European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 14, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes thursday. September 14.1989 Walter Mears count of homeless certain to be challenged on the night of March 20. I990, some 9,000 Brilty census takers will set out on a difficult and thank less Mission they will try to count homeless americans. Their findings already arc being challenged. Advocates of More Federal spending on homeless Ness contend that the count will be too Low by far. And the census Bureau does t deny that saying that it will seek Only to deliver demographic social and economic data on components of the homeless population. La won t be a comprehensive Survey and the num Bers will be conservative meaning it will err on the Low Side. But whatever the flaws it will be the first major Effort to count the homeless since their plight became a National political Issue. That s Why the arguments began Early. Estimates of the number of homeless people in the United states Range from 250,000 to 3 million. With that margin of error numbers arc meaningless. Activists demanding new and More extensive pro Grams for the homeless came up with the guess that there arc 3 million of them a number that never has been substantiated but nevertheless is used in the de Bale Over action for the homeless. In May 1984, the department of housing and Urban development reported after a six month study of homeless Ness that the Best estimate of the number of homeless was 250,000 to 350,000. President Bush said during the 1988 Campaign that a 1986 Harvard Siudy supported the higher of the Hud figures. An Urban Institute report in 1988 estimated the number of homeless at 567,000 to 600,000. That also was Cut Ici Edas too Low by advocates for the homeless. The numbers Send a political signal and that puts the census in the Middle of the debate. A sociologist and a housing expert contend the whole thing should be called off. They contend the adm is ration should forget about counting the uncountable and seek More Money for housing programs. We believe the census will severely under count the homeless pulling the Rug out from under the few pro Grams that presently  say Richard p. Applbaum of the University of California at Santa Barbara and Peter or Cir director of housing for the Boston redevelopment authority. The number of homeless people has become a Politi Cal  they contend in an article in the chicag Tribune. The Bush administration like its predecessor docs not like to think of the problem As too big or top costly. Small problems require Small numbers and Small numbers apparently require Large  on the other Side of the argument an Urban planner writing in a conservative journal says the homeless lobby William f. Buckley 6ratts and Ier keep  and Mem All s sad and dome. The did t cooked up phony numbers in order to push its demands. Prominent individuals and organizations acting on behalf of the homeless have argued that not simply hundreds of thousands but millions of americans on any Given Day arc resigned to a life in shelters in Lilu tons or the  says Carl f. Horowitz. Beginning around 1983. The number 3 million approximately 1.2 for every 100 americans has come to be reported As the Benchmark figure. Politicians celebrities and corporations have found it a convenient rallying Point to elicit sympathy and tax deductible contributions for the  in an article published by the heritage foundation. Horowitz traces the number to a 1982 study by Maryellen Homes. Now with the National coalition for the homeless and Mitch Snyder whose Community for creative non violence issued the report. Their study concluded that about 2.2 million americans were homeless in 1980, and said the num Ber could reach 3 million or More during 1983." Snyder later said in congressional testimony that the numbers were meaningless. The far lower Hud Esti mates also were dismissed As meaningless during i Louse hearings on the  says a sound count of the homeless and information on the problems behind their homeless Ness Are vital in shaping policies that can help them. Advocates who disparage research about their num Bers Are doing a serious injustice to the people they ostensibly arc trying to Aid he  the census Bureau will try to produce meaningful figures counting the homeless in shelters and cheap hotels and then after Midnight on the  workers will seek to inters Lew the people they find in shelters and on the streets to gel demographic data on the homeless population. But they won t awaken any sleeping Street people. In those cases they ii guess age sex and race. C associated press 50 minutes of Documenter Oil he could take it required More stamina than my own to sit through the whole i i hours of Days of rage the controversial documentary shown by pcs giving the palestinian Side of the Intifada. Israeli loyalists did what they could to prevent its showing insisting that funds had travelled their Labyrinthine Way from Kuwait on Over to the producers of the documentary a representation indignantly denied by said producers. The pcs Compromise was to Sandwich in Days of rage Between a preliminary 10 minutes Given Over to the israeli position at the outset of the entire 2 i hour program and an hour s discussion of the documentary s failings after it was Over. I gave the documentary 50 minutes and went on toothed pursuits and the reason for this is relevant to the great argument Between the palestinians and the israe Lis. First there was the theatrical problem. It simply consumes too much Lime to have a question put for Ward in English translated into arabic replied to in arabic and translated Back into English. So that you get such sequences As do you mean thai the israelis will not permit you to rebuild the House that they destroyed six months ago Bushini sanguine Serda Tipo la silo Edda i Simi Isi Hala Bushi Bushi Nilli cons Luqui Halla Scutti Alii Bonni Raskai Hall Tuti Lili Ojalla Mussi juju Hoo Hoo. The israeli authorities will not permit reconstruction for one year since the incident they falsely accused us of  that was hard enough on the nerves but then there was the a conc after scene problem of what one might Call the endless Black Eye fractured limb Bro Ken Arm. Beaten Back mutilated Finger. The awful physical grossness of the Intifada is Best presented Viv idly and briefly. To travel from one House with four rooms and 24 inhabitants to be told twice that there Are 650.000 palestinians crowded into the Liny Gaza strip to be shown signs of physical mauling in protracted footage pays Little heed to the sensibility of the viewer. To feel indignation Over israeli brutality does not require that one visit even Black Eye in a palestini an Hospital. How Many corpses does one need to View to understand the horrors of Auschwitz the israeli position of course is that the Only Way to Deal with palestinian terrorism is by couple Terro risk however modified. For All we know the 16-year old with the first Black Eye had aimed a Stone at an israeli guard and clobbered him. The Issue Between the israelis and the palestinians in t really the Point of the documentary which can t Hope to dispose authoritatively of the question when her the israelis have any Busi Ness taking Over the West Bank 22 years after occupy ing it in a defensive War. The real question has to do with the nature of Saracli defense methods. A Bright Young scholar put it this Way inc following Day if he physical mutilation we saw had been done by syrians nobody would be surprised. That is the Way those people treat each other let alone their ene Mies. But if the physical mutilation we saw had been done by spaniards inc world would deeply resent it. The question then is  asked. Do the israe Lis in the conduct of their defense against the Intifada think of themselves As  in their practices or do they think of themselves As westerners because if the latter they cannot excuse their  i think Hal is fair enough and of course the criticism is relentlessly made by a Large number of israelis who deplore the behaviour of Yitzhak Rabin s military even if they do nol deplore inc colonization of in West Bank. Collective punishment examples of which were Given in the documentary in t civilized practice and the israelis correctly Pride themselves As cd Zibil ing the fruit of Western civilization in the Mideast. The larger question who owns the West Bank will probably be settled not by reason but by Supe rior Power. Who can Over the Long run establish de Facto control of it if the israelis prevail they will need to re Wiric their Commil Mcm 10 political democracy Given that a minority of 5 percent cannot reasonably assert control forever Over a land 95 percent alien without coming up with a South african formula to defend their practices. The israeli insistence that their motivation is purely defensive Withers on the Vine of biblical . Scant time was Given during the one hour viewed either to the disposition of inc palestinians to submit to carefully monitored disarmament or to the disposition of the israelis to Settle for carefully monitored disarmament. Meanwhile outrages continue by pales Tinian against israeli by israeli against palestinian and though we need to know about them we do not need to View the wounds stitch by stitch. Unhul press Syndicate