St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 22

8B ST. LOUIS POST- DISPATCH THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1996 THE POST-DISPATCH PLATFORM I KNOW THAT MY RETIREMENT WILL MAKE NO DIFFERENCE IN ITS CARDINAL PRINCIPLES, THAT IT WILL ALWAYS FIGHT FOR PROGRESS AND REFORM, NEVER TOLERATE INJUSTICE OR CORRUPTION, ALWAYS FIGHT DEMAGOGUES OF ALL PARTIES, NEVER BELONG TO ANY PARTY. ALWAYS OPPOSE PRIVILEGED CLASSES AND PUBLIC PLUNDERERS, NEVER LACK SYMPATHY WITH THE POOR, ALWAYS REMAIN DEVOTED TO THE PUBLIC WELFARE, NEVER BE SATISFIED WITH MERELY PRINTING NEWS. ALWAYS BE DRASTICALLY INDEPENDENT. NEVER BE AFRAID TO ATTACK WRONG, WHETHER BY PREDATORY PLUTOCRACY OR PREDATORY POVERTY.

Founded by JOSEPH PULITZER December 12, 1878 JOSEPH PULITZER, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER 1878-1911 JOSEPH PULITZER, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER 1912-1955 JOSEPH PULITZER EDITOR AND PUBLISHER 1955-1986. CHAIRMAN 1979-1993 MICHAEL E. PULITZER. CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENT NICHOLAS G. PENNIMAN IV, PUBLISHER WILLIAM F.

WOO, EDITOR TERRANCE C.Z. EGGER, GENERAL MANAGER RICHARD K. WEIL MWAGLG EDITOR EDWARD A. HIGGINS, EDITOR OF THE EDITORIAL PAGE April 10, 1907 JOSEPH PULITZER 900 North Tucker Boulevard 63101 (314) 340-8000 EDITORIALS Stalemate In Montana "smmj tarn wstuwvi cows fftJr-wwH 'The Best Item About This Law Is That It'll Help Keep Congressmen In Line' LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE with military equipment and black-clad agents carrying high-powered weapons. Instead, agents are watching and waiting from a respectful distance, wearing casual clothes and keeping their artillery out of view.

What has happened in Montana is the logical culmination of the hate-government message being preached by a network of extremists who organize private armies they call militias, create their own legal systems, feed people's paranoia and offer them scapegoats, including Jews, blacks and government employees. In a diluted form, the 'message can be heard in Washington, where far-right politicians proclaim that government is the problem and is incapable of providing solutions. Even though the men inside the farmhouse are nothing but thieves and thugs, their anti-government rhetoric and their ability to create a stalemate with federal authorities has made them heroes to the radicals who need another Waco tragedy to confirm their worst hopes. Somehow this episode will come to an end. The way it does may influence the direction of things both for the self-appointed militias and their supporters in Washington.

1 Though two people have left the Montana farmhouse where members of an anti-government gang are holed up and one of the gang members has engaged in discussions with negotiators, there is no evidence the standoff will end soon. Having been denounced for moving too aggressively to dislodge the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, Texas, two years ago, the FBI is loath to threaten force. Of the 20 or so people in the farmhouse, seven are wanted on various federal and state charges, including defrauding individuals and institutions of some $1.8 million and threatening the lives of a federal judge and the county sheriff. The group includes wives and children of several farmers who went bankrupt and then decided they were not bound by federal, state and local laws. Unfortunately, the Freemen, as they call themselves, were allowed to build up an arsenal, put in food and bring in women and children as shields before law-enforcement authorities worked up the resolve to move against them.

