European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 1, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stars and stripes monday july 1, 1991 letters to the editor the St european edition circulation 100,000 col Gene e. Townsend Usan commander publisher Bernard a. Zovistoski editor i. Col. Gayle w. Fix Usa Deputy commander Marie Kominicki production manager Bill Walker european editor Deane b. Mcdermott circulation manager switchboard 06155-6010. Ets 348-5741 or 5823. Telex 419-332. News Tel fax 06155-601416 mailing address Apo 09211-4211 or Post Tauff 11 14 37, d-6100 Darmstadt 11, Germany. News 06155-601 plus Extension or ets 348-8 plus Extension. A. News ext. 237, 255, 282, 226, 326. Sports ext. 225, 269, 263, 332, 321, 221. Features ext. 230, 245, 341. Letters to editor ext. 208. Education Jimi Jones ext. 226. Business Randy Mcciain ext. 326. Bureaus. Bremerhaven Germany Ken Clauson building 103. 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Middle East stars and stripes Middle East Bureau general delivery Apo 09616. Telephone in Dhahran saudi Arabia 00966-3-8955016 Tel fax 00966-3-8646716. Send letters to the editor to Apo 09211 -4211 in  York City room 401, 252 seventh ave., new York 10001, Telephone 212-620-3333. United kingdom a Uridill Winder. Amy Geiszler Jones a building 436 Cess us Raf Mildenhall Apo 09127 Telephone Dow 238-2226 or civilian 0638-512226. Washington . Chuck Vinch Janet Howells Tierney Oast a the Pentagon room 2e756 . Box 46095, Washington . 20050-6095 Telephone 703-697-6695 Tel fax 703-693-6366. Business offices circulation for Home delivery service and inquiries Call the office nearest you listed below Germany Berlin civilian 8331846, ets 332-4412. Bremerhaven civilian 0471-85168, ets 342-8119. Rhein main a civilian 069-692050 or 692565, ets 3306025 or 7103, telex 412712. Cen Reg Tel fax 069. 694067. Kaiserslautern civilian 0631-57070 or 57079, ets 4897100, Tel fax 0631-50696. Munich civilian 089-6901503 or 6901504, ets 440-6556, Tel fax 089 699-1606. Nurnberg civilian 0911-712558, ets 460-7001. Stuttgart civilian 0711-546743, ets 420-7175. Greece Athens civilian 9923390. Vicenza civilian 0444-515358, ets 634-7545, 0444-300-641. Spain Madrid ets 665-5807, civilian and Tel fax 003416561465. Turkey a a Istanbul civilian 664372, Tel fax 0090-1-1664372 United kingdom Newbury civilian 0635-44760, Dan 266-3209. Circulation Tel fax 06155-601417 advertising Tel fax display ext. 247. 309. Classified ext. 349. Advertising Tel fax 06155 601376 this newspaper is an authorized unofficial publication for members of the military services overseas. Contents of the stars and stripes do not necessarily reflect the official views of. Or endorsement by the . Government the department of defense or the . European command. The appearance of advertising in this publication including inserts or supplements does not constitute endorsement by the department o1 defense or the stars and stripes of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for Purchase use or patronage without regard to race color religion sex National origin age. Marital status physical Handicap political Attilia Tion or any other non Merit Tactor of the purchaser user or Patron. Gull control rhetoric nearly every Day for a week you have printed at least one letter from some gun nut whimpering because the big bad Congress is going to take away their toys. These letters Are so full of twisted facts and outright lies its hard to take them seriously. Contrary to what they say there is no Bill pending that would outlaw private ownership. The Bills that Are pending Are so weak As to be ineffective. What really Burns me up is their use of the Constitution to justify their position. Would the founding fathers Cre ate a Constitution that makes it impossible for Congress to enact Laws to. Protect the people against deadly weapons but that a not the Only nonsense they spout. One writer labelled people in favor of gun control As  Are those who favor Speed limits and drunk driving Laws a anti automobile a ridiculous right but it gets worse. Another wanted us. To look at the facts about gun control. He said that crime is worse in areas with gun control than in areas without. If that is True then the crime rate in Europe a where most countries have gun control a must be higher than in the United states.1 Lebanon with no gun control must be the safest place in Earth. Then there Are those who believe that their guns Are the Only thing standing Between us and totalitarianism. In reality one Lunatic with a gun can cancel out the democratic process. Were Lee Harvey Oswald and Sirhan Sirhan protecting democracy its the will of the people not guns that ensures democracy. A Quot gun control is not the end of life As we know it. Its going to happen because the majority of people know that if it does no to no one will be Safe. A master sgt. Floyd a. Newsom Kapaun air station Germany women done to belong in a irritated and fed up with the debate on women in combat. As they say in the South if it ainu to broke done to fix it. From the revolutionary War to the recent conflict with Iraq the military has not allowed women in Battle. Come on people lets be realistic. Combat is no place for women. If i were in Battle and my female fighting partner were killed or wounded there a no telling How 1 would react. Yes there Are some. Women who could handle Battle but the vast majority  or would not be willing to serve in combat. One question if women were allowed in Battle and the draft went into effect during a time of War How would you feel if your 18-year-old daughter were drafted a pfc. Lewis Crawford Brussels Belgium out that what the writer was advocating was not the imposition of someone s pen our Mission is to repaint stage and Load 3rd Armda a equipment on a a rights or a a wrong through Law. Actually she was calling for an amoral regal system. A one without a a rights or �?owrong.�?