European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 24, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes monday june 24, 1991 . Shows off missile by Thomas ii. Maug Iii los Angeles times san Juan Capistrano Calif. For the first time the department of defense on saturday displayed the Gigantic Alpha chemical laser that represents the second line of the nation s a Star wars defense against ballistic missile attack. The unveiling of the facility built for the Pentagon by try inc., follows two tests indicating that the laser can produce More than a megawatt 1 million Watts of Power enough to destroy enemy missiles while they Are still in the first stages of their launch. Try officials said the first weapons could be deployed around the turn of the Century. Their primary role would be to Back up the so called kinetic Energy systems such As a Brilliant pebbles a in which projectiles would be smashed into missiles and warheads to destroy them. The laser device works by concentrating massive heat on its target burning a Hole through it and causing it to explode. A megawatt laser produces heat that is several times More intense than that produced in the Throat of the rocket engines on the space shuttle said Joseph Miller of try. Such heat will Burn through most materials even those that Are highly reflective. Initially the chemical laser system operating from orbit might be used to discriminate Between real warheads and decoys perhaps destroying the decoys and heating up the warheads up they can More readily be targeted by the kinetic Energy weapons said Dan Wildt of the strategic defense initiative organization. Eventually it might become the primary line of defense because the lasers can destroy missiles shortly after launch so that the debris Falls on the attackers territory. That is a particularly important consideration if the warhead contains chemical or biological weapons Wildt said. Had the system been operational during the persian Gulf War it could have shot Down the scud missiles launched by Iraq said Neil Griff of the strategic defense initiative organization the $250 million Alpha laser is the most powerful yet produced. Unlike most lasers which Are powered by electricity Alpha is powered by a chemical reaction the combination of gaseous Hydrogen and fluorine to produce Hydrogen fluoride. That chemical reaction produces enormous amounts of Power allowing the device to have a Power source Small enough to be lofted into space. The lightweight aluminium Alpha laser under development since the Early 1980s, has been fired seven times for periods ranging from a fifth of a second to 4.6 seconds for the most recent test conducted May 16. For anti missile defense the device would have to operate continuously for several minutes. Alpha itself is not quite powerful enough to destroy enemy missiles from space but it can easily be made More powerful by making it larger Miller said. The programs next major step will be the installation of a High precision Mirror that would focus the laser beam on targets those tests Are scheduled to begin in 1994. If successful the tests would be followed two to four years later by the first test of the combined Iaser Mirror system in space a project expected to Cost about $1.5 billion. A deployment of the lasers could then begin three to five years after that. An operational system  composed of a several tens of lasers produced at a Cost of a hundreds of millions of dollars apiece Griff said. Each anti missile laser platform would weigh As much As 200,000 pounds and its deployment May be depend upon the Success of the heavy launch vehicle now being developed. Democrats urged to shun twinkle economics Aspen Colo. A democrats must steer Clear of a a twinkle economics that taste Good and have no substance if they want to recapture the presidency Paul Tsongas told democratic governors saturday. A a the former senator from Massachusetts is the Only a noun c e d d e m o c r a t i c candidate for the presidency. He told the democratic governors association that republicans have left democrats in a position to capture the economic leadership of the country. Tsongas is building his Campaign around rising alarms about the nations Economy. Many democrats Are talking about a doing what the republicans have done a push the right buttons to get elected with no mandate a Tsongas said. A but we done to need twinkle economics a it tastes Good but it has no substance. A democrats must be aggressively pro jobs pro growth pro competitiveness and pro business. Economics in the final analysis is the most important  Tsongas also urged democrats to Field a Large number of presidential candidates saying it is a not helpful to the party to be perceived As  Tsongas was forced to leave the Senate in 1984 when he was stricken with cancer. But his doctors say he has beaten the disease. Tsongas said he serves Chi seven boards of directors Quot and there a not one director in those companies who a riot terrified about what a happening to this country. People Are  Iii Tioco democratic presidential candidates Pau Tsongas tells democratic governors that a people Are  nine governors met in Aspen Over the Ozment and education. Because of their economic development weekend for discussions of the Deiso Arkansas gov. Bill Clinton a pro programs Indiana gov. Evan Bayh  critic party s Agenda for 1992. Topics in Spect ivc presidential candidate said the that tying economic development to de eluded transportation economic devel 27 democratic governors got elected cation Reform is crucial too. Columbus Ohio up West Virginia Senate president Keith Burdette has a message for Ohio officials a remember we to own is the Ohio River. And its not Ohio. Burdette said saturday that West Virginia officials Are upset that Ohio has started enforcing a 1974 Law taxing West Virginia contractors doing business in Ohio. Maybe West Virginia should Start to tax  from Ohio that use the Ohio River if the Issue Between the two states cannot be resolved. Burdette said in a Telephone interview from his Home in Parkersburg . The dispute surfaced recently when Ohio tax officials ordered Busch Crane rental in Parkersburg to pay $12.0,000 in taxes on equipment it purchased Iri 1948. The Parkersburg news reported earlier that Wood county auditor Gene Knotts had brought the matter to the attention of West Virginia officials w to expressed both Shock and outrage. Burdette said assessors from the 12 West Virginia counties that Border the Ohio River will meet this week to discuss the situation. Burdette said that the $120,000 requested from Busch Crane rental could break the company and that other Small companies will find themselves in the same situation. A they Ohio officials say they arc in forcing their Laws. But that Law was passed in 1974 and they Are just now enforcing it a Burdette said. A i think they re just looking for an easy Way to get  Quot Burdette said he would discuss the matter with West Virginia gov. Gaston Caperton to see whether the problem can be resolved. To we can to talk Ohio out of this we re going to return the favor a he said. A there Are probably a lot More contractors doing business in West Virginia than there Are West Virginia contractors Doii business in Ohio. We May not enact a u tax but we will find  Bril Marshall acting director of to Ohio sales and use tax division to the Parkersburg news that the Ohio b authorizes the state to Levy taxes it equipment owned by contractors that a based in states that do not have a Sal tax on the equipment. He said the Ohio tax is equal to 6 i cent of the Purchase Price of the Equi ment,.with no allowance for depreciation Burdette said the equipment owned Bush Crane rental is 43 years old but being taxed As it it w Ere new