European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 11, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 a the stars and stripes wednesday september 11, 1991 letters to the editor the in Lpes european edition circulation 100,000 col Gene e. Townsend Usan commander published Bernard a. Zov1stosk1 editor Bill Walker european editor Deborah Toshar Bob Wicker news editor sports editor to White us Apo 09211 4211 or Postrach 11 14 37 d-6100 Darmstadt 11, Germany news Tel fax 06155-601416 to Call us dial 06155-601 plus Extension or ets 348-8 plus Extension As follows 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 ext. 326. News bureaus Bremerhaven Germany Ken Clauson building 103, cart Schurz Cavern Apo 09069 Telephone ets 342-8659 or civilian 0471-88782 Kaiserslautern Germany Peggy Davidson. 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National origin age marital status physical Handicap political affiliation or any other non Merit Tactor of the purchaser user or Patron. European stars and stripes departmental directory col Gene e. Townsend. Usan commander publisher curl Stopher a. Edingt it. Col. Thomae e. Conrad Usa general manager Deputy commander Marie Kohl Nickl William Habalar production manager circulation director Dale eat a Chela Ryan advertising manager comptroller business offices circulation for Home delivery service and inquiries Call the office nearest you listed below Germany Berlin civilian 8331b46, ets 332 4412 Bremerhaven civilian 0471-85168, ets 342 6119 Rhein main a civilian 069-692050 01 692565, ets 3306025 or 7103, telex 412712, Cen Reg Tel fax 069694087 Kaiserslautern civilian 0631 57070 or 57079 ets 4097 f 00. Tel fax 0631 -50696 Munich. 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Second i done to think you were required to Pray along with those wishing to exercise their rights to Freedom of religion. 1 recommend that in a similar situation you should use the time available to you to read a Book write a letter Jot Down your shopping list or whatever you wish to do. In this Way we who do believe in our god May Pray which is our right and you done to have to Pray or participate which is your right. A maj. Richard d. Reynolds Heidelberg Germany americans can choose this is in response to the letter a unwanted  i do not believe anyone is a a required to participate in an invocation at any government function. The exact wording is a please stand a which you May choose to do or remain seated. Your Freedom in being an american is being Able to choose. You Only take away the a Freedom Quot when you remove the reference to a god. If this reference to a god really bothers you i suggest you Stop using american currency also. In a sure you must be offended to give the sales clerk a piece of paper paying for your Purchase that reads a in god we  lighten up and enjoy your Freedom to not participate while others enjoy their Freedom to Trust in a god. A Shelia l. Boschen Heidelberg Germany Freedom in t one sided this letter is in response to the writer who expressed her objection to invocations at change of command ceremonies. I am most curious about who required her to stand. Was it an armed guard if she feels so strongly Why did she not have the moral courage to remain seated during the prayer regarding the reference to the Constitution As protector of a the rights of All minorities Quot i would remind her that the amendment just might have been included to protect the free practice of religion something she seems to wish the government should seek to restrict. A William r. Bowlin Heidelberg Germany lot pets have their Day this is a suggestion for the soldiers of Europe and the armed forces network from a faithful viewer. To follow up on your desert storm series i would like to Check soldiers reactions to the following idea. 1 would really like to see a a desert pets commercial series. All those pets a dogs cats iguanas whatever that waited patiently on the Home front in Good Faith and with Complete Trust while their masters were deployed to Southwest Asia should get the recognition we pet lovers feel they deserve. A lot of hoopla and ceremonies have been staged for the troops their families and the communities that pulled to Gether during the crisis but no mention was made of those silent but Loyal companions a the troops pets. I recommend the following format for the a desert pet spots have a picture of that Loving and adorable pet with a narrative highlighting the animals qualities. For example a we Are proud to present the following a desert pet a Rex who waited six months for the return of his master staff sgt. John Doe of the 1st of the 2nd Field arty a a True desert  i Hope my fellow animal lovers and an agree to Honor the loved and Loving pets of Usa eur. Thank you for your efforts. A staff sgt. Bob Evans and Rex Augsburg Germany editor s note a 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. 