European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 21, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday Mav 21, 1977. The stars and stripes Page 11 letters to the editor another Way to see and hear it is most heartening for me to see Romany complaints about an radio and to programming appear in the stars an stripes. That s often the Only indication we in arts get that there s actually some one out there watching and is however one Point that most of your complainers seem to miss despite what one chaplain in a recent letter would like us to believe. An and any afro Sta Tion in the world has no control Over the stateside programming it receives an must abide by regulations which dictate How much of a package must be shown the Only restrictions being those placed by the Host country or the producers of individual programs. Further for those who complain the pro Grams Are not suitable for their Young sters afro stations do their Best to bid by commercial Industry views on family viewing hours and still provide a viable service to the portion of the military Community that works shifts. In addition arts la s main missions to procure programs that will Appeal to the go audience. Not dependent arts la docs procure sesame Street and like programs is an extra added Bonus. The Best advice Here parents. Is to do what you d do in the states if an undesirable program came on Send the kids to their room to of All things read a Book or turn off your set and have a family that. I la agree with your right to turn off your set. If you la agree with my right to leave mine on. According to recent court decisions to and radio stations havea right under the first amendment to the Constitution to broadcast anything the want. Viewers and listeners also have a right not to listen or watch As they see , among others find violent pro Grams like police shows an outlet an horror movies enjoyable fiction. If you Don t Tike them for whatever reason Don watch but Don t attempt to Force me to lose an enjoyable form of entertainment because of your private feelings. You Havethe right to turn off your set just As i have the right to leave mine arts programming really offends you that much and to is too important to your Well being to turn off the proper place to complain about programs is arts la 1016 North Mccaddon place los Angeles calf. 90038. They re the Only ones who can change . Sgt. Bernhard a indianer a Atteln a Germany i recently read in letters to the these european edition col. Billy e. Spangled. Usa Elut Lutchm maj. John c. Taylor. editor in Ciao Mert Proctor _. Man ogling editor Elmer o. Frank product lion a now Henry s. Epstein Clerc Uwi a Ugor Tun Neiwer 11 a ulnar ipod Uno Fllch put Ilion Lor . Armed parcel orm int surs and St Pei Ore pm Noce Orlly in Dociel a of . In. or Tom. Or common. To appearance dim Laft in Une wer com Rolna Orel Pul Uon does not Cost slut a nor Mon a the Orsort Manl of 0 Itsuo. Including Ine i ibis 1m, j127jsdrtu to Slars to so Ripe. Apo 0�l 5. International sail to sir and Stripe. . Ii 10 m. O 4100 Darmstadt ii. German. Til Grin Neim Ici " om5si Iii ii Darm Ladt Airm rip my. Tele. 04w.jh. N. York room my Silvari sinew Yor 10014. area code 1111 42h1b. Second cum postage paid .1 me York. N y. News bureaus a Uura Germany. Ron Kenneady. Building 4. Ali liar Imor , Koll Tuii i. Germany. Floyd w,., 1?-?on. Put Al Barreca. Vog a Willory my or �. Hours violence or not i also feel that of nov should air a Spe Cial Short program telling youngsters about picking up ammo. Duds. s Job is hard and to please everyone is even harder. It s a fact that Hasto be lived with. No matter How Good the programs Are someone will always Dis up the Good work of nov. I m one i who s on your . 4. Thomas f. Cooper Obungen Germany Why do people keep complaining about violence on to what do they want 24 hours of sesame Street now an has turned saturday night into one big comedy hour nothing put laugh shows from 6 15 to 10 15 . I think people should open their eyes and look a life realistically there is crime and Vio Lence to real life on a daily basis in today s you Don t want your kids to watch a to Snow then for heaven s Sake turn it off. Tvs Don t come on More i feel that if kids today keep seeing rapists murderers dope Sand robbers gunned Down in the streets or caught and put behind bars on All the co shows they la think twice about turning to a life of be been in the army for 16 years As a military policeman with four Tours in Ger Many and if More parents worried about where their kids were at night and did t let them go to the pcs by themselves if the kids i Daft roam the streets of the housing areas until 11 or 12 at night. I would thave to process so Many shoplifting vandalism and assault say let the kids watch the violence and learn that life in t one big . John d. Jones Darmstadt Germany e e i have been in Germany for nine month Sand i am just astounded by the number of complaints i have Beard thrown at Anfor its Lousy programming careless technicians and to guides that it is Hardtop believe How May american lives will not function without to. Well for All those people who take the time to sit Down and write their letters of complaint have they Ever stopped to think that an has Only one Channel and that has to satisfy some 50,000 americans in Germany i think an deserves a lot of credit for their wide variety of shows that must satisfy so Many different people and their individual tastes. And for the complainers become so dormant that they can t think of anything