European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 14, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes Page 11 Arin Landers dear readers today is Valentine s Day. You forgot Well so did a Tew million other folks but take heart All is not lost. Here s a simple Inex pensive and effective Way out. Pick up the phone and say Honey. I m calling to say Happy Valentine s Day. I think you Are wonderful. Thanks for what you have added to my  simple was t it it did t take much time or Energy and it cos you nothing. Forgive me if i sound corny but being thoughtful and expressing appreciation is the Best gift you can give. You never need worry a outsize or color and it goes with everything. So i m taking my own advice Happy Valentine s  last year on this very Day i printed the following letter dear Ann Landers fifty five years ago when i was in the fourth Grade my family moved from an area where t attended a Small country school to the City where i went to a Large school. The move took place seven weeks before Val Entine s  class in the new school had a Valentine Box the contents of which were distributed on Valentine s Day. The Valentines were displayed by the students on their desks. The teacher had the students line up and walk Upland Down the aisles observing the Valentines. Since i was new in the school and very shy 1 received Only three. The teacher named the three students who received the most Valentines and the number received by each. She then mentioned the person who had received the least number which was me. I will never forget the humiliation and can still Sec those three Small Woolworth s Penny Valentines. My heart remembers the pain. I Hope and Pray that this sort of thing is not being done anywhere today. Missouri memories within Days after the above letter appeared in print i received dozens of letters from teachers All Over the United slates and Canada expressing outrage thai such a thing could have happened. Several teachers said the Mere not going la permit any exchanging of Valentines in their classrooms and no display of Valentines received would be  schools promoting greater sensitivity and Toler Ance i believe the answer is yes. Hallelujah dear Ann Landers i have two children a girl 7 and a boy 5. I have not heard from my husband in three months. He moved to another state to find work and the kids and i moved in with my  was never much of a father but the kids love him and talk about him All the time. I have told them that he is working someplace far away which seems to satisfy  daughter s birthday was three weeks ago. I bought a Beautiful card and signed her father s name. She was thrilled and talked of nothing else for  boy s birthday is coming up soon and now i must do the same for  Mother docs not think this is a Good idea. In fact she is upset. We both value your judgment. Please express an  in sunny California dear sunny Cal i agree with you Mother. Duplicity is never a Good idea. Yon have now heightened your daughter s expectations which is going to pose a More serious problem. Don t do the same to your son. The ragged truth is always better than the Best dressed he. C c Salort syndic la doonesbury responses set Mark by the Stan and stripes during the last three months of 1989, a new Stan Dard was set in letters received on one topic. When a Reader demanded that the stars and stripes drop doonesbury because it is not representative of mainstream american values 60 people responded by far the hottest topic in the letters to the editor history. Stripes received 1,386 letters to the editor from oct. I to dec. 31, bringing the total for 1989 to 5,721, up from 5,014 letters in 1988. Cartoonist Garry Trudeau has never had a problem generating interest in doonesbury. In recent years doonesbury grabbed National headlines several times when newspapers pulled the strip while Trudeau lampooned sensitive subjects. This time when a Reader complained 54 others jumped to doonesbury s defense and the need for newspapers to print a variety of opinions. Only six people agreed with the anti doonesbury View. One Reader said that he did t expect his newspaper to reflect his moral values in each and every article. His understanding that intolerance of others views leads to censorship was echoed by Many other readers. Cartoonists and writers like Garry Trudeau a respondent wrote Are necessary to Lampoon intolerance hypocrisy and self righteousness especially of those in  several people admitted that they arc conservative and Don t necessarily enjoy doonesbury but that opposing views were necessary in a democracy and should be expressed to better evaluate one s beliefs. The controversy blew away last year s record of 50 letters written about the congressional pay raise. Another 30 people wrote when the stars and stripes dropped advice columnist Ann Landers and replaced her with her sister who writes dear Abby. Nine read ers agreed with the decision saying that Landers was Boring