Five of the suspects have been captured or have surrendered, but the rest are firmly ensconced. Aware of its excesses in the past, the FBI has not surrounded the property For Cleaner Air In The Region etary fat intake The conclusions do not suggest, as Toal does, that the lower proportion of cancer in Japan refutes the connection between smoking and cancer. On the contrary. The findings in the Japanese American study that showed later age onset among the Japanese men supports concern over youth access to tobacco products. Moreover, I predict that as Japan increasingly adopts the American fast-food diet, cancer rates will rise in proportion to smoking rates.

u'" Jan Munro St. Louis Myth Of Evoliition I am grateful the Post-Dispatch has been unbiased in publishing letters from both sides of the creation-evolutionism controversy. Neither side can scientifically "prove" its position. But evolutionism is currently being aught as if it were a fact. nil- The myth of evolution is, built on the premise that the Earth is bil- Iiatic rf iron re rA Uara ora crma their evening around, as do my young cousins and friends' siblings, I have to wonder what type of programming will be on when my children are old enough to watch and understand it.

Will it be better or worse? Will it send a positive message or a negative message or no message at all? Will there be some way to protect our children from the dangers of television, or are we trapped in a six-by-four cell with no hope for parole or leniency but the off button on the remote control? How do we get around it? Or do we? R.J.QuigleylV Manchester Young Smokers I am responding to the March 31 letter from Kevin W. Toal concerning the effects of smoking. Both Toal and salaried tobacco advocates attack the logic of research, which has so ingly identified the relationship between smoking and cancer. Toal argued that Japanese men, while smoking more than American men, have lower rates of cancer. As a health educator at Washington University Medical Center, I decided to search for journal articles that would verify or refute his claim.

I found an article in the May 1992 issue of the Japanese Journal of Cancer Research, which compared mortality rates between Japanese and American men from 1950 to 1985. Among its findings was the fact that Japanese males start smoking considerably later than American males and that fat consumption is consistently higher in Americans. While the proportion of smokers has been higher in Japan since 1955, the conclusions in this article suggested that the combination of smoking, age of onset and di- The Environmental Protection Agency recently published a notice in the Federal Register of so-called "limited disapproval" of Missouri's effort to reduce hydrocarbon emissions in the St. Louis area. When combined with oxygen on hot days, these emissions produce ground-level ozone, a major health threat.

Unless the state acts to curb them soon, it could lose federal moneyfor highways and face even stricter emission curbs. The sticking point is the Legislature's refusal to implement an improved vehicle inspection program that would cut auto exhausts. It passed such a bill last year but refused to fund it, instead ordering Attorney General Jay Nixon to seek an injunction against possible EPA sanctions. Legislators resent what they regard as dictation from Washington, even though several Missouri members of Congress voted for the Clean Air Act of 1990, which authorizes the sanctions for non-compliance, The legislators also were responding to voter opposition to taking their vehicles to central inspection facilities rather than local gasoline stations to be tested. Mr.

Nixon's suit failed and is now on appeal. Meanwhile, Sen. Wayne Goode of Normandy has pushed a new bill through the Senate, and has gotten money authorized for 15 centralized inspection stations, to be run by private business. That would reduce the waiting and inconvenience associated with the mere handful of stations mandated in last year's bill. But if Mr.

Goode's bill is not passed, the EPA can't be expected to hold off indefinitely. The agency could cut $914 million in federal aid for 694 transportation projects; new business that might add to pollution could be denied permits, and existing firms might find their emissions-reduction requirements increased. It's time for the Legislature to abandon its lawsuit against enforcement of the Clean Air Act and help protect the health of its citizens not to mention economic development in the region. City Living For City Workers Lately, there has been a great deal of comment regarding the St. Louis residency rule.

It seems that airport director Leonard Griggs was given an exception, so his right to live outside the city is a dead issue. With respect to others, the issue is far from dead. If the city residency rule is in fact a legal rule, it should be followed and enforced. But if it's not legal, it should be immediately invalidated. I suspect that similar residency rules have been contested in the courts in other cities.

Notwithstanding, I find such a rule flaw) to be offensive and unconstitutional. Residency rules restrict one's fundamental freedom of movement. Unless specifically stated in the federal Constitution, a restriction upon where a person may live simply based upon one's job seems blatantly unconstitutional, barring national security. I call on the state attorney general's office to challenge the St. Louis city residency law in court.

