Friday, May 20, 1977
THE MICHIGAN OAILY
Page Three
Fridy, My 2, 197 TE MIHIGN DALY age hre
Defense attorney
questions key govt
witness' competa nce
By KEITH B. RICHBURG
Since the summer of 1975 and
the series of mysterious breath-
ing failures , at the Veterans
Administration (VA) hospital,
then nursing assistant Bonnie
Bates has been accused of mur-
der, called a liar by FBI ag-
ents, bribed by VA Chief of
Staff Dr. Robert Lindenauer,
and given immunity from pro-
secution in return for her tes-
timony before the VA Grand
Jury last year.
Yesterday, Bonnie Bates -
now Bonnie Bates Weston --
took the witness stand and tes-
tified as to the events of Au-
gust 15, 1975, the day when five
VA patients all stopped breath-
ing. The witness also told the
jury about the subsequent FBI
investigation and about how she
was allegedly, bribed and
threatened. And under a gruell-
ing cross - examination by de-
fense attorneys - the most dra-
matic since the start of the
trial - Bonnie Bates Weston
again found herself being 'call-
ed negligent in her duties, in-
competent, and she again found
her credibility put in question.
WESTON TESTIFIED for tbe
government as to how she saw
VA defendant Filipina Narciso
enter the room of patient John
McCrery, a 29 year old heart
patient who stopped breathing
for no apparent reason on Au-
gust 15th. Weston said that
nurse Narciso had repaiid
McCrery's intravenous feeding,
tube, then told Weston to stay
with the patient "because he
was apprehensive."
Then McCrery suffered a,
breathing failure.
Defense Attorney Thomas
O'Brien then began a barrage
of questions that eventually re-
duced Weston to tears. He
brought up discrepancies be-
tween her testimony yesterday
and her statements made to
the Grand Jury in June of 1976.
"ARE YOU saying that you
and Dr. Hill were the only ones The "man in the green scrub
in the (cardiac care) unit (af- suit" has surfaced in previous
ter Narciso left)?" O'Brien testimony. The unidentified
asked. The witness answered: "man in green" has been seen
"As far as I can recall." lurking the VA corridors at the
"But didn't you tell the time of at least two other of
Grand Jury that you saw a fig- the mysterious breathing fail-
ure dressed in a green scrub ures.
suit walking out of the CCU?"
O'Brien continued. "Yes," the THEN O'BRIEN attacked the
witness answered. "Yes, I didk witness's competence as a
say that." See DEFENSE, Page 7
AFSCME hopefuls fail
SAN 0i [ 0 n0 O V
twin required majoriy
By SUE WARNER
The ballots were finally counted in the American Federation
of State, County and Municipal Employes (AFSCME) election,
and none of the candidates for the three top positions managed
to garner a majority of the vote, Since the union charter says a
candidate must win a majority of the vote to be declared the
victor,, there will be a run-off election on June 8 for the posts of
President, Vice President, Bargaining Chairperson, and execu-
tive board member.
Art Anderson, the incumbent bargaining chairman, and cur-
rent President Joel Block were the top vote getters for the bar-
gaining chairman position.t
In the Presidential race, it will be a fight between Dwight
Newman and Richard VanValkenburg. Newman is a chief steward,
while VanValkenburg is a West Quad employe who acted as a -
picket captain during the recent 26-day AFSCME strike.
Betty Foster and Doug Hideman will challenge each other
for the vice presidency in the run-off election.
IN THE RACE of the executive board member from the cam-
pus area, the top vote getters wewre Floyd Hilliard and Ramona
Williams. There was also an executive board position open for
the stadium area, and George Rorest got a majority to win the
post. The executive board is the union local's main governing
body, and is chiefly responsible for establishing union policy.
In all other races one candidate was able to win a majority
of the vote.
Tim Sequin is the new secretary/treasurer, and Edie Frost
was chosen as recording secretary.
In the minor races, the new chief stewards are: Willie Wither-
spoon-diatetics, John Bogi-maintenance, John Bridges-service
and cleaning, Ken Hargrove-grounds, gardening, and transpor-
tation, and Minnie Rice-chief stewards aids and attendants.
The total turnout for Tuesday's election was 824 out of some
2300 AFSCME workers on campus.
DON LUCE, Vietnam expert, gazes at the crowd at the
Christian Memorial church last night.
