Public officials throughout California have condemned a U.S. Senate vote Thursday to exclude illegal aliens from the 1990 census , saying the action will shortchange California in Congress and possibly deprive the state of millions of dollars of federal aid for medical emergency services and other programs for poor people . `` I think it 's an outrageous piece of legislation and probably unconstitutional , '' Assemblyman Peter Chacon said Friday . Chacon , a San Diego Democrat , is the chairman of the Assembly 's Elections , Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendments Committee . At the same time , the Senate 's action has created great confusion and stirred hopes , especially among urban Democrats , that it will be overturned by the House of Representatives . Major Impact If it becomes law , the Senate 's action could have a major impact on California and other states where the influx of illegal aliens significantly boosts the population and , thus , can affect the size of congressional delegations and the amount of federal aid that is doled out . With an estimated population of about 28 million people , California is thought to have at least 50 % of the nation 's 3 million to 8 million illegal aliens . Authorities on reapportionment have widely predicted that California would gain five to seven congressional seats as a result of population gains made during the last decade . But if illegal aliens are not counted , the experts say the state would not get one of the anticipated seats . `` It 's hard to tell exactly how many congressional seats California will lose . But we could have gotten six or seven additional seats and this could cost us one or two . It 's possible , '' said state Sen. Milton Marks , a San Francisco Democrat who chairs the Senate 's Elections and Reapportionment Committee . Loss of Funds Feared Jesse R. Huff , the state 's financial director , said the state could lose as much as $ 300 million in federal aid that is allocated on the basis of population as determined by census counts . Los Angeles County officials said the measure could cut off federal funds for emergency medical services for illegal aliens . In the past , about $ 80 million annually in such services for illegal aliens has been paid out , with about half of that amount paid in Los Angeles County , according to Mark Tajima , a legislative analyst employed by the county 's chief administrative officer . Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn described the Senate 's vote as an attempt by `` callous , self-serving interests in Washington , D.C. , to deny representation and financial resources to minorities and underprivileged in our cities . '' Hahn 's office said the city could lose at least $ 20 million in federal aid over the next 10 years -- money that goes for child care , housing rehabilitation , drug counseling and services for homeless people . Immigration Law Overhaul The measure passed by the Senate was part of a larger overhaul of the nation 's immigration laws that , if it becomes law , would place an annual cap of 630,000 immigrants for each of the next three years and make room for more residents of Western Europe . The Senate bill is expected to face tough opposition in the House , where states such as California , New York and Illinois with large alien populations have many votes . Moreover , a federal court in Pittsburgh ruled earlier this year that excluding illegal aliens from the census would be unconstitutional . But even if the Senate 's action were to become law , it is not clear how much impact it would have on federal aid . `` I think the effect is going to be minimal , '' said Michael Myers , counsel to the House subcommittee on immigration and refugee affairs . Myers said the measure would prohibit aliens from receiving direct federal benefits , such as Social Security payments . But he maintained that such ineligibility is already written into a number of federal programs . Myers said that most of the assistance that states and cities now receive comes in the form of block grants that do not qualify as direct financial aid and , therefore , would not be affected . Puzzled by Action Still , many local officials remain puzzled by the Senate 's action . Tajima said he was not sure whether programs such as foster care for abused and neglected children or Supplemental Security Income for aged , blind or disabled people would be vulnerable . `` They all involve direct payments by the county of federal money , '' he said . In Orange County , with the second-largest illegal alien population in the state , officials warned that any effort by the Census Bureau to identify illegals would promote `` fear and intimidation '' among recent immigrants , both legal and illegal . Any such effort , officials said , would discourage people from participating in the census and even further reduce official population figures . `` They counted them in 1980 , and now for them to say they wo n't count them in 1990 is ludicrous , '' said Angelo Doti , director of financial assistance for the Orange County Social Services Agency . `` The fact is they are here . They 're going to stay here . They pay taxes and are going to avail themselves of our services . We need to know the numbers . To not count them is to close our eyes , '' Doti said . Times staff writers Jerry Gillam and Marcida Dodson contributed to this article .

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illegal aliens
1990 census
congressional seats
census counts
census bureau
california
federal aid


The German government yesterday announced the launch of a new research project to examine whether the cattle disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy -LRB- BSE -RRB- can be transmitted to human beings . The initiative comes as the country is pushing for a European Union ban on British beef imports , arguing that there is still no conclusive evidence that the disease can not affect humans . Seven German universities and research institutes will be sponsored by the country 's research and technology ministry to examine possible connections between the origins of BSE and two other diseases , Creutzfeldt Jakob disease and Gerstmann Straussler syndrome , which very rarely affect humans . Several German scientists have expressed concern that BSE - popularly known as ` mad cow disease ' because of the way it debilitates the brains of cattle - may be transmissible to humans who eat contaminated beef or take medicines made with ingredients from contaminated animals . ` The danger that BSE can be transmitted to humans is minimal or non-existent , ' said Professor Hans Kretzschmar from Gottingen University . ` However , we do not know that it is non-existent . I personally think -LRB- British beef -RRB- should not be imported . ' Contaminated British beef will be discussed at a meeting of EU health ministers on March 30 , but a German official said that any decisions about a ban would be made by the union 's agriculture ministers , who were likely to argue that existing safeguards were sufficient . In 1992 , the last year for which figures are available , Germany imported 2,092 tonnes of British beef - 2 per cent of all its beef imports from other EU countries - and 13 tonnes of veal . The research ministry said that more than 100,000 cattle had died as a result of catching BSE in Britain . A further 50 cases of the disease had been recorded in Switzerland and there were two known cases in Germany , one of which affected a cow imported from Britain .

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

cattle disease
bovine spongiform encephalopathy
bse
mad cow disease
british beef imports
possible connections


