A4 Wednesday, August 1, 2012
OPINION
August a memorable month for New Mexicans
SANTA FE — Welcome to August. The month has no holidays. Maybe that is because so many people already are on vacation But August has many days to remember, especially for New Mexicans. Some of them could be holidays but we just don’t celebrate them for one reason or another. Every elementary school child knows Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World on Oct. 12, 1492. But he set sail on Aug. 3 of that year. They still are teaching elementary students that Columbus was the guy who figured out the world is round. But we have learned over the years that when he set sail, he had no doubt he wasn’t going to fall off the edge of the earth. Many people already knew the world was round and some even knew others had already explored new lands to the west. The only
EDITORIAL
JAY MILLER
INSIDE THE CAPITOL
question was how far west. It was August 1598 when Juan de Onate and his colonists settled in Northern New Mexico near Espanola. It was Aug. 10, 1680, when the Pueblos, with the help of Apaches, decided they didn’t like Spanish rule. Some 400 colonists and 21 Franciscan missionaries were killed. The rest fled down the Rio Grande to south of El Paso. It is said to be the first and only instance of Native Americans overthrowing their conquerors. It was August 1846 when U.S. troops, under the command of Gen. Stephen Watts Kearny,
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invaded New Mexico. On Aug. 22, Kearny declared all residents to be American citizens. On Aug. 6 and 9, Little Boy and Fat Man were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, assuring a quick end to the war. The dates are not celebrated in the United States. They are mourned by the Japanese and American peace activists. At the time, it seemed to our leaders like the thing to do. High school graduates were being drafted and quickly sent to the Pacific to prepare for a land invasion expected to take a million lives. Scientists and engineers from Los Alamos were sent to the island of Tinian in the Northern Marianas, near Guam and Saipan, to prepare the bombs and the modified B-29s that would carry them. We knew that American prisoners held in Japan, including 900 members of the New Mexico
National Guard, would be shot as soon as a land invasion commenced. But when the two big ones dropped, prison guards throughout Japan ran for their homes and never returned. Even before the two bombs dropped, Japan had been making efforts toward ending the war. But there were still holdouts in the Japanese high command that either wanted to fight to the end or to bargain for keeping the lands they had taken. The bombs hastened the decision to surrender. Six days after the second bomb was dropped, Japan surrendered. It was high noon, Aug. 15 in Tokyo and 6 p.m. the day before in Washington, D.C. There was great rejoicing nationwide. Next to the photo of the Iwo Jima flag raising, the picture of a sailor sweeping a nurse off her feet on Times Square is probably the most beloved in American history. I was a 7-year-
old in Las Cruces watching the celebrating. But the yearly celebrations did not last. Although the bombs killed no more than our nightly saturation bombings of Japanese cities, the radiation deaths and illnesses that followed insured that nuclear devices have not been used in warfare since. August also is the anniversary of New Mexico native Smokey Bear being adopted as our national forest fire prevention symbol in 1944. Even Smokey had a war connection. All our able-bodied men were fighting elsewhere. And Japan was tying small bombs to gas balloons and launching them into the winds headed for our West Coast forests. Some of them made it. So the American public was alerted to fight forest fires. (Write to Jay Miller at 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505; by fax at 984-0982; or by e-mail at insidethecapitol@hotmail.com)
Women in uniform deserve better
Military justice is an oxymoron when it comes to women in the armed forces. When a woman volunteers to serve in the military, it doesn’t mean that she volunteers to be sexually assaulted by enlisted men or officers. But as the eighth Department of Defense Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military reports, all too often that’s what happens. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said earlier this year that as many as 19,000 service members may have been the victims of sexual assault in 2011. Of that number, only 3,200 victims reported the attacks, and only 191 cases resulted in court-martial convictions. Those numbers are shameful. It appears that the Pentagon is trying to get a handle on the problem through training programs, greater efforts to encourage reporting, improving responses to sexual assaults, a 24/7 hotline for victims, better education for case workers and other initiatives. But those efforts — and the messages they send — were undercut by the inadequate sentence handed down by a military court to Air Force Staff Sgt. Luis Walker. He was found guilty of 28 charges of rape, aggravated sexual contact and multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Twenty years sounds like a long sentence. But it amounts to less than a year for each count. Walker was the face of a sex scandal at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where every airman and woman in our country goes for basic training. He was among 12 instructors investigated in connection with sexual misconduct involving at least 31 female trainees. Six of the instructors have been charged with crimes that include rape and sexual assault. Walker was the first to stand trial. U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., summed up the case this way: “The military jury confirmed what we already knew; Walker is a sexual predator