European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 22, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns the stars and stripes monday june 22.19s7 William Safire Reagan submitting to blackmail by Kuwait Emir Jaber Al Ahmad Ai Sabaila absolute ruler of Kuwait must be a ghz a fellow. In the last year the Emir closed inc National Assembly and shut Down the free press arrested kuwaiti shiites suspected of supporting Iran sent 13 billion 10 Iraq and showed inc Arab world How to Manipur Lac inc United Stales. Last week president Reagan made Clear the overriding reason he agreed to renal 11 kuwaiti ships we would open opportunities for the soviet to move into this Chok Point of the free world s Oil flow. In a word if we Don t do the Job. The soviets will and thai will jeopardy a our own National thai put simply is submission to Arab diplomatic blackmail. Emir Al Sabah knew we could nol lol Craic the presence of inc other superpower Al inc jugular of Western Oil by bickering with Moscow he was Able 10 Jerk us around. Reagan is surely a Ware of thai and has chosen whal he regards to be the lesser of two evils. Bin Here is something we did not know Back in january when he Emir was Host to the nations of the fifth islamic conference in what was called the session of islamic Solidarity acting on be hair of the soviet Union the Emir lobbied tie other moslem Heads of stale 10 lean on Pakistan 10 Slop pressing the russians to leave Afghanistan. Pakistan resisted bul for the first time in Felt inc heal from is Arab neighbor and islamic Brothers 10 double Cross the afghan Freedom fighters. Thai was a coup for the Ovici Union and a serious slap Al the . Engineered by a despot determined to show the . How necessary in was to appease him. Now the Cuning Emir has euchre us into protecting his tankers As they support Iraq against Iran for strategic reasons of our own we May have to Swallow this manipulation of our forces though Hawks from Kissinger to Kirkpatrick have registered misgivings Al its example. We do not have to pretend to t Keil however and we do nol have to Lei Arab Oil Sheik Doms Jerk us around forever. First we should Stop Flagel lating ourselves As if our arms for hostages dealings with Iran were the cause of inc Emir s blackmail. Long before. The saudis and kuwaitis caved in to the threats of the iranian Oil min ister and stopped full production of Oil As a result the Price has doubled enabling Iran to pursue its War. Our duplicity in paying arms for hostages was As nothing compared will the saudi kuwaiti Oil sellout of Ihei rally Iraq. Next we should inform saudis. Iraqis and other Oil sheiks that american policy cannot rest on vacuum ism alone Arab leaders who threaten to choose soviet pro Lection May one Day gel in and find themselves turned into communist Southern yemeni. The Western us George will pc Power will not save them from the consequences of Oil and Gas production and making Coal and Oil shale their own . Energy profitable. The oif would reduce Hie strategic third we should make in Clear to saudis and Oma importance of the Gulf a goal that Lias now becomes that the ultimatum from Kuwait will Cost them urgent. Dearly on inc provision of Western arms. They can americans arc rightly Rel Clam to commit forces to whistle for Fiss and missiles soon America s allies Rich and despotic supplicants Hal put an or else infill be called upon Loback up our patrol of the Gulf with d suspension of arms deliveries in the Gulf arabs. The Western interest is to build inc Power of Egypt and Israel allies that do nol flaunt their unreliability. Fourth the arrogant nonsense of refusing us Landing bases for the planes protecting Oil Tanker convoys must Slop Lei us land our planes or let us get our ships out of there. Finally we should show the Emir and his follow ers in the islamic conference the economic Conse Quence s of the diddling of America a s15-pcr-barrel Oil import fee would re establish America s Oil Independence As Well As Cut our deficit. By reviving Texas their Pica for Protection in the end those slates will sell us out. To Many of us. The breakpoints of the choke Post argument comes with the knowledge Hal the Emir actively sought to undermine the afghan Resis Tance As part of its flirtation with Moscow. Keeping the russians from dominating inc Gulf is in Ponall to the West and we an inc West we must balance that Agail the Folly of involvement in the Arab War against Iran and our people s natural resent ment at being jerked around. The debate is upon us Reagan has made his Posi Tion Plain Lei s hear in constructive detail from in candidates who would succeed him. Cd new