European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 16, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday. May 16. 1989 the stars and stripes Page 7 Wright s position called precarious widespread View is he can f remain As speaker Washington not House speaker Jim Wright s democratic col leagues now readily concede he is in Des Perate trouble and that his Fate May be settled when the House ethics committee rules on his efforts to dismiss major charges against must succeed there said rep. Robert g. Torricelli of new Jersey a member of his defense team before political repair work with an Uncertain future can even begin. No longer docs anyone from Wright s Camp minimize his problems. The longer he hangs out there the More his political situation Meterio conceded rep. Charles Wilson of Texas one of Wright s there is a widespread View in the House that he cannot survive As speaker. This widespread pessimism rests on two Basic Points first the expectation that within the next month or two the ethics committee will reject his motion to dismiss the major charges against him and will ultimately recommend action against him for violating House rules and second the perception that Wright s political problems have become far greater than the sum of the ethics com Mittee s present Case against him. There arc a variety of other allegations still being investigated by the ethics com Mittee and the Justice department is waiting to review his , one of the most effective speak ers of Modem times in his first two years has said repeatedly in recent weeks that he would relinquish his Post if he could no longer be Cit Active. And with equal vigor he insists he has done nothing the Washington establishment which never really embraced Wright in the first place is writing him off As if a guilty finding from inc House was a tech Nical changes Are taking place say experienced political and legislative hands. They liken the treatment Wright receives now to the greeting someone gels from friends and colleagues after getting the news he or she is terminally ill. In the cloak room and corridors of the House members talk among themselves about How Wright might be asked to step Down said one member and then they see him and we re smiling and clasping his hand and lolling him to Buck Wright is Basing most of his defense and thus most of his political Hopes on inc motion to have the two Central charges dismissed on the grounds that even if he did everything he is accused of doing his actions did not break the rules of the motion makes iwo key arguments. First that George Mallick. A fort Worth. Texas Developer did not have a direct in Terest in legislation As the committee charged. If the committee reverses itself on this Point As Wright is asking then the financial benefits Wright and his wife Betty received from their relationship with Mallick would no longer be improper Al though there would still be que sons of when her they were properly reported. Second that Wright was justified under House rules in Selling in bulk a Book he wrote and reporting the earnings As royalties which arc not restricted by House limits on outside earnings. The committee has charged these sales were a scheme to evade the limits on earnings from outside appearances. The committee s ruling on thai motion will probably foreshadow its ruling on the entire s supporters acknowledge because the facts in Wright s Case arc not much in dispute with the exception of whether mrs. Wright earned her salary while working for Mallick. Wright s argument is thai what he is accused of doing docs not violate House the committee should accept Wright s arguments in full the Case against him would essentially collapse. But almost none of his colleagues say they expect such Complete reversal. They note that while the ethics inquiry process is sometimes Lik ened to a criminal proceeding in is really very different and its standards of Law and proof not so severe. Also inc same people who brought the charges the 12-Mcmber ethics commit Lee Musl now Rule on Ihm. While the members could reverse themselves Wright s colleagues Point out that they probably considered the Legal issues Wright s motion now argues before they brought the charges against him. And Wright has done himself no Good his colleagues say by attacking the ethics committee and its special counsel Rich Ard democrats noted the ethics committee has sometimes brought serious charges and then waived some but not All. His colleagues say they can fore see the committee acc pling some of Wright s argue cols but rejecting others. For example the committee might find that Mallick had an interest in legis lation Only recently not throughout his relationship with Wright. In that Case some of the Benc fils the Wright s received through Mallick particularly belly Wright s salary would no longer be a serious Issue. House speaker Jim Wright but Oiler More recent benefits such As free use of a car and pm rate stays at a condominium could still be construed As improper gifts. The committee might also reverse it self entirely on whether Mallick had in Terest in legislation but uphold its ruling on Wright s sales of the Book. Bush blamed for delay in