European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 14, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday april 14, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 7 commandant says coast guard needs people Washington a retiring coast guard commandant James s. Gracey says he is leaving his service Well equipped with ships boats and aircraft but still Short of the people needed to sail and Fly them. In an interview in his office near Washington s waterfront Gracey painted a Pic Ture of a can do service that despite limited resources still manages to Rescue sailors in distress crack Down on drug smugglers and defend the nation s coastline. Gracey 63, the coast guard s top Admi ral since 1982, is stepping Down next month after 41 years of service. He will be re placed by vice Admiral Paul a. Yost jr., the service s Atlantic area commander. Gracey said he is leaving the coast guard with an updated Fleet of patrol boats and cutters new helicopters new air planes and radar systems to assist in search and Rescue drug enforcement and defense. But he said budget crunches have kept the service lean in terms of people and that is a problem Likely to remain As president Reagan and Congress struggle to reduce the Federal budget deficit. Hardware tends to be glamorous Gracey said. I am concerned that we Are going to have better hardware and we Are not going to have the people in place to use it Well. That has not kept Pace and has not had in my View the attention it should have  asked who had neglected the matter Gracey replied All of the above refer ring to Congress and the administration. This year the coast guard has about $2.5 billion to spend of which about $1.8 billion is for operating expenses such As salaries and benefits spare parts and fuel for ships and boats. Gracey said the Agency will end this Fis Cal year with about 38,000 men and women 2,000 less than a few years ago. We have not grown in the defense buildup Era the Way the other services have Gracey said. But he said even with the budget pres sures caused by being part of the transportation department and having to compete with programs such As mass transit and Amtrak that is where he would like the coast guard to remain. Everything we do has something to do with transportation he said. He said suggestions that the coast guard be moved permanently to the defense department fail to recognize the non military missions of his service such As lifesaving and Law enforcement. The coast guard under existing Law would operate As part of the Navy during wartime. . Investigating Farrakhan s visit Deal with khad Afy Chicago a the Justice department is investigating a visit to Libya last month by Black Muslim Leader Louis Farrakhan and his attendance at an alleged terrorist meeting according to a published report. The investigation is to determine whether the Chicago minister violated president Reagan s order Banning americans from doing business in Libya the Chic ago Tribune quoting an unidentified department official said in its sunday editions. Justive department spokesman Tom Stewart in Washington would not comment on the report. The Cia and Fri Are also investigating Farrakhan s alleged involvement in the March 15 meeting in Tripoli that was convened by libyan Leader Moa mar khad Afy the Tribune said. The Tribune citing intelligence sources said the Gath ering called an anti imperialist symposium by the libyans was attended by known terrorists. Reagan administration officials described the meeting As a terrorist strategy session the newspaper said. There was no answer at the nation of islam Headquarters saturday night and there is no Telephone listing for Farrakhan but he has in the past denied any involvement in terrorism. According to Libya s official news Agency Farrakhan introduced a speech by khad Afy at the meeting. In the speech khad Afy denounced the United states de Claring no one in the world at Large can Stop us from waging a collective struggle against the joint enemy the Agency said. Farrakhan s organization received a $5 million interest free loan from khad Afy last year to be used to produce and Market personal care products for Blacks. Farrakhan said the purpose of the trip was to repay the loan. Special delivery a photo the . Postal service is showing off its new delivery Van in Atlanta. At 3,000 pounds and 175 inches Long the aluminium vehicle is designed to last for 24 years and can carry 1,000 pounds of mail twice the cargo of the service s jeeps. The postal service will buy 99,150 of the Long life vehicles from Grumman corp. Thousands of meat packers supporters stage rally Austin Minn. A thousands of striking meat packers and supporters from at least 19 states marched saturday one Day after a demonstration at a Hormel Plant was broken up by police and 17 peo ple were arrested. Mounted officer guns Down dog that bit horse Philadelphia a a mounted police officer shot and killed a pit Bull Ter Rier after the dog bit the officer s horse and refused to let go. Officer Joseph Purfield was patrolling Fairmount Park on his horse Chester when the attack occurred Friday afternoon police said. The dog whose owner was walking it on a Leash Sank its fangs into the horse s right front leg police said. The name of the owner was not released. Chester a 17-year-old red gelding received six stitches at a police stable police said. The dog will be tested for rabies authorities said. Shouting they say give Back we say fight Back the marchers carried placards and . Flags then nearly filled the 4,500 seat Austin Arena to support the strike against the Geo. A. Hormel & co. By local p-9 of the United food and commercial workers International Union. Supporters came to the Southern Minnesota Community of Austin from Texas Illinois California new York Massachusetts Ala Bama Colorado North Dakota South Dakota Florida Minnesota Washington state Maine Pennsylvania Maryland new Jersey Kansas Wyoming and Missouri. We stand for Freedom we stand for fairness. We will continue to fight against this company with an All out Boycott of Hormel products Jim Guyette president of the local told the rally. The people in Austin give courage to the people out there actor David soul who also has supported labor disputes in Pittsburgh said before addressing the rally. The Rev. Jesse Jackson was to address the rally by Telephone but a Hook up through the Public address system failed. Jackson was scheduled to arrive in Austin sunday morning for separate meetings with both sides. The civil rights Leader was to address an afternoon rally. Eight police officers suffered head and Eye injuries during Friday s demonstration when protesters threw rocks and sprayed Mace and other chemicals in their faces said police chief Donald Hoffman. He called the violence a riot. There were no reports of injuries to demonstrators. The 17 arrested were to be charged with felony riot Hoffman said. Guyette argued that Friday s demonstration was peaceful until it was turned into a riot by the Hormel company in partnership with the City county and state Law enforce ment  a warrant was issued Friday charging Guyette with two felonies and three misdemeanours including aiding and abetting a riot and unlawful Assembly said Mower county attorney Fred Kraft. About 1,500 p-9 Mem Bers walked off their jobs at Hormel s Austin Plant aug. 17 in a dispute Over wage cuts. Offer of rent free Home to Marcos withdrawn Honolulu up an opponent of former philippine president Ferdinand Marcos saturday withdrew his offer of rent free housing in a Florida town for the Marc oses because of threats from that town s citizens. Tomas buddy Gomez a spokesman for the anti Marcos coalition of concerned filipinos in Hawaii made the offer after an appearance by Marcos april 4 on television. During the show Marcos said he had no place to live and had no Money. Gomez responded the following Day by offering the Marcos family his House in Defuniak Springs fla., free of rent just to get the former president out of Hawaii. I made the offer for the single reason that Marcos is a divisional Force Here and a potential cause of violence he said sat urday. To alleviate the situation Gomez added i thought i would offer the Home rent free but i did t think the people there would be offended because it s such an Iso lated  the four bedroom House is on a 157-acre estate in the Northwest Florida town. Gomez said he got word from his House keeper at the House that protests began soon after the offer was made. He said people threatened to blow up the House if the mar costs moved in. Gomez said his wife was shaken by the threats and he decided to withdraw the offer and apologize to the Defuniak Springs Community