Friday, April 21,1989
The Battalion
Pages
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Senators stress border drug woes
WASHINGTON (AP) — South
west senators want national drug
czar William J. Bennett to declare
the U.S.-Mexico border a “high-in-
tensity drug trafficking area.”
Three grisly, drug-related mass
murders in the past month are a
“brutal reminder that drug cartels
have expanded and mpved west,”
they said.
Such a designation would allow
the temporary reassignment of fed
eral personnel to the region and
would funnel assistance to state and
local agencies.
“Law enforcement officials in Ari
zona and Texas who have been in
volved in the (murder) investigations
say the situation is reminiscent of
south Florida in the late ’70s and
early ’80s,” according to the letter
Thursday from the border-state sen
ators.
The letter is signed by Sens. Lloyd
Bentsen, D-Texas, Phil Gramm, R-
Texas, Pete Wilson, R-Calif., Alan
Cranston, D-Calif, Dennis DeCon-
cini, D-Ariz., John McCain, R-Ariz.,
Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Jeff
Bingaman, D-N.M.
The eight senators argue the
2,000-mile stretch of border qualifies
as a center of illegal drug produc-
World briefs
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BEIJING (AP) — About 1,500
students braved a day-long down
pour and marched for democracy
in the Chinese capital Thursday,
and authorities threatened harsh
measures to crush four days of
dissent.
About 1,000 students marched
in the central Chinese city of
Nanjing, and students in Tianjin,
a port city east of Beijing, plas
tered posters on walls. Other
marches were reported in Shang
hai, Wuhan and Hefei, but details
were sketchy.
Nationally televised news led
with a stern warning that the pro
tests, the biggest since the pro-de
mocracy demonstrations of 1986-
87, would no longer be tolerated.
“These activities have gone be
yond the limits of the law and the
taking of harsh measures to end
the disturbances has become nec
essary,” the announcer said, quot
ing from an editorial by the offi
cial Xinhua News Agency.
“These protesters do not really
care about the future or happi
ness of China, all they want to do
is overthrow the Communist
Party and the government,” the
editorial said.
The protests were prompted
by the death Saturday of Hu Yao-
bang, an outspoken reformer
who was ousted as Communist
Party chief in 1987. Hu was ac
cused of encouraging liberal
ideas and failing to crack down
on the 1986-87 student demon
strators.
The Beijing city government
issued regulations that restricted
commemoration activities for Hu
to inside universities, businesses
and factories.
The regulations also said “riot
ers and other lawbreakers would
be dealt with severely, according
to the law.”
Early Thursday, thousands of
security forces rushed into
crowds of students as they pro
tested near the headquarters of
the ruling Communist Party.
Wright accuses committee of dragging feet
WASHINGTON (AP) —
House Speaker Jim Wright ac
cused the ethics committee of
dragging its feet on the allega
tions against him Thursday, while
the Republican leader who
brought the charges in the first
place suggested Democrats will
try to nudge Wright aside before
his case can reach the full House.
“I would be very surprised if
the senior members of the Demo
cratic leadership d&n’t try to talk
the speaker into stepping down
before going through the agony
of a public defense, public cross
examination,” said Rep. Newt
Gingrich of Georgia, the GOP
whip.
Gingrich said he still believes
that Rep. Thomas Foley of Wash
ington, now the majority leader,
will be speaker before the end of
June.
Meanwhile, published reports
indicated that a Texas oil deal
which brought a huge profit to
; Wright last year involved busi
nessmen with an interest in a $3
billion Air Force jet trainer pro
gram now being studied by Con
gress.
On Capitol Hill, Wright said
“we’ve met all the requirements”
to move to the next phase of the
case, in which the Texas Demo
crat wants to confront his accus
ers personally and try to knock
down the 69 formal allegations is
sued by the ethics committee on
Monday.
The speaker particularly
blamed special outside counsel
Richard J. Phelan for what he
termed the delay.
“I’m puzzled as to why he is
dragging his feet,” Wright told a
reporter. “We’re very anxious to
have the matter resolved as soon
as possible.”
Papers: Hunts almost cornered silver market
WASHINGTON (AP) — A sil
ver-buying binge by Nelson Bun
ker and William Herbert Hunt
came within weeks of cornering
the world’s silver bullion market
in 1980, the U.S. government
says in previously secret docu
ments.
