A controversial videotape being shown among activists nationwide shows Los Angeles police officers intentionally hurting the nonviolent demonstrators they are arresting . They press fingers under their noses . They dig their knuckles into protesters ' necks , and torque martial arts weapons around their wrists . At one point , two officers twist a woman 's arm till she rises from the ground , her face wrenched in agony . In another scene , a young man winces as officers lead him along . His arm , contorted behind his back , finally snaps . The law enforcement name for these techniques is `` pain-compliance . '' Police departments nationwide say it 's a tried and true way to make uncooperative protesters cooperate . But opponents call the term a euphemism for torture . Demonstrators have alleged police brutality at least since Freedom Riders launched their sit-down strikes in Alabama almost 30 years ago . This time , however , the outcry -- including the videotapes of police in action -- comes from anti-abortion protesters with Operation Rescue , whose members tend to see themselves as law-and-order conservatives . As a result , traditional political alliances have been turned topsy-turvy . Suddenly , some pro-choice liberals are as supportive of the police as conservative hawks were during 1960s demonstrations , while some anti-abortion Republicans are voicing the sort of `` police state '' rhetoric once associated with anti-war radicals . In introducing a measure to limit the police use of force in arresting nonviolent protesters , William Armstrong , Colorado 's conservative Republican senator , decried pain-compliance as `` something we expect to hear about in Nicaragua or Nazi Germany -- but not in the United States of America . '' Other conservative lawmakers have echoed his concerns , and on Nov. 15 , with little media attention , President Bush signed legislation withholding certain federal grants from cities whose police use excessive force . Meanwhile , police officers , many of whom are sympathetic to the anti-abortion cause , claim that religious zeal -- and perhaps the use of muscle relaxants -- has given Operation Rescue anti-abortion protesters an unusually high tolerance to pain -- or even a martyr 's appetite for it . Caught off guard by an ambush from their conservative allies , police are howling that the new law -- which could deprive Los Angeles alone of more than $ 50 million a year in federal aid -- will handcuff them . `` I think it 's utter stupidity , '' Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates said . `` Utter , complete stupidity . '' In reaction to the uproar , the LAPD is quickly phasing out the term pain-compliance , but not the techniques , which have been used `` in civil rights demonstrations , student demonstrations , Vietnam demonstrations ... all through the '60s , all through the '70s , '' Gates said . He smiled . `` You did n't hear any Republicans complain then , did you ? '' While Gates acknowledged that this issue stirs up memories of the controversy about `` chokeholds '' -- a restraint the LAPD now uses only in life-threatening situations as a result of fierce public pressure -- he argues that `` come-along '' techniques , properly used , are the safest , most effective way to arrest nonviolent demonstrators . His officers , he added , are as well-trained in the use of these holds as any in the country . On a recent morning , for example , the Los Angeles Police Academy gym echoed with the unmistakable sounds of force being exerted , as pairs of recruits , dressed in dark blue sweats , kicked , jabbed , swung their night sticks , or grappled one another into chokeholds or pain-compliance holds . Reacting to one phase of the exam , a woman cadet knocked back an assailant 's hand , backed up quickly and leveled her weapon at the man 's chest , shouting : `` Put your hands up , lock your elbows , spread your fingers . '' Had this been a real incident , she would have had to decide in a flash of synapses whether `` reasonable force '' included opening fire with her handgun . Deadly force is one extreme among the techniques officers must choose from in confronting suspected lawbreakers , explained Sgt. Fred Nichols , the academy 's expert on the use of force . The least forceful tactic is a simple request -- `` Would you do this ? '' Pain-compliance techniques fit into the scale above talk but below the use of a Taser gun , tear gas , and the police baton . Among the most simple `` come-along '' compliance techniques are twist - and wrist-locks , in which a subject 's arm or wrists are manipulated so that soft tissue and nerves press against bone , Nichols said . Another trick of the trade : the `` mastoid lift , '' in which officers press the nerves along each side of the neck . Demonstrated on recruits who had seated themselves like protesters on the Academy 's playing field , each of these techniques worked promptly . But while some Operation Rescue demonstrators use a standard civil-disobedience technique and `` go limp '' when asked to move , others link arms . They become `` human worm-balls '' and make themselves tense , rendering standard compliance techniques ineffective , officers say . Trying to carry away protesters in these cases becomes even more dangerous to them and arresting officers , police say . So LAPD and other police forces around the country , including several in Orange County and the San Diego Police Department , began using a modified martial arts tool called a nunchaku -- now termed a `` police control device '' -- consisting of two 12-inch lengths of plastic connected by a length of nylon . To demonstrate , instructors jabbed the device between an arm and the chest of a cadet , and twisted it around in what is known as a `` trap-and-wrap '' maneuver . The gentlest twist triggered enough pain to make the recruit comply promptly . Nichols is puzzled by those who call pain-compliance excessive force , or compare it to the cattle prods police use in South Africa . Protesters are given every chance to move on their own . Police actually plead with Operation Rescue demonstrators in some cases , he said . Then `` they 're told they 'll be subjected to excruciating pain . It 's a pain control technique , '' he said . `` It 's going to hurt . That 's what pain-compliance means . '' But protesters in Los Angeles and elsewhere assert that the nunchakus and more conventional come-along holds produced not only agony while being applied , but lingering pain , broken bones , torn ligaments , and , in some cases , long-lasting nerve damage . As a result , they have filed lawsuits against police in Los Angeles , Sacramento , Atlanta and other cities . Nichols and other officers are suspicious of Operation Rescue 's charges . `` The first time pressure is applied , most people fall to the ground , '' Nichols said . `` With Right-to-Lifers , you feel something 's rotten in Denmark . It 's kind of like watching a movie where someone gets shot 10 times and keeps walking . You say , something 's wrong here . '' In the 25 years that he has been a policeman , Capt. Patrick E. McKinley of LAPD 's Metro Division has worked at demonstrations by the Revolutionary Communist Party and the Jewish Defense League , and at protests for or against everything from apartheid to animal rights . Operation Rescue protesters stand out , he said . `` Pain for many of the demonstrators is a catharsis for past failure to take action against abortion , '' he said in a sworn statement last August , given as part of a court challenge against pain-compliance devices . Nichols and others have alleged that some demonstrators simply take muscle relaxants to increase their tolerance -- a charge an Operation Rescue spokeswoman called `` 100 % incorrect . '' In either case , the results are dangerous , said McKinley . `` I 'm no doctor . But pain has a purpose . It 's telling you to stop doing what