European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 03, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes tuesday september 3,1985 voting act rules would restrict minorities proposed changes shift Burden of proof of discrimination Washington not the Reagan administration has developed new rules for enforcing the voting rights act that would make it More difficult for Black Ana hispanic people and other minority groups to Challenge slate and local election taws As discriminatory. Relate Story. Page 7. The rules define the standards that the Justice department uses in deciding whether to approve changes in local election Laws and procedures. Under the Law cer Tain states and counties with a history of discrimination must obtain approval from the department or the Federal District court Here before they put into effect any change in local election Laws. The proposed new rules say that in certain cases the person or group opposing a change in local election Law will Bear the Burden of proving that it results in discrimination. Under current rules local officials must prove that voting Laws Are not discriminatory. In addition the new rules would permit changes that make minority groups worse off if the Justice department concludes that such retrogression is unavoidable. Attorney general Edwin Meese Iii said the new rules which Are scheduled to go into effect at the end of the year were needed to make the department s procedures conform with court decisions and changes in the voting rights act made by Congress in 1982. However the proposals have been vigorously criticized by the league of women voters the mexican american Legal defense and educational fund the lawyers committee for civil rights under Law and others who say the new rules would weaken enforcement of voting right. Frank r. Parker an attorney at the joint Center for politic studies a research Institute that specializes in Issik affecting Blacks said that shifting the Burden of proof in voting rights cases would be an extraordinary departure from longstanding practice. For 20 years he noted local officials have borne the Burden of proving that a proposed change was not discriminatory. The new rules he said would place the Burden of proof on the victims of discrimination rather than on the per Petra  Justice department officials said the revised rules would be published in the Federal Register probably in november and would take effect 30 Days later. The new rules would narrow the Way the Law is enforced As it applies to special elections to fill vacant offices and to redistricting plans prepared by local officials in response to court orders. The new rules say that changes ordered by a Federal court Are not subject to the requirement that they be cleared in Advance in Washington. In a typical such Case involving redistricting the court either directs local officials to adopt a new redistricting plan or chooses a plan front among several submitted by participants in the litigation. The supreme court has held that the pc clearance requirement of the voting rights act is applicable in such cases when the redistricting plan was prepared by local officials and reflects their  Judith Sanders Castro of the mexican american Legal defense fund said the proposed new rules would thus create a dangerous loophole permitting local governments to circumvent the requirement for Advance clearance of redistricting plans. Under the voting rights act local officials seeking approval of a new election Law must show that it does not have the purpose and will not have the effect of discriminating against members of a minority group. The new rules say the attorney general May approve changes that have an Adverse effect on members of a minority group if the retrogression is  a change is retrogressive according to the supreme court if it makes members of a minority group worse off with respect to their effective exercise of the electoral franchise. Commenting on the Justice department proposal Laughlin Mcdonald director of the Southern regional office of the american civil liberties Union said there is Jio such thing As unavoidable retrogression. The attorney general can always avoid it by object ing to a discriminatory  the new rules say the attorney general will object to a redistricting plan if it results in a significant reduction of minority voting  likewise they a the attorney general might object to a City s annexation of surrounding territory if it causes a significant reduction in a jurisdiction s minority population  Cynthia d. Hill a lawyer with the league of women voters said the Justice department s use of toe word significant implies that some undefined degree of discrimination is needed before a voting change a considered  in fact she said discrimination is absolutely prohibited under the Law. Citing this and other proposals she said we have grave concerns that several of the revisions would substantially weaken enforcement of the voting right act. The new rules Are not directly related to the voting rights Case in which sen. Robert Dole r-knn., and nine other members of Congress filed a Brief Friday opposing the Reagan administration. That Case now before the supreme court involves reapportionment of the North Carolina legislature. Blacks filed suit to Block the state plan which was approved by the Justice department in1982. No hair trigger7 on . Nuclear Arsenal Weinberger says in letter to senator Washington a american nuclear forces Are not controlled by a hair trigger firing mechanism and would not be forced to retort to a preemptive nuclear strike in the event of a crisis with the soviet Union according to defense Secretary Cas Par Weinberger. Weinberger s reassurances were contained in a letter released sunday by