European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 3, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse The stars and stripes Page id columns James Kilpatrick wednesday february 3,19bb Bush has a go at old game of Media bashing humbly and with great diffidence As becomes All of us Ink stained arc Luhcs of the press. Id me revive a or Nairn of politics thai t formed As a Young editor nearly 40 years ago every politician bin s by bashing Trie t accordingly it has to be said thai George Bush came out the Winner in his slugging match with Don rather of lbs. Three weeks from now All that will be remembered of the incident is that Bush stood up to that Bastard and refused to be intimidated by an Anchorman. Few people will recall what the fight was about. For the record Trie fight was about what Bush knew of the Iran Contra affair and what he had to say about the opera Tion at the time. That transcendent Issue is of overwhelming importance to precisely 22 people in the whole United Stales. Nineteen of them Are Dan rather liberals in the Media the other three arc professional Reagan haters with time hanging heavy on their hands. Rather came off badly. The interview had been billed As a political profile and Bush had every Region to believe that lie would have a Chance to strut his stuff on a variety of issues. His Bellicose Host was interested in the transcendent Issue Only. Instead of jiving up when it became Clear that Bash was a dry Hole rather Cpl drilling. He was As he said persistent Bat beyond a certain Point a persistent reporter becomes an arro Gant bully. Nobody loves a bully. Sad to say thai is the role in which inc press often is perceived. It in t fair that we who Are so lovable should be to widely unloved but who Ever said life is fair i myself am Well known to be a pussycat incapable of say ing an unkind wort about anyone but if you Wisi believe it t once was attacked in the Virginia general Assembly twice on inc same Day. I had referred editorially 10 the Delegate from York county As a Nincompoop or some such term of of acc lion and i had suggested that the senator from Elk Garden was an ignoramus and for some reason they both took offence. Both statesmen Rose to the floor on Points of personal privilege. They were orators of considerable Talent they had capacious lungs and a highly receptive audience and Back Home their con Lilu Carl t. Rowan Dole cats ale it up so it goes. From Lime to Lime in the history of american journalism editors have come along who were truly loved. I doubt that any Kansas politician Ever made a Nickel by Alia King William Allen while of Emporia. My predecessor at inc Richmond news Leader was or. Doug Las Southall Freeman. He stood atop an Olympus of respect while Virginia politicos scrambled about the slopes of contumely Down below. Yet the general Rule almost always applies. 1 was in the cow Palace of san Francisco on thai memorable Day when Dwight Eisenhower spoke to the Republican National convention of 1964. When he criticized moderate republicans for fomenting factionalism the crowd cheered loudly. Then he said but let us particularly scorn the divisive efforts of those outside our family including sensation seeking columnists and commentators because my friends 1 As sure you that these Are people who could t care less Aboul the Good of the the Hall responded with a terrifying Roar. So must the Lions have greeted the christians in the colosseum of Rome we huddled in the press gallery and feared for our lives. Spiro Agnew vice president under Nixon contrived his own downfall but when he denounced the press As a Bunch of nattering nabobs out to run the country his popularity soared. John f. Kennedy made Points by heaving the new York Herald Tribune out of the while House. Harry Truman won the hearts of his countrymen by threatening bodily harm to a music critic who unkindly reviewed daughter Marga ret s recital at least in the South and i expect it is True everywhere politicians have thrived by bashing the press in North Carolina when reason and virtue failed it was the immemorial custom to assail the Raleigh news & observer. In Georgia a whole generation of Yahoo politicians grew up to attack Ralph Magili of the Atlanta Constitution George Wallace of Alabama never missed a Chance to denounce them Lynn Montgomery papers. We arc fair game. Go inc Bush s Macho performance will help him dispel the wimp image that has haunted him. Perhaps Alhert Pugna City win remind die rest of us to mind our Man ners. The pols have their Job to do. We have ours. And All of us can do belter. High court must clarify schools1 punishment Issue. A i in 1., in 1, a to Roca to men Itin nor Luce something a Ckyyou can Frame this emotional Issue in Many kinds of questions should a teacher be Able to put a paddle strap or swi Idi to the bodies of children whose parents believe that physical punishment of children is destructive and counterproductive in t it True that a loss of discipline has virtually destroyed the Public school system in America Ana thai Corporal punishment is essential to giving control Back to Leach cars and administrators should a teacher or principal be allowed 10 beat a child so severely thai if a Mother or father had done it that Parent would be hauled up for child abuse when american kids Are now towing knives and guns even in Junior High school in t it time we went Back to a system of punishment thai lets school bullies know who is in charge but when one teacher holds a 9-year-old upside Down by her Ankles while the principal gives her a scarring beating with a split wooden paddle in i this the kind of cruel and unusual punishment thai the Constitution forbids Why should the supreme court or the Constitution be dragged into matters thai local officials school authorities and the Paroni teachers association can bet Ter decide these questions arc provoked in an article by the Baltimore Sun s excellent supreme court expert Uyle Denniston who tells us unit the High tribunal May be ruling again on this delicate and controversial question of whether and when a school leather or administrator May hit a child. I grew up in an area when Corporal punishment was pervasive. In fact if you got the strap at school you also got paddled at Home when your parents read inc note from your teacher. Bui the attitudes of a lot of educators child psychologists and parents have changed to a belief that teacher violence teaches Pupil violence. The result is that when a child goes Home and says the teacher beat me the inclination of parents is not to give the child another whipping but to go wreak revenge on the teacher. A the ease of Teresa Garcia the 9-year-old third grader who was beaten in Penasco n.m., 1 have Lull trouble making up my mind. She had bit a boy she claimed had kicked her and got a paddling thai put a 2-Inch Cut in her leg. After she claimed she saw a female teacher kissing a student s father she got worse paddling leaving what the school nurse said were bruises so deep and Exten Sive that if she bad seen them in a Home she would have called the police. It is Teresa s Case that May product dose to a landmark decision. Corporal punishment is an Issue where we cannot rely on what someone believes the framers of the Constitution originally intended. The 10th . Circuit of appeals says simply uial the Constitution outlaws Cor poral punishment when in amounts to brutal and in humane abuse or official Power As in Teresa s Case. Some of us think Corporal punishment went out with the Model to Ford. Not so. I be seen reports rang ing from 2 million to 4 million cases of physical punishment of pupils every year. The worst abuses of authority usually Are perpetrated against the children or poor people who have no meaningful voice no Politi Cal clout and often no Money with which to hire Law. Thai is Why this Issue Musi not be left to local the supreme court ought 10111 As whether physical beatings of pupils Are allowed at All and if so where teachers and principals fall along inc a tin of policemen prison guards ail bailiffs and others who have been told of the limitations on Whai they can do to Hose under their Vawdy Anil control. Denniston reports that Pic lower courts Are confused and divided. The supreme court ought to Clear up the confusion