you 're doing . If you do n't respond to pain , and it is applied with more force , injuries are possible . '' In fact , injuries have been mounting ever since police and Operation Rescue protesters squared off at the 1988 Democratic convention in Atlanta . As Operation Rescue built momentum , engaging in civil disobedience at clinics around the country , the allegations of police brutality increased : * In San Diego , an officer reportedly moved through the demonstrators singing : `` Do n't try to understand 'em , just round 'em up and brand 'em . '' * In Pittsburgh , women claimed they were sexually molested by officers . * In West Hartford , Conn. , officers removed their badges and name tags -- purportedly to avoid cutting demonstrators -- and then allegedly hauled protesters away with come-along holds , by lifting them with sharp-edged plastic handcuffs , or with `` crotch carries '' in which a night stick is stuck between the protester 's legs . A priest testified that the police seemed to enjoy inflicting pain : `` The demonic element entered in here . '' A woman arrested this year in Los Angeles said : `` By the time they got my arms all the way back the pain was so intense I was just screaming ... ` Jesus ! Jesus ! ' '' In demonstrations in those cities and others , including Boston , Atlanta and Denver , protesters alleged that officers continued to apply come-along holds after demonstrators had complied with their commands , administering pain as a form of `` curbside justice . '' Implicit in the protesters ' complaints is a sense that they have been betrayed by kindred spirits . `` It was n't at all like the old anti-war demonstrations where people were calling the police pigs , being belligerent , '' said Dan Bruno , an accountant for the city of Orange , whose right wrist was broken at a March 25 Los Angeles demonstration . `` Frankly , I lead a very middle-class life . I 've never been roughed up like that before . Maybe I just got a little insight into what it was like to be a black demonstrating for civil rights . '' Operation Rescue has not gone limp after its encounters with police . Rather , leaders began an aggressive letter-writing campaign , encouraging those who felt they had been abused and people who saw videotapes of the abuse to file complaints against the officers , and write to their senators , congressmen , the Department of Justice , and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights . A group called Pro-Life Police was formed , and a member testified that he had witnessed `` real atrocities '' by the LAPD . But others said the LAPD had behaved with restraint . For example , feminist lawyer Gloria Allred , never hesitant to criticize official abuses , said she believes police acted with professionalism last March , issuing fair warnings and acting only after demonstrators failed to comply . `` I ca n't have much sympathy for them , '' she said of the anti-abortion `` rescuers , '' as she stood among a vociferous group of pro-choice `` clinic defenders '' at a Dec. 9 demonstration and counterdemonstration in Fullerton . `` The pain inflicted on women 's lives by Operation Rescue people is enormous . What they are suffering in pain-compliance is a drop in the ocean compared to what we 've endured in exercising our constitutional rights . '' At demonstrations , throngs of pro-choice demonstrators , some of whom might well have been on the wrong end of night sticks in another era , watched the police twist protesters ' arms and chanted : `` L.A. blue , we 're with you . '' Chief Gates , an outspoken conservative , does not bask in this new-found support . `` I felt like the people in the stands were cheering as we threw the Christians to the lions , '' he said . In fact , the emotional volatility of the abortion issue has shaken the way many think in the debate over police uses of force . Village Voice columnist Nat Hentoff has skewered liberal civil libertarians for letting their ideology stop them from supporting anti-abortion protesters ' fight to restrain what he calls `` the torture police . '' He also has charged that his media colleagues have turned their backs on the uncomfortably complex issue . William B. Allen , a controversial Ronald Reagan appointee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights , has similar views : `` We like to value tolerance . But you never know how tolerant you are until you 're challenged on something you care about . This issue has touched some very raw nerves , and we find we 're not as tolerant as we pretend to be . '' At a commission briefing on police brutality charges , organized by Allen in September , Robert McCue , chief of the West Hartford police , defended his officers . `` I have never heard of training that consists of using stretchers for one class of prisoner and come-along holds for others based on the motivation of a crime , '' he said . `` All I want my officers to think of at the time that they 're taking somebody into custody is the resistance to the arrest . I do n't want them concerned with abortions , nuclear freezes , saving the whales or whatever . '' Even before the commission met , conservative lawmakers were joining Sen. Armstrong in lashing out against police pain-compliance tactics and pushing legislation to restrain them . Rep. Robert Dornan -LRB- R-Garden Grove -RRB- read into the Congressional Record a column by William F. Buckley Jr. comparing the West Hartford demonstrations to civil rights demonstrations in Alabama three decades ago : `` It is hard to believe that Bull Connor , directing white redneck policemen , caused more brutality in the treatment of blacks than was caused by the police of West Hartford in their treatment of members of Operation Rescue . '' An amendment introduced by conservative lawmakers in the House and Senate , and tagged onto a HUD bill later signed by the President , states that no Community Planning and Development grants may be paid `` to any municipality that fails to adopt and enforce a policy prohibiting the use of excessive force by law enforcement agencies within the jurisdiction of said municipality against any individuals engaged in nonviolent civil rights demonstrations . '' Los Angeles received almost $ 56 million in such grants in fiscal year 1989 . `` This is what the Democrats used to do all the time , blackmailing cities into doing what the federal government wants it to do , '' said Gates . `` Now we 've got Republicans doing it . '' The Justice Department already investigates charges of police abuse , Gates pointed out . But if this `` horrendous '' new measure has its intended effect , eliminating the use of painful control techniques in nonviolent demonstrations , his department may have no choice but to watch as demonstrators of any stripe take over any facility they choose , he said . Carol Sobel , staff attorney for the Los Angeles Chapter of the ACLU , shares Gates ' assessment that the government acted in this case because conservative lawmakers were sympathetic to the anti-abortion cause . But , unlike Gates , she believes that using pain-compliance against any nonviolent demonstrator is often `` barbaric , '' and she supports restraints on the police . Sobel was `` amused '' at how quickly lawmakers addressed complaints of police brutality that , she said , have been raised for years by protesters against U.S. policy in El Salvador by members of the Revolutionary Communist Party and other groups generally viewed less sympathetically by conservatives . Still , she believes the new measure will help assure `` that the cost of demonstrating in this town does n't escalate . I just hope conservatives remember that it includes everyone . '' Jim Cady in the Times Editorial Library assisted in the research for this article . * NEW USE FOR OLD TOOL An ancient Asian farm tool has become a cutting edge weapon for many police officers in Southern California . E1 .

