European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 06, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 letters to the editor sunday february 6,1994 thes european edition col Steven 9. Hoffman Usan commander publisher Bernard a. Zovistoski editor news and editorial Deborah Absher news editor Jim Wither european editor Bob Wicker sports editor George Manet City editor to write us unit 29480 apoae09211 Orost Facell 1437 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. 69129 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. 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A Liberal Speaks out conservatives who keep extolling the virtue of Rush Limbaugh and his eligibility for the Hall of Angels in heaven should listen to a Liberal. Yes i m a Liber Al and i m tired of being attacked As an irresponsible mindless hedonistic archaic permissive fool who needs to be straightened out on the facts of life. Just listen to Limbaugh we Are told. He does t just give an opinion or take a stand he backs them up with facts. Just because Rush says it is a fact does no make it one. Conservatives Are depicted As god fearing Law abiding anti crime Job promoting welfare reformers and harbingers of change who will set things tight when or if they Are in positions of Power. A re View of their record could stand a Little scrutiny. It was a conservative former president Nixon who was nearly impeached watergate Ronald Reagan who fired the air traffic controllers from which the nation is still recovering Gerald Ford who did t really Hurt but he did not help much either. Who was involved in the Iran Contra scandal took $2 million to talk to the japanese claimed Texas As his Legal state of residence yet Only went there when absolutely needed or during election bids on whose watch did the savings an loan debacle happen for which were still paying we Are All aware of the stupendous trickle Down economic theory which benefited Only one segment of the eco nomic classes it was t the poor an Middle class. And lastly the conservatives were up in arms about Murphy Brown corrupting our youth for having a baby out of wed lock. Yet they were conspicuously silent when Catherine Oxenberg Tanya Tucker and Princess Stephanie of Monaco did the same. Can it be because these three women were live people and Murphy Brown was not these Are documented facts. A demo cratic Liberal sex president Jimmy car Ter is out building Homes for the needy often requested by foreign countries to review their civil rights records or  Grams and Monitor their elections for fraud or irregularities. Can the same be said for Nixon Ford Reagan or George Bush if not i Don t want to hear any More Claptrap about liberals or Rush Limbaugh s the Way it ought to be. Charles m. Floyd Neu Briecke Germany  Dodds failing three cheers for Challenge students Jan. 26. I too have children in the department of defense dependents schools system and i am appalled at its policies. At a recent meeting Here at shape i had the Opportunity to speak with two High level administrators in the Dodds system. They confirmed my fears that Dodds is More concerned with making All children feel Good about themselves than they Are about teaching. It is current Dodds policy to Advance All students to the next Grade level. If a child needs extra help it was explained to me a special aide will be hired to As Sist the needs of that child. To make Chil Dren repeat a Grade would damage their self esteem. No special help is forthcoming however for a More academically gifted child. It is current Dodds policy that children who have completed their work and Are ready for More challenging material must wait for the rest of the class to catch up. Teachers Are instructed not to Advance the child with More academically appropriate assignments. While no school system should under mine a child s self esteem the primary goal of any academic institution is Educa Tion. High academic standards should be encouraged and met. The Dodds sys tem should re evaluate its priorities and recognize its role As an educational institution not a social welfare Agency. By not meeting the needs and challenges of All our children including the academically talented Dodds is undermining not Only the children s self esteem but their future As Well. Barbara e. Duitch shape Belgium classes needed As a Parent of two Small children i am terrified of returning to the states be cause of the abduction of children. A television show mentioned seminars in schools directed at children for them and their parents about being More aware and cautious of their surroundings. How about department of defense de Pendents schools doing the same mrs. I. Orr Vilseck Germany what traditions " i was intrigued by the letter from the gentleman in Turkey who rebuffed the attempts of a Young woman to enter the Citadel. I have no doubt that Many of the graduates from this historical institution agree that Shannon Faulkner should just leave the Citadel alone and be Happy with an education from a sister College. That they believe will leave tradition intact. It is interesting that traditions were what they Felt were threatened. The All male status of the Citadel is not a tradition. It is the continuance of a policy established 150 years ago when women were not Active contributors to the armed forces. The tradition of the Citadel is to produce High Quality officers for military service to our nation. The Esprit de corps and professional education of an institution do not revolve around the student s sex they revolve around the Quality of the institution and of the men and women who attend it. Since Faulkner was accepted to the Citadel based upon her academic and athletic qualities As opposed to her sex perhaps we should not Center this Issue on traditions but face it for what it is resistance by the Citadel to enter the realities of military service in the 20th Cen Tury.  