The Kokomo Tribune from Kokomo, Indiana • Page 5

KOKOMO TRIBUNE OPINION FRIDAY, AUG. 18,1995 AS FOUNDED IN 1850 KOKQMQ TRIBUNE TRIBUNE EDITORIAL BOARD: Arden A. Draeger Publisher-general manager John Wiles JoeFolUck Editor Opinion Editor The Citadel loses battle I Shannon Faulkner's entrance into The Citadel a step forward or backward in our country's quest for equality and fairness? On the surface, it seems that an institution that refuses to accept women is an institution that fortifies discrimination. But as the graduates of the dozens of all- women colleges will attest to, there is something to be said for having the unisex education option. In the honorable quest to end prejudice, our country has mistaken diversity for dilution.

The result in all areas of life is noticeable, but especially so in academia. Prior to its well-intentioned dismantling, America's system of universities and col- It is a woman's prerogative Jane Roe's change of mind does not change minds of the majority Diversity, not uniformity, should be the main goal leges was a model of excellence and diversity. Colleges were known and identified as liberal or conservative, male or female, strong in the humanities or perhaps excelling in management. Today's schools are watered down as they attempt to be everything to everybody. Sure it is reassuring to see Ivy League schools are no longer strictly the domain of blue- blooded whites.

But a school which is specifically strengthened by its uniqueness such as The Citadel is unfortunately squeezed out in today's PC. world. Schools should not be allowed to discriminate on basis of sex, color or religion, but neither should they be forced to conform to bland ideals that ruin the spice of life. There is room for all-male institutions such as The Citadel in our country, just as there is room for all-female institutions. Call or write! National (Sens.

Dan Coats and Richard Lugar represent the entire state of Indiana. Rep. Steve Buyer represents the Fifth district which includes Howard, Miami, Cass, Carroll and Grant counties. Rep. Dan Burton represents the Sixth district which includes Tipton, Clinton and Hamilton counties.

All four are Republicans.) Sen. Dan Coats, 404 Russell Senate Washington, D.C. 20510. (202) 224-5623 Sen. Richard Lugar, 306 Hart Senate Washington, D.C.

20510. (202) 224-4814 Rep. Steve Buyer, 326 Cannon Washington, D.C. 20515. (202) 225-5037 Rep.

Dan Burton, 2411 Rayburn Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20515. (202) 225-2276 Norma McCorvey has changed her mind. Who? Most of us had to listen to the rest of the news reports the other day to figure out who the heck Norma McCorvey was, much less what she had changed her mind about.

Maybe that was part of the problem. Maybe Norma McCorvey felt "Norma McCorvey" should be a household name by now, since she had been significant some might say essential in changing the lives of American women. Why, for instance, wasn't the name "Norma McCorvey" as familiar as "Martha Washington" or "Betsy Ross" or, for that matter, "Norma Jean?" Because we knew Norma McCorvey as simply "Jane Roe," Jane Roe of the historic 1973 Supreme Court case filed as Roe vs. Wade. And even though Norma McCorvey had "come out," had written a tell-all book and made many public appearances, she was stuck in our nation's collective consciousness as Jane Roe, the anonymous, faceless woman who sued for her right to a legal abortion and in the process won that right for all others.

But now Norma McCorvey has exercised another woman's prerogative and changed her mind. She has been baptized in a swimming pool by a fundamentalist showman who noticed, befriended and converted her not only to fundamentalist Christianity, but to an anti-abortion stance as well. These things happen. Kidnap victim Patty Hearst robbed a bank. Civil rights pioneer James Meredith went to work for the old segregationist Jesse Helms.

And now in an equally dramatic reversal, Jane Roe has joined the anti- abortion forces. (Sort of. Even after her dunk in the Texas pool, Norma found it necessary to qualify her new posi- RHETA GRIMSLEY JOHNSON SYNDICATED COLUMNIST tion, saying that she still supports the right of a woman to have an abortion in the first trimester, but not the second.) Are the above cases of (a) brainwashing or (b) not much brain to begin with? One could hazard a guess. Meanwhile, the anti-abortion people are jubilant about their substantial public relations coup. "The poster child has jumped off the poster," the head of Texans United for Life said.

No doubt the pro-choice side would have reacted the same way if, say, the Pope had changed his mind and decreed that abortion should be a woman's decision. As interesting, as dramatic, as the Norma McCorvey case is, it does nothing to alter the fact that the majority of American females, the majority of American people, believe that a woman has the right to make the decision to abort. And that the right to a legal abortion is the law of the land. It would take a lot more conversions than one to warrant a change in that law. It would take a lot more Norma McCorveys deciding that someone other than the pregnant woman has the right to decide her fate.

