European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 23, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 a a the stars and stripes saturday june 23,1990house defeats proposed Flag amendment Washington apr the House on thursday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to protect the american Flag from desecration heeding opponents who said it could not help but undermine the Bill of rights. The 254-177 tally left the amendment backed by president Bush 34 votes Short of the two thirds majority required to Send it to the states for ratification. Republicans voted 159-17 for it democrats 160-95 against. The Senate is expected to vote next week on the amendment. Constitutional amendments require approval by two thirds majorities in both Chambers of Congress and ratification by 38 of the 50 states. The House vote followed a sometimes impassioned Day of debate featuring More than 100 speeches including a rare address by the speaker of the House rep. Thomas s. Foley a Wash. A we should not Amend the Constitution of the United states to reach the sparse and scattered and despicable conduct of a few who would Dishonour the Flag and defile it a said Foley who also cast a rare speakers vote to Register his opposition to the amendment. By tradition the speaker does not normally engage in debate or vote. But rep. Henry Hyde r-ill., countered a let us take the Flag out of the Gutter where the counterculture has drag ged it and is smearing it. We have 10 amendments that guarantee us All sorts of rights. How about one amendment that gives us a duty a Foley said thursdays vote would be the last one on the amendment this year in the House but republicans promised to keep the Issue alive. A i am confident this debate is going to go on for a Long time a rep. Newt Gingrich r-ga., told the chamber. Asked about Bush a efforts in behalf of the amendment Gingrich said a it was very hard for the president in two Days to override the  supporters of the amendment backed by veterans groups seeking More time to lobby had tried to delay thursdays vote until next week but were Defeated 231192. Rep. . Montgomery d-miss., the chairman of the House veterans committee and the amendments prime democratic sponsor said of the proposal a i think we owe it to the Brave americans who have died for this  but rep. David obey d-wis., decried the attempt to modify the first amendment. A when i look around the politicians today i see More people who remind me of Daffy Duck than Thomas Jefferson a he said. The strength of the opposition was larger than expected and was aided by the unexpected support of some conservatives. A up until 24 hours ago i was a sponsor of this amendment a said rep. Tim Valentine . A but Over the rhetoric of the past few Days i finally heard the voice of my own  the amendment read a the Congress and the states shall have Power to prohibit physical desecration of the Flag of the United  it was first proposed in 1989 after the supreme court ruled that Flag burning was a form of protected free speech. The Issue was revived last week when the court rejected last years attempt to pass an anti Flag buying Law that the court could accept. After the vote on the amendment the House also rejected a new statute a not a constitutional amendment a to ban Flag burning. The Bill narrowly drawn in Hopes of avoiding court rejection would impose fines and jail terms for people who bum flags to promote violence or who bum flags on Federal property or belonging to the Federal government. Republicans voted overwhelmingly against it after their leadership called it a a Fig Leaf to protect democrats who opposed the constitutional amendment and it lost 236-179. Regardless of the outcome on Capitol Hill republicans Promise to raise the Issue in this Falls Campaign. The House majority Leader rep. Richard Gephardt d-mo., acknowledged the political Tightrope that members were walking. Most Republican speakers supported the amendment the bulk of opposition came from democrats. There also was a noticeable generational tilt in the debate. House minority Leader Bob Michel r-ill., a decorated world War ii Veteran co sponsored the amendment and called it a a measured prudent limited thoughtful approach to the  a a surely this is something different from the a assault on the Bill of rights some critics say it is a he said. Rep. James h. Quillen r-tenn., another world War ii Veteran used photographs of the famed iwo Jima Flag raising and of a Flag burning protest in new Yorkus Central Park to dramatize his support for the amendment. But rep. David Bonior d-mich., a Vietnam Veteran who said he would a never forget the sacrifices that have been made so that our Flag can Fly proudly and freely a was a Leader of the opposition. A in 200 years of our history these Basic freedoms have never been amended never. And if we Start now who knows what freedoms will be next where will it end a he asked. Transition from Page 1w. Germany gives final approval to economic merger with e. Germany 50 percent. Then Over an unspecified period All of them except a Token contingents would be removed. A foreign troops would pull out of Berlin within six months of a German merger. The proposal apparently would involve Only troops of the three Western allies because the soviet contingents Are stationed just outside the East Berlin City limits on East German territory. The Western allies have about 12,000 troops in West Berlin. The United states rejected the plan on nato. A i am underwhelmed a was bakery a reaction. Despite the disagreement Shevardnadze said he expected the allies would reach agreement on German unification by the end of this year. The two German nations already Are planning joint elections for december. During the concluding news conference the conflicting views Between the soviets and the foreign ministers of the United states great Britain France and the two Germany became apparent. Shevardnadze said a the soviet Union will do All to remove foreign troops from German soil. We believe the German people