Most Southern Californians would agree that hills and canyons are among the most desirable places to live . But these wild , yet settled , places at the edge of the metropolis -- what botanists sometimes call `` the urban-chaparral interface '' -- are the properties most threatened by wildfire . While little can be done to control the natural fires that occur in chaparral country , homeowners can change their approach to landscaping and help improve the chances of their homes and property surviving a brush fire . `` The idea behind fire-resistant landscaping -- firescaping -- is to design landscaping to minimize the fire hazard , '' says Owen Dell , a Santa Barbara landscape contractor who has many canyon and hillside homeowners as clients . Dell became interested in the concept after the 1977 Sycamore Canyon fire in which 200 homes were lost and only a shift in the wind prevented the loss of additional Santa Barbara residences . After the fire , Dell began studying its effects . `` Many of my clients lost property , but the fire jumped from house to house , then skipped others . I realized that the landscaping had a relationship to the amount of devastation . '' Dell , the Santa Barbara City Fire Department , the city government and a number of volunteers combined their efforts and began planning the Santa Barbara Firescapes Demonstration Garden to educate the public about reducing the risks of wildfire near their homes . The concept behind the garden is that while no plant is fireproof , some are more flammable than others . The garden is a model of how to design and maintain landscaping around the home to provide a line of defense against fire . The garden is landscaped into four plant zones , with the most flammable vegetation planted farthest from the house . Zone 4 , farthest from the house , consists of native vegetation that has been thinned to reduce the amount of fuel that could feed a fire . Native chaparral flora , including oaks , ceanothus and manzanita , are found here . Zone 3 includes plants selected for their low profile and slow-burning characteristics . Wildflowers such as Pacific Coast iris , monkeyflower and California poppies add a splash of color to this zone . Zone 2 features highly fire-retardant succulents . It 's designed to be a greenbelt zone of maximum fire protection . Jade , aloe vera , phormium and evergreen currant are among the high-moisture-content plants characteristic of this zone . Zone 1 , closest to the residence , is a small area of plants that pose little risk of burning . Cactus , tobira and shiny leaf jasmine are examples of fire-resistant plants that still have a high aesthetic appeal . Some trees and plants are surprisingly hazardous . `` Those eucalyptus trees , '' Dell says . `` If one of those lights up near your house , there 's no way to save it . And the Monterey pine -- it 's so full of volatile oils , it 's almost unbelievable . '' One popular plant found almost everywhere in Southern California -- ice plant -- would seem to be an ideal choice for a firescape garden . Actually , it can be a menace . The plant produces a great deal of litter beneath that succulent surface and can smolder for days . Two other surprisingly flammable flora are redwood trees and bougainvillea . Dell thinks several successive drought years have finally persuaded Southern Californians to rethink approaches to gardening . Suddenly , xeriscaping -- landscaping with drought-tolerant natives -- is becoming commonplace and fashionable . As Dell sees it , while many home gardeners have learned to deal with low-water conditions , they 've virtually ignored another common Southern California occurrence -- wildfire . Just as appropriate landscaping can help gardeners with water shortages , so may careful landscaping help reduce the risk of significant property damage in the most fire-prone areas . The Firescapes Demonstration Garden is located across the street from City Fire Station 7 at 2411 Stanwood Drive and is open every day from 8 a.m. until sunset . A brochure available at the garden aids your exploration . For additional information , contact the Santa Barbara City Fire Department public education coordinator at -LRB-805-RRB- 564-5703 . To reach the garden : From U.S. 101 in Santa Barbara , exit on Salinas Street and continue to a five-way intersection . Bear right -LRB- north -RRB- on Sycamore Canyon Road -LRB- 144 -RRB- to Stanwood Drive -LRB- 192 -RRB- . Turn left and continue to the fire station , on your left , just opposite the garden . There 's ample parking at the station , which is located on the corner of Stanwood Drive and Mission Ridge Road .

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 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 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 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 O O O O O O O O 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 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 B I 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 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 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

maximum fire protection
firescape garden
southern californians
wildfire
firescaping
four plant zones
ice plant
firescapes demonstration garden

fire-resistant landscaping
fire-retardant succulents
fire-resistant plants


The Los Angeles County district attorney 's office declined Friday to press charges against several physicians , ending its investigation into allegations that they over-prescribed painkillers to actress Elizabeth Taylor . In a written report , the district attorney 's office said the prescribing practices `` fell below the accepted standard of medical practice , '' but added that the doctors `` were also attempting to deal with her addiction through alternative means of therapy and treatment , and ... their conduct was devoid of criminal intent . '' The report said one of the physicians repeatedly tried to persuade her to enter a rehabilitation clinic but `` these efforts to intervene were strongly resisted by Ms. Taylor until October , 1988 . '' Taylor , 58 , acknowledged a 35-year addiction to sleeping pills and painkillers and has been treated for alcohol and drug abuse at the Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage .

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 B 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 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 B 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 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

actress elizabeth taylor
painkillers
investigation
physicians
rehabilitation clinic
medical practice


A Long Beach-bound Exxon oil tanker ran aground on a reef Friday and spilled an estimated 8.4 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska 's Prince William Sound , a pristine Pacific waterway heavily used by kayakers , fishermen and tourists . It was the largest Alaskan oil spill ever . The Exxon Valdez , a 987-foot tanker owned by Exxon Shipping Co. , rammed the reef about 25 miles from the city of Valdez , the northernmost ice-free port in the United States , at 12:30 a.m. Coast Guard officers speculated that the ship 's captain may have been trying to avoid icebergs from the nearby Columbia Glacier when the accident occurred . Leak a Mere Trickle A representative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the tanker had been spilling oil at a rate of 10,000 barrels an hour but the Coast Guard said the leak had become a mere trickle by 2:30 p.m. , Alaska time . U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer John Gonzales said in a telephone interview from Valdez that the spill was staying `` in the mid-channel '' and did not seem to be moving toward the shore . `` We 've had no report of any wildlife hurt at this time , '' he said . But environmentalists feared that if the oil reached the shore , marine birds would be threatened . Herring hatch at this time of year and attract up to 20,000 sea birds for the feast . Environmentalists also expressed concern about whales , sea lions and other wildlife . Twenty people were aboard the ship but there were no immediate reports of injuries , said Dave Parish , a spokesman for Exxon USA , in a telephone interview from Anchorage . He said three planes from British Columbia , California and England had been dispatched to the scene for aerial spraying to dilute the oil . Gonzales said 200,000 barrels spilled into the sea . Another Exxon tanker was attempting to pump the oil out of the crippled vessel , and two Coast Guard investigators were on board the Valdez , he said . Jon Nelson , a deputy regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage , said the reef ripped a 150-foot gash in the vessel , which was carrying 1.2 million barrels of oil , and there was fear that the tanker could break apart further . `` If it breaks up on the rocks , then anything could happen , '' he said in a telephone interview . The seas were calm Friday and the forecast was for continued calm until Sunday . Infuriated local residents and environmentalists complained about the slow pace of the cleanup . Critical of Efforts `` Where was the crackerjack response team that was supposed to be out there ? They are moving way too slowly , '' said University of Alaska professor Richard Steiner , who flew over the slick Friday . `` There -LRB- was -RRB- no oil -LRB- cleanup equipment -RRB- out there and it 's been 14 hours since it happened . `` It is huge , literally huge , '' he said in a telephone interview from Cordova . `` It looks devastating . The slick is probably five miles long by three miles wide . Fortunately , there is no wind ... . We saw six sea lions inside the slick , swimming , trying to avoid it , and they had no idea which way to go . '' Cindy Lowry , Alaska regional director for Greenpeace , also complained about the pace of the cleanup . `` It is more than 12 hours later and there is no -LRB- cleanup -RRB- boom , no sweepers . They are bringing equipment from as far away as England . It is just absurd that the equipment is not here already ... . This will affect everything in the food chain , from crab larvae to orca whales . '' Exxon 's Parish said everything possible was being done . `` It takes time to get activated , '' he said . The immediate response to the spill was handled by crews from the terminal at Valdez . Floating Oil Booms Gonzales , the Coast Guard spokesman , said the terminal has cleanup equipment on site for minor spills . He said employees of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. , which operates the trans-Alaska oil pipeline for a consortium of oil companies , were getting floating oil booms in place by late afternoon . Prince William Sound , home to orcas , sea otters and fur seals , is important to both the fishing and the recreation industries . `` It 's a gorgeous marine environment and ecosystem , with lots of little islands and inlets and bays , '' said Emily Barneet , Alaska issues specialist for the Sierra Club in Anchorage . `` It 's also a pretty well-established tourist attraction , with sailing and glacier viewing trips . Prince William is a gem . '' The spill is expected to add fuel to a campaign by environmentalists to prevent further oil development in Alaska , particularly in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge . `` It 's of concern for two reasons : one is the size of the spill and that this is such a sensitive , very productive area , '' said Lisa Speer , senior staff scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York . `` This is a consequence of North Slope oil development that is rarely mentioned . '' Valdez City Manager Doug Griffen told the Associated Press that the 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline , which carries oil from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez and the marine terminal , has a good environmental record . Expected Worst `` But this could be a catastrophic occurrence , so we 're concerned , '' he said . `` Living in Valdez , we 've always worried that sometime something like this could happen . '' Alaska Gov. Steve Cowper arrived in Valdez on Friday to evaluate the spill . He said that state officials were considering the use of chemicals to disperse and sink the oil . `` The problem is that chemical use can have a bad effect on marine life , '' he said . `` It 's going to be a tough judgment call . '' Cowper said that conventional responses , such as booms , probably would not work because the spill is so large . `` You probably could n't do it -LRB- contain the spill -RRB- with all the equipment available in North America . This is a major spill by any reckoning . `` We 've been able to brag for a long time that there 's never been a major oil spill in Valdez Harbor . Now , we ca n't do that anymore . ''

