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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 1986)
A&M researchers seek to raise interest in shark as seafood — Page 4 A&M has two players named to AII-SWC basketball teams — Page 7 L Texas A&M Battalion il. 83 No. 110 LISPS 075360 12 pages College Station, Texas Tuesday, March 4, 1986 SANCHU rug tests offices pported ' n hy panel m raisedi te. (I. "This is I 150 vean I r belt re utes later. I in thepa-j s stand bt I y Cisneroi I to piduttl 150 yean | Col. ASHINGTON — Drug traf- ng is organized crime’s most lu- jive enterprise and constitutes a nal emergency that should be with workplace drug testing and essive intervention by the U.S. ary, a presidential panel con- ofTan"ai| dedMonda y- : )00 strorj W a re P orl to ^ res ' dent Reagan, mio Lopet ict ie| Commission on Organized line said the U.S. dru^ problem ■become a threat to national secu- ty and justifies drastic measures t as drug testing in the work- said, ‘Wei > did it bat lough evi reasonable d. to the en- sidents. Ie who are in the mi- look them n the eye he study says government con- ts should not be awarded to com ics that fail to implement drug ing programs. it a news briefing, the commis- ’s deputy director, Rodney B. th, stopped short of saying that working Americans should un- go drug testing, but added, “We saying to every employer in the ion that ‘you should consider the ungtoflo ability of drug testing.’ ” .. Smith acknowledged that the tests e not 100 percent accurate and at there was concern among com- ision members about employees airly losing their jobs as a result. But he said drug testing technol- can be improved and that losing b unfairly “is one small issue in a ichlarger issue. Photo byJOANIE PATE What’s The Scoop? Denise Johnson, a sophomore economics major dips ice cream to make a shake at a local ice cream parlor. Astronaut angry flaw in booster concealed Associated Press SPACE CENTER, Houston — NASA’s astronaut corps was not in formed that engineers had been concerned for more than two years about the shuttle’s solid rocket boost ers, and a senior shuttle commander said Monday he was “angry” about that. Astronaut Henry Hartsfield, one of four astronauts who broke a month-long silence to talk to report ers Monday, said he learned about a problem with seals on the solid rocket boosters only after Chal lenger blew up on Jan. 28. “I was angry about it,” he said. “Still am.” Hartsfield and three colleagues — Vance Brand, Gordon Fullerton and Joe Engle — all veteran shuttle com manders, said they were never made aware of any parts of the shuttle called “criticality 1,” whose failure would have resulted in a cata strophic loss. Fullerton said the astronauts didn’t have the time to examine each system aboard the complex shuttle. He explained that “there’s an im plied trust (in the engineers) in fly ing on the shuttle.” None of the four would agree that there was a flaw in NASA’s launch decision process, as has been charged by the presidential commis sion investigating Challenger’s acci dent. Hartsfield said he felt it was too early to say the system was flawed, but added that he was concerned about reports that critical engi neering concerns about the solid rocket boosters never reached the top levels of NASA. “If it did happen that way, I am troubled,” he said. Hartsfield said he felt NASA was under no extraordinary pressure to launch any of the shuttle missions and said that before one of his flights he was given a choice of pro ceeding despite a computer problem or waiting for the problem to be fixed. He decided to delay the flight and said there was no pressure to change his decision. Brand said he believes the astro naut corps should have been advised about the engineering concerns in- See 4 astronauts, page 12 NASA considers return to throwaway rockets WASHINGTON — With only three space shuttles remaining and customers lined up for the next decade, NASA is thinking about returning to the throwaway rockets the shuttle had rendered nearly obsolete. In the meantime, acting NASA administrator William Graham has ordered modifications on the shuttle Discovery to enable it to carry space probes that use pow erful Centaur rockets to reach distant planets. Two such space craft were to have been launched in May; one to orbit the sun, and the other to explore the planet Jupiter. The Ulysses spacecraft to the sun was to have been launched from Challenger. The Jupiter probe, called Galileo, was to have been aboard Atlantis, which also had been modified to accommo date the Centaur rocket. NASA said, “Schedulers have been instructed to evaluate alter native approaches based on 12-or 18-month delays before resump tion of space shuttle flights.” It. added that special attention is being paid to payloads involv ing national security and those with specific scientific deadlines, such as the Ulysses and Galileo missions, which can only be launched when Earth and Jupiter are in proper position. tote senators told year-end debt may