will eventually want the foreign troops to evacuate their newly United  for his part Baker said a your actions should not in any form discriminate against  the next two rounds of the talks will take place in Paris in july and in Moscow in september. Contributing to this report the associated press in East Berlin Bonn West Germany apr West Germany gave final approval Friday to the economic merger with East Germany a move that will effectively unite the two countries after 40 years of cold War division. Parliaments upper House or bundesrat passed the state treaty a Day after the East German parliament and the powerful lower House of the West German parliament approved it. With the decision the mighty West German Mark becomes the official currency in East Germany on july 2. The historic pact Marks the de Facto unification of Germany and the end of 40 years of communism in East Germany. Only the West German states of lower Saxony and Saarland voted to reject the treaty. They Are social democratic strongholds and Saarland is the Home state of social democratic Chancellor candidate Oskar Lafontaine the most vocal opponent of the pact. Lafontaine was not in the chamber for fridays debate. He was on vacation. The opposition social democrats who control the chamber had criticized the Speed with which Unity was approaching and what they saw As the treaty Slack of adequate support for East germans after socialist support systems fall to free Market rules. But they said they would not torpedo the pact because of the High expectations for German unification that have mounted since the fall of the Berlin Wall in november. Some experts have predicted up to 2 million unemployed in East Germany As outmoded government owned factories and businesses try to compete. More than a third of the enterprises Are expected to close and there Are fears social unrest could result. West germans fear the High Cost of unification and worry about the possibility of higher taxes and inflation. Political unification is now seen As a possibility before years end and the conservative Christian democrats of West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl have called for All German elections in december. East Germany a hard line communist regime fell amid massive demonstrations last fall giving Way to elections in March that brought to Power the country a first non communist government that immediately began negotiating unification. Both German parliaments have also approved a Resolution recognizing Poland a Western Border the Oder Neisse Rivers As final. The Issue had become one of the most emotional in the move toward full German unification. Poles feared a United Germany might try to retake former territories lost to Poland after world War ii and ultraconservative West germans saw the return of the Terri tones As Homeland rights. Kohls reticence to clearly recognize the polish Border Only fuelled concerns. In March after International and Domestic criticism he called for the Resolution that was passed thursday  from Page 1 ing the capital Tehran and causing new landslides that trapped trucks carrying Relief supplies. But a Fleet of Rescue helicopters and planes got through to areas Cut off by thursdays quake. The planes brought tons of supplies and carried out thousands of survivors. The earthquake measured at least 7.3 on the Richter scale and struck at 12 30 a.m., while most iranians were asleep. The temblor was entered 125 Miles Northwest of Tehran. The official islamic Republic news Agency said Relief officials had compiled a list of 28,950 dead and 28,198 injured. The iranian Mission to the United nations released a death toll of 25,000, and said the count would Likely Rise As rescuers reached More Remote areas. Fabrizio Gentiloni of the . Disaster Relief coordinators office in Geneva said the iranians told . Officials in Tehran that an estimated 35,000 people were killed and More than 100,000 injured. Most of the deaths were in two Northern fanning provinces Gilan and Zan Jan which have a combined population of 2.7 million Irna said. More than 25,000 people were killed in coastal Gilan alone. Telephone lines electricity and water supplies were Cut in the provinces. Irna also reported that a dam South of Rasht burst flooding the surrounding area. The International red Cross said in Geneva that radio reports from the red Crescent of Iran indicated that at least 400,000 were left homeless. Officials pleaded for blood blankets and Medicine and other countries promised to Send supplies. An iranian health official said Friday there was no need for a foreign blood because of donations from iranians. Frightened survivors spent the night outdoors afraid to go Home. In quake devastated towns women in Black chador flanked by weeping children camped out in Public squares. The Region is vulnerable to earthquakes because Many Homes Are built on flood Plains of loosely deposited soil that shifts violently in a quake. The primary construction materials Are Ceramic bricks and Unrein forced Concrete both of which crumble easily. Iran a spiritual Leader Ali Khamenei called the disaster a a divine test and urged the bereaved residents of the stricken provinces a to pass this test with Pride through patience and  and president Hashemi a Sfanjani flew to the area to supervise Relief operations. A Sfanjani declared three Days of  of help poured in from around the world. Japan said Friday it would Send a Rescue team and $500,000 in emergency Aid. The european Community promised $1.2 million in emergency Relief. Even Iraq one of Iran a most bitter enemies offered condolences and Aid. President Bush had sent a message of condolence to a Sfanjani along with the . Offer of humanitarian assistance i was delivered to Iran by an unidentified country because the United states does not have diplomatic relations with ten ran. N it Iran responded a Day later saying a was willing to accept earthquake Reinie from the american red Cross or one . Humanitarian organizations to Ltd state department in Washington said