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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1983)
Page 16/The Battalion/Wednesday, October 5, 1983 ACLU asked to join Klan battle United Press International NEW ORLEANS — A ku Kkix Klan leader, jailed in the bizarre “Bayou ol Rigs” plot against a Caribbean nation in 1981, wants the American Civil Liberties Union to help bis constitutional attack on the U.S. Neutrality Act. Grand Wizard Don Black ol Birmingham, Ala., Lues- day said be bad written the ACLU in New York from bis federal prison cell in Big Spring, Texas, but has not re ceived a reply. “1 think we were brought to trial primarily because of our KKK affiliation,” Black said in a phone interview. “1 think bad it not been for the politic al beliefs of most of our group, there would have been no prosecution.” Black filed papers in New Orleans Monday asking a fed eral court to overturn the Neutrality Act, under which he and Joe Danny Hawkins of Jackson, Miss., were convicted in 1981. The men and eight other soldiers of fortune were ambushed by government agents as they started on a 2,()()()-mile voyage to the is land of Dominica. Seven ex changed guilty pleas for re duced sentences, and subse quently have been released f rom prison. The eighth man was acquitted. The Neutrality Act pro hibits “preparing or provid ing money for a military or naval expedition or enterprise against a nation with which the United States is at peace.” Black’s motion claimed the words “peace” and “expedi tion or enterprise” were un constitutionally vague and subject to selective prosecu tion. He cited the purchase of Israeli war bonds as acts simi lar to his that regularly escape prosecution. In New York, ACLU associ ate director Alan Reitman said the group’s legal depart ment will study the matter be fore deciding whether to be come involved. “We get lots of letters with requests and they are all looked at,” Reitman said. “We make a determination whether there are civil liber ties at issue.” Black’s group, composed of white supremacists and neo- Nazis from the U.S. and Cana da, planned to oust Domini can prime minister Mary Eugenia Charles and restore jailed ex-leader Patrick John to power. The mercenaries took ex plosives, automatic rifles and ammunition. They carried the Confederate and Nazi flags, a bottle of whiskey and a copy of Soldier of Fortune magazine. The men would have been granted development rights to the island’s economic re sources, including establish ment of a cocaine smuggling operation and an anti communist defense force. “I don’t think we were a threat to the United States by any means,” Black said Tuesday. ‘The government pulled out the Nazi flag and display ed it for most of the trial, as if that were evidence of criminal intent in itself. The govern ment attempted to insinuate that we in some way were going to start the Fourth Reich.” Ashby (continued from page I) First, he said, Texans have a love for the land that is not found in places such as Califor nia where much of the state was settled by gold-seekers. Indeed, he said, many of them who came to Texas for that reason left soon afterward. The lure of land has always been what has brought people to Texas and this love for real estate continues today. He said that many rural Texans move to Houston just to make enough money to return to their small towns and buy land. TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE DEA says monitoring procedures adequate To prove his point Ashby noted that many Houston busi nessmen and lawyers spend their weekends building fences and doing other “manual labor” on land they own elsewhere. REUNION BARBECUE Saturday, October 8, 1983 Three Hours before University of Houston Game New Animal Science Pavilion (on Jersey Street West of Horse Center) Tickets available in Dean's Office or from NAMA members NATIONAL AGRI-MARKETING ASSOC Religion also is more influen tial here than anywhere else, he said, making that a second fea ture that sets Texans apart. No politician, he said, stands a chance of election without endorsement of God. He quickly pointed out ti this “deep religious feelingdi not mean we are good.” Ashby said that this may because early Texas settlers; pended more on God to h( them face the rugged front< He said today’s phenomena may be an outgrowth of this Third, he said, Texans arte tremely patriotic. One reasj for this is that Texans lovei fight and doing it for thefl makes it all the better. He quoted authorJohnSiej beck as calling Texas a “militj nation” and that “section games have the glory and d spair of war.” Ashby said this is particulaj true at Kyle Field and add with a grin, “I just wish could beat somebody,” drawii laughter from the crowd. About Texas and its peopl Ashby finished by saying, are the right place at the time. United Press International SAN ANTONIO — A Drug Enforcement Administration official Tuesday refuted charges that inadequate monitoring of undercover agents led to the drug smuggling activities of ex agent William D. Coller. “We feel very firmly that the monitoring process is adequate. Short of putting a monitor right there on the plane, we feel it’s very adequate,” Carter said. The charges were made by defense attorney Lionel Lofton, who said Coller worked under cover so much that he had trou ble separating his personal and professional life. “You have to remember that undercover agents have a cer tain amount of freedom. They can only be supervised to some extent,” he said. taught survival techniques to other agents, Lofton said. When he was transferred to Charles ton last summer, he had ended his illegal activities and was aware officials probably would discover them. Once confronted with the charges, he resigned from the DEA. United hood might cause was not consi dered deliberate. Lofton, who once prosecuted drug smugglers as a former assistant U.S. attorney, claimed that poor monitoring of under cover agents caused Coller to be come a real criminal. Coller, 42, was sentenced to three years in prison and re