European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 12, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns the stars and stripes . Rosenthal halt in afghan pullout should t Surprise  when you Stop 10 think of it the Only really surprising thing about the soviet decision to suspend its military withdrawal from Afghanistan was thai the United Stales was surprised. Heaven knows the russians had been tending plenty of signals. They can hardly be blamed if this country is taking a Long vacation from reality. It is not Moscow s fault that the presidential Candi dates decided thai what was going on in the rest of the world was not Worth talking about during the Campaign. And it is not Moscow s responsibility that while House and state department decision makers As they arc called seem to be on a kind of intellectual Vaca Tion. They have this dream in common with some Western  the new Gorbachev Era Means that the Kremlin will put certain powerful historic and perfectly understandable soviet National interests behind in the 200-year-old struggle Tor Afghanistan among them. Afghanistan famine in the Sudan the Middle East whatever happened to Nicaragua neither candidate really bothered himself or us about such things. When it came to the foreign affairs part of the Campaign they fulfilled the Wistful Hope Hal so Many americans Hud for the whole election both men lost. But one Day a crisis Here or there will tap us on the shoulder and the new president will have to awaken so will the rest of us. The latest strange episode about Afghanistan is a Good place to Start easing out of the Long slumber. The russians were ringing alarms All Over the place. They dispatched new attack planes to Afghanistan. They sent new missiles and paraded them in the streets Kabul. Earlier they and the soviet appointed afghan government violently denounced Pakistan which is the Transfer Point of american weapons headed toward the afghan resistance. Then he president of Pakistan and his top military aides were killed in a most mysterious air plane crash the afghan resistance will never again have an ally a Strong As president Zia. Obviously any new pakistani Leader win consider the personal Price lag of support to the afghan Resis Tance. Recently soviet officials gave their own form of notice that the Kremlin would suspend the withdrawal of troops. The first phase of the pullout ended a couple. Of months ago. The withdrawal was to continue on nov. Is and to be completed by feb. 15. But in the past Tew weeks when asked about the schedule soviet diplomats hesitated for a couple of significant seconds and then were evasive in a manner screaming to be noticed. Carl t. Rowan nobody paid much attention until the russians announced that the pullout was suspended. Swiftly recovering from their initial Shock official experts in Washington Are telling us not to worry our pretty Heads that the new weapons and the pullout suspension arc not really terribly important and hat Moscow certainly will withdraw All its troops by feb. 15. Possibly. But Whin the russians themselves have been telling us All along is Clear. Mikhail Gorbachev realized Hal the soviet Union was mired in a War thai could not be won because of the afghan resistance. That movement includes Many leaders who arc religious fanatics you would not want to meet them in the gloaming. We May be opposing them some Day but meantime their followers have earned the right to govern themselves. The soviet pullout would end the loss of soviet blood. And in would free Gorbachev to try 10 control Afghanistan economically diplomatically and Politi Cally with the threat of another invasion never entirely removed. He must be bemused to find out Hal there Are peo ple in the West who actually believe that he has an intention As the Man duly bound to protect soviet interests to end All attempts to control a neighbor so important strategically to South Asia and also � Dan a crossly close geographically and emotionally to the Muslim lands conquered and swallowed by the czars and now incorporated into the soviet  May find it in soviet interests to com plete the withdrawal. But the suspension is a warning that if he docs not get a government in Kabul that Pecan dominate he May reconsider the whole thing. He is saying to the West help me gel out the Way i want to or i May not get out at All. He May fail because of he afghan haired of the new soviet puppets now being paraded around the world. The afghan fighters Are saying to him what Hanoi said to the . The Way to gel out is to get out. But unlike the a. The Kremlin will try to us very end to get the Best Deal for itself and in clients. Gorbachev is probably utterly astonished that anybody is surprised. No Voth to flak athletes on steroids should be severely punished terrible choices a Young woman wants to be a world Champion swimmer another wants to be a basketball Star still another wants to win the body building contest. A Friend a coach even a doctor tells them that anabolic steroids will give them the strength and Speed to make them super stars. Then someone adds the. Small print these a periods May also cause your breasts to shrink and become cancerous the hair on your head could fall put while that on your face grows until you need Gillette Shaver you could get enlarged genitals and cancer of the  incredibly about half the women ath letes who face thai Choice say i just want to  Young men get caught ii in the dream of hitting a 500-foot Home run in the world series winning olympic medals playing in football s super bowl and pro bowl so even As Early As High school they turn to anabolic a Lerios. Warn them that they la gel female sue breasts that their Testicles could dry up As they become unable to produce Chil Dren thai they could become uncontrollably hostile and get involved in criminal behaviour and that they become More vulnerable to cancer of he prostate and or liver. But it May not matter. Studies show that half the Young men decide i just want to be a  Somei athletes that steroids will make them a Champion within a few years but they might die five years after taking the Winner s stand and an incredible number will say tit take my chances with the steroids so a nation already bedevilled by the widespread abuse of cocaine heroin marijuana. Pc amphetamines and other illicit drugs is now facing a rising problem with steroids. An incredible number of our Young people arc gelling steroids from dirty doctors and official College and other trainers a people. Who also hand of drugs designed to make it difficult if not impossible for steroid use to be detected in Surprise drug tests. Worse medically if not morally is the growing Black Market in steroids Esti mated now at si00 million a year in which Young people get pills and injections Fram paddlers who provide no medical advice or caution whatsoever wheaties has been overshadowed by steroids the breakfast Pill of  now a lot of athletes arc crying that they ate their wheaties and still lost badly in the 100-Yard dash the 200 meter Butterfly or weight lining to some one whose favorite Brand name was an avar Androl or deca Dur Abolin the Best known of the powerful synthetic hormones we Call  a lot More than unfairness in com petition is involved. The Csc arc implications for All of society in this headlong Rush to the usage of substances that turn Normal people into animals and can damage severely the health of millions of our kids. University of Oklahoma football Star Brian Boson a was kept out of the Orange bowl because he tested positive for steroids. He still got a multimillion Dollar contract to play for Seattle. Be Johnson of Canada blew Carl Lewis away in the 100-meter race in the Seoul olympic then lost his medal  banned from Competition for two years. Former College football players say Ster Oid use was commonplace on their squads but so far no College has been penalized seriously. It seems that a coach can give a poverty stricken recruit $100 for expenses and lose the College s bowl eligibility for two years but trainers or boosters can give prospective super stars steroids and get nothing More than unwanted publicity. It is past time that steroids1 were put in the same bracket As cocaine he Roin and the More popular illicit drugs and Hal High schools colleges and individual athletes were Given the word get caught using steroids and you will be banished from Competition. Newfli and rect by Rauhutt