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los angeles police officers
nonviolent protesters
police brutality charges
police abuse


Backed by public antipathy toward the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster , Gov. Steve Cowper on Thursday threatened to close down the trans-Alaska oil pipeline unless its owners meet his terms for improved safety and cleanup measures . At the same time , it was disclosed that federal officials are probing the possibility that Exxon 's 987-foot oil tanker was on autopilot shortly before it ran aground and that the electronic navigation aid confused the crew and contributed to the accident . After meeting personally with top executives from three of the seven oil companies that own the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. earlier in the week , Cowper asked them to respond by noon Thursday to his six-point safety plan . As the deadline approached , the three companies -- ARCO Alaska , BP America and Exxon USA -- responded with a six-page list of ideas . An aide to the governor described the companies ' response as `` generally OK '' but said that Cowper may issue an order putting his plan into effect anyway . In one proposed draft of an order , continuation of routine operations at the Alyeska Marine Terminal near the town of Valdez is described as creating `` a substantial potential risk of additional oil spill '' because the consortium has failed to demonstrate it can manage a large spill with minimal environmental effects . To reduce the risk , the order , which could be issued as soon as today , would require : -- A written description , due within 72 hours of the order 's being signed , of the location of all oil-spill gear at the consortium 's disposal . Equipment must be dedicated to oil-spill cleanup only . -- The names of 12 oil spill-response team members who do nothing but respond to oil spills and who are available for such duty 24 hours a day . Installation of Booms -- The installation of containment booms around all oil tankers in the harbor . -- Permanent restriction of tanker traffic to daylight hours . -- A limit of one tanker being loaded at a time until all designated cleanup equipment is in place , and the end of all loading within 72 hours if cleanup equipment is not ready . -- Demonstration by April 30 of adequate gear and supplies to handle another 10-million-gallon spill . Failure to comply with the emergency order would carry penalties that range from fines to criminal prosecution and jailing of company officials . `` We want the oil industry to be ready for a spill of this magnitude if it happens tomorrow , '' Cowper said . `` There is going to have to be a plan that satisfies us , our people , and it will be tough . If it is n't complied with , we do n't have any remedy available to us except shut down the terminal . And we 'll do it . '' State law gives the governor the authority to close the terminal if it does not meet state oil-cleanup plan requirements . Such a move would swiftly halt oil production in the state , and worsen supply problems in the lower 48 states . It also would badly pinch the state treasury , which relies on oil taxes and royalties for 85 % of its income . Cowper said he would seek special legislation to tap Alaska 's $ 10-billion Permanent Fund , a kind of super budget reserve , should any terminal shutdown last long enough to cause short-term funding woes for the state . Even if Cowper 's shutdown were found to illegally interfere with interstate commerce and be overturned in court , it could last long enough to drive home a point about improving cleanup response plans . The Alyeska companies ' offer included the immediate start of random drug and alcohol testing on board ships and the continued use of two-tugboat escorts beyond Bligh Reef , the shallows into which the Exxon Valdez crashed March 24 before leaking 240,000 barrels of oil into ecologically sensitive Prince William Sound . Alyeska also suggested expanding the Coast Guard 's radar system , which had been scaled down as a cost-saving measure in the early 1980s , and offered to keep on hand additional equipment to contain , skim and disperse spills . Meanwhile , the chairman of Exxon Corp. told Congress Thursday that the third mate who was on the bridge of the Exxon Valdez when it ran aground has told company lawyers that he turned off the ship 's automatic pilot in an effort to avoid the reef . `` My understanding is that he turned that computer off and it was not as if it hit the rocks on automatic pilot , '' Exxon Chairman Lawrence G. Rawl said in testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee . Coast Guard spokesman Bruce Pimental in Valdez said investigators still are trying to determine if the autopilot actually was used the night of the accident and if it was , when it was turned off . Tom Kilpatrick of the California Maritime Academy , a former captain himself , said autopilots take full control of a ship once they are switched on . `` The helm will not respond if it 's in autopilot , '' he said . `` That should be the first clue to people on the bridge that the autopilot is on . '' A Coast Guard official in Anchorage said the third mate in charge of the tanker shortly before it went aground did complain of being unable to get the vessel to respond to the helm . The nation 's worst oil spill penetrated a national park Thursday , with an airborne spotter `` seeing an oil sheen up on some of the rocks and seeing staining on the rocks '' at Kenai Fjords National Park , park spokesman John Quinley said . However , favorable winds were still keeping most of the crude offshore , he said . Also on Thursday , the former captain of the Exxon Valdez , Joseph Hazelwood , left jail in New York after a judge slashed his bail from $ 500,000 to $ 25,000 . Justice Thomas Starke said the earlier bail amount was `` unconstitutionally excessive . '' Hazelwood , who lives with his wife and daughter in the Long Island community of Huntington , was ordered to return to court May 5 for extradition proceedings to Alaska , where he is wanted on three misdemeanor charges in the spill . The judge who had imposed the earlier bail is an environmentalist and former commercial fisherman . He called the spill `` the worst man-made disaster since Hiroshima . '' Douglas Jehl contributed to this story from Washington .

O O O O O O B I I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

exxon valdez oil spill disaster
cleanup measures
oil companies
oil spills
cleanup response plans
improved safety
minimal environmental effects

gov. steve cowper
trans-alaska oil pipeline
six-point safety plan
oil-spill cleanup


THE FIGHT over the North American Free Trade Agreement yesterday shifted outside Washington to the Congressional districts of members , sampling public opinion at home during this Veterans ' Day holiday weekend . The pro-Nafta forces , exulting over the debate victory of Vice President Al Gore over Texan billionaire Ross Perot , hoped they had finally captured the elusive momentum necessary to carry them to victory in the House vote next Wednesday . A USA Today/CNN poll of debate watchers found support for the trade pact between the US , Canada and Mexico had shot up from 34 per cent before the debate to 57 per cent after it . Arthur Andersen & Company yesterday released a survey , by its tax and business advisory service , which found that large majorities of executives of medium-sized companies in Canada , Mexico and the US strongly support Nafta . Meanwhile in Mexico the country 's Congress launched a fierce attack on Mr Perot and other critics of its political system yesterday , in a furious response to Mr Perot 's comments in the debate . Mr Perot claimed Mexicans were treated worse than animals and livestock in the US , were oppressed by the government , and enjoyed few if any labour and democratic rights . He said just 34 families owned half the country , and some 85m others lived in poverty . The Mexican Congress issued a statement , supported by most political parties , which said : ` We can not ignore however , that certain judgments expressed , apart from showing a serious ignorance for our country , attack and offend Mexicans . We condemn them as inadmissible and without foundation . ' US opponents of Nafta believe that fear of job and investment losses to Mexico will outweigh any new-found enthusiasm for the pact . ` The only thing that matters is the economy , ' said Mr Christopher Whalen , a Washington trade consultant . ` The political equation still is going to be that congressmen who vote for Nafta will have to look for other employment next year . ' Trying to blunt any momentum for the administration , Congressman David Bonior , an anti-Nafta whip , on Wednesday announced that he had 219 of 434 members pledged to vote against the pact . However , he needs at least 10-12 votes more than the majority to prevent last-minute switches , as the Administration increases its pressure . The Administration this week has picked up 10 public endorsement votes , and claims to have a total of 192 . It is publishing a free 800 telephone number with the offer to voters to send , free of charge , pro-Nafta telegrams to their congressman . Around the country , the opposition troops are planning rallies , marches , town hall meetings and ` accountability meetings ' with congressmen . Ms Lori Wallach , an anti-Nafta leader , said Nafta would be won or lost in the congressmen 's home districts . Washington will not be bereft of activity over the long weekend . The anti-Nafta Citizens ' Trade Campaign is bringing ` Nafta Claus ' to the Capitol to distribute gifts in a parody of the president 's effort to sell Nafta to a reluctant Congress .

