European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 23, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes tuesday. February 23,1988 r Engineer critical of challenger quits Nasa Job huntsv1lle, Ala. A Judson a Lovingood a space shuttle rocket Engineer who questioned the incr to launch the challenger on the eve of its explosion two years ago has retired from Nasa to join the aerospace firm Morton Thi Okol Lovingood 51, retired saturday after 25 years with the National aeronautics and space administration rather than accept a Transfer to Nasa Headquarters in Washington . He began work monday with Morton Thi Okol s Hunis Villa operation which he said has faille connection with the shuttle program. Morton Thi Okol which manufactures the shuttle s Booster rockets a is main Iii Tlle Plant in Utah. Lovingood had been Given the option of retiring or moving to Washington for Nasa As Dep Uty director of sys tems engineering and analysis for the shuttle program. He elected to retire in lieu of accepting the assign ment for economic and other reasons said Dave Drachlis a spokesman for Nasa s Marshall space flight Center Here or Loving nod has said that he loft Goud has worked on the Shultic since 1969. The challenger Accident has Sac cd a great personal toll and he fell it was time for a  was Deputy manager of the shuttle projects office Ai Marshall when Morton Thi Okol Engineer recommended against launching the Shultic in frigid weather at Cape canaveral fla., on Jan. 28, 1986. He urged unsuccessfully that the Issue be taken to higher Levels at Nasa. I was contacted about 4 30 thai afternoon Jan. 27 by a Guy from the Cape Lovingood recoiled sunday. He wanted me to gel other people at the teleconference. A Point was being made and the Point being that i heard that Tai Zokol people were recommending that we not launch he said. I fell like with a recommendation Tike that thai we should t launch period the presidential commission that investigated the  concluded that the decision making process before the launch was flawed with the views of Morton Thi Okol engineers overrated and critical concerns not relayed to top Nasa lev Els where officials were pushing for launch. The commission said flawed of rings in the Booster rocket allowed hot gases to leak through to the external fuel Lank. The explosion 73 seconds after launch killed the seven Crew members. 7 Tennessee families lose godless textbooks Case of Washington a the supreme court Mon Day threw out an Appeal by seven Tennessee families who say their religious Freedom was violated when their children were exposed to godless Public school textbooks. It also agreed to study a key affirmative action Issue the Power of local governments to require minority participation in Public works projects. And it agreed to judge the Validity of a Federal Law creating Independent counsels to investigate alleged wrongdoing by High ranking executive Branch officials. It was Justice Anthony m. Kennedy s first Day on the court which was at full strength for the first time since last june 26 when Justice Lewis f. Powell retired. The justices without comment let stand a ruling that in is constitutional to require the fundamentalist Christian child Nuu read inc books. Monday s action essentially ends a widely publicized Case some have called Scopes ii a comparison to inc juror surrounding the 1925 prosecution of John Scopes in ten Nessee for teaching Volution. The controversy began in 1983, when the hat is county Board of education adopted a new Reading list preme court Roundup for students in grades 14. Pupils initially were allowed to read from other textbooks if they desired but the school Board later eliminated that alternative. All county schoolchildren were required to read the chosen textbooks or leave Public school the seven families who filed the Appeal acted on Mon Day sued the county school Board in late 1983, listing More than 300 objections to the assigned readings. The lawsuit objected on religious grounds to themes or passages in works such As the wizard of Zand Cinderella science fiction by Isaac Aminov fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen and stones by anthropologist Margaret Mead. The lawsuit said the books violated the families beliefs by teaching evolution secular humanism the occult feminism and other beliefs theories or philosophies they consider godless. A Federal trial judge ruled for the families finding that their religious Freedom had been violated and awarding them ,000 in damages. He ruled thai the children should have been allowed to opt out of the Reading program while enjoying the rest of the Public school curriculum. The 6th . Circuit court of appeals reversed that ruling and threw Oul the families lawsuit. The Only conduct compelled. Was Reading and discussing the material. And hearing other students interpretation of those materials the appeals court said. What is absent from this Case is the critical Clement of compulsion to affirm or deny a religious belief or to engage or refrain from engaging in a prac tick forbidden or required in the exercise of any child s  in seeking supreme court review lawyers for the families said the Case pcs cols a classic confrontation Between parents and Public school officials Over the education of children 1 they said children should not be required unread religiously offensive books As a condition of remaining in school. The Appeal likened the families objections to those made by Jehovah s witnesses families that sparked the supreme court s 1943 decision striking Down a West Virginia Law that required All Public school students to participate in the doily reciting of inc pledge of Alle Giance. The Appeal added the Rule emerging from inc 6lh circuit ruling is thai children can be forced to read books which violate their sincere religious beliefs u Long As they Are not forced to believe the contents of what they have  attorney general we. Michael Cody