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 B I I 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 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 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 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 O

alaskan oil spill
crude oil
exxon valdez
wildlife hurt
cleanup equipment


Tetsuya Theodore Fujita saw his only natural tornado near Denver in 1982 . `` It was like meeting my lover , '' he says . `` Since then , my passion really went up , '' said Fujita , a professor of geophysical science who has been studying tornadoes for 42 years and is considered one of the world 's foremost authorities on the violent storms . Fujita , 69 , spends much of his time in his lab at the University of Chicago creating tornadoes for research . He creates tornadoes over a large fan , which makes a swirling motion ; another fan above simulates a low-pressure system by adding an updraft to the mix . With a bit of steam added to make the phenomenon visible , he creates twisters six to eight feet tall . The miniature versions are as impossible to redirect or squelch as their full-size cousins , he says . He has tried by crawling right up next to them and using rulers or books to change their direction . Fujita came to the United States from Japan in 1953 , partly because there are so many tornadoes in this country . `` Tornadoes are very rare in Japan , '' Fujita said . `` They have about 10 to 15 a year . But one occurred within about 15 miles of my hometown . I was quite impressed with the localized severity of the wind . '' When he saw his first tornado , he and a team of scientists were studying wind shear and its effect on aircraft . `` It 's a beautiful thing , '' Fujita said . `` Of course , I was 20 miles away from that one . `` If you 're in it , '' he added , `` it 's a terrible thing . '' Forecasters still have trouble predicting tornadoes . But Fujita has helped define the conditions most likely to spawn them . Groups of thunderstorms are not as likely to spawn tornadoes as single , large storms because multiple storms in the same area compete . `` Each one tries to rotate , but they all ca n't . They 're just like human beings : The rich may become richer and the poor may get poorer . '' Fujita also discovered that most strong tornadoes are actually six or seven small twisters he calls suction vortices , rotating around the center of a larger tornado . `` A suction vortex can pick up a car or a small house or something , but when you 're standing right next to it you can be completely safe . '' He has studied tornadoes that have dropped houses into lakes , made off with one car and left another right next to it untouched , and moved whole flocks of cows and sheep -- which lived through the experience . He also developed the Fujita scale for measuring the strength of tornadoes . It runs from zero -- a tornado that might break twigs on trees -- to five -- a twister that can rip houses from their foundations . But Fujita considers his work on other air movements called downbursts and microbursts among his most significant achievements . Downbursts are powerful drafts of air moving down from a thunderstorm cloud . Scientists long thought the drafts dissipated before reaching the ground . Microbursts are smaller versions of downbursts , but are more dangerous because they give pilots less time to react , Fujita said . The National Transportation Safety Board has cited microbursts , a term coined by Fujita , as the cause of 17 aircraft accidents in the last 15 years , causing 577 fatalities . Among them was the 1985 crash of a Delta L-1011 in Dallas that killed 137 people . A downburst also was implicated in the collapse of a wall at a school in Newburgh , N.Y. , that killed nine children . Fujita 's work helped persuade the Federal Aviation Administation to begin installing a new radar system at 47 major airports beginning in the early 1990s . The Doppler radar system was credited with helping three jetliners at Denver 's airport avoid potentially catastrophic microbursts last year . Fujita retires from teaching this year , but will continue his research at the university . `` In Texas one time , five people were killed when they drove right into a tornado . They just did n't know any better , '' Fujita said . `` I want to make people safer . ''

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

tornadoes
natural tornado
fujita
violent storms
thunderstorms
small twisters
scientists


