European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 25, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday july 25, 1990 the stars and stripes at service by the Washington Post Washington a the Senate armed services committee is pushing the Pentagon to make military ethics a required course at each of the nation s service academies an idea that grew out of the Iran Contra a Latr and recent allegations of hazing at the . Naval  report a accompanying the defense authorization Bill sent to the Senate on Friday the committee said cadets at West Point and the air Force Academy and midshipmen at the naval Academy Are not receiving enough training in Quot specific real life ethical situations that military officers will  ares,5 problem the committee recommends that the academies incorporate into their cur Nocula topics such As constitutional limits on military authority civilian military relations the proper response to illegal orders and the misuse of Power to further personal goals. Sen. Robert c. Byrd d-w.va., a committee member said lawmakers became concerned about the need for More ethics based course work last year following the Iran Contra affair. Three of the principal players convicted in the arms for hostages scandal a former nation Al Security Council aide Oliver l. North and former National Security advisers John m. Poindexter and Robert c. Mcfarlane a were naval Academy graduates. Quot when these Young people see their heroes How they responded to orders that were probably illegal and used shredders to destroy evidence something is clearly Sai Quot we should not be turning out these kind of  at the committee s request the Pentagon earlier this year prepared a report detailing what each of the Academe is a ing t0 teach professional ethics. The report concluded that the rigid Honor and conduct codes to which students Are Hela and a series of required leadership courses provide a Strong moral framework for future officers and Are the Quot greatest strength of the academies. But Byrd said the Pentagon a study did not Sway the committee from its opinion that More needs to be done particularly in Light of the controversy Over academic improprieties and the alleged mistreatment of individual midshipmen that rocked the naval Academy this Spring. That report a fell far Short of what we expected by Way of a thorough study which indicated to me that there in 1 a great deaf of interest Over there in pursuing this we Don t get a feeling of real sensitivity to the need Quot Byrd said. _ Starke Fla. Apr a makeshift inmate was jotted with current in Florida s electric chair monday. The makeshift inmate was made up of a Metal colander to represent a human head a vat of Saline solution for the body and a piece of pipe As a leg. The Experiment was a state ordered test to show the chair works correctly and the botched execution of Jesse Tafero was probably caused by a synthetic sponge. The test was ordered by gov. Bob Martinez after the botched May 4 electrocution of Tafero who died amid smoke and flames. A the electric chair works As it is supposed to a said Mike Morse an associate professor of electrical engineering at Auburn University in Auburn Ala. Morse is an electrical Engineer who conducted the  test was carried out in the death chamber at Florida state prison in front of journalists state officials representatives of the general electric co. And officials with corrections departments from Virginia and South Carolina. But lawyers who represent death Row inmates in Florida said they were unimpressed and would continue appeals based on arguments that the chair will torture the next inmate strapped into it. With the contraption silting in the wooden electric chair Morse conducted the 15-minute demonstration which caused a noisy buzzing to Check whether the chair was functioning properly. The uth . Circuit court of appeals has blocked several recent executions because of questions raised by de a recent Survey by a Marine officer at the naval Academy found that 90 percent of midshipmen hold the Atti Tudic that a something is Only wrong if you get caught Quot and a new study by the Navy a inspector general that concluded that More than half of the midshipmen think that the Honor system is applied inconsistently has further convinced the committee that its demand is reasonable Byrd said. A in my Book it seems that something Basic is missing which goes to the Core of this whole thing Quot Byrd said. A these Young people who graduate from the service academies should have a fundamental understanding of what is right and what is wrong. And if we arc turning Over into officers a lot of men and women who think its Only wrong if you get caught we arc not doing our jobs when a lot of lives hang in the balance Quot he said. The committee has asked defense Secretary Dick Cheney to report Back by feb. 1 on How the schools arc implementing its recommendation. A source said that Date was selected to. Ensure the academics have something in place by the Spring semester of the next academic year although Cheney would not be required to follow the committees suggestion since it is not part of the defense spending Bill. Ron Thorton left and John Barton both of the Florida department of corrections. Remove materials and equipment used in the monday test near Starke Fla. Sense attorneys about the chairs effectiveness. The governor said he is a satisfied that this objective test by Independent experts conclusively shows what we have been saying All along a that Florida a electric chair is in working  a it is my sincere Hope that defense Bakker s prison wages taken by government to pay fines attorneys will cease using this false argument As a basis for unsubstantiated appeals Quot he said. During mondays test the current was turned on and meters attached to the device showed that the chair was putting out 2,000 volts and 10 to 11 amps Quot it was a picture per fact Demontra Sands of time Tion Quot Morse said. Defense attorneys contend the amount of electric to reaching Tafuro Wasny to enough to kill him instantly. The Engineer said he had conducted similar tests Over the weekend using the same kind of synthetic sponge used for the first time in the Tafuro execution and had seen results similar to that controversial death. He said the sponge caused a electrical arcing flames and  but Morse believes the Jolt received by Tafero was still lethal. A it is very unlikely after the initial Shock that he Felt any pain Quot Morse said. Quot it would be highly unlikely that the brain would be  state rep. Ron Silver a North Miami Democrat who is chairman of the House committee on criminal Justice attended the test and said he hoped it would satisfy the circuit court. Martinez who had earlier blamed the fire on the no Var before used synthetic sponge that wont be used again said he ordered the tests to show the appeals judges that the chair is functioning. Defense attorneys for other death Row inmates have successfully delayed several recent scheduled executions by arguing that Tafero was burned alive by Low voltage and that present clients might suffer the same Fate a violation of the . Constitutions prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Quot i Hope this demonstration and test will be satisfactory and if it is not we need to proceed from there to do what is necessary to carry out the Laws of the state Quot Silver said. Asheville . Apr the Federal government is seizing Jim bakkers prison wages to cover the fines he owes on a fraud conviction but it la take a Long time to collect. The former to evangelist owes $501,025, and at the moment he makes 11 cents an hour. So far the government has garnished a total of $25 from the former pal president assistant . Attorney Clifford marshal said monday. Bakker is serving a 45-year fraud and conspiracy sentence at the Federal medical Center in Rochester Minn. Bakker cleans toilets his attorney said earlier this year. The government is looking elsewhere for assets including a pension fund set up for Bakker Marshall said. Pal collapsed amid a sex and Money scandal after it was revealed Bakker had sexual relations with former Church Secretary Jessica Hahn. Bakker and three other pal employees were convicted in connection with the ministry a defrauding followers of some $158 million. Brothers James and David Taggart convicted of tax evasion owe the government $535,174.64 each. Neither has made any payments since being sentenced to 18 years in prison. Richard Dortch bakkers top lieutenant has paid $25 on his $200,000  the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. July 25, 1950 eighty tons of bombs were dumped on North korean communications Sites by . B-29s. Cleaning weather permitted visual bombings Over Korea for the first time in several days.30 years ago today. I a 25, 1960 a Republican platform drafters in Chicago promised to maintain i military Power second to none Quot under a budget that would provide whatever would be necessary to insure american and free world Security.20 years ago today. July 25, 1970 state of California said that Charles m. Manson ordered the murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others in order to Start a a Black White 1 voiullodi10 years ago today. July 25, 1980 a film Star Peter Sellers 54, who portrayed scores of characters in his acting career died of a heart attack in London