European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 16, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes August 1985 remembering another by Russell Baker that summer we took the boys out West by easterners still said out West in those Days when they meant i suppose nobody says it except old timers too set in their ways to when every place is the same old timers who remember when America was Many different places Are probably the Only people who find Remote territory remarkable enough to be spoken of with the Awe implicit in out out West is where we headed by even you could Fly there in the time it takes to drink a couple of soda pops and cat a bad but the Point of the trip was the it was obvious that it would soon be impossible to Cross the country by and it seemed important for lie children to experience that because they were going to be around Well into the 21st and it would be Good for the country to have a few old Galoost As they would then be who could remember what America Felt like when it was a vast Continental land so we took a Pullman from Washington to Chi two air conditioned bedrooms with the dividing partition removed was compared to the Conestoga wagons in which the real old timers made the trip in the authentic old As i must have told the boys somewhere near harpers since by that time i would have taken two thereby reaching the state where i have always enjoyed telling the Young what soft lives they in those Days the boys still listened respectfully to lectures deploring the decline of the spartan spirit in for they were still in Short pants and could be easily sent to bed for interrupting with sarcastic questions about whether Conestoga wagons carried ice cubes and Martini in those Days what a Long time ago martinis were still drunk by fancy a lot of whom also still smoked i could Tell that transcontinental train travel  last much but 1 did not foresee the martinis decline or its astonishing replacement by cheap Jug which in those Days was the mainstay of that hopeless class of dummies called after a night on the we changed trains at and there was time to take the boys outside to let them feel their feet sink into the Gummy because the streets were melting in that awful Chicago August and to Tell them Jan Morris Story of the stranger arriving in the asking what kind of place it and being told Chicago aint no Sissy and to Tell them about the Saint Valentines Day which gave me a Chance to lecture on How soft modern american gangsters had in the we rolled out across the Prairie and Felt ourselves engulfed by the Continental 0 pioneers children can get America into their Bones if you move them across it not too fast and let them see and feel for you dont have to Pound this kind of thing into a child you have to let it take him by then the my the mountains the Beauty of them out on the horizon they Are a vision of grandeur like the 50 billion stars Over the grand Canyon on a Clear moonless makes a perhaps even a very Young realize How infinitesimally inconsequential a human must 1 like to think that a child who has seen those stars and those mountains will Ever surely without Ever understanding understand that it is important to strive but absurd to after three Days we left the in three Days is a fast trip across except when compared to what the jets and what the jets do is wipe America out of your in Albuquerque we rented a car and set out across the and i made the boys listen to the Apache Luther an hour on the that was 20 years just a few weeks before every place became the same c new York times deciphering the Moscow messages by Art Buchwald while Buchwald is on vacation we Are reprinting some of his columns from the a diplomatic reception in Moscow has tremendous not Only because of the Good food and free but because it is where most foreign observers learn what is going on in the soviet i attended a Large diplomatic cocktail party at one of the foreign embassies and i was amazed at what the professional Kremlin watchers got out of this is How the conversation went later on in the when everyone was comparing notes did you notice Polvosky arrived after Kubinsky that very because at the fourth of july party at the american embassy Kubinsky arrived after and at the fourteenth of july party at the French embassy they came very by the did anyone see Petrov shake hands with Puchinsky i was going to Call that to your its strange that Petrov should shake hands with Puchinsky when the last time they Petrov Only nodded at perhaps Puchinsky Star is rising in the or maybe Petrovs Star is i think we have overlooked the real significance of the it is not that Petrov Shook hands with Luchins but Puchinsky wife did not talk to Petrovs arc you sure of course in Puchinsky wife turned her Back on Petrovs wife to say hello to Bongo nov it was a deliberate that very but to me the most important thing that happened at the reception was that Bol go nov was drunk and spilled Vodka All Over marshal Igor chs what is so important about that Igor Vich was the one who Bongo nov Star must be rising faster than we no doubt about marshal Igor Vich even went and got Bolg nov another did Bolg nov spill anything else on Igor chs uni form but he stepped on the marshals foot and  get off i wonder if this Means there going to make Bongo nov minister of defense Hes obviously in for something Ive never seen marshal Igor Vich allow someone to stand on his foot for so did anyone see Zub Elkin at the party you mean the Tashkent poet who was ousted from the writers Union for writing a poem attacking the traffic policemen on Gorsky Street that the Hes been rehabilitated and is now permitted to write anything he provided he Doest ask anyone to publish the writers Union must be going through one of their Liberal periods i dont know if this Means but Kava sky spoke to that is significant because Kava sky never Speaks to what did he say i asked him about the polish problem and he in i never speak to did anyone notice that Gogol spilled Vodka on Muti Ken it Means everyone in Moscow spills Vodka on Hes become a regular bar c los Angeles times All of us looking of Rump to Vbk illuminating i want w to Twa Urne something few working i Call it As if Ive known you most of my adult but i to share it with youve Al How smokes Lookyat Thomo Okular Szkuc we on this 8asw today crossword by Eugene Sheffer across 1 urges on 6 owls question 9 mornings 12 belief 13 14 posed 15 mystery award 16 in a diplomatic Job 18 biblical mount 20 head of France 21 audience 23 humorist 24 playful animal 25 auction actions 27 29 Zephyr 31 Gator perhaps 35 audacity 37 Singer Paul 38 place 41 planet 43 spat 44 race part 45 sound in vestment 47 in due form 49 entertain 52 Nancy spouse 53 paddle 54 locations 56 print measures 56 Harvest goddess 57 catch some is Down 1 broke bread 2 sack 3 fencing cry 4 Droplet 5 shake accessory 6 Yule ring 7 inkling 8 Alley 9 a plus 10 Dull finish answer to yesterdays Puzzle solution time 816 24 minutes 11 take the Helm 17 Canadas capital 19 Kitchen Aid 21 Wane 22 broadcast 24 Unity 26 100 28 River to the Rhone 30 last letter 32 on the Way 33 old studio 34 adage 36 poll attendees 38 author Kite 39 mortise partner 40 takes in 42 kind of Knuckles 45 strike 46 actor Jannings 48 Sticky stuff 50 envision 51 second sight 12 15 21 25 29 38 47 52 22 39 18 40 26 35 23 30 48 53 56 19 27 45 13 16 36 41 28 31 24 42 49 54 57 17 20 37 46 10 11 14 32 33 34 43 50 51 816 Hubert healthful amp relaxing ill Apalit i pop a on the Back 9 now amp then of e i9u King Fml urn inc world blah Wirtur