O O O O B I I I I O O O O O O B I O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

north american free trade agreement
public opinion
debate victory
house vote
trade pact
trade campaign
congressional districts
mexican congress


A white Long Beach police officer who allegedly pushed a black man through a plate-glass window during an arrest that was secretly videotaped by a television crew acknowledged Friday that he made errors in his official report . Officer Mark Dickey , speaking publicly for the first time since the Jan. 14 incident , told a state Senate oversight committee in sworn testimony that he had so little faith in his own report that he would not want it used against him if he were suspected of a crime . He blamed the discrepancies on a faulty memory , saying he wrote the report more than three hours after the altercation occurred . Dickey , who was testifying under subpoena , admitted under questioning that the black man , Don Jackson , never used profanity during the arrest as Dickey had indicated in his report . Dickey also admitted that he intended to inflict pain on Jackson when he put handcuffs on him as a way to control him . Police Misconduct Allegations Sen. Daniel Boatwright -LRB- D-Concord -RRB- , chairman of the Senate Select Committee on State Procurement and Expenditure Practices , called the hearing into the incident to review allegations of police misconduct in Long Beach . The legislative committee monitors state funds disbursed to police departments by the state Police Officer Standards and Training Commission . The incident received nationwide attention after a camera hidden in Jackson 's car videotaped the arrest , during which Dickey swore at Jackson after stopping his car for an alleged traffic violation and then appeared to push his head through a plate-glass window . Jackson , a Hawthorne police sergeant on disability leave and a self-styled crusader against police brutality , had gone to Long Beach that night with an NBC television crew following in a separate vehicle in what he termed a `` sting '' operation to validate reports of racism and brutality by Long Beach police officers . Investigations have been launched by the FBI , the Los Angeles County district attorney 's office and the Long Beach Police Department . Dickey has been temporarily reassigned to a desk job , and Jackson was charged with interfering with a police officer . At the hearing , Boatwright repeatedly played the videotape while committee members and about 50 observers watched on television monitors and Dickey and Jackson commented on each scene . Boatwright questioned whether the car in which Jackson was riding was actually weaving -- the stated cause for the traffic stop -- and whether Jackson acted aggressively toward the officers , as Dickey said in his report . At one point , Boatwright asked Dickey : `` You became the judge , jury and executioner as to whether he was challenged to a fight ? '' `` No , '' Dickey tersely replied . Dickey 's attorney , Michael Hannon , refused to allow Dickey to answer any more questions after nearly three hours of questioning because of what he called the `` hostile and badgering '' nature of the inquiry . `` This little kangaroo court gives these politicians a chance to run for office . Any resemblance between this and a fair hearing is just imaginary , '' Hannon told reporters afterward . `` They are taking stuff out of context and just badgering him with it . '' Earlier , under questioning by Boatwright and as the videotape was played , Dickey testified that the alleged infraction for which the Jackson car was stopped -- crossing the center divider -- occurred before it could be seen on a tape shot from the NBC chase vehicle , but he maintained that the tape does show Jackson 's car weaving slowly within the traffic lane . Boatwright , standing in front of the television monitor , pointed out that a videotape shot from the Jackson car 's rear window shows the street lights passing by in a consistent pattern -- indicating the car was not weaving . Dickey acknowledged that the police car he was driving `` was weaving all over , too '' as it tailed Jackson 's car . Jackson , also testifying under subpoena , said that he and Jeff Hill , an off-duty federal corrections officer who drove the car , took great care not to break traffic laws when they cruised along Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach . He alleged that in addition to pushing his face into the glass , Dickey hurt him by bending his fingers while handcuffing him and pushed his face into the hood of the police car . Also , Jackson alleged , officers refused three requests to loosen his handcuffs as he was taken to the police station . Dickey 's eight-page police report , which was provided to reporters , states that Jackson was arrested for saying `` offensive words , '' an allegation that was later dropped . But Dickey conceded at the hearing that it was he , not Jackson , who uttered obscenities . No Taunts Heard The report states that Jackson challenged the officer to fight , although Jackson never is heard taunting the officer on the tape . `` There can be a fight without a verbal challenge , '' Dickey said , adding that Jackson 's fists were clenched at his sides . Dickey said that he was swearing to try to alleviate his fear . He testified that he thought Jackson , who immediately stepped out of the car after it came to a halt , might be trying to provide a diversion for an armed partner in the car . He said his actions were an attempt to `` accomplish my No. 1 job that night : to go home in one piece . '' At one point in the proceeding , Boatwright had Dickey and Jackson weighed in an attempt to show that Jackson is shorter and weighs less than the officer . At another point , Boatwright assumed the role of Dickey and had Dickey play Jackson in trying to demonstrate the type of hold Dickey used on Jackson during the arrest . Boatwright contended that in using that type of hold the officer would have had to push Jackson into the window deliberately . Dickey denied it . The officer said Jackson 's face crashed through the window when Jackson suddenly pulled forward . Jackson , according to Dickey , struck the window with his elbows and not with his face as Jackson contends . Dickey , who cut his hand , noted that Jackson suffered no facial injuries when the glass shattered . Jackson , in his testimony , defended his self-appointed role as a police anti-brutality activist , saying `` my duty is to uphold the law and I am doing that in the highest tradition . '' He said he is troubled , though , that Long Beach police are investigating his background on the Hawthorne Police Department rather than concentrating on the incident . Boatwright adjourned the hearing , which was held at the Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles , after about six hours of testimony . He said it would reconvene later to hear from the additional witnesses .

