European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 15, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Military vets Tike sen. Howell Heflin Are becoming increasingly rare among members of Congress shown at their 1993 swearing in ceremony military service affects congressional votes by Thomas Hargrove Scripps Howard news service a Mong the Many dividing lines in Congress is the Subtle effect of whether or not a member has Ever worn a military uniform. Armed service veterans in the House and Senate tend to be More conservative More inclined to support defense spending and slightly More Likely to Buck the wishes of their political parties than Are non veterans. A study of congressional voting patterns by Scripps Howard news service found that past military service in Congress As in the nation Breaks strongly along generational lines. About 81 percent of the senators and representatives who Are 65 years old or More have served in the army Navy air Force marines coast guard or a state National guard unit. But among members who Are less than 45 years old the rate is less than 9 percent Quot a Veteran obviously has had experiences that could Aid the legislator in matters of National defense and veterans affairs Quot said sen. Howell Heflin data. He was a much decorated Marine wounded on Guam during world War ii. Quot now we have changing times. I would t say it is a prerequisite for Good service in Congress. Every legislator has individual backgrounds that Are unique to  but another member of Alabama s delegation to Congress democratic rep. Ear Hilliard said he has seen several Roll Calls apparently Divide along Veteran and non Veteran lines. Quot it does matter especially on military issues Quot Hilliard said. Quot but i think the voting Public is getting younger. They Are More interested in Domestic issues not foreign affairs or the military Quot Hilliard pointed to a recent House vote on whether to eliminate a three decade old policy requiring 18-year-old men to Register for selective service in Case they Are needed for a draft in time of War. The measure failed 125-273, but the vote seemed to be influenced according to whether or not representatives had seen military service. Quot what we have Here is an outdated Symbol that makes some people feel better Quot said rep. Barney Frank  in Congress a breakdown by / percentage of those answering "y03�?� of question a have you Ever served in the military Houm Senate All members 38% 58% democrats 35 55 a republicans 42 81 Liberal 55. Moderate 39 55 conservative 47 65 by age 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 or older re Ron inn 8% 29 57 78 25% 46 53 88 Northeast 32% 72% South 42 53 Midwest 39 50 West 33 62 source Scripps Howard news service congressional database Sas Quot draft registration today is a useless vestige of a rejected and obsolete Means of Manning our military agreed rep. Dana Rohrabacher a Calif. Neither Man has Ever been in the military. But selective service defenders based their position primarily upon military necessity that the United Stales faces dangers even in a Post Colci War world. Quot As fewer and fewer members of our society have direct military experience it is necessary for these Young people to feel close to their government and to feel patriotic Quot said rep. Barbara Kennelly a Conn. The vote was evenly split among democratic representatives who had never served in the military but was opposed More than 2-1 among the veterans. Republicans strongly opposed the measure with the greatest opposition coming from the veterans. The study found that the More conservative is a member of Congress As scored by the congressional quarterly s conservative coalition Index the More Likely he is to have served in the military. Only one out of every for liberals have warn a uniform while nearly half of the conservatives have been in the military. Veterans Are slightly less Likely to follow their party s wishes the study found. They voted the party line 87 percent of the time while non veterans toed the line in 89 percent of last year s Roll Calls. Past votes for measures like the Brady Bill requiring a waiting period to Purchase a handgun or the Federal ban on 16 kinds of assault rifles have also shown that military veterans Are much less Likely to support gun control measures than Are  of debatable use keep lawmakers Busy by the associated press in South Dakota casting aspersions on asparagus and telling Joul lies about chickens can get you sued. Frozen lemonade May become Rhode Island s official summer drink a not to be confused with Coffee milk the official year round drink adopted last year. For americans who think their state lawmakers Are too focused on anti crime Bills or How to squeeze More taxes from the Middle class these Are among the Lakier Bills competing with such weighty topics As tougher sentencing health care and welfare Reform and budget balancing. Meaningful themes Are hard to detect. But an associated press Check among the 44 state Legislatures convening this year found in Many of these offbeat Laws a particularly Eden like concern for naming things. If Rhode Island can have a summer beverage Why not Saratoga Brand Spring water As the official bottled water of new York Colorado lawmakers heeded pleadings from Piscat orial conservatives and ousted the Rainbow Trout a California interloper As the official state fish and installed the Greenback cutthroat a Trout Peculiar to Colorado. The Square dance lobby angled for the official state dances of Mississippi and Minnesota. Despite fast footed do is Dos and Allemande lifts in full costume lawmakers in both states remained a swayed. Animals dead and alive kept Many Busy in Legislatures around the country. Consider a the Buffalo almost became Iowa a state mammal until a 47-45 rejection from the House quipped a sceptical rep. Michael Moreland a did you consider the Gerbil a a dinosaurs Are Long gone but Wyoming s new a colossal Fossil Law Wilt let schoolchildren pick an official state Dinosaur. A a new Jersey Bill would reclassify Llamas As livestock no longer Quot exotic with exotic fees for Llama Farmers. A a Illinois rep. Larry Woolard wants to protect ratifies flightless Birds like ostriches from dogs. His Bill would allow ratites owners to kill dogs that harm their Birds and to Bill the dogs owners for damages. There is also a movement to protect agriculture from unkind unfounded slurs. The idea was laughed out of the Minnesota statehouse but Mississippi recently outlawed the disparagement of vegetables without solid facts. And South Dakota Farmers and ranchers can now sue for damages if they re harmed by anyone who lies about farm products. Rather than add Odd Laws Idaho wiped some out. When a riot Breaks out judges can now stay Home and watch football or read a Book no longer risking a Misdemeanour if they Don t go to quell the mob. It s also Legal now to curse in the presence of women or children and with communism collapsed no longer a crime to display a red Flag or Banner. Debating All these weighty subjects May leave legislators feeling overworked. So California state sen. Gary Hart has proposed that candidates run with alternates who could serve As stand ins. Quot a legislator often has to be in about three places at once a Hart said. Quot the idea of sharing the position with another person is eminently sensible to  wednesday june 15, 1994 the stars and stripes 19