European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 14, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday december 14. 1986 the stars and stripes Page 5 judge bans lighted Cross on state building Jackson miss. A a Federal judge Friday ruled Hal the display of a 20-Story lighted Cross on a stale building is unconstitutional and ordered an end to the nine year Christmas tradition. The display of the Cross endorses the Christian religion and is an unconstitutional  . District judge William h. Harbour or. Said in Mak ing his ruling. The Frei that inc stale Lias added secular symbols does not make it  the slate vet ing 10 allay concerns thai it was favor ing a religion also displayed the form of a Christmas tree and the words Joy and peace on the Waller Sillers building. Guv. Bill Allain testified. Thi building s East Side where the Cross was displayed would be dark Friday night but the other three decorations would continue said Jimmy Palmer who oversees inc lighting of the building As director of the governor s office of general serv ices attorney Cic neral de Pittnan said he would a peal Barbour s ruling and ask for a irial of the Case but doubled n could be held before the holidays. Hilary Chi executive director of the Mississippi american civil liberties Union which filed the Suil matted inc ruling a Victory for any individual in Mississippi or anywhere else that has Ever Felt isolated because they arc in the  Harbour s lengthy ruling announced after a if minute recess questioned inc applicability of a 1984 . Supreme court ruling. The High court said Pawlu coct. R.i., could display a nativity scene in a City Park since other traditional Christmas Dee orations such As Santa Claus were also Dis played. Harbour said substantial evidence showed Hal the Cross was intended soley As a religious Symbol and Hal the state had made no Ati Empl to show any secular purpose for the Holiday display. "1 am disappointed in judge Barbour s decision no to follow the supreme court Case. As i read inc supreme court ruling we followed the Law. Allain said during Friday s testimony a methodist minister said the Cross endorses christianity because it is the major Symbol of the Faith. If it does not then it is being Pul on inc level of much More secularized symbols like Rudolph the red nosed Reindeer. And that is very offensive to me As a Christian said the Rev. Lee Riff who chairs inc department of religion at Millsaps College. Under questioning by slate attorneys Riff said inc Erois actually predates christianity Hul has be come a Symbol for it Over the years to Means All that s Good about christianity he said. The Acle says the Cross which has been lighted on the building c very december since l 77, violates inc constitutional separation of Church and stale. The lawsuit has sparked protests a he Acle s office and death threats against its stale executive director and also prompted inc lighting of a new Cross on inc outside of a private downtown build ing. One of the five plaintiffs Nana Kratochvil. Said the Cross is visible from her Home and it offends her. She is a member of the unitarian universalist Church Brush fires ignited to test nuclear Winter theory san Jimas. Calif. A a Heli copter spewed flaming gasoline onto a Brush covered Mountainside Friday igniting a 6 in acc fire to lest whether us tunic a of a threaten inc extinction of Mankind. The nuclear Winter theory that smoke from suds a War might Block out the Sun. Disrupt agriculture and obliterate life from Karlh Jot ils first Les in the mountains jul Mill East of downtown los Angeles. The  i Dipirri Mimi had earlier been delayed Ben the helicopter trashed. The Pilot escaped injury on Lidai. Another helicopter was used to Start tin fin1 in the san Dimasi experimental Korum . Forest service spokesman Earl clan inn said. Flames leaped 5 to 60 feet into the air. Bul the fire burned slowly in Green Brush still Damp from rainfall earlier in the week and a towering plume of smoke Hung Over inc san Gabriel mountains obscuring Snow capped. 10,064-fool mount Baldy few Miles away. Aboul 55 scientists in five aircraft monitored the pillar of smoke that Rose straight up Lodi Canyon toward Johnstone Peak where about 50 report ers and photographers gathered. Other reporters viewed the flames from their own helicopters. At this Point. We re satisfied. Any Large smoke plume will be of Benefit. I did t expect this 10 be a Verj vigorous fire. It s still the first Field measurement of a fire and it is important said Peter Lunn program Man Ager for the global effects division of inc defense nuclear Agency. He said that even after months of study the 1983 nuclear Winter theory of astronomer car Sagan and re searcher Richard Turco will remain a helicopter drops naming gasoline to Start Brush fires in nuclear Winter lest. Open to debate Sagan and others postulated that smoke and Dusl blocking sunlight after a nuclear War could plunge the Earth into darkness bring free ing temperatures even in summer disrupt agriculture cause mass starvation and threaten humanity with extinction. Other scientists maintain Lite effects would be less severe creating a nuclear autumn of less drastic and Shorter lived temperature drops. Their scenario said Cost inaction of he human race was less probable but crop destruction still would threaten millions of people with starvation. Project scientists said it would be March before results of inc Lesl would be known. During the Blaze a Jet circled at 60,000 feet with National aeronautics and space administration scientists who studied heal released by the fire Speed of its spread and measurements of the smoke plume. Other Nasa researchers studied flame emitted gases. The density of the smoke plume was studied by radar operated by Environ mental Protection Agency scientists aboard an aircraft partly funded by the defense nuclear Agency. Other scientists monitored changes in the smoke plume As Well As the size distribution density and Sun blocking prop erties of smoke particles. Another plane controlled the air traffic and a firefighting helicopter Tanker and 250 stale and county firefighters stood by 10 keep the fire within its already burned Buffer zone. We will have someone watching it All night and we will keep hand Crews Here overnight Jusi in Case of unfavourable winds or if hot spots flare  said Clayton. In the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Dec 14 1946 undersecretary of the Treasury Oliver Gardner was named to succeed  Harriman As ambassador to great Britain. 30 years Ogo today. Dec 14 1956 in a meeting in Paris America s nato allies demanded Access to tactical atomic weapons calling them essential to self defense. 20 years ago today. Dec 14 1966 president Johnson s press Secretary Bill d. Moyers announced i Kenai ionic become the publisher of the Long Island newspaper newday. G orge ch3 Istian became Johnson s fourth press Secretary in slightly More Ihan three stare the others were Pierre Salinger and George Reedy. 10 years ago today. Nur id 1976 the ruling socialist party in Europe s youngest democracy pn2nl Haimed Victory i i he National elections bul communists rebounded to fake la 20 or of the vote and mounted fresh attacks on the policies of Premier Mario scares. New Pennsylvania Law protects whistle blowers harr1sburg. A. A Public employees who expose waste or wrong doing by slate officials will be protected from reprisal under a Bill signed Friday by gov. Dick Thornburgh. The Law makes Pennsylvania at least the 20th slate to prohibit the dismissal or other Rel Alillion against any government worker who makes a Good Faith report of mismanagement or waste it gives state employees some statutory defense if they Are reprimanded or otherwise punished for telling the truth about any illegal activity in government or Wasle of funds said the executive director of common cause of Pennsyl Vania Thomas Dwall. The new Law takes effect in 60 Days. Under the Law Public employees May sue for damages and employers who Vio late the provisions can be fined up to $500. All employers except elected officials can also be suspended for six months for a violation. Thornburgh said protecting whistle blowers would help to rid stale govern ment of corruption and  As a former Federal prosecutor i am Well aware that Public corruption cases often hinge on the testimony of govern ment employees who arc willing to pro vide evidence of wrongdoing often at great risk to their future employment Thornburgh said