European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 11, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes Page 3 Cherokee Leader overcame stereotypes her chief concerns Are social issues facing indians by Crystal Kaukeano stiff writer Heidelberg the Cherokee people in Oklahoma today probably would say they Don l mind having a woman chief said Wilma p. Mankiller principal chief or the Cherokee Nalion. They want a competent  she Lold a Federal women s program luncheon thursday. However in 1983 when Mankiller was the first woman to run Tor Deputy principal chief the general attitude was not so supportive. Many of he members of the tribal government were older men Mankiller said and they resented a woman trying to enter the system. Although the Cherokee once were matrilineal. With clan mothers sharing Power with the men Lime had erased those traditions. Women once fought with inc men she said. It was the women who chose inc lenders from the Chil Dren based on their character and made sure hey received the proper  Mankiller s Campaign brought threats from her opposition that her election would make a laughing Slock out of lilt Cherokee nation and accusations hat it was an affront to god she said but Mankiller stuck to the issues of social and eco nomic change that compelled her to seek office and refused to rely on the gimmick of being a woman to get elected. "1 thought in would be dangerous to do that she said Al a press conference following the luncheon. "1 thought if i were to openly take a Strong stance on women s issues that it would alienate the men who were already worried. 1 simply campaigned on the so Cial issues and by my being involved in inc election at All it made a very Strong statement about where i though women should  during her speech to the snore than 600 men and is a by Lynd. W. Spill Vii no p. Mankiller. They want a competent  women attending the luncheon Mankiller related the history of the Cherokee Nalion and her Rise to positions of leadership. Her philosophy add her accomplishment in the Cherokee nation led to her election As principal chief in 1985. A positive Altitude helped her along a Road blacked by negative stereotypes. I basically ignored negative comments about pc male leadership she said at the luncheon if com ments Are foolish Why Icbale an Issue that in t an Issue the important issues in Mankiller s life Are the so Cial needs of her people. As the second largest Indian nation the Chc Rokee Are about 100,000 Strong and spread across 14 North Eastern Oklahoma counties. The area is very Rural and isolated. Employment education and health services Are inc issues Mankiller has devoted her Lime to resolving. Eighty one Milts of wat Celinci. 23 new Homes and the upgrading of 34 others and the beginnings of a computer program to Leach the Cherokee language Are just a Sample of the strides she has overseen. Dul another problem stands in inc Way of Progress. Too Little knowledge and Loo Little understanding of the Modem american Indian is the biggest prob Lem facing the Cherokee right now. Mankiller Lold journalists. Rarely do they Sec us As people who arc dealing with Day care issues issues of housing issues of infrastructure and jobs All of these kinds or  Mankiller said he average american thinks of Indi ans As relics in a museum. I think one of our biggest jobs is to educate peo ple she said a reason she always includes some Indi an history in her talks about women s issues. To put it All into  pane suggests is tighten operation run More ads  staff writer the european and Pacific stars and stripes should consolidate some Busi Ness and administrative operations allow More advertising and review staffing according to a Federal task Force report in a written response to the report. The Slars and stripes in Europe said the task Force recommendations had helped focus management attention on Wajs to improve and modernize its operations but should not be used As a blueprint for  the seven member task Force was established by the american forces in formation service in december 1986 after Congress asked the stars and stripes to submit a plan for financial consolidation including strategies that reduce appropriated fund support to make stars and so rips More self suf  the department of defense is re viewing the 68-Page report and the two papers responses. Apis a defense department organization Wilh responsibilities that include policy oversight for the stars and so rips will evaluate those responses Fornin Overall defense department recommendation said air Force col. H. Geoff Baker afis assistant director print Media plans and policy. The task Force review was useful because in helped focus our attention on what we really needed to look at Aid col Jeffrey m. Cook editor in chief of the stars and stripes in Europe. A lot of the Nilly Gritty recommendations thai they made we Don t agree  he said. The idea of having them come in and look at us and give their assessment was very useful. 1 think we gained from it the stars and stripes newspapers Are two tabloids published overseas in Darmstadt Wesl Germany and Tokyo for military personnel and government civilians under authority of inc de sense department. Pacific stars and so rips publishes one edition Wilh a circulation of about 37,000. The euro Pean stars and stripes publishes three editions Wilh a circulation of about 130,000. The european edition receives about 7 percent of its Revenue in government funds. In addition to publishing a newspaper each stars and so rips organization operates a Chain of bookstores and a Job printing plan. The task Force headed by Navy re serve capt. Robert Rosen noted thai the two papers were fulfilling the mis Sion of bringing to overseas defens department personnel a balanced presentation of . And International news along with local news but Al 2 High  permitting the papers to run a full Range of product Price Brand name and retail advertising found in stateside newspapers would help the papers bet Ter serve readers and reduce the need for government funding. The Lask Force believes hat the Congress and the Dod must come to grips Wilh the practical reality of what a newspaper is namely a manufactured product that conveys news and other information including advertising in formation to inc readership the re port said. The government either should re move restrictions barring such Adver Tising resign itself to continued appropriated fund support or get out of the daily newspaper  the report said. European stars and so rips generally concurred with the need to life Advertis ing restrictions. What i should say is thai the Rule ought to permit us to advertise things thai arc advantageous to people and largely focused on the military Community Cook said. Money also could be saved by consolidating certain business operations the report said. These areas include business management banking for Al worldwide stars and so rips opera Lions Book purchasing freight shipping and warehousing operations Long Range business planning and evaluation studies and wartime and contingency planning. While the Lask Force mopped Short of calling for combined editions of the Pacific and european stars and stripes inc report did suggest thai the euro Pean edition s news Section was Over staffed in comparison to the Pacific edition but in its response european Slars and stripes disagreed saying its news staff actually was 28.8 percent claw average Slatting of . Newspapers of similar circulation. There is no evidence to Demon Strate inc staff is larger than in should be Cook said. Other recommendations by the task Force included printing a six Day a Wick newspaper Wilh a weekend edition and sunday supplement to reduce staff size and overtime costs. Q contracting the priming opera lion buying less expensive press equip ment or relocating the publishing operations to lower Cost locations. Modernizing the editorial support computer systems including installing an electronic Library. Closing unprofitable bookstores. Some recommendations already were under consideration when inc talk Force visited the paper in december 1986 or have since been implemented according to the european paper s response. Of Hurt had Litile solid basis in fact inc response said. The european edition has plans under Way for a sunday supplement Cook said however combining the saturday and sunday papers would not significantly save costs since there arc no overtime costs involved in the production of the weekend papers he said. The european paper already has an electronic Library and it recently up graded its editorial computer systems Cook said in 1987, the stars and stripes closed three unprofitable bookstores in Europe and turned Over four to tapes under an agreement in which the stars and stripes acts As wholesaler. Suggestions that the paper relocate its printing facilities to a less expensive site or contract printing with a German Printer or newspaper publisher ire not feasible inc response said. With 72 percent of . Service members in Europe stationed in Wesl Germany it seems the logical place for the newspaper to be headquartered and printed the report said. The paper also said it recently hired an outside firm to solicit informal bids from about 20 German printers and found All but two were not interested in printing the paper. The remaining two did not offer any significant Cost Sav Ings the response said