European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns the stars and stripes sunday june 24,1990lasses f Walter r. Mears the politics of Flag burning will not go away they can see it now Campaign commercials spawned by the Flag debate aimed straight at them. It begins said sen. Bill Bradley d-nj., with an opponent saying the Issue is not patriotism but judgment. A then comes the graphic 30-second commercial featuring an unsavoury bearded lowlife burning a Flag and clearly implying that a particular senator is less than patriotic because he chose to preserve Freedom Over a constitutional amendment a said Bradley a runaway favorite for re election who is nonetheless concerned about the Impact of his decision to oppose an amendment against Flag burning. A the 30-second to spot can Cut both ways a said rep. F. James Sensenbrenner jr., r-wis., and one of the leading House supporters of the amendment in thursdays debate. A i can see some Liberal or Man starting a 30-second spot with the Bill of rights going up in  those political worries and More like them underlie the debate about the Flag and the Constitution. They Are arguments the House could not Settle with its decision thursday to kill a proposed constitutional amendment against Flag burning. The Roll Call was 254-177, a majority but 34 Short of the two thirds required. But Senate advocates of an amendment already had vowed to Force a vote there a pointless legislatively but not politically. It takes a two thirds majority in each House of Congress to Send a proposed amendment to the states for ratification. The speaker of the House rep. Thomas s. Foley d-wash., said the amendment vote on thursday would be the last in that chamber. A a we re not going to go around and around and around and around a he said. But the Issue has Ever since the supreme court ruled just a year ago that Flag burning was permissible under the first amendment to the Constitution. That invalidated 48 state Laws against it and ignited the debate president Bush pushed an amendment and congressional democrats passed a Law forbidding Flag burning instead. The court overturned that this month and the amendment was revived. The 1990 replay never had quite the emotional impetus of the 1989 original even though a Gallup poll this month showed two thirds of the Public in favor of a constitutional ban on Flag burning. Looking at those numbers Republican Campaign strategists figure they have an Issue that will last. Rep. Newt Ging Nch r-ga., the minority whip said it was not an Issue that would go away soon. William Safire George Bush super Poutot he said if an amendment Isnit sent to the states a 38 would have to ratify a in 1990, it will come up again next year. That Way he said Republican congressional candidates who favor an amendment could demand that their opponents announce positions on a Flag Protection amendment in the next session of Congress. A i done to think this debate is going to end a Gingrich said thursday shortly before the amendment was turned Down. A i am confident that this debate is going to go on for a Long  democratic opponents called Republican tactics the politics of fear and intimidation and said voters will see through it. But that is More Hope than Assurance nobody is certain How the Issue will play in the Campaign ahead. That a Why the debate has been waged on two Levels. One is about the Flag the court the Constitution and Freedom of speech. The other As Bradley said a is about pure  because it is wary democrats provided a Fallback insurance vote on another measure this one to ban Flag burning intended to incite violence. The court already has overturned one Federal statute and the Outlook for this one would be dubious. But the Bill and a companion measure in the Senate nonetheless give opponents of the amendment a Way to vote for Flag Protection a a vote they can Tell their constituents about. C associated press germans should avoid appearance of duplicity whom j _ r a. Quot London a facing the Prospect of the end of the division of Germany within six months westerners with historical recall face this dilemma whom should we distrust More a the russians or the germans nobody puts it so outrageously of course. All agree that the Brave new world a Boming requires some basis of Trust a stable peace with Freedom is not a Zero sum game. But underneath their Bonhomie european and american diplomats know a gut judgment cannot be avoided is the greater danger to peace in the next generation likelier to come from a domineering Germany or a resurgent Russia put the same question in More acceptable terms should we be sensitive to Moscow a concerns about Post occupation German militarism a or should we treat those suspicions As excuses for Gorbachev foot dragging on conventional arms reduction taking two generations of Good West German behaviour into account my inclination is to mistrust the dangerously convulsing soviet Union More to put Faith in the ability of German free Enterprise to enhance political Freedom and to say Welcome to nato East germans rus skies go Home. And yet and yet a this fellow Genscher gives me pause. Foreign minister Hans Dietrich Genscher the Ost politician who jumped the previous ship to help gut Chancellor Helmut Kohl in Power is too Crafty by three months ago he quietly set up a working group within his ministry to study troop deployments and air cover within a United Germany. The goal to set up a Strong a a National Means of defense throughout Germany including the East. West Germany had already offered the soviets a Deal in return for allowing the unified Germany membership in nato Bonn would not station a Onato troops in what had been East Germany during a 5-year transition period of soviet withdrawal nor would the . Nuclear umbrella extend East of the Elbe River. But not All West German military forces Are a Onato  in a informed that Genscher directed his startled diplomatic aides to see How non nato bund Estehr troops military police and Border guards could form the cadre of a Sovereign National defense Force. Here a the Tricky part when defense minister Gerhard Stoltenberg made a similar proposal at the end of last year Genscher slapped him Down publicly assuring the soviets this was out of the question. When members of his foreign ministry staff wondered about two faced Ness Genscher shrugged and said the defense minister had made a tactical error in bruising it about but that a Sovereign state had the right to defend its territory without interference. Genscher added that neutralization of East Germany was not in the cards. This would disappoint the polish government despite belated assurances from Bonn that its Border was secure because an Eastern Germany with its weapons pointed eastward a whether or not under nato control a would make Poland a front line state in soviet eyes thereby slowing the withdrawal of soviet occupying troops from Poland. Look i Wasny to in the room the official reaction to this will be apoplectic. But a related item lends the reports credence Bonn is pressing London and Washington for exclusive Luftwaffe jurisdiction Over what is now East Germany. If you believe what i was told As i do Here would be the beginnings of a West German strategy for taking military control of East Germany with non nato bund Estehr troops a being planned not a month after the foreign and defense ministers assured the world that no West German troops of any sort would be introduced into East Germany. No wonder the soviets Are Antsy about pulling their occupation troops out of East Germany the Kab despite defection of its German assets could not be unaware of the Genscher working groups Workings. The suspicion thus generated dovetails with the red army a world War ii hatreds and with the new soviet desperation to get a whopping financial Reward for going Home. The German leaders Are probably convinced that Gorbachev can be bought off with a $20 billion Ransom and that a German Force East of the Elbe will worry him less than angry revolutionaries within the soviet Empire. If i were German id want my whole country defended by germans. If i also wanted to earn the Trust of a mistrustful world i would want my foreign ministry to avoid even the appearance of duplicity. C new York times the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are inno Way to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government