The smoke has cleared a little . After seven long years , the US Congress this week passed its first significant gun control law since the assassinations of Mr Robert Kennedy and Rev Martin Luther King Jr in 1968 . The legislation - known as the Brady bill after Mr James Brady , the former White House press secretary severely wounded in an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan - would impose a five-day waiting period on purchases of handguns . It would give law enforcement authorities time to check the buyer 's background . Advocates of tougher controls on guns were jubilant about their victory over stubborn resistance by Republican senators from western states such as Idaho and Alaska , who have long opposed any restriction on gun ownership in the US . The Brady bill 's opponents in Congress say it will inconvenience only law-abiding citizens , not criminals who buy or steal their weapons away from the government 's prying eyes . They point to glaring failings in the federal government 's policing of the 276,000 licensed gun dealers in the US as evidence of the Brady bill 's likely ineffectiveness . For instance , one newspaper reporter successfully obtained a dealer 's licence for his dog by submitting a made-up social security number . Studies of state laws requiring some form of background check suggest , however , that at least some sales to convicted felons have been stopped , and some suspected criminals have been caught when they tried to buy a gun . But even the most ardent supporters of the Brady bill acknowledge that it will make no more than a dent in the estimated 7.5 m legal sales each year of new or used firearms , let alone the approximately 200m guns in circulation ; and will barely affect the more than 14,000 murders and 1,400 accidental deaths involving guns each year . ` The longest journey begins with a single step , ' Mr Brady said after the bill 's final passage in the Senate on Wednesday . Despite its uncertain effect , passage of the Brady bill is read by some as a sign that the tide has turned decisively in favour of gun control . Other initiatives in Congress and in state legislatures are under way : the Senate last week agreed in a separate bill to ban assault weapons , a measure already in force in California , New Jersey and Connecticut . Virginia has passed a law restricting people to one gun purchase a month . With the federal government considering the imposition of punitive taxes on some particularly devastating types of ammunition , the Winchester company recently decided to withdraw its Black Talon bullet . This is prized by some game hunters for its killing power but detested by emergency room doctors for the damage it inflicts on humans as it mushrooms on impact . The strength of public feeling about rampant gun use has clearly grown in the face of an apparently unstoppable wave of urban violence that has brought the rate of death by shooting among young black men to more than 150 per 100,000 , and led to the installation of metal detectors in city schools . The fear of violent crimes such as carjackings and drive-by shootings has spread even beyond the inner city and into the suburbs and the countryside , provoking a widespread feeling that something - anything - must be done . The message from an outraged public is not , however , unequivocally in favour of gun control . Paradoxically , while thousands of people have been telephoning their Republican senators to demand that they stop blocking the Brady bill , thousands have also been flocking to join the National Rifle Association , the leading organisation among the pro-gun lobbies . In the past year and a half , it has gained 1,000 members a day to bring its total , which had declined to about 2.6 m in 1991 , to a record of about 3.3 m . Many new members and gun owners are women . Recent election results have shown , too , that simply being tough on guns is not enough to woo the voters . Although Democratic Governor Jim Florio of New Jersey came close to victory in the gubernatorial race this month by striking a tougher stance on both guns and crime in general than his Republican challenger , Mrs Christine Todd Whitman , this was not enough . Voters were swayed by economic considerations and particularly by his first-term tax increase . In Virginia , meanwhile , Ms Mary Sue Terry , the Democratic candidate for governor , relied in her campaign on gun control and was thrashed by Mr George Allen , her Republican opponent , who did not favour tighter curbs but promised to be tough on criminals by abolishing parole . While such results do not indicate that the NRA has been routed , they have put the association on the defensive . Most members now favour some form of gun control , but the core membership opposes all restraints on the sale of firearms . Their beliefs are rooted in an almost theological - some would say fanatical - interpretation of the second amendment to the US constitution , which states that : ' A well-regulated militia , being necessary to the security of a free state , the right of the people to keep and bear arms , shall not be infringed . ' ` The second amendment is not about duck-hunting . In the 1990s , it is about self-defence , ' says Mr James Jay Baker , the NRA 's chief Washington lobbyist . To many members , the right to self-defence is not just against muggers or burglars , but against a tyrannical government . Mr Neal Knox , sacked from a lobbying position with the NRA in the 1980s but now one of its elected directors , argues that the second amendment is the citizen 's ` freedom insurance plan ' against tyranny . Mr Knox says the Holocaust would not have happened if Europe 's Jews had owned rifles , and if the Nazis had not been able to confiscate guns , thanks to gun registration laws passed in the 1930s . He also contends that the solution to Somalia 's problems is to arm Somali mothers with AK-47s . Such beliefs have led the NRA to campaign against restrictions on machine guns , assault weapons and armour-piercing bullets . In the process they have lost touch with many of their members , who back gun control in general and specifically the Brady bill . Two trends over the past few years have weakened the advocates of gun rights . First , left-wing Democrats have begun to champion gun control as a supplement to tough anti-crime measures , rather than an alternative ; they have recaptured much of the ` tough on crime ' high ground by backing boot camps for young delinquents , harsher sentences and stiffer restrictions on parole or habeas corpus appeals . The NRA is trying to fight back with a campaign called CrimeStrike , calling for harsher measures against criminals . Second , the NRA 's insistence on combating any gun control , even that viewed as reasonable by a majority not just of the US population but of gun-owners , has driven away some former political and police supporters . Senator Denis DeConcini of Arizona , once voted the NRA 's ` legislator of the month ' , is backing a ban on assault weapons . Delegate Clinton Miller of the Virginia state assembly , once rated ` A + ' by the NRA , now calls the organisation 's top members ` hateful , spiteful , arrogant ' . This alienation is apparent among gun-owners at large . According to a Gallup poll earlier this year , 57 per cent of people who said they had a gun in their house also favoured stricter laws on the sale of firearms . These converts to gun control , however , are a long way from believing that the answer to violent crime lies in more radical action , such as the proposal of Senator John Chafee , a Rhode Island Republican , for a complete ban on handguns . Some Americans may move in this direction , but many more may put their faith in self-defence and buy their own weapons .

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

gun control law
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complete ban
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restriction
gun ownership