and that they did not like her support of gun control. Disagreeing with the decision were 21 readers. Many blamed it on her support of gun control and several said they would change newspapers if they had a Choice. Only two letters were received when Landers column returned to the pages of the stars and stripes. In All 197 letters about the newspaper were receive during the last Quarter of 1989. One person wrote that the crossword Puzzle should be dropped because too Many people were spending too much time at work on it. Fifteen people responded saying it sounded like the complainer had a supervisory problem in his office. Many readers were ecstatic about the fall of the Berlin Wall and told of their pleasure of being in Europe to experience this important moment in history. Amid the general euphoria expressed about the breakup of communism in Eastern Europe a few read ers cautioned the West to proceed slowly in implementing changes in political postures and especially in military strength. One writer said reunification of East and West Ger Many is not inevitable. The two Ger Many Are not like husband and wife eager to Start a new life together he said. Rather they Are like two Brothers who have lived apart for 40 years and have a different Outlook on Many things. When a Reader complained about dog droppings four others responded defensively they even suggested rounding up a poop patrol to give out citations to those who walked their dogs in unauthorized areas. Eight soldiers were concerned about their chances for promotion. A few thought that some soldiers were promoted on Points not on no leadership qualities. One Soldier said the army does t care if a Soldier is Good and a High achiever if he is 5 pounds overweight he certainly won t be promoted. He May even be booted out of the army. Another said it in t fair to count the set scores so much when soldiers arc being used outside their military occupational specialities. Requests for pen pals continued to Span the glob with people writing from the Philippines Jamaica saudi Arabia Turkey Ireland Hong Kong and Poland. Other subjects of concern that readers either praised or bickered about included the commissary system living conditions military issues and policies schools politics and recreation. And staff members in the letters department responded to requests for information from several read ers. One Reader wanted to Send a letter to Oprah Winf Rey another desired information about demo critics abroad and a Young German requested literature on the Vietnam War. Staff members also assisted a Reader who two years ago read in the stars and stripes Abou a company that Sells natural Oil and soap. Letters to the editor must be signed but the stars and stripes honors requests to withhold the names and locations of writers. Letters that Are forwarded to an Agency for reply do not include the writer s name Andas Many identifying details As possible Are deleted. About one in every six letters is printed in the letters to the editor column. If a writer poses a quest on that recently was addressed a copy of that response will be sent. Letters not published in the stars and stripes usually arc acknowledged through a response from the Man aging editor. Pen pals i am 22 years and would Lika to have my name published in your pen pal column. Ttnasenkx1320attodiiroad Sunj Amraen. Sheffield �56 by England i annoy Reading writing watching movies and walking Lamaas year of  Ibanez Navarre postal services office Portal Region 8 Taloban City. 6500 Philip Iris i am a 30-year-Oid divorced woman who would like to have pen pall from All Over the world Jayne cow Naswood 25 habit Xiv Foad Rowley Regii Karla yeast midlands bits flan England i would like to Maka friends from an Over the world and what a belief Way than to have pen pall. I am a 24-year-old roman Catholic. Rosanna  St. Yatogo so Sogon so Sogon 4700 Philippines 1 am 19 years old and a student at a poacher College. My Hobt As Are sewing and Reading Ann Marie Brown 77 Short Wood re Kingston b Jamaica West India i am 27 and like Reading and watching to slamm o. Opia Daice Deal. Wast Negros College Ballod City.  Lor  exl 237.255.282. 226.3� sports Ert 225. 269.263. 332.321.221 features e l. 230, 24s or 341. Letter to editor  209 advertising Dill in. Pm. 27 or 309 Cla old in 349. Telex 419-332 Tel fax 06155-801379 mailing address Apo 09211-4211 or Polit an 11 14 37. 0-6100 Oarmel tall . News bureaus and department Bremerhaven Germany Kan a Laukel building 103. Carl Schnirl Cadiam Apo 090. Lala Phona ets 342-8659 or cry ant 471.88782. Kaiserslautern Germany Dato a Arrngton Ooka. A Yoa Vid on. Lynda Daymen bunding 2899. Pulain Barrack. Apo 09227-3717. Flip Rona civilian 0631-52104. Munich. Germany Slava Taylor. Building 16. C Sla maj and poor Mcgraw Ca am. Soured Apo 08407 Lala Phona ets 440-7320 or civil Ian 069-690-1600. Nurnberg. Germany vex Chawtay. Buying 21. 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