who used his position in the military to rape and sexually assault young recruits at Lackland. But a sentence of 20 years in confinement is inadequate for a man who abused 10 victims. ... The only way to end rape in the military is prosecute, convict, and punish perpetrators to the full extent of military law. ... The widespread sex abuse scandal at Lackland demands a congressional investigation. We need to know how this behavior was permitted at Lackland for so long and by so many.” The excuse — explanation? rationalization? — for raping and assaulting women in the military is pitiful. You’ve heard it before. About one in five recruits at Lackland is female. Ninety percent of the 475 instructors are male. Are we supposed to accept that because women are outnumbered and in the vicinity of men they become prey? Haven’t we learned anything? Protecting women who are protecting their country is the least we owe them. Guest Editorial The St. Louis Post-Dispatch DEAR DOCTOR K: Many exercise classes these days focus on core strength. Why is it important to have strong core muscles? DEAR READER: I had always thought of exercise as involving the muscles of my arms and legs. Then I began hearing about core exercises and realized there was a lot about exercise that I didn’t know. Your core muscles are the sturdy central link connecting your upper and lower body. Bounded largely by the rib cage and hips, your core includes the muscles, bones and joints in your abdomen, back, sides, pelvis, buttocks and hips. No matter where motion
Both sides should be able to express opinions Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy is in hot water with the LGBT community because he committed the cardinal sin in an age of political correctness: Thou must not speak ill of anything gays, lesbians, bisexuals or transgenders wish to do. In an interview with the Baptist Press and later on a Christian radio program, Cathy, whose father, the philanthropist T ruett Cathy, founded the company, defended marriage between a man and a woman and when asked about the company’s support of traditional marriage said, “Guilty as charged. We are
Doonesbury
ASK DR. K UNITED MEDIA SYNDICATE
starts, it ripples upward and downward through your core. Thus, weak or inflexible core muscles can impair how well your entire body functions. On the flip side, a strong, flexible core underpins almost everything you do: Everyday acts such as bathing, dressing, sitting in a chair or simply standing still are just a few of the many
CAL
THOMAS SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit.” Cathy believes American society is rotting (and where is evidence to the contrary?) because the country has turned away from God. That was it. Cathy did not say he would deny someone
mundane actions that rely on your core. You take them for granted until they become difficult or painful. On-the-job tasks that involve lifting and standing rely on core muscles. Less obvious tasks -- such as sitting at your desk for hours -engage your core as well. A healthy back. Low back pain, an often debilitating problem, may be prevented by exercises that promote wellbalanced, resilient core muscles. When back pain strikes, core exercises are often an important part of treatment. Sports and other pleasurable activities. Golfing, tennis, biking, running, swimming and many other athletic activities are powered by a strong
with a different view than his the right to eat in or work at any of his fast-food restaurants, which would violate the law. He did not say anything hateful about them. He simply expressed a deeply held conviction rooted in his Christian faith. The reaction tells you everything you need to know about certain liberals who believe every sort of speech, activity and expression should be protected, except the speech, activity and expression of evangelical Christians. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said he would try to deny Chick-fil-A’s application
core. Want a stronger forehand or a longer drive off the tee? Think core exercises. Sex calls for core power and flexibility, too. Housework, fix-it work and gardening. Actions such as bending, lifting, twisting, carrying, hammering and reaching overhead all pass through the core. So do vacuuming, mopping and dusting. Balance and stability. Your core stabilizes your body. A strong core can lessen your risk of falling. Incontinence. Losing control of your bladder generally reflects weakness in your pelvic core muscles. With Kegel exercises, you can tune See DR. K, Page A5
for permits to open restaurants in that city. Now that’s discrimination. Menino wants to ban Chick-fil-A in Boston, not for discriminating against customers or employees, but because of its owner’s beliefs, a threat he has since backed away from. Does Boston have “thought police” who might be ordered to investigate whether other business owners already operating in the city hold similar views? I’ll bet there’s someone at Durgin-Park who holds similar views. What about a player for the Boston Red Sox? Better follow them to
25 YEARS AGO
See THOMAS, Page A5
Aug. 1, 1987 • Marine Sgt. Patrick K. Hardesty, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hardesty of Artesia, recently deployed to the Republic of Korea to participate in the Korean Incremental Training Package with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines at Camp Pendleton. During the training conducted at the 1st Republic of Korean Division Base in Pohang, Marines sharpened their infantry skills, conducted training in tactics, patrolling, combat, the obstacle course, live fire and individual movement techniques. Also during the deployment, Hardesty participated in exercise Team Spirit 87, conducted in and around the Republic of Korea. A 1981 graduate of Artesia High School, Hardesty joined the Marine Corps in August 1981.