An unqualified mate was piloting the Exxon Valdez -- violating both Coast Guard regulations and company policy -- when the tanker crashed into rocks , unleashing the worst oil spill in U.S. history , Exxon Shipping Co. said Sunday . Exxon also disclosed that the Long Beach-bound tanker actually was involved in two separate accidents that night in pristine Prince William Sound . Meanwhile , winds kicked up around the crippled ship , stirring fears that choppy waters could destabilize the Exxon Valdez and sweep the slick ashore . Wildlife experts were summoned from California to coordinate any efforts to rescue birds and sea otters , whose feathers and fur make them the most vulnerable to oil contamination . Oil-Covered Birds , Otters Biologists already have counted 95 birds and two otters covered with oil but were unable to capture them for cleaning . Killer whales , sea lions and ducks also have been spotted swimming in the muck . Cleanup efforts continued slowly , and Alaska Gov. Steve Cowper declared Prince William Sound a disaster area , freeing state resources for cleanup and paving the way for a federal disaster declaration . Many questions about the disaster remained unanswered . Still unexplained is why Third Mate Gregory Cousins was steering the 987-foot vessel through the tricky , iceberg-dotted waters on Friday . Frank Iarossi , president of Exxon Shipping , told reporters that Capt. Joseph Hazelwood was one flight below the bridge in his cabin when the Exxon Valdez hit the first jagged rock pinnacle about a mile outside shipping lanes . The ship then `` slid about two miles '' under full power and hit more underwater rocks , Iarossi said . At no time did the ship lose steering , he added . Iarossi said he did not know whether Hazelwood took the wheel after the first accident , or how much time elapsed between the two incidents . There would have been no reason for the 42-year-old captain to go below to use the bathroom or get coffee , since both are available on the bridge , Iarossi said . `` I agree something is missing , '' Iarossi told reporters and local residents at a press conference . Cousins , a three-year employee of Exxon , did not have the Coast Guard certification required to pilot through the sound but was qualified under other circumstances to steer the ship , Iarossi said . Puts Off Filing Charges `` We 're not going to file any charges until we are done with our investigation , '' said Coast Guard spokesman Todd Nelson . `` The Coast Guard may seem slow and plodding at times , but if we file charges , we 're going to make them stick , '' he added . Nelson said piloting a ship without proper certification is a civil , not criminal , violation , which ultimately could result in suspension or revocation of the captain 's license . Exxon has not made any of the Exxon Valdez 's 20 crew members available for interviews . The Coast Guard served subpoenas Saturday on the captain , helmsman and third mate to ensure that they make themselves available to investigators . A team from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived Sunday to probe the cause of the accident . Experts from the International Bird Rescue Center in Berkeley , Calif. , set up a rehabilitation center here Sunday in case oiled birds are captured . Otter experts from Hubbs Marine Research Institute at Sea World in San Diego were due to arrive today . But even if animals turn up in distress , rescues may not be feasible . `` Human life and safety is more important , '' said Pamela Bergmann , the Department of the Interior representative assessing the situation . She said it might be too perilous to try to capture panicky birds and otters from boats in the frigid water , and there is no road access to the shores where they are likely to show up . A monitor from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said he felt encouraged about impact on the area 's abundant marine life after patrolling the 50-square-mile slick by boat Saturday . `` The reason we have n't seen a large number of birds affected so far is that the oil is out in the middle of the sound , '' said Everett Robinson-Wilson , the agency 's environmental contaminant coordinator . `` The weather will help us or kill us , '' he added . Winds of up to 35 m.p.h. were expected by today . Neither Exxon nor the state and federal agencies involved in the operation could say how much oil had been mopped up or what percentage of the slick is contained . The Exxon Valdez spewed about 250,000 barrels of North Slope crude into the ice-blue waters . Another 1 million barrels remain aboard the damaged ship , but no new leakage has been reported . Pumps were being used to siphon the remaining oil into a sister tanker Sunday , an operation expected to take up to a week . Salvagers hope the two-year-old Exxon Valdez will be able to float free once its load is lightened . Up to $ 20 Million Damages Iarossi estimated damage to the $ 125-million ship at $ 10 million to $ 20 million . Videotapes filmed by divers revealed 10 sizable holes in the ship 's hull , ranging from 8 feet by 15 feet to 20 feet by 6 feet , Iarossi said . Rocks Charted He indicated that the rocks the ship hit were charted and well within range of the Exxon Valdez 's navigational equipment . No disciplinary action has been taken against any crew members , Iarossi said . The executive promised to make public results of mandatory drug and alcohol tests on crew members . So far , oil has washed ashore only on two tiny islands in the sound , and beach cleanup efforts were under way . Has n't Seen Plan `` We have been told by Exxon that they will come up with an organized cleanup plan , but we 've yet to see one , '' said Barbara Holian , spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Conservation . The agency is studying its `` legal options '' and may ask the Coast Guard to take over the cleanup from Exxon , she said . At Coast Guard offices here , Nelson said such a move was unlikely . `` The Coast Guard does n't have tons and tons of its own equipment , and it would have to hire the same people Exxon has , '' Nelson said . `` That would just slow things down . `` Right now , Exxon is the oil company with the deep pockets , and it 's cleaning up its own spill within federal guidelines . '' RANKING THE EXXON VALDEZ SPILL 11 million gallons that have leaked so far from the Exxon Valdez are dwarfed by some of the record spills around the world : Size Location Date Cause -LRB- gallons -RRB- Ixtoc 1 oil well , southernc June 3 , 1979 Blowout 183,960,000 Gulf of Mexico Norwuz oil field , Feb. , 1983 Blowout 183,000,000 -LRB- est -RRB- Persian Gulf Atlantic Empress/Aegean July 19 , 1979 Collision 91,980,000 Capt. , off Trinidad Castillo de Bellver , Aug. 6 , 1983 Fire 76,650,000 off S.Africa Amoco Cadiz , near March 16 , 1978 Grounding 68,371,800 Portsall , France Torrey Canyon , off March 18 , 1967 Grounding 36,485,400 Land 's End , England But the Exxon Valdez has the potential for vast environmental damage because it is contained within a pristine Alaskan sound . And it is the largest U.S. oil spill to date : Location Date Cause Size Burmah Agate tanker , Galveston Nov. 1 , 1979 Collision 10,700,000 Bay , Tex. . Argo Merchant tanker , off Dec. 15 , 1976 Grounding 7,600,000 Massachusetts Exploratory well , Ranger , Tex. . Nov. 6 , 1985 Blowout 6,300,000 Ashland Oil Co. tank , Jefferson Jan. 2 , 1988 Rupture 3,800,000 Borough , Pa. . Alvenus tanker , Cameron , La. . July 30 , 1984 Grounding 2,800,000 Puerto Rican tanker , San Francisco Oct. 31 , 1984 Fire 2,000,000 Source : 1989 World Almanac , Golob 's Oil Pollution Bulletin .

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oil spill
exxon valdez spill
unqualified mate
oil contamination
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exxon shipping co.
long beach-bound tanker


` They 'd sell off bits of the White House lawn for a vote if they could ' - Jim Jontz , head of the Fair Trade Campaign against Nafta ` It 's one president , all the living former presidents , 41 governors , 14 Nobel Laureates and 284 economists versus Perot , Buchanan and Brown ; it 's your choice ' - Mickey Kantor , US trade representative Barring the unforeseen , the latest addition to the matriarchy of all political battles will be finally decided on November 17 when 258 Democrats , 175 Republicans , and one independent in the 435-member House of Representatives -LRB- there is one vacant seat -RRB- vote on whether to approve the North American Free Trade Agreement linking the US , Mexico and Canada on January 1 . A simple majority of 218 is all that is needed . If it passes , the Senate will almost certainly follow suit ; if it fails , the upper chamber does not have to act . The stakes are enormous - for the political credibility of President Bill Clinton early in his term and for the legacy of President Carlos Salinas as he nears the end of his , for the evolution of the Mexican and US economies , and for a global trading structure in which a Uruguay Round agreement scheduled to be reached by December 15 may be unattainable if Nafta goes down . Conventional party lines are irrelevant in the intense retail political war now going on in pursuit of the 218-vote nirvana . More Republicans , perhaps as many as 120 according to congressman Jim Kolbe of Arizona , far fewer according to Mr Jim Jontz , a former congressman from Indiana , will vote for than against , not least because the original Nafta was negotiated by the Bush administration . This leaves Mr Clinton needing at most 40 per cent of his own party to triumph - and therein lies the problem . For the Democratic coalition that just - by one vote - sustained the president in the great budget battle against unanimous Republican opposition , is in tatters . In July it was the ` new ' Democrats , especially moderates from the south , who deserted Mr Clinton while the old liners - labour , liberals , blacks - held their noses and held fast . On Nafta , the positions are in good measure reversed . According to Ms Lori Wallach , a leading co-ordinator of the ` anti- ' campaign , the ` no ' camp already numbers 208-210 ` including some leaners ' . Bill Daley , drafted from his Chicago domain to direct the ` yes ' campaign , disputes this estimate , counts about 195 in favour and says that some 55 Democrats are still undecided . Mr Jontz disagrees , reckoning there are now more Republicans than Democrats on the fence . He thinks the freshman class - 66 Democrats and 48 Republicans - is particularly resistant to Nafta . Both sides hail and blast each new convert . Democrat John Dingell of Michigan came out for the ` noes ' this week , but Mr Daley counters that he could never understand why anybody thought he would do anything different . Ms Wallach is equally dismissive of the impact of the ` yes ' declarations of Democrats Joe Kennedy from Massachusetts and Esteban Torres from California . The latter , she insists , probably could not carry the 18-member Hispanic caucus . The politics of Nafta have produced uneasy dalliances among political heavyweights . In one bed lie the president , the Republican leadership , including Newt Gingrich , a fervent conservative , the Senate majority leader , the Speaker of the House , most leaders of big business , and some prominent environmental groups : in the other can be found the House majority leader -LRB- Richard Gephardt -RRB- and most of the Democratic House whips , including David Bonior of Michigan , the chief anti-Nafta strategist , plus Ralph Nader , the consumer advocate , most of the labour unions , Pat Buchanan , the right-wing ideologue , and Ross Perot , last year 's independent presidential candidate . Ms Wallach , who portrays the Nafta divide as one between ` populists and the elites ' , says there is little top-level contact with Mr Perot , who first spoke of the ` giant sucking sound ' of US jobs going south to Mexico , but that his troops offer access to conservatives and small businesses . Mr Daley says that ` Perot 's credibility is diminishing because he has become a politician ' , an assessment borne out by several recent opinion polls . Both sides agree that the role played by President Clinton himself is crucial . ` He is my number one worry - never underestimate the power of the presidency , ' says Ms Wallach . He got off to a slow start . In the summer he was consumed by the budget , and more recently distracted by healthcare , Haiti and Somalia . Meanwhile the opposition was off and running early . The administration pinned a lot of its midsummer hopes on Nafta 's ` side agreements ' , covering Mexican environmental and labour laws and guarding against import ` surges ' , meeting most objections . But these were only completed in mid-August , later than planned , and were only partly successful . Six prominent US environmental groups came out in favour , but union opposition became entrenched . Most important , Congressman Gephardt , whose backing could probably have ensured passage , declared he was not satisfied . Mr Daley insists it does not matter that the president started late because ` in politics , decisions are only taken in the last few days ' . Whatever the merits of this argument , there is no questioning that the pro-Nafta campaign is now in full swing , with plans that Mr Clinton himself do little other than argue for the agreement in the next two weeks . Every day brings a new media show . Last week saw Products Day on the White House lawn , a display of 175 goods that would benefit from Nafta . Last weekend the president went to Boston to maintain that JFK would have been pro-Nafta . On Monday he appeared at an electronic ` town meeting ' with members of the American Chamber of Commerce . Later this week he is in Louisville , Kentucky . On Sunday an hour-long TV interview is scheduled . About twice a week he has 15-20 congressmen in his office for a Nafta exhortation . He works the phones constantly , and all members of his cabinet are fully engaged , sometimes inventively . Mr Kantor 's latest pitch is that Japan is against Nafta and would , along with Europe , seek to profit from its defeat . The Nafta ` war room ' , operating out of the Old Executive Office building next to the White House , co-ordinates it all and makes sure that businessmen keep up the pressure on individual members . Certain actions , both substantive and personal , get taken with Nafta in view . Last week 's creation of the North American Development Bank , with its funds available for border clean-up , obviously helped Congressman Torres come off the fence . At the other extreme , Congressman E Clay Shaw , a Florida Republican , is demanding that the administration put pressure on Mexico for the extradition of an accused rapist . Mr Daley says : ` We have made our views known to the Mexican government on this , though they knew about it already . ' All this activity is matched with fervour and skill by the other side . Ms Wallach claims to have kept a lid on vote switching . She points out that Congressman Kweisi Mfume from Maryland , leader of the 38-strong black Democratic caucus previously so loyal to Mr Clinton , is helping Mr Bonior garner votes against Nafta , and that only one black congressman has come out in favour . On broader policy issues , both camps were bombarding the media with their respective spins after last week 's Canadian election result . ` They 've thrown everything at us , but it has n't made a difference so far , ' she insists . With two weeks to go , neither side will publicly admit the possibility of defeat . Mr Daley says he will not sell the White House lawn , but seen crossing it yesterday was a gaggle of living Nobel Laureates , including Henry Kissinger , last seen being nice to Mr Clinton on Martha 's Vineyard in August . The grass seemed in place .

