European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 22, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 a the stars and stripes sunday december 22, 1991theslw�jm�prripis european edition circulation 100,000 col Gene e. Townsend Usan comma Ndem publisher Bernard a. 20vist0ski editor Bill Walker european editor Deborah Absher Bryan Nolan news editor City editor Bob Wicker George Menea sports editor special sections editor to write us unit 29480 Apo a 09211 or Postrach 11 14 37 6100 Darmstadt 11, Germany news Tel fax 06155-601416 to Call us dial 06155-601 plus Extension or ets 348-6 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, Carl Schurz Cavern Apo a 09069 Telephone ets 3428659 or civilian 0471-86782. Kaiserslautern Germany Peggy Davidson. 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When Abraham Lincoln referred to our country As a government of the people by the people and for the people he knew where our country a strength and weakness Lay. America exists because of us its greatness is because of us and its imperfections Are also because of us. We Are entering a new world that lacks the mind numbing fear that we All have known for 46 years. We Are also facing a Lime when our simplest participation will have a great Impact on where our country will go for the next four years. If you done to like what is happening in your state or with what your congressman or senator is doing Tell him with your votes. Done to wait for a system  installed to take care of your problems for you. Take your responsibility As a citizen and make the system work the Way its supposed to. I know that our votes alone will not put everything to right but its a Start. It you Feci that More is needed then there Are All sorts of options open to you to get your Point across. The key thing is do something because your silence indicates acceptance and Only through your votes or petitions or lobbying can the changes we want and need take place. A Randall j. Belstra Hohenfels Germany article did no to Tell Story in the recent article a Arab disunity seen As catalyst for releases a two important Points were omitted and several misconceptions were represented in explaining Why the hostages were released. The two key Points that were omitted were the dominant role that Iran played in pressuring the Muslim factions in Lebanon to release the hostages and the effect that a decline in soviet influence in the Middle East particularly in its relations with Syria played in pushing its former regional ally toward seeking a new approach with the West. Arab disunity cannot be identified As the catalyst for the hostages being released. There is currently a noticeable tendency among the once a a Radical Middle East states such As Iran and Syria toward moderation. This translates into reconciliation with the West for specific economic and Security gains. In the past As Long As there was a .-soviet rivalry in the Region this shift toward moderation was not possible As these Middle East states were successful in playing both superpowers against the other for the purpose of reaching National goals a and often using the Arab israeli conflict As a pretext. The environment in the Middle East has indeed changed and that change accounted for the release of the hostages. Israel did not Force the hands of the shiites who were holding the americans. The opposite was True. The Western hostages were released because their captors did not tie their Freedom to the release of several Hundred Muslim prisoners including the shiite cleric sheikh Obeid who were being held by Israel. What is happening in the Middle East today is not new and different. Nasser a charismatic leadership could not bring to fruition pan arabist in the 1950s and 1960s Saddam Hussein s recent attempt was ephemeral and destined to fail at the outset. Middle East states have persistently pursued their own interests in the past and will continue to do so in the future. With a diminished soviet influence there is one fewer major actor in the Middle East and the recent realignment of regional interests reflects that reality. A Petty officer 1st class p. Strickling Rota Spain editor s note letters from readers expressing their viewpoints 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 a 09211. # # o 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 a 09211.thanks, Terry Anderson a few years ago i asked for and received a prayer Bracelet with former hostage Terry Andersons name on it. Before then i did no to know who he was. I did no to know head been held captive the longest or that he had a daughter head never met. The world knows these things now. When i wore the Bracelet i prayed for the release of Terry and the others in Captivity. 