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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 1988)
Texas A&MWVfe mm The Battalion Vol. 88 No. 2 20 Pages In 2 Sections College Station, Texas Wednesday, August 24, 1988 Reagan shells Democrats at bill-signing Dukakis slams Bush’s ideas on budget freeze Democrat Michael Dukakis ridiculed Republi can George Bush’s call for a flexible budget freeze on Tuesday, likening the proposal to “a melting ice cube.” Embattled GOP vice presi dential nominee Dan Quayle labeled reports about him “just one bum rap after another.” Campaigning in Seattle, Bush sounded impa tient with continued questioning about Quayle. “I’m appalled you could ask that,” the vice presi dent snapped when asked about a report that Quayle had once propositioned lobbyist Paula Parkinson. The 41-year-old Indiana senator called the re port “an absolute, flat-out falsehood.” Bush campaign manager Lee Atwater said Quayle was “here to stay” and denied there ever was serious discussion of dropping him from the ticket. A new Gallup poll said Bush was leading Du kakis by a margin of 48 percent to 44 percent among registered voters. However, the survey had a 3 percent margin of error, meaning that ei ther figure could be off by that much. Gallup contacted 1,000 likely voters last weekend imme diately following the Republican National Con vention. Dukakis continued to brush aside poll results as having little meaning at this point in the race. “I got a bounce (from the Democratic conven tion),” he said. “They got a bounce. I think you’ll see lots of bounces.” President Reagan described the Republican ticket as “our winning team” and called the Dem ocrats “third-stringers with a weak defense, a for eign policy of errors, curveball campaign prom ises, a set of policies to be named later and billions of dollasrs in higher taxes.” At a fund-raising luncheon in Irvine, Calif., for Republican Sen. Pete Wilson, Reagan said Dukakis was following a campaign of “covert lib eralism” trying to conceal his true beliefs. Dukakis responded: “I think it will be the American people who decide who belongs in the major leagues and who belongs in the bush leagues.” IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — President Reagan wooed blue-collar and con servative votes for Vice President George Bush on Tuesday, signing a landmark trade bill and deriding the Democratic presidential ticket as "third-stringers” playing a “curve- ball campaign.” In two Southern' California ap pearances — a bill signing ceremony on a pier in Long Beach and a GOP fundraiser in conservative Orange County — the president touted the economic advances of his term and roclaimed Bush the man to carry is legacy forward. He did not mention the record $170 billion trade deficit in 1987 that helped propel this version of the measure through Congress, nor its primary sponsor, Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas, who is paired with Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis against Bush and Quayle. “We’re here to sign a piece of leg islation that will help our economy continue to grow and compete,” Reagan told hundreds of dock work ers and politicians as he spoke be fore a huge container ship in Long Beach, one of the world’s 10 busiest computerized cargo ports. The bill he signed — so thick he joked he couldn’t pick it up — is seen as a landmark bipartisan attempt to deal with the nation’s trade woes. The signing climaxed months of negotiations between the adminis tration and Congress over the bill, which Reagan vetoed when it was first sent to him because it contained a provision requiring 60-day notice to employees of plant closings and layoffs. Congress, however, then passed the advance notice provision as a separate bill, and the president — at Bush’s urging and trying to mini mize its importance as a Democratic election-year issue — then let it be come law without his signature. Bentsen, touring a St. Louis cloth ing factory, said Reagan had to be dragged “kicking and screaming” into signing the trade bill. “The president could have signed that bill many months ago,” when it contained the plant-closing provi sion, said Bentsen, who is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. While Reagan has said the revised bill “more closely reflects” his and Bush’s open trade views, he noted there are things he doesn’t like about the bill, such as its call for import fees and a requirement that the exec utive branch negotiate with foreign countries on specific trade topics. The bill is designed to battle the trade deficit by streamlining ma chinery for imposing import curbs, which would retaliate against inter national trade violations. It expands job training for work ers left unemployed by import com petition and strengthens the admin istration’s hand in the current round of world trade talks. It also repeals the windfall profits tax on oil and imposes sanctions against two foreign companies linked to sale of submarine-silencing equipment to the Soviet Union. In remarks prepared for a $500-a plate luncheon in Irvine to boost the re-election campaign of Sen. Pete Wilson, R-Calif, Reagan held to his theme of crediting Bush with help ing paint the economy’s rosy glow. “Vice President Bush and I . . . have given America the longest peacetime expansion on record, the country