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Show Page U THK HKRALD. Provo. Utah. Sunday. January 2.1 lfft.1 The Herald, its readers, syndicated columnists and cartoonists discuss vital issues Opinions The Herald Comments Dick West fo Left LiSJ Crossbows do you contemplate using?" "At the moment we are leaning toward what we call the 'Dense Grove' method," Harkenback confided. "The idea is to plant these trees in thick clusters so that enemy transmissions aimed at the orchard will be snagged by limbs before they The recent recommissioning of the mothballed battleship New Jersey has raised hopes in antique weapons circles that other types of armaments once considered obsolete will again find a place in the nation's battle plans. I personally think there is WASHINGTON (UPI) hit the ground." "That certainly sounds reasonable," I nodded. "What else are you working on?" Harkenback directed my attention to a flat, curved piece of metal about two feet long. When he threw it with a spinning motion, it sailed forward about 150 feet, then zoomed upward and reversed its trajectory." "Wow!" I cried. "What is that? Some kind of Frisbee?" Harkenback smiled smugly. "It's called a boomerang. We don't just deal with complicated weapon systems like catapults. We also test small, personal sidearms that might enhance the effectiveness of individual soldiers." I shook my head. "In what way would a boomerang be an improvement over throwing rocks and sticks at the enemy?" more nostalgia than strategy behind these dreams. But there has been enough restoration talk to justify a visit to The Future Is Yesterday Foundation, a private research center and "think tank." The foundation's resident munitions expert is Sam Harken-bacI found him in the laboratory running tests. Harkenback and his smock-cla- d associates had taken a limber young tree, bent it over and fastened a leather loop to the top. "Whatever is that for?" I wonderingly inquired. "It's called a catapult," Harkenback replied. "Experiments have shown it can hurl heavy rocks and pieces of metal across moats and over castle walls. By attaching two or more loops to the upper branches, we can get a effect. MIRV, or "Without giving away any military secrets, I can tell you the Pentagon is extremely interested in our research." "How does it work?" I asked. Harkenback picked up a machete and severed the rope that was holding the tree top near the ground. The tree immediately sprang to an upright position, flinging high into the air an old k. multi-warhea- d, Harkenback held up two fin- gers. "For one thing, its spinning motion causes it to smite an enemy with more force than an ordinary projectile would impart. And, secondly, it has a recycling capability that rocks and stones don't offer." At this point, the demonstration began touching on classified areas that I am not at liberty to describe. I hardly need point out, automobile transmission that had been loaded into the leather however, that a battleship equipped with catapults that hurl a long way toward closing the window of loop. bomerangsuhgo "the military potential is obvious. What sort of basing mode vulnerability. A California Takes Right Step recent survey of can corporations about the basic education and skills of their workers reveals some tively associate with others would tend to influence my decision. And yes, I would discourage my daughter from dating corI feel the rupt same about dating corrupt Mor- mons. Mr. Harapat may be shocked to learn that his final challenge to question "church handed down by its leaders was actually a worldly interpretation of a vital Mormon principle. in from elsewhere. It was protection of Constitutional rights that allowed that to happen in the pioneer era and that same protection now would allow Mr. Harapat to move out if he can't function in this envi- Mormons have always been taught to question and seek personal testimonies of all church ronment. principles. Finally, Mr. Harapat, being an adult is a rather tough chore. I'm sure you will realize that in the years to come. As one of this city's larger employers, I deny the allegation that the religion of applicants affects my hiring decision. However, if approached by Mr. Harapat, a display of belligerant attitude and inability to effec cent years have verified those beliefs, but not until a recent survey of corporations about their workers did we realize how low our educational system has slipped. The corporations survey, conducted by the Center for Public Resources, reveals that our American work force is flooded with poorly educated workers, including managers who can't read, write or add well enough to accomplish basic tasks. The survey reports that of the corporations responding to the survey said they are spending money on remedial training for their employees. "Businesses may lose millions of dollars annually because their employees cannot read, write or add well three-quarte- rs ABous-peent-ef-ts- e- schools indicated their gradu two-thir- "uittgiCCu, CGlVipiaiiiiiig that even their managers and su pervisors could not write paragraphs free of grammatical and spelling errors, while corporate bookkeepers could not complete basic problems involving fractions and deci- The same day the corpora-- lished and enforced. Adventurers have had to explore each new frontier with their fingers crossed. There never has been any assurance of safe passage beyond the horizon. Yet the insatiable curiosity of some men