1 prayed also that if their release was Long in coming that they would have the strength and Faith to press on until Freedom was theirs. It appears that those prayers have been answered. Unfortunately not All of the hostages embraced Freedom in their life on Earth. Because of the prayer Bracelet Terry Anderson became important to me. My heart was joyous at the release of each hostage but ached that Terry was still not free until now. So 1 watched the news conference he held and i wept with Joy to Sec him healthy Happy and with those he loved. Something he said during the conference has Given me the incentive to write today. In answer to one of the reporters questions he said a those seven years were not a  its True. Though we All would prefer that none of those innocent people were Ever kidnapped some Good things have come of it. Terry Anderson has taught me and countless others i am sure that we must never take Freedom for granted a not political Freedom religious Freedom or even our own personal Freedom. Terry if you were Here i would say to you that the stars look As Beautiful and wonderful to me tonight As they did the night of your release because you have seen them anew. My life is More precious and meaningful to me because your experience has Given me a new appreciation for my freedoms. Thank you Terry Anderson and Welcome Home. A Sheryl Kauspedas Raf Mildenhall England a americans As hostages listening to the news this evening i heard about the hostage Terry Anderson being released. Besides being great news it got me to thinking. Why do terrorists always seem to go for american hostages because they know that we As a nation wont go in to Rescue them. Letters to the editor Case in Point when . Marines were held captive for More than a year by terrorists nothing was done to effect their release. Yet on the other hand when terrorists captured a group of israelis awhile Back what did Israel do we know the answer to that one. Maybe if America took a More forceful stand against terrorism a lot of this  happen. A staff sgt. John micks Riyadh saudi Arabia a school cuts hard do justify president Bush has deemed himself the a education president a yet we see Congress slashing funds which relate to children and their education daily. The most recent injustice has been the dismissal of teachers by the department of defense dependents schools in the Middle of the year. This has been done under the Guise of the military draw Down in Europe. What this Means for my school which is not drawing Down is that the lives of 1,100 children will be totally disrupted. Our Art teacher will now teach Art to 1,100 students at two elementary schools. The program and schedules planned for the year at both schools will have to be totally redone. Three classroom teachers will lose their jobs. The children in those classrooms will have to adjust to another teacher and or the class will have to be split and will merge with another class. The transitional first Grade class will be eliminated. The 11 children identified As needing an extra year of schooling before entering first Grade will now be mainstreamed into regular first Grade classrooms. The very children who were found not ready for first Grade will now be thrust midyear into a group of children who Are Reading and performing at Grade level. How can Dodds justify increasing the class size at every Grade level in a school which did not score above the 50 percentile in any area of the California test of Basic skills How can Dodds justify eliminating a program for a at risk transitional first graders and increasing the class size in the first Grade to 28 students if the government is concerned about the education of its military population then they will find another Way to reduce military spending. Surely if nothing else these budget cuts could be made More humanely in june. I am disappointed and disheartened that the school system for which i work has so Little regard for its teachers and the education of its students. A Dorothy Meckes Baum older Germany pen pals i am a Young moroccan Man and i would like to have pen pals who Are interested in exchanging Stamps and postcards. A azi Hassan impasse my Abdal Halid imm 8 Maison 1 Rabat Morocco i am 15 years old and i would like to have pen pals from All Over the world. My hobbies Are Bax. Music Stamps stickers writing letters and Reading. A Tanja Danne Elbest. 1 w-6086 Friedstadt we Are 18 and 24 years old and we would like to have pen pals. Our hobbies Are Reading magazines singing cooking dancing and going out. Heide Grupico a a Amy Grupico me Henly St., Silas City Negros Occidental. Philippines i am 17 years old and my hobbies Are going to the movies Reading romantic novels and comics listening to gospel soul and reggae music swimming and corresponding. A Sherine Delzie Silvera 4 old Harbour Road Spanish town St. Catherine Jamaica West indies i am 32 years old and my hobbies Are writing 60s and 70s music and dancing. I would love to have pen pals. A Margaret Williams 3 Penketh court Runcorn Cheshire wa7 1bb England i would love to have pen pals from All Over the world. I am 18 years old and my hobbies Are listening to music Pia in football and bodybuilding. Sakir a Asa my. 1133 Sok 6. No ,12 Seyhan Adana Turkey