European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 1, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 the stars and stripes tuesday March 1,1988 justices to hear drug testing Case customs service tests could be barred Washington api the supreme court agreed monday to consider barring inc . Customs service from conduct ing drag tests for people seeking dry enforcement jobs Selling the stage for its first ruling on the of mandatory drug test ing for Public employees. The court said it will hear a Challenge to inc letting program by a Fedrial labor Union thai says taking urine Sample from employees violates their privacy rights. The outcome will carry no direct it acct on such less conducted by private non govern mental employers. Pratsi Donl in signed an Cue Cutic order in 1986 calling for drug testing employees. The transportation department with 30,000 employees became the first Cabinet level department to adopt random testing for civilian workers. The pro Gram covers those in safety related jobs such As air traffic controllers Federal aviation administration i Luls and workers with High rated Security clearance. The 5lh . Circuit court of appeals ruled last year thai the Cimms service tests which arc no Dinini mercy randomly Art lawful. Tin appeals court said inc tests May be considered searches hut they in not intrude unnecessarily on the privacy Rig tils of workers. Because of ilit1 interest in employing individuals for key positions in drug enforce ment who themselves of not drug users and the limited of this particular program it is reasonable and. Therefore is not unconstitutional the appeals court said. The Neil full la try Simiry employees Union challenged the testing program which requires some workers to provide urine samples in res room stalls As a person overseeing inc Tot Waits of inside inc stall. The less Are conducted by an Independent company hired by the customs service. The Union said the tests arc a humiliation Tor workers and Are being administered indiscriminately to employees who otherwise Are thought worthy of promotion and Are nol suspected of drug use. The tests Are Given to those in the customs service applying for promotion to drug enforcement jobs and Tor outside applicants Tor those jobs. The Union president Robert m. Tobias praised the High court s decision to hear the Case saving its ruling should clarify the constitutional boundaries of drag supreme court Roundup testing for Federal employees and we hop destroy Reagan s plans for wholesale testing of the Federal wort Force in other action monday the court refused to revive lawsuits charging government and Federal contractors with negligently causing deaths and disease among people exposed to open air atomic tests. The court without comment let stand a Federal Law that effectively spared the government from having to defend itself against claims seeking billions of dollars. Agreed to consider idling the Federal government apply retroactively a formula that limits reimburse ment paid to hospitals treating medicare patients. The court said ii will hear Reagan administration arguments that some hospitals could reap a Windfall from the ban on retroactive application of inc formula. Let stand rulings thai threw out a reporter s at Impi to Force inc state department to release documents from . Embassies around the world. The lawsuit by Donald f. Goldberg a reporter on lilt staff of syndicated columnist Jack Anderson had been filed under inc Freedom of information act he had sought from the stale department responses loan unclassified 1982 questionnaire on foreign govern ments diplomatic practices. Asked the Reagan administration whether it thinks High stake Bingo games run by Indian tribes ire subject to state sales taxes. The court said it wants to hear from Justice depart ment lawyers before it says whether it will review an attempt by Oklahoma officials to lax Revenue from a Bingo game run by the music Ogoc Creek nation. In the past the Reagan administration has said drug tests Are needed to prevent drug enforcement agents who used drugs from being bribed or blackmailed. Justice department lawyers said any affront to privacy fell by those applying for the affected positions is outweighed by the service s interest in ensuring thai officials responsible for the interdiction of drug smug Eling Are not themselves drug customs employees arc not immune from a prob Lem that is ravaging the society at Large the govern ment lawyer said in urging the court to reject the Union s Appeal. They said the tests arc particularly important now because the customs service plans id recruit some .1.000 new employees including Many in the 18-to-25 Aye Range in which use of illegal drugs is most Preva Lent. The tests were halted in i Pofi alter a Federal judge ruled they were and ordered them stopped. Tic 5lh circuit court then overruled the judge and the supreme court last May permitted tic tests to a sum drug testing policies also have come under Legal attacks led by the american civil liberties Union. The Case is National Trca Surv employees Union is. Von Raab 86-1879. Aggie spirit adds flavor to crawfish Hay Winnie Texas a a graduate of Texas am whose alumni arc dubbed aggie and Are inc butt of some jokes in Texas has some of Llis Fields under water and dump Hay on them leading some Anonymous wag to proclaim in an aggie Hay Bui John Tau lying. 