European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 31, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16letters to the editor monday january 31,1994the a just of amp ipes european edition col. Steven s. Hoffman Usa command Jer publisher Bernard a. Zovistoski editor news and editorial Deborah Absher news editor Bill Walker european editor Bob Wicker sports editor George Manea City editor to write us unit 29480 Apoate 09211 or Post fact 11 14 37 64278 Darmstadt Germany news Tel fax 06155-601416 to Call us dial 06155-601 plus Extension or Dan 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 news ext. 326. News bureaus Heidelberg Germany Joseph Owen room 117. Rome str. 104, 69128 Heidelberg car 419, Box 1318, Apo a 09102 Telephone Dan 370-7010 or civilian 06221-23421 Tel fax 06221-23421. Kaiserslautern Germany Kevin Dougherty John Bohmer Steve scholar building 2699, Pulaski Barracks Apo a 09227-3717 Telephone Dan 489-6585 or civilian 0631-52104 Tel fax 0631-50696. Nornberg Germany Ron Jensen building 21. William o. Darby Cavern Apo a 09222 Telephone Dan 460-7256 or civilian 0911 -712563 Tel fax 0911-717130. Wurzburg Germany Dave Melancon building 220, room 109, Faulenburg Cavern Apo a 09036 Telephone Dan 350-6770 or civilian 0931-286956 Tel fax 09318896770. Mediterranean Gary Miller sue Palumbo and Marian Hamilton Naples Italy pc b10, Box 56, Fpo a 09619 Telephone Dan 625-4880 or civilian 00390817624049/4547 Telela 0039-81-7624049. Northern Italy a King Cruger Aviano Italy Teie phone Dan 632-8176 or civilian 0039-434-66-b176 Tel fax 0039-434-668222. United kingdom Nancy Tomer and Dave Didio. Building 464 Cess us Raf Mildenhall Apo a 09459 Telephone Dan 238-2226 or civilian 0044-0638-542226 Tole fax 0044-0638-718013. New York City Timothy Cahill room 638. 201 Varlock st., new York 10014 Telephone 2t2-620-3333. Washington . Chuck Vlinch can cry Killion Oast a the Pentagon room 2e756 . Box 46095. Washington. D c. 20050-6095 Telephone 703-697-6695 Tole fax 703-693-6366, business departments maj Richard k. A or Usa Deputy commander Dale Eales newspaper operations Giro actor Fred Shine now York operations director James Wysocky circulation manager Jeffrey kingdom comptroller circulation toll free customer service for Home or office delivery inquiries or delivery problems Call 24 hours Germany Belgium Italy United kingdom Netherlands Spain Tel fax 0130-840048 07811-8775 1678-7-3456 0-800-898854 06-022-7629 900-99-4955 06155-601436 Germany Augsburg civilian 0821-443254. Berlin civilian 03q-8331846, Dan 332-3548. Bremerhaven civilian 0471-85168. Dan 342-8119. Kaiserslautern civilian 0g31-57o7q or 57079, Dan 489-7100, Tel fax 0631-50690. Nurnberg civilian 0911-712558, Dan 460-7001. 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The appearance of advertising in this publication including inserts or supplements does not constitute endorsement by the department of detente or the stars and stripes o the products or services  earned the recent letter criticizing the army for allowing dependents and veterans hiring preferences is an example of your giving space on no issues that Are prejudicial for no apparent reason other than to incite a response. My reaction is to the inference that desert storm veterans Are somehow less than world War ii veterans. True some desert storm soldiers carried the Spear and survived while others such As those in the Small service support units far in the rear were killed by a scud missile but a Field training exercise it was not. Conversely during world War ii one of my friends served five years in the South West Pacific and survived while my brother in la saw duty in Paris and Rode the metro to Wor Yso what else is new veterans preference five or 10 Points is a grateful nations Way of giving added credit toward the Small percentage of our citizens who served in the uniformed services in harms Way or were disabled during armed conflict. In the final analysis veterans or spouses preference is no Assurance of hire unless the the individual is qualified. A Myron h. Murley Vicenza Italy thanks to vets spouses after Reading a hiring discrimination Quot i have to wonder what the real Root of the problem is with this writer. Perhaps his Community is filled with unqualified unmotivated Lazy spouses but that Broad generalization is unfair to say the least. While i am sure there Are some workers who fit the description noted by this writer it is unjust to Label the civilian work Force As a a filled with such employees. Many communities would have positions left unfilled if it weren to for the military spouses and veterans. Communities should be thankful for the military spouses and veterans who accept positions for which they arc not Only qualified but often overqualified. Blaming civilian personnel office hiring practices As the reason services Are so bad in Many communities is ludicrous. While Many communities Are feeling the Impact of the draw Down and decreased resources communities Are a reflection of the people in them. I am also appalled by the writers reference to duty in the persian Gulf As a a prolonged Field training  i always thought the word a a services was the qualifier to be a Veteran not  Good Luck to the writer from a military spouse Veteran and qualified civil service worker. A Anita wac pc Hanau Germany. A Safire out of Bounds 1 cannot protest strongly enough the in appropriateness of putting a column by a commentary writer on the front Page. While i have read and usually enjoyed columns in the past from William Safire i feel he crossed the Bounds of journalistic integrity when he condescended to use his column As a forum for personal attacks against retired adm. Bobby Ray Inman. Safire a column starts out legitimately and quite wittily denouncing inmans accusations against Safire. However he then proceeds to make thinly