The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 18

ROBERT J. HALL Publisher and Chairman MAXWELL E.P. KING Editor and Executive Vice President DAVID R. BOLDT Editor of the Editorial Page GENE FOREMAN Executive Editor JAMES M. NAUGHTON Managing Editor Inquirer An Independent Newspaper Wednesday, December 12.

1990 Page 18-A EDITORIALS Kuwait and Palestine There should be a time for both these issues, but it shouldn't be the same time a mmm The Philadelphia Inquirer TONY AUTH LETTERS Kowtowing to Saudi customs has gone too far he can present himself as a Mideast hero, reaping rewards for his aggression and taking credit for championing the Palestinian cause, radical Arabs will cling to their illusions about what can be gained at the peace table and Israel will avoid even taking a seat at the table. Only if the gulf crisis ends with Saddam Hussein chastened, Kuwait freed and moderate Arab states like Egypt strengthened, do Mideast peace talks stand a chance. At that point a strong Egypt, a willing Syria and an accepting Saudi Arabia could turn the idea of a regional peace plan from dream to faint possibility. The Palestinians, who have hurt their cause by supporting Iraq, would have to be realistic. The newly cooperative Soviet Union, along with a United States enjoying renewed international respect for its firmness in confronting Iraq, could play a positive role.

Under such conditions, Israel could perhaps be persuaded that it would benefit in the long run from such negotiations. And many Israelis might come to question the insistence of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who is now visiting the United States, that Israel must keep all occupied land. So anything that links the Persian Gulf crisis to the Palestinian issue in the immediate present will only sabotage the possibility of Mideast peace talks down the road. What Mr. Bush can do is state clearly that the United States will work hard to restart the Arab-Israeli peace process once the Kuwaiti affair is over and that occupied Palestinian land will eventually have to be exchanged for peace.

Ever since the Persian Gulf crisis started, Saddam Hussein has tried to link his invasion and occupation of peaceful Kuwait with Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. The Iraqi leader has insisted that he would not resolve the Kuwait problem (he never uses the word leave) until Israel gets out of the land it occupies, and Iraq is certain to stress this point during the forthcoming talks with the United States. This linking of the Mideast's two great dramas is also happening in the U.N. Security Council, where the United States has been trying to re- word a resolution on the Palestinian issue that calls for an international Mideast peace conference at an "appropriate time." The United States has endorsed, in principle, the idea of holding of such a conference, but the Bush administration is right to oppose bringing it up at this sensitive time. And the United States has the support of its two main Arab allies, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

All three nations fear that to link these two very different issues now would look to the world like a reward for Saddam Hussein. And it would open the door to more mischief-making by the Iraqi leader, who cares little for the Palestinians, but would be happy to use their cause as a delaying tactic making his withdrawal from Kuwait contingent on negotiations over the Palestinian question. Those negotiations could take, at best, years. The irony here is that the best chance to make progress on resolving the Palestinian question will emerge only after Mr. Hussein has withdrawn from Kuwait.

So long as Poverty and Norplant Can contraception reduce the underclass? can school children with students of other countries and some excellent points were raised. But then I came to these six words, "and our teachers aren't very good," implying not one, not a few, but an entire profession. Anything positive that might have come out of this editorial was destroyed right there. With these words, you only gave another excuse to parents and to students for not performing well. Why should they? After all "our teachers aren't very good." With these same words you crushed an entire profession, one that is trying very hard to overcome this problem that you spoke about in the editorial, one that could have used a big boost from such an influential newspaper as yours.

Next time you do an editorial on education, please help the teaching profession do our job; don't further our problems! Evelyn Hagmann Woodbury Shall we play? I would like to respond to the Dec. 1 editorial "Too much homework?" As a teacher I hold the unusual opinion that, homework is not only rarely necessary but often detrimental to a child's education, particularly at the elementary level. Play, however, is a very important, necessary part of the educational process. I'm not talking about ballet lessons or organized sports. I'm talking about good old-fashioned make-pretend, get down and dirty play in short, using one's imagination.

