European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 18, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a the stars and stripes thursday july 18, 1991 Thomas nomination inv magic fir Vire Washington a sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia a Leader of the Southern democratic bloc critical to the confirmation Hopes of Clarence Thomas embraced the on the other Side of the Capitol however the nomination of Thomas was attacked by congressional advocates for abortion rights civil rights and the elderly. A my intention right now is to support him and ill be having warm words of support at the hearings a Nunn said although he reserved the right to change his mind. Few of Dixie a democratic senators have taken a stand on the nomination of Thomas a conservative Black member of the . Court of appeals for the District of Columbia. Southern democrats _ 1987 defeat of judge Robert Bork a supreme court nominee of former president Reagan. After a 40-minute meeting in his Senate office Nunn emerged with Thomas and the judges chief Patron sen. John c. Danforth r-mo., to announce he would join Danforth in presenting Thomas to the Senate judiciary committee when it opens confirmation hearings late this summer. Nunn defended Thomas who has been criticized by civil rights leaders for his opposition to affirmative action and by jewish leaders for Thomas Praise of the self help philosophy of Black nationalist Louis Farrak Nunn were a key Factor in the Han. A my own feeling is that Clarence comes from a segregated society and i think Over a period of title if he is on the court he will be very sensitive to discrimination a Nunn said. Thomas experienced racial Bias and poverty growing up in Savannah a. Thomas also met with sen. Edward m. Kennedy d-mass., a member of the judiciary committee. But Kennedy would not answer questions about the nominee telling reporters a i look Forward to the  while Thomas was continuing his Courtesy Calls in the Senate opposition to his confirmation was being voiced in the House whose members have no vote in the matter. Rep. John Lewis,d-ga., a leading congressional voice on civil rights attacked the nominees record on that  was a participant in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, its Good to know that or. Thomas benefited from the struggles of so Many who came before him a said Lewis. A a in be heard the argument that Clarence Thomas wont forget from whence he comes and therefore he would be sensitive to the plight of the disadvantaged. My response to that argument is a look at his record. He has forgotten from whence he has  a rep. Barbara Boxer d-calif., warned that Thomas if confirmed could be a crucial vote in overturning Roe is. Wade the 1983 supreme court ruling guaranteeing the right to an abortion. A women it is your right and it is your fight a Boxer said. A we cannot sit idly by. We must insist that president Bush Stop the extremism of the supreme court. Too much of our freedoms arc at stake for too Many  judge Clarence Thomas chats with sen. Edward Ken Nedy during a Capitol Hill visit tuesday.$5.8 billion More proposed for jobless benefits i. By the Washington Post Washington a the chairman of the Senate finance committee said tuesday that he will push for prompt enactment of a $5.8 billion expansion of unemployment benefits which would give workers up to 20 additional weeks of jobless pay in states hardest hit by the recession. A declaring that unemployment has reached emergency proportions in Many areas sen. Lloyd Bentsen a Texas invited president Bush to join Congress in relaxing budget constraints that bar spending in excess of approved limits except in situations recognized As emergencies by both the White House and Congress. Congress has gone along with Bush in approving emergency spending for crises such As flooding in Bangladesh and should now take the initiative in pushing him to agree to lift budget restrictions and raise unemployment benefits Bentsen said. Bentsen whose committee has jurisdiction Over unemployment insurance Laid his proposal before Senate democrats at a policy luncheon and received what he called a overwhelming  he said he intended to push for Senate action a was soon As we can but declined to say whether action was possible before the monthlong recess starting in Early August. Unlike legislation pending in the House Bentsen a proposal would not raise employers taxes to provide added benefits because of the pay As you go rules contained in the budget agreement the White House and Congress reached last year. Instead it would bypass the budget rules by declaring a emergency and dip into an existing $8 billion unemployment benefits Pool without resorting to added taxes. Bentsen a proposal would change the mechanism for triggering benefits in excess of the Standard 26 weeks to make it easier for states to qualify. Currently Only Alaska Maine Rhode Island and puerto Rico qualify for 13 weeks of extended benefits according to Bentsen a office. Bentsen a proposal would provide 20 weeks of extended benefits for states with jobless rates of 8 percent or More and a Shorter Span of extended benefits for states with lower rates. As of now seven states would qualify for the maximum Benefit. The minimum is a four week Extension for states with rates below 6 percent. In addition former military personnel who now qualify for 13 weeks of regular unemployment benefits after a four week waiting period would be put on a Par with civilian workers who get 26 weeks after a week of  implant firm says studies show no link to cancer Washington a a leading manufacturer of silicone breast implants is releasing 329 research studies that it says show the implants do not increase the risk of breast cancer. Dow Corning corp. Said tuesday that it conducted the studies Over the past 30 years. They were submitted last week to the food and drug administration. The Fra had Given manufacturers 90 Days to show the implants Are Safe or Stop Selling them. The Agency has 180 Days in which to evaluate the information. More than 2 million women have received breast implants and an estimated 150,000 More of the devices Are implanted annually. About 80 percent Are for cosmetic purposes and the rest Are for breast reconstruction after mastectomies or injuries. The Fra in ordering the companies to prove Tulve devices Are Safe cited a number of health concerns including risk of infection pain hardening of breasts false mammography results and silicone leaks. Questions also have been raised about potential Long term risks such As immune reactions and cancer. Alternative to census discussed Washington apr the Bush administration is offering to work with Congress to find something better than the census count As a guide for Parcelin out billions of Federal Aid dollars to states and local governments. But Commerce Secretary Robert a. Mosbacher told the House census and population subcommittee on tuesday that changing the census numbers was not the Way to give Blacks and hispanics their fair share of Federal Aid. A you can to take a census of 250 million americans and try to Correct a wrong a he said. Mosbacher on monday rejected using estimates that would have added 5.3 million people to the number counted last year. The 248.7 million americans reported by the 1990 census were about 2 percent Short of the True population according to census Bureau estimates. Although Mosbacher did not consider the present corrected numbers to be accurate enough he said census Bureau statisticians were finding ways to improve the estimates. Those spending formulas based on population Are important to states and local governments because they Are used directly and indirectly to Divide an estimated $59 billion in Federal Aid. The census numbers also reshape the political map by determining How Many representatives an area sends to Congress the state legislature and even the City Council. But Mosbacher a offer to restructure the Grant formulas would have no effect on redistricting. Man arrested in . Heist ambush new York up a one Man was arrested tuesday in a Rush hour ambush on the grand Central station viaduct that left one Man killed two others wounded and $200,000 stolen police said. Three other suspects were being sought in the Midtown Manhattan attack said a police spokesman sgt. Edward Burns. Phong Nguyen 20, of Medford a vietnamese immigrant was arrested and charged with murder criminal Possession of a weapon and grand larceny in the april 22 heist bums said. The ambush occurred shortly after 6 . On the northbound viaduct just after it crosses 45th Street and enters the Helmsley building on 46th Street Over Park Avenue. Assailants in a Bow pulled in front of four people in a land Rover Type vehicle at what is known As a dead Many a curve in the Detour around the pan am build in atop grand Central terminal. They forced the four wheel drive vehicle to a halt and men in Long dark overcoats with bandannas Over their faces opened fire on and wounded the three men in the vehicle sparing the fourth occupant a woman. The victims were carrying $200,000 from the Italy and big Apple jewelry store to the company a office police said