European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 10, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes saturday september 10, 1977 to chided for typing of elderly i Washington up chairman Claude Pepper celebrated his 77th birth Day thursday by joining members of his House aging committee and the Gray panthers in assailing television network for portraying old people in stereotyped demeaning  also used the hearing to stress another of his pet peeves mandatory retirement policies that Force to stars and reporters on the three network newscasts to retire at age 65, As will be the Case this fall with top ranking lbs commentator Eric Severeid. Pepper and witnesses from the Gray panthers a lobby organization com prised of the elderly called for program showing positive aspects of growing old not just negative views. Particularly objectionable they said Are shows and commercials portraying older men and women in baggy frumpy clothing with Blank facial expressions and personalities marked by stubbornness canny invention Century 1, a robot designed to functions an automated Security guard stands attention at the annual seminar of the american society for Industrial Security. The seven foot bulletproof robot is equipped with detection and restraining systems. It was not mentioned if or. Machine can Check id cards. Up eventual retirement age would be 68 forgetfulness and  told officials of the television net works they hoped for voluntarily improve ments in programming particularly in prime time shows and entertainment specials. Gray panthers Maggie Kuhn National Leader of the group and Lydia Bragger said they Don t want the networks to Whitewash the elderly Only to present a More realistic View of the aging  comparison to other age groups old people Are depicted As dependent Power less wrinkled babies not responsible adults and unable to contribute to society Kuhn said. To images perpetuate and reinforce the myths that old age i mindless sexless useless powerless and  the most part we re functioning adults so present us As we Are said Bragger a former television producer who Heads the group s Media monitoring division. She said a television show exploring Ona regular basis the values and rewards of life after 65 does More for us than  the Gray panthers said the worst Tele vision portrayals were a comedy sketch on the Carol Burnett show featuring Burnet tand actor Tim Conway As elderly persons and talk show Host Johnny Carson s  Harvey Shephard vice president of pro Gram planning for lbs said when Burnett was made aware of the objections Las season she agreed to eliminate the sketch. Kuhn said Carson s continuing use of aunt flabby despite her protests Indi Cates to me that Johnny has run out of  Herminio Traviesas vice president of broadcast standards for Abc defended Carson s treatment of aunt flabby As endearing it s not bitter and said Carson makes fun of everybody not jus the elderly. Postal service favors overruling of overseas mail opening decision Washington a the postal serv ice has told Congress it would have no objection to a Law designed to overcome a recent supreme court decision that says the customs service can open letters mailed from abroad. The statement by postmaster general Benjamin f. Bailar came in a letter Tore. Richardson Preyer chairman of a House subcommittee that is investigating mail openings by the customs service. The associated press obtained a copy of the letter. Customs opened about 270,000 letters in 1976.in a search for prohibited items and items on which duty might be due. Cus Toms is the Only Agency allowed to open let ters without a search warrant and without permission of the sender or addressee. This right allowed Only for letters enter Ingn the country was upheld in a june 6 court decision that said the customs open Ings cause Only a minimal chill to the exercise of free speech. Other agencies must obtain a search warrant before open ing first class mail. Bailar s letter stressed willingness to co operate with the probe by Preyer s govern ment operations subcommittee. I Hope the subcommittee and the con Gress will understand that the postal serv ice would have no objection to appropriate legislation which would require either a search warrant or the consent of the sender or addressee for customs service openings of mail entering the unite states the postmaster general said. The letter came after the Preyer sub committee revealed that customs agents allowed military investigators to illegally read letters coming into the . At new York for several years. The disclosure was the first of an illegal mail opening program by the government since the Large scale programs of opening mail by the Central intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of investigation were revealed several years  postal service has come under fire for allowing customs agents to have the letters. You have completely abrogated your authority Over the mail entrusted to you rep. Theodore s. Weiss in. Y., told the postal service witnesses during an earlier hearing. Several other Congress men made similar  said the subcommittee is consid ering whether such openings should be permitted at All without a search War  Preyer has scheduled additional hear Ings including one monday with testimony by customs commissioner Robert a Thasen. Maybe they want Cracker a pcs Denver a a lot of Eye brows jumped As City officials examined hundreds of budget requests and found the department of Public works had requested $2,900 for three flour sacks each to contain three tons. But before cracking too maw jokes about asking for a lot of bread a department official hastened to explain the printed request read thursday contained a typographical error. What Public works really wanted he said were three 10-ton floor jacks. Gop proposals would revamp social Security Washington a House republicans Friday unveiled proposals for a sweeping revision of the social Security system including an eventual increase of Standard retirement age to 68 and opportunities for the retired to earn any amount without losing pension benefits. They said their plan would solve financing problems now threatening the system without any tax increase earlier than 1982 and without using funds from the general  Carter has proposed a plan involving a shift of $14.2 billion of general revenues to the social Security Trust funds and some future tax increases. There is Strong opposition in Congress to a Revenue shift. Minority Leader John j. Rhodes of Ari Zona and rep. Barber b. Conable of new York senior Republican member of the House ways and Means committee said they will press for adoption of the Republican package when the social Security sub committee goes to work on legislation monday. Unless Congress acts some Trust funds the limit on the amount a retired person Are projected to be exhausted by 1979 and May earn without having social Security others by 1983. The Republican plan Calls benefits reduced now is $3,000. The re pub for shifts of income among the various Laicans would phase out this limit Over three social Security programs to help meet the years. Immediate financial problems while the plan would bring under social Secu longer Range measures take hold. Rity the millions of government employees the increase in the retirement age cur who now have a separate civil service re gently 65, would begin it 1990, with three Tir ement system including members of months added each year until 2001. Per Congress. Civil service retirement would sons would be Able to retire earlier than be converted into a supplemental plan the age allowed but then would receive re comparable to private company pens induced benefits. Plans