Children need time to play, free from adult's rules and regulations. Too often tedious, repetitious homework gets in the way of the essential need. Other activities that are often set aside in favor of homework are reading, conversation, cooking, chores and general socialization between family and friends. Creativity and social skills are never taught through homework. What about academics? Six well-spent hours a day are quite enough to learn the academics.

Well-spent are the operative words here. A six-hour day is long enough for an elementary school-age child. How many adults actually take home two or three hours of work every day after their eight-hour work day? How many actually enjoy this? Occasionally, homework may be necessary for a special school project, research or in preparation for a test, but there is certainly no need for homework a daily basis. There is a need, however, for a child to have plenty of daily creative, imaginative play. Lisa Morales Lafayette Hill, Montgomery County Snide insinuation You preach truth; you preach honesty; you preach accuracy; you preach accountability; you preach justice.

For shame! Your Dec. 5 editorial (how I wish the editor responsible would sign same) crucifying Traffic Court (of which I am an employee) is a muddled conglomeration of snide insinuations and unjustified accusations and is inexcusable. Pat Peteraf Philadelphia of another field blocked the entry of new firms into its markets by a law that required a company planning to build a facility of more than 500 square meters to gain the consent of all neighboring stores that might be adversely affected. The process previously dragged on anywhere from three to 10 years, but, in a recent "concession" on the part of the Japanese, the waiting period has been shortened to 18 months. Toys Us is the first U.S.

firm that is attempting to take advantage of this "concession." It continues to be met with stiff opposition. The owners of toy stores in each city where Toys Us has announced plans to build a store have banded together and are lobbying their legislators to derail or delay this foreign competitor. It would be heartening to hear someone in the United States propose that GM, Ford and Chrysler be given the same veto power over the plans of their foreign competitors that the Japanese toy industry, among others, is permitted to wield. Any noise at all in opposition to Toyota's announcement would be a welcome change to the silence that seems to say that we are prepared to cede control of another industry to the Japanese. Robert J.

Tatar Philadelphia Two stories from yesterday's newspaper: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves Norplant, a contraceptive that can keep a woman from getting pregnant for five years. A black research organization reports that nearly half the nation's black children are living in poverty and that the younger the child, the more likely he or she is to be living with a single mother on wel- fare. "Growing numbers of them will not succeed," the study's author says. As we read those two stories, we asked ourselves: Dare we mention them in the same breath? To do so might be considered deplorably insensitive, perhaps raising the specter of eugenics.

But it would be worse to avoid drawing the logical conclusion that foolproof contraception could be invaluable in breaking the cycle of inner city poverty one of of America's greatest challenges. The main reason more black children are living in poverty is that the people having the most children are the ones least capable of supporting them. (The black middle class is growing, but its birth rate is very low.) This trend, as Children's Defense Fund president Marian Wright Edelman has said, "practically guarantees the poverty of the next generation of black children." WHERE TO WRITE: Letters Philadelphia Inquirer P.O. Box 8263 Philadelphia, Pa. 19101 The Inquirer welcomes letters from its readers.

For verification purposes, include home address and phone number (day and evening). The more concise a letter, the more likely it will be chosen and the less likely it will need to be condensed. day, Nov. 24). Already I'm nervous.

Is this his description of market patrons? Working people supply the majority of the market's business. Some are rich. Some are poor. Some are in between. We buy groceries, eat lunch, meet friends and delight in some of the freshest food available in Philadelphia.

It's not Super-Fresh and it's so much more fun. Mr. Gardiner cites credentials as a Wharton graduate and a festival marketplace developer. Uh-oh. Fix the leaky ceilings if you will, Mr.

Gardiner. Add light and space to eat, as you promised. But leave the unostentatious and realistic feeling of the Reading Terminal Market alone. Liz Levine Philadelphia The rake's progress With much interest, a little consternation but through it all my sense of humor, I truly enjoyed Marc Schogol's Dec. 4 Commentary Page article on the autumn leaves collection in Upper Darby.

