford, John Wayne and
many of the other directors and
its way into Tokyo press circles,
though it has not vet been print
ed.
According to these reports,
the communist dictator has
expressed his dissatisfaction
about dealing with Bush. He is
said to have much preferred his
Mel
Copen .
actors who made films here.
Yesterday, 1 climbed one of
those towering formations —a
tough 800 foot assent, with
incredible views at almost every
step. It was hard to think of
anything else but the wonders
of nature all around me and
where my next footstep would
land.
Today, one of my most cap
tivating challenges was a fasci
nating battle of wits. I had put
up a bird feeder, and no sooner
had it been put into place then a
mischievous looking chipmunk
and a gigantic squirrel (who
looked the size of a woodchuck)
took notice. 1 had been clever
in hanging the thing. The squir
rel (who clearly could have
been a “before” ad for whatever
substitutes for Atkins or Weight
Watchers in the squirrel world)
was easy. My guess is that he
concluded that, at his weight, it
was not worth the effort. He
would have to climb a very
smooth cement wall, or make a
leap of heroic proportions.
Ah! But the chipmunk saw
it differently. It became chal
lenge. I watched as he made
different attempts to reach the
feeder. I'm not even sure how
he knew what it was. but it was
obvious that his mother (or her
mother) had taught him well. It
took them about 10 minutes to
figure out how to get into the
feeder. Score one for the chip
munk! With all my schooling
and what my mother had taught
me. I was only a few minutes
ahead of this furry little guy.
This didn't bother me much,
since he (or she?) was a cute lit
tle guy. It was only when he
brought the whole family back
that I started to rise to the chal
lenge. But when they started
chasing the birds away, this was
a challenge tantamount to a
declaration of war. This w as not
a pre-emptive move. The chip-
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\ To make room for the new it is time
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MBMHMMM&V/nGo ujm
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GA4OO Exit I 4 Sat 10-6 V
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - I
munks already held the high
ground.
I won't go through all the
gory (but non-violent) details.
But after a number of trips to
the hardware store and several
modifications to my original
design, it was becoming clear
who was sitting in the driver's
seat. In fact, I am sure that I
detected a slight sneer on the
faces of the chipmunks as they
continued to munch on the bird
food. Defeat by a chipmunk
was more than my ego could
stand. One last try and Io
and behold, half a day has
passed without a single success
ful chipmunk foray. They spent
several hours surveying the
scene and trying various alter
natives. But so far they have
had to content themselves with
picking up seeds from the
ground that the birds have
dropped. Score one for me.
But I sense that the war is not
over. Somehow the looks on
the chipmunks' faces seem to be
one of determination. We'll see
what tomorrow has to bring.
Now what has this got to do
with the world? That's exactly
the point nothing and yet
everything! It's wonderful to get
away! It's especially wonderful
to escape from the world one
lives in every day not only
physically, but to be able to
leave the constant bombardment
of political rhetoric as the presi
dential campaign heats up; to
put aside thoughts of Iraq, ter
rorists and suicide bombers; to
withdraw, if only temporarily,
from the hectic pace of the
world around us. In this situa
tion. it is also exhilarating to
realize that there are still wide
open spaces, free from urban
sprawl, stifling rush-hour traf
fic, air pollution, and constant
noise places where one can
relax, think about and enjoy the
great things that nature has cre
ated. and do mental battle with
wily chipmunks.
We are surrounded by
images and words that are
developed and transmitted by
others and that provide the
information upon which we
form our judgments and opin
ions. Approximately 75 percent
of the adult population watches
TV news, although a large pro
portion consists of casual view
ers. A smaller number, about
55% (down from 80 percent in
the 19605) takes the time to
read a daily paper (the percent
age is much lower for people
under 40 and rises substantially
with age). Many of us don't
even try to keep informed due
to the press of other responsibil
ities, disillusionment with the
coverage or with what is going
on in the world, or just lack of
interest. But moving into
another environment, whether
that be physical or mental, can
both reenergize one's batteries
aqd put things into much more
healthy perspectives. One can
deal with the real world on dif
ferent and very personal terms.
And there is something about
being closer to nature which
rejuvenates one's faith in life.
I'm about to return to my
usual world where I will have
neither the opportunity nor the
lime to climbing rocks or cross
swords with chipmunks. But
I'll carry some of this experi
ence with me, bringing constant
reminders of other ways of liv
ing, enjoying and contemplating
the world around. I will have
first hand images and experi
ences that bring hope when
things look dreary, light when
they look dark, and space when
things start closing in. And
most of all. these types of “get
a-ways” bring fresh perspec
tives - particularly with respect
to the matters that occupy so
many of our waking hours in
the frenetic existence that is the
norm for the most of us. If you
haven't done so recently, take
a break! Treat yourself to
fresh perspectives.
Dr. Melvyn Copen of
Cumming is an educator and
businessman who has worked
and lived in many foreign coun
tries. His column appears
every other Wednesday. Please
share your comments with him
via email at melcopen@hot
mail, com.
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