The Michigan Daily-Friday, November 6, 1987- Page 3
Author praises
grass roots
peace crusades
Engineer knew
of
dangers in
shuttle launch
By JIM PONIEWOZIK
Although the popular image of an
anti-nuclear activist is often one of
an armband-clad college student, that
role can also be filled by a Methodist
minister or an elderly grandmother.
It was to such individuals that
Paul Loeb devoted much of his talk
on the grass-roots anti-nuclear
movement in America last night in
Angell Hall Auditorium B. He said
that many of the people he met while
researching his second book, Hope in
Hard Times, were "people who had
never really dealt with this kind of
issue, but felt that they had to."
One such example Loeb cited was
that of a 79-year-old former National
Mother of the Year who risked ten
years' imprisonment by participating
in the blockade of a Trident nuclear
submarine off the coast of
Washington state.
Loeb said that such actions by
ordinary citizens are vital to the fight
against the arms race, but that in
order for them to succeed, Americans
must believe that protests are both
necessary and effective.
One attitude which endangers the
peace movement is fatalism, Loeb
said. He said that while just a half of
the students to whom he lectures
believe that a nuclear war is likely,
"only a few think that they can do
anything about it."
Such attitudes are not limited to
students, Loeb added. He quoted a
caller to a Dallas radio talk show on
which he appeared as saying that
anti-nuclear protests are useless
"because God wants the world to end,
anyway."
Loeb cited the Vietnam War as a
case in which grass-roots movements
affected policy. While he called the
anti-war movement "a long, slow
process," he noted that it did produce
results such as President Richard
Nixon's decision not to use nuclear
weapons in the war due to a lack of
public support.
"(The protesters) may have
prevented a nuclear war," Loeb said.
Loeb, a free-lance writer who also
wrote the book Nuclear Culture
about the arms race, will speak again
today at 4 p.m. in East Quad.
By DAVID SCHWARTZ
Calling himself "a whistle-
blower," an engineer responsible for
publicizing the events leading to the
crash of the space shuttle Challenger
said last night that higher officials
ignored his warnings at a pre-flight
meeting that going ahead with the
flight could be disasterous.
"I felt totally helpless at that
moment, and further argument would
have been fruitless," said Roger
Boisjoly in his discussion at the
Chrysler Center of the events and
decisions leading up to the shuttle
launch. The Challenger crashed on
Jan. 28, 1986, killing all seven
crewmembers aboard.
Boisjoly worked for the Morton-
Thiokol Company, which was
contracted by NASA to build the
space shuttle. He was among two
engineers who recommended that the
shuttle not be launched because
excessively cold temperatures could
cause problems with O-rings in the
booster rockets.
"I was given strict instructions,
which came from NASA, not to
express the critical problem of the 0-
rings," he said. A malfunction of the
O-rings has been determined to be the
cause of the crash.
After the crash, Boisjoly was
reprimanded by the management of
Morton-Thiokol for trying to give a
presidential commision an accurate
assessment of the pre-launch events.
"I continued to push for full dis-
closure of information while Morton-
Thiokol factions continued to tell
half-truths," he said.
Before an audience of about 60
people, Boisjoly told how he was
forced to leave Morton-Thiokol
several months after the crash
because of increased tensions there.
He has since filed a $1 billion dollar
suit against the company and a $10
million suit against NASA. Boisjoly
has also filed a false-claims lawsuit
against Morton-Thiokol on behalf of
the U.S. Government.
Daily Photo by ELLEN LEVY
Roger Boisjoly speaks about the events leading up to the crash of the
space shuttle Challenger. He claims that NASA knew of the imminent
dangers yet decided to go ahead with the launch anyway.
I
Senators continue to debate st
LANSING (AP)- Governor James
Blanchard's administration officials
and Senate Republican leaders
continued their partisan bickering
over the stalled state budget
yesterday, but the volleys of rhetoric
did nothing to end the stalemate.
Senate Majority Leader John
Engler and Appropriations
Committee Chair-person Harry Gast
announced plans for a bill requiring
the state to reimburse hospitals and
schools for the interest they pay to
borrow money in lieu of, delayed
state payments.
The two senators called it the
"price of the governor's inaction."
Within hours, state Treasurer
Robert Bowman and Budget Director
Shelby Solomon responded with
their own news conference to accuse
Republicans of "advocating a return
to the past imprudent financial
practices."
