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Show i. Sun Chronicle, December Letter to the editor planned retirement there (!my husband is retired Navy). You asked that I write again, when settled, but I have been so busy living I havent had the time! However, today, listening to the news . . . gloom, wars, energy crisis, the shrinking dollar and poor Jimmy it occurred to me Carter your readers might enjoy the second episode in the Saga of the Birds. We moved, bag, baggage, grandmother, teenagers and all, to Costa Rica three years ago and have been happily ... settled in Ranchos Maricosta. Our experiences deserve a book. They have not only been exciting but, at times, hilarious. The only flaw was our inability to find registered beach a property. Probably blessing in disguise. It made us look to Colombia (another Democratic republic, where, it turned out, it cost even less to live than Costa Rica). There we found Palmas de Oro, a lovely, old coconut plantation on the Caribbean. And, to complete its unique easily-accessibl- eDilGel Differenc soothing ntactds ..wit e, , 1 979, Poge 2 Letter to editor the 'Saga of the birds life in Costa Rica Several years ago, I wrote you about Costa Rica and our 1 setting, when we looked away from the sea we saw, towering over everything, 19,000 feet high and snowcapped majestic Mount Colombus of the Sierra Nevadas. It may be hard to believe . . . hundreds of green palms, blue sky and ocean, pounding surf and golden sand, mountains . . . but it is all there in Palmas de Oro; on the Pan American Highway near Santa Marta, oldest and most fascinating city in all of the Americas. So, now we have two loves: our ranch in Costa Rica and beach in Colombia. We feel we have discovered a new, exciting American frontier and are eager to share our find with others. If you think you are too old for adventure, we are 59 and 63 and both of us have battled and, so far, conquered snow-cappe- d cancer!. Write us at P.O. Box 157, Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica and send your letters by International Air Mail 1(25 cents per ). We promise to answer. Now, from Latin America, we wish you salud (health), dinero (wealth)O and amor (love)! half-ounce- Juanita Bird Mrs. Lewis M. Juanita Bird Save the childem of Cambodia Dear Editor: As we remember for our annual Thanksgiving feast, the faces of starving Cambodians stare vacantly at us from the pages of our daily newspapers, offering a painful contrast to our holiday repasts. In what has been termed the Auschwitz of Asia, the of condemned people Cambodia march slowly but certainly down the path to extinction. More than a third of the population of this tranquil land has already perished from the effects of war, repression and disease. As many as two million more are on the verge of death by starvation. Two hundred and fifty thousand refugess are camped along the western provinces of the country, waiting for a chance to cross the border. Their numbers increase daily. We are witnessing genocide in our time. As always, it is the children who suffer the most. Large numbers of the countrys under-fiv- e population have already died. Many of those who survive do so with permanent brain damage and bone deformation due to malnutrition. Even those settled in refugee camps are easy prey to the effects of malaria, dysentery and pneumonia. Through a joint effort of the international Save the Children Alliance, Save the Children (U.S.) can now these provide desperate refugess with food, medicine and health care. A pediatric medical team is battling to save childrens lives in the Sa Kaew holding camp. A hundred thousand refugees are being treated by other medical teams in border between camps Cambodia and Thailand. Rice, fish n high-protei- meal, milk and essential drugs are being flown into Phnom Penh or shipped to Kampong Som. Yet the need seems unending. The year 1979 has seen a series of tragedies, beginning with the plight of the boat peoples of Southeast inflation Spiraling posed, so todays counterpart merely changes identity stakes, adopting a new name, and getting another post office box as authorities are about to close in. The practice of quackery is, unfortunately, alive and well today. That means that some people are not as healthy as they might be, and are probably a little bit poorer, too. Quackery conjures up pictures of medicine men making their pitches from the back of horse drawn trailers, offering snakeoil to cure any variety of ailments. But todays medicine man is much more sophisticated. The modern man knows that the public wont swallow snakeoil so he offers updated gadgets, devices and potions with just enough connection to modem medicine and science to make tham sound almost believeable. Got a gripe... Why not submit a letter to the editor to your hometown newspaper Yet, todays Dr. Quack is too. He offers cures for the uncureable, miracles for those willing to believe, help for those who cant find it anywhere else. Nevertheless, miracles dont happen. But they are expensive. The Food and Administration, Drug which certifies drugs and medical devices, warns that the willingness - to believe in miracle cures costs the American public many millions of dollars a year. Not only are the quackery schemes expensive, but they can also be harmful. Too many people rely on quack promises when they should be seeking professional medical advice and treatment. The often quacks offers are with tempting promotions such as these: guaranteed to reduce 2 to 4 inches in waistline your just 3 days or less . ; Your bust will grow right before your eyes . . . and grow . . . and grow. . . Most people assume that because a device is on the market it is safe and ef . . . PORUM really are. At this time