ceived a $15,000 fine and a two- year special parole term last week in a plea bargain agree ment with f ederal prosecutors in San Antonio. However, San Antonio DEA agent in charge Charles Carter said Tuesday that agency moni toring is adequate, even though agents require freedom to op erate. He was working for the DEA in Charleston, S.C., w'hen he w'as indicted in July by a federal grand jury. Coller pleaded guil ty to smuggling 750 pounds of marijuana into the United States from Belize in 1982. “He was in a high-stress situa tion, like FAA flight controllers, CIA agents and military com manders,” said Lofton. “Some body monitors those people to make sure they don’t burn out or go over the line. I’m not blam ing DEA, but they didn’t have anybody monitoring Bill’s activity. The second committee, budget and admissions, approved Planned Parenthood on tf same criteria and sent its decision to the United Way board of directors, Fleisher said. The board then appointed a special committee to investigate Planned Parenthood’s request considering both its prograi and the controversy fundi Planned Parenthood cause. That committee approved Planned Parenthoo request. Against the advice of three committees, the boi voted Planned Parenthood’s quest down. The moral issues involved worthy of debate, Fleisher but United Way is notthefon for that debate. “He was living a life that w T as a lie, but he had to be convincing (to drug dealers) or he would have gotten killed,” he said. Attorneys seek better prisons MSC AGGIE CINEMA presents THE 2nd Annual MovieArt POSTER SALE OCTOBER 3-7 Carter said the monitoring process was not successful with Coller because the ex-agent “did a lot of this stuff wdiile on leave or on weekends.” Coller was a skilled pilot w'ho wrote an agency manual on flying in South America and A murder contract w'as placed on Coller once by an organized crime figure, and he w as warned on another occasion that if he betrayed the organize ers of a $100 million cocaine deal they would “tie him to a tree and disassemble him with a pair of pliers,” Lofton said. United Press International HOUSTON — Attorneys for inmates of the Texas Depart ment of Corrections will ask a federal judge to take more steps to correct overcrow'ding and im prove staffing and medical ser vices in the prison system, offi cials said Tuesday. Conditions have “worsened” since the judge ordered reforms almost three years ago, said attorneys William Bennett Tur ner and Donna Brorbv. The attorneys said they pis ned to ask U.S. District Jud William Wayne Justice to hearing in December todecidi TDC is complying with orders of providing adeqit housing, correctional officie medical staff and other refon he ordered in 1980. Although TDC has added new units, the lawyers saidki not provided recreation roon gyms, chapels, clinics, show toilets and other services At least 57 teams to compete in ‘Anything Goes’ fund-raiser the iti Vintage and current movie posters on sale in the MSC. * VISA & Mastercard accepted. by Wanda Winkler Battalion Staff At least 57 teams are expected :o participate in The Residence Hall Association’s annual Almost Anything Goes sche duled to start at 5 p.m. Thursday. The fund-raising event will be held at the Main Drill Field, between the Memorial Student Center and Puryear and Law halls. Proceeds of the event will go to United Way. The event was discussed Tuesday night at the regular meeting of RHA. The teams, each made up of five men and five women, will participate in the contest, which is a take-off on the television have participated in AAG since April 1976. DONT PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS ... show r “Almost Anything Goes.” The event will offer games such as Skin-The-Snake, Squeeze Box, Fried Flippers, Aggies Over Easy and Water Volleyball. Winners of each game w ill re ceive t-shirts. Karen Bloch, director of the RHA programs committee, ex plained game check-in proce dures and encouraged RHA members to get their hall resi dences involved in the competi tion. Bloch said members of her committee will referee the In other action, Jan Winni- ford, assistant director of stu dent affairs, encouraged council presidents and RHA delegates to get involved in her depart ment’s program, Alcohol Aw'areness Week. The program, designed to promote responsi ble drinking, will take place Oct. 10-14. about alcohol, how to have as® party and new driving while toxicated laws in Texas Alcohol presentations scheduled for 7 p.m. Mondaj | the A-l Lounge, 6:30 p Tuesday at Corps area LoinK B and 7 p.m. Oct. 12intheG) || mons. Winniford showed the film, “Alcohol, The Brain and Be havior,” at the meeting. She said RHA members should be aware of how r alcohol affects the bodv. games. RHA has already raised $500 from entry fees — $ 15 per team. The event will raise $750 to $1,000 this year, Bloch said. RHA raised $385 from the event in 1982. On-campus students RHA adviser Nyla Ptomey said residence hall leaders at a dorm mixer or party should dis courage residents from drink ing and driving. “Our biggest concern is to see that everyone gets home safe," she said. Three RHA members, v olunteered to drink before meeting, demonstrated alcohol slows driver-real time. A machine, which f a series of red and green was used to demonstrate effects of alcohol. l Alcohol Awareness Week will feature presentations that focus on responsible drinking, myths Each volunteer had a ,0: .07 alcohol content in thebto the range that begins toaffefl person’s reaction time, person responded to the I by pushing a hand-cond sw itch or a brake, depe the flashing light. The volij teers, previously tested wh her, had slower reactions; drinking. TRAV AR WASHES TRAVELKLEENSPOT Save 20 - 50% on Long Distance CALL STAR TEL TODAY Get the facts - then decide 779-2830 1313 Briarcrest Drive, Bryan, Texas yCai| Weekend October 8 & 9 25 € Car Washes! FREE COKES All Day Saturday & Sunday Travel Kleen Is located behind the Shell station on Texas Ave. across from Culpepper Plaza. sbhsvaa uvoaaad iodS N33i>naAV«i sansvMavo