European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 24, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 stars and stripes tuesday april 24 2007 Thomas l Kelsch publisher Rchard Braun general manager Europe it col Stephen Oconnor commander news and editorial Robb Grindstaff ogu6 Clawson executive editor managing editor Europe Sara Mart vein Europe Bureau chief Joseph Giordono Mideast Bureau chief Marai Mcentee assistant Bureau chief Washington do assistant managing editors Mary Bender news Sean Moores sports Brian Bowers features Christopher six Patrick Dickson news editor Joe Gromelski web editor us mail unit 29480 Apo a 09211 International mail Postrach 133054345 Gries Heirn Germany fax Dan 3498416 Civ 0 email news letters Central office 529 14th Street new suite 350 Washington do 200451301 phone Dan 3127630900 or Civ 202 7610900 fax 202 7610890 editorial director 529 14th St new suite 350 Washington do 200451301 phone Dan 3127630945 or Civ 202 7610945 How to Call us editor 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fax Civ 202 7610890 email printed in Germany Fay hum yet As  deutschland printed in Italy by edit Rice Tei Estampa stars and stripes uses 017252 is published daily except christinas and new years for 50 cents Dairy and sunday by the stars and stripes Central office 52914th slow suite 350 Washington do 200451301 periodicals postage paid at Washington of postmaster Send address changes to european stars and stripes unit 29480 Apo a 09211 ombudsman David Mazzarella the stars and stripes ombudsman protects the free flow of news and information reporting any attempts by the military or other authorities to undermine the newspapers Independence the ombudsman also responds to concerns and questions from readers and monitors coverage for fairness accuracy timeliness and balance the ombudsman welcomes comments from readers and can be contacted by email at or by phone at 2027610945 european and Pacific stars and stripes 2007 stars and stripes web site  letters to the editor funeral protests sickening i was sickened by Kansas restricts pro tests at military funerals article april 15 Mideast edition children holding a sign that read thank god for dead sol Diers i had heard of this cult Church Topeka Kan based Westboro Baptist Church and its followers however i Learned from the article that there is no Federal Law Banning protests at military funerals How can this be As a Veteran and father inlaw of an infantryman fighting in Iraq i cannot imag Ine a nation that would allow the memory and final services of our fallen to be Deni grated in this manner i dont care How Many hundreds of feet away they Are this practice should not be allowed period surely there is room at Camp 6 Gizmo for these folks to get an attitude adjust ment for their actions correction just Send a Seal team Kirk Wesley Boland Tara drum Iraq Why no support for victims i was deeply saddened by the Lack of support for the victims of the Virginia tech massacre in our Community i did not see one person besides members of my family wearing the school colors of Maroon and Orange i drove past a local departments of de sense dependents schools school and saw that its american Flag was not even Low ered i have not seen any advertisements for a memorial service for the victims have we really become that numb to the violence in our society i did not know one person who was a Vic Tim but As an american we have All been affected i Hope that something like this will not happen again and i certainly Hope there will be More compassion in the Mili tary Community Colleen Lebreton Wiesbaden Germany boost gun owner requirements i disagree with the writer of gun control int the answer letter april after two Europe Tours there is not one Street in any Western european country Ive travelled where i Felt threatened by the possibility of becoming the target of a firearm on the other hand As the Virginia tech incident proves again one is not Safe from gun violence anywhere in the United states because of our lackadaisical gun ownership controls How Many times have we picked up a newspaper in the us and read not Only about school massacres but about a drive by shooting at a mall or other Vio Lence involving a gun answer too often the writer states that the tragedy at Virginia tech was the result of a psycho path who snapped and went on a ram Page Correct and because of the ease he had in obtaining his Choice of weapon legally he selected the gun the writer is simpleminded to compare Tell us what you think Sta Sand stripes welcomes your comments on editorials and columns that Are published in the newspaper and values letters on topics of importance in the lives of our readers All letters must be signed and must include tie writers address or base and Telephone number please limit All letters to 300 words we Reserve the right to edit letters for length taste and clarity Send your letters to Usmail stars and stripes unit 29480 apr a 09211 International mail stars and stripes Postrach 1330 64345 Gries Heirn via country code 0 Dan 3498395 email a knife to a High velocity weapon thais like comparing the skills of a medical Doc Tor to a ind Engartner or the velocity of a Bow to a tricycle a two hour 33person massacre cant be done with a knife or baseball Bat As this writer and the aver age gun proponent commonly state i am not for removing gun ownership from America i am for one being entitled to own a gun providing the individual passes More stringent qualifications and requirements than what exists in the us if gun ownership is not made More Strin gent then we should Start accepting these school shootings As just part of the Ameri can Way of life m Wade Paul Heidelberg Germany winning the War in Iraq it Doest take much to read or watch the bad news coming out of Iraq it is talked about the headlines seem to imply we Are losing the War yet few peo ple talk about How we Are winning the War the Battlefront for us is not in the streets but in a Small clinic in Baghdad every week soldiers and civilians Volun Teer to meet with local families and connect to the people they Are Here to help i see soldiers who have seen combat and the worst in human nature turn from hard ened warriors into Mush when they see the children who come to the clinic they Are the reason we Are Here their future depends upon us these precious children what i Call the real victims of this War Are so innocent most of the children Here Haven had a Bath for Days that these families Are risk ing their fives to be Here to get our support shows desperation and courage All at once soldiers and civilians bring Candy toys and other items one Soldier brought a Box of shoes sent from his Church stateside a civilian bought a Bunch of shampoos and gave them to the women every person there is fighting this War with open minds and hearts the future of Iraq depends upon these children who will grow up to be doctors engineers politicians and More doonesbury when you see All of the bad news re member there Are people and places like this clinic throughout Iraq that Are fight ing this War on a different Battlefront than the one shown on the news Jim West Baghdad Media tried Duke defendants i must applaud Joann Armao of the Washington Post for name Duke accuser and assault victims opinion april 19 and arguing that both assault victims and accusers should be named in newspapers however her argument is severely misapplied it is important to protect the names of victims and accusers if they request that their identity be protected that is called respecting the right of the individual which the Constitution was established to protect that respect should be Given until the Point where the accuser is found to be presenting a false accusation very Little is spoken of the right and dig nity of those being accused who end ii being publicly tried in the news Media Well before the Case is heard in court it is important to respect the names of the defendants just As much As the accuser As a result of Public news Media reporting the truth which turned out to be the three Young men of Duke University find their names associated with a horrible event their character put into question and themselves defamed even though the accuser is found to be false the accusers name and picture should be plastered All Over the news so that these three men Are vindicated clearly and publicly and the accuser land any other Poten tial false accuser might think again about making a false accusation that will dam age and defame another member of our Community additionally perhaps we will All now know what kind of individual we Are dealing with if we Ever meet or have to Deal with this individual in our global Cul Ture it is regrettable that the three men will have to live with what the news Media did to them for the rest of their lives William r Hardy or Stuttgart Germany the pain of Bank privileges we have Bee paying for 1 Pound for some months now by the Pound article april 19 european Edi Why because most of us use the privilege of on base banking to do most of our currency Exchange this privilege costs us an average of an additional 5 cents to every Dollar per Pound transaction based on the current Exchange rate i want aware that we have to pay a fee for our base privileges maybe the Exchange rate would not Hurt so much if we didst feel the pain of this privilege fee our costo living allowance is there to help us five in our foreign Home it does not relieve the additional Cost of exchanging our currency at our privilege Banks Daw Michalek Raf Lakenheath England by Garry Trudeau youre App wins you think youre qualifi5pto fun the in Iraq Cha Job them w6ht obviously i  Why do you always