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Future in space
Controversies over SDI clouded by propaganda
By Tammy Kirk
Staff Writer
Dr. James Oberg, a McDonnell-
Douglas engineer on contract to
ecision on stuth | NASA, said Wednesday that his
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ind children and
ain purpose for speaking on Strat-
gic Defense Initiative was not to dis-
the policies involved or to
hoose positions, but simply to tell
the truth.
But too often, Oberg said, people
Choose positions on projects such as
SDI, and then “make”,evidence to fit
their argument.
Briefly, SDI, better known as Star
ars, is a defense initiative which
would make use of emerging tech
nologies such as laser and high-en
ergy particle beams to destroy Soviet
issiles before they strike their tar
gets. This strategic qoncept is the re
sult of President Reagan calling on
scientists to discover new ways to
render nuclear weapons impotent
and obsolete.
VV.
m
Oberg said, “Soviet reality is what
they say it is.”
Oberg gave numerous examples
of what he called misleading Soviet
propaganda concerning space and
space weapons and used a slide pre
sentation to present his evidence.
Oberg presented two pictures a
group of Soviets. The “before” pic
ture was of a Soviet spaceman, a
chief space designer, and a military
officer. Because the Soviets claimed
that the particular project being
worked on had no military influ
ence, the military officer was air
brushed away for publication.
Pravda, the official governmental
Soviet newspaper, Oberg said, ac
cuses the United States of using
shuttles as “space spies.” But, Oberg
said the Soviets neglected to report
on their own “space spies.”
Oberg, an engineer who has stud
ied Soviet weapons, also spoke of the
_ difference between the anti-satellites
called “satellite killers”, which are
designed to destroy other satellites,
and “killer satellites”, which are de
signed to destroy other targets such
as ICBMs.
Presently, only anti-satellites are
operational, Oberg said.
But Soviet statistics show that
killer satellites have been operational
for the Soviets since 1971, though
not in space, Oberg said. And, he
added, some propaganda in the
United States claims “that no real
harm exists,” even though four con
secutive Soviet tests were successful
in 1971.
However, the Soviets chose not to
present the facts to the public by re
porting these killer satellites as only
in the experimental stage, Oberg
said. Yet, when the launching pads
are covered with snow, they’re the
first to be cleared, Oberg added.
Oberg said the Soviet Union and
the United States must tell the truth
and go on with the SDI from there.
Professor says U.S. not behind in arms race
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By MEG CADIGAN
Staff Writer
The United States is not be
hind the Soviet Union in the arms
race, a University of Arkansas
professor said Wednesday night.
In his speech, “Alternatives to
■ the Strategic Defense Initiative,”
Dr. Art Hobson said the United
States is ahead of the Soviets in
terms of weapons accuracy of
U.S. weapons and its ability to re
taliate following an attack by the
Soviet Union.
Hobson said the SDI will be
able to:
• Protect land-based missiles.
• Defend against cheating af
ter offensive arms are reduced to
a minimum.
• Partially defend against re
taliation following a U.S. first
strike.
He said one drawbacks SDI is
that it will not be able to “provide
an impenetrable shield around
the United States.”
Hobson said that SDI cannot
provide absolute protection
against a Soviet first strike unless
the number of arms are reduced.
Hobson, a member of the
Union of Concerned Scientists,
said the United States has a supe
rior retaliation capacity due to the
location of its missile concentra
tion. He said the United States
has 2,000 ICBMs (land-based
missiles), 6,000 SLBMs (subma
rine-based missiles) and 3,000
missiles loaded on bomber
planes.
The Soviet Union has 6,500
ICBMs, 2,700 SLBMs and 300
missiles loaded on bomber
planes, Hobson said. He said the
Soviet Union hesitates to attack
the United States because the
United States has a large concen
tration of air and sea-based mis
siles, which are not easy to attack.
Hobson said SDI, combined
with a difficult-to-locate group of
missiles, would give the United
States a first strike capability with
little fear of retaliation from Sovi
ets.
Hobson said the alternative to
SDI is a combination of defense
and arms control. Because the ac
curacy of missiles is rapidly in
creasing, Hobson says a number
of warheads can be attached to
one missile and thus increase the
amount of damage that each mis
sile can do.
Therefore, Hobson said, the
number of missiles, when each
side has such a large stockpile, is
irrelevant. The number ana strat
egic location (air, land, sea) of
missiles will become important if
the amount of weapons each side
is allowed to have are reduced.
In considering the arms con
trol issue, Hobson said it is impor
tant to look at the situation from
the perspective of the Soviets,
too.
lly
Id <
that we could do the same thing
(attack them and wipe out their
retaliatory forces) to them, only
worse,” Hobson said.