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 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 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 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 O O O O O O O O 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 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 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 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 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 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 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 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 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
jim jontz
fair trade campaign
political battles
president bill clinton
side agreements
global trading structure
intense retail political war
democratic coalition

pro-nafta campaign
anti-nafta strategist


How much more of an `` investment '' should American taxpayers make in the welfare system ? This is the question the House of Representatives is scheduled to take up today when it votes on the Family Welfare Reform Act of 1987 . The bill proposes $ 5.2 billion in new spending over five years , and most of that will increase benefits currently received by welfare recipients . It appears that what we have here is something of a Trojan horse -- a piece of legislation that is represented as `` reform '' when all it does is expand existing welfare programs . The bill 's questionable premise is that larger expenditures on welfare will reduce welfare dependency . This thinking was nicely summarized by Rep. Anthony Beilenson , who said plainly , `` The truth is , for welfare reform to be successful , it 's got to be expensive . '' The proposed new spending on welfare should be viewed as an investment , say its proponents , led by Rep. Thomas Downey . They point out that part of the money will go for special education , training and work programs for welfare mothers , to induce them off the rolls and into jobs . At the same time they say , certain existing benefits -- mainly Aid to Families With Dependent Children -LRB- AFDC -RRB- -- must be increased to offset real declines since the base year of 1970 . House members on both sides of the aisle agree that welfare-to-work programs are worthwhile . That conclusion was presumably the basis for the bipartisan consensus that was going to produce a serious welfare-reform bill this year . But less than a quarter of the $ 5.2 billion outlay would go for that purpose . The bulk of the new money would go to higher AFDC pay-outs , extension of mandatory benefits to two-parent families and maintenance of certain benefits for welfare recipients earning some income . In short , the Family Welfare Reform Act amounts to an expanded investment in the status quo . Of course , House Democrats could hardly promote this bill as more of the same . That might produce reprisals from voters who 've watched their tax dollars build and maintain the welfare system , with little evident return on their investment . Instead , after nearly 20 years , the system 's defenders and funders repeatedly tell the public that the problem , if anything , has gotten worse . So the House 's liberal majority hoped to achieve an increase in welfare outlays by making a bow to `` reform . '' In fact , while the level of AFDC benefits has decreased in real terms since 1970 , the total level of all welfare benefits has not . Nearly all AFDC families also receive Medicaid coverage , for instance ; more than three-quarters receive food stamps , and one-third have children who receive free school meals . One-quarter receive housing assistance . Together , spending for the seven major welfare programs -LRB- those just mentioned plus the Women , Infants and Children program and the Low Income Energy Assistance program -RRB- has actually increased since 1970 by 232 % in constant dollars , to an annual total $ 65.7 billion . The House Democrats ' claim that welfare recipients are worse off than they were in 1970 -- in terms of the level of benefits received -- is dubious . Measured in the terms that really count -- namely the number of welfare dependents liberated from the rolls -- the situation has become worse . During the unprecedented expansion of the welfare state , the most notable and highly publicized phenomenon has been the development of an entrenched class of long-term welfare dependents . It is difficult to accept that the $ 4.3 billion increase in basic benefits proposed in the Family Welfare Reform Act will do much of anything about the problem of hard-core welfare dependency . At the least , welfare reform should have these goals : to shrink rather than enlarge the welfare system , to ultimately eliminate perverse incentives to remain on welfare , and to make work the focus of the system . The House bill does n't do that . By adding several welfare programs to what already exists -LRB- without eliminating any -RRB- , the House bill adds another layer to an already complex welfare system . By further increasing rather than gradually reducing the level of benefits available to recipients , it makes welfare more , not less , enticing . By diluting proposed work-for-welfare requirements , it diminishes the importance of work . Earlier this year , there were hopeful signs that we would see sweeping , serious welfare-reform legislation emerge from Congress . Democrats and Republicans alike agreed on the need for change . This rare opportunity is being squandered .