O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B O B O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

police brutality
police officer
arrest
racism
dickey
don jackson


Exxon Corp. on Wednesday increased its estimate of the total 1989 costs of cleaning up the massive Alaskan oil spill to $ 2 billion and said it would take another $ 500-million charge in the fourth quarter to cover costs from what is now the most expensive environmental disaster in history . In reporting its estimated 1989 earnings , Exxon said it would take a $ 500-million charge in the fourth quarter for costs to clean up the spill of 11 million gallons of oil that spilled from the grounded tanker Exxon Valdez and fouled the shoreline of pristine Prince William Sound last March . The charges reduced Exxon 's 1989 net income to $ 3.8 billion , compared to $ 5.26 billion in 1988 . Revenue totaled $ 96.1 billion in 1989 , compared to $ 88.6 billion the year before . On Wednesday , Exxon spokesman William Smith upped the company 's estimate of the spill 's total costs so far -- costs to Exxon and others -- to `` about $ 2 billion . '' The figure does not include any liability from more than 150 lawsuits Exxon faces from the spill , nor does it include additional cleanup costs should Exxon resume work in the spring . The fourth-quarter charge comes in addition to $ 880 million that the company already set aside in the first and second quarters , bringing Exxon 's total cleanup costs for the year to $ 1.38 billion . Other costs will be covered by `` more than $ 400 million '' in insurance , Smith said . Analysts were not surprised at the additional charge , though `` it was a lot bigger than I expected , '' said Joel D. Fischer , an analyst with Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. in New York . Wall Street showed little reaction to the news , with Exxon 's stock falling only 12.5 cents to close at $ 47 a share . `` The financial effect of the Exxon Valdez accident was clearly the major reason for lower net income in 1989 , '' said Exxon Chairman Lawrence G. Rawl in a statement . The charges from the Valdez cleanup were partly offset by a one-time gain from a change in accounting methods in the first quarter as a result of changes in federal tax law . That raised Exxon 's income by $ 535 million for the year . Without the cleanup charge and accounting gain , Exxon said its net income for the year would have been $ 4.7 billion , down 10.6 % from 1988 , despite higher oil and gas prices . The decline resulted mainly from slimmer refining and marketing profit margins and lower earnings from chemical operations . In the fourth quarter , earnings before the Valdez charge were $ 1.28 billion , compared to $ 1.38 billion in the 1988 quarter . Analysts said Exxon 's size would insulate it from serious long-term financial damage from the charges . `` I think they did end the year on a strong note , largely because of the strength in crude and natural gas pricing , '' said Eugene Nowak , an analyst with Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. in New York . Still , Exxon 's stock , whose performance has lagged behind that of other major oil firms , could suffer from continuing negative publicity surrounding the Valdez spill and the subsequent spill of 567,000 gallons of heating oil into the Arthur Kill waterway between New York and New Jersey on Jan. 2 . The bad press will undoubtedly be aggravated when the criminal trial begins next week of the Exxon Valdez 's captain , Joseph Hazelwood . Smith declined to say what costs the new $ 500-million charge would cover . The previous charges covered everything from wages to boat rentals to boots , as well as payments so far of $ 177 million in claims by fishermen , cannery workers and other individuals affected by the spill , said Exxon spokesman James Robertson in Anchorage . In addition , the state of Alaska has asked Exxon to reimburse it for about $ 34.5 million in costs ; so far , Exxon has paid the state $ 7.4 million in cash and has agreed to pay bills amounting to $ 23 million more , said the state 's Oil Spill Coordinating Office . Exxon must also reimburse the U.S. Coast Guard and other federal agencies . Meanwhile , Exxon confirmed Wednesday that it would shut down its Denver exploration and production office , which employs about 105 people . The office 's operations will be transferred to Midland , Tex. . No decision has been made on the future of the workers in Denver , said Exxon spokesman Les Rogers in Houston .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I I O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

massive alaskan oil spill
expensive environmental disaster
tanker exxon valdez
lower net income
revenue
total cleanup costs
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exxon valdez accident
valdez cleanup
cleanup charge
valdez spill


