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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1995)
Letters cause ethics complaint W ftMIlNli I UN (At ) — A congressional watchdog group accused House Majority (vender Dick Armey on Wednesday of improperly allowing a special interest group to circulate a let ter on congressional stationery. Tlie Ralph Nader-led Congres sional Acc.ountability Projec t called for on ethics committee investigation A spokesman for the Mouse's No H Republic an rejected the acc usation, calling the corn plaint "frivolous The group’s c omplaint, whk b. it wants n House member to refer to the; ethics comm it test?, stems from a May 22 Washing Inn Post editorial that c riticired Armey for a letter to Hii chief executive offic ers of some of the* nation’s largest companies In the letter signed April 12, the Texas lawmaker warned that the c corporations. through their donations to charitable c auses, were "among companies that support expansion of the wel fare state." The Congressional Account* ability Project contends that Armey's letter which says "Congress of the United States" at the top and notes his majori ty leader title violates a House prohibition against allow ing outside groups to use House letterhead The letter was sent by the Capital Research Center, a con servative group that published a book entitled "Patterns of Cor porate Philanthropy." The lawk, sent to the CMOs along with Armey's letter, contends that corporations support left lean ing ( haritable causes far more than conservative ones "Majority Leader Armey is just one more career politic tan w ho can't tie trusted to obey the law," said Nader Armey's spokesman, bd Gille spie. said Armey "did not use the of fit ial congressional letter head and he is allowed to iden tify himself ns the House major ity lender tier.nose that is what he is." Asked if the distinction of what constitutes an official let terhead might not be lost on the Inter's reci(dents. Gillespie said "The House ethit s committee will look at this and we are con fident the letter is completely w ithin the bounds of the House rules." Official letterhead or not. House rules also prohibit mem bers from allowing outsiders to use any stationery imprinted with the words (iongross of the 1’nited States' or lion si- of Representatives” both of which ure on Armey's letter "It's impossible to dispute {thot 1 this letter conveys the impression it's an official com munication." said Gary Rusktn, director of the Congressional Accountability Project Midwest rivers expected to recede (AIM With the Midwest \ rant < linked rivers about to begin receding, attention to mod Wednesday to federal offo inis attd how ima.lt disaster aid they would make available Residents nod authorities also i onlintied cleanup operations In St l otus, tint Mississippi River stood at 40 1 feet, nltout 10 feet above flood stage It was ex per t ed to itegin falling Thursday. The Missouri River crested in St Charles Coun ty at 33.2 fix'!, ft.2 feet above flcxid stage, and was also expected to In^giu going down Thursday. "It looks like we may be coming out of the woods, said Petra Haws, emergency dirm tor in St ('.harles County. Scattered showers wore exp** ted across Missouri through Saturday, but they will not significantly affect river levels, the National Weather Servii « said Ai ross Missouri and Illinois, people continued to < lean up after the floods, while in Colorado I----*-1 authorities had to contend with rod and mild sluies triggered by the wet weather In Nebraska, there was still danger, particularly in the northeast. where the Klkhorn River was ris f "There's nothing we can do but wait and see what happens," said )a< k Smalley, whose home was less than 2 feet from the water on Wednesday, In Missouri, state officials waited to hoar from Washington whether M flood ravaged counties would be eligible for federal aid. and James bee Witt, director of the Federal Kinergency Management Agent y. took another look, at the region by helicopter A de< ision from President Clinton is not etpei ted for at least a week, Witt said Some 30 roads in low-lying areas remain closed in St. Charles County alone, and it could lie two weeks before they reopen. Haws said ~i Deaf teen-ager wants to live with interpreter WILMINGTON. N.C. {AI*) - A <)»■«f teen-ager who says her IVIrents refuse to learn sign language pleaded with 0 judge Wednesday to let her live per manontly with her interpreter. Her father argued that he could "stomp (hisjfoot and point" to communicate, or write letters Sonya Kinney, lfi. said in an interview that the most frustrating moment i ame two years ago. when she tried to tell her mother she hod been abused by her stepfather "She didn't understand me, ! toid her tail she didn't under stand me." Sonya said in sign language. Instead, she said, she told her interpreter. foanie Hughes Hughes is seeking perma nent custody of Sonya, whose parents are divorced No charges were filed against the stepfather, who died recently. Sonya began living with her father, Norman Kinney. in fan nary after telling social work ers of the abuse. A month lat er, her father agreed to let her move in with Hughes. Then he changed his mind, and the legal Tight began. Kinney acknowledged in court Wednesday that he didn’t learn sign language but said he was able to communi cate with his daughter. "1 always done the best 1 could 1 could stomp my foot and point to something. I admit when she was younger I had a hard time communi cating with her," Kinney tes tified Ho wrote letters as shu grew older. ho said. If there was a major prob lem. "I would go to the school and havp ihp interpreter tell nu* what was bothering her," Kinney said Outside court. .Sonya threat ened to run nwav if the court makes her live with her father "if l have to live with my dad. I'm alone all the time," tlie girl said as Ms. Hughes an interpreter for the New Hanover County school sys tem. tmnslatitd During the hearing, a court hired sign-language intoqiretor translated everything said in the courtroom for Sonya, ns well as her testimony from the witness stand. Sonya said she asked her mother, Christine Kinney Estes, "about 20 times" to learn sign language, and "she ignored me." Estes did not attend the hearing. Kinney's attorney, John Burns, argued that Sonya's skill at sign language showed that her parents were trying to help her by letting her spend so much time with Hughes. Hughes told District Judge Shelly Holt that Kinney has a history of neglecting his chil dren and is in trouble with the law Sonya has said she is afraid of her father's drinking Kinney says he no longer has a drinking problem. The self-employed painter is accused of stealing from George and Mary Hanson, a couple who hired him to paint their home and who let Kin ney live in their basement. Summer Duck Call Is Here Register now tor UO Summer classes. Rick up a tree summer bulletin w ith schedule ot classes in 333 Oregon 1 fall. 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