is such that, at whatever risk, they go anyway. It may be that no unexplored frontier has been fraught with more potential danger than the new science of biomedics, but we have already tasted enough potential benefits so that there can be no backing away. Now I'm going to tell you a little more than I know: Many corporations and most every university are presently engaged in researching genetics. Among the announced objectives are improvement of the animal including the human in his development, animal mental, physical and emotional and in his resistance to disease. On the way to those objectives we are encountering terrible and wonderful things. The Monsanto Company has allowed us a peek at one development of significance: systems for growing large numbers of human cells that provide agents likely to be used in the future treatment of cancer. The patent office is flooded with a limitless spectrum of techniques related to biochemi cal engineering, most too complicated for lay interpretation. Even this acknowledged development at Monsanto is difficult to distill into practical terms. Let me try: Interferon has been called a potential "wonder drug" in the war against cancer. Interferon research has been limited by the tedious production of cells in hundreds of petri dishes spread out on a laboratory table. Interferon has cost millions of dollars per milligram. Now two Monsanto scientists, Joseph Feder and William have made it possible for researchers to grow 10 billion Tol-ber- t, units of interferon at a time! Monsanto scientists work in concert with Biogen, Collagen, Genentech and Genex four g leading specialists. Monsanto's Howard Schneider-ma- n dares to dream of "new limbs and organs for humans, new ways of controlling pests, whole new industries that today cannot even be imagined." Health care business consulgene-splicin- tant Robert S. biotechnology-base- d First expects products will be a $1.5 billion share of the pharmaceutical market within two years and within 15, $50 billion! Happy New Years! (c) 1983, Los Angeles Times Syndicate Jack Anderson Orem about the mental retardation and the crippling and destruction of a society that results when children and "adults" automatically look to big government to provide and select their basics? Why is it that our society has all manner of luxury items, including totally unrestricted, cable TV and HBO, but must depend on the national unbalanced budget to feed the children properly? Don't tell the children that they will be paying for their "free" lunches many times over in the future, if they manage to eastern-programm- reach responsible adulthood. commissioners did, they will be d Utah Legal sued by the Services and then Judge Jenkins will let them off of the hook, provided that they remain silent in order to not interfere with any "private" solicitors of the program and provided that someone takes the program within a "reasonable" period of time. Thus in 1381 (Winston Lee Jensen et al vs. Kenneth Pinegar et al, Civil No. Judge Jenkins ignored a Congressional amendment specifying that WIC should be a voluntarily accepted program and in 1982 the "private" Mountainland Headstart, assisted by Brigham Young Untax-pai- "out-reache- through all of the other assistance programs to find 500 or more recipients who couldn't be trusted to select the proper foods for themselves. One purpose of the "nutrition" programs is supposedly to prevent mental retardation. What ates were prepared in reading and math well enough to keep a job, and had confidence in their graduates' writing abilities. But half the corporations With such standards, perhaps the money spent on remedial training by corporations could be used instead to hire more workers. California's example also indicates we should consider national testing standards for teaching credentials as well. Our nation won't climb out of its educational slide until itl'lct StauualJs cue esUur No Escape From Biomedics Dan Thomas Editor, Herald: Judge Bruce Jenkins gives us an example that shows why it is so difficult to protect ourselves from the deadly fallout coming from the porn and crime syndicates and also the socialistic, dictated "welfare" programs. Local elected officials must accept "free" programs such as the WIC (Women Infant Children) program which prescribes the proper foods for its recipients who can qualify with an income of almost 200 percent of poverty level. If the elected officials refuse the "gift" as the Utah County nutritionists, ploma. enough to handle basic tasks, the survey says. The report also pointed out a wide gulf exists between schools' perception of their success in providing students with basic skills and that of corporations. 