�. Would the writer really want to live in a nation that does not protect its citizens with a moral Legal system i Hope not. Would the writer like to see the following situation become a reality in her world without morality suppose i see a Mother abusing her child. If i adopt the amoral View then i would have to say a i can to impose my morality on the Mother through  i for one could not keep silent facing such a scenario. Neither can i keep silent about the destruction of human life through abortion on Der hand. A Kathy Mcguire Raf upper Heyford England a editor s note letters from readers expressing their viewpoints or opinions Are published daily in this space. All letters must be signed. We Reserve the right to edit letters for clarity length and taste. Preference is Given to Shorter letters so that More can be published in a timely manner. Letters should be addressed to letters to the editor the stars and stripes Apo 09211-4211. O o a letters requesting information or assistance Are answered in a feature called readers action line which appears on Page 16 every Day except thursday and sunday. Such letters should be addressed to readers action line the stars and stripes Apo 09211-4211. Our moral society i oppose a writers viewpoint expressed in a recent letter to the editor. She wrote �?o1 feel that personal morality should not be imposed on others through  the writer added that a if a woman chooses to a destroy her own life and the life of the a child in her womb then it is that woman who will have to live with  i disagree. After years of counselling girls and women with unintended pregnancies 1 have found that the pregnant woman does not live in a social vacuum. Whether she knows it or hot her decision affects others Suty As the Boyfriend or husband parents employer close friends and children. Concerning a morality a 1 must Point rights of the unborn abortion infringes on the rights of the unborn. Does a Man have the right to do whatever he wants with his body no. Who is going to Stop him from getting drunk no one. But when he gets behind the wheel and puts his life and the lives of others in danger he is breaking the Law. When he goes Home in a Drunken stupor and beats his wife or children he is breaking the Law. Do drug abusers have the right to do whatever they want with their body no. Our country has determined that certain drugs Are harmful to us and they have been outlawed. If someone takes illegal drugs he is breaking the Law. Why should a woman have the right to do whatever she wants with her body if what she is doing is destroying the life of another she should be breaking the Law. Our Freedom is a Blessing but also bears a responsibility. Since we Are born in a free country we grow up believing that we have the right to do what we want. Lets not forget our responsibility to protect and defend the rights of others. When individuals cannot make fair and just decisions regarding the lives of others it is time for government to step in to protect the life Liberty and Pursuit of happiness for All. A Anne m. Wenneson Wiesbaden Germany ships bound for Germany. We Jive seen soldiers overcome by paint and solvent fumes and numerous vehicle accidents. Soldiers with to training Are told to drive armoured vehicles and other heavy equipment and the list of damaged vehicles grows daily. Our Chain of command seems to think these accidents Are acceptable As Long As there was a 30-second safety briefing before the unlicensed Driver climbed into the tractor trailer Rig and drove off into traffic. Instead of patting the 3rd and on the Back for a Job Well done Pat them on the Back for a Job half done and wish us Luck Back Here in saudi. We need All the help we can get. A sgt. Michael Ogielo operation desert storm Leader of our limes another dismal economic study finds 12.2 million american children Are living in poverty. Recession unemployment bankrupt financial institutions failing social Security and education policy rampant Urban crime and drug abuse Are a few of the major news stories in America these Days. But lets not forget the Good news. After All president Bush has proclaimed himself the Leader of the a new world  a staff sgt. David a. Verdina Zaragoza a Spain Happy to Volunteer \ since my arrival in saudi Arabia i have Learned Many valuable lessons. This operation has benefited me immensely and in a glad i came Here. So Why Are there so Many complaints some soldiers think they Are being treated unjustly because they had to stay three or four to fits. 1 volunteered to come my unit is still in saudi and i am Content to stay Here As Longasz the Mission requires  spec. James Locke operation desert storm accidents will happen my fellow soldiers and i Are tired of Reading letters complaining about the Lack of time off for soldiers who have redeployed. Our 3rd army battalion a port support unit is an Accident waiting to Hap docs no to make cents my question is simple. Why has cafes done away with pennies i just recently arrived in Germany and was very surprised to find out that the Penny is not Given As change in the cafes system. I am neither poor nor Rich but Money _ is Money to me. When i Purchase items that total $2.98 and i give the cashier $3, i expect to get 2 cents Back in change. No matter How trivial it seems it is my 2 cents. But lets look at it another Way. I am not the Only shopper at cafes. If 1,000 people a Day shop at cafes and each of them is out 2 cents that a $20 for cafes. Multiply that by 360 Days and gaffes has $7,200 of other Peoples Money. _ or say i shop at cafes three times a week and each time i lose 2 cents. That a 6 cents a. Week and $3.12 every 52 weeks. Over four years that is Only $12.48, but it is my $12.48 and i should be allowed to chose what it is spent on. I do however have a suggestion for cafes if they do not wish to use pennies. Change the prices of the items. For example an item now priced at $2.98 would be changed to $3. Cafes would get its 2 cents and i would not expect to get any change Back. This at least would reduce my heartache every time i Purchase something and lose 2 cents in the Deal. . Lambie Frankfurt Germany amp