Waterloo Courier (Newspaper) - November 11, 1993, Waterloo, Iowa Hudson woman hospitalized after apartment fire A4 Hudson teacher students get lesson Injury duty WATERLOO CEDAR FALLS to restructure 2A 1 A A districts Sports 50 cents 56 pages 6 sections Thursday November Falls Iowa First Column Answers to questions By PETER BEHR The Washington Post North American Free Trade Agreement is one of the most complex trade documents ever negotiated Faced with bewildering charges and counter- charges a majority of Americans tell sters they still aren't sure what NAFTA does Here are answers to some questions Q What would NAFTA A NAFTA would phase out years the tariffs or border taxes that the United States Canada and Mexico collect on goods they import from each other and dis- mantle other trade barriers mostly in co Q When would NAFTA take A On Jan 1 provided both the House and Senate approve it and the leaders of the three countries formally notify each other that they accept its terms Q Who is for it and who is against A Organized labor leads the opposition arguing that free-trade policies that have opened U.S markets wide to imports have contributed to a loss of 3 million ing jobs since 1980 They contend that U.S jobs will be moved to Mexico where wages are much lower Ross Perot and some civil rights and human rights leaders are on labor's side The leaders of virtually all major U.S companies strongly favor NAFTA as do many leading economists and all five for- mer living U.S presidents They say that increased trade with Mexico will increase demand for U.S goods creating jobs Q And A They are split The Sierra Club and other activist groups oppose NAFTA The National Audubon Society and other and preservationists groups port it Q Why does President ton endorse A He says his experience as Arkansas's governor taught him that Americans must compete successfully in global markets to generate jobs Politically he did not want to side with labor on this issue during the 1992 primary campaign as some of his primary opponents did Q What happens if Congress votes against A Opponents say Mexico will be obliged to negotiate a new and better deal U.S Trade Representative Mickey Kantor says the administration's ability to negotiate any trade agreement will be crippled And can President Carlos Salinas de Gortari says Mexico will look elsewhere for economic allies Q Canada's newly elected prime minister has said he wants to renegotiate NAFTA Won't that stop A It could because the United States and Mexico say they will not reopen the ment But Prime Minister Jean Chretien may sign NAFTA if the Clinton administration assures him it will address some specific trade disputes that anger Canadians If Canada were to drop out the United States and Mexico could move ahead by themselves See NAFTA A10 Weather Low tonight Friday chance of rain 30s High tomorrow Brady wins House approval Measure would require a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases WASHINGTON AP Cheered by a victory in the House backers of the Brady are bling efforts to secure Senate sage of the five-day waiting period and criminal background check it would require for handgun buyers Prospects appeared to brighten as the Senate reached agreement Wednesday on how to deal with a separate but far-reaching trol The accord could lead to the crime bill's passage next week The complex midnight agreement setting the legislative pecking order for votes on as many as two dozen issues removed the threat of a Republican filibuster over an assault weapons ban likely to be attached to the But with Congress leaving town to help constituents celebrate ans Day no further action was scheduled until Tuesday on the billion measure that would recruit police officers over the next five years and build a new system of 10 regional prisons The agreement resulted in the dropping of scores of possible amendments Sen Joseph Biden D- Del chairman of the Senate ry Committee told I negotiated personally with more than 60 senators on over 100 ments to reach the agreement Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell of Maine has said he will call up the Brady for votes after the crime is disposed of First proposed nearly a decade ago the Brady cleared the House The man for whom the is named former White House press secretary James Brady who was seriously wounded in the 1981 attempt to kill President Reagan said he was euphoric at the out- come But Brady supporters said they to eliminate a Patriotic pair DAN Courier Photo Editor Tim Balvanz shows his patriotism by pledging allegiance to the flag during a Veterans Day gram at Longfellow School this week At right is Wayne Clough an employee of Midwest Gas and Longfellow's Partner in Education Clough is a veteran of the Korean War Longfellow students honor veterans Courier Staff Writer For a youngster Kenny Hussey knows a lot about the U.S flag that was hanging next to him as he spoke about Veterans Day The Longfellow Elementary student has heard firsthand from an expert about the sacrifices of men and women in the military his grandfather a wartime veteran I am proud to be named after such a brave Kenny told a group of classmates Some Longfellow students marked Veterans Day this week by learning about its significance in history