European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 27, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns the stars and stripes tuesday january 27,1987 William Safire japanese seek company vital to . Defense As i predicted recently with stunning pre science i never forge the ones 1 gel right. He hoi new verb of inc year is i his slate or the Union address the president will Hustle 10 get out front of the caravan of competitiveness Hooray thai has become the euphemism tar the Parade of protectionism books Well he might. Because he has been unwilling to reduce the deficit by slashing Federal spending Reagan has in effect embraced High tariffs. Wail a minute Haven t Reagan free traders been denouncing Tariff barriers and warning of protectionism in Congress yes to both but in quiet cahoots with the Federal Reserve they have been smiling on the Skydive no of the Dollar. That Means it costs More for americans to buy for eign and costs less Tor foreigners to buy american As Lane Kirtland of inc Al Cio Points Oul that s a bound Corbuss Way to protect american workers and Industry from overseas Competition. This turning of currency tables has made inc japanese testy. Thai s a Good sign. Japan inc. Has for a decade been leaping into our markets while denying our producer Access to the japanese consumer. Lately the japanese have taken advantage of their whopping Trade surplus by using the overvalued yen to buy american businesses. Nothing is wrong with letting overseas companies invest in the . That creates jobs and helps hold Down prices. But much is wrong with letting any coun try get control of businesses vital to the . Defense. That s what s happening now in Silicon Valley Cra dle of the american computer Industry. Fujitsu Japan s largest computer company has offered to buy Fairchild semiconductor which makes the advanced chips and other components for supercomputer. Not More than so or 60 supercomputers exist in the world today. They Are used by governments to made and break codes predict weather and target nuclear weapons. The few companies that make them already rely on Fujitsu Tor Over half the components and the Purchase of Fairchild would be a big step toward monopoly of inc components that will go into Star wars research. The Reagan administration does t seem to worry about this. Much of the Pentagon is delighted at this defense cooperation with Tokyo the stale depart ment always Voles for free Trade Jim Baker s Treasury slightly embarrassed at the Tariff Well it has erected with the fall of the Dollar Heads the committee on foreign investments and is pressing the Justice department to approve the new monopoly. Besides say the bureaucrats Unwor ried by foreign ownership the troubled Fairchild company was sold to a French company seven Yean ago. The theory then was that the French were no threat the Cia which buys infrared television surveillance and laser guidance de vices from Fairchild agreed to Clear a Board member for top Secrce and use him As the corporate Culous after dropping a bundle the French owned Schlumberger inc. Is now trying to sell to the people whose Industry Domi Nance would pose a real threat to the ils. Only our National Security Agency seems concerned. Japanese businessmen were accused of stealing secrets from ism. And Are suspected of technology diversions through Hong Kong. Mesa s encryption and supercomputer monitoring of world communications arc at risk ironically using Fairchild components in its big ear. Asa has heard of an offer by an american buyer i am told that Fairchild s management has turned Down. How should we handle this sort of penetration of not just our markets but of our defences by the japanese not by a consortium of american Chip makers favored by government. That would guarantee inefficiency and sloth. Nor by new Laws to keep out foreign invest ment. That would invite bureaucracy into world Trade. Step one is la recognize he problem one nation Japan is buying Loo deeply into at least one Industry affecting our National defense our government should then Teli our japanese ally that this sort of investment causes us 10 lose face. Tokyo which was Given similar word about specially steel companies some years ago will understand and Back off. Will that insure a new competitiveness not realty but together with some encouragement to an american buyer it will provide a Little needed Protection that not even a falling Dollar Tariff has been Able to Fth times James j. Kilpatrick Era leads Parade of worthless amendments Well Here we go again. The open ing Gavel scarcely had fallen in the . Senate before Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts joined by 42 col leagues revived the poor old equal rights amendment to the Constitution. This is a sleeping dog. Congress ought to let it lie. The discredited Era was Only one of a dozen resolutions of Constitution Al amendment to be offered on open ing Day not a one of them is Worth the paper it is printed on. In this Bicentennial year of the Constitution could t we just leave the charter of our Liber tics alone age has not improved the Era. The Kennedy Resolution is identical to the Resolution that failed Over a 10-year period to win the support of three fourths of the states. It is just As ambiguous just As needless just Asun Wise As before. If it should win the approval of two thirds of each House of Congress it will prove just As divisive within the state Legislatures. This we positively do not need. Is it ambiguous the proposed amendment says that Equality of rights under the Law shall not be de Nied or abridged by the United Stales or by any state on account of what rights does the amendment con template no one can say for sure. The feeble answer of proponents is that icy would leave All that to inc courts. Is in needless Over the past 20 years relying upon the equal Protection clause of the 14th amendment proponents of the Era have won every constitutional Battle they have waged. In Congress and in the stale Legislatures sexist statutes have every where been repealed. What is there left to tight about where in our Public Laws is there any significant Trace of discrimination on account of sex is it unwise the overlooked second Section of this Well intended but misguided Resolution would Autho Rize a major Transfer of Power from the slates to the Congress. This Section would Vest in Congress inc Power to enforce the article by appropriate leg no one knows exactly whal this Means either. If the Era Ever should be added to the Constitution the slates would lose the Power they historically have exercised Over legislative areas that touch upon among these areas Are divorce inheritance criminal Law. Homosexuality and conditions of employment. The ancient and honoured principle of federalism Furgues strongly against so Radi Cal an innovation. At least five amendments have been proposed to require a balanced Federal budget except in time of War. The ver Sion offered by Szrom Thurmond of South Carolina is the shortest of the lot and therefore the least offensive but All of hem Are unrealistic and none of them could be enforced. The Way to balance the budget is to elect members with the guts to make income and outgo coincide. Lacking that kind of political courage no constitutional amendment Ever would be effective Here we go again on school prayer. This is Thurmond s proposal Noth ing in this Constitution shall be construed to prohibit individual or group prayer in Public schools or other pub Lic institutions. No person shall be required by the United states or by any slate to participate in prayer. Neither the United slates nor any state shall compose the words of any prayer to be said in Public we have lived a Long Lime under the Rule that no Laws May lie passed respecting an establishment of religion and though this commandment has been erratically interpreted by the supreme court the Reuhs have not been intolerable. This amendment could not be adopted without the most bitter controversy controversy that would tear the coun try apart. Here we go again on abortion. Andy Jacobs of Indiana proposes to write this provision into the Constitution the birth of any person shall not be prevented by the voluntary Termi nation of the pregnancy of any person unless such pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest or such Termi nation is necessary to prevent the death of the woman. Virginia Smith of Nebraska proposes a similar but More restrictive guarantee of the right to life of unborn persons. She would not exempt even those pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. Any such amendment if rail tied would drive the agonizing Busi Ness of abortion Back to the Back Alky Butcher shops of old. Other resolutions of amendment Deal with establishing English a our official language with restricting invocation of the fifth amendment and with limiting senators to two six year terms and representatives to Lix three year terms. None of these is urgently required. As the conservative Maxim goes when in is unnecessary to change in is necessary not to change