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.native croat Speaks out i was born in Yugoslavia. My parents still live there. In 1979, i moved to the United states. I am a naturalized citizen now. I am very proud to be an american and always considered myself a capitalist and a believer in a democratic system. My nationality is croat since there is no such thing As a yugoslav. As you know Yugoslavia is composed of six republics. The biggest one Serbia is the Mother and the  these people and republics were  after ww1 and reshaped by the end of Wii. It was not by the Choice of the people but by the rulers who thought they could Benefit from it. My people together with people from Slovenia have grown tired of sending All the Money and resources to Belgrade where most of it was spent. We have three official languages and two different alphabets. Croatia and Slovenia Are striving toward a Market Economy and free elections have been held. These Are two very Rich countries in natural and people resources. My people have been very Good to those who wished to live and Prosper there. Lots of serbs took advantage of this and inhabited our towns and villages. Today they represent about 10 percent of the croatian population. The Only reason these people moved to Croatia was that life was simply better not because Thev like us. My people always expressed a desire to separate themselves. Finally in july with a great majority of votes they proclaimed themselves Independent. This decision did not sit very Good with the serbian Federal government because it saw a great loss. Dictators hate to lose Power. It seems to me that the . Government has different policies toward the same world situations. All of a sudden the United states is supporting the russian movement and Boris Yeltsin who is doing exactly the same thing As the people of Croatia and Slovenia Are doing fighting for democracy and Independence. President Bush said that he would like to see the yugoslav problem solved peacefully but i am afraid that revolutions do not work that Way. So far hundreds of people have died in Croatia and Slovenia and if something is not done by the West the worst is yet to come. These people do not like each other. They were fighting during Wii and thousands of people were killed. The Federal government has realized that it has to lose Slovenia and is concentrating on Croatia where about 600,000 serbs live. It is these serbs who Are creating All the problems and bloodshed. I often Call my parents who Are living in the Middle of it and they say that there Are dozens of villages iban done by croats because they were killed or forced out of their Homes. Of course Federal troops Are a a helping enforce a peace by bombing our towns and villages. I am just wondering what the situation would be like now if the United states and the Western european governments took a firm stand against the yugoslav government and its military. Chances Are the situation would be different and a lot of lives would be saved. My dad is 60 years old and has just been called to fight. He owns a pistol which will not do him any Good against tanks and air planes. Political and economic pressure on the yugoslav government will be helpful. A Zvonko Skutle Torrejon a Spain Stop stupid lawsuits 1 just read an article titled a Nintendo sued by  this Case reminded me of other ridiculous cases that i have read about in the past few years. These included a Man suing a ladder company because the ladder did not have a warning stating not to use it on an icy surface he fell and broke his leg a Man suing a Lawn Mower company because the Lawn Mower did not have a warning stating that it should not be used As a hedge trimmer he Cut off his hand trying to trim his Hedges a woman suing a Bourbon maker because the Bourbon did not have a warning stating that drinking Large quantities of it while pregnant can cause birth defects to unborn children she had a deformed child after drinking a pint of Bourbon a Day while pregnant and a couple who sued a musical group because their record did not contain a warning message stating that the record contained suicidal messages the couples son killed himself but it had nothing to do with the fact the child was molested his parents were divorced and his Home life was terrible a it was the records fault. What do these people want maybe we should put warning labels on razor Blades that say a caution these could be used to Slit your wrists use with care a or on cars saying a while driving this vehicle you could have an Accident which could take your  better yet companies could solve All their problems by putting this warning on All their products a this product should not be used by stupid  the problem these Days is that people will not take responsibility for themselves or their actions. If they have a problem they try to put the blame on someone else. It s always the fault of the system or a product or another person but never the fault of the person who has done the deed. We should not allow the system to be abused in this manner. Cases like these Are some of the reasons Why insurance rates Are skyrocketing. A Dean Meredith Torrejon Spain