Even with the current reactionary mood in Congress, realistic politicians are forced to listen to the unchanging will of the majority, not the shrill outbursts of a fanatical fringe. (Witness conservative Sen. Aden Specter, unlikely champion of a woman's right to choose.) As for Norma McCorvey, well, maybe this new round of front page stories and TV appearances will feed the longings for attention that she seems to have. Jane Roe is in the history books. Norma McCorvey we'll remember for at least 15 minutes.

(Grimsley Johnson is a columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.) LETTERS to the editor 'Nuts' have rights too Your recent editorial comments denouncing the government and media's attention being wasted on "nuts" was right on target. I am sick of the people who whine about Waco. Oh sure, David what's-his-name was investigated by Texas law enforcement for child abuse and they found no evidence of it. Who cares, he is dead, let's be Americans and enjoy our right to trash him all we want now that he cannot defend until proved innocent, I say! And sure, the handful of survivors of the Mt. Carmel fire were actually found by a court of law to have acted in self-defense when they opened fire on Aunt Janet's storm troopers, but let's forget that.

Any real American would have just stood idly by and allowed a swarm of black-suited, jackbooted thugs to invade their homes and shoot their kids! But, what I really liked about your editorial was how we can now disregard the constitutional rights of anyone we (your editors and I) regard as "nuts." And boy, there are a lot of them. Well, you sure got me wanting to help you, so I vote that we turn the old Grissom AFB into a sort of holding pen for all these nuts. Okay, I know what you are thinking: you are just simple newspaper editors and how many nuts will show up to be penned in just by your asking them to? Well, here is where I can help you out. I am a military collector. I already own several fully-functioning artillery pieces, and my buddy Allan in the Corps of Engineers is currently helping me obtain a fully-functioning tank (hey, we won't need to ask Janet for one of hers).

So, by golly, we'll be able to offer real encouragement to the nuts, just like the ATF and FBI do! The real question is, what nuts do we go after first? I say we start with the Elvis impersonators! Once we have rounded them up, we'll move on to people who claim to have been kidnapped by UFOs, then we'll round up the Shriners (any grown man who runs around with a red flower pot on his head has to be a nut and a danger to society). Next, let's get the cigarette smokers (I smoke meerschaum pipes and hand-rolled Cuban see-gars myself, so I don't mind rounding up the cigarette puffers). Then we'll have to go after the Commies (hey, better dead than Red), then the trade unionists because "vey are dis plague on da Fatherland, un ven da Jews unt za Catholics, und anyone who does not think like we do." "Today Kokomo, tomorrow za world!" Col. L. Edward Lawrence Galveston Guild money going for good Amid the ongoing debate revolving around all phases of our health care system, compassionate care for every patient remains an uncompromising goal.

Hospital Cheer Guild regards this patient concern as our premise to pursue our projects. The caring, compassionate people of the Kokomo community have again made our efforts fruitful. We thank everyone for continued support. Howard Community Hospital and Saint Joseph Hospital Health Center will share $83,800 from Cheer Guild this year. The funds have been raised through the yearly membership drive, the spring charity ball, and the profits from the gift shops in each hospital.

Howard Community Hospital will use funds from Cheer Guild for their requested projects that include: infant's CPR training manikins, pediatric patient needs, mother and baby care needs in the Women's Center, advanced cardiac life support training, an Adult Star 2000 ventilator and newborn warming lights. This new equipment will serve a wide range of patient needs. Saint Joseph Hospital Health Center will use their allotted funds fur an OB project that includes one LDRP with a birthing bed, VCR, sleeper chair, Hillirom Bassinet, special care nursery equipment (including a datascope monitor for special care babies), two IVAC variable pressure pumps, five rocking chairs, and equipment for labor and delivery needs. The Hospice program will be provided with IV CADD PCA pumps, wheelchairs, walkers and miscellaneous equipment. Funds will be furnished to the Clinic of Hope for dental services.

The scope of patient care encompasses needs from the newborn to the terminally ill. The future of the national health care system is a confusing dilemma. Nevertheless, Cheer Guild efforts continue to be a link in providing quality health care to everyone in the Kokomo community. Cheer Guild remains dedicated to the purpose of comfort, charity and cheer. Community effort makes this purpose a reality.

Mrs. William E. Humphrey President Hospital Cheer Guild 1994-1995 Prisoner says new prison OK I am an inmate in the super maximum lockdown unit at the Wabash Valley Correctional Institution. I've been reading the paper and everyone is so worried about a prison being built on the grounds of Grissom Air Base. So far everyone who is against it has given no real reason why they don't want it.

