Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 217, Ed. 1 Saturday, March 7, 2015 Page: 4 of 20
twenty pages : ill.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
OPINION
4A
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Denton Record-Chronicle
Denton Record-Chronicle
Netanyahu’s
address to
Congress
not realistic
W4
Published by Denton Publishing Co.,
a subsidiary of A.H. Belo Corporation
a -
U3RP TO
CTSCA
m
Founded from weekly newspapers,
the Denton Chronicle, established in 1882,
and the Denton Record, established in 1897.
Published daily as the Denton
Record-Chronicle since Aug. 3,1903.
v
iifi
l\.
M tDt.'i COMC.V'iV
,1
.1
EDITORIAL BOARD
Bill Patterson
Publisher and CEO
Scott K. Parks
Managing Editor
Les Cockrell
Region Editor
Mark Finley
City Editor
Mariel Tarn-Ray
News Editor
PAST PUBLISHERS
William C. “Will” Edwards
1903-1927
Robert J. “Bob” Edwards
1927-1945
Riley Cross
1945-1970
Vivian Cross
1970-1986
Fred Patterson
1986-1999
i
1
enjamin Netanyahu came to the U.S.
Capitol on Tuesday and offered an
idea so simple and brilliant that every-
one in the White House must have felt dumb
for not thinking of it. His alternative to the
imperfect deal the U.S. may strike with Iran?
A perfect deal.
It was fitting that the Israeli prime min-
ister made reference to the HBO series
Game of Thrones, because fantasy pervaded
his address. He thinks
of negotiations as a
process by which one
side gets everything it
wants and the other
side gets nothing.
I’m guessing the
next time he goes to a
car dealership with a
purchase in mind, he’ll
have all his money at
the end, some of which
he’ll need for cab fare
to get home.
Netanyahu took it upon himself to dis-
close that the Iranian regime “will always be
an enemy of America.” Well, yes. There’s no
need to negotiate arms control agreements
with your friends.
The Soviet Union, like Iran, was an invet-
erate foe — and a far more dangerous one.
That didn’t stop Richard Nixon or Ronald
Reagan from forging accords designed to
make us safer while providing some benefi-
cial inducements to the other side.
Nor did it stop hardliners from objecting.
When Reagan signed an arms control agree-
ment with the Soviets, conservative groups
ran newspaper ads likening him to Neville
Chamberlain. “Appeasement is as unwise in
1988 as in 1938,” they proclaimed.
Arms control tends to bring out unwar-
ranted panic and fury, and Netanyahu is
squarely in that tradition.
It’s true that the deal the administration
hopes to get would not guarantee that Iran
will never get nuclear weapons.
But it offers a genuine prospect of ob-
structing and delaying that outcome for a de-
cade or more.
The prime minister’s oration was rich in
contradictions. He complained that, if Iran
abrogated the deal, it would be able to build a
bomb in a year or less. But right now that
“breakout time” is much shorter — about
three months. Before the temporary agree-
ment reached in 2013, it was just a month or
B
h
i na t
1 i. 'vLt r*
l!
jUt]
a
-Tn.
ok
no
Editorials published in the Denton Record-Chronicle
are determined by the editorial board.
Questions and suggestions should be directed to the:
Denton Record-Chronicle
314 E. Hickory St., Denton, TX 76201
Phone: 940-387-3811
Fax: 940-566-6888
E-mail: drc@dentonrc.com
Letters to the editor
Beyond panic stage
It’s a shame that former UNT language
professor Lee Nahrgang has to demonstrate
for us that holding a degree does not neces-
sarily equate into holding an objective view
of critical issues the person has no back-
ground in.
In his recent letter \_DRC, Feb. 27], Mr.
Nahrgang reiterates all of the debunked
claims by the climate science denier com-
munity as if they were based on uncontested
fact. He chastises science for not having ab-
solutes when many of us knowthat science is
never truly settled. It is, as any true scientist
will tell you, about narrowing uncertainty.
Currently 97 percent of climate scientists
agree that global warming is “very likely” be-
ing affected by human activity burning fossil
fuels and destroying C02-absorbing forests.
