European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 6, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pentagon oks funds Transfer for champs Pago 4 a a the stars and stripes Ted Siebert washes Down a dragons head monday As the Long Long Long Beach Castle is completed. Getting Down to the nitty Gritty Pacific Beach is Castle is longest Long Beach Wash apr with sore Knees and aching backs residents of this tiny resort town declared Victory monday in their Sand Castle War with Myrtle Beach . A we came we fought we Are victorious a Nab Tel Shawa administrator of this town of 1,500, said after surveyors measured a Sand Castle built during the weekend. The Castle which included dragons and teenage mutant ninja turtles measured 34,503 feet or 6,53 Miles a enough for Long Beach to retain title to the worlds longest Sand sculpture. A continent away Myrtle Beach officials con ceded that the Sand Castle its residents had created was Only 26,834 feet or 5.1 Miles. But the South Carolina Sand builders did no to take defeat lying Down on the Beach. A a we be decided we Are going to go again a on the fourth of july a said Eric Riseland spokesman for the Myrtle Beach chamber of Commerce. A fall we re saying is it la be longer than 6.5 and less than 100.�?� Shawa said he Isnit sure Long Beach will be ready to rejoin the Battle in a month. A we might let them hold the title at least for a while a he said. A a we re a Little sore in the knee from being in the Sand we re a bit wind Burnt and quite honestly  prayer Washington apr the supreme court said monday that Public schools generally must allow student prayer groups to meet and worship if other student clubs Are permitted at school. It does not violate the constitutionally required separation of Church and state when High schools give the same Access to religious groups accorded such extracurricular activities As chess or scuba diving clubs the court said. The 8-1 ruling in a Nebraska Case upheld the equal Access act of 1984, in which Congress said Public High schools accepting Federal Aid must not discriminate against groups based on a the religious political philosophical or other Content of the speech at such  the ruling was cheered by conservatives and religious fundamentalists. But adherents of strict Church state separation and some educators said it could Lead to religious coercion of impressionable youngsters. In other action the court a ruled 8-1 in a Case from Illinois that police undercover agents May seek to elicit confessions from jailed suspects without first warning them of their right to remain silent or to request a lawyers help. A ruled unanimously in a North Carolina Case that nuclear Industry a whistle blowers who say they were disciplined for complaining about lax safety May sue their employers under state personal injury Laws. A agreed to study the governments Power to lift Price controls on some natural Gas a Case that has ten groups in Public of millions of dollars at stake for Consumers. A said it will decide whether passengers on International flights May sue airlines for the emotional distress they allegedly suffer in near crashes that cause them no physical harm. In the student prayer Case the court overruled Omaha neb., school officials who refused in 1985 to approve a Christian Bible Reading club at Westside High school. Justice Sandra Day of Connor wrote for the court that the equal Access act passes a three part test the supreme court Roundup court created in 1971 to assure separation of Church and state. She said the 1984 Law treats secular and religious speech equally does not have the primary effect of advancing religion and does not cause excessive entanglement Between government and religion. A a school that permits a student initiated and student led religious club to meet after school just As it permits any other student group to do does not convey a message of state approval or endorsement of the particular religion a she said. Of Connor also cautioned that under the Law passed by Congress schools May not deny meeting space to a a jewish students club a Young democrats club or a philosophy club devoted to the study of  Justice John Paul Stevens the Lone dissenter pre by Janet Howells Tierney Washington Bureau Washington a the Pentagon has approved partial fund transfers to temporarily cover shortages in its civilian health insurance budget for the air Force and Navy. But the transfers including $75 million for the Navy Are Only Stopgap measures. A a we re not out of the Woods yet a said Sydney Hickey of the National military family association. A we still need the big Money from  the health insurance program will run at a deficit of $640 million to $740 million by sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year officials said. A this action is necessary to ensure that medical care does not lapse before the reprogramming Issue is resolved a a Pentagon official said. The Pentagon wants to shift $800 million to pay military salaries and allowances and $650 million to bail out champs the civilian health and medical program of the uniformed services. However the Pentagon has waited months for Congress to approve the transfers called reprogramming. The action has been blocked by rep. Les Aspin a wis chairman of the House armed services committee who disagrees with funding sources. Congress is expected to resume talks this week on the defense department reprogramming request. Aspin has said he will not allow the Issue to be brought before his committee unless the Pentagon agrees to use More funds from its High profile strategic systems such As the b-2 bomber and the sea Wolf submarine. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney has said that if the discussions do not reach a decision he will use his own authority to shift the Money. The temporary Transfer approved last week allows the Navy to shift $75 million within its operations and maintenance account to Clear a backlog of claims under champs. The air Force is shifting Money within its champs system to pay claims and the army has adequate funds a Pentagon statement said. Overseas claims Are not affected because that system is not operating at a deficit. The Navy stopped making payments May 7 on stateside champs claims. The defense department hoped to solve the shortfall at the same time it transferred funding for military personnel accounts. The health insurance program covers civilian care for families of Active duty service members and retirees and for retirees under age 65.schools upheld piously suggested schools might be forced to provide a meeting room for the Kun jux klan or a club advocating drug use. But of Connor noted that the Federal Law allows school authorities to ban disruptive groups. Reacting to the ruling John Buchanan of people for the american Way said a the court has opened wide the schoolhouse door to religious study and worship leaving impressionable children to assume that such clubs Are part and parcel of the school approved daily  a this a major intrusion of religion into our secular Public schools a said atheist activist Madalyn Murray of hair of Austin Texas. She had filed the lawsuit that led to the supreme courts 1962 decision Banning school sponsored prayers. The National school boards association had called the 1984 Law a thinly disguised move to return prayer to the Public schools and maintained that it erodes the Power of local schools officials. Beverly Lahaye president of concerned women for America applauded mondays ruling. A the supreme court has ruled against religious apartheid in american High schools a one said. A to exclude student religious groups from meeting on Campus is nothing More than bigoted  Bridget Mergens Mayhew the former West sidle High school student whose desire to Start a Bible study Ciao led to the ruling said she is delighted. A a it a got to be Clear to All school officials that they can to discriminate against religion anymore a she said