European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 14, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday july 14, 1994 to . The stars and stripes Page 7 .f11 mgt a ii v  a it la a v f so Taf a f Quot 5 it sir it x v v 4 a a a a 5/ 7-/.of ii Vij it a a a i a -. Iju a r it. It 13 a Sharaa s pc v j a a v i it f Ltd it it a. A a a v a photos gooey gag Kevin Cuje above 10-Ycar-old from Taylor mich., chortle As he pulls a worm from the hair of Sarah King 11, of Westland mich., Dur ing annual mud Day fun and games at West land s Nankin Mills Pic Nolc grounds. The two preteens were named or. And mrs. Mud 1994, to preside tuesday Over scores of Mudlark ing youngsters right. Sex Reagan aide Gay officer Washington a a Reagan administration official no says he wrote the Book on official policy toward Gays in the military has come to the Aid of a Navy lieutenant facing possible discharge for announcing he is Gay. Lawrence Korb says it would be a mistake to dismiss Navy it. . Tracy Thorne 27, whose Case has become a major test of the Clinton administrations new Quot done task done to Tell a policy "1 have reviewed his service record and i am convinced that it. Thorne., is precisely the kind of officer the Navy should be eager to retain a Korb said in a written. Statement Thorness attorneys submitted to the Navy Board of inquiry on tuesday. A i do not believe that it Thorness sexual orientation would adversely affect his ability to perform his duties or harm the military a Overall Mission wrote Korb now a senior fellow at the Brookings institution a Washington Thiak tank. Korb assistant Secretary of defense for manpower Reserve affairs installations and logistics from 1981 to 1985, was scheduled to appear As a defense witness wednesday the third Day of Thorness discharge hearing. The boards decision will be reviewed by Navy Secretary John Dalton. Thorne s attorneys have said that if he is discharged they will Challenge the action in Federal court. Thorne a Bombardier navigator disclosed his homosexuality on abcs nightlife in May 1992. He was placed on inactive Reserve in May 1993, but the Clinton administration agreed in january to return him to Active duty while it seeks to discharge him. In 1981, Korb wrote the Reagan administrations policy on the discharge of military personnel who engage in homosexual acts. That policy authorized the military to discharge service members who engaged in or showed a propensity to engage in homosexual conduct. However Korb said in his statement that the Mere admission of being homosexual was not sufficient grounds for discharging a service member. It Quot there is no longer any rational basis underlying the military a policy that homosexuality is incompatible with military service Quot Korb wrote. The policy has a needlessly ruined Many lives and deprived the armed services of capable men and women a he said. Thorness attorneys contend the a a done task done to Tell policy cannot be applied retroactively to Thorne. They also say his sexual orientation is not an indication of homosexual conduct and has no effect on his performance As a naval officer. But it. Peter Dutton a Navy attorney says was uneasy Norfolk a. Apr the Day after. President Clinton took office it. . Richard Dirk Sel land went to Nis commander on the submarine Hammerhead. Selland started talking about his a lifestyle a cmdr. Carl Hesslinger recalled. A. Quot he appeared to be uncomfortable and said he hated to bring bad news to his commanding officer Hesslinger said. Finally a chaplain sitting in told Hesslinger what Selland  quite get but Selland is Gay. Hesslinger ordered Selland off the Craft that night in january 1993. And on tuesday Hesslinger was the opening witness at a Board of inquiry that will recommend whether the 25-year-old Selland should be discharged from the Navy. Hesslinger said Selland did not expect the Navy to take action against him because of new presidents pledge to lift the ban on Gays in the military. The three member Board is reviewing Selland Scase under a new Compromise policy that replaced the ban March 1. The a a done task done to Tell done to pursue policy discourages investigations of whether a member of the military is Gay unless the person discloses it or engages in homosexual conduct. Selland a admission to his commander a raises a presumption that he will engage in homosexual acts in the future a said it. , Secor the governments attorney in the Case. Has said homosexual conduct is grounds for discharge under both current and former Pentagon policy. People can be discharged for homosexual acts or for making statements Quot demonstrating a propensity to engage in such acts he said. A former member of the Navy a Quot flying tigers bomber Squadron Thorne now works on computer information systems at the naval air systems come in Arlington  of air conditioners has americans sweating Boston apr americans hoping to buy Relief from the heat Are finding that cold Cash is not enough stores across the country Are running but of air conditioners. A retailers say their inventories were depleted Over the Winter by customers who Learned from last years heat wave to buy Early. Manufacturers say they can to make enough new air conditioners because it takes too Long to import the parts. A universally across the Board retailers Are having a hard time keeping up with demand a said Julie Mullian a spokeswoman for the circuit City appliance store Chain in Richmond va., where the temperature reached 99 degrees last weekend. Shelves that usually hold Small air conditioners were empty monday at the Sears in Cambridge. A Salesman said his department ran out of the units three weeks ago even though he ordered 30 percent More than last year. The store Hung signs apologizing for the shortage and telling customers a scars cannot guarantee the availability of any air conditioner unit in the  circuit City said it had air conditioners available in cities such As Dallas where most buildings and Homes have Central Cooling systems. The extra inventory was being shipped to places such As Philadelphia where people in older Homes rely on window units Mullian said. Bob Mchenry a spokesman at Sears Roebuck and co. Headquarters in Chi Cago said the company a warehouses already were empty nationwide. Temperatures were in the 90s and 100s through most of the country last week. A the heat wave has hit the entire country a Mchenry said. A a we re a smart company. If we had them wed be moving them  Mchenry attributes the shortage to smart Consumers who Learned to buy ahead during the heat wave last summer. He said Strong air conditioner sales Between january and april depleted inventories. A he compared the shortage of air conditioners now to the shortage of Snow blowers during the Winter a a you be got to be thinking off Cycle because if you wait its too late a he said. Whirlpool corp. Spokeswoman Caro Lyn Verweyst said the shortage starts in Asia and South America where factories make compressors the Cooling boxes inside air conditioners. Because of the time it takes to import compressors manufacturers must order them a year in Advance Verweyst  she said manufacturers have no stockpile left because they Quot literally cleaned out the pipeline for compressors and emptied the warehouses last summer. That a too bad for customers such As. Joanne and Cleve Greene who went to Sears in Boston where the temperature topped 90 Over the weekend. Quot we re getting old and our air conditioner is too big to keep putting in and taking out of the window a said Joanne Greene. Quot but there Are no Small ones