European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 21, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday november 21, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 5 1 i top prices for Homes Cou Rrue with highest median Valuo five Star rank More authority proposed for chairman of pcs a reduces mortgage rate to 11 percent Washington a the govern ment announced tuesday thai it is lowering the maximum interest rate on veterans administration mortgages to 11 percent the lowest in six years. The change which look effect wednes Day Marks the fourth time this year that the a rate has decreased. It had declined from 12 percent to 11.5 percent on june 5. Under the a mortgage program the government sets a maximum interest rate that Bonks can charge and still qualify for Federal backing for the loan. While the rate change does not affect existing a mortgages a administrator Harry n. Walter urged veterans to Contact local mortgage lenders for details on a pro Gram that allows them to refinance old a Loans some of which carry interest rates As High As 17.5 percent. The a rate for single family mortgages now is the lowest since oct. 25, 1979, when it was 10.5 percent. The a also Cut by one half percentage Point the maximum rates for graduated payment Loans to 11.25 percent and Home improvement Loans to 12.5 percent. Warren Lasko executive vice president of the mortgage Bankers association said the a s action was in response to recent Market declines in mortgage rates. Just in the past two to three weeks Market interest rates have dropped a half of a percentage Point and the a is adjusting its maximum rate accordingly Lasko said. Washington a four senior retired military officers urged tuesday that Congress promote the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff to five Star rank to boost his authority and clout. Another group of ranking retired offi cers and civilian officials endorsed legis lation pending in the House to strengthen the authority of the pcs chairman and of the commander in charge of unified Multi service joint commands. In a statement issued at a House news conference the officers and officials said they Are unanimous in our belief that this system has serious weaknesses hat undermine the Quality of military advice available to civilian  these weaknesses Are not attributable of the Caliper of our military officers but rather to the organizational dynamics of the pcs system the statement said. We All support the Bill s major thrust to strengthen the roles and authority of the chairman the joint staff and the unified  the statement was signed by six former defense secretaries As Well As such ranking retired officers As air Force Gen. David c. Jones army Gens. Andrew Goodpastur Edward c. Myer and Maxwell d. Taylor and adms. Harry d. Train and a Lansfield Turner. The House Bill which will Likely come to the floor for action later this week would make the chairman of the join chiefs the nation s principal military adviser to the president and Secretary of de sense freeing him from the alleged constraints under which he now operates. It would give Field commanders a direct line in the Chain of command to the pcs chairman and give him control of a uni fied staff. Meanwhile the Senate armed services committee was told that Congress should promote the chairman to five Star rank tomake his supremacy Clear. The proposal was made by retired air Force Gen. Russell e. Dougherty former chief of the strategic air come and endorsed by Mcyr train and retired it. Gen. Victor h. Krulak of the Marine corps. Dougherty proposed that the five Star joint chiefs chairman be Given Cabinet level pay and retained on the acl ivc duly roster for the rest of his life unless he voluntarily retires. He retains his influence and clout in his own and in the other services and eventually you will have a built in senior advisory group available to the presi Dent Dougherty said. He would be. He said clearly our senior military officer with the full measure of responsibility attend and to thai authority Ana As a career Active officer removed from the possibility of suspicion of to  we be always regarded inc chairman As first among equals Dougherty said. I m saying make him  noting that disputes among members of the joint chiefs stall the decision Mak ing process Dougherty said he would give the chairman the Power to resolve Dis Putes and go right  each of the military witnesses took different Overall approach to other aspects of military reorganization. However most said they disagreed Wilh inc principal recommendation of a recent committee Slaff report that the joint chiefs should be abolished and replaced with a military advis Ory committee composed of senior officers in their last tour of duty. Krulak said such a group of officers no longer in command of their respective services would soon become impotent and their advice disregarded. But myer said that because of Lime constraints one group of officers should be