New York Times
Washington is suddenly awash with investigations into the demise of Enron, as well it should be. The failure of the politically powerful energy trading company is the biggest corporate bankruptcy in the nation's history. Given the company's close ties to the Bush administration, and its generous campaign contributions to members of Congress, only an exacting and unflinching set of investigations can assure the country that Enron executives are not receiving special treatment from the government. So far, the White House is taking the right steps. We trust its determination will not flag in the months ahead, even if embarrassing questions come up about Enron's ties to the administration.
The Justice Department decision to create a special task force to determine whether to bring criminal charges against Enron or its officers appears to be a recognition of both the complexity and the importance of this case. ...
Placing the investigation directly under the control of the Justice Department's criminal division, however, can invite political interference by top administration officials. President Bush must ensure that that does not happen. ...
Enron is the latest and most spectacular case of a financial implosion that involved accounting irregularities. Many other seeming high fliers eager to impress Wall Street and prop up their stock prices have had to restate erroneous earnings statements, raising questions about the oversight of the accounting profession. Arthur Andersen, Enron's supposedly independent auditor, announced yesterday that a significant number of its Enron-related documents had been destroyed. Andersen's failure to question the appropriateness of Enron's dealings with off-the-books partnerships run by its own officers should figure prominently in the Justice Department's and Securities and Exchange Commission's investigations.
Washington Post
The Palestinian-owned ship Karine A, which Yasser Arafat now wants so much to disown, carried a cargo seemingly tailored to enable a major escalation of terrorist attacks on Israel. For suicide bombers, there was more C4 plastic explosive; for the mortar crews that have been ineffectually lobbing homemade mortar bombs at Israeli settlements, there were real mortar tubes and shells. There were grenades and anti-tank mines for roadside ambushes. And there were 62 Katyusha rockets, whose only effective use would be against Israeli civilian areas. Israel's government has been openly discussing proposals to launch an all-out military offensive against the Palestinian authority, but these were not defensive weapons. If they had arrived in the Gaza Strip and West Bank and been used in attacks on Israel, they likely would have justified the very Israeli offensive that until now has been held in check.
Mr. Arafat's claim that he knew nothing about all this is hard to accept, given his well-known micromanagement of almost every major transaction conducted by his government. ...
Mr. Arafat owes the world a credible explanation. He probably won't offer one, which means that he and his government will have to begin from the beginning to separate themselves from terrorism, implement a cease-fire and offer Israel the prospect of serious negotiations. There is no other ship.
Washington Times
Cuban dictator Fidel Castro will soon find some new kindred spirits on his island. Just when brutal dictatorships were increasingly considered terribly passe around the world, Mr. Castro will be in close proximity with fellow aficionados of cruel despotism. The eight Taliban fighters who are expected to soon be shipped to the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for interrogation probably converge ideologically with him on any number of issues.
Just imagine the rabid anti-American tirades the two parties could revel in -- not to mention the note-sharing on iron-fisted methodologies for repressing an entire nation. Naturally, Mr. Castro won't have any access to the Taliban fighters, who will be kept in the well-fortified U.S. base. But if he did, a fest of mutual admiration would surely ensue.
Of course, there would be points of discord. Mr. Castro, no doubt, would be roundly reproached for allowing Cuban women to gallivant freely in various stages of, by Taliban standards, undress. But Mr. Castro would undoubtedly maintain his loathing of licentiousness and his decades-long attempts at cracking down on Cubans' natural sultriness.
Still, the lovefest could last only so long, since he doesn't take kindly to the slightest challenge of his absolute power -- lovers of despotism beware. As guests of Mr. Castro, the Taliban fighters could soon find themselves in a Caribbean gulag where fasting isn't optional.
At this point, of course, admiration between the Taliban fighters and Mr. Castro would no doubt fade, but an odd sort of poetic justice would emerge. The hostility, violence and lack of mobility of the Taliban fighters in a Cuban gulag would closely mirror the similar conditions for women in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The United States, of course, distinguishes itself from countries like Cuba through its higher standard of justice, but a fanciful Cuban-Taliban relationship holds so many possibilities.
Los Angeles Times
Where is Osama bin Laden? Where is Mullah Mohammed Omar? And now where are the justice minister and half a dozen other leading officials of the toppled Taliban government? This last group actually surrendered to a newly installed governor of Afghanistan's Kandahar province, but despite U.S. demands to interview them the officials were allowed to walk away. Enough is enough. The United States needs to lean on the central and provincial governments--lean hard--and get the justice minister and his colleagues back for questioning and perhaps for arrest.
Afghanistan remains chaotic, with warlords controlling some areas, international peacekeepers only in the capital, U.S. and other troops scattered around the country. It is not surprising that the interim government of Prime Minister Hamid Karzai in Kabul is unable to have all its orders carried out. But it must not be lax in dealing with the issue of the missing officials. ...
Afghan soldiers and U.S. forces need to keep searching for Bin Laden and Omar, the Taliban head. The hunt for top lieutenants of Omar also needs to be vigorously pursued. Interrogating prisoners is a first step to bringing war criminals to justice and gaining information that can help disrupt terrorist attacks. Afghans, after enduring decades of war, should recognize that as much as Americans.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Legislators who have acted responsibly in past years to keep gambling out of Hawaii are being asked to put the question to the voters. This is a seemingly noble gesture in a robust democracy except that gambling interests are proposing it out of frustration, ready to bombard the public with propaganda to gain a foothold in the state.
Gov. Cayetano suggested putting the issue on the ballot last year after the Legislature rejected a proposal by Sun International Hotels to open a casino at Ko Olina. Sun International played host to Cayetano in December 2000 at its resort in the Bahamas. He was accompanied by Sun lobbyists Charles Toguchi, his former chief of staff, and Jim Boersma, a former Cayetano employee.
The Legislature is no more likely to approve the Ko Olina proposal this year, and Cayetano again is calling for a constitutional amendment that would allow a single casino in Hawaii. Hawaii has no provision for a referendum, but a constitutional amendment would be the equivalent. Asked if he would vote in favor of such an amendment, he said, "Yes, I would." ...
In Hawaii, Sun International would not be the only gambling concern supporting the single-casino amendment. Other casino owners are aware that a foot in the door can lead to expansion of gambling activity. The silly statement by Sun International's president that he would not mind if Hawaii residents were banned from its casino would be the first provision to be cast away.
The gambling issue has surfaced in the Legislature nearly every year for decades but is taken more seriously this year because of the economic slump associated with the national recession and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Legislators should recognize that Hawaii's success in tourism has been due partly to its image as a wholesome place that is ideal for family vacations. The risk that gambling would change that image is not worth taking.
(Compiled by United Press International)
