The Journal Times from Racine, Wisconsin • 21

the Journal Times 01 Robert A. Fuslo Publisher Lorretta Breslln General Manager Peter 0. Foi Editor Steven T. Lovejoy News Editor Sean P. Devlin Opinion Editor FRIDAY April 28, 1989 SECTION Not to tell you what to think, but to encourage thought.

Commentary A right of choice for all I I Si lr-nm In tt Associated Press 6 The time has come for a The V-22 Osprey is a program being canceled by budget restraints. Coiuiirage? WBsdomm? Or are Pentagon budget cuts just another political ploy? system. Each merely needs time and nutrition until the point comes of independence from that life-support system. Like slave owners The so-called "pro-choicers" remind me of the slave owners who declared that they had the right to do whatever they wanted with their "property," including kill them if they became an economic disadvantage or impaired their quality of life. Since slaves were not considered to be human by a majority of people at that time, a vote against slavery would not have ended slavery.

It took a presidential proclamation. The majority of citizens still considered blacks to be less than human some people still carry that misconception but that does not alter the truth. People's personal beliefs do not create a fact, then or now. The time has come for a human life amendment to assure the freedom of choice to all, including the pre-born. The deaths and injustices suffered by women at the hands of "back alley" abortionists are grossly exaggerated, yet even if true, those women had choices to make: the choice to keep the child, the choice to seek others willing to assume guardianship, the choice to seek counseling.

True pro-choice Let's truly be "pro-choice" and allow for choice for the pre-born child too. Legalized abortion is not "neutral," as some say, but incredibly dangerous. It creates a class of victims innocent persons whose killing is permitted and protected by the law. If mothers may kill their own children, then who can we trust? If the womb is unsafe, then where can we be safe? Abortion not only violates children's rights, it endangers us all. It's time for the government to fulfill one of its only legitimate functions, to protect individual life.

I pray that we have a Supreme Court which will vote to overturn Roe vs. Wade, and choice will be important for all, not just the strong, the powerful or even the majority. This country is still a republic, not a democracy. A democracy could be "two wolves and a lamb voting about what to have for By Kay Rous I recently spent a weekend at the Libertarian Party state convention here, a gathering with many truly "pro-choice" individuals, and I greatly resent the' use of the term "pro-choice" by those who are "pro-abortion." I believe that I have always been "pro-choice." I believe that being free and independent is the only way to live and would prefer a system which encouraged all people to choose what they want from life; that lets them live, love, work and play and dream their own way, at their own pace, however they wish and with whom they wish, win or lose, as long as they do not infringe upon the rights of others. Each individual is unique from the moment of conception, and a truly "pro-choice" system would respect the individual and encourage all of us to discover the best within ourselves and actualize our full potential.

All my positions on issues are consistent with the idea that each individual has the right to control his or her own body, action, speech and property and that government's only proper role is to assist individuals when they need to defend themselves from anyone who would violate their rights. Not victimless Abortion takes away the freedom of choice from an extremely large group of individuals, male and female, black and white, rich and poor. It is not a victimless crime. Pre-born children are persons with rights, and parents owe care and protection to all their children, born and pre-born. Abortion is aggression against individuals who are unable to defend themselves.

If we want rights, we also need to accept responsibilities. Taking care of one's own children is not a choice like choosing whether or not to give to charity because: In most instances parents cause their children's existence and, therefore, their need for care. By choosing to have sex, the Kay C. Rouse, an unsuccessful Libertarian Party candidate for Legislature last fall, lives at 1246 Hayes Ave. human life amendment.

-Kay Rouse parents have voluntarily risked conceiving a child. But this situation is brought about without the assent or choice of the children. Even under principles of free choice, we are responsible for the consequences of our own actions which we impose upon' others without their consent. The consequence of conceiving a child is that we cause a child to be dependent upon us for care. If we either negligently or intentionally fail to provide care and the child, born or pre-born, is harmed, we are accountable for the harm because we have caused the situation, and the child is in our control.

There is no point in time between the union of the sperm and egg and the birth of the infant when we can say that this is not a human life. The change occurring from the time of conception to a six-week embryo, a six-month fetus, a one-week old child, or a mature adult are merely stages of development and maturation. There is little difference between an astronaut in outer space and a pre-born child in inner space, except that the astronaut has chosen his or her life-support cal takeoff transport, the "Osprey," a joint project of Boeing and Bell Helicopters. His explanation is essentially the same as for the B-2, that the Osprey is unproven and too costly to continue support in a time of tight defense budgets. BWas it simply a political ploy? That's possible as well.

Cheney, in canceling the Osprey, threatens an expected $6.35 billion contract and the jobs of thousands of aircraft workers in Texas (perhaps it's no coincidence that many of them are in Jim Wright's congressional district). Similarly, his decision to cut active-duty military personnel by 16,800 could have a political impact in some areas. Cutbacks in development of the Midgetman missile also will have an impact. The fact that some of these decisions were made in agreements with individual congressional leaders rather than through consultation with the full Con-: gress further aggravates the political picture. In short, Cheney's decisions open the way for members of Congress to say, "Wait a minute, you can't cut projects in my district." It's a common approach to getting cuts reversed before they take effect.

