European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 1, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes sunday March 1, 1992 americans in Belgium get in Pinch Over . Pension by Rosemary Sawyer Brussels Bureau when it comes to receiving letters from the social Security administration Harry Simons and Vincent Van Der Straeten find they re about As popular As Charlie Brown on Valentines Day. For months the . Citizens residing in Brussels Belgium sent letters to the Behemoth administration trying to shake Loose their retirement payments. The . Embassy also sent cables on their behalf. When the certified letters a costing about $10 apiece a and official cables continued to go unanswered Simons called the stars and stripes ready to buy advertising space in which to take aim at the bureaucrats in Baltimore. A what really steams me is that in be told them that i have a problem and they re not coming Back and replying to any of my correspondence a said the retired army maj a who also worked As a civilian for a nato Agency. Simons said he was looking for a some Way to just blast them Loose to get somebody to turn the tap on and make their hand Start operating and Start responding a not Only for myself but for  Faith Hunt Federal benefits officer for Northern Europe said from her office at the Frankfurt consulate that the social Security administration receives millions of applications every year. Of the 44 million social Security recipients about 350,000 live outside the United states. A just Given the magnitude there Are bound to be letters that Are slow in getting a response a she said. A a it a very frustrating for people. They think nobody cares but they  a social Security spokesman in Baltimore said the administrations policy is to answer every letter but he acknowledged that the policy Hadnot been followed in the International  office which is responsible for claims of americans living abroad. Many times upon receipt of letters employees simply Start working on the Case said the spokesman Frank Battistelli. A in the future they intend to Send interim letters in  in december 1990, Simons first applied for his social Security benefits which were to Start in March. By june he was still receiving forms to Complete. His first five months of payments arrived in july. The payments stopped in november with Otto explanation. By mid february Simons was ready to take out his and. Head also written a letter to his California senator Republican John Seymour hoping the Capitol Hill politicians office might be More responsive than the International operations office. The first retirement payments for Van Der Straeten and his wife were due in july. Until last week he  even confirm whether the administration had received his application. A a what a really pathetic is that they done to even Send a Little card acknowledging receipt said Van Der Straeten whose first forms submitted last april were lost by embassy personnel in Brussels. Another irritation noted by Van Der Straeten a businessman and retired Reserve lieutenant colonel is an apparent double Standard on interest credit for overdue payments. A if we re late in paying the government they charge us interest a he said. A but if they re late in sending us social Security payments they done to Send us payment for what we  since being contacted by the stars and stripes the administration has resolved All the outstanding issues surrounding Simonsj and Van Der Straeten a cases Battistelli said. Hunt said she could not discuss the individual cases for privacy reasons. But what about other retirees asked Simonsj wife a amps Rosemary Sawyer Harry Simons was steamed by the social Security administration s Lack of response. Rosine who also is owed benefits dating Back to november. A i feel very sorry for them because some people Are very poor and they have to live on this Money. Its not acceptable a she said. The Best Way to Deal with social Security matters is to Contact the consular sections at the . Embassies Battistelli said. A those Are the people they should be dealing with in terms of any problems they re having in receiving their checks because these people Are trained to take care of it on the  no toll free Telephone lines Are available to pensioners overseas. In the United states 37 Telephone service centers have about 4,000 workers answering questions 12 hours a Day on toll free lines Battistelli said. A if i had been in the states id probably go squat in front of the social Security office every morning until they get some Resolution for me. Over Here we re at a disadvantage a Harry Simons said. A thankfully we Are in such Straits that we re not going to starve. But it does make it a Little bit More comfortable to know that it is in the  police Force necessary of general says by Rosemary Sawyer Brussels Bureau Brussels Belgium a despite a trend toward isolationism in America the nation must continue to join with other countries to confront world problems that will inevitably arise a nato official said Friday. A stresses and strains develop around the world and conflicts emerge a said air Force Brig. Gen. John w. Douglass Deputy . Representative to the nato military committee. A we As a Community of nations in the world have to have some Way to resolve those problems just like in a big City you have to have a police Force. It would be wonderful. If there were no bad things in the world but they Are there and we have to Deal with  Douglass told High school student Council leaders attending the first meeting of a student Council for Benelux Region schools Friday that americans done to understand the North Atlantic alliances efforts to assume a new role during the Post cold War period. A they think the cold War is Over that. We can get rid of nato Quot Douglass said. Quot its just not that simple. A a in a not one of these who thinks we re going to go Back to the old soviet Union but i think there a a Long Tough Rocky Road ahead for us to see them Warsaw pact countries begin to develop like the Western democracies a Douglass pointed to dangers in Bulgaria where 60 percent of the nations electricity is provided by a nuclear reactor a just like the chernobyl reactor Quot Only 10 years older and without the safety mechanisms of the reactor that melted Down in the soviet Union in 1986. The soviet Union still must destroy its 30,000 tactical nuclear weapons Many of which Are Small enough to fit in a suitcase Douglass said. Affluent Western europeans living next door to poor Eastern europeans also creates a setting Ripe for unrest. A most of our Aid right now is going into the former soviet Union because of All those nuclear Wear disastrous situation in their Economy a said Douglass who was the target of a failed kidnapping attempt in 1990 in Brussels. A but there is Bulgaria Romania Czechoslovakia Poland. Look at the problem in Yugoslavia today. All of these situations Are right on the Edge of  based on Western Europe a history of development since world War ii Douglass estimated it could take 45 years or longer for the Eastern europeans to Advance to the political and economic level of their neigh on and Douglass because of the Boring countries. A for that reason i think we ought to keep nato Strong a Douglass said. Asked if nato could avoid obsolescence for 10 More years Douglass said not if Republican presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan gets elected. A a path san isolationist a Douglass said adding that he worked with Buchanan in the Reagan White House. A if Pat wins we re going  the one Star general said he understands americans current inward looking mood but cautioned against it. A when you re a great nation like the United states you have a responsibility for leadership in the world and you can to ignore it a he said. Furthermore Douglass said he just returned from Washington where he Learned that president Bush a proposed $50 billion in defense cuts Over the next five years will Cost 1 million to 1.2 million . Civilian jobs. A if the Economy does no to pick up this idea that we re going to Cut the defense budget and pay for a whole Bunch of other things is Likely to backfire big time Quot he said. A the Issue is going to be can we use the Money that we save to put it into civilian enterprises that will get these people Back to  the question surrounding the so called a peace dividend promises to be a fundamental Issue in the 1992 presidential race Douglass said. A the ones who done to have Good answers Are going to  s pro Hitler speech angers parents by the los Angeles times thousand Oaks Calif. Westlake elementary school parents and jewish Community leaders on Friday demanded a Public apology from school officials who allowed a Pupil to dress up As Adolf Hitler and deliver a speech sympathetic to his dictatorship. The reaction came after a fifth Grade Pupil on monday addressed an auditorium filled with pupils with a four minute speech that portrayed Hitler As a youth who was mistreated by jews and then grew up to become one of the worlds great military leaders. The unnamed boy who donned a Khaki uniform boots a Swastika armband and fake Mustache was awarded second place in the oratory contest by a panel of teachers. Rabbi Moshe Bryski said he was contacted by angry parents concerned that some pupils came away with a positive image of Hitler. A the children came Home and said a Hitler Wasny to so bad a a Bryski said. A this is Why the David Dukes Are out there who Are Able to rewrite history a Asher Goldstein 10, said he was afraid to Wear his jewish Star of David to school after the speech. A the did no to talk about the holocaust a Asher said. A the said a Bunch of different things that weren to Nice to people. It just Kina of makes you sick someone dressing up As a  William Seaver superintendent of the Conejo Valley unified school declined to blame the teachers who allowed the speech to take place or gave it a second place award. But Seaver acknowledged that the teacher who approved the speech used a questionable judgment. I done to think anyone could construe Hitler As a positive  Seaver said the Hitler speech prompted him to revise the rules for oratorical contests including a new requirement that speeches about historical figures focus on those who have made a positive contribution to society