E
The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, July 16, 1980-Page 11
Public allowed
to witness 'Pig-
pen' trial of
Marine private
NEW RIVER AIR STATION, N.C.
(AP)-A military judge refused to bar
the media and public yesterday as a.
court-martial got under way for an 18-
year-old Marine charged with
disobeying an order to retrieve mess
hall silverware at a local pig farm.
The first defense'motion was to ask
that the trial of Pfc. Scott Duncan of
Port Huron be closed to spectators and
the news media. Judge Maj. Larry
Miner denied it.
DEFENSE LAWYERS also asked
Miner to dismiss the disobedience
charge against Duncan on the basis
that it stemmed from an illegal order
which violated Marine Corps standards
of conduct.
Attorneys Clay Brumbaugh and Capt.
Carl Fisher contended the practice of
requiring Marines to go to the pig farm
was not in "the best interest of the
government," but only served the in-
terest of Duncan's superiors in trying to
cover up silverware shortages.
The judge ruled the question of the
order's legality was a question of fact
and not of law and would have to be
determined by a military jury, still to
be appointed..
DUNCAN IS CHARGED with
disobedience and disrespect to an of-
ficer in connection with a June 10 in-
cident in which he and another-Marine,
Pfc. Dana Gidney of Buffalo, N.Y., both
stationed at nearby Camp Geiger, were
ordered to go to a pig farm owned by
William Kearney of nearby Jackson-
ville.
If convicted, they each could receive
bad conduct discharges, 6- months in
prison, lose two-thirds of their pay for 6
mnnths nr he reduced to the lnwiet
military pay grade, or receive a com-
bination of the penalties.
Kearney has a government contract
to pick up garbage from the mess hall,
which he feeds to his pigs.
DUNCAN AND GIDNEY were told to
sift dirt in a search for mess hall
silverware that had been thrown out
with garbage which was fed to Kear-
ney's pigs.
Both men allegedly refused the order.
Gidney is charged with identical counts
to Duncan's, but his trial date has not
been set.
Defense lawyers argued that in the
absence of specific authorization, the
practice of sending men to the pig farm
was prohibited.
BUT MINER SAID that Marine Cor-
ps policy is generally regarded to be
that "if it is not prohibited, it .is
authorized."
Meanwhile, Kearney-the owner of
the pig farm-said he was surprised by
the flap because no Marine ever has to
work in a pigpen.
In an interview with the Associated
Press, Kearney said the 21 Marines
were supposed to sift through dry dirt
using rakes and find any silverware
that had not been discovered when the
mess hall garbage was cooked prior to
being fed to the pigs.
The dirt came from pigpens, but had
dried in an open field for several weeks,
Kearney said.
"He wasn't going through no hog
pen," Kearney said.
"I can't for the life of me understand
anybody backing off duty on the pig
farm. I know for a fact it's been used as
an excuse by Marines to get off the base
for a day."
Stuff it! AP Photo
A world record for hot-tub stuffing was set Sunday in Lynnwood, Washington
when 39 people jumped into a six-foot-wide, four-feet-deep tub. The old record
was set last year in California with 25 people.
Homosexual delegates
fight anti-gay GOP
platform provisions
(Continued from Page 1)
Drake pointed to Reagan's expres
belief in "individual's rights" and to,
former governor's strong opposit
two years ago to a bill which called
the firing of school teachers
engage in homosexual activity.
HOWEVER, IF REAGAN sho
choose a vice president such as S
Paul - Laxalt of Nevada-who
troduced a bill to explicity discrimin
against gays-Drake said Reag
would automatically write off all of
gay vote.
"There's no way a gay person
vote for someone who doesn't beli
(gays have) a right to a job," Dr
said.
The gay vote Drake speaks of is
estimated 8 million persons who vo
in the last presidential election.
ALTHOUGH GAY activity has
celerated in the last few yea
homosexuals have yet to becom
legitimate constituency upon wh
politicians focus their attention..
Gay Vote 1980, an organized lobby of
sed gay rights supporters, is attempting to
the establish thot constituency. The group
tion is attempting to get the major parties to
for pay attention to the gay rights issue.
who Project spokesman Tom Bastow said
the group was quite successful in in-
uld fluencing the Democratic Party. More
en. than 70 gay delegates will be attending
in- the convention in New York next mon-
iate th, and the Democratic platform will
gan include a supportive gay rights plank.
the The group exerted. "nowhere near as
strong an effort" on the
can Republicans, Bastow said. Although the
eve group talked with the GOP platform
ake committee, they were "basically
ignored," he said.
an
)ted STAYS FOLDED
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP)-One
ac- reason aluminum is popular for
irs, packaging is that it will "dead fold,"
e a repts RJR Archer. This means that
ich once aluminium is folded, it will stay
t h a t w a i- n i- - - - - - - , l s