Far as Upper Darby has gone from raking leaves into the street for collection to requiring homeowners to bag, Marple Township has gone from bagging leaves to raking them into the street! All, I am sure, in the name of some state-mandated recycling policy. What never ceases to amaze me however is that the officials of two townships five miles apart can interpret the requirements exactly opposite. It is absurd to pile leaves into the street for all the reasons Mr. Schogol mentions they blow back onto the lawn and must be raked again, the mail truck and other vehicles going close to the curb scatter them when dry and pack them down when wet, and they actually cause more of a mess in the neighborhood than if they were bagged. Marple and Upper Darby officials should look to the sages of Lower Merion Township for their solution.

They provide large, biodegradable brown paper bags that hold the leaves until collected and yet do not contaminate landfills with plastic. By this method the leaves, once raked, are off the lawn and off the streets. In the meantime, I empathize with Mr. Schogol in his confusion and look forward, even if tongue in cheek, to the first winter storm that covers the problem until spring cleanup. James Johnson Broomall, Delaware County Entire profession crushed Being a teacher, I read with great interest the Dec.

1 editorial, "Too much Several studies were cited comparing Ameri Ceding control I still am waiting to hear someone oppose Toyota's announced plans to construct additional car-manufacturing plant space in the United States. I expected United Auto Workers leaders, the governors of states that would be adversely affected and U.S. auto manufacturers to reply with efforts to block or delay Toyota's new facilities. Instead, by their silence they seem meekly to acquiesce to additional market share losses by U.S. manufacturers.

The accounts I have read of Toyota's plan all mention the number of jobs the construction of this new facility will create. They fail to mention, however, the number of jobs Toyota will destroy at competing American firms. The looming recession is depressing the market for new cars in the United States, and as a result all three U.S. car makers have announced plans for layoffs and plant closings. In this economic environment it seems ludicrous to permit the expansion of the car production capability of any firm, and particularly one whose ownership is Japanese.

Toyota's unfettered entry into the U.S. market contrasts sharply with the struggles U.S. firms continue to face when attempting to enter the Japanese marketplace. For decades, Japan had effectively How low will the United States go? What else can we do in Saudi Arabia to publicy humiliate our country and those that fight for it? First we embarrass our culture by kowtowing to the Saudi demand that our female soldiers defer to the local customs that hold women as little more than prized chattel. We tell them that they have to go and serve, but that they can't drive or dress comfortably in the heat as their male counterparts can so that they don't offend the local populace.

Now we embarrass our entire nation by telling our troops that they cannot display the American flag, which they are supposedly fighting for and representing even though other nations are proudly displaying their flags. Those mistakes, along with our massive premature buildup of forces that are just sitting around daring Saddam Hussein to "cross a line" before we do anything makes us look like a superpower that is all bark and no bite. Our government lost all its self-esteem with the prolonged Iranian hostage crisis. It seems that we never learned how to reclaim it. We should respect Saudi laws and customs while we are there.

But respect is not synonymous with adoption. By acquiescing to the Saudi demands of conformance to their customs, we show the world that we have no respect for our own citizens or society; we belittle our own people. We are showing the world that the United States is indeed a weak and unproud nation. Richard Thompson Mount Laurel National self-respect I write in response to the Dec. article, "Why Old Glory isn't waving in breezes of Saudi Arabia." If a nation is to be respected by other nations, it first must respect itself.

Not flying the U.S. flag and ripping off the flag from uniforms of American soldiers is a complete disrespect toward the principles of this nation. The fact that we are currently in Saudi Arabia is neither here nor there. If we have to hide the Old Glory in the sand, then perhaps we should not be there. Bohdan W.

