European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 14, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns the stars and stripes m. Rosenthal Wake up to chemical nuclear weapon fire of least we will know where to put i a lame. If inc Day comes when the Ter a ugh Nett inc Tio the u Fol Nannc of Hill a v Vav at t the blame theorist nations use the weapons of hell against us or other enemies at least we will know that. At first we will try to evade the will say it is the fault of our friends and allies who sold those madmen the material for the chemical weapons the missiles and the nuclear technology. But eventually we will have to face reality. The blame belongs to us the govern ment and people of the United slates. We knew and could have stopped it but did not. About 40 West German companies arc suspected by Washington of shipping chemicals and technology for chemical warfare to a libyan Plant and to other Middle Eastern countries. German Compa Nies helped Libya Syria. Iraq and possibly Iran build missile capability. China is sending missiles to Libya. A Swiss company negotiated with Iran to build a Poison Gas Plant. We know Pakistan and probably India Loo. Has received Clandestine help from abroad in preparing its nuclear weapon capability. Pakistan is an american ally and India a democracy important to us. But perhaps someday far less Friendly regimes will Rule in Islamabad or new Delhi. Then we would live in fear that nuclear weapons capability could be transferred to bitterly hostile nations. The principal target for the chemical weapons the libyan Plant alone will produce 40 tons a Day for warfare of course would be Israel. But the terrorist nations showed during the Iran Iraq War. That they will use Chemi Cal weapons against each other and their own people. So it is easily conceivable that coun tries that deliberately blow up civilian air liners might one Day raise the terror level by planting and exploding a chemical weapon somewhere in the West. The Aya Tullah would regard it As an act of special piety. Americans look on drowsily. Is the Dan Ger on another planet american specialists on terrorism and weaponry arc astonished at the Public passivity. American governments have not provided leadership. The Reagan adm Nistra Tom Wicker Tion sent More than 250 polite complaints to the West germans about nuclear Aid to Pakistan and chemicals to Middle easter countries. But the protests were usually secret. Our German allies either buried or routinely denied them. Now that Swiss company finally agree that helping Iran build a Poison Gas Plant would not be a delicate thing to do. The West Gernian got around to arresting the former director of the company that built the libyan Plant the Sam company that in january Bonn indignantly denied was doing anything of the sort. Well that s Nice. But All those other complaints Washington made to Germany what happened to them and How were investigations carried out but it is not useful to blame the Ger mans or Swiss or chinese. Obviously they do not consider Selling chemical weapons or missiles to terrorist nations that bad it s a matter of values. It is this country s Job and moral Obliga Tion to Stop friends and allies from sending terror weapons to terrorists. First the government must Slop wrap Ping the record in secrecy Stop putting classified Stamps on our protests Stop covering evasions and denials. These crets arc kept not from suppliers or receivers just the american Public. President Bush can end that with a Telephone Call tothe state department. Then we should Cut off from the every foreign company we believe is sending materials or technology for these weapons to terrorists Cut them off very fast for very Long. Legislation to do this is before the Senate and the House introduced by members of both parties. The administration wants the decisions to Cut off Trade left to the presi Dent. No they should be automatic by Law. We must Tell the chinese government that we happen to have our own Little cultural sensitivities and that they must Choos Between missiles to Libya and business with us. Then we must say much the something to our allies. Most of them arc As worried As we and As clean. As for Ger Many perhaps we May find that More Ger mans will agree with us than with the Gros sly unforgivable insensitive German companies on the list of traders in hell. Of course we have to make absolutely sure we arc not in that Trade in any Way ourselves As we and Israel were so shamefully when the missiles were sent to Iran. It is part of waking up and looking inthe Mirror better now than waiting until just one Day Loo late. C new York Toms drug Czar Senneff has the wrong game plan when does a Boot Camp look too much like a concentration Camp to be told rated in America when you seize thousands of drug users and throw them into military style Camps for harsh punishment and psycho correctional that s when but that s also what William j. Ben Nett inc Bush administration s National drug policy director says he s looking into for first Lime drug offenders and what he praised to a National television audience As a productive kind of maybe in is for felons Al inc Parchman miss., slate prison where inc idea comes from although such Ori gins arc hardly encouraging. Bui drug users particularly first time offenders Aren t necessarily felons and Bennett is citing them rather than pushers or big Lime dealers a candidates for these Bool Camps he cd dolls. Thai s a lot of candidates. How Many first offender docs Benny to aim to banish to an environment he called so grueling and so unpleasant that people Don t want to go Back to it How Young would be too Young for such punishment since he specifically mentioned particularly Young people if equity even remotely prevails How Many Camps will there have to be to accommodate All first Lime offenders and where will they be will icy be camouflaged to lookalike summer Camps so As not to offend the neighbourhood will there be slogans Over the Entrance maybe in Thi Scase just say no is every drug offender apprehended from All Levels of affluence going to be designated a camper or just those too poor and ignorant and despised to hire a Good lawyer Bennett May already have answered the last ques Tion. The casual user from the suburbs who makes an occasional buy in inc inner City he said Al an inter Faith gathering of religious leaders in Washington must spend inc weekend in if convict cd his Bow Musl be conf scaled. Soil s nol hard to Tell who s going to populate those Boot and it s no harder to predict that the chances of curing drug addiction in such an Environ ment on any sizable scale will be slim to none. Coerced treatment even in inc unlikely even these punishment centers offered to calmest worthy of the name would have Little effect on addicts. As for non addicts so far from that grueling regimen sending them Home redeemed it s Likely to make As Many hardened criminals out of first time offenders As any other such school of crime Attica say or Parchman. Czar Bennett appear Cully having Little idea where else to turn obviously has decided to focus on punishment As the Way to stamp out drug must be imposed from school expulsions to executions he told that gathering in jails More prosecutors More judges More policemen that s the Only Way he sees logo. In amass or plan he s already proposed for the District of Columbia he focused on building new prisons and proposed Only 300 new slots for treatment of addicts. Punishment for pushers and major dealers if the can be caught obviously is necessary. Bui users arc Oflyn victims and Seldom criminals Many come to a Point where they cannot help themselves Many gladly would acc Cpl treatment if it were available. Unknown numbers arc under aged others Are mothers or Heads of household who need help nol the speak of punishment for such unfortunate people is doubly cruel users do not in most cases deserve lobe jailed or deported to Camps and All too few would be helped to overcome their addictions or weaknesses by enforced subjection to grueling conditions. Though the Czar derides members of Congress an others who ask him when he s going to talk about drug treatment or prevention we need to get serious an punish these people because we Haven done it yet he huffed at a to questioner he s also going against the spirit of the legislation that created his Job. It Sensi Bly emphasized treating and trying to Prev Cal Addic Tion not bullying us victims. A punishment program promises neither the Kinder gentler America thai George Bush walked of in his a cup Lance speech or the removal of the Scourge of drugs Hal Bush pledged in his inaugural address. William Ben Nett promises instead More prosecutions and More prisons which Only mean More poor and unfortunate people in jail or in Boot Camp and an of Eccl on the drug prob Lem As hard to find As a Needle in a Haystack. C new York tins
