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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 11, 1979)
he nation Be THE BATTALION TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 1979 PRESCRIPTION STEREO 3602 OLV COLLEGE ROM) BRYAN, TEXAS 7780J Page 5 $5,000 was enough for Silkwoods r jet fo, >sau. shah's | k and, a high ■arge! lice son ranianr n it. pie h whet nd twi md ah at 4:30; i of the United Press International ■OKLAHOMA CITY — The fam ily of contaminated nuclear worker Karen Silkwood would have been ■isfied with a $5,000 out-of-court settlement from Kerr-McGee Brp., but the energy company re fused to pay the amount, an attor ney said Monday. ■Silkwood lawyer Jim Ikard said all tie family wanted after Ms. Silkwood s death in 1974 “was to be jRmbursed for Karen’s property.” WKerr-McGee removed most of \f Silkwood s belongings from her (apartment when they determined both she and her residence had been contaminated with plutonium. The Silkwood family last month won $10.5 million from Kerr- McGee for the contamination. The damage amount was set by a federal jury after a lengthy court battle. “The whole thing could have ended in January 1975 if they (Kerr-McGee) had paid the $5,000,” Ikard said. “They could have got out of it cheap.” Ms. Silkwood, an employee at Kerr-McGee’s plutonium plant north of Oklahoma City, died in a car accident November 1974, shortly after her contamination. Her survivors sued Kerr-McGee for $71.5 million for the contamina tion, but a federal jury awarded them $1,505 million for her injuries, mental anguish and the confiscated property. The jurors assessed Kerr-McGee $10 million punitive damages for the corporation’s negli gence. Ms. Silkwoods father Bill Silkwood said he asked Kerr-McGee for $5,000, but the corporation sent him a check for $1,500. “It was pitiful,” said Silkwood, a Nederland, Texas, resident. “In mv opinion KerrMcGee was arrogant.” Silkwood said his attorneys advised him to return the check. He did so, and in November 1976 he filed suit against Kerr-McGee seeking $160,000. The original suit sought $15,000 for her contamina tion. The remainder of the damage prayer was for two civil rights "ounts, which were dismissed by a federal judge last fall. The two counts, which are on ap peal at the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, allege Kerr- McGee, the FBI and several other named defendants conspired to de- Bn God We Trust’ survives prive Ms. Silkwood of her civil rights. The damage prayer for the con tamination count was amended sev eral times before the case went to the jury in the 11-week trial. The presiding judge allowed Silkwood attorneys to argue for $71.5 million, but jurors were not limited by that amount. Now you know United Press International The 21st century does not begin in the year 2000; it starts Jan. 1, 2001. • All LPs 80c Over Dealer Cost Every Day! • Discwasher & Sound Guard Products! • Best Sound Around In Car Stereo — PIONEER & JENSEN Speakers CLARION, SANYO & BLAUPUNKT Tape Decks • The Automotive Stereo Center in B-CS “When you think of Automotive Stereo, think of RXStereo — you deserve it.” a Mei and af ’’led ttif * the osl >f the si s in Mi zeni lay aadi before] ?r Ira ipeclei grantel reports ■ is hist } and hist nemh Supreme Court keeps motto lived ii! in court i or thei e itisotj red ini exico. giraeof: Ruholi irotesl I xico it i he Men ly hadh ind in . Thesh ;n left! lifomia. United Press International WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court Monday rebuffed an at- I tempt by atheists to challenge the national motto, “In God We iTrust,” and its use on dollar bills and coins. The justices let stand a lower-court opinion that government use of I the national motto does not advance religion. I In September 1977, atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair and John iGarth Murray challenged the statute making “In God We Trust” the [national motto, claiming it violates the Constitution’s guarantee of [religious freedom and free speech. | They also challenged on the same grounds statutes ordering the I motto imprinted on bills and coins and laws making it a criminal ■ offense to remove the phrase from currency. I A federal trial judge in Texas dismissed the case, noting the motto ■ ‘has nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion. Its ■ use is of a patriotic or ceremonial character and bears no true re- Isemblance to a governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise.” | “Moreover,” said Judge Jack Roberts, “it would be ludicrous to ■ argue that the use of the national motto fosters any excessive govern- Iment entanglement with religion.” FAA defends delay Iti grounding DC-10s While an appeal was pending before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, President Carter signed a bill authorizing replacement of the current dollar coin with a new Susan B. Anthony dollar, bearing the motto “In God We Trust.” O’Hair was joined by 38 atheist organizations and 200 individuals in asking that the Treasury Department be barred from minting and distributing the new coin. A three-judge panel denied the request and on Jan. 18, 1979, affirmed the ruling of the lower-court upholding the use of the na tional motto. Mrs. O’Hair and Murray appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing the district court heard no evidence “as to the impact upon the free dom of conscience of atheists who are compelled to carry upon their body, in their clothing, or in accompanying purses, government sponsored religious sloganing which they abhor. “In the ordinary course of daily life they are, many times each day, forced to broadcast a trust in God in their unavoidable handling of the coin of the realm," Mrs. O Hair and Murray argued. Mrs. O’Hair brought the suit that resulted in the Supreme Court banning prayer from public schools. United Press International ■WASHINGTON — Federal Avi ation Administrator Langhorne H>nd Monday defended the 13-day delay in his grounding of DC-10 jets Her a fiery Chicago crash despite ■rlier hints of design problems in the aircraft. ■deferring to the June 6 grounding o| DC-lOs for thorough design checks. Bond told a House transpor tation subcommittee headed by Rep. John Burton, D-Calif.. ■“We have acted responsibly and promptly to assure the safety of the Jtying public. We have not been hesitant to take those actions mer ited by our assessment of the infor mation made available to us.” ■ But Burton criticized the FAA for not taking decisive action in 1975 against the controversial jet made by McDonnell Douglas Corp. In addition to the DC-10s, Bond over the weekend ordered inspections of pylons on the Boeing 747, Lockheed L-1011 and the A-300 jets in domes tic fleets. FAA official Greg Beard told the committee the 1975 bulletin that cited 11 instances of cracks was re viewed by the agency’s technicial staff, which decided it was not necessary to withdraw the plane’s airworthiness directive at that time. Shortly after Bond testified, the Airline Passengers Association ap peared before the committee to demand that President Carter fire Bond. WALTON Stained Glass Studio Announces new classes beginning week of June 11. 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