European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 8, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday s tars and stripes Page 3 italian judge puts nuke Case against us on hold by Kent Harris stars and stripes por Denone Italy Tiziano Tissino says he has no problem with a continuing american pres ence in Italy americans wearing military uni forms thais a problem the weapons those service members use a larger problem the sup posed nuclear weapons that the United states maintains in his country about As big a problem As he can think of so he and four other residents of the largest City near Aviano air base have taken the United states to court in an Effort to oust that suspected nuclear Arsenal from Italy i am not ant american Tissino says in italian during an interview in his apartment about a 10minute drive from the Aviano Gates and presumably just a bit farther from where he believes the United states keeps nuclear weapons he Doest like us foreign policy though and he Doest think the United states should be Al Lowed to keep nuclear weapons on the soil of an ally that he says Doest want them he said ital ians rejected nuclear Energy in a National referendum in the 1980s and Italy signed a global nonproliferation treaty on nuclear arms and polls repeatedly indicate that a majority of the population opposes american action in Iraq and even Afghanistan where Italy has More than 1000 troops he also says that plans leaked from the former soviet Union reportedly stated that a russian nuclear strike would first target us based weapons in Europe leaving anyone around them in danger Tissino said Hes really not Wor ried about the russians launch ing a nuclear attack on Aviano or Ghedi air base the other site where he believes nuclear weapons Are housed but he believes that terrorists might try to target those facilities and could set off such devices or that an Accident might occur detonating them Tissino has Long been an oppo nent of nuclear weapons he said Hes participated in rallies Mark ing the anniversaries of the atomic weapons dropped on Japan each year since 1996 when he and the others saw a report by a us organization in 2005 detailing the us nuclear Arsenal around the Globe Aviano and Ghedi were both cited As Sites they decided to act so they filed a motion in horde correction a Story in april 4 editions should have said that a new body Armor for soldiers will also provide an additional 52 Protection for the rear of the vests Tiziano Tissino said he does believe that if he and his Peers win the Case and the government does nothing italian citizens Witt be outraged none in december 2005 that Tissi no said eventually made its Way to us authorities a local italian judge started to hear the Case but decided to put it on hold last week until Italy highest court in Rome rules if Hes Able to judge such a Case Tissino said lawyers representing the United states have maintained that a local judge  be allowed to decide such a matter base officials at Aviano refused to comment on the matter referring questions to the Public affairs of fice for the Secre tary of the air Force in a phone inter View Friday will Ackerman a civil Ian employed at that office reiterated the department of defense policy that neither con firms or denies nuclear weapons at any site he said he had no knowl Edge of the Case and would have to research the matter before commenting Tissino said he has no idea How Long it might take the italian High court to decide if the Case can proceed it might be months he said or longer and he said even if the local judge gets the godhead and he and his Peers win Hes not sure if the italian government would de Mand the us take action after All there have been several re cent cases where the italian government has declined to seek action against the us after a Legal decision those include the abduction of a Muslim cleric from Milan by Cia agents and the shooting death of an italian Spe Cial agent in Iraq but Tissino said he does believe that if he and his Peers win the Case and the government does nothing italian Citi Zens will be outraged Valentina Scheu provided translation for this report email Kent Harris at Kent and stripes Tiziano Tissino is one of five italians who have gone to court to try to Force the United states to take suspected nuclear weapons out of the country the us refuses to acknowledge whether it actually has such weapons in Italy photos by Seth and stripes customers order Starbucks Coffee at Vilseck new Java cafe on Friday army deploys about 300 online gaming systems by Seth Robson stars and stripes Vilseck Germany the army has developed its own online gaming is deploying hundreds of the devices to bases around the world the mpg which stands for multiplayer online gaming system is a console that combines a 26inch Flat screen Monitor with a High Speed Gam ing computer and internet Access according to Susan Maddy a business development analyst with the army recreational machine program her office administers Slot machines and gaming machines on army bases worldwide she said but she added Arcade style video game machines such As time crisis have fallen out of fashion thais Why the army developed mpg Maddy said the a dogs play dozens of the latest online games including Halo Battlefield ii Spe Cial Force counter strike Day of defeat and unreal tournament they also can be used to surf the internet and shop online she said Twenty of the machines valued at More than each were unveiled in Vilseck new Java cafe Coffee shop which opened at the Lange Bruck Center on Friday soldiers from Vilseck 2nd cavalry Stryker regiment were Quick to take advantage of the new devices one of the first 2nd Cav customers at the Java cafe pfc Lee Serna 20 of Corcoran Calif used a free half hour mpg time card to fire up a game of half life opposing Force Serna said Hes not willing to Fork Over to play the game on his Barracks internet connection but Doest mind paying to try it out for an hour on the mpg another 2nd Cav Soldier pfc Jeff Kempton 21 of Green Bay wis used an mpg to email a Friend in the states Maddy said 300 a dogs have been deployed worldwide since the program started last year most Are in the states but the devices Are also up and run Ning at Grafe Wohr Kaiserslautern and Hanau in Germany As Well As Camp red Cloud and Yon san Garrison in South Korea so far no a dogs have been sent downrange but 60 More of the devices will be deployed to stateside bases this year she said the a dogs can be used to play online games Seth and stripes pfc Lee Serna 20 of Corcoran Calif left and pfc Jeff Kempton 21 of Green Bay wis Check out the new multiplayer online gaming or mpg sys tems at Vii Eck Germany on Friday Twenty mpg units designed by the army Are in Vilseck new Java cafe Coffee shop which opened at the Langen Bruck Center on Friday against people connected to the internet using other devices such As the Box or a personal computer Maddy said we Are looking at tournaments with installations competing against each other she added people can buy mpg time using a visa or Mastercard or with Cash she said at the Java cafe which Sells Starbucks Coffee customers can also Purchase wifi time to surf the internet with their Laptop wifi costs an hour a Day a week or a month and the accounts can be uses at other army facilities Maddy said email Seth Robson at