On the World Summit on sustainable development

The World Summit on Sustainable Development will be upon us shortly. In the meantime, discussions of variable intensity are taking place.

The final agenda in under scrutiny, so is the state of Sandton's (Johannesburg neighborhood where summit being held) roads, as well as street lighting and road signs. Now it would seem that the price of accommodation is also to become an issue for debate.

The local hospitality industry is no doubt aware of an agreement reach a year ago between Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Valli Moosa and Fedhasa that fees would not go up during the summit. Equally, it will be aware that never before has such an opportunity for quick if not sustainable profits presented itself.

We don't believe anyone need feel too bad about this issue. The tabs for large numbers of delegates will be picked up by the United Nations or non-governmental organizations and, in any case, the rates in rands are fairly cheap for those traveling with stronger currencies.

So let's start focusing on the really important matters: How to close the gap between rich and poor, how to ensure that conservation plans are carried through and -- for the sake of the locals -- how to ensure that Sandton's roads will never again cause so much trouble.

-- The Star, Johannesburg

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On the American Catholic Bishop's resolution to the priest abuse scandal

America's Catholic bishops ... drafted a plan designed to prevent priests who abuse a minor even once from ever getting the opportunity to do so again.

The policy -- which finally makes the needs of abuse victims the priority -- will strip the offending priest of all his authority and church-sanctioned access to children, a severe but justifiable punishment for those who have taken advantage of the vulnerable.

The bishops promise that the new policy will usher in a new era in the church, an era that will combine compassion for the victims of sexual abuse with retribution for guilty priests. The bishops also said that in the future they will no longer make confidentiality agreements a prerequisite for legal settlements with victims.

Some victims rights groups are complaining that the bishops' actions at their Dallas meetings don't go far enough, but if the safety of children is the priority, then the bishops should be given credit for taking the steps they have. Priests who have preyed upon minors have abused their authority, but the changes the bishops are suggesting are intended to make sure those priests have no more authority to abuse.

-- The Times-Picayune, New Orleans

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On the rights of suspected terrorists

Al Muhajir was born Jose Padilla in Brooklyn and is a U.S. citizen. He was arrested May 8 in Chicago, where he lives, and taken to a high-security area in the Metropolitan Correctional Facility in New York City.

Al Muhajir may very well be a very bad guy. But a funny thing has happened to his case since Ashcroft's announcement. At first, government officials said he was arrested carrying plans. Later, they had to admit he had no plans on his person. Then it was revealed that al Muhajir was allegedly looking at information on "dirty bombs" on the Internet, not actually participating in a plot -- in the conventional definition of the word. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said on CBS News: "I don't think there was actually a plot beyond some fairly loose talk."

But al Muhajir, a U.S. citizen, is now being held in a military prison in Charleston, South Carolina, still not charged with any crime. The government has not presented an iota of evidence to a judge about why he is being held. Al Muhajir has been denied access to an attorney and his family.

President Bush declared him an "enemy combatant," clearing the way for him to be held until a war has been concluded, without ever being charged.

Sometimes arrests will happen prematurely. That's understood. But under our judicial system, the defendant is released -- not held indefinitely -- until enough evidence is collected to make a charge. In this instance, it's beginning to seem like the government continues to hold onto al Muhajir because it's embarrassed to admit it doesn't have a case.

-- The Bellingham Herald, Bellingham, Washington

;JP; ANPAk..r.. Other-Earth Other Opinion JP/6/OTHER

On an asteroid that nearly hit Earth

Just like the scientists who devote their entire lives toward spotting this kind of thing, you might have missed it too.

It seems an asteroid the size of a soccer field -- possibly honoring the World Cup or something -- zipped past our planet a little more than a week ago within a relatively paper-thin berth of slamming into some unsuspecting slice of Earth.

Unsuspecting because nobody even detected the asteroids presence until three days after it had successfully slipped by narrowly averting definite doom disaster and destruction.

Granted the slickly named "2002 MN" asteroid (until somebody sells the naming rights) was a near miss in relative wide-open- space terms: 75,000 miles (120,675 kilometers). But that's less than a third of the distance to the moon.

Scientists had some dramatic commentary about the threat of a deep impact last week, stating that the asteroid could have wreaked "considerable loss of life" with an energy release "the magnitude of a large nuclear weapon."

We should thank our lucky stars so to speak that it didn't go down like that. Between the manmade menaces of Middle East battles, the Near East brinkmanship and the worldwide war on terrorism, and the natural nemeses of wildfires and earthquakes and hurricanes, we all have enough to worry about.

-- The Lansdale Reporter, Lansdale, Pennsylvania

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On Equal Rights Amendment

A 23-year-old treaty, still unratified by the United States, has returned to the political forefront.

The Women's Right Treaty was approved by 169 other nations and is a potential campaign issue in an election year. The treaty officially called the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women urges nations to remove barriers to equality for women in education, employment, marriage and divorce, health care and other areas.

Opponents of the United Nations-based treaty consider it to be a stepping stone to promote abortion, legalize prostitution and weaken family structures. Supporters say the treaty is a tool for women to fight oppression and abuse.

President Jimmy Carter signed the treaty in 1980, but it was not ratified in the Senate, and presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush flatly refused to seek ratification. President Bill Clinton tried to push the treaty's ratification, but was unsuccessful while Sen. Jesse Helms chaired the Foreign Relation Committee.

Forbidding respect for women comes in many ways, from religious doctrines to 17-year-old pop superstars in midriff- baring tops to glass ceilings to double standards in morality.

We encourage President Bush to ratify the Women's Rights Treaty. While it is only a beginning for women worldwide, its hard to sell something you wouldn't buy yourself.

-- The Galveston County Daily News, Galveston, Texas