While the politicians took turns
blaming each other for the budget
impasse, unfinished parts of the
state's $6.5 billion spending plan for
the fiscal year which started a month
ago lay untouched.
The Senate Appropriations
Committee on Wednesday approved
transferring $103.2 million in
money allocated for welfare grants to
cover state, payments to foster care
homes, hospitals and pharmacies
through the end of the year.
But House Speaker Gary Owen,
(D - Ypsilanti, said yesterday the
ire budget
House will not agree to the transfer
until the Senate approves the
revenues to cover all the budget's
expenditures.
"We talked to the governor's
office and that is not an acceptable
solution," Owen said. "They know
what the problem is and the problem
is we're short of revenues to cover
all the budget's expenditures."
A House Appropriations
Committee meeting to discuss the
transfer was cancelled.
P Deputization bill
[ mM |Burnham Associates
faces HoL
(ConUnued fromPage 1)
Thursday in the State Senate and has
been sent to the House for approval.
If Leland's committee passes the bill,
the measure will be voted on by the
full house.
So far, MSA representatives have
been persuasive in their attempts to
defeat the bill. On Wednesday,
Representatives Lynn Jondahl (D - E.
Lansing), Judith Miller (R-
Birmingham), and Joe Young, Jr., (D
Bush vows
to fight
hard for
presidency
GRAYLING, MI (AP) - Vice
President George Bush said yesterday
that he's going to stick to the high
road during his run for the GOP
presidential nomination, but if
someone snipes at him, he's going
to shoot back.
"My view is to go out, take your
message out there, do the best you
can, and try not to get into the
name-calling business," he said.
Bush's comments came on the
first stop of a one-day visit to
Michigan.
se fight
- Detroit) all pledged to vote against
the bill. Weine said only Rep.
Joanne Emmons, (R - Big Rapids)
indicated yesterday she would vote in
favor of it.
- Daily staffers Edward Kleine
and Alyssa Lustigman contributed to
this report
A ATARI'
COMMODORE
IBM COMPATIBLE
" Hardware
" Software
*Supplies
" Service
STATE ST R ET
663-0090
334 1/2 So. State St. Ann Arbor, Mi
A.4
Drastic Rent
Reductions
like never before
on our last few
Campus
Apartments
No added fees,
Low Security
Deposits
Immediate
Occupancy
All apartments come with
running water. Ours come with
600,000 gallons of it.
At Village Green of Ann Arbor, the fieldstone walls, rolling landscape.
flowing streams and waterfalls are just a pleasant introduction to a
whole new style of luxury living. 7 acres of natural ponds and streams.
6.000 square foot, 24-hour Clubhouse with glass-enclosed whirlpool.
full weight room and racquetball court. Card-key security entry system
and individual intrusion alarms. Unique 1- and 2-bedroom apartments
with lofts, wood burning fireplaces, cathedral ceilings, and microwave
ovens. Choice of 2 color schemes and mini-blinds throughout.
-- .
Village Green of
Ann Arbor located
at U S. 23 and
Geddes Rd. Office
hrs: M-F 9-6, Sat
10-5, Sun 12-5.
/ILLAG'
YJRE E N
Rentals from
$540 to $770
For a private
showing call
995-9111.
Arbor Forest
Albert Terrace Apartments
1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments
HeatkWater Included
Parking
The Episcopal Church
welcomes you.
Regardless of race creed
color or the number
of times you've been born.
The Episcopal Church
1215 Hill, Ann Arbor
Close Camp
i...a.. . ..
Come to the Party!
Direct from Moscow:
SOVIET TV COVERAGE
of the
REVOLUTION DAY PARADE
FROM RED SQUARE
Sat. Nov. 7
1-3 PM, MLB 2011
Free, Refreshments
rCAMPUS
What happens
when the world
of high finance
A world of high success develops.
Merrill Lynch is looking for candidates
with majors in Business, Liberal Arts and
Technical Subjects to join our
Corporate Systems Program
We Will Be On Campus
To Hold Information Sessions
November 11, 1987, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Paton Accounting Center, Room 1016
_ .1 11
'I
$
,.j
r
* .. -
w ",, *, " w*#
*wt
R
IN
LABATiT'S
1/2 BARREL
1t1 9
EPISCOPAL
21ANr ivsonS retArbor 4, M ichigan 1 5UI
I
i