sen. William Proxmire a Wii. Proxmire had written to Weinberger to ask about the stat of the system which controls the firing of . Nuclear weapons. Proxmire s letter came in the Wake of two recent Boole one by Daniel Ford and the other by Bruce Blair raising questions about the system known As command control and  Weinberger said the two books were full of misleading outdated and inaccurate in formation but declined to be specific say ing i do not believe the department of defense should give credibility to them by publicly refuting individual sections or  Weinberger said More needs to be done to improve the system of controlling and firing nuclear weapons. However i can state unequivocally that the present system despite it current limitations supports our National policy of de Terrence and does not Force us first to absorb a nuclear attack As suggested in Blair s conclusions or resort to the preemptive strike implied As necessary Byford. We do know what has to be done to redress existing problems Weinberge said. He declined to go into detail of the highly classified area. Alleged night stalker has t confessed los Angeles up the Man alleged to be the night stalker a Mari Juana smoking drifter and reported Stan worshipper who is suspected of killing 16 people in California is talking to the police but not about the slayings according to authorities. A police source said late sunday that Richard Ramirez 25, had talked a lot about the weather but had not confessed to any of the slaying or rapes to which he has been linked by his fingerprints. Ramirez was arrested saturday after a Chase that ended when angry citizens ran him Down and beat him nearly senseless after he tried to steal a car in los Angeles. Police also said sunday that they have recovered a car that ran Virci was seen driving last week but they were still searching for a pistol they believe he May have dropped during the Chase. Police have refused to comment publicly on reports that the night stalker who sneaked into darkened Homes through unlocked doors and windows had left evidence of satanism in the Homes of Tome of his victims. But sources close to the investigation confirmed sunday that a circled five pointed Star a common Symbol of Devil worship had been Spray painted on a couple of the victims Walls. Ramirez awaits arraignment Early this week on charges related to 16 night stalker killings and 21 other assaults in Hom from san Francisco to los Angeles. Authorities said it would be several  before they decide How to Divide the $70,000 Reward posted for the capture and conviction of the night  Ramirez was described As a withdrawn boy by his childhood neighbors in Elpaso Texas. His father Julian in a copyright interview with the e paso times said be had not seen his son in three years because of his drug problem. Black South african miners walk off Job Johannesburg South Africa us Leaden of Black miners accusing Bosses of whipping gassing and shooting at strike and forcing Many to work at gunpoint said 28,000 men walked off the Job monday. Meanwhile a Day of fresh racial violence claimed four lives including a Schoolboy shot by police in renewed unrest in Cape town. Police said three people were wounded and 10 were arrested in Daylong clashes with youths who barricaded streets and threw Gaso line Bolh and stones at police and private vehicles in Black and mixed race or coloured townships near Cape town. The miners Union said in a statement that hundreds of workers have been injured by rubber bullets whipping and tear  mine owners strongly denied the charges and said t. Call to 70,000 men at seven mines to stage South Africa s biggest Gold mine strike met Only a Patchy response. The National Union of mineworkers said police arrested 83 Shaft stewards and strike committee members at three struck mines Anat five others taking Wildcat action. It said that 13 miners were seriously injured in dashes. Meanwhile the South african Rand Trad ing again after a three Day suspension and a government freeze on foreign debt repay ments recovered strongly with Central Bank support to close almost 10 cents better against the Dollar at 2.22 to the Dollar. News update Appeal to the Pope Rome up representative of the world s More than 70,000 mar ried roman Catholic priests have notified the Vatican they Are setting up an International organization to pre their Appeal for an end to the role of priestly celibacy. The Delegate approved the step at the end of a Universal Synod of mar ried priests and their wives in the Alban Hills near Pope John Paul a summer residence South of Rome. A copy of the meeting s final motions addressed to Cardinal Agosti no Casaroli Vatican Secretary of state was delivered to the Vatican. Oil auction protested Newport Beach Calif. Up facing angry resident opposed to a proposal to allow Oil Drill ing off the Southern California coast. Secretary of the Interior Donald Model said he would consider a re Vised plan. More than 100 people spoke at hearing attended by Hodel in the Newport Beach City Hall and most spoke against a plan to put 54 Square Miles of Ocean floor off Newport Beach on the auction Block for Oil drilling. Outside the meeting Tome 250 protesters carried signs saying Stop the coastal rape buy Arab of first and Don t kill our tourism re lated  Oil warning issued London a Britain North sea Oil will run out in 10 Yean if production continues at its present rate an economist says. Patrick Foley a Lloyd Bank economist wrote in the Bank eco nomic bulletin that Britain is extract ing 80 percent More Oil than it need for Domestic consumption. He said production will Peak this year and will decline rapidly. By the 1990s, Britain will no longer be self sufficient and by 1995. The North sea will be exhausted he said