But attorneys for the Hunts say
the silver shopping spree was
nothing out of the ordinary for
the sons of legendary Texas oil
man H.L. Hunt.
“H.L. Hunt was a wildcatter”
who “raised his sons with a wild
catter’s philosophy, which in
volved risk-taking and rapid deci
sion-making,” according to the
now unsealed documents filed by
the brothers’ attorneys.
In 1987 filings with the Com
modity Futures Trading Com
mission, the attorneys said the
brothers’ investment stemmed
from their preference for invest
ing in hard assets as a hedge
against inflation and monetary
uncertainty. And, they said it was
natural for the Hunts to invest
“on a relatively large scale in light
of their substantial wealth.”
In a previously sealed submis
sion by the CFTC to an adminis
trative law judge, the agency con
tends that had the scheme by the
Hunts and others not collapsed,
“by the end of May 1980, they
could have owned virtually the
entire available world supply of
deliverable .999 silver bullion.”
The filings in the quasi
judicial proceeding were released
by the agency this week in re
sponse to a Freedom of Informa
tion Act request by the Associated
Press.
'\
tion, manufacturing, importation
and distribution, a prerequisite to re
ceiving the emergency drug desig
nation.
They point to the fact that Mexico
is the primary producer of mari
juana and heroin entering the
United States, that California is one
of the largest domestic producers of
maijuana, and that California, New
Mexico and Texas are three of the
largest U.S. producers of metham-
phetamine.
The Border Patrol has seized
more cocaine and marijuana in the
first six months of fiscal 1989 than in
all of fical 1988, and the Customs
Service reports cocaine seizures are
up 425 percent in the past three
years, the senators said.
In Los Angeles alone, the Drug
Enforcement Adminsitration said 15
tons of cocaine were seized in 1988.
The senators also say Federal Re
serve figures show Los Angeles as
the new center for collection of drug
profits. The city’s Federal Reserve
Bank has a $3.8 billion cash surplus
— a 2,200 percent jump since 1985.
During the same time, Miami’s Fed
eral Reserve cash surplus declined
by $1.2 billion.
Although state and local agencies
have committed dramatically in
creased assets and personnel to drug
enforcement, they are being over
whelmed by drug-related crime, said
the senators from California, Ari
zona, New Mexico and Texas.
The senators also argue drug-re
lated activity on the border is having
a harmful impact on other parts of
the country. They point to crack op
erations set up in 50 major cities
around the country by two violent
Los Angeles gangs, the Crips and
the Bloods.
Texas, California and Arizona are
three of the top five distribution cen
ters of illegal drugs in the United
States, they said.
Texas Senate OKs
nominees; Clements
denies deal-cutting
AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Sen
ate confirmed Gov. Bill Clements’
controversial Public Utility Commis
sion nominees Thursday, and the
governor firmly denied a key sen
ator’s assertion that approval came
after political deal-cutting.
Sen. Chet Edwards, Senate Nomi
nations Committee chairman, said,
“I’ve never seen this kind of deal
making at this level in the nomi
nations process before, I hope it
doesn’t set a precedent.”
Clements said, “That chairman
happens to be guilty of saying a lot
of things that are not true ... So
that’s just one of them.”
Edwards said he did not want to
“impugn” the decision of the Senate,
which voted 25-6 for PUC Chairman
Marta Greytok of Taylor Lake Vil
lage and 24-7 for William Cassin of
Houston.
“I think generally the vast major
ity of senators voted their conscience
and made a responsible effort to try
to review these appointees,” said Ed
wards, D-Duncanville.
But he added, “I’ll be honest, I
was disappointed that on this impor
tant of an issue that some votes may
have been affected by trade-offs.”
Other senators also referred to deals
being made.
After they were confirmed, Grey
tok and Cassin hugged, then gave
the Senate a thumbs-up sign from
their seats in the gallery. Both said
they looked forward to continuing
their work on the commission, which
regulates telephone and electric
rates.
The Republican governor’s nomi
nees to the three-member PUC have
been under fire for a number of ac
tions. State leaders have criticized a
rate -cut and customer refund or
dered for GTE Southwest Inc. that
the company said would result in
layoffs, while consumer representa
tives said the GTE order did not go
far enough.
