Rise and shine
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1024
Details, page 2
Published since 1889 by the students of the University of Kansas
Thursday
March 12, 1987
Vol. 97, No. 114
(USPS 650-640)
House approves resolution to cut aid to contras
Measure faces Senate.
United Press International
WASHINGTON — The House approved a symbolic resolution yesterday that would cut off military aid to the contras, rejecting Republican accusations that members were handing Central America over to the Soviets.
The measure, which passed the House 230-196 in an extremely partisan atmosphere, would suspend for six months all assistance to the contras, notably the final $40 million of a $100 million package that Congress approved last year. The resolution also demands a public accounting of millions of dollars already sent to the contras.
The resolution was supported by 213 Democrats and 17 Republicans and opposed by 40 Democrats and 156 Republicans.
Speaker Jim Wright of Texas conceded the resolution stood little chance of passage in the Senate and no chance of being enacted over President Reagan's veto. But he said it would send a potent message to the White House that arming and aiding the contra is near death.
Wright c.
diplomacy and economic aid to curtail subversion in Central America and warned that Reagan's request for $105 million in aid in fiscal 1988 faced probable defeat later this year.
The measure faces a likely filibuster in the Senate where there was strong opposition to the contra program before the revelation of the Iran-contra scandal in which profits from U.S. arms sales to Iran apparently were used to bankroll the contras at a time when Congress banned such aid.
During the often emotional debate yesterday, Republicans accused Democrats of selling out U.S. interests in the region. Opponents such as Rep. Trent Lott, R-Miss., repeated the statement, "I do not want to be recorded as handing Central America over to the Soviets."
But House Democratic leader Thomas Foley of Washington called that accusation a poor and limp excuse in support of a failed program. He said the Soviets knew Congress was united in pledging not to permit Nicaragua to have offensive weapons that threaten any nation.
members to say what they think should happen in the future."
"If he laughed" or "he shouted"
The speaker said passage of the resolution meant Reagan should abandon his request for the $105 million - a request that could die by a majority vote in either chamber and didn't invite a veto because no legislation would go to the Oval Office.
Wright and Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd said that even if the measure passed Congress, they did not have the votes to kill Reagan's anticipated veto of the resolution.
Republicans were clearly putting themselves in the position to blame aid opponents for a possible victory by the Soviet-armed Sandinista army over the Contras.
Rep. Robert Mrazek, D.N.Y., countered by saying he refused to have his name recorded "in favor of handing Nicaragua over to the Contras."
Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., called the policy one of deception, lies, and cover-up and said opponents of the Sandistas "don't have the guts to ask for a declaration of war." It is
KU experts say U.S.reputation could sour
By ROGER COREY
Staff writer
The United States' reputation as a peace-loving power and representative of international law in Central America could be destroyed if President Reagan continues to support the contras, according to three KU Latin American specialists.
Yesterday, the U.S. House suspended 230.196 the final $40 million of a $100 million package of aid to the contras that Congress approved last year. The resolution also demanded a public accounting of millions of dollars already sent to the contras.
House leaders admitted that the resolution had little chance of passage in the Senate. They also acknowledged that it had little chance of being enacted over Reagan's veto.
"The $40 million can't be stopped politically," said Charles Stansifer, director of Latin American studies.
Stansifer said that the real issue was not the $40 million outlay but the funds diverted to the contras from the Iran arms sale.
"Before, Congress votes to raise the minimum wage."
million." Stansifer said.
Jack Bremer, director and campus pastor of Ecumenical Christian Ministries, said the most humane action for Congress and the administration would be to end all contra support.
"I saw the effects of the contra action," said Bremer, who just returned from a trip to Honduras, Nicaragua and the war zone area. "It was mostly terrorism against unarmed civilians."
Bremer said the administration had blocked peace proposals by the Contadora group and by Costa Rican president Oscar Arias Sanchez because it did not want to see a Central American government free of U.S. influence.
"Since 1850, when we sent the Marines to Central America, we have controlled Nicaragua," Bremer said. "It's evident the administration wants to overthrow the Nicaraguan government."
Bremer said the administration's policy actually was helping the communists by bringing death to inne-
is power in the last century, the United States was relatively gentle
"And we are still pursuing the same policy." he said.
But U.S. policy in Central America in the past six or seven years has been a failure, Stansifer said.
Barbara Waggoner, adjunct lecturer in Latin American studies, said the current Central American policy was not effective in terms of U.S. goals.
Waggoner said she had been watching developments in Central America since her first trip there in 1966. She said the effect of the war against the Sandinistas was vast. Farmers' land was being taken over for airstrips, and the fighting had increased economic pressures on Nicaragua. The war also had affected El Salvador and Costa Rica.
Waggoner said the United States had never been considered a beneficent nation by Central Americans. And the last thing the region needed right now was a war, especially in the name of democracy.