Exxon salvage crews successfully refloated the stricken tanker Exxon Valdez on Wednesday as the former captain of the vessel surrendered to authorities in New York to face criminal charges in the massive oil spill . Joseph Hazelwood , 42 , surrendered to police in a Long Island suburb of New York City and hours later Judge Kenneth Rohl set bail at $ 500,000 -- 10 times what Alaskan authorities had sought . Hazelwood 's lawyer said he had not decided whether to waive extradition proceedings and return to Alaska to face the charges ; Hazelwood was not required to enter a plea Wednesday . Fired by Exxon After the Exxon Valdez ran aground on March 24 , Hazelwood was found to be legally drunk and was fired by Exxon . Hazelwood left Alaska before local authorities could interview him , and had been pursued since Saturday on a fugitive warrant on three misdemeanor charges : operating a watercraft while intoxicated , reckless endangerment and negligent discharge of oil at sea . Together , those three charges have a maximum penalty of 27 months in prison and a $ 10,000 fine . `` These misdemeanors are of such a magnitude that has never been equaled , at least in this country , '' Rohl said . `` We have a man-made destruction that has not been equaled , probably , since Hiroshima . '' FBI officials in Washington say they also are investigating whether Hazelwood could be charged with felony violations of the Clean Water Act , which prohibits negligent discharge of pollutants into navigable waters . No people have been killed or even seriously injured by the spill , but oil has seriously disrupted the rich Prince William Sound fishing industry . Also , animal-rescue teams estimate the spill has killed several thousand birds and hundreds of sea otters . Estimates of wildlife deaths are not easy to make because oiled birds are hard to spot from the air , and many beaches are difficult to reach for in person inspections . In the wildlife-rich sound , cleanup crews continued to skim emulsified oil as thick as pudding . As of Wednesday , 12 days after the Exxon Valdez ran aground , the 240,000-barrel slick was estimated to affect an area the size of Delaware , and Exxon 's fleet of oil-skimming boats had picked up only about 5 % of the spilled oil . The state of Alaska condemned Exxon 's cleanup on Wednesday and asked the Coast Guard to take over the effort . Rep. George Miller -LRB- D-Martinez -RRB- , a senior member of the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee added during a tour of Prince William Sound that fraud `` is not too strong a word to describe Exxon 's cleanup claims . '' `` What they are really doing is managing the failure , '' Miller said after meeting with Aleut Indian residents in the tiny fishing village of Chenega Bay . Alaska Gov. Steve Cowper said the Coast Guard should be better able to handle coordination and management of the cleanup than Exxon , which he said was too bureaucratic . `` Maybe that 's been the problem all along . You need a military system to get things done , '' the governor said . Although Cowper said he did not want to be `` extremely critical '' of Exxon , a letter sent to the Coast Guard by a state environmental official said Exxon had been unresponsive . `` Exxon has failed to provide ... the information necessary to make sound planning recommendations regarding the cleanup of oil and the protection of resources , '' wrote Lynn Kent , chief of the state Oil and Hazardous Substance Spill Response Section . President Bush earlier had sent a team of high-level officials to Valdez and determined that federal management of the cleanup was not necessary . Rear Adm. Edward Nelson Jr. , commander of the Coast Guard 's 17th District in Juneau had no immediate reply to Cowper 's request . Exxon spokesman Henry Beathard said the company disagreed with charges it was not handling the cleanup properly and thought Exxon was the best organization to manage the effort . `` We gathered all the resources and organized the cleanup . We think the most effective and efficient way to carry out this project is -LRB- for Exxon -RRB- to continue , '' Beathard said . The tanker refloat went unexpectedly well . The 987-foot ship lifted off the reef three hours earlier than the Exxon salvage crew predicted , proceeding without problem under close watch of a flotilla of six tugs and other support craft , including the Coast Guard Cutter Rush , to a cove on uninhabited Naked Island 25 miles to the southwest , where repairs will be made . Even though a relatively well-known salvage technique was used to float the Valdez -- using compressed air to force water out of the ruptured hold and thus assist high tide in lifting the vessel off the rocks -- `` we could n't predict this by the exact hour or minute , '' said salvage coordinator Gary Gorski , who supervised from the ferry Glacier Queen II . Almost 1 million barrels of oil were pumped from the Exxon Valdez to three smaller tankers over the last 11 days , and the salvage process began as soon as the last of the tankers left for Southern California refineries on Tuesday . The ship was made airtight above the water line , and then , on Wednesday , compressed air was forced inside . The air forced out some of the 998,000 barrels of sea water that had been pumped into the stricken tanker as oil was removed . Naval architect Richard Smith , hired by Exxon , estimated before the refloat that the pressure would force enough water out of the hull to lift the ship at least three feet . He added that this technique also would produce a pressurized buffer of clean sea water between the oil left in the tanker -- about 15,000 to 20,000 barrels -- and the once-pristine waters off Valdez . Even so , Exxon officials warned in advance that refloating the ship could uncover additional oil that had been pinned in pockets between the ship 's hull and rocky Bligh Reef . The Port of Valdez was closed at 10 a.m. to clear the iceberg-dotted waters of other vessels as the refloating was attempted and Coast Guard spokesman Bruce Pimental said that the vital oil terminal would remain closed until the stricken tanker was safely anchored . However , flow through the Alaskan pipeline returned to its normal daily flow of 2.1 million barrels Wednesday , the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. said . Oil flow from the North Slope had been cut by 60 % because the spill restricted tanker traffic in Valdez harbor , but traffic has increased . Gorski said that the ease with which the refloat was accomplished may indicate that the damage , while severe , may not be as bad as earlier feared . Exxon officials were reluctant to estimate how long temporary repairs would take or discuss where the tanker would be taken to permanently patch its hull and rebuild its internal pumping system , which also was compromised in the accident . Portland , Ore. , was the company 's first choice , but it backed away from that option after Oregon Gov. Neil E. Goldschmidt and managers of the Port of Portland expressed concern that the Exxon Valdez would still be leaking oil when it arrived there . Already under attack by Gov. Cowper for fouling Prince William Sound , Exxon said it would consider having the tanker repaired in the Far East -- Japan , Korea or Singapore . Even as it made that concession , the company denied its ship would endanger any port it visited for repair . Staff writer Larry B. Stammer in Valdez contributed to this report .

B I I O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

exxon salvage crews
stricken tanker exxon valdez
criminal charges
massive oil spill
joseph hazelwood
wildlife deaths
cleanup
alaska


THE MAN President Bill Clinton has chosen to head the task force to help get his free trade pact with Canada and Mexico ratified may lack experience in international trade arenas . But he comes to Washington well prepared for the kind of back-room political arm-twisting that will be required to persuade a divided Congress to pass it . William Daley is younger brother and chief adviser to Chicago 's mayor Richard M Daley and offspring of the legendary Democratic machine ` Boss ' , the late Richard J Daley . Unlike his hot-tempered and very public brother , 45-year-old Bill Daley is a smooth-talking behind-the-scenes operator with important connections in Washington and long-standing ties with organised labour . He has never run for political office . Mr Daley accepted the Nafta position after being passed over for a cabinet position and turning down an offer to be Mr Clinton 's chief negotiator at the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in Geneva . He chaired Mr Clinton 's election campaign in Illinois , where he delivered 48 per cent of the vote to Clinton , above the national average , and continues as a tangible supporter . Most recently , he arranged a posh Chicago dinner for the president that raised Dollars 1m -LRB- Pounds 670,000 -RRB- . However , Mr Daley 's appointment to chair the White House 's task force on the North America Free Trade Agreement is not a cosy political payoff . Recent polls show that as many as two-thirds of the American people do not support Nafta , and grassroots opposition fuelled by labour groups is growing . Mr Clinton himself reserved his support for the deal , negotiated under George Bush 's administration , until side agreements dealing with environmental and labour issues were reached last month . Many Democrats in Congress , including some in the powerful Illinois delegation , are uncommitted . With the agreement fated to unravel if it is not ratified by January 1 , the battle for congressional support will be fierce , fast , and visible . Mr Daley was chosen for the job , Chicago observers say , because he has proven he can sway votes and is willing to take the risk of losing a controversial battle . ` Bill Daley is no Washington neophyte . Clinton needs someone with political sense to move this thing through Congress , and Daley has the connections , ' says a fellow Washington lobbyist . Opposition to Nafta comes from core Democratic constituencies , making it a potential political pothole for Mr Clinton . Mr Daley 's talents have been summoned , insiders say , to convince moderate Democrats to back the agreement . The president needs 218 votes in the House to ratify Nafta . The administration counts 125 Republicans in favour of the agreement . Clinton ally and fellow Chicago Democrat , Mr Dan Rostenkowski , chairman of the House ways and means committee , is expected to deliver the 20 Democrats on his committee . However , Mr Rostenkowski is under investigation for improper use of his post office perks and faces an uneasy future . By rough count , Mr Daley will have to marshall 73 votes from Democratic representatives of states standing to gain the most from the agreement : those along the border with Mexico and those with big agricultural , consumer product , or manufacturing export interests . His Chicago-style back-room muscle will be an invisible counterweight to the public tactics of Nafta 's most prominent opponent , Mr Ross Perot . Mr Perot 's populist anti-Nafta campaign touts the ` giant sucking sound ' that will be heard as Nafta-loosened jobs flow south of the Texas border . ` It is a very interesting juxtaposition of styles , ' says Chicago political commentator Mr Bruce DuMont . ` Bill Daley is like a Stealth bomber . You may not see him , but you 'll see the results . ' Mr Daley has taken four months out from his Chicago law firm to lead the Nafta push . He recently rejoined the firm after a three-year stint as president of the Amalgamated Bank of Chicago , which was founded by the Amalgamated Textile Workers union in 1922 . Although it passed into private ownership in 1966 , its board is still dominated by high-profile union officials . Mr Clinton may be banking on Mr Daley 's union ties to help the Nafta effort . However , Mr Daley , by pushing Nafta , runs the risk of alienating his union supporters . Mr Jim Jontz , former congressman from Indiana and director of the anti-Nafta Citizen 's Trade Campaign , said : ' I do n't know why Bill Daley would want to be in a position like that . It 's just wrong . '

