President Bush's signature into law a measure intended to give federal officials more tools to combat terror illuminated an effort all over America to find a new balance in our post-September 11 lives, a law that is supposed to make us more secure even as it protects our constitutional rights. Americans seek balance
in era of real and
imagined dangerThe issue: Americans and their leaders
are walking a razor's edge as they seek a
new balance between apathy and panic."This law will give intelligence and law enforcement officials new tools to fight a present danger," the president said after he signed the measure on Friday. Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, said the Congress had taken the time "to remove those parts that were unconstitutional and those parts that would have actually hurt the rights of all Americans."
At the same time, the new director of homeland security, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, underscored the urgent need for the nation's leaders to get a grip on this new situation and to speak with candor and hard fact at every occasion. Inconsistent and contradictory messages have done much to unsettle Americans who are anxious, even desperate, themselves to get a grip on their new lives.
After a week of downplaying the threat from anthrax, Ridge told news correspondents: "It is clear that the terrorists responsible for these attacks intended to use this anthrax as a weapon. Clearly, we are up against a shadow enemy, shadow soldiers, people who have no regards for human life." Tough words but a welcome change from the soft soap of a week ago. Resilient Americans are good at coping with the truth.
Ridge was in the middle of another muddle last week as he sought to assure a gathering of the nation's mayors that the administration recognized their roles in what he called "the front line of domestic security." When the mayors said they needed federal help in paying police and firefighters overtime, and more intelligence sharing, and help for workers laid off since September 11, Ridge was less than forthcoming, saying he had not yet completed his national strategy for defending the homeland.
Mayor Bill Campbell of Atlanta appeared to reflect a widespread sentiment among his peers: "We're going to have to get our money somewhere very quickly, simply to ensure the financial integrity of our cities. They are calling on our police departments, in essence, to work 24 hours a day protecting mosques, water towers, airports."
No one should underestimate the difficulties under which elected and appointed officials labor today. They, like ordinary citizens, are struggling to find a new balance in telling the public what we need to know without flipping us into a tizzy. It should be added that the press and television labor under the same pressures and are groping their way through a dark tunnel at the end of which no light has yet appeared.
U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye took a risk four years ago when he formulated a plan that allowed a company to sail a foreign-built ship through Hawaii ports in hopes of building an American industry in cruise lines. Tourist industry needs
buoying from revived
cruise shipsThe issue: A bankruptcy and a
halt in ship building interrupt the state's
smooth sail into a niche market.Now that the company, American Classic Voyages Inc., has gone into bankruptcy and its plans to build two new passenger cruise liners are on hold, some would conclude that the idea was a bad one.
Not so. In fact, the senator and his congressional colleagues could do Hawaii's economy much good if they continued to pursue legislation that would enable the nascent industry here to develop further. Even though the tourism industry is in a slump, passenger cruises are a specialty niche and a perfect fit for our island state.
To allow a foreign ship to sail into Hawaiian waters, Inouye pushed through Congress an exemption from the Jones Act, a 1920 federal law that requires cargo and passengers transported between U.S. ports to be carried on ships built, owned and registered in the United States. Although some label the act protectionist, the argument for the law is that it assures that a robust shipping industry would serve America's national security and economic needs. The law also requires that ships be crewed by Americans, providing employment, and that the ships adhere to U.S. environmental standards.
American Classic's foreign ship was to be used until American-built replacements were completed. However, with the company's bankruptcy last week, the Mississippi shipyard contracted for the work stopped operations when loan guarantees from the U.S. Maritime Administration were withdrawn.
Cruise ships greatly enhance the lure of Hawaii to travelers. Many people of a certain age can recall the romantic charm of bygone "boat days," when passenger ships would arrive in Honolulu Harbor to be greeted festively by hula dancers, musicians and lei. The fascination for ocean voyages remains today, judging from the tens of thousands who have sailed recently on the ms Patriot and the SS Independence.
Many foreign-owned liners that pull into Hawaii's harbors get around the law by launching cruises from other countries or having passengers disembark outside the United States. It would help Hawaii greatly if its congressional representatives can seek further exemptions, say if foreign vessels comply with certain parts of the law. Inouye also should find a way to renew the withdrawn loan guarantees so the new ships can be completed. Maybe then, Hawaii can come into its own as a cruising attraction.
Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.Don Kendall, President
John Flanagan, publisher and editor in chief 529-4748; jflanagan@starbulletin.com
Frank Bridgewater, managing editor 529-4791; fbridgewater@starbulletin.com
Michael Rovner, assistant managing editor 529-4768; mrovner@starbulletin.com
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