Editorials
Tuesday, June 4, 1996
Military exercises
can entail risk of accidents
FORTUNATELY no one was killed. But the accidental downing of a U.S. Navy jet plane by a Japanese warship in the Pacific about 1,600 miles west of Hawaii points up the dangers inherent in military training exercises. So-called war games are often dangerous, sometimes unavoidably so. Yet they are essential to readiness.
In this case, Japanese naval gunners were supposed to hit a target being towed by a U.S. Navy A-6E attack plane. Somehow they hit the plane instead and shot it down. But the two crew members sustained only minor injuries and were quickly picked up by the Japanese ship, the destroyer Yuugiri. The cause is as yet unknown but a mechanical failure in the anti-aircraft weapon used, the Phalanx Close-in Weapons System, has been mentioned as a possibility.
The accident occurred during the RIMPAC naval exercise, involving 30,000 personnel from five nations - in addition to Japan and the United States, Canada, South Korea and Chile - 44 ships and 250 aircraft. The exercises began in 1971. They have become routine, but that does not lessen their value. Regrettably, they seldom command public attention unless an accident occurs or a protest demonstration is held.
Military forces must train to stay sharp and ready to perform their missions. Commanders are always concerned about accidents and emphasize safety during these exercises, but mishaps cannot always be prevented. This time, fortunately, no lives were lost, but that is not always the case. It's a reality that has to be faced, a price that has to be paid.
Other editorials in brief:
Domestic violence
TWO alleged cases of spousal homicides have opened the drapes an inch more on domestic violence, which too often has been ignored by society and concealed by both perpetrators and victims. A report released by the Hawaii attorney general's office shows that more than a third of all homicides in the state have involved family members, roommates or lovers.
The feminist movement and spouse-abuse shelters have helped, but even stronger efforts are needed to make clear to some that a marriage license is not a permit to hit or kill.
Curfew laws
THANKS to Bill Clinton and Bob Dole, curfews are in the news. Both the president and his Republican challenger like them. Clinton said that curfew laws "are just like the old-fashioned rules most of us had when we were kids. When the lights come on, be home." There is a difference, of course, when police, not parents, are called upon to enforce the rules.
We agree that kids shouldn't be out on the streets late at night, but police have more serious matters to deal with than curfew violations. Enforcement of the curfew law would be a questionable use of available police and court resources.
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John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
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