BETTER THAN 2™K ^ofT? where you need it most! NEVER SHRINK, NEVER FADE, NEVER EVER WRINKLE! And You Thought Jeans Were Only Made to Work In! Well, look again, and have LOOK CLOSER! Haband, the mail order people from Paterson, New Jersey, ready right now, to ship direct to your door, the finest, most comfortable, best looking, versatile First Choice Deluxe Gentlemen's Jeans for less than HALF of what the department or men's stores charge — even when they have a sale! But don't let the name "Jeans" fool you! These are not meant for cleaning the garage or painting the back fence. No Sir! These SHARP-LOOKING, Gentlemen's Style Jeans are DRESSIER than any DENIM you've ever owned, because THEY ARE NOT DENIM! They are soft, easy to wear N O-IRO N machine Wash and Wear S-T-R-E-T-C-H Woven Polyester. They never shrink, never fade, never bind, even after 100 washings. The best thing to happen to men's slacks since the zipper! Best thing to happen to your wallet since your income tax refund! Go ahead- S-T-R-E-T-C-H! These WOVEN Better-than- FOUR COLORS TO CHOOSE! m Denim Take traditional Light Blue or Indigo for lazy afternoons Gent's Jeans and a pair of the Grey or Tan for Saturday evenings out. inseam can take it Full cut and tailored to fit in your exact waist and length, finished and ready to wear. every Don't let those over-inflated designer prices make time! you shell out more than you have to! Order your BETTER-THAN-DENIM-JEANS today for At-Home Approval. Made in the U.S.A Satisfaction Guaranteed Personal HURRY — SEND YOUR ORDER TODAY! BETTER-THAN-DENIM Gent's PAIRS OF mi JEANS JEANS I I Ll $55.60 265 North 9th Street, SIZES AVAILABLE HABAND Paterson, N.J. 07530 WAIST: 30-32-34-35-36-37-38-39-40-41-42-43-44 Cf BIG SIZES: 46 • -48 • -50 ' -52 • -54 • *£ASE, Yes Sir! Send pairs of jeans for . 'Please add $1.75 per pair for Big Sizes 46-54 which I enclose the full amount of $ f INSEAMS: S(27-28), M(29-30). LQ1-32), XLQ3-34) plus S2.50 for postage and handling. OR CHARGE IT: Visa MasterCard 6. Acct* Exp. Date: / 7. ^INKLES! Guarantee: If upon receipt I do not 8. COM, wish to wear the Jeans, I may return INDIGO them within 30 days for a full refund $14 A of every penny I paid you. Gunmetal GRAY 7TJ-077 Check here for $7.95 Top Grain Leather Belt NAME.. Color: (A)BLACK or (B)BROWN Even Waist Sizes: 30 - 44 STREET APT.* Big Sizes 46 thru 54* *Add $2 per belt for 46-54 CITY/STATE ZIP.. (#716) SIZE: COLOR 265 N. 9th Street, Paterson, N.J. 07530 LEGION The Magazine for a Strong America Vol. 122, No. 4 April 1987 ARTICLES OVERCOMING DENTAL PHOBIA 16 Technology is taking the worry out ofdental visits. By D.J. Moore AMERICA'S MERCHANT MARINE: STORMY SEAS AHEAD 20 Ourflag ships are rapidly disappearingfrom world trade routes. Why? WHEN INNOCENTS DIE 24 Every child has a right to grow up withoutfear. ByJohn Walsh THE MIDDLE EAST: WHY WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE 26 Loss ofprecious oil and vital sea lanes couldforce hard choices. By Vernon Pizer 20 FISHING THE KONA COAST 28 Where marlin meets man in classic high-seas confrontations. ByJoseph Stocker THE EXCESSES OF BIG GOVERNMENT 30 Too many agencies and too many people are telling us what to do. ByDougBandow TEACHING VALUES IN THE NATION'S CLASSROOMS 32 We're confusing our children aboutwhat's right and what's wrong. By Gary Bauer TEXTBOOK WARS: A CLASH OF TWO WORLDS 34 Who should determine which textbooks schools may use? By Oliver StarrJr. REBUILDING YOUNG LIVES 38 A second chancefor runaways and victims ofabuse and neglect. 26 SAFEGUARDING POST ASSETS 40 Ifyourpostgets sued, do you have to pay, too? DEPARTMENTS BIG ISSUES Can The Nation Afford Long-term Health-care Coverage? 10 LETTERS 4 VETERANS UPDATE 36 VETERANS ADVISER 46 COMMANDER'S MESSAGE 6 LEGION NEWS BRIEFS 42 PARTING SHOTS 64 DATELINE WASHINGTON 8 VETERANS ALERT 44 THE COVER U.S. merchant ships: a vanishing asset. Photo by Martin Rogers/Stock Boston. 30 The American Legion Magazine, a leader among national general-interest publications, is published monthly by The American Legion for its 2.7 million members. These military-service veterans, work- ing through 16,000 community-level posts, dedicate themselves to God and country and traditional American values; a strong national security; adequate and compassionate care for veterans, their widows and orphans; community service; and the wholesome development of our nation's youth. APRIL 1987 1 LEGIONTHE AMERICAN MAGAZINE ntakihrough Editorial Offices 700 North Pennsylvania St. P.O. Box 1055 Suburban Indianapolis, IN 46206 for 317-635-8411 James R Dean Garden©!