The 3 percent who remain in the denier
camp are little more than paid lackeys for big
oil, coal and gas.
Most recently, one of the more promi-
nent climate denier scientists, Wei-Hock
“Willie” Soon, was found to have “accepted
more than $1.2 million in money from the
fossil-fuel industry over the last decade
while failing to disclose that conflict of in-
terest in most of his scientific papers,” ac-
cording to recent findings by the Climate In-
vestigations Center headed by climate scien-
tist Kert Davies.
Dedicated climate scientists have been
SUBMISSIONS
fet
Letters for publication must include the writer’s
signature, address and telephone number.
Authorship must be verified before publication.
The Record-Chronicle reserves the right to edit
letters for length. Letters should be typed or
legibly handwritten and be 250 or fewer words.
We prefer e-mail submissions.
Send to: drc@dentonrc.com.
Otherwise, fax to 940-566-6888, or mail to:
Letters to the editor
P.0. Box 369
Denton, TX 76202
ahbelo.com NYSE symbol: AHC
Steve
Chapman
Editorial
Carpenter earns
chamber honor
little concern for Israel’s survival. The admis-
tration almost certainly will allow Iran to
continue a nuclear program that, behind the
backs of inspectors, will give Iran the bomb.
That is shameful. Certainly our senators
and representatives should hear the plead-
ings of one of our great allies, perhaps, soon,
our only ally in the Middle East.
Ms. Rubin usually has a sound basis for
her columns. In this case, she is nothing but
a non-thinking lapdog for the Obama ad-
ministration. How sad.
he Denton Chamber of Commerce never disap-
points when it’s time to bestow the Otis L. Fowler
Award, its most prestigious community honor.
A list of past recipients reads like an honor roll of Den-
ton leaders who went above and beyond to serve their
community.
That’s the way it should be. The original criteria for the
award, which was established in 1960, calls for the honor
to be given to a deserving individual who has made a
marked contribution to the progress and welfare of the
community through his or her business, profession or
calling.
We’d say the chamber got it right again this year by
honoring Chuck Carpenter.
Through the years, Carpenter has probably done as
much as any other individual to promote Denton and
ensure its continued progress.
His duties as president of the chamber provide Car-
penter with a unique opportunity to serve, and he’s done
so tirelessly and selflessly.
As last year’s recipient Hank Dickenson pointed out
Friday night in a video announcement of Carpenter’s
selection at the chamber’s annual membership banquet
and meeting, Carpenter makes things happen.
He manages the only chamber of commerce in the
Dallas-Fort Worth area that operates a convention and
visitors bureau, an economic development marketing
department, a small-business development center and a
leadership development program, so he stays pretty busy.
But Carpenter has managed to remain accessible and
is always ready to provide support, direction and informa-
tion to anyone who needs it.
He is a trusted adviser to many community and busi-
ness leaders. He has provided day-to-day guidance to
some of the most influential and successful individuals in
Denton. Three of these individuals were Denton mayors.
He has also worked with 32 previous recipients of the
Fowler Award, and nine of those individuals were former
board chairs of the chamber, Dickenson added.
There’s a lot more we could say about Carpenter’s con-
tributions, but most folks are probably already familiar
with many of them. He’s been a good friend to Denton
and its people for a long time and we congratulate him on
this well-deserved honor.
The chamber changed things up slightly this year in
another award category. Instead of naming a top volun-
teer, the chamber honored two individuals with the “We
the People of the Chamber” award. Receiving this desig-
nation were Carolyn Corporon, vice president at Sally
Beauty Systems and a chamber director, and Perry
McNeill, past chamber board chairman and former Den-
ton mayor.
The chamber honored three members this year for
their contributions to the Lead, Evolve, Advocate and
Develop, or LEAD program, a group of volunteers re-
presenting the chamber in the community. Named as
outstanding LEAD delegates were: Tim Weicht of Eagle
& Wheeler, Welcome Coalition; Matthew Kern of Arthur
Surveying Company, Outreach Coalition; and Tanya
Nguyen of Denton Regional Medical Center, Host Coali-
tion.