responsible for the Day to Day operations of the army Navy Marine corps and air Force with another group having authority for strategic planning and joint operations. Q Rran s Credentia a criticized Senate rejects humanities nominee Washington a president Reagan s nomination of Edward a. Cur ran to chair the National endowment forthe humanities was rejected by a Senate committee tuesday on the grounds thai he is academically unqualified and suffers a credibility Gap with Congress. Reagan chose Curran a conservative who is the Deputy director of the peace corps to succeed William j. Bennett who left More than nine months ago to become education Secretary. But on a pair of 8-8 tie votes the re Kib lican controlled Senate labor and Uman resources committee refused to approve Curran s nomination or to Send it to the Senate floor without a recommendation. Sen. Orrin g. Hatch a Utah the panel chairman said the nomination will do returned to the White House. Don f Stop him even if you be heard this one Chicago a . Banker jays his friends think his career is joke an opinion confirmed tuesday when he broke his own 48-hour endur Ance record for idling jokes. Banker t Marathon one Man stand up comedy show in a downtown Chicago department store window ended at 9 45 . Wilh a 48w-hour record. For the record the joke that broke his old Mark it 9 16 . Was what do you get when you Don t pay your exorcist  there were the obligatory Light bulb jokes How Many new yorkers does it take to change a Light bulb none of your business. And this one How Many psychologists does it take to change a Light bulb Only one but the Light bulb really has to want to  reruns a Glassy eyed Benker explained were allowed. The 23-year-old comedian s jokes amplified onto the sidewalk in front of the store brought applause from a Small crowd As he reached the record. Benker who said he Lupsoru himself working at comedy clubs in the Chicago area began the Effort to top his own pre Vious record at 9 15 . Sunday. Under the Rule he wan allowed a five minute break per hour some of which he spent on a cot As friends relative and his Girlfriend stood by and offered encouragement. The rules also required an audience of two non relatives at All limes. Testimony before the panel. Pell was chief author of the legislation that created the humanities endowment and the companion National endowment for the arts in 1965. The humanities endowment is an Independent Grant making Federal Agency thai spent More than $125 million in govern Cal Money last year. The failure of Candor allegation made by sen. Christopher Dodd d conn., was a reference to Curran s Brief tenure As the director of the National Institute of education in 1981-82. It stemmed from Curran s testimony before the committee in the fall of 1981 that he would promote the Institute s work As the research  of the department of Edu cation. A few months after Curran was con firmed by the Senate he wrote Reagan to recommend that the inst Tulc be abolished because of influence from the  soon afterwards Curran was fired by then Edu cation Secretary . Bell. The deciding vote against Curran was cast by sen. Robert t. Stafford of ver Mont the Lone dissenter among the panel s nine republicans although sen. Lowell Wicker r-conn., said he voted for Curran with great  All seven demo cratic members opposed Curran. Curran s defeat was believed to be Only the third time that a Senate committee has killed a major Reagan nomination since the president took office in 1981. On june 27, the judiciary committee effectively killed William Bradford Rey nolds nomination to become associate at Torney general and in 1981, the labor and human resources committee refused to Send John r. Van de water s nomination to be chairman of the National labor relations Board to the Senate floor. Committee democrats led by sen. Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island charge that Curran 52, had insufficient academic experience lacked the respect of the nation s scholarly Community and had shown a failure of Candor in previous Sands or time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Nov. 21, 1945 the International War crimes court in Nuernberg opened the trial of22 top nazis accused of trying to destroy the civilized world. Meanwhile prisoners who had been subjected to beatings and torture by Hospital attendants and operations without anaesthesia testified at the Dachau trials. 30 years ago today. Nov. 21, 1955 Playboy Magazine a publication for Urban males has filed suit against the Post office department for refusing it second class mailing privileges under Federal obscenity Laws. 20 years ago today. Nov. 21, 1965 vietnamese paratroopers were flown to the Aid of the . 1st Cav div engaged in heavy fighting in the la Drang Valley near the cambodian Border . Military official in Saigon reported. Q years ago today. Nov. 21, 1975 Francisco Franco Western Europe s last dictator died yesterday i Madrid after a monthlong Battle for life