Yolk times he no suit la justices discover another right for criminals at the risk of no for inc Pur such information is Justice pose of inflaming he body politic. I Powell joined by Drennan. Marshall herewith Call attention to the supreme Blackmun and Stevens said that an in court s sudden discovery of yet another pact statement can serve no other right. In is the right of a convicted criminal in a capital Case to prevent a jury Asil considers his sen tence from receiving reports or testimony about the suffering spread by his in a ease concerning a double murder the court ruled 5-4 that the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishments is violated if a state presents jurors will evidence of the Impact of a murder on inc victim s family. In 1983 in Wesl Ballimore. An elderly couple were murdered by John Booth and a Friend. The victims were stabbed with a Kitchen knife. Maryland requires a pc sentence re port Hal includes a victim Impact statement assessing the effect of crimes on others. In this Case the statement documented the sort of related suffering that killings often cause. Relatives suffered from sleeplessness unfocused fear panic when a loved one was late arriving Home. The killings were for the relatives a complexly devastating and life alter ing the court ruled Hal in capital casts pose than to inflame the jury is inconsistent with reasoned decision making and poses a risk Hal deals sentences will be imposed the majority s rickety argument rests on a preposterous principle that a Crimi Nal s personal responsibility and moral his blame worthiness is unrelated to the suffering his crime causes. The court says that because death is a sen tence unlike any other in is impermissible to Permil Impact statements Hal might intrude arbitrariness into sentencing in Capi la i cases. Justice Scalia. Joined in dissent by Rehnquist. White and o Connor notes Hal a defendant s eligibility for inc death sentence often Lurns upon conditions that arc Independent of his moral Guill when that is understood Only in terms of Intel inns. If a Bank robber Aims Al a guard shoots and kills the Rob Ber can be executed. If the gun misfires lie cannot. notes that a Driver will lose his License for reckless driving if he drives 60 Mph in a residential neighbor Hood. If his recklessness results in a death he will go to jail for manslaughter. His personal measured by his inner life his intentions is identical in Boih cases. Bul As the consequences differ so does the appropriate punishment. As White says the court would not overturn a sentence for Reck less homicide by automobile merely he cause the punishment exceeded the maximum punishment for Reck less driving. The majority is troubled by the fact Hal some relatives of murder victims will be More articulate a ional and moving than others so nol ail murderers will be equally jeopardy re by victim Impact statements. Therefore such statements impart arbitrariness in sentencing. For inc majority arbitrary de scribes any deviation from perfect equal Ity of risk for defendants. But As White says a criminal Justice system purged of such arbitrariness is a chimera. No two prosecutors Are of equal ability no two witnesses Are of equal Impact on juries. The court has hitherto held Hal sentencing considerations Are peculiarly questions of legislative Potick because in a democratic society Legislatures not courts Are constituted to respond to the will and consequently the moral values of t lie however the court s Fine tuning of sentencing procedures in capital cases has resulted in an entitlement defendants arc entitled to introduce Mil Galing evidence. Yet now the court has held that a stale Cannuni counter that with evidence concerning the consequences of the crime. As Scalia says debates about sentencing must Natiw proceed with oneside ruled. Punishment May serve several purposes. In May Reform the person Pun isl Icil. It May deter others from following his path. But All punishment necessarily is expressive expresses Community values. The court by trying to prevent juries in capital esses from being in flamed is trying to prevent the express Ion of outrage about inc most outrageous of crimes. Hut surely Iacre is a distinction to be drawn Between passion Hal unhinged reason and passion that is a reasonable that is proportionate and just response to facts such As the consequences of crimes. The court ruled inc Day before a new York jury acquitted Bernhard Golz of attempted murder. Goelz one Way that anger can be vented. A Bel Ter Way is through i jury Hal Haj been properly reasonably inflamed by Nar rowing truths cml amid in a victim Impact Sia yemeni