veiled attacks on inmans mental health and a personal  while a personal attack of this nature would be unpalatable on the commentary Page it is inexcusable for the stars and stripes to print such a column on the front Page. Placing an article on the front Page Al Vates it to the status of news which this is clearly not. A staff sgt. Richard Lesperance it Bowling in German learn from Citadel Case i have been watching with great interest the Case of Shannon Faulkner is. The Citadel. I really have no basis for an opinion either Way in this Case since i have Little inter est in the Citadel. What interests me is the Means by which she got herself originally accepted. V a a a a a a. If one can ignore the intent to deceive she put to use equal Opportunity in the Purist sense a she was admitted on her own Merit As a person and student. Might i suggest we do the same in the military especially on centralized promotion boards. First lets do away with pictures overweight or poor performers should be weeded out by their leaders be fore packets Are sent to the boards. Then lets do what Faulkner had the courage to do. Get rid of All references to gender or race in the packets and let a Soldier a a compete against a Soldier a a based Only on individual Merit. What a concept. In a sure Pfaul Kner is being hailed for her courageous stand All Over America. A sgt. 1st class Randy s. Hamilton Schwet Zingen Germany. / Quot no right to play cod this Marks the anniversary of the chief executives abortion edict. We now see the political ethical and moral cleansing of what is an intolerable and heinous act. Americans have become seduced by the Power to give and take life As if we were god ourselves. Abortion has become the Crown of our collective moral bankruptcy. Some Call it a right. Most opposing it Are As silent As those in nazi Germany during the holocaust. There Are those whose very livelihoods depend on it and governmental agencies that need it to stay viable. Abortion is not presented As a right and some kind of Noble contribution to Mankind. The reality that it is an economic necessity for countless so called members of Healing Industry and Federal workers whose very jobs depend on it is something which does t make the news often. Multiple options for life exist. Readers should educate themselves about those options and choose life. The next baby allowed to live May be the life that cures cancer or aids. It is not a question of rights because we do not have the right to play god. A Mark k. Landry Kaiserslautern Germany a. Going the Way of class i i read with some real concern that now the army and air Force Exchange service is taking Over the bookstores from the stars and stripes. My first thought was a there goes that Little Corner in the shop Pette where they Stock my favorite Bubble gum and those Little twisty potato snacks i need to have while i watch american forces net  i mean they already moved them once when they took Over the class i  course it could have been worse if they had really meant it when they said they were committed to offering a better be acc Tion of class i items at cheaper prices. If they had done that there might not have been room for my favorite items at All. Since in reality they reduced the selection by half and increased the Price by a third there was just enough room left. Now they Are going to take Over the bookstores and of course they will close them All in a few months Ana move the books and magazines into the shop Pette. I know that they will Stock Only about 30 books on one of those revolving Book displays and about t0 different outdated magazines on a rack but still that is going to take some room and something has to go. In a sorry ladies but i am voting on getting rid of those big Bulky bags of disposable diapers a i mean i have got to have my snacks. A Jodie Pool Wiesbaden German real Way to control guns the responsible gun owner from land Stuhl who stated he owned several guns and supported gun control went on to state that he supported the ban on semiautomatic rifles and he made a disparaging remark concerning those who sustain the National Rifle association. If it Wasny to for the lobbying efforts of the Era and its members Over the past few decades he  enjoy the Freedom to be a responsible gun owner. For a self proclaimed owner of More than one firearm to speak of the Era with self righteous disdain is like a self professed Christian distancing himself from the Bible. One supports the other. Gun control is More about confiscation than registration. The Era suggests that gun owners unload weapons and store firearms separately from ammunition. Fit guns with a trigger guard lock. Keep guns out of reach in a locked Cabinet or storage Container inaccessible to Small kids. Advise children to Tell an adult or leave immediately if they see a gun at a Friend s House or other location. This is genuine gun control. Gun control and handling of personal firearms should be the responsibility of gun owners. Gun control should not be the at tempt to legislate appropriate confiscate seize and annihilate your legally purchased firearm. Gun owners who distance themselves from the Era because they done to happen to use a particular Type of firearm Hurt All gun owners. A Mark Colton a Ramstein a Germany editors note 1 we encourage our readers a especially those who have never submitted a letter a to write to us. Letters expressing readers viewpoints or opinions Are published daily on this Page. All letters must be signed and include address. And Telephone number. Preference is Given to Shorter letters so that More can be published in a timely manner. We Reserve the right to edit letters for. Clarity length and taste. Send to letters to the editor the stars and stripes unit 29480, Apo a 09211. I think it Simm no or puce. Blast that m5an5 i Popw. And tourists