European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 20, 1980, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stars and stripes Friday june 20, 1980 Richard Reeves Clark might be a Jerk but no threat to nation never mind what s in the books what i reap Are the polls Ramsey  is either a Saint or a fool i lean a Little bit  the latter but. Whatever he is. He s not a criminal. I be covered Clark in government and in politics and have been bothered by the impression that he has been trying to work out personal problems psychological problems in Public Arenas. I Don t know where it comes from a be his father s career As a politician and supreme court Justice maybe his Awn deeds As attorney general of the United slates. Who cares me has always seemed to have sonic Bent toward self flagellation and he s sure worked put a Way to take a whipping this Lime. Silting at the feet of Ayatollah Khomeini and beating his Ameri can breast were bound to attract a bit of attention. The attention it turned out went All the Way to the lop. And now the president of the United Stales says he thinks Clark ought to be prosecuted for going to Iran without a permit. When our National Security is at  Jimmy Carter said As it is in the iranian crisis c Mon Ramsey Clark May be a Jerk but he s hardly a threat to the Republic. As far As i can Tell. Carter is just trying to find another whipping boy for an outrageous and frustrating situation that is As much his own fault As anybody s. What Clark did that really Boi hrs the president was releasing some new information about United states Iran relations and the fouled up attempt to Rescue our hos tages in Tehran. The Carter administration has done a Fine Job of covering up a number of things usually by whispering that someone is a traitor. Teddy Kennedy. Ram sey Clark. Anyone will do. The hum  stroke in the White mouse s let s not look at these things too closely Campaign has been the appoint ment old music As Secretary of stale. That was a Swift sure political stroke that enticed both Congress and the press to switch their focus away from postmortem of the raid and the reasons for the Resig nation of Cyrus Vance. The Clark visit remember. Carter once tried to Send him to Iran As an official emissary to the Ayatollah is an embarrassment to the president to almost All americans me included. But Clark has the right to say what he wants. Let s face it. We live in a country where free speech is running wild. Magazines can Prim the plans fur the Hydrogen bomb. In i Ladelphia last year a state senator called on Blacks to Arm themselves and go shoot ing into while neighbourhoods. The Phila Delphia inquirer played the quote at the Bottom of a Long Story editors said that particular senator was always talking like that. The inquirer was right. We have Learned to live with All of that you can hear revolution being preached every Day just by playing with the dials of a car radio As i have done in Many cities where Call in shows and crazed preachers arc calling for death and damnation. In truth allowing that rhetoric to float through the society is a Marc loudly Amer ican Way to control dissent. No one pays attention any More. What would make them pay attention would be things like making a Martyr of Ramsey Clark because his Mouth in 1 always connected to his brain. Let him talk sometimes he makes As much sense As the president. Universal Preti Syndicate James j. Kilpatrick rogue Agency Etc blunders on after 15 months of Bills Amend ments hearings backroom deals and Roll Call votes. Congress last month approved a new three year lease on life for the Federal Trade commission. The act is intended to Send a message to the Etc to mend ils ways. My guess is that the message will be largely ignored. No other Agency of the Federal govern ment has demonstrated in recent years the sheer unbridled arrogance of the Federal Trade commission. Time after Lime the Etc s bureaucrats have launched Blunder Buss attacks upon various industries subjecting their victims to monstrous costs in Lime and Money. Often these attacks have been inflamed by malice and tainted by prejudice. Examples on the basis of a Mere hand Ful of complaints As an Etc report eventually would concede the commission pro posed a sweeping Trade Rule regulation for the funeral Industry. From the outset inc proceeding reflected the malicious an Imus of one . Without even formulating a proposed Rule. Inc commission threatened to regulate children s advertising on to. The Etc s chairman was so prejudiced in favor of regulation this was before one word of Chi dance had been received that he was compelled to disqualify himself from participating in inc Case. In the great Cereal Case the Etc con trived a novel theory of shared  when the presiding judge retired after a couple of years of fruitless hearing the commission at once rehired him on a Lucra Tive extralegal contract. When the defendant companies bitterly complained at this unprecedented procedure the contract was rescinded. The proceeding has Cost the manufacturers hundreds of thousands of dollars to protect thus far i their right to produce their own patented products. In another unprecedented action the commission set out to revoke the trademark Formica on the untested notion that the it had some inherent Power to Sci Pri vate property in this fashion. In St. Paul and Minneapolis the commis Sion launched a fishing expedition against several health maintenance organizations. One demand alone called upon a Small hmm to produce 2,700 different documents. Congressman Bill Franz cd protests that the physicians were treated like some  in Columbus. Ohio heedless of possible consequences the Etc intervened to pre vent the Sale of the troubled Federal Glass of Columbus company. The intervention was intended to preserve Competition la had precisely the opposite result. Federal class went out of business and i 500 or son lost their jobs. The it has frittered away ils resources in attacks on Petty targets the health spa mar ample repeatedly thei dec has invaded areas of slate responsibility the regulation of insurance for one example. With a staff of nearly 1,700 per sons and an annual budget of $71 million inc commission has become in Fri Ned s phrase a rogue Agency run  the authorization Bill just enacted would restrain inc Etc with Fetters of Straw. Under this act the harassment of funeral Homes will continue. Proceedings on Chil Dren s television arc not blocked but merely briefly suspended. The acl requires new analyses of the costs and benefits of pro posed regulations Bui inc provision is vain any Low Grade bureaucrat world half his. Pay will be Able to magnify speculative benefits and to diminish probable costs. The act docs nothing to halt the maddening practice by which the Etc hires Friendly witnesses to prepare evidence in support of its own regulations. Indeed by fixing a ceiling of s50.000 in payment to any one such witness in a year the act May have fixed a Cosil floor. True the acl does provide for a legislative veto. If both houses of Congress Dis approve a Trade Rule regulation within 90  after inc Etc Romul gains the try. I to would have to snarl Over ocl Moi hold our breaths until the veto Power b successfully invoked too Many elected Law makers have abdicated their own legislative responsibility and yielded that Power 10 the Etc instead. In Brief the it has won. And ils critics Nave lost. The commission unrepentant will be Back in business at inc same old land what s this Aboul sending a Mes Sage. Unless i am vastly mistaken this message from Congress will never arrive