naming aids panel Washington a a commission to coordinate the Federal alack on aids has yet to begin work and a dam Coralic congressman who helped Ercale it blames president Bush for being five months late in appointing members. White House spokesman Alixe Glen said the appointments have been delayed because of the enor Mous task of staffing a new administration. While this is a priority it has not moved As quickly As perhaps it should she said. However within the next couple of weeks names should be forwarded to the Congress created the bipartisan commission last year to coordinate the Federal attack on aids. Al though Congress gave the president and House and Senate leaders 45 Days to select the 15 members of the panel no one met the dec. 19 deadline. House leaders announced their five appoint cols in february and scale leaders announced i hair five selections earlier this month. Bush must still appoint two members to serve along Wilh inc Sec Clary of health and human services the surgeon general and inc Secretary of veterans affairs. Rep. Roy Rowland. D-ga., who sponsored the legis lation that created the commission said in an inter View Friday that Bush s failure to make his App in a cols is holding up inc work of the panel of medical scientific and Legal experts. As Long As it s not functioning we re not address ing the problem and the number of aids cases that we re aware of is going up exponentially said Row land a physician who was one of the five people be in Clad by House leaders to serve on inc commission. We have no idea How Many people have been exposed to the virus that Don i have the disease he said. There s just All kinds of things that we need to be dealing with from a policy land Point that we re not dealing the commission was endorsed by the National Academy of sciences and the Institute of Medicine in a report on aids that was presented 10 Bush at the beginning of his administration. Rowland said the emergency supplemental appropriations Bill up for final action in Congress this week includes $400,000 this year for the commission. He said an additional $2 million has been Sci aside in inc fiscal 1990 budget to fund the panel s operations. But until Bush makes his appointments Rowland said the commission simply can t function. In addition to Rowland the House appointees arc Diane Ahrens head of the Ramsey county minn., Board of commissioners who established an aids task Force in St. Paul Scott Allen a Baptist minister and coordinator of the aids interfaith no work in Dallas or. Don c. Desjarlais coordinator of aids research for the new York stale division of subs acc abuse services and Donald s. Goldman a Livingston n.j., attorney who has written and lectured on Legal and ethical questions relating to aids. Senate appointees Are Larry Kessler founder of the Boston aids action committee or. June Osborn Dean of the school of Public health at the University of Michigan Harry Dalton a Yale University Law professor who is a recognized expert in aids Legal issues or. Charles Konigsberg director of the health division of inc Kansas depart men of health and environment and Eunice Diaz director of Community affairs at White memorial medical Center in los Angeles. Calif Gay activist Dies of aids complications Gaca los Angeles a Peter Scott a y activism who cancelled a run for inc Alifornia Assembly after learning head aids has died of complications from the disease. He was 50. Scott the former chairman of aids project los Angeles died Al his Home friends said. A lawyer who gave up his practice to Champion Gay rights Scon worked to de Feal measures to fire homosexual teachers and a state initiative requiring thai people Wilh aids be registered Wilh the slate. Scott founded the municipal election committee of los Angeles the City s most powerful Gay rights political group and was Active in fund raising until his illness worsened last month. Scott led the fight in California to has Len testing of experimental aids drugs resulting in a drug testing Bill passed into Law in 1987. He was diagnosed with aids in 1986, just As he was planning to Challenge As Sembly majority Leader Mike Roos for his 46th District scat. Instead he worked to raise Money to find a cure for aids. He is survived by his Long Lime compan Ion David Quarles his Mother Camil Lescott and a sister Mary Jamison. World s biggest breakfast served to hungry 34,000 Springfield mass. A some 34,000 Springfield residents consumed thousands of pounds of pancakes drenched in a ton of butter and washed Down with 600 Gallons of Coffee to allow the cily to a stake its claim to having served inc world s biggest breakfast. Battle Creek Mich had claimed the title last year Afler sen ing break fast to 32,000 people. The recipe for inc pancakes called for 3,000 pounds of flour 600 pounds of eggs and 400 Gallons of Waler. We re gelling it Down to a Sci ence said Amy Barren a spokeswoman for the cd Cal. Bui the City s claim to glory could be fleeting. Residents of Batlle Creek will iry to win the title Back when they Convene to share a similar meal next month. The latest massive feed marked the 14th time Springfield has gone up against Batlle Creek Home of the Kel Logg co Cereal company