443 S. Main St. Disagrees With Porno Rule iversity candidates would not receive a teaching credential while others would not be allowed to change or add to their credentials. Hurray for California. It would be tantamount to perpetuating a travesty to certify such unprepared, or poorly prepared, persons to teach our nation's youth. The Herald suspects that now might be an appropriate time to revive the old eighth a test grade examination many of our grandparents and anc esters were required to pass before they could continue to higher grades. Perhaps it's time to establish national testing standards for eighth grade and high school students, requiring them to pass an eighth grade test before going to ninth grade, and a graduation test before receiving a di- Paul Harvey Says People Hired on Merit 4 a one-thir- condemning statistics about our educational system. Many of us have believed for a long time that our educational system has been doing a progressively poorer job of preparing our youth for life's basic tasks in reading, writing and arithmetic. College test scores in re- Feedback Editor, Herald: In response to a recent letter, I would like to clarify a few points for Dale Harapat. It is true many aspects of life here are centered around the Mormon Church. It is that very reason that has prompted the majority of residents in this area to either stay here or move tions survey report was released, another news story d of indicated almost 7,000 prospective nearly teachers failed the California's first licensing test to check reading, writing and math skills, meaning some Ameri- Don't tell them that some "sophisticated" adults like to get their kicks with kiddie porn, sodomy rings, sexual torture and murder and snuff films. Don't tell them that the home party plan for porn items is already operating in Utah. Don't tell them that each community can't be trusted to select the line and between pornography or decency and indecency for its own community even when there is a definite danger of fallout onto the community from evil and perverted persons who are exercising their "constitutional" rights. Don't tell them that some politically appointed judges and some "advocacy" groups have warped the Constitax-fund- . tution. The children may get the idea that they are the sacrificial lambs for a bunch of goats. Kay Thoreson 115 N. 800 W. Orem I ; WASHINGTON Release Could Ease Tension President Reagan has said he is waiting for a positive sign from Yuri Andropov before he will consider the Soviet leader's expressed hopes for friendlier relations more than just empty rhetoric. Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan or a relaxation of the repression in Poland is probably too much to expect. But there is a simple act of decency Andropov could make that would demonstrate his good intentions and would cost him nothing. He could let Anatoly Shcharan-sk- y go. Shcharansky is the "refusenik" who angered the Kremlin by championing the cause of Soviet Jews who want to emigrate to Israel. In 1977 he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for treason. Even in the depths of the Gulag, Shcharansky has refused to surrender. He is engaged in a hunger strike as a desperate, winning her husband's release. Last month, she met with senior White House advisers, who promised her the President's support. Before she went to the White House, she spoke at length with my associate, Indy Badnwar. Simply dressed, a Russian peasant shawl wrapped around her head, Mrs. Shcharansky spoke softly, but with deep emotion. Asked how it felt to be the wife of a symbol, she replied: "For me he is not a symbol. He is my husband. We are terribly suffering. Everything that we wanted (was) just to be together like a whole, normal family, to be in Israel, in a place where we both want to go. We are separated. He is persecuted. He is tortured." Her last direct word from her husband was in a letter smuggled out of his prison cell three years ago. "I can hear his voice and his voice is strong," sbe said. "Through this letter I feel he is not broken by spirit. But I'm very worried about his con- dition now." Until recently, she was able to force-feedin- ous. wife, Avital. Since she was forced to leave Russia the day after their marriage in 1974, she has traveled the world appealing for help in Sources in the White House say Shcharansky's release would be taken as a signal that Andro- is serious in his expressed Eov for a relaxation of tension between East and West. It would be a bold gesture for refused. Since October 1979, when emigration reached its peak of 4,746, the number of Jews allowed to leave the Soviet Union has fallen drastically. In 1980, only 1,424 were permitted to emigrate; in 1981 the total was 368; last year, only 168. There is no telling what would dramatic protest. His jailers Shcharansky's "He absolutely can't be afraid," Mrs. Shcharansky said. "He is very free ... They can do what they want with him, but they can't break his spirit." Andropov perhaps too bold for him to make until he has consolidated his power in the Kremlin. And it would be only a first step. There are still about 10,000 Soviet Jews who have applied for exit visas and have been g have been him, but his health is reportedly precari- The men in the Kremlin would dearly love to have the world forget Shcharansky. But this will not happen. Just this week, Washington Jews staged a symbolic one-da- y hunger strike and mounted a vigil near the Soviet Embassy to mark Shcharansky's 35th birthday. The single greatest obstacle to the world's forgetfulness is maintain some contact with her husband through his mother, Ida Migrom, who was allowed to visit him once every six months. He was also allowed to write to his mother once a month. But both these privileges have been suspended since he began his hunger strike last Yom Kippur. "But you're dead, do you hear? Dead!!" happen if Andropov chooses to let Shcharansky go. He undoubtedly realize. Jhat he can't let Shcharansky alone emigrate. An embarrassment to the Kremlin even in prison, Shcharansky would be even more troublesome outside Russia if the other 's weren't allowed to leave also. And that might well open the floodgates. refu-senik- |