T
Paul Knopick,
Denton
Attitude adjustment
The people of Denton have spoken —
loud and clear — and their political repre-
sentatives would be well advised to listen to
sounding the alarm for the last 20 years to
alert the public and political leaders about
the danger of manmade global warming.
For Mr. Nahrgang to assert we needn’t panic
is irresponsible. We’re beyond the panic
stage.
and heed their voice. If elected representa-
tives cannot support the overwhelming re-
sponse of Dentonians, then as honorable
people we will expect them to submit their
resignations forthwith.
Unlike the self-serving oil and gas people,
I suspect that many if not most of those who
voted to ban fracking are not in the habit of
making substantial contributions to re-elec-
tion campaigns, but elected representatives
would be making a fatal political mistake if
they choose to ignore or oppose the will of
the people.
Most of us are not like those emotional
cripples who in search of attention insist up-
on strapping an AK-47 to their back and
strutting before the public. Metaphorically
speaking, most of us still keep ’01 Betsy over
the mantle, all oiled and ready — of course,
our “Betsy” is probably a fountain pen or a
word processor, but it is still ready to be em-
ployed in our defense.
Elected representatives should ask a very
logical question: ‘What is the downside if
the fracking vote prevails?” Answer: im-
proved health, safety and quality of life.
“What is the downside if the fracking vote
fails?” Answer: It could very well become
necessary to render an attitude adjustment
to representatives of the oil and gas indus-
tries and their political handmaidens.
Frank Mayhew,
Denton
Larry Beck,
Denton
Administration lapdog
I would like to parse some of the sentenc-
es in Trudy Rubin’s lengthy column [DRC,
Feb. 23] in the run-up to Mr. Netanyahu’s
address to our U.S. Congress.
She quotes a columnist saying the Israeli
leader is “obsessed” with a nuclear Iran.
Well, yes. Good for him. Israel is a small na-
tion geographically.
Dropping a couple of nuclear bombs on it
will end its existence. I would like to have a
leader who is “obsessed” with the future of
my country, since Iran has made no apology
for its goal to wipe Israel off the map.
Further, she complains about Mr. Boehn-
er bypassing the office of the president to
bring Mr. Netanyahu to Congress.
Unusual, yes. But since there is no way
the Obama administration will allow the Is-
rael leader to deliver a speech about the fu-
ture of his nation, protocol had to be by-
passed. Too much is at stake. Our president
will not even meet with the Israeli leader.
Despite Ms. Rubin’s claims to the con-
trary, the Obama administration has shown
so.
He warns that Iran will cheat. That risk is
why National Security Adviser Susan Rice
says the administration’s motto is “distrust
and verify.”
A deal would compel Iran to give inspec-
tors unprecedented access to confirm com-
pliance — and afford the U.S. and its allies
plenty of time to take action if it cheats.
Cheating is not inevitable. Recently the
International Atomic Energy Agency, in a re-
port obtained by The New York Times, “reaf-
firmed that Iran had complied with its re-
sponsibilities under an interim agreement
during the negotiations to suspend produc-
tion of nuclear fuel that could be quickly con-
verted to bomb-grade, and limit production
of reactor-grade fuel.”
A treaty that shackles Iran for 10 years is
unacceptable, Netanyahu argues, because
that is a ‘blink in the eye of the life of a na-
tion.” But there is no such thing as an eternal
bargain. Even if the U.S. got the Iranians to
accept a permanent ban, they could abandon
it anytime.
So could we.
He claims the world can force capitula-
tion with sanctions: “Iran’s nuclear program
can be rolled back well beyond the current
proposal by insisting on a better deal and
keeping up the pressure on a very vulnerable
regime, especially given the recent collapse
in the price of oil.”
As if. The regime has weathered far worse
conditions than these. It survived the 1980s
in spite of a collapse in the price of oil, U.S.
economic sanctions and a devastating eight-
year war with Iraq.
On the one hand, the prime minister
thinks the Tehran government would launch
a suicidal nuclear attack on Israel if it could.