Jay Nixon seems willing to pursue issues based upon their merit rather than upon local and state politics. He's consistently made refreshing contributions to Missouri's legal health. Nixon should run with this one if he has the courage of his professed convictions. Chuck Monroe Chesterfield Hope For TV I thank God that there is some hope on the horizon: the V-chip. I am not normally the type of person who condones censorship.

I usually condemn it, but when I look at the programs we have on today, the programs my young siblings plan Fixing Airport Blackouts scientific facts that limit the age of the universe to a few thousand vears: The small layer of cosmic dust on the moon indicates less than 10,000 years of accumulation. The shrinking sun limits the Earth-sun relationship to fess than "millions of years." The Sun is losing both mass and Changing the mass would upset the gravitational balance that keeps the Earth at just the' right distance for life to The moon is receding a few. inches each year. A few million troirc inn Vto mnnn wrriilrl been so close that the tides would have destroyed the Earth twice a day. t-i i The Federal Aviation Administration has announced it will immediately begin to implement simplified and speedier equipment-acquisition rules.

It's about time, considering that air traffic controllers around the country are finding it hard to manage air traffic in light of increasingly frequent equipment failures because their machinery is so old. Freed by Congress last year from having to follow a plethora of bureaucratic rules in purchasing equipment, the FAA has come up with a simplified process it hopes will speed the purchase and delivery of new computer and other electronic devices to the nation's increasingly busy airports. That's essential, considering that today-most airport tracking equipment is delivered so tardily that much of it is out-of-date by the time it's installed. Lambert Field, for instance, relies on a 1960s Univac computer that runs on vacuum tubes. The airport has recently experienced a rash of system failures four in two weeks this year that make keeping track of incoming and outbound aircraft hazardous.

Lambert's experience is similar to that of many other airports around the country. The FAA complacently declares safety isn't being compromised, but that's hard to accept when air traffic controller screens suddenly go dark or an airport's radar goes out. The FAA's proposed fix would push authority to make purchasing decisions down to management teams from its operations and maintenance divisions; disappointed contractors who routinely appeal agency decisions will now get a decision from the FAA, rather than being allowed to pursue lengthy court cases. The reforms' other details are still being worked out, but the mandate is clear: purchase and install equipment faster. The changes will take years to make, and not all of them may work as intended.

Nor does the FAA have a coherent plan for what needs to be replaced in what order. Congress is still struggling with whether to shift the entire traffic control system over to one based on user fees rather than continuing to rely on the Airport Trust Fund and general revenue. The FAA has a long way to go to make air traffic control trouble-free, up-to-date and truly safe. But it has finally taken the first step. i lie oceans die geuuig Tf tVipv wprp Killinnc nf vparc old, they would be even saltier.

Niagara Falls' erosion rate (four to five feet per year) indicates an age of less than 1 0,000 Incredible pressure found in oil and pas wells indicates the re serves have been there less than 15,000 years. The size of the Mississippi Why No Outcry About Statutory Rape? Missing Pets And Research The April 4 article, "Research Laboratories Don't Receive Stolen Pets, Experts Say," clearly states that animals are not stolen to be used in medical research. But Amy Levin of the St. Louis Xnimal Rights Team said, "There is no question that labs use stolen dogs, but the labs won't let us in." Not true. First, intensive investigations have resulted in no proof that stolen pets end up in research labs.

Second, most area research facilities have an open-door policy for people with legitimate concerns about a missing pet. Scientists do not want or need to use pets. Animal rights groups claim 2 million dogs are stolen each year in the United States mainly to be sold for medical research. But only 89,000 dogs were used last year, and half of those were bred specifically for research. So even if all dogs used in research were stolen and they were not that leaves more than 1.95 million dogs that were stolen for some other purpose.

If the animal rights activists were truly interested in stopping pet theft, they would focus their attention on what is happening to those dogs. Janet Talcott Executive Director Missouri Association for Agriculture, Biomedical Research and Education St. Louis In response to the April 4 article about research laboratories, the Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization, begs to differ. In 1966, Congress passed the Animal Welfare Act with the intent of preventing the sale or use of stolen animals in research. Unfortunately, 30 years later, overwhelming evidence clearly shows that this problem still exists.

