ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, February 1, 1991                   TAG: 9102010757
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short


WAR SHOWS BENEFITS OF BASIC RESEARCH

THE UNQUALIFIED success enjoyed by U.S. hardware in Operation Desert Storm illuminates the shortsightedness of those who seek an immediate return on basic scientific research.

The extraordinary reliability of the Tomahawk cruise and the Patriot missiles and the absolute targeting capabilities of the multitude of laser- and radar-aimed smart bombs derive from research begun as early as 1935. The much-maligned space program, which spent hundreds of millions of dollars to put a few men on the moon, has paid incalculable dividends in protecting allied and Iraqi lives.

Perhaps retired Sen. William Proxmire should resurface and admit that the only true Golden Fleece he uncovered were the hair transplants he thought he needed for his abortive run on the presidency. The next time the talking heads of Washington moan over the cost of the Strategic Defense Initiative or the new space station, gently remind them that more than a few Americans are alive because talking heads in the past could see beyond the two-year election cycle. LAWRENCE SHIELD BURNT CHIMNEY



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