reach $600 million IS i sign- ^pril 4 ' back- utdoor and aS ind i n ' and an palsy Associated Press AUSTIN — Facing a $1.3 billion budget jrtfall, House lawmakers decided Mon- j to lay off some staff members while tators heard predictions the state may be ced to write up to $600 million in hot ecks by year’s end. Treasurer Ann Richards told a rare cau- s of Senate members, called to discuss the price dilemma, “Right now, money is ing out faster than is coming in. “By mid-December, we will have paid out nost$2 billion more than the state’s Gen ii Revenue Fund has in the Treasury, lis puts the state into a serious financial men.” If oil prices — and oil tax revenues — re am at lower than anticipated levels, state vernment may find itself asking banks to mor checks for which funds won’t be im- ediately available, Richards said. While up to $1.4 billion could be trans- rred from other state funds to help cover e checks, she said, several hundred mil- m still might remain outstanding. “We are working on short-term, tempo- ry solutions designed to get us through itical periods of a few days’ duration,” she id. “Should these measures fail to cover “We are working on short term, temporary solutions de signed to get us through critical periods....” Ann Richards, state treasurer. the state’s obligations, the Treasury would have to enter into some variation on an old- style arrangement used in the past which calls for the state banks to honor hot war rants.” Earlier in the day, the House Adminis tration Committee voted to slash House spending by nearly $7 million over the next 18 months and lay off 8 percent of the House permanent staff. Committee chairman Mike Millsap said the action is designed both to help the state cope with the projected $1.3 billion short fall and to warn state agencies to pare their own budgets. “Failure to undertake similar measures across state government may only presage a cut in more basic services,” Millsap said. The cuts totaled 19 percent of the House administrative budget. Gov. Mark White has asked all state agencies to reduce spend ing by 13 percent through Aug. 31, 1987. Such cuts are necessary, officials say, to absorb revenue losses brought about by the severe plunge in oil prices over the last two months that led Comptroller Bob Bullock to reduce the state’s income estimate by $1.3 billion. Millsap, D-Fort Worth, said the House reductions will save $6.89 million. “All of the (cuts) involved difficult choices, and none of them were arrived at without serious thought and careful plan ning,” he said. Some key cuts include: • Laying off 8 percent of the 166-mem ber permanent House staff. • Freezing House hiring and limiting re placement of employees lost through attri tion to one out of four. • Eliminating funding for legislative caucuses and the House Study Group, the independent research organization that has provided analysis of legislation and other is sues beefore lawmakers. Several study group employees also would be let go. • Postponing the 3 percent employee pay raise scheduled for Sept. 1. “I think whistling in the dark is what we’re doing if we don’t do something right away. ” Sen. John Traeger, D-Seguin. • Restricting travel by lawmakers and staffs. Millsap indicated that Monday’s spend ing cuts might not be the last. “This is not the last time we’re going to meet to take action,” he said. The committee’s decision to elimiate funds for the House Study Group brought protest from Rep. Ernestine Glossbrenner, D-Alice, chairman of the study group. Glossbrenner said she hoped “the com mittee was not using the fiscal crisis as an excuse to take control of the independent research group.” In the Senate, that chamber’s administra tion committee approved a 13 percent spending cut — but no layoffs in its perma nent staff. However, Sen. Roy Blake, D-Nacog- doches, committee chairman, said the plan to save some $2.88 million would include a hiring freeze and elimination of the planned 3 percent employee raise. Gov. White has insisted that state agen cies can eliminate the potential budget defi cit through spending cuts, and he has re fused to call a special legislative session to deal with the problem. However, Sen. John Traeger, D-Seguin, said Monday that failure to call a special ses sion could have dire consequences next year if oil prices continue to drop. “I guarantee you that if that deficit con tinues to mount, by the time they meet next year we’re going to be in stark terror as far as meeting the state budget,” Traeger said. “They better do something now and get some money coming in,” he said. “There isn’t any short cut or magic.” Traeger said a special session should be called and the sales tax raised to 5 percent from the current T'/s percent to raise the needed money. “It’s whether you want to gut up now and anticipate it or wait until you get into a big hole,” he said. “I think whistling in the dark is what we’re doing if we don’t do some thing right away.” Reagan seeks jump in Contras’ funding Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Reagan called on Congress Mon day to support $100 million in as sistance to anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua, saying those who resist will he held “fully account able by history.” Reagan said that if the Sandi- nista government achieves final victory, it would “open up the possibility of Soviet military bases on America’s doorstep, threaten the security of the Panama Canal and inaugurate a vast migration march to the United States by hundreds of thousands of refu gees.” Reagan said that if Congress rejects his request for $70 million in direct military assistance and S30 million in non-lethal humani tarian aid, it would mean “consol idation of a privileged sanctuary for terrorists and subversives just two days’ driving time from Har lingen,” U.S. assistance to the Contras now is limited to $27 million in non-lethal aid, which expires at the end of March. Rep. Dave McCurdy, D-Okla., a key moderate on the House In telligence Committee who sup ported humanitarian aid for the Contras last year, said Monday he will oppose the administration’s new request. McCurdy said nearly all the House members who could be ex pected to go either way, will likely vote against the proposal. He added, however, that he believes a compromise package probably will emerge from the Congress after the current request is de feated. McCurdy said the administra tion is seeking a disproportionate amount of money for the Contras compared with the economic de velopment funding it is request ing for Nicaragua’s democratic neighbors. Opposition to confirm presidency Aquino gains Loyalist support Associated Press MANILA, Philippines — Leaders of Ferdinand E. Marcos’ political party pledged Monday to cooperate with Corazon Aquino and to have her presidency confirmed by the Na tional Assembly, in which they hold two-thirds of the seats. The nation’s central bank said it was taking legal action to recover documents and money Marcos took with him last Wednesday when he fled the country he had ruled for 20 years. Demonstrations were reported in two Manila suburbs and a province north of the capital against Aquino’s decision to replace some local offi cials before their terms expire. In another development, guerril las of the communist New People’s Army killed 15 policemen and four civilians in an ambush in the Bicol region of southern Luzon Island, the Philippine Constabulary said. At least 23 people have been killed in rebel attacks that began at the weekend. After a daylong caucus of the Marcos party, the New Society Movement, its leaders said they rec ognized the legitimacy of Aquino’s government and were ready to have the National Assembly confirm “this fact that cannot be denied.” The National Assembly proclama tion that Marcos had defeated Aquino in the Feb. 7 presidential election led to a military rebellion and civil uprising that forced the 68- year-old former president to flee. Charges of fraud came from inde pendent observers, the nation’s Ro man Catholic bishops and foreign governments, including that of the United States. Bias Ople, who was labor minister under Marcos, said: “If Mrs. Aquino seeks constitutional legitimacy, then she’s entitled to that. We ... genui nely welcome that.” The caucus also drafted a resolu tion asking Aquino to stop dismiss ing pro-Marcos mayors and provin cial governors whose terms expire June 30. She and Local Government Min ister Aquilino Pimentel have been criticized, even by some supporters, for canceling local elections sched uled for May and replacing incum bent officials before their terms ex pire. Jose Fernandez, director of the central bank, said government law yers were applying in Hawaii for a court order stopping further movement of a planeload of posses sions Marcos took along when the U.S. Air Force flew his entourage to Hawaii. Fernandez did not mention Mar cos by name, but said he had orders to “recover assets that have been de livered (to Hawaii) which we con sider to be in clear violation of exist ing central bank regulations.” Fernandez did not say what Mar cos took with him besides money, but news reports from Washington have quoted U.S. officials as saying the cargo included boxes of docu ments believed to contain informa tion about his business dealings. They also were quoted as saying Marcos took the equivalent of $1.1 million in Philippine currency. Taking national currency out of the country without central bank ap proval is illegal, and Fernandez said there was no such authorization. Communist insurgents had been relatively inactive since the election. Vice President Salvador Laurel had predicted most of them would lay down their arms when a new gov ernment took over. Aquino said when she was sworn in that some rebel commanders told her they were prepared to surrender to her. Col. Jovencio Sales, Philippine Constabulary chief of staff in Albay province, said that in addition to those killed, 10 policemen and seven civilians were wounded in Monday’s ambush of a military truck.