expressed pleasure at the decision and said any alter native disposition would have been the cause of chaos in the school  Bui Mike Farris atom cd for concerned women of America who represented the East Tennessee families called for the removal of All bom again Christian children from the Public school system As a result of Llic decision to the Altir alive action Case inc justices said they will hear an Appeal by Richmond va., officials seeking to revive a so called set aside program for construction Industry businesses owned by minorities. The 4th . Circuit court of appeals ruled last september that the City s preferential treatment for minority businesses approved in 1983 is an unconstitutional form of reverse discrimination. Setting the stage for a major constitutional decision Over  counsels the justices said they will review an appeals court ruling that the watergate Era Law in permissibly gives presidential Powers to the fed eral courts. The decision Cipech cd by july will affect the Crimi Nal conviction of former White House aide Michael k. Deaver and the stalled incs ligation of sex Justice department official Theodore b. Olson. In a separate order the court rejected Marine it. Col. Oliver North s latest attempt to Block an investigation of his role in the Iran Contra affair. In let stand a ruling that North May not Hall the criminal investigation by Independent counsel Lawrence e. Walsh by challenging ils legality in a civil lawsuit. In other action the court refused to let a Texas Hospital withhold the names of ils blood donors from a woman who says her baby daughter contracted aids after receiving transfusions. The court without comment let stand a ruling thai the donors privacy rights do not override Belinda Jackson s need to find out their identities in her wrongful death lawsuit against inc Hospital. Agreed 10 hear appeals by the Reagan administration and Coal mining companies seeking to Block the possible award of billions of dollars in Black lung Dis ease benefits to thousands of minors. The court said it will review a ruling that inc govern ment must reopen some previously rejected claims for benefits. I stand a ruling thai drastically limits the Power of communities to regulate Cable television and raises doubts about the constitutionality of a key Federal Law governing Cable operations. The court citing a Lack of jurisdiction turned away an Appeal by two California cities barred from enforcing pub Lic  rules challenged  women marines reportedly investigated. In a. _ to i i i a it. , Tom. Eif tie Parr stand Alane the South Caroli la. Col. John Shotwill b Man Parris Island  the Marine corps is investigating homosexuality among females Al the Harris Island Boot Camp and plans to court martial or discharge up to id women say i rec women to report they arc being investigated the women old inc state newspaper that the Marine corps has suspended three female Drill sergeants and is continuing an investigation of them and As Many As seven other female marines. The women who spoke on the Condi Tion they not be identified told the newspaper in a Ihrck hour interview last week that icy and others have been accused of homosexuality sodomy and fraternization bul they have not yet been formally charged. They said they arc not homosexual. They Don t like the Way some of us  Parris Island along inc South Carolina coast in Beaufort county is one of two Boot Camps in the country where recruits arc sent for an la Wick Basic the qualities and trails Ilia we de Mand and Are supposed to be training re Ciufu we i. I our Rcv uits in Are the same traits thai training program when they join Ithema they re saying make us look Homo sex incs and the Only one to which women resell. The marines under investigation have been in the service from four to 14 years. Uak one woman said. Four of the women including two who have been suspended Are married and one is a Mother he women said. The women said they Haven t been told Why the investigation was begun. They said they think it slams from a re port issued last year by the defense advisory committee on women in the services which they said cited a problem of homosexuality among female marines. Maj. Robert w. Mclean Public affairs officer at the Marine corps recruit depot Al Parris Island said it is against Marine corps policy to confirm or deny Whalan investigation ism progress."1 think the big picture is thai our femininity is in question Here because Uminn thus. A we re doing the Job we were brought  marines about 10,000 Down Here to do one woman said. Are women officials said. The women said. The lowest ranked women Are sergeants and three officers Are being investigated they said the women said the Drill instructors who have been suspended Are assigned to office duties pending thu outcome of the investigation. They said they requested duty Ai Par Ris Island because of their love for the Marine corns and they Are especially upset that investigators did i believe heir denials. Another woman said they be made up their minds. Now they just need proof and does t that throw All our rights out the window la. Col. John Shotwill b Marine spokesman in Washington said the policy throughout the defense department is that simply homosexuality is incompatible with military  thai policy is based on the uniform code of military Justice to which All four armed services adhere he said. Under that code homosexual acts Are crimes on a felony level he said. Earlier this month the 9th . Cir Cuit court of appeals ruled the army ban on homosexual soldiers unconstitutional the action taken against manner who Are found to be homosexual is left up to a unit s commanding officer Shotwell said it can Range from an administrative discharge under honorable conditions to court martial which can include a military prison sentence. Last year 68 marines were discharged for homosexuality the corresponding numbers for earlier Yean were 88 in 1986,105 in ims and 116 in 1984,