Reutter

In his article "Beware Timidity in the Endgame" (Commentary, Sept. 23), former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger leads a debate on policy objectives in the Persian Gulf which centers on events in the Vietnam War. And it is not hard to see that he has mostly accepted the critics' view of history. "For economic and political reasons, I doubt a stalemate can be sustained." The official military policy in Vietnam became defensive in 1970, under President Nixon. "A prolonged stalemate is likely to undermine the domestic stability of our Arab associates."

I want to commend Hough for his clarity and insight, and for having the courage to say what he said in his article. It is obvious the media have a bad case of the "Chicken Little" syndrome. Newsmen justify their knee-jerk hysteria by promising us that eventually they will get the story right. But what happens in the meantime can be disastrous. What would have happened if panic had spread across the international border? Who would have been responsible? Obviously there were two separate disasters going on at Chernobyl--one the spread of radioactivity, and the other the spread of panic.

It is more than interesting to consider the curious distortions Nixon places on history. In singling out drug users within the "leadership class," Nixon launches yet another thinly veiled witch hunt against the so-called liberal establishment of the '60s. Curious that a Democratic President, and a Democratically-controlled Congress promoted the Vietnam War. And the Johnson Administration in particular made a monumental commitment to win that conflict.

President Reagan's speech at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington did little to assuage the bitter feelings many veterans have toward this Administration's policies, both foreign and domestic (Part I, Nov. 12). It is difficult to remember that this is the President's personal cause, to heal the wound left by that war. One has to wonder how much is gained waging similar proxy wars in Afghanistan and Nicaragua. Do we pull a suture tight every time the state vehicle pulls up to a house in Moscow, and the grim-faced military officer walks to the door?

Frankfurt and Hamburg airports will be the hardest hit today when 52,000 employees of Lufthansa go on strike, a union official said Sunday. All other German airports served by Germany's biggest airline will also be affected by the massive walkout, union spokesman Harald Reutter said. The airline advised U.S. passengers to check their flight status by calling (800) 399-5838 or (800) 645-3880, or by going online to www.lufthansa.com.

Stephen Colbert, whose deadpan punditry on Comedy Central has become a force of nature, has an honest appreciation for speedskating. No joke. He is not, he insists, enamored of big-thighed men whose muscles bulge through body-hugging suits. OK, that was going for a laugh. But he is truly intrigued by curling too. He throws out words like shuffleboard stone, lunging, scrubbing and hog line as if he means it. Meet your newest NBC reporter for the Vancouver Olympics. At nearly every Winter Olympics, balls-and-bats sportswriters take pleasure in mocking what they don't know.

The Natural History Museum has followed the unprecedented success of its summer dinosaur exhibit with an artistic cat show that figuratively roars, howls and meows in its depiction of the members of felidae, the carnivorous family including cats of all sizes. The exhibition, dubbed "The Eclectic Cat," presents the lore, evolution and cultural relevance of cats--big and small, tamed and untamed--by using nature, art and artifact.

Your editorial, "Rethinking Higher Education," (June 22) suggests there is a growing "morale" problem among faculty and students involved in the two-year community college system. The fact that state and private universities are moving to satellite campuses near competing junior colleges demonstrates both the demand and the failure of our local community colleges to meet this demand. Unfortunately most of the students who choose to attend a community college immediately after high school are woefully unprepared to begin full-time academic studies.