European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 27, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday december 27,1993 commentary the stars and stripes Page 13 what newspapers Are saying at Home the following editorial excerpt Are selected from a Cross Section of newspapers  the United states the editorials Are provided by the associated press and United press International. The Sun Baltimore devotees of the Quot Peter principle a which posits that people Rise to their level of incompetence will be fortified by the sad Story of Les Aspinw a woes As Secretary of defense and eagerly watching whether his designated successor retired adm. Bobby Ray Inman also has limits yet to be revealed. Both men Are Brilliant steeped in the Esoterica of military science and dedicated to a Strong defense. Where they differ is in method and personality. Los Angelos times president Clinton has moved swiftly and with sure political instincts to fill the vacancy left by defense Secretary Les Aspin s sudden resignation naming retired adm. Bobby Ray Inman to the Cabinet Post. It is a first rate Choice that bodes new strength experience and decisiveness for the administration s often criticized National Security team Star tribunes newspaper of the twin cities Minneapolis following his Surprise resignation defense Secretary Les Aspin seemed As vulnerable to attack As a . Helicopter in the Back alleys of Mogadishu. Though Aspin cited personal reasons for his departure effective Jan. 20, president Clinton a Quick Choice of a successor in Bobby Ray Inman a retired Navy Admiral suggested that his leave was engineered. Aspin May not have been a Good fit for the defense Secretary s Job despite his knowledge of military matters. His leadership often did t inspire Confidence a a a a 1. A. Pittsburgh Post Gazette adm. Bobby Ray Inman president Clinton s second nominee for Secretary of defense is by All accounts a Man of Wise judgment As Well As a master of military matters. But there was nothing Wise about the admirals patronizing Public comment to Clinton that �?o1 had to reach a level of Comfort that we could work together that i would be very comfortable in your role As commander in chief while i was Secretary of defense and i have found that level of  even if As some have suggested his comments were screened by White House officials they struck an arrogant note. We re surprised that a former Deputy director of the Central intelligence Agency did no to show More discretion. Athe Providence . Journal another Day another rights Law. At Issue is a Bill signed by gov. William f. Weld that makes Massachusetts the first state to outlaw discrimination against Gay and lesbian students in Public schools. The Law adds a sexual orientation to a list of the categories protected under a state Law against discrimination. Proponents Hope that the measure will entitle students to sue schools if they believe administrators have not responded adequately to charges of discrimination and will allow them to do such things As bring same sex dates to proms and other social events. It will be interesting to see How this Law actually works. We do fear that it will be very difficult to enforce with any precision and that the main beneficiaries will be lawyers. And it May make schools even More difficult to run than they now Are. The Boston Globe for the hundreds of thousands of americans who believe that Leonard Peltier was wrongly convicted of murdering two Fri agents on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota 18 years ago the recommendation from Federal parole Board examiners that he spend 15 More years in prison is dismaying news. But the recommendation is Likely to intensify the Campaign to obtain a presidential Pardon for Peltier. Some 300,000 signatures on a petition seeking a Pardon from president Clinton have already been delivered in Valtye got the Helm n0w, the of rut ship is out there 5t>m6wne� a Washington. With Hope for parole apparently dashed Leonard Peltier can now Hope Only that president Clinton will see the miscarriage of Justice that has been perpetrated and Grant him Pardon. Detroit free press for crying out loud sen. Bob Packwood what will it take to make you leave your services As a representative of Oregon Are no longer wanted needed or required. Your alleged groping and fondling not to mention allegations you altered your diaries should add up to enough to make you tiptoe put the Back door. Your presence is an embarrassment to the . Senate every Day you show up. Your actions arrogance and inability to read the writing on the Wall typify Why Many americans Are fed up with their leaders. The Dallas morning news while a government ratings system might create More problems than it would solve the Mere threat of one has been enough to prod the video game Industry into announcing plans for a voluntary Labelling system to help parents. If a voluntary system is to work it will require the cooperation of All retailers. Toy stores and others who sett video games will need to watch who is trying to buy what then enforce the ratings As Best they can the Best Way to guard against video violence is simply to pay closer attention to what games your child is playing. St. Petersburg Fla times the Story has been playing out slowly for months about the Arkansas savings and loan executive who raised funds to bail the Arkansas governor out from under a suffocating debt after the governor appointed a state banking regulator whose actions toward the failing savings Bank appeared deferential if not downright preferential. The disturbing allegations surrounding the Story include the abuse of Power shoddy and possibly illegal regulatory practices illegal and unethical business relationships and fraud that eventually led to a government takeover of the savings and loan at a Cost to . Taxpayers of about $60 million. This might be simply one More in the Long series of Bank failures that grew out of the ill defined a banking reforms of the Reagan administration except the Arkansas governor in this Case has gone on to become president of the United states. The Washington Post when vice president a Gore was in Moscow he suggested that perhaps some of the conditions for foreign Loans to Russia need to be loosened. That a a change in at least the tone of american policy and it apparently took some of Washington by Surprise. But having seen some of the effects of the economic decline a and having read the results of the russian election a Gore thinks that the United slates needs to try harder to find useful ways to respond. That a admirable russians ought never to be left under any Shadow of doubt about american responsiveness and Good will. But conditions on Aid arc necessary As Well. Otherwise the Loans enable an embattled government to put off difficult decisions that sooner or later have to be made. Tulsa okla world the school voucher movement according to the Wall Street journal is not about to be stopped despite its reversal recently in California. Once they Start accepting Public funds wont private schools have to comply with Federal and state regulations As they relate to education of handicapped and disadvantaged children if so the highly touted performances of private schools might quickly slide. Charleston . Dally mall the National commission to prevent infant mortality has filed its final report. For six years the commission has studied ways to reduce the rate at which the nation loses babies before their first birthday the commissions conclusion was that this is a social problem a one that the government cannot easily fix. A a a. The nation already spends $1.8 billion a year on the women infants and children program which provides nutritious food for Low income mothers and their children. But All the presidents horses and All the taxpayers Money will not solve this problem. Mothers to be have to be made aware of the availability of this help and of their duty to their new children to take extra care during pregnancy. Vicksburg miss even Long Post surgeon general Roycelyn elders struck a chord nationwide in cities targe and Small with her suggestion that the time May have come to make Possession of narcotics Legal. Its hardly a novel idea. But the big question is whether that a the kind of nation a a nation without a conscience a that we want to be. State and Federal anti narcotics Laws followed under the theory that drug abuse was bad for the individuals and bad Lor the nation. That has t changed. The Qreen Vitlo . News scientists in the United kingdom Russia and the United states Are debating a question that on the surface seems a no brainer whether to keep or destroy the last known smallpox. Scientists who want them preserved say the cultures could be valuable in research on other viral diseases such As aids. Others say the cultures would be of Little scientific use. And they note millions of people worldwide never received a smallpox vaccination and could be endangered if the surviving cultures Ever escaped the Laboratory