^ National Commander Daniel S.Wheeler Publisher/Editor-in-Chief At last! Michael D. LaBonne Editor Now there's a Raymond H. Mahon Managing Editor tiller/cultivator Margaret Bradbury exclusively Associate Editor designed Joe Stuteville Associate Editor for small Simon Smith backyard Art Director William L. Poff gardens. Production Manager Gardeners in their 60 s and 70 s love Mantis Advertising Director No longer do and tough sod like a chain saw Donald B. Thomson The American Legion Magazine have to cuts through wood. you P.O. Box 7068 choose between Mantis is so easy to guide that you Indianapolis, IN 46207 317-635-8411 a yank-you-along front-tine tiller and can cultivate right around plants, a clumsy, hard-to-guide, expensive along crop rows and up tight to Publisher's Representatives tiller. rear-tine fences . without worrying about Fox Associates, Inc. Now there's Mantis ... the 20- running into your growing flowers Chicago: 312-649-1650 New York: 212-984-0729 pound wonder that makes every and vegetables. Los Angeles: 213-487-5630 gardening job a breeze! Mantis And, with its easy-on/easy-off pre- San Francisco: 415-989-5804 starts with a flick of the wrist . turns cision attachments, Mantis quickly Troy, Ml: 313-649-4802 Atlanta: 404-252-0968 on a dime . and runs all day on a becomes a Planter/Furrower ... a gallon of gas. Border Edger ... or a superb Trimmer The American Legion tills full 8" deep, or deli- Mantis a for pruning shrubs and hedges. Magazine Commission cately cultivates the surface for pre- Best of all, Mantis costs a fraction Milford A. Forrester, Chairman, Greenville, SC; cision weeding. And, because it's so of what you'd pay for a big tiller! James V. Kissner, Vice Chairman, Palatine, IL; easy to maneuver, women and older James R. Kelley, National Commander's Rep- people love Mantis! resentative, Wayne, PA; George F. Ballard, Belleville, IL; Adolph F. Bremer, Winona, MN; 'We are well into our 60 s and it is Victor Broom, Fulton, MS; J. Leslie Brown Jr., such a joy to garden with such 3 Reasons to Buy in Spring Louisville, kY; Donald Conn, South Bend, IN; . ease.. " wrote the Hartzogs of 1. We'll ship your Mantis James W. Conway, Charlestown, MA; Lincoln Cox, Kirby, WV; Eugene J. kelley, Savannah, Nederland, Texas. immediately! GA; Halbert G. Horton, Topeka, kS; Frank J. The secret of Mantis' success is 2. Let Mantis turn over soil, add in Holcshuh, Youngstown, OH; Russell H. Laird, its exclusive "tine teeth" which spin fertilizers and organic material Des Moines, IA; Nathaniel J. Mckee, Prince- ton, NJ; J. Fred Mitchell, Brewton, AL; J. H. at 240 revolutions per minute (twice . even dig holes or furrows r Morris, Baton Rouge, LA; D . James D. Shafer, " for your spring planting. the speed of most tillers). These E. Stroudsburg, PA; George G. Sinopoli, tine teeth cut through soil, weeds 3. You'll receive a FREE $41 .00 Fresno, CA; Ralph L. Smith, Bartlesville, Ok; Border Edger when you order Dewey C. Spencer, Mabelvale, AR; Benjamin this month! B. Truskoski, Bristol, CT; Neal L. Thomas Jr., Consultant, Colorado Springs, CO. Copyright 1987 by The American Legion 3-WEEK HOME TRIAL Price: annual subscription, $12.00; single copy, $1.50. To subscribe, send $12.00 ($18.00 in for- MONEY BACK IF NOT DELIGHTED eign countries) to Circulation Dept., P.O. Box 1954, Indianapolis, IN 46206. Mantis Manufacturing Co. Change of Address: Notify The American 1458 County Line Rd., Dept. 1 1047 Legion's Circulation Dept., P.O. Box 1954, Indi- Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 anapolis, IN 46206. Attach old address label, Please send me information on the provide old and new addresses and current Mantis Tiller/Cultivator and your low, low membership card number. Allow 8 weeks for prices. change of address to take effect. Also notify your local post adjutant directly at local post's address. NAME. To request microfilm copies, please write to: ADDRESS. University Microfilms, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 CITY. Women love Mantis STATE _ . ZIP. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE "May God have mercy on our They will not crack with time, yet they look just like enemies; they will need it." ivory, because they use genuine ivory as part of their composition. Master of the art of war, he had an intuitive To permanently personalize your Commemora- feel for battle. He knew the electrifying tive as a family heirloom, upon request, we will lector pieces. If the edition is sold out before your power of the bold offensive. He was one of engrave your initials on the left grip, opposite the reservation is received, your deposit will be refunded the most dynamic leaders in history and one of Amer- General's on the right.