O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

north america free trade agreement
president bill clinton
free trade pact
william daley
grassroots opposition
side agreements
congressional support
controversial battle


THE US administration has given the go-ahead for pilot plans to reform welfare benefits in Wisconsin and Georgia that could serve as experiments for the broader overhaul of the welfare system promised by President Bill Clinton . The Wisconsin plan would cut off cash payments under the principal welfare programme , known as Aid to Families with Dependent Children , after two years , although it would continue to provide food stamps and health coverage . The pilot scheme will be started in two counties in 1995 . Republican Governor Tommy Thompson has made Wisconsin a pioneer in welfare reform , with experiments such as Schoolfare , which cuts welfare payments to teenage mothers who do not go to school . In Georgia , the state does not plan a time limit on benefits , but wants to reduce welfare payments to able-bodied adults who refuse offers of work and deny increases in payments to families on long-term welfare who have more children . The federal government , which has to grant waivers to states wishing to depart from normal US welfare rules , is also considering proposals from Florida and Vermont for time limits on welfare benefits , and White House officials have said that a two-year limit will be a central feature of Mr Clinton 's own welfare reform plans . The promise to ` end welfare as we know it ' was an important theme in Mr Clinton 's election campaign . Although he named a welfare reform task force in June , the reform has been held up by delays in passing the budget and is now expected to be delayed until the ambitious reform of the healthcare system has passed Congress .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

welfare reform
president bill clinton
wisconsin
georgia
food stamps

clinton administration
welfare plans
healthcare reform


Her movies now are few and far between , but when she is ill , the world still stands at attention . Liz Taylor 's latest bout with pneumonia has drawn the kind of intense scrutiny normally accorded presidential polyps . It has inspired a raft of rumors and handed up a field day for the giddy tabloids . And today , yet again , everyone is talking about La Liz . But then Liz Taylor , 58 , has always lived a life of extremes . If she has enjoyed the most brilliant career and the glare of fame , she has also survived seven rocky marriages to six men , the frailest health and the most frightening bouts with addiction to booze , drugs and food . And through it all , there have been armies of press recording each divorce , each hospital stay . It was partly to still the gossips that Taylor 's doctors called a press conference Wednesday at St. John 's Hospital and Medical Center in Santa Monica . No AIDS , they said . No cancer . For the tabloid press had been humming with rumors that Liz Taylor had AIDS virtually since she was checked into Daniel Freeman Hospital in Marina del Rey April 9 with a high fever and sinus infection . And when Taylor 's publicists first issued flat denials , the press went on to speculate about the speculation . Did the AIDS rumors start because of Taylor 's ballyhooed friendship with publishing titan Malcolm Forbes , whose recent death touched off reports about his alleged homosexuality ? Or was it because of her reputation as a major fund-raiser for the disease ? Or because one of her doctors , Michael Roth , was a renowned AIDS specialist -- even though Roth was supervising her treatment for drug and alcohol addiction as early as 1983 ? `` Liz is a national treasure and when she entered the hospital , I thought it was as important as the President of the U.S. going in and we treated it as such . Liz is as close to American royalty as you can have , and our readers ... in the heartland ... they 're living and dying with her , '' said Barry Levine , Hollywood bureau chief of the Star , which featured a cover photograph of Liz , hooked up to an intravenous tube and oxygen mask , being transferred from the Marina del Rey hospital to St. John 's . Levine declined comment on a rumor circulating among reporters that the tabloid had paid $ 50,000 for the pictures . Some press coverage has bent over backwards to tug at the bounds of credibility ; the National Enquirer has Liz communing with the ghosts of Forbes and one-time husband Richard Burton . In all , Liz 's current illness has drawn the most attention yet , according to her publicist , Chen Sam . More than 100 reporters , photographers and cameramen converged on St. John 's , many of whom had flown in from around the country for the 15-minute press conference . Behind a chorus line of video cameras -- representing the major networks , the local stations , CNN and the tabloid shows -- reporters peppered the doctors with pointed and sometimes testy questions about Taylor 's treatment and drug use . `` I heard some guys talking behind me , saying , ' I ca n't believe they 're hounding her like this . ' I felt like saying , ` Are you offended reading about her ? ' '' sniffed Val Richardson , a reporter from the Washington Times who 'd flown in that morning . At any rate , the news was good . Taylor was off a respirator and breathing with the help of an oxygen mask . She had apparently rebounded from a bad weekend , when doctors feared she might die . Although Taylor 's physicians are still trying to identify the virus , they are treating her for pneumonia with antibiotics . And she remains in the intensive-care unit , but she continues to improve and is expected to move to a regular room this weekend , Sam said Thursday . Meanwhile , her own security guards keep watch over her private room in intensive care . She has received her four children -- Christopher and Michael Wilding , Maria Burton-Carson and Liza Todd-Tivey -- friends Roddy McDowall and Carole Bayer Sager and Liz 's younger , ex-trucker boyfriend , Larry Lee Fortensky , 38 . `` I saw her yesterday and I was really pleased , '' Sager said Wednesday . `` I thought her color was good . She could n't speak because she had the respirator . Her eyes were clear and she definitely understood what I said and motioned , made me know she understood . '' If Liz 's public is fascinated by her frailties , perhaps reassured somehow by the knowledge that even the gods are vulnerable , their interest is also piqued by the public face she puts on her relentless brushes with illness and addiction . The Taylor wit shone through even Wednesday 's press conference , when doctors passed on the actress ' desire to `` come out and wave at you , but she was n't in her balcony attire . '' `` I think she 's extraordinarily brave , '' Sager said . `` She just has an enormous reservoir of inner strength that she calls on when she has to . All of us were encouraged and optimistic . '' She has needed it . Taylor 's respiratory ailments alone have been a recurring problem . Bronchitis and laryngitis brought down the curtain on numerous performances of `` The Little Foxes , '' which Taylor starred in on Broadway in 1981 , and Noel Coward 's `` Private Lives , '' which toured the country in 1983 . The cancellations prompted the play 's co-producer , Zev Bufman , to declare , `` Bronchitis has plagued Elizabeth all her life . '' In fact , Taylor has been plagued by health woes ever since her 1945 film debut in `` National Velvet '' ; her fall from a horse triggered a lifetime of back trouble . And when Taylor retired from films to marry the Republican senator from Virginia , John Warner , her well-being continued to make headlines ; she choked on a chicken bone and wrenched her back after slipping on a carpet at a reception honoring former President Gerald R. Ford . Over the years she has endured about 20 major operations on her back , appendix , eyes and teeth ; when the Asian flu threatened Taylor 's life , doctors made a hole in her throat so she could breathe . But it has been her wrestling matches with weight and addiction that have consistently lured the world 's curiosity and , at times , admiration . Taylor 's unhappy stint as a politician 's wife prompted her weight to balloon to 180 pounds . When she emerged a born-again beauty in 1985 after shedding 60 pounds , and wrote a beauty book to boot , she was applauded by many -- including comedian Joan Rivers , who had made fat-Liz jokes the mainstay of her act . `` For somebody like me who is obsessive , it 's amazing I was never a gambler , '' she said at the time . `` I could have become anorexic . I got to a size 4 and said , ` Why not a size 2 ? ' Then I slapped myself and went from 118 to 122 , which is the right weight for me . '' But her battles against addiction have played havoc with her fight against the bulge . And her persistent back problems have nurtured her dependence on pills . Her addictions have even been linked to a criminal investigation by the Los Angeles County district attorney 's office ; last week , prosecutors announced that no charges would be filed against Taylor 's doctors , who had been accused of over-prescribing dependence-forming drugs . Taylor , the first celebrity known to enter the Betty Ford clinic in Rancho Mirage , made a public example of her willingness to take on her addictions in two heavily publicized stays there . When Taylor first checked in , in 1983 , she admitted to 35 years of addiction to pain killers and sleeping pills . She kept a diary that poignantly described that stay as `` probably the first time since I was 9 that nobody 's wanted to exploit me . Now the bad news . I feel like hell . I 'm going through withdrawal . My heart feels big and pounding . I can feel the blood rush through my body . I can almost see it , running like red water over the boulders in my pain-filled neck and shoulders , then through my ears and into my pounding head . My eyelids flutter . Oh God , I am so , so tired . '' But the Betty Ford clinic encouraged Taylor only to fight the good fights that had brought her there , rather than take on all addictions -- to drugs and food -- at once . And the late '80s had found Liz , hobbled by back pain , returning to those two sources of comfort . Taylor regained much of the weight , even though she took her drug problems in hand once again in a second stay at the Betty Ford clinic in 1988 . But through her ordeals , she has remained the same charmingly vain Liz who once declared her hobbies to be clothes and jewels . She never budged from her room at Betty Ford without her trademark darkened eyebrows . And even when she was ambushed recently by a Star photographer , Liz could n't help being , well , Liz . Says the Star 's Levine : `` No matter how sick she was , when someone down on the ground told her she was being photographed , she put on sunglasses , even though she had an IV in her arm , as if to cover herself up . Typical Liz Taylor . It was sad and sweet , at the same time . ''