Sure, they say they're afraid of escapes, ex-cons being released and living in the area, and the basic fears one may think of when they hear the word "prison." First of all, not everyone is in prison for murder, rape, child molest, etc. They say it will be a medium, level 3, so you won't have all those types of "hard" felons there. The prison I'm at is a state- of-the-art facility. Rows upon rows of razor wire encircle the two 15- foot high fences. There is four foot of concrete under the fence to prevent anyone from digging a tunnel.

There are motion detectors on the fences so if they move, the person in the guard tower will know it. The person in the tower has a high-powered rifle and he is able to hit a moving target at 100 yards. By being built in the Bunker Hill area, it will provide jobs for the people of that town. I asked a guard who just started and he said he gets $18,000 a year. Another one said he made close to $25,000 last year after overtime and it was his rookie year.

That's all with benefits. Somebody wrote and said, "What business wants to locate beside a prison?" The question is, what business wouldn't? Think about it, if someone was to build and run a Village Pantry-type business, they would make a killing of a profit. You would have hundreds of guards going to and from work every day. And wouldn't they need something to eat or drink? Not to mention the inmates' friends and family coming to visit. I'm from the Grissom area.

Are you worried people going to sign a petition and try to prevent me from coming home? I'll be an ex- con from one of the toughest lock- down units in the nation. Will you be afraid to be my neighbor? All I'm saying is the way prisons are being built today you don't have to worry about escapes. And 95 percent of the inmates have friends family to go to and the chances of them moving to the area is slim. I'm in prison. Once I'm released 1 want to get as far away from this place as I can and never look back.

Mike Welsh Wabash Valley Correctional Institution U.S. guilty of bloodshed It has been 50 years since the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japanese cities. Earlier this year there was much controversy about the Enola Gay exhibit at the Smithsonian. The reason for the controversy is that documentation has been discovered by historians that indicates the United States bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki after knowing that the Japanese were willing to surrender. Further evidence is that this was done to intimidate the Russians and show them the terrible destruction wrought by nuclear weapons.

There is nothing surprising about this to me. It corresponds nicely with the fact that the United States and every other capitalist nation on earth invaded Russia after the Bolshevik revolution to destroy the incipient rise of socialism and the threat that posed to the wealth and power of the ruling class in every capitalist country Also, it corresponds with the atrocities committed by the United States, either directly or through proxies, in Vietnam, Guatemala, HI Salvador, Angola, Mozambique, Chile, Indonesia and East Timor. This tremendous carnage, involving the violent deaths of millions of people and the starvation deaths of millions more, was done to stop the spread of socialism and ensure corporate access to cheap labor and natural resources. The idea of several hundred thousand Japanese dying, and thousands of others suffering from radiation poisoning, for the same reason is very consistent with history both before and after World War II. Gary Sudborough Bellflower, Calif.

Remember Peart Harbor In June of 1945,1 was an 18- year-old draftee replacement on the island of Leyte in the Philippines, assigned to the 40th Division Infantry. The 108th Regiment was bivouacked on a beach on Panay. They had just come off Mindanao and were recuperating from disease, sickness and wounds. A Japanese sniper had killed the 19-year-old B.A.R. man for the squad I was assigned to.

I was given his weapon and other equipment. Our unit began amphibious training on the island of Negros in July 1945 in preparation for invading Japan. Two or three days after the A- bombs were dropped, we were told the Japs had surrendered. We didn't know about the power and devastation that had taken place. 1 do not remember celebrating.

The Japs were still hiding in caves and with the natives, so we couldn't let our guard down. The 40th Division took the colors home, and the soldiers that didn't have enough points to go with it were re-assigned to other divisions. I spent another 13 months in Korea in the 6th Div. Quartermaster. We did receive information that the Japanese beach where we were to invade was heavier fortified than reported, and our unit would have suffered over 70 percent casualties.

Much could be, and has been written about the A- bomb, but I'm here to tell you 50 years later, it probably spared my life and thousands more like me. Remember Pearl Harbor! Ralph Laudenschlager Kokomo Rehab programs help us all If it had not been for the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, I would not be the disability services advocate for Region 5 of Ivy Tech State College. After a near- fatal automobile accident ten years ago, I was left at the age of 37 in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. I now hold the position at Ivy Tech of disability services advocate in a department that is teaching disabled people how to prepare for a life in the future. I would never be helping other disabled people if the Indiana Office of Vocational Rehabilitation had not helped me first.

I hate to hear Congress talk about cutting any funding from such a valuable rehabilitation program that we as Indiana taxpayers need for disabled people, like me. Russ Ragland Kokomo About the Opinion page The opinions expressed daily in the upper left corner reflect the opinions of the Kokomo Tribune's editorial board. Columns, caitoons and letters elsewhere on the Opinion page reflect the opinions of the respective author. We welcome "Letters to the Editor" on any topic of general interest. The Kokomo Tribune reserves the right to edit all letters for grammar, brevity, good taste and libel.

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