The power to administer and enforce the Animal Welfare Act was given to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Humane Society is increasingly concerned about recent reports that describe the USDA's lack of enforcement regarding this problem. Several USDA internal reports show that a serious number of random source Class dealers' animal acquisition records were either false, fraudulent or fictitious. And tragically, when the USDA finds that the original source of animals cannot be traced to legitimate owners, those animals still continue down a chilling path that ends at a research facility.

Because of these concerns, the Humane Society continues to work diligently to protect companion animals, as well as their owners, through the legislative elimination of random source Class dealers. Sally Fekety The Humane Society of the United States Washington, D.C. AVI UVllClp Ut tuvu uj uiiaiw mud being deposited, gives an age of less than 30,000 years. Biblical dates add up to about 6,000 years. We have been lied to about the age of the Earth.

The deception is a deliberate attempt to discredit the biblical account of creation. The religion of evolution is currently tax supported and openly preached in the public schools. This is clearly wrong and needs to be stopped. I resent my tax dollars supporting this anti-science. C.

Lynn Rhodes Advance, Mo. Well Written Just a note to applaud the March 17 News Analysis article'The Young Faces Of School Desegregation." It was well written; interesting, informative and unbiased. I appreciated the ability to come to my own conclusion about desegregation. How refreshing it-was to read an article in the Post-Dispatch that didn't not resbrt to polemics. Please give my highest praise and thanks to reporter Bill Smith.

Give him a raise! This is one of the finest examples of reporting I have seen by the Post-DispatcHil would subscribe to it daily if I Could count on articles of this quality. Paul'Stolwvk GOP lawmakers seeking to reform the public welfare system have learned much about the problem in the time that their party has controlled Congress. Unfortunately, this knowledge hasn't enlightened their thinking about out-of-wedlock pregnancies, particularly among young girls. The Republican reforms are built on the premise that the same teen-age boys behind gang violence and other antisocial behavior are also responsible for most out-of-wedlock births among such girls. The GOP knows by now that the fathers are just as likely to be older men.

Moreover, some studies have found that a majority of the teen mothers had previously been raped or molested, ii Where is the party's outrage over this abuse, which amounts to statutory rape? There is no better description of the harm that some men do to the bodies of many girls under age 17. The thundering silence on this issue is in sharp contrast to vociferous Support for denying family planning services to poor teens, even in cases of rape. Protests by welfare mothers and women's groups made the party appreciate that its reforms would penalize women and children while letting men off the hook. Holding poor mothers to a higher standard than what's demanded of the fathers amounts to punishing the prey rather than the predator. Congress has responded to this injustice by adding tougher child-support provisions to pending welfare-reform plans.

Such provisions are useful, however, only to the extent that the absent parent is steadily employed and can make regular child-support payments. It's safe to assume that many such fathers use their lack of steady jobs as an excuse for avoiding child-support responsibilities. Congress is filled with lawmakers who supposedly believe a three-strikes law will make criminals behave. Why, then, don't they think the threat of jail would put fear in statutory rapists? These men need to be held accountable for their conduct. Recycling Cities The "mailing of America" is usually derided with a sneer of superiority, criticizing a landscape saturated with a never-ending series of Gaps and pretzel parlors.

But malls developed by James W. Rouse Union Station here, Boston's Faneuil Hall, Baltimore's Harborplace are fine examples of urban rebirth, not suburban sprawl. Mr. Rouse, who died Tuesday at age 81, achieved a major accomplishment: He helped bring people back downtown. Not that he was unfamiliar with suburbia.

His design for Columbia, between Baltimore and Washington, was a model of planned living, with space for homes, recreation, schools and commerce. But his emphasis on rebuilding cities, not only with shopping but with thousands of homes financed by his Enterprise Foundation, should earn him lasting gratitude. He reminded everyone that cities are too valuable to go to waste. IBallwin.