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O

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Patience is often difficult to muster for those who run the 26.2 miles of a marathon . The tendency is to want to finish the race as soon as possible and get a head start on recovering from it . Patience was its own virtue in the Long Beach Marathon Sunday , as the men 's and women 's winners shrewdly waited for others to make mistakes and for the sun -- which was obscured by cloud cover early in the race -- to burn through and take a toll on the runners . Rex Wilson of New Zealand patiently waited for the lead pack to sort itself out , took the lead at 10 miles and rolled to a victory in 2 hours 12 minutes 27 seconds , a course record . The old record of 2:13:22 was set in 1986 by Ric Sayre . Among the women , the race played itself out in a calm , if not orderly , fashion . Wen Yanmin , a 23-year-old student from Bejing , China , picked her way through a strung-out pack and out-kicked Laura Konatz of Toronto to win in 2:43:33 , also a course record . Yanmin broke the old record of 2:44:51 set last year by Dianne Rodgers . Robert Molinatti of Huntington Beach won the wheelchair division in 1:47:59 . Run as a race within a race was the Pacific Rim Marathon , which consists of teams from invited countries . Wilson and Yanmin won both the Long Beach Marathon and the Pacific Rim race , for total prize money of $ 9,500 each . Conditions were excellent at the start of the race , which had its largest-ever field of 4,021 entrants . The weather for the first 1 1/2 hours was cloudy and cool . But the mist burned off and the last eight miles -- the toughest portion of the marathon -- became even tougher . The refrain from the runners was , `` It 's not the heat , it 's the humidity . '' The men 's race was led at various times by a pack of about six runners . One by one they fell victim to the weather or other equally debilitating elements . Viktor Gural of the Soviet Union , who had been among the leaders for most of the race , said he had trouble with everything . Gural emphatically said it was too hot , `` The sun went to work , '' was how he put it , and he said he experienced tenderness in his liver during the race . American food also did not agree with Gural -- his stomach was upset . He dropped from third to fifth in the race 's final stages . Samson Obwocha , a Kenyan who lives in Gardena , waited for Gural to fade and then made his move . `` I saw him struggling and I knew I could outkick him , '' Obwocha said . He did , and finished fourth in 2:28.08 . Wilson also made a move , or more precisely , he continued his steady 5:03 mile pace while the rest of the field slowed from the early , faster pace . `` I did n't really want to lead all the way , '' Wilson said . `` But I wanted to run at 5-minute pace , so I had to lead . '' The strategy resulted in a personal best time in only his third marathon -- an event he dislikes . `` I hate the marathon , '' Wilson , 28 , said , sounding quite sensible . `` At 21 miles I started to hurt . My legs were getting tired , my quads were getting tight . Those little bridges at the end were like mountains . '' Still , Wilson built a healthy lead on those `` mountains '' in Belmont Shores . Tomio Bueyoshi of Japan was second in 2:15:31 and Liu Wenzun of China was third in 2:19:16 . Yanmin had to come from behind for her victory , giving the women 's race an exciting finish . As happened in the men 's race , the runners in the lead pack ebbed and eventually faded . Guadalupe Roman of Mexico led through much of the race but lost ground steadily in the last five miles and finished sixth . Two Soviet runners -- Irina Ruban and Tatiana Zueva -- who had run side-by-side in third and fourth place throughout the race , faded . Neither placed in the top 50 . It fell to Konatz , who had been in first and second throughout the race , to hang in there . Even as the Chinese runner was bearing down on her as the finish line came into sight . Konatz was happy with her second place time of 2:43:50 . Asked if she was ever aware of Yanmin during the race , Konatz laughed . `` The marathon is an unpredictable event , '' she said . `` I knew at 25 miles if someone had a good kick ... '' Someone did . So did Ngaire Drake of New Zealand , who was third in 2:44:09 .

B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

long beach marathon
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