European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 12, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday september 12, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 13 commentary William Saf Rebush s israeli stance holds refugees hostage George Bush s Rosh hash Ana message to jews around the world until Israel signals its willingness to give up the West Bank before direct negotiations begin the United states will deny credit guarantees needed to prepare to receive 1 million More jews in their exodus from Russia. Nobody puts it so baldly of course. Americans would take offence if their president admitted holding the lives of a million harried and worried people hostage to his demand that Israel surrender its most cherished position beforehand. To demand a Ransom of land for humanitarian Aid would be diplomatic blackmail never the Way the United states has done business. To conceal the nature of that hostage taking Bush asks Congress for a four month a a delay in consideration of israelis urgent request for our co signing its notes to put roofs Over the refugees Heads. But everybody knows there is Only one reason for the delay to hang a sword of Damocles Over the Heads of israeli negotiators who May resist a predetermined Bush imposed solution. This is clearly intended to put an agonizing Choice before Israel lose the land or lose the people. Nobody suggests any other reason. The United states recognizes the plight of the jews eager for emigration. No american politician wants the blood of any possible pogrom on his hands. Rather than take them in the United states we want them to go to Israel. And we Are prepared to guarantee Loans to help House them a that is not an Issue. But there is an Issue before the Congress Are we for the first time in our history prepared to use humanitarian Aid As a lever to Force another democratic government to act against what it sees to be its interests not so insists the president. He merely intends to use the a a delay As a Means to lean on Israel to forbid its citizens from moving to lands that the Palestine liberation organization claims. The continuation of jewish settlements in Bush a eyes is an obstacle to the grand settlement he has clearly in his mind and is determined As the Only superpower left standing to impose. Both Bush and the israelis Are Well aware what a a settlements freeze really would be. It is no Mere pause in an activity that irritates arabs As our state department likes to pretend it is. On the contrary the Day Israel bars jews from moving to the West Bank is the Day that Israel in effect gives up its claim to that disputed territory. Everybody knows that too. That a what the settlements fuss is about. To insist that Israel make Judea and Samaria including the outskirts of Jerusalem verboten to jews is to take the first Long step toward the creation of a palestinian state on that land forever off limits to jews. That Issue is one of those to be discussed at a face to face conference. Why then require that the Issue be settled symbolically in Advance the White House answer is that settlements a inflame passions and such a Concession is needed for the arabs to come at All. But Tom Friedman of the new York times who is far More evenhanded than i reports this fact a in the last three months of diplomacy Secretary of state James a Baker managed to talk the Arab states out of making a freeze on israeli settlement building activity a precondition for their participation in the proposed peace conference but he was not Able to talk or. Bush out of it officials  can you believe it George Bush a position on settlements is More pro Arab than the Arab position. Hafez Assad of Syria was ready to meet Yitzhak Shamir of Israel without a settlement surrender in and Vance but americans George Bush was not. I am not among Baker s acolytes but even he deserves some sympathy As he must be coming to the conclusion that there is no greater obstacle to peace in the Middle East than Bush s obsession with forcing Israel out of the West Bank. Obsession it must be because there is no rational explanation for a one sided policy that ought to abort the conference or for threatening the futures a and perhaps endangering the lives a of a million innocents who want Only to flee to Freedom. Decent people can disagree about the West Bank but humanitarian Aid delayed is Aid denied. What new morality justifies the callous abuse of refugees to achieve some diplomatic aim Congress should Tell Bush that we Are a principled people. We done to hold anybody hostage. C Thuc now York time George will Why All the frantic fuss about voter turnout in 1963 president Kennedy appointed a commission to suggest reforms to increase voter turnout. Seventeen of its 18 recommendations to make voting easier were fully or partially adopted. Since then turnout has declined steadily. Now in another exercise in missing the Point reformers Are trying to pass s.250, the a motor voters Bill to require states to ease still further voter registration. States would be required to Register to vote anyone applying for or renewing a Drivers License. Or to mail registration forms requiring neither notarization nor other formal witness. Or to have registration available at All offices that provide Public assistance unemployment compensation or related services and state funded programs to the disabled and to designate some other registration agencies which May include libraries schools fishing Hunting and marriage License bureaus Revenue offices and some private sector locations. Well now. Most states Are currently running deficits and raising taxes. Another unfunded mandate from Washington will require still More cuts in education health and other programs. In 27 states it is possible to choose to Register through Drivers License offices. In seven of the 10 states that have made that possible since 1972, voter turnout has declined. What has increased is voter fraud. In 1960, about 64 percent of those eligible to vote did so. In 1988, 50.2 percent voted. So almost As Many eligible voters stayed Home As voted for George Bush. In 1990, just 33 percent voted in House elections. However the decline in voting has coincided with reduced impediments to voting a such As poll taxes literacy tests burdensome registration and residency requirements. Voting has declined As the electorate has become More educated and affluent As government has become More expensive and Bossy and As politics has become More television entered and delivered to the living rooms of even the most passive people. But what exactly is the a a problem the infrequent act of voting is less significant As a sign of a persons civic virtue than is constant thoughtfulness about civic life. Turnout is highest among the attentive. And if mild registration burdens Are sufficient to defeat a persons inclination to vote those burdens probably Are filtering out the unmotivated who Are Apt to be the uninformed. Before hectoring people to vote remember when voting is increased by nagging everyone about their a a duty to vote More turnout will probably mean a worse electorate. To be Blunt smaller usually Means smarter. One reason for Low turnouts in presidential elections is the electoral vote system and the custom of Winner take All allocation of states electoral votes. In most presidential elections the outcome in most states is known by election eve. Therefore Many voters Lack a motive powerful enough to propel them through november weather to a polling place. Voting can be cathartic even when the elections outcome is Clear but is not cathartic for everyone. Furthermore Low turnouts often Are signs of social health. Low political Energy can be a consequence of consensus about basics. When society is not riven by deep fissures about fundamental questions non voting May be passive consent reflecting Contentment. Many potential voters abstain because electoral outcomes do not determine the shape of their lives. Which is the Way it should be in a Good society politics is peripheral to happiness. You want High turnouts try 86.2, 83.5 and 88.8 percent. Those were the rates in three elections in Germany 1932-33, when elections were literally matters of life and death. Today Happy Well governed Switzerland has turnouts lower than americans. If reformers really believe voting is a duty they should have the courage of that conviction let them try to legislate penalties for not voting As in Australia and Belgium. Or they could try non Coer Cive ways of energizing voters. The democratic party could try nominating presidential candidates who do not drive so Many democratic voters to apathy. Both parties could argue about serious ideas. Finally Reform minded legislators could make More elections interesting by enacting limits on the number of terms legislators congressional and state can serve. Compulsory rotation of offices would generate a steady Supply of open legislative seats and would radically reduce the suffocation of Competition by incumbents advantages. Alas this obvious inducement to voter participation will not come soon. Sponsors of s.250 Are hot to reinvigorate democracy but not that hot. C Wash Brigton Pom writer group