Siryj Cinnaminson If only they'd tried Regarding your article on removing the American flag shoulder patches and lowering the flag on the pole in Saudi Arabia: I would just like to have heard Gen. George Patton's remark if they had told him he could not show his colors. William S. Larson Glassboro Beyond disappointment I am very upset with the way members of Congress express how disappointed they are over the token amount of troops from our allies. Disappointment is felt when it rains on your picnic.

Outrage and disgust are the message our leaders should be sending to the world. Now is the time our leaders should be telling the world that the American people will not stand alone in preserving world peace. The world has heard that our president has "had it" with Saddam Hussein. Now let the world hear that the American people have "had it" with their uncooperative attitude. It is important to stop Iraq's aggression.

It is also important that the rest of the world stand together and provide an equal and fair amount of the risk to achieve that goal. Penny Rybak Aston, Delaware County So let's free everybody What is going on in the United States? President Bush and his administration have spent the last four months trying to get us in a war with Iraq. Now he has allied us with the great democracies of England, Russia, China, Israel and Syria against the new Hitler (Saddam Hussein). After we get our boys and girls killed trying to free Kuwait we can then send the survivors to free the following: Northern Ireland from England; the Baltics, Ukraine, from Russia; Tibet from China; Palestine from Israel; Lebanon from Syria, and the rest of the world from whomever. George Washington warned the people of the United States in his farewell address about foreign alliances.

When will we learn? Brendan Naughton Point Pleasant, Bucks County Eschew ostentation William T. Gardiner says he wants Reading Terminal Market to serve the entire community "the rich and the not so rich" (Satur- Now there are many ways to fight back from better prenatal care to better schools. But it's very tough to undo the damage of being born into a dysfunctional family. So why not make a major effort to reduce the number of children, of any race, born into such circumstances? (More whites than blacks live in poverty, though poor blacks make up a higher percentage of people who are more or less permanently on welfare.) No one should be compelled to use Norplant, which involves a doctor implanting matchstick-size capsules in a woman's upper arm. But there could be incentives to do so.

What if welfare mothers were offered an increased benefit for agreeing to use this new, safe, long-term contraceptive? Remember, these women already have one or more children. And they can change their minds at any point and become fertile again. (This is not Indira Gandhi offering portable radios to women who agree to be sterilized.) At the very minimum, Norplant, which will probably cost $600 to $1,000, should be made available for free to poor women. All right, the subject makes us uncomfortable, too. But we're made even more uncomfortable by the impoverishment of black America and its effect on the nation's future.

Think about it. Former Republican gubernatorial loser James Courter has wisely withdrawn as a candidate for the U.S. attorney's job in New Jersey. That should make it easier for President Bush to appoint Michael Chertoff, the competent professional now doing the job on an acting basis. Mr.

Chertoff, previously the top deputy in the office, has the respect of prosecutors who were nervous that Mr. Courter, who had the barest of prosecutorial experience, was even on the list of candidates. Mr. Chertoff, who won his stripes prosecuting mobsters under former U.S. Attorney Rudolph Giuliani in New York, now oversees an office that is busy investigating and prosecuting drug dealers, organized criminals, polluters, white collar finaglers and corrupt officials.

Mr. Chertoff and his team should be freed to keep doing what they're doing without worrying about whom the pols are going to come up with to run the show. In passing 'Ordinary guy' in space Chertoff for U.S. attorney Toyohiro Akiyama, the world's first Outer Space Correspondent, did Americans a favor. During his eight days in space, he showed that not all Japanese citizens are science wizards bent on overtaking America.

They can whine like the best of us and have some big-time bad habits. Mr. Akiyama was billed by his TV station as "an ordinary guy" accompanying Soviet cosmonauts on a routine mission. And he measured up just fine. Instead of sending back the scientifically rich reports one might expect from the first Japanese reporter in space, Mr.

Akiyama, a four-pack-a-day smoker, lamented that he couldn't buy a cigarette to save his life. He also complained of dizziness and stomach upset. In short, he sounded more like an American tourist at large in Mexico than a Japanese overachiever with an intergalactic scoop. Whew!.