Viet expert depicts
changes in Vietnam
By PAULINE TOOLE
Don Luce returned from Vietnam two weeks ago, after
revisiting that country for the first time since 1971. Last
night he spoke to a small crowd of people at the Memorial
Christian Church. He told of the reconstruction projects in
Vietnam today and described the changes the country has
undergone in the past six years.
"There were a few impressions that I felt good about,"
he said. "One was seeing United States Army trucks car-
rying cabbages down to Saigon. It is symbolic of vhat
Unite& States Army trucks should be doing. In Saigon,
when I was kicked out i'n 1971, I thought all the trees were
dead. Now I found the leaves have come back to the trees."
Luce first went to Vietnam in 1958 as a member of the
International Volunteers Service. He remained there until
1967 when he and three others resigned their positions and
returned to the United States. They urged that the United
States government change their policies and testified be-
fore Congress.
Luce described the problems besetting the people of Viet-
nam today. One of the major difficulties, he explained is
the shortage of supplies, especially food and penicillin.
"Life is really hard for the people in Vietnam today,"
he said. "People are hungry. There isn't enough food in
Vietnam for everyone. People are not starving but there is
a careful distribution of food."
See VIET, Page 7
Michigan weak
Alas and lack, what's happened to our civic
pride? This week is "Michigan Week," that great
excuse for local breast-beating and boosterism, but
Ann Arbor seems to be taking the whole thing in
stride. Members of the Chamber of Commerce say
nothing big was planned for the week, and that the
only thing the city initiated last year was a "may-
or's cxchange" program with another city, a pro-
gram which is not being repeated. Next week, how-
over, is National Pickle Week, and we expect Mayor
Wheeler and Council to at least come through with
a pro-gherkin resolution.
Happenings...
... the early bird catches the worm, but the early
bookworm catches the best books at the Ann Arbor
Public Library's Spring Book Sale, corner of Fifth
and William, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ... the Inter-
national Center leads another trek into the wilds,
this time an outing at Silver Lake, leaving from
the Center, 603 E. Madison, at 4 p.m. ... today is
the first day of a craft show featuring the work of
Native Americans. The display includes jewelry,
rugs, blankets and antiques, and will be held at
Denali Arts, Inc., 103 E. Liberty, Suite 212 ... Rob-
ert Walker and Frank MIurdoch will read their own
poetry at the Guild House, 802 Monroe, 7:30 p.m.
... and tonight Hudson Ladd, University Carillonneur,
goes Dutch. Ladd will play old Dutch tunes on the
carillon from 7 to 8 and will then be the guest
at an 8 p.m. meeting of the Netherlands America
University League. Ladd will anchor "The Carillon
in the Netherlands," a slide and music show, at
the meeting in the International Center,
Murder of the
Orient Express
There's going to-be a death tonight on the Paris
to Istanbul run, but it won't be the attractive young
maid or the eccentric old British gentleman. No,
tonight's victim will be the Orient Express itself.
Long a symbol of romance, and the setting of Agatha
Christie's most famous detective novel, the Orient
Express has fallen victim to speedier but more mun-
dane air travel. So when the train pulls into Istanbul
tonight, it will be for good. We doubt that anyone
will write about "Murder on TWA Flight 453.
Thou shalt not
If any Tennessee state senators have been out
in the backyard making graven images or coveting
their neighbors' wives, the day of reckoning has
dawned. The Tennessee senate voted in its first
ethics code Wednesday - including the Ten Com-
mandments and the Golden Rule. Both Biblical
statutes carry equal weight with the more tradition-
al ethics standards, which means that if one sen-
ator could substantiate a charge that a colleague
had not treated the injured party as he himself
would like to be treated, the offender could theoreti-,
cally be expelled. Lively debate over the measure
found senators quoting Bible passages. Democrat
John Rucker argued that Jesus Christ's teachings
had nullified the commandments, while another sen-
ator attempted to add an amendment which would
have forced a separate vote on each command-
ment. They were voted on as a package and
passed, 26 to 4. Moses had less problems with stone
tablets.
On the outside
If your summer days are already lazy and crazy,
you can add hazy for today. That smog may all
be from overworked air conditioners, because it'll
also be hot and humid with a high of 88. Lows
tonight will reach only 65, and on Saturday tempera-
tures will near 90, with a good chance of thunder-
showers.
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