Saturday, October 20, 2001

The Guardian, London

So far, more heat than light on mold issue

A military assault on Afghanistan would be a fraught enough enterprise at any time. To be ordered to undertake one with less than a month's warning is a truly daunting task, even for the world's most powerful armed forces. As the campaign against the al-Qaeda network and its Taliban allies prepares to enter a third week, the United States, with secondary British support, appears to have succeeded in achieving much of what it set out to do in a "first phase" of high-altitude, long-distance military action. But with each day that passes, it is also coming hard up against the limits of what is militarily possible without a far more perilous, closer engagement, both from the air and, crucially, on the ground. . . .
   The anti-war demonstrations in Britain and other European cities at the weekend, and similar protests in the U.S., are unlikely to have much immediate influence on military conduct. They lack so far the justification and therefore the scale of the Vietnam era. The appeal by the U.N. human rights chief, Mary Robinson, for a pause in the bombing is as honorable as it is, for now, unheeded. But such protests will, if they continue to grow in volume and authority, and especially if civilian and western military casualties begin to mount, increasingly compound the political constraints facing both Mr. Blair and George Bush.
   The Jordan Times,
   Amman
   D
   readful shock waves have been reverberating out of control since the terrorists struck at the heart of Washington and New York, severely disrupting every aspect of human life and activity, not only all over the U.S., but worldwide. People have since been overtaken by paralyzing uncertainty, fear, total loss of direction and purpose.
   And while the delicate and serious nature of the situation dictates maximum caution, self-control and wisdom in managing one of the most serious crises of our time, ironically we are witnessing the exact opposite. Many feel a dangerous push in the direction of chaos that will compound and consolidate all negative consequences of the Sept. 11 atrocities, an upheaval which will most definitely be much harder to control.
   What recently emerged as a serious counter-productive development is the untimely threat of widening the scope of war to include other organizations and countries, including Iraq.
   That should be avoided at any cost, and any such irresponsible threats, which may be the result of some hardline elements in the U.S. administration not resisting the temptation to settle old scores in Iraq or elsewhere in the region, should be abandoned.
   Issuing confusing signals this time will only lead to a disastrous disintegration of the coalition, unity of purpose and action.
   Al-Ahram,
   Cairo
   T
   he Taliban movement has started to realize, very slowly, that the battle is not in its favor and if the current operations continue, it will be thrown outside Afghanistan's political map. This will not happen because its elements and equipment will be liquidated but because it will suffer huge losses that result in shifting the military balance in Afghanistan in favor of the northern opposition, enabling it to reach Kabul and send Taliban out to the mountains.
   Therefore, Taliban started to move in the direction of showing more flexibility by offering the United States to hand over Osama bin Laden to a third country and stop its baseless threats.
   With more pressure, Taliban will dash faster into this direction to rid itself from the dilemma it put itself in when its leadership did not realize that the world is no longer split into two hemispheres; peace and war, or that somebody still exists who considers others "infidels" or that any movement could not establish a state and get world recognition at the time it harbors terrorists who constitute real threat to world security.
   Important lessons are to be derived from what will happen in that region in the near future.
   Frankfurter Allgemeine,
   Frankfurt, Germany
   H
   ow is one to combat terrorism in the Middle East? Even the United States knows that merely dropping bombs on Kabul will not suffice.
   Many past military interventions like those in Somalia and even the Persian Gulf suffered from the lack of clear, practical ideas for a subsequent political order.
   Do such ideas exist in the case of Afghanistan and terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden, whose standing among the Islamic masses is growing?
   Some critics of the United States say the right way is to introduce a civil society in Afghanistan, to promote democratic structures in the country and even to build up women's groups instead of dropping bombs.
   But this is the West telling people what to do again, the very thing that terrorists are not alone in rejecting. Besides, the question remains whether that requires ousting the Taliban militia first.
   As long as it is in power, all these good intentions do not have the slightest chance of being implemented. Nonetheless, Afghanistan does need a new order. The old forces have been discredited.
   They brought war, decay and dire poverty to their country. Once the Taliban regime has been removed, an order acceptable to as many Afghans as possible must be found. Given ethnic and religious rivalries, that will not be easy. Moreover, Pakistan's and Iran's interests have to be considered.
   A
   USTIN - Texas Insurance Commissioner Jose Monte-mayor is facing a no-win situation as he deals with the problem of mold-damage coverage for Texas homeowners.
   Montemayor will soon decide whether to accept a staff proposal to limit the coverage to $5,000 per house on the standard homeowners' policy. Under the proposal, homeowners could buy extra mold coverage. Currently, the only limit is that such claims cannot exceed the insured value of the home.
   The insurance commissioner called the staff plan ''a reasonable compromise.'' He will announce his decision after the public comment period ends on Oct. 29.
   Texas homeowners and the insurance industry are both opposed to the staff proposal, but their reasons for opposing it are different.
   Homeowners don't want a cap on mold-damage coverage and they don't want to pay extra for it. Insurance companies want to exclude mold coverage from the standard policy, forcing homeowners to pay more if they want such coverage.
   This is a difficult decision for Montemayor. Frankly, it will be difficult to please anyone.
   ''This current issue ranks up there with the toughest assignments I've been confronted with,'' said Mon-temayor, who served in the U.S. Air Force and has been insurance commissioner since 1999.
   One thing everybody agrees on is that mold-damage claims in Texas have soared over the past 18 months. During that time, claims increased sixfold and the average cost to clean up the mold damage is $18,000 per claim, according to Insurance Department.
   Insurance companies say they can't afford such expenses. Some have stopped offering homeowners insurance in Texas; those that are selling policies predict premium increases for all Texas homeowners unless the standard policy is changed. The increase could be 40 percent to 60 percent, according to the Insurance Department.
   It's clear that mold is a problem in Texas, but it's disturbing that no one has pinpointed why mold-damage claims and the costs involved have skyrocketed.
   ''I'm greatly frustrated with the lack of that answer,'' said Rod Bordelon, the state's public insurance counsel, which represents the interests of consumers.
   Homeowners blast Montemayor
   Many Texas homeowners are also frustrated, and emotions were high at a recent hearing in Austin. During their testimony, several homeowners directed derogatory comments at Montemayor.
   Some accused him of being too cozy with the insurance industry. One homeowner even threatened to seek his ouster if his decision didn't coincide with her views. Yet another one told Montemayor to ''stand up or step down.''
   Many homeowners believe they are victims, and their emotional reaction is understandable. Some say that mold in their home made them sick and forced them to move into apartments or hotels.
   But one has to question some homeowners who spoke about health problems at the hearing and then went outside during the break to smoke cigarettes. That doesn't mean their health problems aren't real, but it weakens their argument that mold is to blame.
   And the homeowners' criticism of Montemayor doesn't help their cause. The commissioner is seeking solid solutions to the problem - and that is why he is holding public hearings. Montemayor and other insurance department officials held three hearings before the staff made its recommendation.
   State Sen. Carlos Truan, D-Corpus Christi, advised Montemayor that he should not allow insurance companies to bully him with their threats of not selling insurance in Texas. Montemayor also shouldn't allow homeowners to bully him.
   He should examine the facts and make a decision that is in the best interest of all Texas homeowners. He must then be prepared to defend his actions. There are many unanswered questions, but one thing is certain: Montemayor's decision will generate plenty of controversy and criticism.
   Ty Meighan is chief of the Scripps Howard Austin Bureau. He can be reached at 512-334-6640 or at meighant@scripps.com
  
  

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Ty Meighan is chief of the Scripps Howard Austin Bureau. You can reach him by phone at (512) 334-6640 or by email at meighant@scripps.com.

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