European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 18, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 b the stars and stripes wednesday september 18,1991foes, friends testify at Thomas hearing Washington apr three Black Law professors urged the Senate judiciary committee on tuesday to reject Clarence Thomas nomination to the supreme court calling him a a foot soldiers for the political right Wing. But educators who have known Thomas since his childhood and a former Federal judge who has worked with Thomas endorsed the nominee. One of his Grade school teachers called him an a Independent  Christopher Edley or. Of Harvard Law school in Cambridge mass., criticized Thomas refusal to discuss abortion and his disavowal of previous provocative stands taken As a Reagan administration official. A vote for Thomas Edley said would condone a evasion Over Candor conversion Over  Charles Lawrence of Stanford Law school in California said Thomas had been picked by president Bush for a this loyally As an administration foot Soldier and a spokesman for the far  Connecticut May Lay off up to 8,000 Hartford Conn. Apr gov. Lowell p. Weicker or. On monday ordered Pink slips for slate workers to be delivered starting this week after negotiations with unions on a multimillion Dollar Concession package soured. As Many As 8,000 state employees a about 20 percent of the work Force a could be Laid off saving about $84 million and keeping the states recently adopted budget in balance. Labor unions agreed to More than $320 million in wage and other concessions several months ago in Exchange for a budget that included an income tax. But that agreement became void with the legislature s failure to adopt a budget by july 1, the Start of the fiscal year. Talks resumed once the Genera Assembly finally adopted a budget that included an income tax on aug. 22. If an agreement is not reached the first of several Waves of Pink slips will be delivered with workers paychecks thursday. A 2 bodies recovered from copter crash Laurie to. Apr the bodies of two passengers aboard a helicopter that crashed during a sightseeing trip were pulled monday from the Lake of the ozarks and a search continued for the Pilot. The chopper went Down in the. Water sunday night after suffering an apparent malfunction said the Missouri state water patrol no one else was believed to have been aboard. The helicopter had been taking passengers on Tours from Laurie s hillbilly festival before it went Down on the Lake s Northwestern Side water patrol dispatcher Matt Walz said. Lawrence said Thomas a political nomination was motivated by the presidents desire a to push the court even More to the ideological right than it  Drew Days of Yale Law school in new Haven Conn., voiced concern Over Thomas role As chairman of the Federal equal employment Opportunity commission and As a civil rights official with the department of education. Days said Thomas civil rights views Are most notable for their a detachment from  Thomas if confirmed would become the second Black Justice in supreme court history. He would replace the retiring Thurgood Marshall the courts Only Black a and most Liberal a member. Sister May Virgilius Reidy who taught Thomas As an eighth grader at St. Benedictus school in Savannah ga., told the committee that Eveaj then Thomas was an a Independent  she said he questioned Why the pledge of allegiance included the phrase a with Liberty and Justice for ally when Black children enjoyed neither. The Rev. John Brooks president of holy Cross College in Worcester mass., said he has known Thomas As a student and As a trustee of the school. Thomas a is a Man of compassion Good judgment and intelligence a Brooks said. John Gibbons a one time Federal appellate judge who now teaches Law at Seton Hall University in South Orange n.j., called Thomas a intellectually gifted open minded and not  Gibbons served with Thomas on holy Cross colleges Board of trustees. Meanwhile senators of both parties said Thomas chances for confirmation appear Good. Thomas ended an exhaustive five Day Job interview before the 14-member committee monday by expressing gratitude for a the Courtesy and the fairness youve shown  this Ranger deals with wilds of White House a and tourists Washington a Jennifer Gresham wears the customary uniform of Gray shirt and Green pants but she s not your average Park Ranger. Instead of directing visitors through the wilds of Yellowstone or the Depths of the grand Canyon she shepherds White House tourists though lines that seem to wind forever. And to keep the tourists Happy Gresham 30, keeps them entertained with Church choirs marching bands jugglers dancers Bluegrass singers and even a Bagpiper who once guarded London a Buckingham Palace. She lines up the Talent makes sure the amplifier is plugged in and even has cold water ready for the performer who May Wilt in the capitals oppressive summertime heat. A a it a a neat program Quot Gresham said recently As the crowds thinned in the Early afternoon. A the entertainment eliminates the frustration. What else can these people do while they re waiting to get inside the White House a the performers have arrived from every state except Alaska. They come at their own expense and their Reward is a certificate signed by president Bush and an escort to the front of the line of White House visitors. Of course there also Are bragging rights. B a sometimes the helicopter flies by and the president Waves a Gresham said. A they get excited and say a huh or the motorcade comes by  band members from Concordia lutheran school in Peoria iii., had their picture snapped with first lady Barbara Bush. A everybody was going crazy a Gresham said. After labor Day the traditional end Jennifer Gresham pauses to answer questions from two White House tourists. Of the summer tourist season Gresham signs up local Talent from Washington Maryland or Virginia. The number of daily visitors drops from 5,000 to about 2,000. A the next song is a sad song about a wayward criminal Tom Dooley a David Burger of Manassas va., told the crowd Friday As partner Alan Webb adjusted his guitar. A i want everyone to sing along with the last  they played a variety of songs from summertime by George Gershwin to Hail to the Chicot featuring Burger on the Kazoo. A Tell George to eat his Broccoli Quot Burger said. Pant it 52, a toe tapping tourist from Hong Kong was impressed. A very Good a he said. A every american artist is very  Gresham an Illinois native said she plans to keep her Job for three More years before seeking a National Park service assignment in the West. No matter where she wears her hat Shell never forget her White House service. I m married to the White House Gardener a Gresham said. A i met him through the  Democrat presses Gates on 1986 links to Iraq Washington a _ Nili d,.�?zii.�?z, a Washington apr sen. Bill Bradley suggested tuesday that Robert Gates president Bush a nominee to head the Cia May have violated the Law by providing intelligence to Iraq in 1986 without proper authorization. But Bradley d-n.j., stopped Short of pinning Down the Issue after the Senate intelligence committee chairman David Lyle Boren d-okla., warned that the questioning was leading into classified areas. In a Brief conversation with reporters afterwards Bradley said he was seeking to establish whether the administration can a demonstrate that All and any activities with regard to Iraq were fully  he alluded to a certain things i know happened a such As intelligence sharing and the Sale of items with potential military uses. But he said he would have to pursue those issues during a later closed door session with Gates. Gates acknowledged that intelligence had been provided to Iraq at a time when the United states was seeking to counterbalance what it viewed As an iranian advantage in the War Between the two countries. The nominee said he believed that the Law is Quot fairly vague on the subject but that intelligence sharing is permissible in such circumstances without a formal presidential authorization. The questions came As Gates ran into renewed criticism Over his Lack of interest in the Iran Contra affair when he first became aware of it in 1986. Citing past testimony from Gates that the nominees first reaction was to ignore the information sen. Howard m. Metzenbaum a Ohio said Quot or. Gates that blows qty  Metzenbaum questioning Gates in the second Day of his confirmation hearings called him the a see no evil hear no evil speak no evil nominee who was seeking to preserve his career by not making Waves. Gates said he regretted saying in 1987 that he had not pursued More information of the affair when he Learned of it on oct. 1, 1986. Metzenbaum asked Why Gates should be confirmed. What is the magical transformation that has taken place in Robert Gates a he asked. Gates responded that a the record is Clear that i Learned lessons  tuesdays hearing opened with a charge from Metzenbaum that republicans on the Senate intelligence committee Are Bent on confirming Gates without regard to his record on Iran Contra