European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 30, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes wednesday december 30. 19b7 Tom Wicker launching a new candidacy of Hope and vision my fat a of americans As the new year is Aboul 10 begin i m announcing my candidacy for president of he United Stales because i Don t think any of the in people already running have offered you the kind of Hope and vision you re looking for. Alternate opening after Long months of campaigning for president i m starting Over with he new year because i be Learned the hard Way thai neither i nor the other 12 candidates have offered you the kind of Hope and vision you re looking for the first and most important part of my new plat form is that i aim in put americans to work at useful jobs. Official unemployment stands at just below 6 percent of inc work Force today but that does t in clude those who have never had jobs and Ili Osc who have lost jobs and have been discouraged from looking for another. It does t Tell you How Many millions of americans who lost High paying Industrial jobs owing to Plant failures and cutbacks have found new jobs Only in the service sector paying half or less of what they used to make. Or How Many wives have had to take jobs to supplement i hair husbands income. I m going to put people to work by rebuilding this country reconstructing our decrepit and dangerous Highway Bridges replacing crumbling sewage and water systems in Center cities rebuilding what was once As Good a Public transit system As any in the world putting up Low Cost housing in More sensible patterns than the old projects insulating millions of structures to save Energy costs even rebuilding intercity railroads where they can usefully serve the Public. Call that Public works if you want that s what the interstate High system was in the 1950s, and its construction together with the spinoffs and development it produced transformed the country. I Call it pulling people to work at decent pay at jobs in which they can learn skills and leadership and in which Many who have no Chance now can become useful citizens and taxpayers. I Call it a proposal to release needed new energies All across the Economy. You will properly ask since the Reagan administration has doubled the Public debt in order to stymie just such programs As 1 intend to carry Cut How can we pay for a ii that first for every Point the unemployment rate de Clines. Inc annual Federal deficit will be reduced by approximately $30 billion owing to increased tax reve Nues from people rejoining the work Force and to fall ing outlays for unemployment compensation and Wel fare for the jobless. That won t happen overnight but it will happen if we have the vision to begin rather than wringing our hands Over he Reagan deficit. Anthony Lewis  file second i aim to Cut this nation s outsize unfair and indefensible share of the defense costs of Japan and the european allies. We spend si50 billion a year for our general purpose forces in Europe alone cd the european Community has a population larger than ours a combined Gross National product greater than ours and is entirely capable of making Good the . Force reductions necessary to Shore up our National re nth by perhaps s50 billion a year. That goes for Japan  this a Retreat from superpower responsibility not at All. As president Eisenhower knew and acted upon no nation can be powerful abroad if it s weak at Home. The . Economy not troops in Germany and Korea is this country s first line of defense and we re going to rebuild it. Thai Way we can do More to keep Western Europe and Japan Independent and prosperous than we can by keeping More divisions abroad than we can afford. Some other candidates Are standing up for new taxes. I stand for investing in the Economy rather Llian taking Money out of in but i la stand and fight for one new tax on the astronomical interest Cost of Loans to promote tin productive mergers takeovers and buyouts of course we can t restore economic strength if we Don t have the necessary human resources which is Why 1 plan a major new investment in american Edu cation the humanities As Well As the sciences to encourage our people to look inward id the spirit As Well As outward to the world. But we must look outward because new technologies and Means of communication make this More than Ever an interdependent world. As president 1 intend to Lead inc nations toward global oops ration on population control preserving the environment feeding the poor above All on wrtsihl1 my necessary economic planning for the Well being of Mankind. As for the lesser issues. New to k try a Israel s supporters must Stop making excuses american supporters of Israel have made a crucial difference to the jewish stale s safely and development. They have reason to be proud of their effectiveness. But the Lime has come for them to recognize thai they do not serve Israel s real interest if they Rise automatically to the defense of everything the israeli government docs. The protests by palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and Israel s harsh measures to suppress them Are the urgent occasion for reflection. The events have in fact troubled a Good Many supporters of Israel. Some prominent american jews have voiced their concern. But most of the leaders of the big jewish organizations the ones with political clout have lined up be Hind official israeli policy not even criticizing the use of live ammunition against demonstrators. After the israeli ambassador spoke to the conference of presi dents of major american jewish organizations its chairman Morris b. Abram. Issued a statement saying in part the continuing series of riots and acts of violence in the West Bank Gaya and parts of Israel have been planned instigated and incited by palestinian terrorist groups led by the Palestine liberation organization and moslem fundamentalist groups. In the face of this continuing series of provocations Israel has sought to react wild  i read that statement with particular Surprise and regret because 1 knew Morris Abram in another con test As a Man sensitive to those deprived of Basic rights. As a lawyer in Atlanta decades ago he Loughl racism and the dilution of Urban voting Power. In the old american South the White Power Structure always maintained that its negroes were contented until oils id agitators stirred them up. Abram would have laughed at thai. He knew that peo ple who were denied rights and who were kept in line by Force did not need outsiders 10 Mike them i eel resentful. The palestinians in Gaza live in circumstances of crowding and misery without political rights serving As a Pool of cheap labor Israel s sow clo As the israeli writer Amos Elon has said. Vet Abram says it took outside terrorists to incite them. The Reagan admin Sirat Ion which has been reluctant to disagree with Israel about anything finally was driven to criticize the handling of the protests in the occupied territories. It deplored Israel s harsh Security measures and excessive use of live  that brought complaints from the leaders of the major jewish organizations. Abram and two dozen of his colleagues went to the state department and objected As he put in. To the equation Between those who have responsibility under International Law namely Israel to maintain Law and order and those who were trying to uproot Law and  when South african troops use live ammunition to suppress and kill protesting Blacks would Morris Abram and the others object to criticism of the troops of course not. They would see that much More is involved than Law and  they would see the fundamental political cause of the tension. It is the occupation of territories inhabited largely by palestinians that underlies the trouble in those Terri tories. Most american jewish leaders really under stand that. The american jewish Congress warned in september that violence might result from israeli Rule of a resentful Arab  bul when it comes to ending the occupation few of the important american jewish a Njeri Are ready to press Israel. Instead icy find excuses for the divided israeli government and they attack any . Politician who dares w differ with Israel. They do nol seem to understand to or genl it is to end the occupation not As a favor to palestinians but As a necessity for Israel. As a while House spokes Man put in. The continuing occupation a sacks a toll on the 1.5 million palestinians in the territories and on Israel  those leaders might think Aboul a Small recent news item fifty israeli teen agers who were about to be drafted said they would refuse to serve in Gaza or the West Bank. They Are like the Young White men who in growing numbers arc refusing to serve in the South african army. Negotiating a Way out of the West Bank and Gaza is hard. Bui there arc ways to begin Slop building jewish settlements in the territories. Start talking to the known palestinian leaders the elected mayors re moved from office by Israel including the moderate mayor of a Rashid Shawa. Make Clear you know that More is involved than Law and order. The alternative is disaster. My yet Tii