Frankfurt Germany choices made the writer of leave smokers alone Jan. 26 established she is a smoker and teels that there Are More important things for nonsmokers to complain about than smokers. I m aware i have better things to do than sit Back and complain about  i d much rather spend my time sitting Backen Joying the activity which is being invaded upon by this imposing habit. Furthermore i d rather not have to consider the potential health hazards presented by smokers to my self husband daughter and unborn child. The writer suggests i consider car exhaust food cancer aids drugs and every thing else i la die from which i do As does any other human being with a con science. In fact that s Why there exists the environmental Protection Agency the sur Geon general s office and other agencies which warn of the causes and effects of such dangers to our welfare. I choose to have the proper exhaust sys tem on my car eat properly do breast self exams make love with my husband Only not use drugs and not smoke. I also choose to have a tobacco free environment so i Andy family can breathe freely. Paige King Katterbach Germany overseas disadvantage it seems that when applying for the voluntary separation incentive special Sepa ration Benefit or Early retirement it pays to be stationed close to the Hoffman  seems that when you Send in a request for one of these programs defense administration approves the requests As they come in until a program is full. This policy is inherently unfair. A Soldier stationed overseas in most cases has More travel time involved in the processing of his paperwork. In the states a Soldier s company battalion brigade Divi Sion Etc. Are usually located on the same installation. This greatly increases the chances of a stateside Soldier benefiting from an Early out policy because his paperwork can be at the department of the army in a mat Tero Days. The mail service is also faster within the Continental United states. In some cases the Soldier can walk his paperwork., to the department of the army. This does not even take into consideration the communication time lag. Soldiers overseas learn about a program Days and sometimes weeks after release in the states. I recently applied for one of these  Grams and was turned Down. The reason Given was because my request got to a after All of the slots were tilled. My paper work was delayed because of the distance Between my higher Headquarters it takes time for paperwork to travel from Post to pos my unit and Lack of knowledge in the personnel who processed my paperwork. I Don t want to sound like i m crying but i can t help the feeling that if i were in the states i would have had a fair Chance of being considered for one of these programs. I would like to see some statistics concerning the approval ratings of stateside re quests and overseas requests. I would not be surprised to see a higher approval rate of stateside requests compared to overseas. I think the army should assign quotas by the Ater and allow the theater command to approve carry outs. This would eliminate the inequities in the system it presently uses. Staff sgt David j. Coates Kirch Gons Germany. An example of waste to preserve radio free Europe makes As much sense As having a factory turn out bayonets for combat. The whole thing is a Gross example of fraud waste antabuse. Richard h. Frese Stuttgart Germany ". Help Bosnia please i am tired of watching the horrifying events that unfold Day after Day in that tin nation called Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sup Posedly the United nations has been Cre ated to help nations diffuse their differences Over the table but that is not what is Hap pening in this Case. It is imperative that the United nations As a whole takes its Job seriously. How much longer must the world wait to see something done about the bosnian prob Lem very sadly and thanks to the United nations inefficiency i am witnessing one of the worst carnage in my Era. In the name of society please put a Stop to this problem. Osvaldo m. Merced Stuttgart Germany editor s note we encourage our readers especially those who have never submitted a letter to write to us. Letters expressing readers viewpoints or opinions Are published daily on this Page. All letters must be signed and in clude 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. 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