European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 28, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 a the stars and stripes Friday june 28, ,1991 a German family listens to the glockenspiel shells at Munich a Rathaus hiring a downpour thursday. See Page u. Computer hang  service disruptions blamed on a computer trouble plagued millions of telephones in the nations capital and three nearby states wednesday. Phone users across much of California experienced similar problems. A Page 4 getting Back at the Boss planting computer bombs and other viruses is the latest High tech revenge for disgruntled workers computer Security experts say. A Page 6 nuclear Plant fined Federal officials fined the operators of the St. Lucie nuclear Power Plant after discovering that a spraying system designed to keep the Plant from melting Down in Case of a nuclear Accident was disabled for five months. A Page 7 f/a-18 wins Swiss nod. A Cabinet level Swiss Agency announced it has selected the f/a-18 Hornet built by Mcdonnell Douglas corp. For Switzerland s now fighter aircraft program. A Page 9 investment obstacles about 200 . Companies have invested in the new Eastern German states but obstacles to further investment must be removed before that number will increase. A Page 17i.n? Abby Ann Landers. 19 action line. 16 comics 19-20-21 commentary. _____13 crossword. 19 letters. 12 Money matters. 17 sports. 22-28 to listings. 22 weather. .11 High court rulings Clear Way for harsher criminal sentences Washington a the. Supreme court calling drug trafficking a grave threat to society ruled thursday that states May impose life in prison without parole for people convicted of.  amounts of drugs. The court also declared that juries choosing life or death for convicted murderers May take into account the victims character and the suffering of the victims relatives. The two important rulings were announced As the court concluded its 199091 term in which it became an increasingly hostile forum for criminal do fondant. The justices will not return to the Bench until the first monday in octo bar although orders in pending cases will be released by court officials Friday. The court by a 5-4 vote upheld a Michigan Law that makes life in prison without possibility of parole the mandatory sentence for possessing More than 650 Grams or about i pounds of cocaine. A the justices said the Michigan Law does not. Result in a cruel and. Unusual punishment a a which is banned by the constitutions eighth amendment. The decision Means such a sentence could even be imposed on first time offenders. In a 6-3 ruling the court permitted so called a victim Impact a evidence during the sentencing phase in cases that can . Capital punishment. In its decision the com t reversed two recent rulings. Chief Justice William h. Rehnquist writing Lor the court said barring such evidence has shackled prosecutors unfairly. A victim Impact evidence is simply another dim or method of informing the jury about the specific harm caused by the crime in question a he said. The rulings overturned by the court thursday deprived a the state of the full moral Force of its evidence a he said a. In another Case the court Quot ruled that states have Broad Power to prevent criminal defense lawyers from talking publicly about their clients and the charges against them. By a 5-4 vote the justices said lawyers participating in court proceedings Are subject to restrictions on their free speech rights that could not be imposed supreme court on the news Media or the general Public. Michigan a 1978 sentencing Law is the nations stiffest but thursdays decision could Spur other states to adopt similar Laws in their War against drugs. The decision did not yield a majority opinion among the justices but a coalition of five joined together to uphold the Michigan Law. Those five were chief Justice William a Rehnquist and justices Antonin sea tin Anthony m. Kennedy Sandra Day of Connor and David h. Souter. Kennedy writing for himself of Connor and Souter said arguments that drug trafficking is a non violent and victim less is a false to the Point of  a to. The contrary the crime threatened to cause grave harm to society a Kennedy said. Justices Byron r. While Thurgood Marshall starry. A. Blackmun and John Paul Stevens dissented. White most often a voice for Law and order said life in prison without parole for Possession of narcotics a is unconstitutionally disproportionate in that it Vio Latch the eighth amendments prohibition against cruel and unusual  in a separate opinion Stevens said. A the notion that this sentence satisfies any meaningful requirement of proportionality is itself both cruel and  the ruling upheld the sentence of life without parole for Ronald Harmelin 45, who had 672 Grams of pure cocaine when arrested in. Oak Park a suburb of de. Troit in 1986. Prosecutors said the Street value of the cocaine found in Harmelink a car was by tween $67,000 arid $100,000. The chief Justice and Scalia voted to overturn a 1983 ruling by the High court in which a 5-4 majority of the justices said punishment must be proportionate to the crime committed the sentences imposed for other crimes in that state and the  similar offences in other states. Rehnquist and Scalia said the Constitution does not require any proportionality test for punishments other than the death  1983 ruling threw out As cruel and unusual the life without parole sentence Given a Man convicted of writing a phony $100 Check. Convicted six times previously of minor non violent crimes the Man. Had been sentenced As a repeat offender. But Kennedy joined by of Connor and Souter refused to go As far As Rehnquist and Scalia wanted to take the court. Writing for the three Kennedy said the eighth amendment a encompasses a narrow proportionality principles for All punishment. Soldier charged with raping German woman. A 1, a. Pir Masens Germany  a a 35-year-old army specialist has been charged in connection with the a. Alleged rape june 21 of a 17-year-old German woman according to . And German authorities. A t. Otti vials with the 32nd air arty defense  to give the soldiers name. But they said the suspect is a Generator Mechanic assigned to the 565th Ord co in Pir Masens. Unofficial sources however confirmed that the soldiers name is Michael r. Johnson. ,. German authorities in  charged him saturday with rape deprivation of Liberty and sexual intimidation. The Soldier was released to american custody later that Day and transferred to the . Confinement facility at Man Njeim. A a j in was later charged by . Authorities with attempted murder rape sodomy and kidnapping. A. The German newspapers firm Senser Zeitung and die Rhein Slalz reported tuesday that the victim was Quot hitchhiking Home Troin a Pir Masens disco about 3 30 . June 21 when she was picked up and driven into the Woods where she was raped in the car.1 the woman alleged that she was then driven to the Many a apartment tied to a bed and raped repeatedly. The attacked then tried to suffocate the victim with a Pillow. She fought bail until he stopped. She was then blindfolded driven around for a reported East Between 11 . And noon the newspaper she went to her parents Home in Pir Masens and reported the incident. Later that Day she was Able to identify the place in the Woods where she first was raped. She also pointed out the sus Peet s car As the one that had picked her up. At 10 30  Friday German and . Police arrested the Ai is m Pir Masens said Martin Heinekamp we Brucken s chief prosecutor. The suspect will be held in the Mannheim confinement facility pending the completion of a military investigation. German per Fin in a c1c w other they will retain jurisdiction according to 32nd air arty. Defense come officials. A Stuttgart Germany a amp so a a 1st inf div fwd sergeant was sentenced wednesday to a bad  in connection with a ear Accident in february that killed a dose Friend. Sgt. Steven Patrick 25, of Atlanta pleaded guilty in a general court martial to negligent homicide. T he prosecuting attorney had recommended that Patrick receive a one year prison term but the seven member court panel decided against any confinement. Patrick was the non commissioned officer in. Charge of nuclear biological and chemical Protection preparations for the 1st in Isth inf regt in by Bingen a Stuttgart suburb Quot Patrick was driving a rented late Model Audi from la i Masens to Bohlinger on feb. 3 when the car went off the Road injuring both him and his passenger staff sgt. Orson Russell. Russell died of his injuries six Days later. Patrick admitted he was overtired and had been drinking alcohol before the trip which occurred Only two weeks after his redeployment from saudi Arabia. In court Patrick described Russell As a close Friend. Russell had been sleeping while Riding a with Patrick and was not wearing a seat Belt when the Accident occurred according to court testimony. Patrick said he spent four Days in a Hospital recovering from his own injuries which were a concussion and a fractured left Elbow. Temporary Rhein main City folds its tents 0111 a i \ t my a i it i i i. _ Rhein main a Germany the tent City Here that housed More than 200,000 troops on their Way to and from the persian Gulf Region officially closed thursday. A construction of the Canvas Community began soon after president Bush ordered american troops to the Gulf following iraqis invasion of Kuwait in August. 1 he City s busiest month was january when More than 36,500 people passed through the air base. By the end of Mav the total reached 203.299. A a at its Peak the City provided sleeping space for More than 1,300 people. In addition it had telephones showers am laundry facilities for passengers. Other services eventually included Large fest tent with a Library television videos pingpong and food