Edwards voted against both nomi
nees, saying, “Some of us have felt
that the public interest is not being
adequately protected by this commis-
While some were critical, others
praised the nominees’ qualifications,
experience and integrity.
“Both are honest and hard-work
ing,” said Sen. John Whitmire, D-
Houston.
Another Houston Democrat, Sen.
Craig Washington, voted for confir
mation after making what he said
would be his last Senate statement
touting the importance of affirma
tive action.
“We need black, brown and white
people because they’re all capable of
making contributions,” Washington
said. He said it is the responsibility of
every senator to ensure no one is be
ing excluded from the process.
Two Clements staff members
were talking to senators until shortly
before the votes but said they were
not making deals.
“In the legislative process, you’re
always willing to listen, and we ap
preciate the help of the senators to
day, and if we can return a favor
down the way. I’ll be happy to sit
down and to talk,” said George Bay-
oud, Clements’ chief of staff.
But Bayoud — who was in the
Senate chamber with James Huf-
fines, Clements’ appointments direc
tor — emphasized there were “no
deals made” on such items as future
appointments by the governor.
Cabbie sparks
protest after
toppling toilet
DALLAS (AP) — A cab driver ar
rested for knocking over a portable
toilet sparked a five-hour sympathy
protest from about 150 drivers al
Dallas-Fort Worth International Air
port.
“That is our bathroom,” said
Abraham Jooshani, pointing to the
toilet he knocked over Wednesday in
protest of working conditions for
taxi drivers. “We sit out here for
hours under the hot sun, and there
is no shade. We are not allowed to
get out of our cab while we wait on
the terminal ramps. We are not al
lowed to use the airport bathrooms
or eat in the restaurants. We are
treated like animals. We are hu
mans, riot animals.”
Jooshani was arrested in a lot
where the drivers await dispatch to
airport terminals. He was released
from jail about 4 p.m. But fellow
drivers who shared his frustrations
about drivers’ working conditions
quit taking fares while Jooshani was
incarcerated.
Airport spokesman Joe Dealey
said the airport “discourages the
providers of ground transportation
from using the (terminal) restroom
1 facilities.” Restrooms are provided
for taxi drivers at the central queue,
I where drivers are dispatched.
MIDNIGHT \aggi
9:45 FRIDAY
inema/ 7:30 & 9:45 SATURDAY
A SCIENCE
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AUDITORIUM
$2.00
W/TAMU ID
DIE HARD
Starrix? BrUCC Willis
PARTY SPECIAL
10 LARGE PIZZAS
1 topping (each)
$79.99
$1.99 Pitchers
The best pizza in town. ?/*■«•
Skagg’s Shopping Center
Expires 4/3/89
IM.J Neeley Hall & 707 Texas\
proudly present
(Brides and (Beaus
—A Bridal Show and Fair —
April 23rd Rooms 212 & 224
Sunday Texas A&M University
2:00 p.m. Memorial Student Center
Services and Door Prizes provided by
Petal Patch
dfisipe/HC
Memorial Student Center Catering Cljax*H
^LADIES AND LORDS
kinko'S
Bridal Center
Contact Lenses
Only Quality Name Brands
(Bausch & Lomb, Ciba, Barnes-Hinds-Hydrocurve)
$ "TrQOO P r - *-STD. DAILY WEAR SOFT LENSES
SPARE PR. $5.00
99
00 pr. *-STD. EXTENDED WEAR SOFT LENSES
$0000 pr.*-STD. TINTED SOFT LENSES
DAILY WEAR OR EXTENDED WEAR
SALE ENDS MAY 19,1989 and Applies to clear std.
Daily Wear Soft Lenses Only
Call 696-3754 for Appointment
with purchase of
1st pr. at reg. price
CHARLES C. SCHROPPELjO.D., P.C.
DOCTOR OF OPTOMETRY
707 South Texas Ave., Suite 101D
College Station, Texas 77840
1 block South of Texas & University
Eye exam & care kit not included
Just in time for those June brides!
WEDDING
PHOTOGRAPHY
Steve White
of
Barker Photography Studios
Monday, April 24 502 Rudder 7 p.m.
Photo Contest Winners will be announced.
MSC CAMERA
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