for giving thanks, I ask you to consider extending a hand to those who, quite literally, have nothing. no Any contribution, matter how small, can help save the children of Cambodia. Please mail your check today to Save the Children, Cambodian Relief Fund, Dept. P, Westport, Connecticut 06880. Marjorie Benton Board of Directors Save the Children Qmltery alive and well today Todays quacks operate mainly through the mails. While yesterdays pitch man slipped away in the dead of night as his scheme was in danger of being ex- NEVA5 or projected recession here in American sometimes blurs our view of how blessed we befall the people, heritage Asia. fective, or because it is advertised the product is reliable. The laws of the land dont work that way. So what can a poor and often ailing citizen do to protect against quackery? A quick rule of thumb is : If something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Other ways of recognizing quackery is to test it with these questions: Is the product a special or secret remedy not available from any other source? Does the promoter promise to imply quick and easy cures and physical changes? Is it being sold or d promoted by a health advisor, crusading organization of laymen, faith healing group, or popular magazines? Is it advertised as being good for a wide variety of ailments? Is the product one for a disease or ailment for which medical science has no treatment, or'tteatment is self-style- uncertain? Does the promoter use many case histories or testimonials from grateful If the answer is yes to any these questions, chances are youve come across a quack operation. of For more information about quackery or to report a quack product, contact your nearest FDA office, the Federal Trade Commission, or the U.S. Postal Service. TREATY DECISION A GOOD ONE By Edwin Feulner It is not often that reason and logic win out oyer politics. and the So chalk one up for Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ari- able attorneys at the Washington Legal Foundation, who came away victorious in the first round of their lawsuit terminate Amechallenging President Carters decision to ricas defense treaty with Taiwan without seeking Senate approval. The President announced his decision on December 15 defense of last year, calling termination of the normalization process with pact a necessary step in the Communist China. Senator Goldwater and two dozen House and Senate colleagues quickly filed suit, claiming that the President can not unilaterally cancel a treaty any more than a President, with a simple stroke of his pen, can enter into a binding treaty. The Constitution is very clear on the matter, saying that the U.S. Senate by a two thirds vote must concur in the making of all treaties. Armed with both the logic and language of the Constitution, a brilliantly persuasive case was prepared by attorneys it at the legal foundation, one of the countrys d of conservative public interest law firms. And on October 17, word came from the chamber of U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Gasch that the judge had ruled in favor of Senator Goldwater and his colleagues. In his decision. Judge Gasch said that one thing was clear: that in order to alter the basic law of the land, a President needs the approval of Congress. Since treaty termination is somewhat a gray area, the judge offered two courses the President couid have followed. 1) He could have sought the approval of two thirds of the Senate, as he must in entering into a treaty commitment; or 2) He could have sought the approval of a simple majority of both Houses of Congress, as he must in seeking to repeal any other law of the land. The President, of course, chose neither, opting instead to act as a majority of one. The important point is that treaty termination generally , is a shared poWef,' Which cannot be exercised by the President acting aldne, the judge wrote. Neither the Executive nor Legislative branch has exclusive power to terminate treaties. involvAt least under the circumstances of this case faithful with a a mutual defense ally, ing significant treaty who has not violated the terms of the agreement, and the any validity of which has not otherwise been destroyed decision of the United States to terminate that treaty must be made with the advice and consent of the Senate or the approval of both Houses of Congress. That decision cannot be made by the President alone. Judge Gaschs decision came none too soon, since the treaty was set to terminate on December 3 . The next step is up to the court of appeals, which began' its deliberations on November 13. Well keep our eyes on this one, since it is sure to land squarely in the lap of the Supreme Court. It will be the first time in 200 years of Constitutional history that the federal courts have been called upon to rule on this question. In the meantime, you can be sure the issue will heat up again in both the House and the Senate. (Feulner is president of The Heritage Foundation, a Washington-base- d public research organization.) non-prof- new-bree- 1 A word about financing from Boise Cascade Homes: Now. when you buy a Boise Cascade Home, you gel more than our building expertise. Because we c tn help you finance your new home as well with the best possible terms. Ir fact, we can often help arrange up to 100 financing. And tielp you get the best market rates on V.A.. F.H.A.. Farm Home and Conventional 366 Function Loans. That's not just a promise, either. Weve helped nany families finance their new homes. And better terms, combined with the superior value we build in, make a Boise Cascade Home the best buy around. Come in and talk with us about Calendar. Free. financing. 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