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

welfare reform
welfare recipients
welfare benefits
welfare programs
welfare system
american taxpayers
welfare dependency
investment
house democrats


-- More than 90 % of police chiefs and sheriffs surveyed agree that criminals are not affected by a ban on any type of firearm , while more than 70 % oppose `` waiting periods '' for the same reason . -- A prisoner survey conducted by James D. Wright et al. found that unarmed felons listed tougher penalties for using a gun as an important reason for not arming themselves . -- 75 % -80 % of U.S. violent crimes are committed by career criminals , many on some form of conditional or early release -LRB- 30 % -35 % of career criminals are rearrested with previous criminal charges still pending -RRB- . -- Gary Kleck found that using a gun for protection from violent crime -- rape , robbery , assault -- reduces the likelihood that the crime will be completed and that intended victims will be injured . Clearly , the issue at hand is not gun control but , rather , crime control . According to Mr. Gartner , `` this year about 3,000 teen-agers ... will use handguns to kill themselves . Some 9,000 adults will do the same . '' Suicides are , without doubt , tragic events affecting parents , families and society . Is how these people killed themselves the real issue , or is why more important ? The unfortunate truth is that if a person is desperate or depressed enough to commit suicide , he will find a way to do it . Guns or no guns . The most important fact of all must not be overlooked . Criminals do n't care about gun-control laws . They never have and they never will . Frank T. Iorio Mamaroneck , N.Y. -- As a life member of the National Rifle Association , I agree with Mr. Gartner -- it is not too much to ask for a nationwide `` seven-day ` cooling-off ' period '' -LRB- the Brady Bill -RRB- to give the authorities time for background checks . As a law-abiding citizen , it would be of comfort to know that other potential handgun buyers would be screened and keep those with a criminal past from owning a handgun . The reason Washington has yet to enact serious gun-control laws is due to the enormous voting and financial pressure of the pro-gun lobby . While Congress is congratulating itself on how well it acted during the vote on the Persian Gulf war , more than 100 body bags were filled here in the U.S. due to handgun violence . The NRA has not acted prudently and is alienating the support and respect of many legislators , police departments and its members . James Forbes Atlanta -- It is refreshing to read the actual motives of those who claim they simply want a waiting period for the purchase of a handgun . Mr. Gartner has now made it abundantly clear that his goal is the elimination of handguns from our society . I find it incongruous that the president of NBC News , a man who should believe in the broadening of constitutional rights , obviously has no regard for the Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms . I am sure that if there were a movement to narrow and restrict the First Amendment freedoms of the press , he would be at the forefront of the opposition . Mr. Gartner ignores the key issues regarding suicide and crime . The problem is not the instrument used to kill oneself or someone else . The problems are the breakdown of the family -LRB- black and white -RRB- ; an education system that fails to educate ; poverty ; illegal drugs , and emasculated police , justice and penal systems . This has been the message preached by the NRA for years . As evidenced by New York City and Washington , which have the nation 's strictest gun-control laws and virtually ban the ownership of handguns by law-abiding citizens , Mr. Gartner 's placebo does n't work because it ignores the root causes of suicide and crime . Richard W. Bonds Cordova , Tenn. . -- Mr. Gartner should have read The Federalist No. 46 by James Madison before he wrote his anti-gun diatribe . If he had , he would understand that the constitutional guarantee of uninfringed firearms possession is for protection against tyranny . It has nothing to do with duck hunting or target shooting . Furthermore , Madison makes it clear that state militias , by the fact of their being organized , would give private arms their greatest effectiveness in the resistance to tyranny . Otherwise , in the words of Alexander Hamilton , `` the citizens must rush tumultuously to arms , without concert , without system , without resource ; except in their courage and despair . '' Thus the `` well-organized militia '' phrase in the Second Amendment was not intended to restrict arms to those in the militia -- as the anti-gun lobby would have us believe . When we realize that the individual right to keep and bear arms is our ultimate defense against tyranny , all of the arguments about magazine capacity , armor-piercing bullets , sporting use , etc. suddenly stand before us in their naked falsity . Robert M. Beckett Fountain Valley , Calif. .

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

gun control
brady bill
criminals
ban
firearm
prisoner survey
violent crimes
protection


While Angel and his followers meditate to prepare for their journey , French New Age musician Jean-Michel Jarre is coordinating an elaborate sound-and-light show to play at the foot of the pyramids in Teotihuacan , north of the capital. ; Also on E-day , July 11 , crowded cruise ships will linger off Mexico 's Pacific Coast , and thousands of U.S. tourists will drive south into Baja California , which , usually boasting clear skies , is being billed as the world 's most promising site from which to view nature 's own light show. ; Eclipse fans from Japan to New York to the Netherlands are expected in droves , but Californians -- because of their proximity to Baja and propensity for mystical phenomena -- should be conspicuous. ; However , the chic hot spot for eclipse watchers wo n't be Mexico , but the big island of Hawaii , where the 18,000 tourists who would be there anyway to enjoy the sunshine will be joined by an additional 30,000 or more coming to watch the sun go out for four minutes. ; Even more people might be there for the show , but for the lack of seats on flights to the island . Most visitors will be funneled in through the relatively small airport at Kailua. ; Airlines are adding scores of flights to ferry thousands of people from neighboring islands in the hours just before the eclipse. ; Car rental companies have shipped in 3,000 or so extra cars. ; More than one caller from the mainland has asked the visitors ' bureau whether the island is in danger of tipping over under the tourists ' weight. ; But Mexico will host the biggest share of travelers , partly because of its easy access from the United States and partly since the eclipse will last longest here : up to seven minutes , which is three more minutes than the maximum length in Hawaii . This will also be the longest-lasting total eclipse until 2132 , according to Alan Dyer , an associate editor at Astronomy magazine. ; The midday eclipse will consist of a 160-mile wide lunar shadow speeding at up to 5,000 miles per hour along the Earth 's surface. ; While many Mexicans are looking forward to the event , some are quietly taking precautions . In pre-Colombian times , eclipses were viewed as bad omens by the sun-worshiping Aztecs. ; In the capital 's Sonora market , specializing in magic , vendors have stocked up on garlic bulbs tied with red ribbon , which they hawk as protection from `` the bad vibrations of the eclipse . '' A thriving trade is also taking place in magnets , for those with low blood pressure to carry in their pockets on July 11 , and old copper coins for pregnant women to place as charms in their belly buttons. ; As in Hawaii , Mexico could probably use some otherworldly intervention to cope with the scores of thousands of tourists who have already started arriving. ; In the southern half of the Baja Peninsula , some hotels have had rooms reserved for more than a year . All are now booked up , and authorities fear competition at campsites. ; `` We 're worried that Californians will drive down on the spur of the moment , without taking water or fuel , '' said Marivi Lerdo , who promotes tourism to Mexico in New York. ; Although Hawaii 's isolation will limit the size of the crowds , locals are still predicting problems . `` By God , there 's just one road on this island , '' a circle route that often narrows to two lanes , one shop owner said . `` It 's going to be total insanity . '' ; `` We 're worrying that we wo n't have enough alcohol and food on the island , '' said the manager of a local restaurant and disco called The Eclipse , named by coincidence 10 years ago. ; While authorities fret over infrastructure capacity , many Californians are preparing to revel in a New Age wonderland. ; `` These are people who have never , ever , missed a single episode of ` Star Trek , ' '' said Ken Stewart , who is planning to lead a caravan of 50 enthusiasts from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas , on the south tip of Baja. ; Mexico 's government is heavily involved in eclipse planning , having formed an Intersecretarial Commission for the Eclipse , which , among other things , is supposed to oversee production of as many as 60 million protective lenses . Newspapers here are carrying frequent reminders not to stare directly at the sun. ; During the eclipse , the mystic and the scientific will not be far apart. ; At six observatories atop Hawaii 's Mauna Kea , a dormant volcano that is the highest peak in the Pacific , solar researchers will turn their telescopes on the sun 's outer atmosphere as the moon covers the rest of the star. ; Twenty miles downhill , at The Crystal Grotto in Honomu , Wendy Gilliam is selling pouches of three stones called corona crystals and advising people to `` expose them to the energy '' during the eclipse . `` As the moon passes over the sun , there are certain power vortexes here that are going to be opened up and awakened , '' she said. ; DO N'T LOOK DIRECTLY AT IT ; -LRB- box -RRB- If you want to watch the moon 's progress across the sun : Do n't look at it . Staring at the sun during a partial eclipse could quickly -- without your feeling a thing -- burn into your retina a permanent image of the crescent sun , causing severe and permanent vision loss. ; -LRB- box -RRB- It 's safest to watch the eclipse indirectly by projecting the sun 's image through a pinhole and onto a sheet of white paper. ; -LRB- box -RRB- Other safe methods : -LRB- check -RRB- Pieces of arc-welders ' glass labeled 14 and available at welding supply stores . Most welders ' goggles are not suitable protection . -LRB- check -RRB- Two or three layers of Mylar plastic heavily coated with aluminum . Some stores are selling `` eclipse glasses '' made with this material. ; COMING TUESDAY IN SCIENCE & MEDICINE ; -LRB- box -RRB- All the details about Thursday 's eclipse , one of nature 's most stunning events. ; -LRB- box -RRB- How to watch it , including directions for a pinhole projector .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 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 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 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 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 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 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 B 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 B 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 B 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 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 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 B 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 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 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 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