For now, we prefer to see Cheney's decisions as courageous and wise, because if he is able to make them stick, that is precisely what they will be. How are we to read Defense Secretary Richard Cheney's action in proposing cuts in the Pentagon budget? Was it courageous? It certainly appears that way. Cheney has offered deep cuts in support for development of the Strategic Defense Initiative the so-called "Star Wars" program. SDI is one of the cornerstones of Ronald Reagan's defense programs and the favorite child of many conservatives. Similarly, his offer to slow down final development and production of the B-2 "stealth" bomber by cutting $4.2 billion from the program undercuts another pet project of Ronald Reagan's.

BWas it wise? That could be argued. In cutting the B-2, Cheney explained his interest is in making sure the Pentagon gets an airplane which has been proven before ordering the aircraft into production. He has good precedent for? that position. The B-l bomber has been beset by problems ever since it went into service, problems that best estimates say will cost billions to correct before the bomber is close to being an effective and reliable penetration weapons platform. The stealth bomber, at $500 million apiece, is the most expensive airplane in history, and taxpayers certainly deserve to have the plane proven before they begin buying it.

Similarly, Cheney has said he will cancel development of the highly-touted V-22 verti Letters To The Editor StftDDiip to hoinnxs The 'war on drugs' depends on our willingness to demand action between innings. 1 see a need for a speaker system, but at what price? Will these tyrants stop at Soon, they'll be taking away my hot dogs and apple pie. Write your congressmen (or reasonable facsimile -thereof). Petition the stadium. We want to see the barrel back in County Stadium and Bernie Brewer out of the unemployment line.

I realize that this is about five years late, but with increasing ticket prices, all I ask is this: Take a minute. Think about all of those old summer days when you went out to County Stadium to cheer on the old Brew Crew. tell me that seeing Bernie and the Barrel didn't give you goosebumps and a sense that all was right in the world. CURTIS HANKE 3207 Valley Forge The drive really worked To the editor: The annual Tootsie Roll drive of the Knights of Columbus this past weekend was a success. Money is raised annually for the help of the mentally retarded of our community.

The committee of the local council which I chaired wishes to extend heartfelt thanks to the many businesses and parishes for their warm cooperation with our volunteers. This year $8,500 was collected from the good citizens of Racine for this venture, of which $6,800 will be used locally for three organizations working with the handicapped Career Industries Inc Racine County Association of Retarded Citizens; and Developmental Disabilities Information Service. RAYMOND F. ANDREWSKI 5012 Cynthia Lane A very valuable class To the editor: To the editor: The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction now includes among its various requirements for. teacher certification a course entitled, "Human Development," "a scientific study of the quantitative and qualitative ways in which people change over time." t- As I complete this course at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, I want to personally and publicly express my thanks to Dr.

Jeanne Thomas, my instructor, for making this class one of the most valuable and worthwhile of my lifetime. This was my first class at Parkside, and I am most impressed with the college, its students and, Jeanne. I highly recommend this course to anyone who wants more knowledge and insight into the periods of human life. The study of human development not only helps educators better understand the children, but also better prepares its students for all of life's transitions. DIANE BECK TETRAULT 5746 Cambridge Lane Bring back Bernie Brewer To the editor: Spring baseball Milwaukee County Stadiuiiw the barrel.

The barrel? Oh, for the days of yesteryear: Milwaukee Brewers Baseball with the always-entertaining barrel. Milwaukee County Stadium, known throughout the league for this unique stadium landmark, now merely has a device through which we can listen to the Pointer Sisters ment seems to have money for foreign aid, weapons programs and even for the support of illegal aliens. But despite the truth of some of those arguments, we, the taxpayers, finally are the ones who will have to bear the blame for the failure to support the war on drugs. It is we taxpayers who have demanded tax cuts or at least opposed tax increases. And it is we who have failed to assert our demand that sufficient money be provided to effectively combat the scourge of drugs in our communities.

Little wonder then that the problem is being returned to the local level, for that is what is happening. The decline of federal support for the local battle against the illicit drug trade means property taxpayers will have to shoulder the burden of the fight or abandon it altogether. So we end up on the front line of the war on drugs, and it will be up to us to decide whether we will seriously deal with the problem. The expected $75,000 federaL anti-drug grant for Racine County is perhaps the most revealing evidence of the way rhetoric is being substituted for action in the nation's so-called "war on drugs." As has frequently been pointed out, the "war" consists mostly of "Just Say No" buttons, empty "Omnibus Drug Bills" and a lot of posturing and breast-beating by ifederal officials. So it should come as no surprise that in this, the second year of Racine County's war on drugs, federal support is being cut by more than 50 percent from the $145,000 grant of last year.

Who do we blame? Congressional representatives and administration officials are quick to point out that federal budget constraints make it difficult to find money for the drug war. That spreads blame pretty thinly across the spectrum of government. Many, especially those who have lost friends and relatives to drugs or to the drug battles will be quick to point out that our govern Journal Times letter policy also do not publish individual consumer complaints. The Journal Times reserves the right to edit or withhold letters which are malicious or potentially libelous. Letters longer than 250 words may be edited for length or may be considered for publication as commentaries.

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