Defending The Indefensible

Congressman Helen Chenoweth and her Democratic challenger, Dan Williams, flunked Social Sensitivity 101 Thursday. During their debate, each embraced an indefensible position involving a minority. Republican Chenoweth questioned Indian tribal sovereignty. Williams defended partial-birth abortion with a maudlin story about some Catholic woman caught in a late-term bind. I’ll chew on the incumbent first. Helen’s been on the Idaho tribes’ most-unwanted list because she doesn’t respect tribal sensitivities. That was evident when she indicated Indian sovereignty was a “special privilege.” Actually, it’s a negotiated right protected by the treaties the U.S. government used to seize tribal land generations ago. Those treaties can’t be changed simply because a freshman congressman now thinks they’re unfair to non-Indian neighbors. Our government has broken too many promises to Native Americans already.

fending the indefensible

Americans may be all over the map on abortion, but most abhor partial-birth abortion. Why? Let U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., an abortion-rights advocate, explain: “If that’s not infanticide, nothing is.” Basically, in partial-birth abortions, mid- and late-term babies are partially delivered and then, inches from life, have their brains sucked out after a knife is jammed into the base of their skulls. Awful? You bet. Yet, President Clinton defended the dastardly practice with a veto. And Williams defended that veto. They would have you believe that the procedure is done only when a mother’s life is in danger or when she’s about to deliver a deformed monster. But Dr. W. Martin Haskell of Cincinnati, who invented the procedure, said 80 percent of these abortions are “elective.” The mothers didn’t want their viable babies. Shame on them. Shame on Clinton. Shame on Williams.

Student stands tall against goofy UI policy

University of Idaho student Travis Quast earned “Sweet Potatoes” for making UI teacher evaluations truly public. B.Q. (before Quast), students could see their evaluations of teachers, under tightly controlled circumstances. But they couldn’t get copies of those evaluations or make notes about them. As student leaders turned tail, Quast sued. He had $3,500 in legal fees on the line last week when District Judge John Bengtson ruled in his favor, calling UI’s look-but-don’t-copy policy, “foolish.” Policy defenders had said full disclosure might have a chilling effect on teachers. Countered Bengtson: “Maybe some professors need a chilling effect.” Bingo.

, DataTimes MEMO: D.F. Oliveria’s “Hot Potatoes” runs Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can comment on the items by calling (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125, or by sending e-mail to daveo@spokesman.com.