else to do with their time except watch to or listen to the , forget about the very poor excuse of being a captive audience with nothing else to listen to or watch. Have any of you Ever heard of a Library and books and did i not occur to you that maybe someone out there in the audience enjoys the program you May happen to deplore just because you happen to hate country and love soul should an radio restrict its music to just soul and a Quick message to parents who Are afraid their children might be contaminated by some of the programming. To think that the authority of an americ Parent has deteriorated to such an extent that they can no longer control what their children May or May not s just be Happy we have the Ameri can forces radio and television service. We Don t really need it to exist and do could save millions every year by closing the hundreds of radio and to stations it has around the it from one who knows the great staff at an sen and All other afro stations around the world Are doing a great Job with what they be got. So what do you say we Lay off them for a while and be thankful for what we be got. As i said ear Lier if you Don t like it turn it off Frank Munich i can t take it any More. Every Day affairs a few dozen radio spots telling us Mili tary types How proud and professional Weare Flash an news has just Learned that the american fighting Force was declared profession today by the Usa eur Public affairs office nifty. If such claims were True would t we be the first ones to know unfortunately Pride and professionalism cannot bestowed by proclamation. Yet if an still believes in the Power of suggestion i Sug Gest that they declare that we in the Mili tary Are bulletproof. Who knows Maybethe bullets will Bounce off us when the next War did the researchers at an deter mine that the military is professional by counting the certificates of appreciation handed out last year no that can t be connected with the military regardless of How incompetent receive some sort of certificate of appreciation upon leaving his or her duty Section. We know that every site has at least one continuously comatose individual who. Like everyone else manages to be cited for outstanding Devotion to duty before posing. In truth certificates of appreciation Are no More than certificates of existence awarded to anyone who was alive during a specific period of time. No doubt such cer tid Cates Are intended to increase morale. Instead they promote mediocrity by being meaningless. The sad fact is that when someone truly outstanding does stumble into the military the military has no superlatives left with which to commend the person s excellent performance. Consider the Case of a command ser Geant major who has received perhaps three or four Hundred certificates of appreciation and who May even have a col lege degree yet who will someday Passon. Never having known the thrill of placing his elbows on the nifty table cloths at the officers and civilians club. So much for the complaints. Let me offers few constructive suggestions. For one i believe the orcs should open their membership to the three highest ranks. This would let the enlisted persons know that someday if we work hard we can be considered human too. Also it would give the enlisted ranks sense of dignity that has been lacking since the revolution. And with dignity restored believe the Quality of the career Soldier would increase dramatically. At the very least sergeants major should be allowed to join these clubs. They Don t steal Ash trays or dance on tabletops. In fact they Are almost As human As officers and civilians themselves. This is not to say that i believe enlisted persons de serve the same privileges As officers or should share the same during facilities. I do. However believe strongly that we de serve the same deference As civilians under All circumstances. Anything less is an inexcusable insult to human final suggestion is for supervisors Don t allow people to disappear from theoffice to accomplish unnecessary tasks or tasks that should be taken care of off you encourage malingering you not Only end up with Lazy workers but you offend the few industrious ones who Are left. Eventually the industrious ones will give up or go elsewhere to be less any event an can chant Pride and professionalism until its transmitters col lapse but such incantations do not alter the sad truth there is very Little of either in the military. Am i the Only one who has noticed spec. 5. Michael c. Walter Heidelberg. Germany Belize clarified based on my experience of Belize. I begot request a clarification of Tom Wells a article on rugged Way of life could be had in Belize a country in Central America once called British Honduras if one desires it. But it also offers Good clean beaches Lotsof fresh seafood a warm climate for vacationing during the cold Winter season an mostly anything else found in a civilized , like any country has its rugged Way of life but in its totality. I would like to say the Overall rugged life style of Belize and its people is not at All As rugged As Wells tends to describe from the Jungle and snakes Belize has is districts Corozal. Orange walk. Belize. Cab. Stann Creek and Toledo and each offers Hospital services electricity water educational and religious institutions and again mostly any thing found in a civilized those readers who Are interested in a Good place to retire i suggest that you write for information to the minister of in formation Belmopan Belize Centra America. w. Zuniga Torre Jonah Spain