Corralling Hunter S. Thompson
S. A acti dor son
By JOSEPH Stafi writer
Two year activists we demonstrate courted area University of business into, today we even attend South Africa Frustration to persuade divest and re to South Africa the steam or some former "We've do the proper "Boog" High graduate student of the commi "A lot of pe heads agains and when you got to give." At the heir活性 in members at meeting. Th about 15 Asmun, Le committee's The comm the fall. Whe
A couple of weeks ago, in the corridors of Kansas City International Airport, travelers might have seen a woman fighting off the groping hands of a horny 40-year porno king named Arty. I was that woman.
I'm a KU student who went to the airport on Feb. 18 with Victor Osmolak and Brent Rowe, two Student Union Activities representatives. Our mission? To search out and retrieve Hunter S. Thompson, the 44-year-old unconventional author and self-proclaimed user of illegal substances. He was scheduled to speak at the University of Kansas that evening.
First Person
Bv Jennifer Forker
Hunter was traveling with three pornographers who said they were filming a movie on "The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson." Jim Mitchell, one of the pornographers, managed to get off the plane only to tell the three of us, who were waiting in nervous anticipation, that Hunter was behaving like a monster.
With a small pad of paper, pen and tape recorder, my job was to interview this crazed, unpredictable author.
Hunter never walked through the terminal gates into the airport. Rather, to evade us, he found an orange door marked "Personnel Only" and kicked it open. He then stumbled down into the depths of the airport and began to wander aimlessly.
We ran into Hunter half an hour later. He was frantically searching for his girlfriend, Maria, who had run off.
To get Hunter into the rented yellow Cutlass Sierra parked in the five-minute unloading zone and to Lawrence, we had to find Maria. It took four hours to find her and then coax, beg and
Mitchell, his brother, Arty, and co-worker, Rocky, planned to fly back to San Francisco and far away from Hunter.
manipulate Hunter into the car.
During the search for Maria, I had many encounters with Arty.
had many encounters with Arty.
At first, I found it hard to believe that I was in the company of a pornographer. I thought he was a filmmaker trying to freak me out with this pornography talk. But I finally had to admit to myself that yes, this was a bona fide porno filmmaker.
Arty tried to hold my hand and kiss my cheek as we walked through the terminal. He asked me. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
All of this from a man who I'd known for 20 minutes? I told him I had a boyfriend who was 6 feet 4, weighed 220 pounds and bit off beer-can tops just for fun, a standard response to leechy, touchy men.
You know you're in trouble when news like that doesn't faze a guy. Obviously, I had to be constantly aware of Artv.
constrain.
In the airport bar, Arty sat down on the stool next to me. He asked me about getting some pot for that evening. He tried to hold my hand.
By 3 p.m., the pornographers had decided to stay in Kansas and even go to Lawrence. They climbed into a rented limousine that was parked in front of the terminal to wait for further notice from Victor and Brent about Hunter's behavior.
I'm not a direct person, so I looked him in the eye and said, "Arty don't touch me. For all you know, you might have AIDS."
Later, Victor, Brent and I visited the pornographers' limo to tell them we had found Maria. Arty rolled down the smoketinted window, and a whirl of smoke escaped from the car.
he leaned out, took a hit from the last of his joint and said, "Hey Jennifer! Why don't you come back to Lawrence with us? We'll party!"
I got up and left.
Arty smiled and said, "But Jennifer, I practice safe sex."
Yikes! Jumping in a car with
toking pornographers was not an ideal situation for a girl who was once compared to Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island." I declined the generous invitation, saying I still had to do my exclusive interview with Hunter.
An hour later, Victor, Brent and I were sitting in the airport bar with Hunter and Maria, trying to persuade Hunter to leave.
At 6 p.m., Hunter was not going to Lawrence. He told us there was a "one-in-49 chance" he would appear that night.
He told us to have the Mitchell brothers give the lecture.
"They're funnier than I am." Hunter said. "And they have the foremost knowledge in AIDS."
We eventually coaxed Hunter into the car and were far away from the airport by 6:30 p.m. Did I say far away? Actually, we were only a few miles down the highway when Hunter said he desperately needed Chivas Regal scorch for the long and tiring journey to Lawrence.
Did he think the people waiting in the Kansas Union ballroom, some since 6 p.m., wanted to hear a humorous account of AIDS?
We went to a convenience store, a fast-food restaurant and a liquor store to stock up on goodies to pacify Hunter. It wasn't long before the back seat of the car was in horrible condition.
Hunter tried to squeeze ketchup onto his burger, but he missed the bun and hit the car seat. He also dumped a bag of ice, potato chips, Dorritos and the 7-Up and scotch combo all over the seat. He never ate the food. He just played with it.
The Hunter ensemble rolled into Lawrence about 45 minutes before Hunter had to give his speech. But that's not why Hunter kept the audience waiting for half an hour.
in the hallways of the Holidome, Hunter ran away from the four young hosts who had inher-
See HUNTER, p. 22
I now know a talented author who behaves like a child. I know three pornographers and have free room and board if ever I cruise to San Francisco.'
Hunter S.
Thompson greets
the crowd that
came to hear
his history.
The Kansas
Union Ball-
room.
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