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But Sen. Howard Metzenbaum , D-Ohio , said the Senate Judiciary Committee , in confirming four justices without learning how they felt about abortion , has `` given them a free ride '' and should be tougher in ferreting out Thomas ' views. ; `` The failure to give an answer may cause me and others to be unwilling to vote for his confirmation , '' Metzenbaum said on `` CBS This Morning . '' ; Sen. Arlen Specter , R-Pa. , noted that Metzenbaum did not press Justice David Souter during confirmation hearings about his position on abortion . `` I do not think it is appropriate to ask a nominee the ultimate question as to how he is going to decide a specific case , '' Specter said. ; `` I will not support yet another Reagan-Bush Supreme Court nominee who remains silent on a woman 's right to choose , and then ascends to the court to weaken that right , '' said Metzenbaum , the only member of the Judiciary Committee who voted against Thomas ' nomination to the Circuit Court of Appeals to the District of Columbia. ; Sen. Orrin Hatch , R-Utah , said on NBC 's `` Today '' show that `` literally nobody nominated for the Supreme Court should give his or her views with regard to cases that might come up in the future . '' ; But Sen. Patrick Leahy , D-Vt. , said `` in the past few months alone the Supreme Court is throwing out past decisions , and I think it is legitimate to ask Judge Thomas , what do you think of settled law , like Roe vs. Wade -LRB- legitimatizing abortion -RRB- , what do you think of a woman 's right to privacy , free speech issues , issues of freedom of religion . '' ; Civil rights groups have opposed Thomas on grounds he was insensitive to the concerns of minorities and the elderly as chairman of the federal Equal Employment Opportunities Commission in the 1980s. ; `` The fact that he is an African-American should not be a basis for avoiding very careful scrutiny of his civil rights record , '' said Julius L. Chambers , director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. ; While some Democrats immediately blasted the nomination , the party 's biggest guns held their fire. ; Judiciary Committee Chairman Joseph Biden , D-Del. ; Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell , D-Maine ; and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy , D-Mass. , all promised a thorough review of the nomination. ; Confirmation hearings are expected to begin after Congress ' August recess. ; Thomas , 43 , would strengthen the 6-3 conservative majority on the nine member court . An unabashed conservative , he would succeed the court 's leading liberal -- and first and only black justice. ; Bush rejected suggestions that he chose Thomas because he wanted to keep a black in that seat. ; `` I kept my word to the American people and to the Senate by picking the best man for the job on the merits . And the fact he 's minority , so much the better , '' Bush said at a news conference outside his vacation home in Kennebunkport , Maine. ; Potential opponents of the nominee promised in their statements to ignore Thomas ' race when they examine his record. ; `` The background of Judge Clarence Thomas is less important than his views and what they mean to protecting our constitutional rights , '' said Sen. Paul Simon , D-Ill. ; When head of the EEOC during the Reagan administration , Thomas `` seemed to go out of his way to find ways to weaken some of the basic civil rights protections , '' said Simon , a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. ; On a number of occasions Thomas has expressed objections to racial quotas . In a 1985 statement , Thomas said , `` Federal enforcement agencies ... turned the statutes on their heads by requiring discrimination in the form of hiring and promotion quotas , so-called goals and timetables . '' ; In a 1987 article for the Yale Law & Policy Review he referred to affirmative action as `` social engineering . '' ; `` I do n't want my vote to contribute to an increasingly large and conservative anti-choice majority on the Supreme Court , '' said Sen. Alan Cranston , D-Calif. ; Thomas said he looked forward to the confirmation process `` and to be an example to those who are where I was , and to show them that , indeed , there is hope . '' ; Thomas declined to answer questions about his legal views until his hearings. ; WHAT 'S NEXT ? ; Now that President Bush has nominated Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court , the next step is up to the Senate. ; -LRB- box -RRB- The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to begin confirmation hearings in September , after the August recess. ; -LRB- box -RRB- After the committee makes a recommendation , the nomination will be voted on by the full Senate. ; -LRB- box -RRB- If confirmed promptly , Thomas could be on the Supreme Court by the time it begins hearing cases in October. ; Source : Mercury News Wire Services ; CLARENCE THOMAS ; Born : June 23 , 1948 , in Pinpoint , Ga. ; Education : B.A. from Holy Cross College , 1971 ; J.D. from Yale Law School , 1974. ; Career : ; -LRB- box -RRB- 1974 - ' 77 : assistant attorney general , state of Missouri ; -LRB- box -RRB- 1977 - ' 79 : attorney , Monsanto Co. ; -LRB- box -RRB- 1979 - ' 81 : legislative assistant to Sen. John Danforth , R-Mo. ; -LRB- box -RRB- 1981 - ' 82 : assistant secretary for civil rights , Education Department ; -LRB- box -RRB- 1982 - ' 90 : chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ; -LRB- box -RRB- 1990 - : U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for District of Columbia ; Source : Who 's Who Among Black Americans

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

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