The Michigan Daily-Thursday, May 25, 1978-Page 11 16,000 live free of U.S. laws WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department yesterday said there are more than 16,000 persons living in the United States with total diplomatic im- munity from U.S. criminal and civil laws. Another 27,000 foreigners enjoy a limited immunity from criminal or civil penalties in performing "of- ficial acts" as members or employees of foreign em- bassies, legations or organizations. BUT THE DEFINITION of what constitutes an "of- ficial act" is not spelled out in U.S. statutes. All of those with total immunity are officials or em- ployees of foreign governments living in Washington and New York. The limited protection from U.S. laws extends to persons in those cities and in other cities around the country. The statistics were offered by State Department of- ficials who urged Congress to adopt reforms updating existing 188-year-old laws on diplomatic immunity. BUT SEN. PAUL Sarbanes (D-Md.) made it clear he was not satisfied with the figures they provided. He also lamented the fact that nowhere in U.S. law or regulations is there a precise definition of what con- stitutes an "official act" by a foreign official or em- ployee. Sarbanes is seeking to deny foreigners, from senior diplomats to the lowliest servants, the right to escape criminal charges and lawsuits while living in the United States. The issue has become controversial as the result of disclosures that foreigners regularly ignore traffic summonses and other laws, and incidents in which U.S. citizens were unable to collect damages from foreigners in auto accidents. SARBANES SAID the legislative proposals are in- tended to "significantly reduce" the number of per- sons enjoying diplomatic immunity in the United States. He said they're also aimed at setting up an in- surance system that would make sure U.S. citizens were adequately compensated for damages by foreigners. Two other sponsors of the legislation,. Sen. Howard Metzenbaum (D-Ohio) and Rep. Joseph Fisher (D- Va.), cited examples of U.S. citizens who had been denied compensation in serious auto accident claims involving foreign embassy personnel. And Metzenbaum said the ability of insurance com- panies to use diplomatic immunity as a defense helped provide a "windfall" for the firms, which can collect premiums without the risk of clients being legally obligated to pay anything. RICHARD GOOKIN, the State Department's assistant chief of protocol, said the administration "enthusiastically supports" these changes in diplomatic immunity laws. Concerning the assertion that U.S. insurance com- panies have used the diplomatic immunity laws to avoid paying claims, a spokesman told the committee the insurance industry favors a "reparations system" to compensate persons victimized by foreign diplomats who refuse to answer just claims. John Nangle, attorney for the National Association of Independent Insurers, also said the industry believes any move to disallow the use of diplomatic immunity as a defense would be "grossly discriminatory." He said it would prevent diplomats and other foreigners from acquiring regular insuran- ce, forcing them instead into assigned risk pools. Cheese shop boasts imported specialties (Continued from Page 3); make aselection. "I have favorites in each variety ac- tually," she said. "Certain sharp ched- dars, for instance, and especially the Danish Swiss and semi-hard. There's too much to choose from to pin it down to any one or two." SHE WARNED cheese-lovers not to be impressed by stores that boast about the number of varieties they supply. "Any store that advertises having over 100 cheeses means nothing," she said. "A shop can only carry the types its traffic will support, and they could all be different kinds of Swiss." More important, she said, are freshness and quality. "If freshness is the correct condition for the cheese, we keep it fresh; if it should be aged, we allow it to," she said. Dunham is familiar with many unusual varieties of cheese, both domestic and imported. "One new kind of cheese that has only recently been imported is Explorateur, from Fran- ce," she said, "It is very soft, flavorful and fragile and is listed as being 'triple crem'." Fragile refers to the need for refrigeration, and triple crem means an exceptional amount of cream was used in making it, Dunham explained. OTHER UNIQUE cheese flavors from France include pineapple, nugget, and even strawberry and chocolate, but Dunham-Wells no longer carries those because no one bought them. 'We. do have an excellent cherry- flavored cheese, Monsieur Fromage, and Gourmandise, which tastes like walnut," she pointed out..Dunham ad- ded peach and orange to the list of the shop's fancy flavors. Another popular import from France, Dunham said, is a whipped grape cheese. It is soft and comes wrapped in seeds and skins from grapes used in wine-making. The edible wrapping has a faint wine taste, according to some cheese lovers. SAP SAGO, a strong, hard, green chetse used in cooking or grated into salads, is made from clover. Goat logs (made from goat's milk), a soft French cheese, is rolled in charcoal, which is said to aid digestion. Spreadable cheeses, such as boursin from France, often have bits of herbs or other flavorings added, according to Dunham. A 11 cheeses form holes as the yeast releases carbon monoxide during fer- mentation. However, most cheeses have the holes pressed out by flavoring and aging processes that usually in- volve placing flavor elements on top of the cheese as it hardens. The different items most often used are grain, stone, charcoal or straw.E Swiss is allowed to keep some of its holes, but it is "combed" to remove the .larger ones, a method by which a uten- sil resembling a giant comb is brushed through the cheese. This is the reason why most holes in Swiss are oblong. Although Dunham said she doesn't think cheeses heavily drenched in preservatives that don't require refrigeration are necessarily bad, she does object to pre-sliced brands. "It's the same process as champagne. A magnum has more flavor than a fifth. A bigger piece of cheese also holds more flavor," she said. "When it is sliced it slows the aging process and detracts fr9m the flavor and texture. Putting pieces of paper between the slices also draws out the moisture," she ex- plained. A t ARMY SURPLUS Vietnam Jungle Boots $17.98 Two-Person Nylon Backpackers Tent Complete with poles, stokes, & stuff sock Reg. $28.98 SALE $19.98 Levi Straight Legs and Bell Bottoms Reg. $14.98 SALE $1.8 301 E. 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