has created over 17.5 mil lion new jobs, inflation is low and employment is at an all time high,” he told the 800 to 900 Republican loyalists. Tammy Moore, a freshman psychology major Dorms were officially opened Monday for stu- from El Paso, moves into her room at Mosher Hall. dents. Cardenas case defendant will stand fitness hearing BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A man found unfit to stand trial for two misdemeanor charges faces a hear ing next week to determine whether he can be tried for the murder of former A&M student Audrey Car denas. Rodney Woidtke of Bakersfield, Calif, was charged Aug. 16 with first-degree murder in Cardenas’ death. He is accused of beating Ms. Car denas to death with a length of pipe onjune 19, the last day she was seen alive. Woidtke faces another hearing Aug. 31, to determine his fitness to stand trial on the murder charges. He has been in custody since June 26, the day Cardenas’ body was dis covered in a dry creek bed on the Belleville Township High School East campus. On June 29 he was charged with obstructing a peace officer, and he was charged the following day with attempted escape. He was being held Monday in lieu of $ 17,500 bail. Associate Judge James Radcliffe said Monday that Woidtke, 27, has been diagnosed as a paranoid schi zophrenic. The judge ordered medical treat ment for the accused as recom mended in an Aug. 3 psychological evaluation by court-appointed psy chologist Dr. Daniel Cuneo. Cuneo’s report concluded that Woidtke could not assist in his own defense or understand the nature of the court proceedings against him. But it said the possibility exists that Woidtke could be fit to stand trial within a year if he undergoes drug therapy to treat his illness. The report’s conclusions were based on Woidtke’s medical history and his interviews with Cuneo and with Illinois Department of Mental Health forensic psychiatrists. Radcliffe ordered a re-evaluation of Woidtke after three months of treatment. The evidence against Woidtke in the Cardenas slaying could be pre sented to a grand jury as early as Fri day, Assistant State’s Attorney Pat rick Curran told Radcliffe. Assistant Public Defender Brian Trentmen, who represents Woidtke, said his client would remain at the St. Clair County Jail until after the fitness hearing. Woidtke then will be moved to a mental health center for treatment. Cardenas, a Belleville News-Dem ocrat reporter intern, was reported missing June 20 when she didn’t show up for work. Parking garage lights blow fuse on campus By Juliette Rizzo Staff Writer The first attempt to turn on the lights in the new Texas A&M parking garage T uesday turned off lights across campus. Ed Koslowski, associate director of maintenance and modification, said a power failure occurred at approxi mately 1:59 p.m. when wires connecting to a high volt age cable system were short-circuited. “When electricity was run through wires to the cables the wires short-circuited because they were not con nected properly,” he said. In order to return power to the campus, he said a generator had to be restored. Kozlowski said main buildings such as Rudder Tower and the Beutal Health Center had their power restored immediately. “Brazos Electric Company supplies A&M with just enough electricity to restore power to important build ings such as the Health Center,” he said. The campus-wide power outage made it difficult for returning students to move in and pay their fees. A1 Bormann,assistant director of student financial ‘'When electricity was run through wires to the cables the wires short-cir cuited because they were not con nected properly. Brazos Electric Com pany supplies A&M with just enough electricity to restore power to impor tant buildings such as the Health Cen ter. ” Ed Koslowski, associate director of maintenance aid, said student funding provided by the Office of Stu dent Financial Aid in the Pavilion was delayed. “During the blackout, we still offered a lot of counsel ing, but we could not call up student data on the com puters nor could funds be transferred to student ac counts,” he said. Power was restored to campus at 5:45 p.m. Some Polish strikes end despite heating debates WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Some workers ended their strikes Tues day, but 125 miners barricaded themselves in an underground shaft and vowed to stay until they won higher pay and recognition of the banned Solidarity trade union. The government said it wouldn’t negotiate “under the ‘pistol’ of a strike,” and took measures to end Poland’s worst wave of labor unrest since the 1981 imposition of martial law. Government spokesman Jerzy Ur ban said at least 49 people have been detained by police nationwide in connection with the strikes, which began Aug. 16 and at their height af fected about 100,000 workers at 20 sites. On Monday night, Interior Min ister Czeslaw Kiszczak said troops would be sent to secure major indus trial plants to prevent anarchy, al though none were in evidence at the plants Tuesday. An 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew was imposed in Jastrzebie in Katowice Province, the site of many of the mine strikes. Four columns of army and police vehicles left Krakow for Katowice, witnesses said. Two of the convoys consisted of more than 70 vehicles, including four trucks with water cannons