41, is not trying to grow Hay. Tie s feeding crawfish. Gaulding farms about 1,200 acres about 60 Miles cast of Houston and leases about 300 acres to people who raise the crustaceans especially pop ular in cajun cuisine. He said he did t appreciate it when a sign wild the message aggie Hay farm mysteriously appeared in i run of Bis land in october. We left it up for a couple of Days. People were asking us to leave ii up and there was so much talk finally we decided we would he said. "1 figured if am could win the Cotton Bow. I could put up with a Lillic kidding about in four sidestep debates in Tenniesee for pre super tuesday campaigning by the associated press Michael Dukakis and Richard Gephardt will skip next sunday s pre super tuesday democratic debate in rival Al Bert Core or s Home state and both George Bush and Pat Robertson will miss the Republican version putting that debate in jeopardy candidates aides and debate sponsors said monday. Word of candidates no debate Deci Sions tumbled out As inc presidential contenders themselves plunged into their final week of campaigning before the big Gest Delegate Day of the primary season. Meanwhile Massachusetts gov Dukakis was celebrating another new eng land Victory in Maine saying he will Surprise some people in the South Tient week on super tuesday. Vice president Bush claimed Victory in Maine on the cop Side. The go presidential hopefuls split up monday after criticizing each Oiher on taxes and Trade in a debate sunday in Atlanta. Pat Robertson in Jacksonville ra., told about j of people monday i be got a feeling we re going to win in Florida and we re going to win in the South. We be got one week to the most crucial election i believe in the history of America certainly this Century and maybe since its Dukakis and Gephardt the winners of the major democratic contests so far skipped a democratic debate in Houston on sunday. And aides said they would t show up for the one next weekend in Nashville either. Gephardt who had said last october he would participate in inc debate sent word last week that he would nol noting that in was to be in Gore s Home stale said Janice Kaplan ,1 spokeswoman for the league of women voters presiden tial debates. She said Robertson As Well As Bush who announced his plans earlier would not take part in the gop debate inc same Day. Bob Dole has nol formally agreed to attend and the Republican de Bate will be Alied off if it decides against debating she said. It was a son of the South Jesse Jack son who pulled the weekend s Surprise finishing a Strong second to Dukakis in the Maine democratic caucuses on Sun Day with super tuesday looming barely l week away Republican Jack Kemp sought to pump up his fading Campaign with direct attacks on Bush and Senate gop Leader Dole saying they will not be True to Ronald Reagan s legacy. They sound alike. They talk alike. They be supported every single Tan in crease Over the last eight years Kemp said in a testy gop debate sunday in Atlanta. If they re nominated inc Rea Gan revolution is Over gone harsh rhetoric did not dim the Good news from Maine for Bush and Dukakis Bush s Campaign claimed Victory in the gop caucuses on sunday with no official count available his Campaign gave out figures saying he More than doubled his rivals totals in the City and town meet Ings. On the democratic Side Dukakis won the Maine caucuses easily relying on a Strong organization and his neighbourly ties. He look better than 40 percent of the delegates to the stale convention and at least 10 National convention delegates. Today s Victory gives our National Campaign another push towards Success on super tuesday Dukakis said. First lady wants crackdown on casual drug users Washington a Nancy Reagan monday called for a crackdown on casual drug users saying inc ukr is an accomplice to murder in the deaths of judges agents and others who have been killed by narcotics traffickers. "1 a it 10 make i impossible for casual users to escape responsibility for any innocent deaths due 10 mrs. Reagan said. I want to make them fully face the brutality of drug use the first lady was joined by president Reagan Al the while House conference for a drug free America a meeting intended to showcase the Light against drugs. She said that when she moves Back to California next year i m nol going la gift up my due concern about this she said she will continue he efforts at the Nancy Reagan House in los Angeles which is to be run by the Phoenix House. In his remarks the president said that despite All the publicity about drugs let s keep in mind the Prog Ress we be he said the number of users is level ing off and May even be falling. The tide of the Battle has turned and we re beginning to win the crusade for a drug free America Reagan said. Mrs. Reagan gave a More somber assessment say ing drugs Are tearing our Community she said drug traffickers and dealers Wilt murder anyone who stands in i heir Way. In particular she cited i in murder of Colombia s his two bodyguards who were abducted last month by a half dozen gunmen whom the government accused of working for local cocaine Barons. The government blamed his abduction and death on the Medellin Cartel which . Officials say control so percent of cocaine entering the United states the casual user May think when he takes a line of cocaine or smokes a joint in the privacy of his Nice Condo. Listening to his expensive stereo that he s somehow not bothering anyone she said. But there s a Trail of death and destruction thit leads directly to his door mrs. Reagan said. I m saying that if you re a casual drug user you re an accomplice to murder,1 the first lady said prompting scud pay of