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University System!
culty has beer
;e the Texas Legit-
dared April 21
Isory state"
state’s Sesquiceit-
Convicted killer prepared to die,
but thinks chances of stay likely
■ will not affetl
, said Dr. Malotf Associated Press
ssistant vice pres-1 HUNTSVILLE — Convicted
t services. ^H er j a y Kelly Pinkerton said
t he change, AT Wednesday he’s prepared to die
If will receive out next wee ]e j But believes he has a bet-
heir spring brea ter c hance of receiving a stay than in
tid. Spring bi« August when the Supreme Court
stal I will be Mai spared him just before his scheduled
Execution.
stall will be oI|i “j don’t look for the execution to
' f° r tl* 6 ' 1 take place, but then that’s not totally
ys and Dec. J ^ m y hands,” Pinkerton said in what
lor Christmas bol- could be his last meeting with re
porters. “If it does take place, I ac
cept it. If not, I accept that also.
There’s nothing I can do to change
that.
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23 through Jan. I’
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remain the same
id.
“I was prepared before. I’ve been
prepared quite a long time now.”
Pinkerton, 23, faces lethal injec
tion before dawn Tuesday for the
rape-slaying of Sarah Donn Law
rence, 30, in 1979.
The former meat cutter was 17
when he was arrested for killing
Lawrence, who was raped, stabbed
as many as 50 times, had her throat
slashed and body mutilated during a
burglary of her Amarillo home. The
woman’s three children slept in a
nearby room during the carnage.
Pinkerton also was convicted of
capital murder for the stabbing
death of Sherry Welch, a former'
Authorities charge suspect
in ‘Fondra Firebug’ cases
Associated Press
HOUSTON — An 18-year-old
electronics wizard authorities say is
the “Fondra Firebug” — an arsonist
believed responsible for more than a
dozen Houston area fires — was
charged with arson Wednesday.
Damon Henry Downs was ar-
j rested Tuesday night in the parking
lot of a southwest Houston shopping
center, said Fire Department spokes
man Bill Paradoski. He was being
U f: held in the city jail on $500,000
bond, police spokesman J.C. Mosier
said.
Police said a man had called them
claiming responsibility for several
fires and identifying himself as the
“Fondra Firebug,” a name taken
from the French word “fondra”
which means “will melt.”
Downs was already set to appear
in court Wednesday on a misdemea
nor charge of making a harassing
communication. He was out ot jail
on that charge on $800 bond.
Downs, who was in a sports car at
time of the arrest, told authorities
there was a bomb in his car, Par
adoski said. A one-hour search of
the car determined there was not a
bomb.
Houston Police Sgt. J.C. Mosier
said investigators began following
the suspect after receiving a tip to
check out “his previous activities,”
but the officer declined to elaborate.
Authorities have been investigat
ing the case since last week, when a
man identifying himself as the
“Fondra Firebug” telephoned the
Fire Department and threatened to
set a fire at a southwest Houston
apartment building. Minutes later, a
fire was reported at the complex.
Officials say they believe the
Fondra Firebug may be responsible
for more than a dozen fires-
beauty queen who was the victim of a
similar attack.
“I’m working on an appeal brief
— around the clock,” said Pinkerton,
who would become the youngest
person to be executed since the Su
preme Court allowed the death pen
alty to be resumed in 1976. “I think
this time I’m going to do a lot bet
ter.”
On Aug. 14, as he was waiting to
be strapped to the gurney in the
Texas death chamber, the Supreme
Court voted 6-2 to keep him alive.
The prison warden informed him of
the stay at 11:43 p.m. Execution was
scheduled for just past midnight.
The high court subsequently re
jected his appeal and a state judge
set Nov. 26 as Pinkerton’s third
death date.
“My case was not denied — only
refused, which allows me to continue
my appeal,” Pinkerton said Wednes
day. “I’m not through with that
court until I file every document
available to me. In comparison with
then (August) and now, I believe my
chances of obtaining a stay are
greater than they were before.”
The appeals are based on what he
says was his illegal arrest, inadmissa-
ble evidence and inadequate defense
counsel.
Pinkerton would become the 11th
Texas inmate to be executed since
the state resumed the death penalty
in 1982.
Since early this month, Pinkerton,
a convicted burglar with a history of
juvenile crime, has been in segrega
tion as punishment for rules viola
tions, including one incident in
which he threw urine on a prison
guard.
ABORTION (a - bor shun)
1. The termination
pregnancy before the^?^
stage of viabili
ty 2. The expulsion
°f an embryo or fetus
prior to viability
Rudder Theatre — Dec. 3
B P ,m - $1.00 admission
Luther s November Values
A\3
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sPeci a / e “ np ° rt I
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Come and Get It at Luther’s
Watch exclusive Snurtc 1 ,," 1 ^ 8 November 30,1985
■— vents on our big screen T.V. set up Fri.-Tues.
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