and 10 truckloads of armed soldiers, the witnesses said. On the road in Oswiecim, near the entrance to the coal-rich Silesia re gion, army roadblocks stopped cars and searched them. Miners from the 30 Years of Peo ple’s Poland Mine near Jastrzebie pledged they “will stay there until the end of their lives, until all the de mands are met,” said Wojciech Maziarski, a Solidarity spokesman in Warsaw. Striking dockworkers in Szczecin said they feared police were getting ready to move in on them Tuesday night. Police broke up strikes at two Szczecin streetcar depots and one bus depot on Monday night. “The situation here is very simple now: we are expecting an assault at any moment, because movements of police vehicles have been spotted outside our perimeter,” said Edward Rodziewicz, chairman of the Inter factory Strike Committee at the Bal tic port. At the 30 Years of People’s Poland mine, workers went down into the shaft, 580 yards underground, about noon Tuesday, according to the Inter-mine Strike Committee in Jastrzebie. “They have decided to stay under ground until the start of negotia tions,” said a communique issued by the committee. “Their health is in danger.” Mine strike leaders said they were not discouraged by the government actions and would continue their strike. “We have to continue to fight the red bourgeoisie in the party,” said Romuald Bozko, a worker at the Moszczenice mine who was inter viewed at a church in Jastrzebie. Solidarity leader Lech Walesa ap pealed again for dialogue with au thorities to end the strikes, but Ur ban dismissed the possibility of negotiations while strikes continued. “There will be no political talks under the ‘pistol’ of a strike,” Urban told a Warsaw news conference. The strikers have been demanding in creased wages and recognition of Solidarity, which was outlawed in 1981. Urban announced that a special parliament commission will meet Aug. 31 to review the government’s economic policies. Navy reprimands captain for failing to rescue refugees WASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy has accused the captain of the USS Dubuque of dereliction of duty for failing to rescue a boatload of Vietnamese refugees who claim they later resorted to cannibalism to sur vive. Pentagon sources said Tuesday it appears there were sufficient indica tions of hardship aboard the refugee boat when it crossed paths with the Dubuque that the Navy warship should have taken aboard the survi vors. Capt. Alexander C. Balian, 48, of Los Angeles has been charged with two counts of violating lawful orders under a section of the Uniform Code of Military Justice that calls for “non-judicial punishment proceed ings,” said Cmdr. David Dillon, a Pa cific Fleet spokesman in San Diego, Calif. As a result, instead of court-mar tial proceedings, the 48-year-old Navy captain will appear at a closed “admiral’s mast” on Wednesday af ternoon before Vice Adm. George W. Davis Jr., the head of all surface ships in the Pacific Fleet, the spokes man added. Davis will serve as the lone judge or authority in considering the evi dence. The admiral could take a va riety of disciplinary actions, includ ing stripping Balian of his command permanently, ordering a fine or issu ing a letter of reprimand or censure. Balian was temporarily relieved of his command of the Dubuque on Aug. 13 while on patrol in the Per sian Gulf. Davis is scheduled to re tire on Saturday, suggesting he will make a decision quickly. Balian was charged with violating a general Navy regulation “by wrongfully failing to render appro priate assistance to Vietnamese refu gees found on the South China Sea on June 9, 1988, in danger of being lost.” The second count accuses him of violating standing operational or ders for the Pacific Fleet “which re quire a commanding officer to aid and rescue refugees encountered at sea in life-endangering circum stances.” That charge alleges Balian “was derelict in the performance of those duties in that he negligently failed to investigate sufficiently and render appropriate assistance ... as it was his duty to do.” The Dubuque, an amphibious landing ship, encountered the boat load of Vietnamese refugees while steaming to duty in the Persian Gulf. According to the Navy, the Dubuque provided the refugees several hun dred pounds of food and water and navigational aids but did not take them aboard because “the refugee craft was judged seaworthy” by Ba lian. Navy regulations and orders spec ify that warships should “be alert for refugees on the high seas” and “if encountered, ships are to extend hu manitarian assistance as needed.” “In the case of an unseaworthy vessel, adverse weather or other spe cial circumstances, the refugees may be embarked and transported to the Navy ship’s next port of call.” The boat people were eventually rescued off the coast of the Phil ippines and taken to a refugee camp there, where reports of murder and cannibalism began to surface. Both the Navy and the United Nations High Commission on Refugees have been investigating those reports. According to Robert Cooper, the Manila representative of the U.N. commission, 52 refugees survived 37 days at sea but 58 people died dur ing the crossing. The refugees began their journey on May 22 from the Mekong Delta town of Ben Tre aboard a 35-foot wooden boat. Its engine failed two or three days later. it