At an assembly about 100 and gave speeches and sang songs praising veterans as Current and former members of all five branches of the military attended Longfellow principal Mike Allen told students that veterans helped protect the freedoms Americans enjoy But democracy needs a new generation of ers he said Students must educate themselves and live clean lives to keep America strong Clinton pays homage to veterans in ceremony at Arlington cemetery A2 Representatives from the armed forces advised dents to stay in school and stay off drugs By starting right now by taking the small step of staying in school you're helping secure your Marine Staff Harry Spaulding said National Guard Sgt Eric Krohn said America is like one big team We need to be able to rely on team members who can think Krohn said And to think clearly you have to stay away from drugs To function in today's world he said people need reading writing and math skills This school building is the most important thing in the world to you because it will help you succeed as part of the Krohn said Like Kenny classmate Derek Bales said he has in the service Brave people like you keep our country Derek said 1 am proud to be an American vision added at the suggestion of tlie National Rifle Association to cancel the waiting period if a national computerized system to permit instant background checks hasn't been perfected in five years time The amendment proposed by Rep George Gekas was endorsed Wayne LaPierre the chief executive officer said passage of the Gekas amendment gave a victory to gun control opponents who see the Brady as an opening wedge in a fight for sterner gun rules The House also approved the See BRADY A3 Brady roll call How the Iowa delegation voted Wednesday on the to impose a nationwide five-day waiting period for the purchase of handguns Jim Leach AGAINST Neal Smith Fred Grandy Jim Ross Lightfoot Jim Nussle m The passed the House boy held in murder of Iowa Falls woman Autopsy shows Goldie Vallandingham died of suffocation and multiple stab wounds By AMY DAVIS Courier Staff Writer IOWA FALLS A boy with a history of academic ble was in custody today in tion with the murder of an Iowa Falls woman George Eason also of Iowa Falls is being held in the Cherokee nile Detention Center until a Friday court appearance according to authorities and family members Everyone is innocent until proven father Ronald said Wednesday night He's been in trouble a little bit but nothing like this Eason who lived with his mother after his parents divorced is accused of murdering Goldie Vallandingham The woman was found dead in her apartment Monday morning She was naked and ered with blood a witness said Autopsy results showed ingham died of suffocation and tiple stab wounds Eason will be formally charged at a 1 p.m hearing Friday Hardin County Attorney James Beres said Until then he will remain in the detention center in western Iowa Ronald Eason said he learned his son was being questioned by police on Tuesday a day before towa Falls Police Chief William Reeves predicted We're going to have a successful completion to this gation A school official indicated today that Eason is not considered a dent His academic status was called into question because of the See MURDER I page A3 Husband cleared of sexual assault in mutilation case MANASSAS Va AP The jury in the case of the man whose wife cut off his penis in retaliation for an alleged sexual assault was swayed by suggestions that she was just dissatisfied with his lovemaking a juror says John Bobbitt 26 jumped to his feet and locked his lawyer in a bear hug after being acquitted Wednesday of marital sexual assault I'm thankful to the jury They believed he said I just want to get on with my life Lorena Bobbitt 24 had testified that she attacked her husband with a filleting knife as he slept after he pinned her down and raped her June 23 But William Vogt a member of the jury of nine women and three men said The proof just didn't exist Among other things an John Bobbitt cy room doctor testified he found no visible evidence of rape Tests on Mrs Bobbitt and on her underwear found evidence the Bobbins had sex Aspin says chemical agents not to blame for Gulf vets ills Los Angeles Times WASHINGTON Defense Les Aspin acknowledged Wednesday that low levels of cal warfare agents were detected during the Persian Gulf War but he strongly denied that evidence exists showing the chemicals are ble for mysterious illnesses that have befallen a growing number of U.S veterans Instead Pentagon officials now theorize that the veterans who arc complaining of cancerous tumors soreness and nausea actually may have been exposed to small amounts of industrial chemical pollutants possibly blowing from large tanks used to store fertilizer and ammonia in Saudi Arabia In addition the Defense ment announced that it was sharply increasing its figures for the number of veterans who have come down with the baffling symptoms raising the number from 250 to as high as into the low thousands Several members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee to whom many ailing veterans have turned for help said more still needs to be done to find a cause for the a cure and they have scheduled several rounds of hearings Sec GULF I page A3