On the other, he thinks it will do anything to
escape the considerably milder pain of eco-
nomic isolation.
He can’t be right on both. More likely he’s
right on neither.
The real option is a military attack, which
at best would delay Iran’s acquisition of a
bomb for a few years, while giving it a power-
ful new inducement. Not to mention that we
would then be at war with Iran, which might
not be a cakewalk.
The negotiations are not final and may
not produce an agreement. Iran may want
nukes more than it wants anything else.
But there is a clear difference between
what the administration seeks and what
Netanyahu envisions.
Obama has in mind a decent deal that
may actually come to pass. Netanyahu has a
better one, which won’t.
STEVE CHAPMAN writes for the
Chicago Tribune. His column is distrib-
uted by Creators Syndicate Inc.
Other voices
monopolistic abuse.
The new oversight is based on Title II of a
1934 law regulating telephone service, which
was undergoing a similar metamorphosis.
The new FCC rule won’t take effect for
several months and surely will be challenged
in court. We should expect it to survive.
The market barely took notice of the new
FCC stance. In the Netherlands, where a
similar change is more than two years old,
little has changed. Cable and telecom opera-
tors have not raised prices. Service has not
degraded. Over there, as here, expanded
oversight is popular.
It’s the same old story: In the abstract, ev-
eryone likes minimum government regula-
tion over private business, but when certain
services become basic and essential, govern-
ment regulation will become necessary. Now
that the day is here for the Internet, the offi-
cial hand should be kept as light as possible.
Internet oversight
After years of political struggle, the Fed-
eral Communications Commission finally
voted to regulate the Internet as a utility, giv-
ing the agency more power to oversee cable
and telecom operators.
The move came in response to worries
large carriers such as Verizon and Comcast
were likely to set variable access rates favor-
ing large users. The new rules intend to en-
sure no content will be blocked and the
Internet will not provide faster service for
“pay to play” rich companies and slower ser-
vice for everyone else. Abroad array of users
such as Google and Facebook support the
new rule.
The Internet developed from scratch as a
sort of Wild West enterprise. Everyone sup-
ports this sort of free-enterprise develop-
ment, but now that the Internet has become
so large and ubiquitous, supporters of new
regulation see growing opportunities for
We congratulate all of this year’s Denton Chamber of
Commerce award winners and thank them for their con-
tributions.
Thanks to their leadership and good example, many
others are inspired to put service above self and give
something back to their community.
This day in history: March 7
Columbia Tribune
Today is Saturday, March
7, the 66th day of 2015. There
are 299 days left in the year.
On March 7,1965, a march
by civil rights demonstrators
was violently broken up at the
Edmund Pettus Bridge in Sel-
ma, Alabama, by state troopers
and a sheriff’s posse in what
came to be known as “Bloody
Sunday.”
In 1793, during the French
Revolutionary Wars, France de-
clared war on Spain.
In 1850, in a three-hour
speech to the U.S. Senate, Daniel
Webster of Massachusetts en-
dorsed the Compromise of 1850
as a means of preserving the
Union.
In 1912, Norwegian explorer
Roald Amundsen arrived in Ho-
Denton Record-Chronicle mission statement
We believe a free society, with all its privileges and opportunities, is partially successful because of
a free press that is supported by the community at large.
Our mission every day is to give you unbiased, wide-ranging news of Denton and the larger Denton
County community. We appreciate your subscription or your purchase of this newspaper. By doing
so, you are supporting an independent look at your community, its leaders, its business people, and
its residents.
Without that, we believe that our communities would suffer from a lack of analysis, a lack of in-
formation, and a lack of oversight of taxpayer money. We want to give you something to think
about every day. We hope those ideas lead you to become involved in your community, both with
your commentary and your actions.
bart, Australia, where he dis-
patched telegrams announcing
his success in leading the first ex-
pedition to the South Pole the
previous December.
— The Associated Press
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Parks, Scott K. Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 217, Ed. 1 Saturday, March 7, 2015, newspaper, March 7, 2015; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1124920/m1/4/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .