European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 23, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday february 23, 1993 . The stars and str pts Agency preoccupied with doomsday plan by Larky Lipman lid Elliot Jaspin co news strike Washington the Federal Agency charged with responding to natural disasters has spent most of its time and Money Over the past decade on a top secret $1.3 billion program to make the government a moving target during a nuclear War. Only 20 members of Congress those with Ade quate Security clearance know that rather than concentrating on natural disasters such As last year s Hurri Cane Andrew the Federal emergency management Agency has been gearing up for armageddon. Even the Agency s natural disaster specialists have been largely unaware of the 11-year-old secret pro. Gram. Set up with the help of former White House National Security aide Oliver l. North a Marine lieutenant Colo Nel the program includes the following a Fleet of 300 vehicles in five Mobile units is scattered at Sites from Washington state to Massachusetts from Denver 4o Southern Georgia and to Rural Texas. The Mobile units can operate for a month without support. They include generators capable of powering a three Story Airport terminal and a fuel Tanker that can suck up diesel fuel from whatever service stations sur Vive the nuclear blast. Sensitive radio Telephone and satellite gear much of it classified is stored in custom built trucks that resemble Mobile Bank vaults. One truck which also Carric a pop up satellite dish weighs 24 tons. Budgets totalling $1.3 billion Over the past 10 years appear annually As a single line submitted under a separate  for every Dollar spent on respond ing to natural disasters almost $12 have been spent on plans to keep the government running during a nuclear War. Nearly a third of Fema s employees Are in the top secret project three times As Many As work on Nat ural disaster programs. Despite the obvious communications Power no com plete Mobile unit has Ever been used in a natural disaster although parts of three units were used after Hurricane Andrew which struck Florida and parts of the Gulf coast Region last August. Most Fema employees assigned to Deal with Andrew did not even know about the Agency s full strength because of what congressional investigators dubbed a Black curtain of secrecy. So when Hurricane Andrew devastated South Flor Ida six months ago the emergency Agency came to the Rescue with the wrong tools. For example the City manager of Homestead which was ravaged by the Hurricane pleaded for 100 hand held radios because the town had Only one working Telephone. Instead Fema sent High tech vans capable of sending encrypted Multi frequency radio messages to military aircraft Halfway around the world. The vans were used to provide electricity and 36 Telephone lines to local state and Federal officials in Miami. Fema equipment could Call in a airstrike but Homestead never got its hand held radios. The 160 Mph winds that shredded South Florida in aug. 24 resulted in renewed criticism of Fema. The Agency seemed to be making the same mistakes it made after Hurricane Hugo and the san Francisco earthquake in 1989. At a standing room Only hearing last month sen. Barbara a. Mikulski d-md., said the government s response was widely seen by Many of Hurricane Andrew s victims in Florida As a disaster it  a six month computer assisted investigation by Cox newspapers uncovered the Agency s secret while a Small group is responsible for helping victims of natural disasters most of the Agency is preoccupied with devel Oping High tech gadgets for a nuclear doomsday. From 1982 to 1991, Fema spent More than $1.3 Bil lion on equipment support facilities and personnel to provide communications for government leaders in a nuclear War. In addition the Agency spent nearly $1.6 billion on related National Security programs for a total of $2.9 billion. That s roughly 12 times More than the $243 million Fema spent during those 10 years preparing for Natu ral disasters such As hurricanes earthquakes and floods. The heart of Fema s top secret project is its communications program the Mobile emergency response support units commonly called mers. Hillary guided by imaginary talks with Eleanor Hyde Park . A she was poised energetic intelligent and a part Ner in the presidency with her husband. More than 50 years before Hillary Rodham Clinton took the White House by storm Anna Eleanor Roosevelt trans formed America s concept of a first lady. The current first lady appeared at a Benefit sunday to raise funds for a new Eleanor Roosevelt Monument in new York City and to help to repay a debt that historians and scholars say she owes to Roosevelt. Clinton said imaginary conversations with Eleanor Roosevelt helped her sur Vive the stresses of last year s presidential Campaign. Early on As the Campaign would go and things would happen i would shake my head and i would say Why me " the first lady said sunday night at a trib Ute to Roosevelt who died in 1962. But As she Learned More and More about the former first lady Clinton said she began to ask her for advice How did you put up with this How did you go on Day to Day with All that would happen with the kinds of attacks criticisms that would be hurtled your Way Roosevelt s answer get out and do it and Don t make any excuses about it Clinton said. Eleanor took the heat and Hillary Clinton is taking her own heat said Pat Ricia Duane Lichtenberg executive director of the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at vat kill Roosevelt s Home and a nation Al historic site in Hyde Park. But Roosevelt set the precedent so i think that people arc More accepting of what Hillary will  by naming his wife to Lead an Effort to Reform the nation s health care system president Clinton is being aboveboard about the role his wife will play in his administration. Previous presidents have been less forthcoming for fear of negative Public reaction though scholars say several White House wives including Abigail Adams Abigail Fillmore Mary Todd Lincoln and Edith Wilson were influential advisers to their husbands. I think it s a courageous move on the part of Clinton to put it right up front and not to try to pretend and say she in t involved said Winifred wander Sec a history professor at Hartwick College in Oneonta. I think that s a breakthrough that will have real repercussions for first ladies in the future. Before Roosevelt first ladies had to Wield their influence with circumspection Wand race said. Roosevelt in fact often denied having special Sway Over her husband Franklin d. Roosevelt just because she gave him opinions on some matters of import. Sometimes i contributed from a Dif Ferent Point of View that was All Eleanor Roosevelt once said. And he would sometimes use it. And i would say to him do you mind if i would say this or that he would say you go right ahead. And if you get into trouble i shall just say i m sorry. I can t do anything with my wife " Hillary Rodham Clinton left and other guests pause beside a statue of Eleanor Roose velt. With Clinton from left Are Herbert Zohn founder of the Eleanor Roosevelt Monument fund and Jinx Roosevelt and her husband Franklin d. Roosevelt Iii. Car  Coll butchery at pork pig out Good clean fun by Jimmy go left the associated press St. Martinville la. Cross a fraternity Barbecue with a country Jamboree dub the whole thing in a French twang and you have grand Bou Cherie Mardi gras in the cajun heartland. The Rural answer to the extravagance of new or leans grand Boucherit in St. Carlinville aban dons the Gaudy purple Green and Gold for plaid and Hunter s Orange. And the slaughtering of the pig Boucherie comes from the French word for Butcher is a brutally vivid contrast to the City s pre lenten spectacle of masks and beads. When they kill hogs and gut pm in front of you you know it s pretty real said Bill Dobbs of Louisville. The annual pork pig out held sunday is bigger than the fourth of july in a town where Many of the 8,200 or so residents work sewing underwear for fruit of the loom. What else could draw 5,000 visitors two hours across the swamps from new Orleans into the heart of cajun country it s just a big fun said Linda Dugas a lifetime resident. It s hard to find people having Good clean fun these  other carnival entertainment included zydeco music and rooster fights which were toned Down after animal rights groups protested last year. Cock fight organizers agreed to abandon the Blades they usually strap to the roosters claws and outfit the Birds with padded gloves instead. But the main event was the Man in fishing waders who shaved gutted skinned and butchered the pig. Dugas said the pig s a ceremonial demise shocks visitors but is commonplace to the cajuns who will Slaughter a hog on the weekend for meat for the Weic. The Boucherie helps keep that and other parts of the cajun tradition alive she said. Even in the younger generation the culture is still there said Dugas 52. If you were to come Back Here say 50 years from now you d find it exactly the same. But Rene Babineau discouraged by a slow Day Selling French books said that the younger attendees were Only there for the party and did not really care about tradition. They say they re proud to be cajun he said but they have to say it in